Do you have to sign a entry level contract for a prospect to play in AHL?

[Krudus]

if you draft a prospect, can you skip the entry level contract until you actually want to call them up to the NHL? is there a AHL contract instead that doesnt take up cap space?

sorry if stupid question

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[JoeLH]

if you draft a prospect, can you skip the entry level contract until you actually want to call them up to the NHL? is there a AHL contract instead that doesnt take up cap space?

sorry if stupid question

Obviously not as Capitals' Dmitry Orlov hasn't signed his ELC with Washington yet, but is already playing for Hershey.

 

[Analyzer*]

Entry Level Contracts don't take up cap space, as long as they're in the minors. It counts against the 50 contract limit, though.

And yes, you can sign a professional try-out contract. Orlov as of late. I remember Steve Gainey signed a 10 day professional try-out contract because Montréal was hurting, so they went to Hamilton and Hamilton couldn't go to their well anymore.

 

[Kevin Forbes]

There are AHL-level contracts that don't count against a team's cap/50-contract limit/etc. But keep in mind that a lot of prospects have deadlines on how long their rights can be held without signing an ELC (for example: players drafted from the CHL have to be signed within two years of their draft date, players drafted from the NCAA have to be signed by the middle of August after their class graduates (which doesn't necessarily mean they have to graduate/finish their four years)).

Matt Auffrey might be a good example of a player from the NCAA who was drafted, then opted to make the jump to the OHL and then had a year of AHL (with an AHL contract) where Anaheim still owned his rights, but didn't have to sign him to an ELC.

In Orlov's case, he'll likely be signed by the Capitals in the offseason, they just didn't want to burn a year of his ELC for this short period of time while he finishes off the season in Hershey (there might also be waiver considerations there, but I am unsure).

 

[JoeLH]

Entry Level Contracts don't take up cap space, as long as they're in the minors. It counts against the 50 contract limit, though.

And yes, you can sign a professional try-out contract. Orlov as of late. I remember Steve Gainey signed a 10 day professional try-out contract because Montréal was hurting, so they went to Hamilton and Hamilton couldn't go to their well anymore.

And Kadri and Schenn already played for their NHL teams on a try-out basis for one game, not counting under an ELC (but against the cap, i guess).

 

[SPORTSMANIAC]

Didn't Orlov just signed a ELC for next season a few days ago.

http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=554846

 

[JoeLH]

He signed, but started playing for Hershey before. He is not eligible to play for the Caps this season (transfer agreement with european clubs).

 

[Kevin Forbes]

And Kadri and Schenn already played for their NHL teams on a try-out basis for one game, not counting under an ELC (but against the cap, i guess).

I think that's emergency callup situations, which are governed by their own rules and regulations.

 

[Booba]

I'd say that there are two situations where you usually see prospects without ELC playing in the AHL

Situation Uno : When junior age players join an AHL team after their junior season is over. This situation happens very often. In the next few days, you'll see a lot of prospects joinning some AHL teams under an ATO (Amateur Try Out) contract. It allows these prospects to finish the season in the AHL without having to burn a year of their ELC. That's currently Orlov's situation. He played the whole season in Russia and is now finishing the season with Hershey. His ELC will only be effective at the start of the 2011-2012 season.

Situation Dos : NHL teams have the rights on the players they draft out of the CHL for two years. Some players are drafted at the age of 19 or 20, so this means that an NHL team will own their rights for a year or two after they finished their junior stage. The NHL team can give a SPC (Standard AHL contract) to their player. For example, Justin Azevedo was drafted by the Kings in 2008 (so they held his rights until june 2010) at the age of 20. He played his first pro season under an SPC contract because the Kings were close to the 50 contracts limit. The following year when they had space in their contract limit, they signed him to an ELC. Other examples are Maxime Legault and Nicola Riopel. Both were drafted in 2009 and they are both currently playing under an SPC contract in the AHL. Their respective team have until june 2011 to decide if they are worth a NHL contract or not. So in those cases, NHL teams can evaluate a player at the AHL level before making a decision on the future of the player in question.

Hope this helps!