Max
Domi
Max Domi
After a sub .500 season in Kingston the Fronts shuffled head coach Doug Gilmour to the GM post. In his first draft at the helm he selected the son of a former teammate in hopes that he would be able to help turn the fortunes of the franchise around. Domi had just led his Don Mills Flyers to the OHL Cup finals and had been profiled on TSN by Bob McKenzie the previous winter.
It didnt work out as planned for Gilmour and the Fronts as Domi refused to commit. Kingston eventually moved him to the London Knights for 3 2nd round draft picks. 2 in the following draft and another 4 years down the road.
In London Domi would go on to win 2 OHL titles and pick up 331 points in in 224 games and also won the Mickey Renauld Captains award in his final season. He would also add another 60 points in 50 career playoff games in the Green and Gold.
Domi also laced up in 3 straight memorial cups picking up 8 points in 12 games during that tournament. Internationally he would win gold at the Hlinka and the World Juniors while also being named top forward during that World Junior gold run. As a 16 year old he also helped team Ontario pick up a bronze medal at the U17 challenge.
Compensatory Draft Pick
The Fronts picked up the 9th overall pick in the 2012 draft as compensation for not signing Domi who was taken 8th overall. With that selection the Fronts took Sam Bennett a player who somewhat played in the shadow of his minor midget line mates Conner McDavid and Josh Ho-Sang.
As a rookie Bennett would finish the year with 40 points in 60 games. Great production for a 16 year old. To top it off he suited up for Canada's U-18 team as an underage and averaged more than a point per game helping lead Canada to the Gold Medal.
The following season he exploded with 91 points in 57 games. The Fronts however would finish the playoffs in heart break blowing a 3-0 lead to the Peterborough Petes. For Bennett however the year was topped off by winning the CHL top prospect award as he was taken 4th overall by the Calgary Flames.
He would only play 11 more games with the Fronts due to a shoulder injury the next year but picked up 24 points in those 11 games. As a 19 year old Bennett would play with the Flames. In his 2+ seasons in Kingston Bennett would play 128 games and pick up 155 points.
Trade Compensation
As mentioned the Fronts recieved 3 2nds for Domi. They were Erie's 2nd in 2012 which turned out to be the 1st pick in the 2nd round. Guelph's 2nd in 2012 which was traded before the draft and London's 2nd in 2015 which was used by the Fronts.
With Erie's selection the Fronts drafted defenceman Dylan Di Perna. He was one of 3 picks the Fronts had in the first 24 selections of the 2012 draft. Oddly enough Di Perna would suit up in the fewest games (66)for the Fronts out of those 4 picks and was shipped to Kitchener along with a draft pick during his 17 year old season for defenceman Evan McEneny. McEneny would play one and a half seasons for the Fronts and play in 114 games. During his OA year McEneny helped the Fronts hit 84 points which at the time was their most in 14 years.
With Guelph's 2nd in 2012 it highlighted a package that was sent to Niagara along with an 8th and a 3rd for Billy Jenkins and a 10th. I know what you are saying "They had to give up more than a 2nd for Billy Jenkins". Jenkins would suit up in 96 games with Kingston before being sent back to Niagara. This time along with 2 5th round draft picks for 18 year old forward Mackenzie Lemmon. Lemmon would only play 44 games in Kingston and his 19 year old season was over by 6 before he finished it in the OJHL. Needless to say there was some bad juju with that pick.
In 2015 with none of the previous pieces or their branches still baring fruit the Fronts would use London's 2nd to select a young defenceman out of Quinte who suited on for Ontario at the Canada Winter Games. That would be Jakob Brahaney. The young defender has suited up for the Fronts in 136 games during his young career proving to be a more than serviceable defender. With Kingston likely headed towards a rebuild it would not be a surprise to see him shopped this year possibly adding a few more branches to the Max Domi Trade Tree.
How did it work out for the teams involved? Well I dont know if London wins 2 straight OHL titles without Domi. Even if he was only 16 and 17 when it happened.
As for the Fronts? Well the year following the trade they finished 2nd last in the OHL. Since then they have topped 80 points in 3 of 6 seasons, have never finished worse than 6th in the east and have even won their their first 4 playoff rounds since before anyone could remember. They may not have won a title but the return on the Domi trade helped kick start a new attitude in Kingston.
It was the first trade of a former 1st round draft pick to guarantee 3 2nd round draft picks. The Lessio trade included 3 however 2 of those were conditional. A very small price considering the return that London got from Domi and a great return for Kingston considering you could argue they picked up a better player with their comp pick the following year.
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