Jr A DRAFT News

2011-12 NAHL Season Entry DRAFT

(Updated 5/14/2011)

The NAHL will conduct their Entry Draft on May 26.  Included intheir Draft process this season, the League will hold a 30 player NA3HL Exclusive Draft of players that competed in the NA3HL last season.  We are expexcting more than a few of our Jr A Penguin players will be drafted.

In anticipation of the DRAFT, just last week Coach Cersosimo recently sent out an update to all 28 of the NAHL teams that included a bio for several of our Club's top prospects that should be draft considerations.

We're wishing our Junior A Penguins the best of luck in being selected.

The number of players each team is able to draft in the NAHL varies on that team's current roster (protected list) minus the number 30 as of midnight of May 25.

Leading up to midnight of May 25, each team's roster is comprised of veteran players and signed tenders only.

For example, if a team has 15 veterans rostered and 8 tenders signed as of midnight of May 25 (23 total), that team is allowed seven (7) draft picks.

2011-12 3HL Season Entry DRAFT

(Updated 5/14/2011)

In early June, the NA3HL (3HL) will hold it's Entry Draft.  While each team has 20 Draft Picks, Pittsburgh will make 22 selections this seaosn due to a couple trades last year.  Being prepared on Draft Day is imperative.  Having a strategy going into the draft helps everything go smoothly especially when players of interest are selected just ahead or your teams pick.  The staff have to be ready to change on the fly in order to make their selections meaningful.

Up until now, the Jr A Penguin staff have been visiting exposure camps and studying video and resumes of potential players.  In advance of the Draft, they'll complie a comprehensive list of players of interest both locally and nationwide.  Location is iportant due to the guidelines placed on the teams when selecting players.

Here's how it works. Amateur players who will be less than 21 years of age on December 31st of the upcoming season and who are not listed on any 3HL Club’s roster, or are listed on any 3HL Club’s roster but played less than 10 3HL regular season and /or playoff games during the previous season and did not accept a tender from a 3HL team prior to the Entry Draft, are eligible.

Each 3HL team gets 20 picks.  Teams select in reverse order as to their finish in the regular standings the prior season.  New Clubs will have their order of selection determined by lottery.

After a club is notified that it is their turn, they will have three mnutes to make their selection in the First Round and two minutes for the remaining rounds.  If a Club fails to meet the time limit, they forfeit their selection.

Regarding location, for the first eight picks, each club has a 75 mile protected territory from their home rink that no other team in the League can encroach.  This gives them the opportunity to select as many of the best local talent without fear of someone signing one of their best prospects especially for those clubs that ice lower level teams in a feeder program.  There are no restriction for players selected in rounds nine through twenty.

When done, the Draft results will be listed in alphabetical order and not by Draft Choice.

With the recent expansion and addition of four new teams to the 3HL (3 in MN and 1 in IA), there will be 16 teams making selections.  The Draft will begin at 6:00 pm CST.  The Draft will enable the teams that finished lower inthe standings to have an advantage in player selection to build their program similar to the way other Pro Sports teams do.

In addition to the Draft, each club will offer two Tenders beginning this season.  In order to be eligible to accept a tender, a player must not appear on the active roster of any 3HL Club.  A player who has accepts a tender may be traded. However, any player who is attending high school who accepts a tender may only be traded after obtaining written consent from the player’s parent or legal guardian and the approval of the 3HL Commissioner’s office.

There are no territorial protections or restrictions of any kind whatsoever on Tenders. Eligible players are free to sign with the 3HL team of their choice, without limitation.

Other Player Movement Guidelines:

Returning (veteran) 3HL players are the property of that team.  They remain that teams property until the team finalizes their roster.  Players are not classified a free agent until the conclusion of his teams final published tryout and only if his name does not appear on the final published roster.

Trades between Clubs involving players, draft picks, or other forms of consideration are permitted.

Players being traded from the 3HL to any other league must first clear waivers. In this case, players are placed on a 48-hour waiver list and can be claimed by another 3HL team. If more than one Club makes a waiver claim on a player, the player will be awarded to the Club with the lowest win percentage as of the date the player was placed on waivers. Clubs that are awarded a player via waiver claim pay a transfer fee the Club from whom the player was a claimed.

Players attending high school or who are under the age of 18 may not be traded without the written consent of the player’s parents.

Clubs must complete an official USA Hockey Trade Form and submit it to the USA Hockey Junior Registrar and the NA3HL Director of Player Personel.

No trades shall be permitted after the Trade Deadline.

Requests for playing rights retention for a dropped player due to outstanding financial issues are documented and handled through the NA3HL Commissioner’s office.

Trades are permited involving future considerations.

Look for an update after the Draft.

Tenders

A tender is a contract, of sorts, that a player signs announcing his intentions to play for a specific team in a League.  Once a player signs a tender with a team, his playing rights belong to that team within that League and he may not be recruited by any other team in the same League.

In the NAHL, each team is granted eight (8) tenders - plus or minus any trades - which become active on Nov. 1.  Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft.  In the NA3HL, each team is granted two (2) tenders plus or minus any trades.