Players drafted at 18 go back into the draft but players drafted at 19 or 20 do not. And a player drafted at 18 might choose not to sign with the drafting team because the player now has another option to play NCAA hockey.
My point was that if CHL players can go to the NCAA this will have ramifications for players, NHL teams, the CHL and as nyr2k2 pointed out potentially the USHL. The NHL has a strong relationship with the CHL and probably doesn't want to see it weakened. This will all have to be figured out if the CHL to NHL rule is changed.
I also wonder if the current rule that an NCAA player cannot be involved with the NHL after school starts will change and we'll see some NCAA players at rookie and training camps.
I think the rules regarding rights expiration for CHL -> NCAA players will be the same as BCHL/USHL -> NCAA players.
What are the exclusive signing rights for College Drafted Players?
A player is considered a college-drafted player if:
- The player is a college student at the time of the draft, or
- The player enrolls into college prior to June 1 of the year following their selection (roughly a year after the draft)
As long as they enroll in college prior to June 1st of their D+1 season, the college rules should apply. If they don't, they could go back into the draft after 2 years and could then be re-drafted, enroll in college, and their new team would hold their rights until they leave college.
I can't imagine many, if any, players will refuse to sign, go back into the draft, and then go to college. If the idea is to become a UFA, they'd have to wait a total of 6 years in that scenario. They'd be better off just going to college right away and becoming a UFA 4 years later.
I'm not sure what restrictions the CHL will put on it, though. The NHL-CHL agreement doesn't allow players drafted out of the CHL to go to the AHL until they reach age 20 or complete 4 years. The NCAA doesn't currently allow players from the CHL to play in college because they are no longer considered amateurs. If the NCAA changes that rule, they will benefit from an influx of players. The CHL may want some concessions to limit the players they lose. Maybe drafted players will be required to play 1 additional year in the CHL before going to college, the way many players play an extra year in the BCHL/USHL before beginning college.
Then again, changing the rule could entice more players to play in the CHL for their draft and earlier seasons, rather than going to the BCHL or USHL. The CHL leagues would become younger overall and experience more turnover year to year.
I'm interested to see how it plays out.