I had the same thought, though ofc most of the Boyang and Joseph cases are not clear to us. Back around the beginning of June TSL said they heard (likely from Doug Haw, Brian's friend) that Joseph was coming to TCC for a tryout. It wasn't clear then if it was for the summer camp or a permanent move (or both), or if a permanent position might open for the 2019-2020 season once Joseph completed the next level at school (I've no understanding of QU school structure, so I'm relying on memory of what iirc other(s) said before). Did this happen before or after Brian knew the Boyang was not coming? I don't know. It may be it originally was tied to summer instruction in some way and the combo of Joseph impressing Brian and his team and Boyang not coming made it easy to choose Joseph now, rather than saying "We like you, come see us again next year if you still want to train with us." So it may be a sign, diplomatic words aside, that Brian and Tracy don't expect Boyang to ever come, or it may be that Joseph coming sooner or later was already likely regardless of the Boyang situation.
Honestly, having Stephen, Conrad, and Joseph there, plus Cha Junhwan suggests Brian is continuing the tradition started with when he accepted Yuzu after first forging a good bond with Javi, who then was generous and secure enough to say yes. Finally, Yuzu saw Javi's honest friendliness as honest friendliness (and not a more negative form of rivalry) and responded in kind. It's taken a lot of work on all side to maintain that real warmth even through the difficult 2018-2018 season.
So once again there's potential for friendly or at least civil rivalry where skaters in the same discipline push each other to excel yet also navigate any tension to avoid some of the ugly rivalries of the past. Conrad seems friendly with Jun, Stephen, and Joseph, if their Instagram presence is to be relied on. It's not that they must be absolute BFFs _or_ enemies (false dilemma), but can at the very least not spend emotional energy on negativity that sours the morale of the team. Problems and conflicts will arise ofc, as real fs life isn't a Hallmark Channel movie, but everyone learns to confront them in a healthy manner. I look forward to seeing these young men grow as they compete with each other and wish them all good health and luck as the competitive season heats up.
I thought he wasn't done because he was 16, but his recent bday reminded me of these really YOUNG kids who start kindergarten at 5 with an August or September bday... Jo is one of those. At this point, he would normally go to Cegep in Quebec.. but he could also take some entry level classes at university in Toronto. Language doesn't seem to be a problem for him. Considering how young he is with his lucky date of birth, he could also just take a year or two off, and resume school after. It's really not a big deal when you have completed HS at 16 
