Draft at 20 years old instead of 18.

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Habsfan 32

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Who do you think would go in the first round of the draft if it was held 2 years later and the guys were 20 instead of 17 or 18? If the guys that were elligible in 2003 would only be allowed to get drafted at 20 instead of 18 so they would get drafted this year in 2005 instead of '03? What would the first round look like?
 

Crosbyfan

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Habsfan 32 said:
Who do you think would go in the first round of the draft if it was held 2 years later and the guys were 20 instead of 17 or 18? If the guys that were elligible in 2003 would only be allowed to get drafted at 20 instead of 18 so they would get drafted this year in 2005 instead of '03? What would the first round look like?

See the "2003 draft revisited" thread.
 

Legionnaire

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I think it's stupid. It would take all of the skill/scouting out of drafting. And in regards to (mental)maturity there isn't really any difference between 18 and 20.
 

Onion Boy

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Legionnaire said:
I think it's stupid. It would take all of the skill/scouting out of drafting. And in regards to (mental)maturity there isn't really any difference between 18 and 20.

I'm not sure I'm totally convinced of that. Even at age 20 players are still far from their potential and alot of them still don't turn out as expected.

Personally, I'd move the draft age up to 19 and have the cut off date be June 1st.
 

KingofSpain

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If they were ever going to change the draft age, this year would be a great opportunity to do it. After the season gets cancelled, drop the draft age to 19, and then there doesn't have to be a draft until 2006. That sure would eliminate the problem of the 2005 draft, without standings and all.

Though I prefer the age limit at 18. This leaves some challenge to drafting, and emphasizes the need for a quality scouting system. If the age is dropped to 20, it becomes less guess work and the picks become much more obvious. This rewards the bad teams, which can be unfair.
 

LaLaLaprise

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Legionnaire said:
I think it's stupid. It would take all of the skill/scouting out of drafting. And in regards to (mental)maturity there isn't really any difference between 18 and 20.

Your post contradicts itself.

If there isnt any difference between ages 18 and 20 like you say, than why would it take the skill out of scouting??
 

Legionnaire

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La-La-Laprise said:
Your post contradicts itself.

If there isnt any difference between ages 18 and 20 like you say, than why would it take the skill out of scouting??

Obviously I was talking about two different things. That's why I put the "mental" part in there.

Their skills and bodies will blossom a lot faster between 18 and 20 than their maturity will. Is that more clear?
 

LaLaLaprise

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Legionnaire said:
Obviously I was talking about two different things. That's why I put the "mental" part in there.

Their skills and bodies will blossom a lot faster between 18 and 20 than their maturity will. Is that more clear?

Yes :)

Personally i think there is a huge difference between 18 and 20. But everyone has their own opinions.
 

McDonald19

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Again its a really bad idea to change it from 18 to 20 because 18 is usually the legal adult age. So some great hockey kid who could be in the NHL at 18 (ex. Crosby) would thus be denied 2 years of work in his chosen profession. The NHL would go to court and lose just like how the football player took the NFL to court.
 

VOB

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McDonald19 said:
Again its a really bad idea to change it from 18 to 20 because 18 is usually the legal adult age. So some great hockey kid who could be in the NHL at 18 (ex. Crosby) would thus be denied 2 years of work in his chosen profession. The NHL would go to court and lose just like how the football player took the NFL to court.

Rumor has it that NHL governors are indeed discussing the idea of moving the draft back to 20 years of age. It wouldn't be that difficult to work around the legal issues of such a move. All they would have to do is open up training camps to all players 18 and over. A young phenom such as Crosby could be signed by a team but the team would lose his rights to the draft when the player turned 20.
 

Don Draper

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McDonald19 said:
Again its a really bad idea to change it from 18 to 20 because 18 is usually the legal adult age. So some great hockey kid who could be in the NHL at 18 (ex. Crosby) would thus be denied 2 years of work in his chosen profession. The NHL would go to court and lose just like how the football player took the NFL to court.

umm, the NFL won, those two players werent allowed into the draft.
Also, for those who think raising the draft age only helps the teams that dont scout well, i think thats fairly rediculous. There are just as many busts in football as there are in hockey, and those prospects are between 21 and 25. Even if it did give the poorer teams some sort of advantage, why is that a bad thing? Shouldnt they be getting the top talent anyways? Not to mention that drafting a kid at 20 would be much better for the sport since a rookie can actually be counted on to make an immediate impact. Teams can build around a star player that they just drafted, which hasnt happened since Lemieux. The closest thing to a step in star was Kovy, who had 51 pts as a rookie. 18yr olds cant dominate this game anymore, so why not raise the age? This one of the few times when it actually can be negotiated as well, since this is part of the CBA.
Thats just my opinion though
 

McDonald19

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I.M. Fletcher said:
umm, the NFL won, those two players werent allowed into the draft.

Different scenario than Football because Football always had the cutoff at the older age where as NHL would be moving it back and suddenly making life difficult for someone who was 18 who was ready to play pro hockey.

The kid would have a good case in court.
 

McDonald19

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VOB said:
A young phenom such as Crosby could be signed by a team but the team would lose his rights to the draft when the player turned 20.

That would be Pejorative Slured.

Crosby plays two years for Ny Rangers at 5 million a year.

Then gets drafted by The Pittsburgh Penguins and gets the new standard entry level contract of 750,000 a year.
 

shveik

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I think it is undisputable that moving the draft age from 18 to 20 would take a lot of guesswork (call it hunch, or art if you want) out of NHL scouting. The result IMO would be a much smaller gap between the best and the worst drafting team. Which will put more meaning into the draft order and strengthen its original purpose - favor the bad teams to promote parity.

So there would be more parity, isn't it all the rage these days?
 

shveik

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McDonald19 said:
That would be Pejorative Slured.

Crosby plays two years for Ny Rangers at 5 million a year.

Then gets drafted by The Pittsburgh Penguins and gets the new standard entry level contract of 750,000 a year.

What exactly is Pejorative Slured here - the fact that a person who can make 5mil a year being forced to accept 1/8 of what he can earn, or that somebody who should be making 750K is allowed to circumvent that?
 

Brodeur

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McDonald19 said:
Different scenario than Football because Football always had the cutoff at the older age where as NHL would be moving it back and suddenly making life difficult for someone who was 18 who was ready to play pro hockey.

The kid would have a good case in court.

But I think the precedent is set in that the NFL (like the NHL) is a private entity and can make their own eligibility rules. The difference is that the NFLPA agreed to the cutoff date, whereas I'm not sure the NHLPA would agree to moving the draft age back to 20.
 

Jason MacIsaac

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shveik said:
I think it is undisputable that moving the draft age from 18 to 20 would take a lot of guesswork (call it hunch, or art if you want) out of NHL scouting. The result IMO would be a much smaller gap between the best and the worst drafting team. Which will put more meaning into the draft order and strengthen its original purpose - favor the bad teams to promote parity.

So there would be more parity, isn't it all the rage these days?
Why the hell do you want teams to be equal at drafting, that is the dumbest theory I have ever heard. I am really starting to get sick of this competitive ballance ****. If some teams aren't run well then why the hell should they be competitive, its the same thing with scouting. Some teams don't put the effort required in scouting and development and they pay the price for it. Teams like New Jersey and Colorado are great at drafting and developing...untill other teams focus more on the draft and developing at the AHL level (rather then winning) then they will not do as well as NJ and Col.
 

Legionnaire

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Jason MacIsaac said:
Why the hell do you want teams to be equal at drafting, that is the dumbest theory I have ever heard. I am really starting to get sick of this competitive ballance ****. If some teams aren't run well then why the hell should they be competitive, its the same thing with scouting. Some teams don't put the effort required in scouting and development and they pay the price for it. Teams like New Jersey and Colorado are great at drafting and developing...untill other teams focus more on the draft and developing at the AHL level (rather then winning) then they will not do as well as NJ and Col.

Totally agree.

Besides, wouldn't this "communist" draft theory take all of the speculation out of the process, and in turn destroy our beloved Hockey's Future?
 

LaLaLaprise

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There is still a HUGE chance 20 year olds will bust.

Look at past WorlJunior teams. Only half of the team is current NHLers.

Even at 20 drafting players isnt a science.

Its is like having the WHL versus the QMJHL/OHL in their drafts.

WHL drafts at age 14...QMJHL/OHL draft at age 15...there are just as many late round gems and early busts in the Q/O than there is in the dub.
 

THE NEXT ONE #87

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it´s difficult because some players really need time to develop. on the other side, there are always players which are ready to play in the nhl with 18, like kovalchuk, nash, etc.

Every player should have the choice when he gets drafted. at 18 or 23 it doesn´t matter. Also I see that a lot european players will stay in their home leagues, because they earn much and the hockey is great too.
 

VOB

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McDonald19 said:
That would be Pejorative Slured.

Crosby plays two years for Ny Rangers at 5 million a year.

Then gets drafted by The Pittsburgh Penguins and gets the new standard entry level contract of 750,000 a year.

There will obviously be caps placed on all entry level players, whether they are taken through the draft or signed as free agents.
 

Reilly311

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It should be 21, but I can live with 20. Players will be more NHL ready when drafted and can step in the very next year. Yes, players like Kovalchuk and Nash are capable of playing at 19, but that doens't make up for the hundreds that aren't. I'm sure there are a few 19 year olds that can play in the NFL, but they have to wait like everyone.

It would also make the draft more interesting because fans will actually see their players sooner. The reason the NFL draft is a show is because fans see who their team drafts and expects to see them the following year giving them some hope for next season.
 

Macman

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Is everybody forgetting that the draft used to be at 20? There were just as many busts then as there is now. You're never really going to know if a player can handle the NHL until they try it, whether at 18 or 20.
 

God Bless Canada

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Shifting the draft age from 18 to 20 has been a personal dream of mine for a decade. It's far easier to get a read on a player at 20 instead of 18. Thus, it would be a better draft than the crap shoot we have now. It would also bring players to the NHL who are more likely to be ready.

In my opinion, it would have a major benefit on the overall quality of the game. Why? Players these days are not properly developing. Due to the 18-year-old draft and over-expansion in Canadian Major Junior and Canadian Junior A hockey, players are entering junior a year or two too soon. Instead of playing in midget when they're 16 or 17, they're being rushed to junior. Thus, a 20-year-old draft would help keep players in minor hockey until they're ready, instead of being ruined by coming up too early.

But it's a dream. There's no way it would stick. The draft will be stuck at 19, with an opt-in for those who are 18, (which most players take), for years to come.

Scouting is far better and far more thorough than it was 25 years ago, that's why the number of busts would be reduced.
 
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