its pretty sad that some people think a team needs to be ranked above a certain number on mhr.com to validate the developmental benefits that the kids on that team get from participating in aaa, with the extra ice time, higher level of competition and exposure that typically provides. ice dogs are doing fine for a first year aaa program. the kids surely would benefit from a multi-year sustained program, so why does the umbrella organization have to go muck it up? if the jk and jd don't want to play anyone else, fine, change the 300% rule and go spend every other weekend flying out of town. if they'd just give one or two of the ice dogs, gulls, saints, (wave, reign, bears, titans, goldrush, whoever) a couple years to actually build up their programs, you'd see a lot fewer kids leaving the state, overall quality of the circuit would improve, and everyone would benefit.
you know what would be "good for those kids and southern california hockey"? i mean, like the *best* thing? not having dozens of kids leave home when they are 13, 14 or 15 years old, that's what.