June 17, 2008
AGENT'S CORNER
by George Bazos/CHN Columnist
It is that time of the year again when draft eligible players focus on the National Hockey League Entry Draft. While the draft can be a time to celebrate for some players, and a time of disappointment for others, it is very important for players and their families to realize that the draft is not the end of a player's journey, it is just the beginning.
A player that does get drafted should be excited and honored, however, being drafted does not insure future success at the professional level. At the same time, those players that do not get drafted should not feel like it is the end of the world, and that their dreams of playing in the NHL are over.
Most players from North America are eligible to be drafted for three consecutive years at the ages of 18, 19, and 20. (Players that were born after September 15 are only eligible to be drafted in two years at the ages of 18 and 19).
A player's "draft age" is his age on September 15 of the year of the draft. This means that if a player is not drafted as an 18-year old, he still can be drafted the following year as a 19-year old. If he is again not drafted as a 19-year old, in most cases he is eligible as a 20-year old the following year. If a player goes through all of his draft eligible years without being selected, he then becomes an "undrafted free agent," enabling the player to negotiate with any of the 30 NHL teams, which in many cases can be a big advantage for the player.
A drafted player who is in college, or who will be going to college, in general has his NHL rights held by his drafting team for four years — or until August 15 after the player's senior year in college. During this time period, the player can only sign a National Hockey League contract with the team that drafted him (or holds his rights, as a player's rights can be traded to another team while he is still in college).
What this all means is that a player's performance in college is the most critical factor in determining the player's potential for success at the professional level, whether the player has been drafted or not.
If a drafted player performs well in college, he likely will receive an NHL contract offer from his team when he is ready to become a professional. If a drafted player does not continue to develop and perform well while in college, there is no guarantee that he will receive a contract offer from his team. NHL teams are not obligated to offer contracts to players that they have drafted. If the team determines that a player has not earned a contract for any reason, they can simply let him be released from the NHL organization with no financial obligation whatsoever.
For those players that do not get drafted, the philosophy is the same. An undrafted player that develops and performs well in college has an excellent chance of receiving an NHL contract. Top performing undrafted players actually have a bit of an advantage in that they can negotiate with all thirty teams as opposed to just one.
This is exactly why players need to look at the draft as simply a small step towards their ultimate goal of playing in the NHL. The draft brings no guarantees. The only way that a player can guarantee that he gets an opportunity to be a professional is through hard work, continued development, and success during his years in college.
Mr. Bazos has been negotiating contracts and representing professional athletes since 1990. His agency, Edge Sports Management represents former college players now in the NHL such as Dan Boyle, Mike York, Randy Robitaille, George Parros and Nathan Gerbe. Find out more at edgesportsmanagement.com. To have something addressed in a future column, send George a question.
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