Naked Shoot Out: Article 8 – A big-Ass Look at Entry Draft Regulations
Dec 20, 2009 I NHL Hockey, Naked Shootout: A Stripped Down Look at the CBA.Article 8 – The Entry Draft
I love the entry draft. All those fresh faced young hockey players, surrounded by their family and friends and still fill of hopes and dreams that GM’s and the real world are just waiting to crush.
My most recent favourite draft moments involve Brian Burke, whether it be watching his soul being crushed as the Kings draft Brayden Schenn and ending his Schenn and Schenn dreams, or the steely glee as he in turn crushes Bryan Murray’s dreams of drafting Nazem Kadri, with a simple “well we’re going to take him”, the draft holds a lot of excitement for those of us who love the jr leagues, and gossiping about what our team’s futures holds.
But what governs the draft?
Article 8.1 sets out that the draft shall be held in June every league year at a date determined by the commissioner. Each draft (8.2) shall consist of 7 rounds, and each of those rounds shall consist of the same number of selections as there shall be clubs in the following league year.
8.3 sets out the guidelines for compensatory draft picks obtained from a loss of a draft pick (they are different rules for loss of a Group III Free agent), requiring that the additional number of picks shall not exceed the number of clubs in the league the following year. The right to a compensatory pick arises if they lose rights to an unsigned draft choice, who was drafted in the first round. This loss of rights cannot arise if the loss is due to their own failure to tender a Bona Fide Offer.
The pick they are granted shall be of the same numerical choice as before but in the 2nd round of the entry draft which immediately follows the date a which the loss of rights occur. A recent example of this was the Phoneix Coyotes and the loss of Blake Wheeler. Whilst the Coyotes made a legitmate Bona Fide Offer to Wheeler, they failed to retain his services on contract (as he wished to run off somewhere other than Phoenix as a FA) and were awarded the 5th pick in the 2nd round as their compensation.
8.4 or all the stuff that deems you eligible to be drafted.
All players 18 years and older are eligible for claim in an entry draft UNLESS:
- They are already on a reserve list of a club.
- They have been claimed in two prior entry drafts.
- They have previously played in the NHL and have since become a FA.
- Is older than 21 and has played in North America for minimum 1 year between 18 – 20 (a free agent).
- Is older than 22 and has not played in North America (a free agent).
8.5 or the order in which the draft is run
The rules that determine the order of selection are dictated by the league. These rules are valid as long as they do not give any club a greater or smaller chance of obtaining rights in a certain player. If any changes are to be made to the process, the NHL must notify the NHLPA by March 1 in the year of the draft to which changes are proposed to take affect.
Currently those rules can be found here
8.6 or how long you retain rights in a player.
Drafting, as everyone knows, gives a team exclusive rights of negotiation for the services of the player.
Initially a club retains exclusive negotiation rights to a player for a period of one year. If the club makes a Bona Fide Offer to the player before or on June 1 of the year following the draft these negotiation rights will be extended to the second June 1 following the draft.
However, if the player is drafted at 20, his services not retained and he renters at age 22, the drafting club shall only acquire these exclusive negotiations rights for 1 year only unless the player is acquired from a club outside north America.
Realistically however, the retainment of player rights is dependent on several factors including whether they are a major junior or college player, their age and the year they leave either of these fields.
Drafted out of Major Junior
A club shall retain the exclusive negotiating rights until the 4th June 1 after his intial draft selection of a player drafted at 18 who ceases to play in the major juniors in the first year after being drafted.
If the player ceases to play in his second season after being drafted, if the club hs tendered a Bona Fide Offer, they shall retain exclusive rights until the 4th June 1,
If the player was drafted at 19 and ceases to play in major juniors in the first season after drafting, they shall retain exclusive rights until the 3rd june 1st (compared to the 4th June 1st if they were 18). This retainment of rights can be extended to a 4th year if a BFO is made prior to the 1 June of the third year.
Other than these specific examples, ceasing to play in Jr’s shall have no impact on a club’s right of exclusive negotiation.
Drafted out of College or with Intention to go to College
If you’re 18 or 19 and a bona fide college student AT the time of your selection, or you become one within the next year after your selection (so say you’re kyle turris and you get drafted then go to college the next year where you excel in sports such as beer pong) and you remain a Bona Fide College Student through until the graduation of your college class, the club that drafts you shall retain exclusive rights until the august 15th following the graduation of your college class. Because of NCAA guidelines, no Bona Fide Offer of a contract is required to retain this rights.
However, if you do not remain a college student through to the end of your graduation, the team shall retain rights until the 4th June 1 following your intial selection. Once again, no BFO is required.
However if you are drafted at 18 or 19, and receive a BFO, and then become a college student before the 2nd June 1, if that player remains through to graduation, exclusive rights will extend until the august 15th following their graduation from college. Once again though, if they fail to remain at college through to graduation, the rights shall be retained until the 4th June following initial selection.
If you draft a player who’s 20 or older and a Bona Fida College student, the club shall retain exclusive rights until the 2nd June 1 following drafting. However, if on the 2nd June 1 the player is still in college, the club shall retain those rights until the August 15th of the year he leaves college, regardless if he has left at or prior to graduation.
8.6 (D) or so What is a Bona Fide Offer??
According to 8.6(d) a bona fide offer is an offer for a standard player contract for a period corresponding with the players age (9.1(b)), which commences at the start of the next league season, offers atleast a minimum paragraph 1 salary (s11.12) and remains open to the player to accept for atleast 30 days after the offer.
8.7 or what age means.
In the first two years after being drafted, an 18 year old who is signed to an SPC must be offered to the club he was drafted from (by the club he who drafted him) before he can be loaned to another.
In the first season after being drafted at 19 (or if they reach their 19th birthday between September 16 and December 31 the year of the draft) the rule as above applies.
However, during the 18 and 19 year old seasons, IF the picks junior team is no longer in competition he may be loaned to a clubs minor league team provided they have been listed on their eligibility list (the AHL Clear Day List).
8.8 or yes we can trade your rights.
Any right of negotiation is completely transferable to another club by standard assignment without any requirement for waiver.
8.9 or Are you Eligible?
To play in the league you must either be drafted into the league, or be ineligible for drafting under 8.4.
These ineligibilities are:
- That you were older than 20, had played in North America in the prior season and had signed a standard player contract between the last draft and the NHL season’s commencement. Eg. Signed as an undrafted free agent.
- That you were under 20, had played the prior season in North America, and had signed an SPC between the last draft and the NHL Season’s commencement. However if you were on a try-out the date for signing is the first day of the NHL Season.
- That you were older than 22, played hockey outside North America last season, and signed an SPC between the draft and the NHL Season. This is what we call the Europeans take longer for us to figure out they’re there and good rule.
8.10 or so how old are you by Draft standards?
To the CBA 18 is if you turn 18 between 1 Jan proceeding the draft and September 15 after the draft.
To the CBA to be 19 you must reach your 19th birthday no later than September 15 the year of the draft.
20, 21 and 22 are all “ages reached prior or on” December 31 of the draft year.
8.11 or letting the NHLPA get to you early.
The NHLPA is entitled to attend and hold a closed and private meeting of players at any pre-draft combine the NHL shall hold. Awesome! It starts early 
