Nice try...but same result

Your hypothesis, I believe, is that if you actually credited the girls hockey organization where the player spent the most time, you would find that the Aeros would no longer be among the Top 5 on the list of D1 placements. This would be presumably because you believe that the key to the Aeros success is that they merely recruit more of the best fully developed players for their last year or two. Rather than actually helping to develop them to their potential during their time as an Aero, and helping them gain access more D1 opportunities.

The facts show otherwise.

As someone else said previously, while the Aeros have been a Top 5 team each of the past 5 years in the standings, they have not dominated the league points-wise to the same degree their D1 placement has, related to other perennial top teams. Over the past 4 years, Toronto averaged 51.5 points, Stoney 48.3 points, Missy 43.5 points and Durham 41.8 points. Yet Toronto's D1 placement is more than twice as high as the rest, and very strong even in years when their performance in the PWHL has been weaker than some. This suggests superior player recruitment alone is not the key reason for their degree of success in D1 placement. Actually, on the basis of D1 recruits-per-average team points achieved over the past 4 years, to attempt to discount the impact of a team's overall strength in the numbers, the top 5 clubs are still as follows: (1) Aeros 1.23 (2) Ottawa 1.59 (3) Durham 2.20 (4) London 2.50 and (5) Stoney 3.02.

Now let's see how the relative placement rates would look if you did not categorize on the basis of a players last PWHL club, but on the basis of where they played girl's hockey the longest. If a player stayed with the same organization for their last 3 years at minimum, that organization has been designated (no one is guaranteed a D1 placement out of bantam--many players plateau there!). These numbers are close but not exact, as I don't have access to the complete playing history of every D1 player. Here's what the numbers show: (1) Aeros 24 (2) Ottawa 20 (3) Durham 16 (4) London 15 (5) Etobicoke 11. (Stoney, Oakville, and Brampton are next with 9 each). The only key "surprise" from previous lists is the prevalence of previous Etobicoke players, who eventually dispersed to various other nearby clubs including Mississauga, Oakville, Aeros etc. The Aeros are still #1 by this measure, though by a lesser margin, given that they are comprised of only 2 teams. However, they still continue to fare better by this measure than most would expect given two factors: (a) a larger proportion of their players join the organization either directly from boys hockey, or after a very short pit stop elsewhere (b) a high proportion of their PWHL roster is generally compromised of 2 year Midget Aeros.

Most believe that the Aeros do little to develop players, but are quick to agree that other "full-service" clubs most certainly must. But many of these same teams will gladly encourage several undeveloped 15 year olds (or younger) on their rosters just to fill spots, and will regularly short shift their weaker players in order to double shift their stars. How do these practices contribute to their development?

Virtually all players need a year or two of Midget hockey to reach their full potential, to gain more ice time and time with the puck in key situations and develop confidence in their abilities, critical to reaching their potential. Few organizations actually achieve this, the Aeros actively promote it and expect players to buy in. Year after year, a significant number of Midget Aeros forego opportunities to play PWHL hockey elsewhere, in the name of better long-term development at the Midget level. Very few Midgets ever leave the organization having joined, even when they don't ultimately make the Junior club. What does that suggest? And how about the Aero who joined from Bantam A, and received a full ride in a prestigious D1 program beginning this fall? Or the Midget Aeros who year after year gain D1 offers over other PWHL players? The Aeros don't actually develop players?

In most situations, both Junior and Midget Aeros roll their lines, providing equal development opportunity for all, even at the risk of losing games in many cases. If you believe the Aeros do not contribute significantly to their player's development and recruitment prospects, you really know nothing at all about the Aeros....except what you'd prefer to believe!

You don't have to like the Aeros, but they deserve credit for doing many things well. For all their players, not just the stars.