it's not odd. it's perfect for a truly small form factor pc with really integrated soc like kaveri and carrizo. intel cooler mounting bracket was a smart idea from ecs design team. for a first..ish try, not bad. the bad things are that it lacks decent amount of sata, usb, audio ports for additional connectivity.
THis is a good thing - it should allow you to use any of many mini ITXS cases that were previously intel only with lower graphics. this can give a much more functional system for HTPC use, although the audio is marginal..
The reason it uses Intel mounting bracket is that Thin Mini ITX is a form factor developed by Intel for AIO PC's, all of the enclosures are designed to fit with the specifications that Intel developed and as such AMD needs to use it.
I wrote a letter to them last week asking why I couldn't find this board anywhere. That's why XD Bout time they got this out the door. I need one of these so I can build an Intel Loop AOI with some gaming oomph