With the rumors surrounding Jimmy Vesey and Thomas Di Pauli this offseason taking hold, PHR takes a quick look at how the CBA treats players who choose the NCAA development route.
Generally, a team who drafts a present or future college player retains their exclusive negotiating rights for four years, but that differs with the age of a player when they are signed.
18 and 19 year olds
Teams own a player’s rights up to and including the August 15th following his graduation* if the player is or becomes a college student prior to June 1st following his selection.** The player must remain a student through to his college class’s graduation, and the player was 18 or 19 when drafted.
If a player quits school before his last semester, his drafting team owns his rights until the later of:
- the 4th June 1st following his draft, or
- 30 days after NHL Central Registry receives notice that the player is not a student.
If a player quits school after his last semester starts, and is in his 4th year of college and either 4th year of NCAA eligibility or scheduled to graduate, then his drafting team owns his rights until the August 15th following his college termination.
20+
If a player drafted at age 20 is or becomes a college student, then the drafting team retains his rights until the later of:
- the 2nd June 1st following his draft, or
- 30 days after NHL Central Registry receives notice that the player is not a student.
Some pundits call the entire system a NCAA loophole, but the reality is much more nuanced. Teams still get four years of exclusive negotiating rights while a player seeking to enter unrestricted free agency must still sign an entry level contract wherever they sign. What that means is that a player finishing college could join the team that drafted him and burn off a year of his ELC. Going to free agency, however, removes that option, and leaves a year of free agency money on the table. It is a give and take that protects both parties.
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*Graduation is defined as the class with which the player is scheduled to graduate during his final semester. It is not his matriculating class.
**The same rules apply if a player receives a Bona Fide Offer and enters college prior to the 2nd June 1st following the draft.