This is just what happened in 2020-21. In the NHL some players that were going to be in the AHL weren't for much of the year. Players that were going to play NCAA Division 1 hockey, didn't, and transferred to other schools or went back to Tier1 or Tier2 Jr. Kids that were going to be playing Tier1 & 2 Jr. were displaced by kids who were going to play NCAA Div 1. Kids who were going to play Tier2 Jr, went back and played 18AAA etc. etc. etc. A lot of Prep schools either had a limited season or no season at all. Some kids who were planning to go to Prep school, learned that there was going to be no hockey season at all, or close to none. Some of those parents decided to defer enrollment for a year.
I don't think this year is indicative of the status quo, but by the same token, the CAHA AAA system has turned off a lot of people, and when compounded by restrictions of the sport in much of the state, it's not a surprise that you have kids playing AA who are AAA caliber.
And in defense of the Bears, they did what they said they were going to do, and helped a lot of kids leave the state to join prep schools, so it should not be a surprise when some of those kids, who found they were not going to play hockey at all this year, decided to return home and play for the coach and club who advised and helped them become the players they are. There are some pretty good Bantam teams this season, who benefitted from having players that were going to be playing out of state, return for this season, again only because Covid happened, and scuttled a lot of plans.