NAHL draft - Junior Hockey

I found it interesting that no one from the WSHL was taken in the NAHL draft today, and no one from Southern Oregon. What I have discovered in my 16+ years as a hockey parent is that the players are getting younger and less experienced, and the veteran players are being tossed aside because they are too old. What has happened to junior hockey? How on earth can a 14 year old draft pick be more valuable to a team than a 19 or 20 year old with experience? I am very discouraged right now with the USHL and NAHL. It's simply a free version of midgets now.

*** wonder if they(upper tiers) are counting on the 17-20 year old open camp dollars to come regardless of who is drafted? Know many local solid kids that produced all over Jrs./AAA(East-West Coast) are rolling into some of these 'pure' money makers. Can't kill the dream.
*** wonder if a backlash v. AAU hockey exists? Hmmm, California is producing more Pro/college players than other traditional states, hmmmm, and no kids from the high profile Wshl teams in So. Cal/Texas/Idaho into upper tiers??
*** old adages still apply for this Jr hockey deal - "follow the money", "it is who you know and who you blo***" & "remind your kids to keep the grades up"
*** Regardless, Jrs runs about $4500-$8000 for a 30%
more ice practice, maturity opportunities, and more v. 10k-20K for u18 AA/AAA, where most AA/AAA skaters still end up in Jr. Tier 3 or Jr. B. So, if you graduate early with 3 yrs of Jr eligibilty or have a Jr team in your area, you may want your skater to move on out of the youth deal a.s.a.p.

What is even more interesting is how USA Hockey and Mr Vanbiesbrouck are shouting out the virtues of USA Hockey and how the NA3HL grooms kids for the NAHL. Well...the NA3HL moved, out of a 172 players, just 3 players today. Three out of 172 got drafted into the big league. How many teams in the NA3HL? How many players in total? Now I guess we will hear why soon from the head of these two leagues how this could possibly happen. Someone tell me how a coach from the NA3HL can take a kids money and promise to move them up! Good luck...

1 bchl player drafted? Is that typical?

Hart, each NAHL team also tendered at least one NA3HL player before the draft.

Et all:

I would venture that less than 10% of tenders make the final roster on an Na team for the entire year, 2011/2012 was at about that level. The Na, Na3, Naphl are a cool setup for exposure and more in theory, but, also a pretty good multi-level marketing deal too.

I didn't read anything in the Beezers letter about the "advantages" of playing in the NA3 as far as making the jump to Tier 2. Other than the fact that the NAHL teams are required to pick up one player this league has no advantages whatsoever. In fact most NA3 teams charge a ridiculous amount of money for what they offer. A player can play in a league as good or better in most cases for a lot less money and get at least as much exposure as the NA3 offers.

The bottom line has always and continues to be that if a player is good enough to play up they will make the jump. There are the occasional buddy call ups but most of those last about 2 weeks. The NA teams did a pretty good job of purging themselves pre-draft of a bunch of lesser skilled players that for whatever reason played in the league last season. Hopefully the level will start to rise again.

Tier 3 drafting went as so....EJHL 5 players, NA3 3 players(that includes the last 2 spots in the draft), AWHL 2, AJHL 2, EJS 1, NPHL 1. WSHL ????? They got what they bargained for. If this isn't a shot across the AAU bow I'm not sure what is.

The NAHL Draft is a Joke at the very best. You have your returners lets say that number is 15 players then each team has 8 tenders that brings you to 23 players and then they draft to 30 players and so in reality only the top to players being drafted will make the squad of 25 players and 5 players drafted will be sent home after the showcase. You take 5 players times the 24 teams and that is 120 players who where drafted and think they are going to play at the NAHL level and will not. This does not include the the player who showed up at an open tryout and shocked the coaches either. However not many teams who tender players cut them, yes it has happened but not often.

This whole tendering BS is exactly that BS. To build a league with teams playing at the same level you need to go to a full draft process. This gives each team the same chance of landing the top players regardless of where a player lives or what type of organization you have. The USHL has done it right and yet the NAHL can not seem to figure it out.

The Draft for the NAHL is after the USHL for a good reason because the players drafted after the 4 or 5 round in the USHL will probably not make the USHL 23 Man roster. So the NAHL teams bank on players getting released so they draft those players and then that team holds that players rights.

The NAHL needs to do what every good league does go to a draft only league.

I also found it funny that a junior B kid was drafted, as was that 14 year old "propsect." There is seriously something wrong with allowing a 14 year old to go to a main camp with a 19/20 year old, desperate to make the roster. Let's be honest, they know they have to bring fighting with them as the old guys of juniors, and when they see a bunch of cages, it makes their tryouts much softer on that account. I think juniors needs to be geared at kids who are finished with midgets,not kids who just happen to be small and fast