Trivia - The 1979 re-entry draft.

[Rather Gingerly 1*]

It is often regarded as the best draft ever. Does anybody know why this draft had such a boost in draftees?

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[balddog66]

wasn't the draft age eligibility dropped to 18 for this draft?

 

[Darz]

wasn't the draft age eligibility dropped to 18 for this draft?

Yes, so infact it was like having two drafts in one. You had the best of two years to choose from. I guess if this hockey season is whipped out, we might see another draft in a couple years with two draft classes in one.

 

[Rather Gingerly 1*]

Yes, so infact it was like having two drafts in one. You had the best of two years to choose from. I guess if this hockey season is whipped out, we might see another draft in a couple years with two draft classes in one.

Yeah, it was actually two drafts in one.

Two seasons have to be wiped out before there would be two drafts in one

 

[Lard_Lad]

Minor correction: the age was dropped to 19, not 18 (it changed to 18 the next year.) If it had been 18, the Oilers might not have been allowed to hang on to Gretzky - he could have gone into the draft pool along with the other WHA underagers like Ramage and Vaive.