Post by DanCan on May 14, 2004 2:17:00 GMT -5
NHL Entry Draft - A Primer[/size][/b]
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft, on June 25-27 at Raleigh's RBC Center, is the 41st anniversary of an event that has grown from a small gathering of hockey executives to a spectacle followed by hundreds of thousands of hockey fans throughout the world.
History
In an effort to eliminate the sponsorship of amateur teams and players by its member clubs, the National Hockey League began developing a drafting system that would provide each team with an equal opportunity to acquire amateur players.
"I'm trying to work out a system whereby all amateur players who will attain their 17th birthdays before August of each year will be available for drafting by NHL teams in the reverse order of the standing," said NHL President Clarence Campbell during the 1962-63 season. "We're ultimately hopeful it will produce a uniform opportunity for each team to acquire a star player."
The end result was the establishment of the NHL's Amateur Draft.
The first NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal on June 5, 1963. All amateur players, 17 years of age and older who were not already sponsored by an NHL club, were eligible to be drafted. Garry Monahan, a center from the St. Michael's Juveniles of Toronto, was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1969 Draft marked the first year that the effects of NHL amateur sponsorship would not be seen, as every junior of qualifying age (20-years) was available for selection. Eighty-four players were selected that year, more than four times the average number of players chosen in each of the first six years of the Draft.
In 1979, the name of the Draft was changed from "Amateur" to "Entry" to reflect the inclusion of young players eligible for selection who had played professionally in the now-defunct World Hockey Association.
Draft Eligibility
Beginning with the 1980 Entry Draft, all 18, 19 and 20-year old North American and non-North American born players have been eligible to be drafted. In addition, non-North American players aged 21-years or older are eligible for claim. From 1987 to 1991, the selection of 18 and 19-year-old players was restricted to the first three rounds of the draft, unless the player met qualifying criteria that dealt with hockey experience in major junior, U.S. college and high school or European hockey. Starting with the 1992 Draft, those players were available in all rounds.
Players eligible for selection in the nine rounds (plus compensatory picks) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft are subject to the following:
* North American players born between January 1, 1984 and September 15, 1986 are eligible for selection in all rounds.
* Non-North American players 18 years of age or older as of September 15, 2003 are eligible for selection in all rounds, with no maximum age limit.
* Non-North American players must be drafted before signing with an NHL team.
"Opting In" to the Entry Draft
Beginning with the 1995 Entry Draft, all players 18-years of age are required to "opt-in" to be eligible for selection. This year, any player born between Sept. 16, 1985 and Sept. 15, 1986 is considered to be 18-years of age and, therefore, must "opt-in" to the Entry Draft.
Any player born prior to Sept. 16, 1985 is automatically eligible for selection and is not required to "opt-in".
A player has until the later of May 1, 2004 or up until seven days of his team's last game to "opt-in" to be considered eligible for selection.
Re-entering the Draft
In 1978, the NHL saw the first players re-enter the Entry Draft after being selected by NHL clubs in 1977.
Any player 20-years of age or younger that has not signed a contract within two years of being drafted or has not received a bona fide offer from the NHL club that drafted them within one year of being drafted are subject to re-enter the Entry Draft. All contracts or bona fide offers must be completed before
June 1, 2002. European players who have not signed a contract or whose rights have been released by the NHL club that drafted them, without playing in North America as an 18, 19 or 20-year-old, are subject to re-entry.
If a player is drafted twice and remains without a contract, he is not subject to re-entry.
Drafting Order
The NHL's annual Draft Drawing is a weighted lottery system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2004 Entry Draft.
The 14 teams that did not qualify for this season's Stanley Cup Playoffs, or clubs that acquired those clubs' 2004 first-round draft picks participate in the Drawing.
The Club selected in the drawing may not move up more than four positions in the draft order, thus only the four Clubs with the fewest regular-season points have the opportunity to receive the first overall selection. No Club can move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Drawing.
Draft becomes event for fans
Prior to 1980, the Entry Draft was conducted in Montreal hotels or League offices, closed to the public. In 1980, the Entry Draft was transformed into a public event, staged in the Montreal Forum with more than 2,500 fans in attendance.
The first Draft held outside Montreal was in 1985, when the Metro Toronto Convention Centre hosted the event attended by 7,000 fans.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Radio-Canada provided the first live network television coverage in both English and French in 1984, coverage in the United States was first provided by SportsChannel America in 1989.
This year's Entry Draft will be seen in Canada on TSN and in the United States on ESPN2.
Source: Central Scouting Bureau
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft, on June 25-27 at Raleigh's RBC Center, is the 41st anniversary of an event that has grown from a small gathering of hockey executives to a spectacle followed by hundreds of thousands of hockey fans throughout the world.
History
In an effort to eliminate the sponsorship of amateur teams and players by its member clubs, the National Hockey League began developing a drafting system that would provide each team with an equal opportunity to acquire amateur players.
"I'm trying to work out a system whereby all amateur players who will attain their 17th birthdays before August of each year will be available for drafting by NHL teams in the reverse order of the standing," said NHL President Clarence Campbell during the 1962-63 season. "We're ultimately hopeful it will produce a uniform opportunity for each team to acquire a star player."
The end result was the establishment of the NHL's Amateur Draft.
The first NHL Amateur Draft was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal on June 5, 1963. All amateur players, 17 years of age and older who were not already sponsored by an NHL club, were eligible to be drafted. Garry Monahan, a center from the St. Michael's Juveniles of Toronto, was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1969 Draft marked the first year that the effects of NHL amateur sponsorship would not be seen, as every junior of qualifying age (20-years) was available for selection. Eighty-four players were selected that year, more than four times the average number of players chosen in each of the first six years of the Draft.
In 1979, the name of the Draft was changed from "Amateur" to "Entry" to reflect the inclusion of young players eligible for selection who had played professionally in the now-defunct World Hockey Association.
Draft Eligibility
Beginning with the 1980 Entry Draft, all 18, 19 and 20-year old North American and non-North American born players have been eligible to be drafted. In addition, non-North American players aged 21-years or older are eligible for claim. From 1987 to 1991, the selection of 18 and 19-year-old players was restricted to the first three rounds of the draft, unless the player met qualifying criteria that dealt with hockey experience in major junior, U.S. college and high school or European hockey. Starting with the 1992 Draft, those players were available in all rounds.
Players eligible for selection in the nine rounds (plus compensatory picks) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft are subject to the following:
* North American players born between January 1, 1984 and September 15, 1986 are eligible for selection in all rounds.
* Non-North American players 18 years of age or older as of September 15, 2003 are eligible for selection in all rounds, with no maximum age limit.
* Non-North American players must be drafted before signing with an NHL team.
"Opting In" to the Entry Draft
Beginning with the 1995 Entry Draft, all players 18-years of age are required to "opt-in" to be eligible for selection. This year, any player born between Sept. 16, 1985 and Sept. 15, 1986 is considered to be 18-years of age and, therefore, must "opt-in" to the Entry Draft.
Any player born prior to Sept. 16, 1985 is automatically eligible for selection and is not required to "opt-in".
A player has until the later of May 1, 2004 or up until seven days of his team's last game to "opt-in" to be considered eligible for selection.
Re-entering the Draft
In 1978, the NHL saw the first players re-enter the Entry Draft after being selected by NHL clubs in 1977.
Any player 20-years of age or younger that has not signed a contract within two years of being drafted or has not received a bona fide offer from the NHL club that drafted them within one year of being drafted are subject to re-enter the Entry Draft. All contracts or bona fide offers must be completed before
June 1, 2002. European players who have not signed a contract or whose rights have been released by the NHL club that drafted them, without playing in North America as an 18, 19 or 20-year-old, are subject to re-entry.
If a player is drafted twice and remains without a contract, he is not subject to re-entry.
Drafting Order
The NHL's annual Draft Drawing is a weighted lottery system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2004 Entry Draft.
The 14 teams that did not qualify for this season's Stanley Cup Playoffs, or clubs that acquired those clubs' 2004 first-round draft picks participate in the Drawing.
The Club selected in the drawing may not move up more than four positions in the draft order, thus only the four Clubs with the fewest regular-season points have the opportunity to receive the first overall selection. No Club can move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Drawing.
Draft becomes event for fans
Prior to 1980, the Entry Draft was conducted in Montreal hotels or League offices, closed to the public. In 1980, the Entry Draft was transformed into a public event, staged in the Montreal Forum with more than 2,500 fans in attendance.
The first Draft held outside Montreal was in 1985, when the Metro Toronto Convention Centre hosted the event attended by 7,000 fans.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Radio-Canada provided the first live network television coverage in both English and French in 1984, coverage in the United States was first provided by SportsChannel America in 1989.
This year's Entry Draft will be seen in Canada on TSN and in the United States on ESPN2.
Source: Central Scouting Bureau