NCAA to Allow Opt-in Waiver for NHL Draft

[Greg]

Great news for Drew Stafford, AJ Thelen, Wes O'Neill and others! The NCAA finally got one right.

INCH website

Click to read more...

 

[Duff88]

Great news!!! I didn't think they would change it, but I'm glad I was wrong.

 

[X-SHARKIE]

This is a good rule....Great rule in fact....NCAA No longer punishes there kids for chasing there dreams in the NHL.

 

[Pachoo]

This is awesome news. With my Thrashers picking 10th overall, the more high quality players who deserve to go in the early part of the 1st round the better. Stafford, Thelen and O'Neil are all very good talents and should all go in the top 15.

 

[NWT Habs Fan]

Good news. The top 20 will be pretty solid now, and folks won't have to redo all their mock drafts.

 

[Brock]

Excellent.

 

[PhoPhan]

Okay, I need someone to explain this to me again. How come someone like Vanek last year was able to opt in without sacrificing his eligibility, whereas guys like Stafford, O'Neill, and Thelen have to give it up to enter the draft?

 

[jincargo]

Okay, I need someone to explain this to me again. How come someone like Vanek last year was able to opt in without sacrificing his eligibility, whereas guys like Stafford, O'Neill, and Thelen have to give it up to enter the draft?

Age.

 

[PhoPhan]

Age.

And what age is that?

 

[X-SHARKIE]

Okay, I need someone to explain this to me again. How come someone like Vanek last year was able to opt in without sacrificing his eligibility, whereas guys like Stafford, O'Neill, and Thelen have to give it up to enter the draft?

Thomas Vanek was actually eligible in 2002, he wouldve had to opt in though for the draft and he wouldve not been able to go to Minnesota. He was a absolute dominate force in the USHL and wouldve been a day one pick in 2002 but he was very smart to take his game to college and bumped his status all the way into the top 5.

 

[Blatny Spears]

And what age is that?

19. Under the old rules, if you turned 19 by this September 15th, you were eligible without having to give up eligibility. If you turned 19 after that date, you had to forfeit eligibility to enter the draft. Now, young guys like Thelen can enter the draft without giving up eligibility.

 

[ZombieMatt]

This decision simply only makes sense. It was so impractical given the nature of the NHL draft to not allow players to continue to play college after being drafted.

 

[montreal]

Wow, what an impact this has on the draft this summer. Thelen, Stafford and O'Neil are all 1st rounders and could all be top 20 picks, so this makes the draft a little deeper. Great job to change the rule.