I wonder if you draft someone out of CHL, they play one more year in CHL then go to NCAA does that mean we still only have one more year of their rights?
For CHL drafted players rights are only for 2 years, but NCAA & Euro is 4 years.
I don't think NHL has made any kind of statement on that.
If Misa gets drafted then goes NCAA next year rights are still only for 2 years....
If Misa was drafted out of the CHL, his draft rights would be 2 years as usual.
But if he went on to the NCAA after another year in the OHL, his rights would be extended for an additional 4 years, meaning that Michael Misa's rights in that scenario could theoretically be held for 5 years by the team that signs him.
At least that's my understanding of it.
And the reason behind such a rationale is that this hypothetical Misa situation would basically be the exact same scenario as a guy from the USHL getting drafted, spending another year in the USHL for some reason, and then getting into the NCAA or 4 years.
But it's basically never gonna happen in Misa's case. He'll sign an ELC quickly, probably go back to the OHL for one year, and then basically be done with Major-Junior.
Jackson Smith shooting up the rankings. Big right shot D could be interesting to Montreal
Except that Jackson Smith is a left-handed shooter and should be drafted in the top-10, ergo the Canadiens likely won't have the opportunity to draft him.
The way the draft is shaping-up, the top-2 defensemen for 2025 are LHDs (Schaefer, Smith), but we need not even concern ourselves with those guys; there's no way we get a shot at drafting them with the way our season has gone.
Aitcheson could be available when we pick as the current #3 best defenseman of this year's draft in my opinion, except that as another LHD he wouldn't fit a need for us at all.
The good thing though is that Radim Mrtka has been playing a lot better of late for Seattle (he's surpassed Hensler for me now), and has elevated his game in such a way recently that I actually think he'd be a very good option for us in the top 10-18.
The Thunderbirds are still a pretty bad team in the WHL so when you watch them play they tend to get hemmed-in quite a bit, but even under those circumstances Mrtka has exhibited much better all-around play of late and actually helps tilt the ice for Seattle now.
Mrtka shows faster/more efficient decision-making with the puck on his stick (I'd say that he deserves his statline now, instead of benefiting from circumstances offensively against weak teams before), defends more effectively, and just manages the puck a LOT better.
I really can't emphasize that last improvement enough.
Mrtka's recent change in approach, where he's become more patient and poised on the ice, has led to less turnovers/losses of possesion for his team (also more low-event shifts for him, but that's a good thing for a defenseman as you can't/shouldn't always force a play).
Again, I think this is a gigantic development for Mrtka and was one of the main gripes I had before in projecting him as a future top-4 defenseman in the NHL (turnovers/game management made me doubt his hockey sense a bit though I liked how he defended most of the time).
In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Mrtka ends up being a possible top-10 pick (still like Smith and Aitcheson more though personally) if he continues the way he has the last three weeks or so.