Just a quick- but important- word about ages in order to clear up some points of constant confusion about prospects on these boards:
1. When eligibility rules talk about ages they are not talking about birthdays. They are talking about birthYEARS. So, regardless of the fact that certain junior players may turn 20 in Jan, Feb 2005...whatever.. they are still considered 19 year olds by virtue of their draft year.
2. Some players (like Perry) will sign a tryout contract with a minor league team AFTER their junior year has finished. But this does not negate the fact that their normal team is still their junior team and they are not allowed to sign minor-league contracts (NCAA players and non-CHL Euros are different in this regard- not to mention the very rarely employed '4 year CHL' rule).
3. Eligibility for tournaments like WJCs, Under 18s is ALWAYS based upon birthYEARS, not birthdays. So any player who was born 1985 or later is eligible for this years WJC (even if he turns 20 on, say, Jan. 02nd- while the tournament is still running).
4. The one DAY to keep in mind is Sept. 15th- that is the cut off day for draft eligibility. So this year's top picks will all have birthdates Sept. 16/86 to Sept. 15/87 (last year's opt-outs are the main exception). This means that there are many players from two different draft YEARS who enter the same draft (Sept. 16-Dec. 31/1986 AND Jan. 01-Sept. 15/1987).