Canucks4Ever
Well-Known Member
CAT is a joke. Period. But it's the only way to have an expanded roster and find alternate game time for guys.
For example Regs you mentioned Westside as a model club. I know they have a CAT team and have had some success using that structure. 5 or 6 guys over 3 or 4 years have gone from being the BEST player on their CAT team to contributing to their first team. They know the league is trash though, and the club would WAY prefer to have a Div 2/3 team and be able to bring people up, but such is the restriction of the glorious VMSL.
You also mentioned Surrey. Even though they have a CAT team, in speaking with them I know they sign upwards of 30 guys to their Prem team and the CAT team operates essentially autonomously. No idea why they don't enter Div 3, they've been at or near the top of the CAT "league" the last few years and if I'm not mistaken and if they aren't really getting a look at Prem why stick with that system? No idea on the club politics there though.
I do know the Westside guys are trying to approach things differently, trying to go all "Oakland As" as they know without having a youth club feeder or paying players they can't really compete with the top end teams. They are all about club culture and player development, older guys mentoring younger guys and trying to keep players around year over year even if they are good enough to play at Prem somewhere else. They want to create something long term that is stable and can return them to the kind of success they had a generation ago. Will it work? Who knows, but they are giving it a try (and it's also I hear why they turned down Tigers when they asked to merge...although I will be 100% honest and say that is strictly what I HEARD, I don't know it for sure but TTPs all about rumors right?? )
As for teams in the same division, it's happened before (see Westside Rinos/Westside Rangers circa 2008). Not sure how much "collusion" there was back then as I'm pretty sure the results of that season laid the foundation for the great split a few years later.
For example Regs you mentioned Westside as a model club. I know they have a CAT team and have had some success using that structure. 5 or 6 guys over 3 or 4 years have gone from being the BEST player on their CAT team to contributing to their first team. They know the league is trash though, and the club would WAY prefer to have a Div 2/3 team and be able to bring people up, but such is the restriction of the glorious VMSL.
You also mentioned Surrey. Even though they have a CAT team, in speaking with them I know they sign upwards of 30 guys to their Prem team and the CAT team operates essentially autonomously. No idea why they don't enter Div 3, they've been at or near the top of the CAT "league" the last few years and if I'm not mistaken and if they aren't really getting a look at Prem why stick with that system? No idea on the club politics there though.
I do know the Westside guys are trying to approach things differently, trying to go all "Oakland As" as they know without having a youth club feeder or paying players they can't really compete with the top end teams. They are all about club culture and player development, older guys mentoring younger guys and trying to keep players around year over year even if they are good enough to play at Prem somewhere else. They want to create something long term that is stable and can return them to the kind of success they had a generation ago. Will it work? Who knows, but they are giving it a try (and it's also I hear why they turned down Tigers when they asked to merge...although I will be 100% honest and say that is strictly what I HEARD, I don't know it for sure but TTPs all about rumors right?? )
As for teams in the same division, it's happened before (see Westside Rinos/Westside Rangers circa 2008). Not sure how much "collusion" there was back then as I'm pretty sure the results of that season laid the foundation for the great split a few years later.