What is the point of the NHL Entry Draft? Do you even have to go into it to play in the NHL?
2007-02-22 12:44:45 · 6 answers · asked by dudeman 2 in Sports ➔ Hockey
I realize that every major sport has a draft, but is the main purpose of the draft to help players get a chance and being signed to a contract?
2007-02-22 13:52:27 · update #1
The purpose of the draft is not to help players in their careers. The draft (in the NHL and all other sports) is designed by the league to spread talent in order to keep teams competitive by 1) giving the weakest teams first access to the best talent and 2) stopping the richest teams from signing all the best young players (pre-salary cap).
The player's union would prefer a totally free market system as that would drive up salaries (imagine the bidding wars for a Sidney Crosby!).
Players themselves however benefit greatly from the draft system (if not financially). Because it is so important to the future of franchises (see Anaheim and Buffalo as prime examples) teams spend lots of $$$$ and lots of time assessing talent. Many kids who aren't playing with high profile teams or teammates are discovered because of the draft process.
Of course you can still play in the NHL without being drafted ... Eddie Belfour was signed by Chicago after a year at North Dakota. But that VERY rarely happens today.
2007-02-22 15:00:05 · answer #1 · answered by Chip H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The point of the NHL draft is so that the team can use it's resources to help the players in which they own develop...
Sure you can get signed without being drafted, but you are going to have a much tougher time. NHL franchise spend a lot of money coaching and training the players within their system. Farm teams are designed to get young players to develop chemistry with one and other, as these are the players they will eventually be playing with in future years.
2007-02-22 17:22:48 · answer #2 · answered by Mitch L 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The draft is a fair way for the NHL teams to choose among the top-ranked young players, based on how good or bad the team was the year before. Without the draft, how would they decide who got to sign Sidney Crosby? Without a system in place there would be chaos.
2007-02-22 17:45:03 · answer #3 · answered by rinkrat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The point is that yes the draft is great, especially for guys coming out of college gives them a chance although no you do not have to be in the draft you can actually start at the very bottom and work your way up from the echl. Good luck though on that you know what I mean thats very hard. Great ?
2007-02-22 13:37:05 · answer #4 · answered by JustAnswer 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
To draft players to your team. No, you can sign as an undrafted. Are you for real? Every major sport has a draft.
2007-02-22 13:39:11 · answer #5 · answered by Bob Loblaw 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
complicated task. search into google or bing. just that could actually help!
2015-04-27 17:02:38 · answer #6 · answered by Michael 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋