I get it, but it just seems very counterproductive. Eaton's main point is having the prospects focus on off-ice stuff, such as workouts, nutrition, and more. Eaton also said that physical development is happening in their lives already and is very important, so they're going to focus on that. Mark Eaton stated as well that he wants to get out on the ice with them, but he feels this is most important.
Can't you just do both? The whole point of this is to get out on the ice with them, run drills and get some professional coaching. Also, wouldn't you want to see how Connor Bedard looks so you can decide whether or not he'll be a Hawk next season?
Now, this prospect showcase will be different from any other years. The CBA only gives them one week with the young men, which was same for all the other years. But the media circus surrounding Bedard and other prospects is going to be hard to handle, so I think that's also going into making the off-ice decision.
