The SJHL is introducing a bantam draft this spring and while the general consensus is favourable, some clarification is required so that everyone understands the process and reasoning behind it.
“The draft is open to players who have finished their bantam eligibility – similar to the Western Hockey League,” explains SJHL president Bill Chow. “The draft is open to players with a residence in Saskatchewan.
“This is my fourth winter with the league and we have talked about it each year for a bit. There is a general consensus [among the teams] that it is needed.”
Currently each club has a 50-player protected list in addition to what is known as an “Auto-Protect B List.”
This latter list is for players who hail from within the boundaries of a SJHL tea. They remain protected by their home team until their 17th birthday.
After that time, if they have not made the club, they must be moved to the regular protected list or they become eligible to be listed by any of the other SJHL teams.
The bantam draft, therefore, encompasses all players who are not on an Auto-Protect B List when they complete playing at the bantam level.
These players are generally invited to spring and fall training camps by SJHL teams. They will be able to continue attending numerous spring sessions as the draft is not scheduled to be held until the June annual general meeting, at which time players could become property of a specific team.
“The draft allows teams to highlight a few players in the province they wish to recruit and retain,” says Chow. “It also allows players and their parents an opportunity to build a relationship with a team.”
Room must be made available on each team’s 50-player protected list to allow for the addition of players selected in the draft, which will feature six rounds. Not every team is required to select six players, but that is where the bar has been set.
The draft also becomes another tool in trades.
