With the 04s why aren't we doing this in the fall when they can check and the kids that are playing as "alternates" would have conflicts with their regular team. I know, it's just about selling ice.

Although the concept of parity is a great idea, in practice it is very flawed especially when the rules of the game will shift dramatically next year. On top of the change in checking, the gamesmanship of playing with the rosters will only serve to broaden the gap. Having the team split regionally makes a lot more sense than anything else I have seen so far. As for drawing a line in the sand based on a random number (10), that's as silly as the E9 concept.