Draftee Signing Rights
Ian
Published 2024-10-31
- Last edited 2024-11-11
The NHL entry draft is described by Article 8 of the [NHL CBA](//www.nhlpa.com/the-pa/cba).
Section six describes how long teams have before their prospects are free to re-enter the draft or become a UFA.
Although there are multiple pages of details, section six's language can be simplified into four cases:
- All players
- Non-North American players
- North American players who leave major juniors before age 20
- NCAA players
## For all players
### In plain language
The drafting team has until 1 June the year after the draft to sign or release a drafted prospect. If the team wants to put that decision off, they can tender a bona-fide offer to the prospect and get an additional year to decide.
### NHL CBA
(a) Commencing with the 2013 Entry Draft, a Player selected by a Club in the
Entry Draft shall be registered on the Reserve List of the selecting Club
as an "Unsigned Draft Choice."
(i) Subject to the provisions of Sections (b), (c), (d) and (e) below, such
registration shall establish for such selecting Club the exclusive right
of negotiation for the services of each Player selected and registered
as against all other Clubs up to and including June 1 of the next
calendar year following the date of his selection.
(ii) Subject to the provisions of subsection (iii) below and Sections (b),
(c) and (d) below, if, on or before June 1 of the calendar year next
succeeding the Entry Draft, the claiming Club makes a Bona Fide
Offer (as defined below) to its claimed Player of an SPC, the Club shall
retain the exclusive right of negotiation for the services of such Player
up to and including the second June 1 following the date of his
selection.
(iii) Notwithstanding anything set forth in subsections (i) or (ii) above, if a
Player is drafted for the first time at age 20 and re-enters the Entry
Draft at age 22, the Club that selects him as a re-entry may retain the
exclusive negotiating rights to the Player for only one (1) year and may
not acquire exclusive negotiating rights to the Player for a second
year by extending a Bona Fide Offer; provided, however, this provision
shall not apply to a Player drafted from a club outside North America
for the first time prior to the 2013 Entry Draft whose rights, under all
circumstances, shall continue to be governed by Section 8.6(a)(ii).
## Non-North American Players
### In plain language
If a player is drafted under 20 from outside North America, teams retain their signing rights for four years. If the player is 20 or older, teams retain those rights for two. Signing rights expire on the first of June
### NHL CBA
Article 8.6:
(d) Players Drafted from a Club Outside North America.
(i) Notwithstanding any provision of Sections 8.6(a) or (b) to the contrary,
if a Player drafted at age 18 or 19 is drafted from a club outside North
America, his drafting Club shall retain the exclusive right of
negotiation for his services through and including the fourth June 1
following his selection in the Entry Draft. The Club need not make a
Bona Fide Offer to such Player to retain such rights.
(ii) Notwithstanding any provision of Sections 8.6(a) or (b) to the
contrary, if a Player drafted at age 20 or older is drafted from a club
outside North America, his drafting Club shall retain the exclusive
right of negotiation for his services through and including the
second June 1 following his selection in the Entry Draft. The Club
need not make a Bona Fide Offer to such Player to retain such rights.
(iii) Upon the expiration of the applicable exclusive right of negotiation
as outlined in subsections (i) and (ii) above, the Player shall be a
draft-related Unrestricted Free Agent.
## Players leaving major juniors before age 20
### In plain language
If a player is drafted at age 18 and leaves major juniors in their first two post-draft seasons, their NHL team can keep their signing rights until the 4th 1 June after their draft date. If a player first drafted at age 19 leaves major junior in their first post-draft season, their NHL team can keep their signing rights until the 3rd 1 June after their draft date.
For example: [Quentin Musty](/person/quentin-musty-22390) was drafted at age 18 on 28 June 2023. If he left the OHL in the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 seasons, the Sharks could keep his draft rights up until 1 June 2027.
Another example: [Nate Misskey](/person/nate-misskey-22669) was drafted at age 19 on 28 June 2024. If he left the OHL in the 2024-2025 season, the Sharks could keep his draft rights up until 1 June 2027. Because he's a year older than Musty and was drafted a year later than Musty, their rights would expire on the same day.
### NHL CBA
(b) Drafted Players who Leave the Major Juniors prior to age 20.
Notwithstanding any provision of subsection (a) to the contrary, Clubs
shall have additional rights set forth in subsections (i), (ii) and (iii)
below with respect to Players who either: (i) were drafted while
playing in the Major Juniors or (ii) other than college players described
in Section (c) below or Players drafted from a club outside North
America described in Section (d) below, play in the Juniors during the
period of time that a Club holds their exclusive negotiating rights and,
in either case, cease to play in the Juniors and play in a league other
than Juniors prior to age 20.
(i) If a Player who is drafted as an 18-year-old ceases to play in the
Juniors in the first League Year after he has been drafted, his drafting
Club shall have the exclusive right of negotiation for his services until
the fourth June 1 following his initial selection in the Entry Draft.
(ii) If a Player who is drafted as an 18-year-old ceases to play in the
Juniors in the second League Year after he has been drafted and the
Club has tendered to such Player a Bona Fide Offer pursuant to
8.6(a)(ii), his drafting Club shall have the exclusive right of negotiation
for his services until the fourth June 1 following his initial selection in
the Entry Draft.
(iii) If a Player who is drafted for the first time as a 19-year-old ceases to
play in the Juniors in the first League Year after he has been drafted,
his Club shall have exclusive right of negotiation for his services until
the third June 1 following his initial selection in the Entry Draft. His
selecting Club may retain exclusive rights of negotiation for a fourth
year by tendering the Player a Bona Fide Offer in accordance with
8.6(a)(ii), provided that such Bona Fide Offer may be made at any
time prior to the third June 1 following his initial selection in the Entry
Draft.
(iv) With the exception of the rights described in subsections (i), (ii) and (iii)
above, a Player ceasing to play in the Juniors shall have no impact on
his selecting Club's exclusive negotiating rights as set forth in 8.6(a).
## NCAA Players
### In plain language
#### Players who graduate
If a player is drafted and is or becomes a college student while a team holds their signing rights, that team retains their signing rights until the 15th of August of the year that player graduates.
#### Players who do not graduate
If the drafted player leaves college after the 1st of January of their fourth year, that player is treated as though they graduated college.
For example: [Henry Thrun](/person/henry-thrun-1348), drafted 2019, left Harvard in February 2023 of his 4th year. If he hadn't signed immediately, the Sharks would have had until 15 August 2023 to sign him or trade his rights before he became a free agent.
If the player is drafted at 18 or 19 and leaves before January of their 4th year, their rights are retained until the later of 30 days after the NHL Central Registry is notified that the player has left college or the fourth 1 June after being drafted.
For example: [Colton Parayko](/person/colton-parayko-4614), drafted 2012, left University of Alaska Fairbanks in March 2015 (his 3rd year). If he hadn't signed immediately, the Blues would have had until 1 June 2016 to sign him or trade his rights before he became a free agent. If, by some miracle, the NHL Central Registry didn't receive notice that he had left college until after 1 June 2016, the Blues would have 30 days from that notice date to sign him.
If the player is drafted at 20 and leaves before January of their 4th year, their rights are retained until the later of 30 days after the NHL Central Registry is notified that the player has left college or the second 1 June after their draft date.
For example: [Devon Toews](/person/devon-toews-3723), drafted 2014, left Quinnipiac in April 2016 of his 3rd year. If he hadn't signed immediately, the Islanders would have had until 1 June 2016 to sign him or trade his rights before he became a free agent. If Toews decided not to return for his 4th year at Quinnipiac after 1 June 2016, the Islanders would have 30 days from the date when NHL Central Registry was informed that he had left college to sign him.
### NHL CBA
(c) College Players.
(i) If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19 is a bona fide college student
at the time of his selection in the Entry Draft, or becomes a bona
fide college student prior to the first June 1 following his selection
in the Entry Draft, and remains a bona fide college student
through the graduation of his college class, his drafting Club shall
retain the exclusive right of negotiation for his services through
and including the August 15 following the graduation of his
college class. The Club need not make a Bona Fide Offer to such
Player to retain such rights.
(ii) If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19 is a bona fide college student at
the time of his selection in the Entry Draft, or becomes a bona
fide college student prior to the first June 1 following his selection
in the Entry Draft, and does not remain a bona fide college student
through the graduation of his college class, his drafting Club shall
retain exclusive rights for the negotiation of his services until the
later of: (a) the fourth June 1 following his selection in the Entry
Draft, or (b) thirty (30) days after NHL Central Registry receives
notice that the Player is no longer a bona fide college student;
provided that if the Player ceases to be a bona fide college student
on or after January 1 of an academic year and the Player: (1) is in
his fourth year of college and has commenced his fourth year of
NCAA eligibility, or (2) is in his fourth year of college and is
scheduled to graduate from college at the end of his fourth year,
then in the circumstances described in (1) or (2), the Club shall
retain the exclusive right of negotiation for such Player's services
through and including the August 15 following the date on which he
ceases to be a bona fide college student. The Club need not make
a Bona Fide Offer to such Player to retain such rights.
(iii) If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19, who had received a Bona Fide
Offer in accordance with Section 8.6(a)(ii) above, becomes a
bona fide college student prior to the second June 1 following his
selection in the Entry Draft and remains a bona fide college
student through the graduation of his college class, his drafting
Club shall retain the exclusive rights of negotiation for his
services through and including the August 15 following the
graduation of his college class.
(iv) If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19, who had received a Bona Fide
Offer in accordance with Section 8.6(a)(ii) above, becomes a
bona fide college student prior to the second June 1 following his
selection in the Entry Draft and does not remain a bona fide
college student through the graduation of his college class, his
drafting Club shall retain exclusive rights for the negotiation of
his services until the later of: (a) the fourth June 1 following his
selection in the Entry Draft, or (b) thirty (30) days after NHL
Central Registry receives notice that the Player is no longer a
bona fide college student; provided that if the Player ceases to
be a bona fide college student on or after January 1 of an
academic year and the Player: (1) is in his fourth year of college
and has commenced his fourth year of NCAA eligibility, or (2) is
in his fourth year of college and is scheduled to graduate from
college at the end of his fourth year, then in the circumstances
described in (1) or (2), the Club shall retain the exclusive right of
negotiation for such Player's services through and including the
August 15 following the date on which he ceases to be a bona
fide college student.
(v) If a Player drafted at age 20 or older is a bona fide college student
at the time of his selection or becomes a bona fide college
student while his drafting Club retains exclusive rights, then his
drafting Club shall retain those rights until the later of: (a) the
second June 1 following the date of his selection, or (b) thirty (30)
days after NHL Central Registry receives notice that the Player is
no longer a bona fide college student; provided that if the Player:
(1) is in his fourth year of college and has commenced his fourth
year of NCAA eligibility and the Player ceases to be a bona fide
college student on or after January 1 of an academic year, or (2) is
in his fourth year of college, is scheduled to graduate from
college at the end of his fourth year and the Player ceases to be a
bona fide college student on or after January 1 of an academic
year, or (3) remains a bona fide college student through the
graduation of his college class, then in the circumstances
described in (1) or (2) or (3), the Club shall retain the exclusive
right of negotiation for such Player's services through and
including August 15 of that calendar year.
For purposes of the above provisions, the term "graduation of his college
class" shall mean the class with which the Player is scheduled to
graduate during his final semester of attendance (as opposed to his
matriculating class (the class with which he is expected to graduate as
of the date of his original enrollment)). For purposes of clarity, a
Player's graduating class may change during his tenure in college.
Furthermore, a Player shall be deemed to be scheduled to graduate from
college if, at the conclusion of his fourth year of college he would have
been within five percent (5%) of the minimum number of credits
required to graduate, provided, such determination shall be made
assuming that in such fourth year of college Player earned at least the
number of credits equal to the average number of credits for which he
had been enrolled during his first three years of college. It shall be the
Player's responsibility to promptly provide evidence (i.e., official school
transcripts and requirements) that he was or was not scheduled to
graduate. Absent evidence to the contrary, NHL Central Registry shall
treat a Player as if he was scheduled to graduate or remained a bona
fide college student through the graduation of his college class.
Furthermore, a Player who is removed from his Club's Reserve List as a
result of the operation of the above provisions shall be a draft-related
Unrestricted Free Agent effective upon such removal.
Any Club that retains the exclusive rights to a Player who is a bona fide
college student may request, at any time, that such Player promptly
provide a current official school transcript and the school's graduation
requirements.
As a general matter, the above provisions were not intended to cut off, and
shall not have the effect of cutting off, a Club's exclusive negotiating
rights during the period that a Player remains in college.