How does the NHL draft work?

[Pastore]

Ok, if you pick up a guy in the draft what does that mean? Does that just mean you have the rights to him? Does that mean he has to stay either in your minor team system or play on your team? Does a drafted player get a salary, or does the team he's currently playing for (i.e. the teams AHL affiliate?) pay him? Thanks

 

[Cuda1447]

I would have responded but then you said "Thanks Yooooooooo"

 

[Pastore]

Ok, now reply.

 

[pyonir]

they basically draft the rights to him. Most american players will play in juniors for a while, go to college, then sign with the team that drafted him and play in the minor league system of that team for a while.

Of course this all depends on the caliber of the player. Like Marian Gaborik was drafted and played right away. A lot of college players already are drafted and claimed so they usually go pro when they make a big enough name for themselves (Dany Heatley played for wisconsin for two years and went pro. got right into the big leagues because he is so talented.)

Is that enough of an explaination?

 

[jaeger66]

10 years ago anyone drafted in the first 2 rounds pretty much went right to the NHL. Today there seems to be a extensive grooming process in the minors that I think is silly, but that's the new ideology. Anyway, when you draft a player you have his rights and then you can:

Keep him in college if that's where he came from-no pay.(almost all players old enough to be drafted are too old for juniors).
Sign him to an NHL contract-this means he makes NHL money regardless of whether he's in the NHL or the minors.
Sign him to a 2-way contract-this means big money in the NHL and little money in the minors.

These days, virtually all draftees are signed to 2 way deals and then sent to the minors for grooming and polishing. Players drafted by an NHL team are paid by the NHL team regardless of where they play. Players who have been around for a while and aren't ever going to make it to the NHL can sign minor league deals and are paid by the minor league team.

 

[Pastore]

Originally posted by: jaeger66
10 years ago anyone drafted in the first 2 rounds pretty much went right to the NHL. Today there seems to be a extensive grooming process in the minors that I think is silly, but that's the new ideology. Anyway, when you draft a player you have his rights and then you can:

Keep him in college if that's where he came from-no pay.(almost all players old enough to be drafted are too old for juniors).
Sign him to an NHL contract-this means he makes NHL money regardless of whether he's in the NHL or the minors.
Sign him to a 2-way contract-this means big money in the NHL and little money in the minors.

These days, virtually all draftees are signed to 2 way deals and then sent to the minors for grooming and polishing. Players drafted by an NHL team are paid by the NHL team regardless of where they play. Players who have been around for a while and aren't ever going to make it to the NHL can sign minor league deals and are paid by the minor league team.

From what I've seen VERY FEW draftees past the 3rd round are signed to 2 way contracts. I understand what happens to a player that is drafted and immediately signed, I was just curious about those guys that are drafted and never even play a game in the NHL. Do they trade these players or what?

For example, my local minor league hockey team is affiliated with the Syracuse Crunch, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Right now, we have 7 guys on our team that have been drafted in the entry draft, all of them are rounds 4-8, except one guy who was drafted first round in 85 but he was a fluke. I highly doubt any of these guys will play in the NHL, possibly a couple games in Syracuse, but probably not the NHL. What about those guys? What happened when they didn't perform like the scouts thought they would when drafted?

 

[pyonir]

those that don't play a game generally end up in a minor league system until they give it up. I watched a lot of good players that went to my college and were drafted out of high school. a lot of them never have played in the NHL and never will. They are playing for minor league teams, IHL and such. and yes, they can be traded.

 

[jaeger66]

Originally posted by: Beast1284


From what I've seen VERY FEW draftees past the 3rd round are signed to 2 way contracts. I understand what happens to a player that is drafted and immediately signed, I was just curious about those guys that are drafted and never even play a game in the NHL. Do they trade these players or what?

That's not really true. The later round picks often(but not always) get 2 way deals because there is a much smaller chance that they will make it to the NHL. But if they do get called up, how long will they be happy playing in the NHL for $30,000 a year? That's why they do it like that. Players who never make the NHL are usually just released to try and hack out a career in the minors. Sometimes a team will roll the dice on a first round bust and trade for him, but you're not going to get much in return.

Note that all this may change after next year, when the strike/lockout(assuming the strike doesn't kill the NHL entirely) will probably end in a salary cap. There will likely be pressure to get high picks into the lineup immediately.