From the BCHLmedia/website in italics, the league has now introduced a draft to allow teams to draft a promising 15 yr old prospect from around the province. As explained in the article below, teams get a chance to draft this player and retain their rights for one season, introducing them to the team and that teams city. After the one year is up and the player isn't carded, the draft picks rights are no longer held from what I can make out.
Seems to me a little like the CHL bantem draft and might give some of the smaller market teams like Trail and Merritt a shot at a very gifted 15 yr old player, say from the Cariboo, Lower Mainland or the Island.
For the teams in the BCHL its usually been a free-for-all approach where a hockey club tries sell the player on the team, city, arena,coaching to a prospect at that age level in the hopes to sign them.
Teams like Vernon, Penticton, Nanaimo and Powell River in recent seasons have tempted players by their coaching/facilites and recent success for example. Where maybe the Victoria's and Westside's (West Kelowna), may have done it a little more on location and that type of thing.
This draft is a new interesting concept for the league, time will tell if it's a winner or not.
On Monday, Oct. 3, BCHL governor and league officials will convene in Richmond for the first governors meetings of the new season.
Amongst other things, an affiliate draft will be held which will give teams the chance to select 15-year-old players for the purpose of affiliating them for the season and introduce them to their team culture and to Junior A hockey. The players rights will not be retained at the end of the season.
"It will give each team a season to build a relationship with the young player," said BCHL executive director Dave Sales. "Perhaps more importantly for the league as a whole, even if a player doesn't stay with the team that drafted them, they may sign with another BCHL team because of their exposure to the league and we will have been successful as a group in keeping players versus them choosing other options."
The idea for the affiliate draft was approved by governors after the end of last season from a motion by the the steering committe of the board of directors. As ever, the BCHL is exploring new ideas as a way of staying relevant to developing hockey players and as a way of setting the pace for Junior A hockey in Canada.
Teams will have the option of selecting a player in each of the two rounds but are not required to do so because the draft is optional. Teams select based on reverse order of finish in the 2010-11 standings. The draft order is as follows:
How the teams will pick (I think its 2 rounds, but, I could be wrong).
1.Prince George
2. Chilliwack
3. Cowichan Valley
4. Merritt
5. Coquitlam
6. Alberni Valley
7. Nanaimo
8. Trail
9. Victoria
10. Langley
11. Westside
12. Surrey
13, Salmon Arm
14. Penticton
15. Vernon
16. Powell River
No comments:
Post a Comment