NHL Entry Draft

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The NHL Entry Draft is a collective meeting in which the franchises of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur players who meet the eligibility requirements to play professional hockey in the NHL.

Contents 1 History 1.1 C Form 1.1.1 Misconceptions about the C-Form 2 List of Drafts 3 NHL Draft Busts and Steals 4 Player Numbers By League Summary 5 Player Numbers By Team 6 See also

[edit] History

The first NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 5, 1963 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Any amateur player that was 17 years of age and older and was not already sponsored by an NHL club was eligible to be drafted.

In 1969 the rules were changed so that any amateur player under the age of 20 was eligible to be drafted. 84 players (more than four times the average in each of the first six drafts) were selected that year.

In 1979, the name of the Draft was changed from "Amateur" to "Entry" to accommodate a rule change that allowed players who had previously played professionally to be drafted. This rule change was made to facilitate the absorption of players from the now defunct World Hockey Association.

Beginning in 1980 and continuing today, any player who is 18-20 years old is eligible to be drafted. In addition, any non-North American player over the age of 20 can be selected.

Also in 1980, the Entry Draft became a public event. Prior to this year the Entry Draft was conducted in Montreal hotels or League offices and was closed to the general public. The 1980 draft was held in the Montreal Forum and there were more than 2,500 fans in attendance.

In 1985 the first draft outside of Montreal was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario in 1985. The event was attended by 7,000 fans.

Live television coverage of the Draft began in 1984 when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation covered the event in both English and French for Canadian audiences. SportsChannel America began covering the event in the United States in 1989.

[edit] C Form

The C form was the standard document issued by the National Hockey League to acquire amateur players in the Original Six era. Prior to the Universal Draft of 1969, amateur drafts were for players who were not on a sponsorship list.

The form, which usually led to a professional contract, would be signed by an amateur prospect at age 18 and it was permissible to be renewed only once. The player would usually be a member of a junior team that was affiliated with a National Hockey League franchise.

[edit] Misconceptions about the C-Form

There was a popular view at the time that parents signed very young children's hockey lives over to the teams. This comes from the fact that at the time, most Junior clubs were owned or subsidised by NHL teams, and usually subsidised minor hockey in their areas.

However, a prospect had to be 18 years of age or older to sign a C-Form. Players as young as 14 could be put on a 4-name future negotiation list (as was the case for Bobby Orr in 1962).

[edit] List of Drafts

• 2008 NHL Entry Draft - Scotiabank Place - Ottawa, Ontario
• 2007 NHL Entry Draft - Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
• 2006 NHL Entry Draft - GM Place - Vancouver, British Columbia
• 2005 NHL Entry Draft - The Westin Ottawa - Ottawa, Ontario
• 2004 NHL Entry Draft - RBC Center - Raleigh, North Carolina
• 2003 NHL Entry Draft - Gaylord Entertainment Center - Nashville, Tennessee
• 2002 NHL Entry Draft - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, Ontario
• 2001 NHL Entry Draft - National Car Rental Center - Sunrise, Florida
• 2000 NHL Entry Draft - Pengrowth Saddledome - Calgary, Alberta
• 1999 NHL Entry Draft - FleetCenter - Boston, Massachusetts
• 1998 NHL Entry Draft - Marine Midland Arena - Buffalo, New York
• 1997 NHL Entry Draft - Civic Arena - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• 1996 NHL Entry Draft - Kiel Center - St. Louis, Missouri
• 1995 NHL Entry Draft - Edmonton Coliseum - Edmonton, Alberta
• 1994 NHL Entry Draft - Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, Connecticut
• 1993 NHL Entry Draft - Colisée de Quebec - Quebec City, Quebec
• 1992 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1991 NHL Entry Draft - Memorial Auditorium - Buffalo, New York
• 1990 NHL Entry Draft - B.C. Place, Vancouver, British Columbia
• 1989 NHL Entry Draft - Metropolitan Sports Center - Bloomington, Minnesota
• 1988 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1987 NHL Entry Draft - Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, Michigan
• 1986 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1985 NHL Entry Draft - Metro Toronto Convention Centre - Toronto, Ontario
• 1984 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1983 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1982 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1981 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1980 NHL Entry Draft - Montreal Forum - Montreal, Quebec
• 1979 NHL Entry Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1978 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1977 NHL Amateur Draft - Mount Royal Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1976 NHL Amateur Draft - NHL Office - Montreal, Quebec
• 1975 NHL Amateur Draft - NHL Office - Montreal, Quebec
• 1974 NHL Amateur Draft - NHL Office - Montreal, Quebec
• 1973 NHL Amateur Draft - Mount Royal Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1972 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1971 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1970 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1969 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1968 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1967 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1966 NHL Amateur Draft - Mount Royal Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1965 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1964 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec
• 1963 NHL Amateur Draft - Queen Elizabeth Hotel - Montreal, Quebec

[edit] NHL Draft Busts and Steals

The NHL draft is often unpredictable in terms of what a draft pick will achieve as a professional. It is impossible to predict with absolute certainty how successful a young player will be in the NHL, and many factors weigh on a player's development. Determining a young player's potential is not an exact science: scouts and managers can misevaluate talent or young players can simply fail to reach their potential. Some players are heralded as the next Mario Lemieux and selected with an early pick only to end up a career minor leaguer. Such players are considered draft "busts". Examples:

• 1999-Pavel Brendl, New York Rangers (4th overall)
• 1996-Alexandre Volchkov, Washington Capitals (4th overall)
• 1994-Jason Bonsignore, Edmonton Oilers (4th overall)
• 1993-Alexandre Daigle, Ottawa Senators (1st overall)
• 1983-Brian Lawton, Minnesota North Stars (1st overall)

Likewise, a prospect that had been shrugged off by scouts as not having an impact in the NHL ends up having a fruitful or outstanding career in the league. In this case, a player is considered to be a draft "steal".

Examples:

• 1998-Martin St. Louis, Calgary Flames (undrafted free agent)
• 1994-Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators (6th round, 133rd overall)
• 1992-Nikolai Khabibulin, Winnipeg Jets (9th round, 204th overall)
• 1990-Peter Bondra, Washington Capitals (8th round, 156th overall)
• 1984-Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings (9th round, 171st overall)
• 1980-Dino Ciccarelli, Minnesota North Stars (undrafted free agent)

There are no set critera for labeling a player a bust or a steal, so the terminology is subjective by definition. Most of the time, players are termed busts if they are selected early in the draft and never make it as an NHL player, and players are considered steals if they are taken in the later rounds and become a top NHL pro. However, the terms can also be used more loosely: any player who fails to live up to expectations could be called a bust, and any player who outperforms those who were taken ahead of him could be called a steal.

[edit] Player Numbers By League Summary

Below is a chart showing where players have been drafted from by year. The leagues represented are the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, United States Colleges, United States High Schools, International players. Those player listed under Other do not fit any of the other listed categories. International players who were playing for teams in North American leagues are listed in the chart as being drafted from their respective league rather than being listed as international. [1]

Year	OHL	WHL	QMJHL	NCAA	USHS	Int'l	Other
2006	29	24	25	22	18	63	35
2005	43	43	23	13	18	50	40
2004	42	44	27	28	18	88	44
2003	44	41	38	23	10	93	43
2002	35	43	23	41	6	110	32
2001	41	45	26	24	8	119	26
2000	39	41	21	35	7	123	27
1999	52	40	20	36	9	94	21
1998	50	44	41	27	7	75	14
1997	52	63	19	26	4	63	19
1996	51	54	31	25	6	58	16
1995	54	55	35	5	2	69	14
1994	45	66	28	6	28	80	33
1993	60	44	23	17	33	78	31
1992	57	45	22	9	25	84	22
1991	43	40	25	43	37	55	21
1990	39	33	14	38	57	53	16
1989	39	44	16	48	47	38	20
1988	32	30	22	48	56	39	25
1987	32	36	17	40	69	38	20
1986	66	32	22	22	40	28	42
1985	59	47	15	20	48	31	31
1984	55	37	16	22	44	40	36
1983	57	41	24	14	35	34	37
1982	60	55	17	20	47	35	18
1981	59	37	28	21	17	32	17
1980	73	41	24	42	7	13	10
1979	48	37	19	15	-	6	1
1978	59	48	22	73	-	16	16
1977	42	44	40	49	-	5	5
1976	47	33	18	26	-	8	3
1975	55	57	28	59	-	6	12
1974	69	66	40	41	-	6	25
1973	56	49	24	25	-	-	14
1972	46	44	30	21	-	-	11
1971	41	28	13	22	-	-	13
1970	51	22	13	16	-	-	13
1969	36	20	11	7	-	1	9
Total	1858	1614	900	1069	703	1731	832
Total Players Drafted (1969-2006):							8,727

[edit] Player Numbers By Team

This is a ranking of the minor teams who have provided the most players to the NHL as of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Rank - Team, League - Players

1. Peterborough Petes, OHL - 161
2. Oshawa Generals, OHL - 144
3. London Knights, OHL - 137
4. Kitchener Rangers, OHL - 136
5. Ottawa 67's, OHL - 131
6. Sudbury Wolves, OHL - 106
7. Regina Pats, WHL - 104
8. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL - 104
9. Kamloops Blazers, WHL - 104
10. Portland Winter Hawks, WHL - 103
11. Saskatoon Blades, WHL - 102
12. Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL - 101
13. Toronto Marlboros, OHL - 97 (defunct)
14. Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL - 96
15. Kingston Frontenacs, OHL - 94
16. Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL - 90
17. Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL - 85
18. Prince Albert Raiders, WHL - 80
19. Windsor Spitfires, OHL - 74
20. Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL - 73
21. Niagara Falls Thunder, OHL - 72 (defunct)
22. Gatineau/Hull Olympiques, QMJHL - 71
23. Victoria Cougars, WHL - 70 (defunct)
24. University of Minnesota, NCAA - 67
25. Calgary Wranglers, WHL - 66 (defunct)
26. Guelph Storm, OHL - 66
27. University of Michigan, NCAA - 65
28. Sherbrooke Castors, QMJHL - 63 (defunct)
29. Hamilton Steelhawks, OHL - 62 (defunct)
30. New Westminster Bruins, WHL - 62 (defunct)
31. CSKA Moscow, Russia - 60
32. Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL - 57
33. Spokane Chiefs, WHL - 57
34. North Bay Centennials, OHL - 56 (defunct)
35. Swift Current Broncos, WHL - 56
36. Belleville Bulls, OHL - 55
37. Laval Titan, QMJHL - 54 (defunct)
38. Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL - 53
39. Hamilton Fincups, OHA - 52 (defunct)
40. Tri-City Americans, WHL - 51
41. Plymouth Whalers, OHL - 51
42. Chicoutimi Saguenéens, QMJHL - 51
43. Boston University, NCAA - 50
44. Michigan State, NCAA - 47
45. Quebec Remparts, QMJHL - 47
46. Trois-Rivières Draveurs, QMJHL - 47 (defunct)
47. Michigan Tech, NCAA - 46
48. Cornwall Royals, QMJHL - 45 (defunct)
49. HC Dynamo Moscow, Russia - 45
50. Yale University, NCAA - 43
51. University of Denver, NCAA - 43
52. University of Wisconsin, NCAA - 41
53. Red Deer Rebels, WHL - 40
54. University of North Dakota, NCAA - 39
55. Flin Flon Bombers, WCHL - 39 (defunct)
56. Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL - 38 (defunct)
57. Cornwall Royals, OHL - 37 (defunct)
58. Djurgårdens IF, Sweden - 37
59. Boston College, NCAA - 36
60. MODO Hockey, Sweden - 35
61. HIFK Helsinki, Finland - 35
62. Providence College, NCAA - 34
63. Winnipeg Warriors, WHL - 34 (defunct)
64. TPS Turku, Finland - 34
65. Jokerit, Finland - 34
66. Harvard University, NCAA - 34
67. Cornell University, NCAA - 34
68. HC Chemopetrol, Czech Extraliga - 33
69. Färjestads BK, Sweden - 32
70. Clarkson University, NCAA - 32
71. Montreal Junior Canadiens, QMJHL - 32 (defunct)
72. University of Colorado, NCAA - 32
73. Ilves, Finland - 31
74. University of New Hampshire, NCAA - 31
75. Krylja Sovetov, Russia - 31
76. Granby Prédateurs, QMJHL - 30 (defunct)
77. Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL - 30
78. University of Notre Dame, NCAA - 30
79. Frölunda HC, Sweden - 30

Note: Totals for Canadian Hockey League teams include all teams from that city, regardless of franchise moves except for Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.

[edit] See also

• List of NHL first overall draft choices
• List of NHL players
• List of undrafted NHL players