Can you imagine if Dwayne Wade was available to all 30 NBA teams after his senior season at Marquette? What about Alex Smith after he led Utah to their BCS win in the Fiesta Bowl against Pittsburgh a few years ago? You see, that’s exactly what goes on at this time of year in the NHL. As NCAA seasons come to an end, some of the top players around the county are available to the highest bidder. For whatever reason, these players don’t get drafted when they turn 18 and play out their colligate careers. But every season, there are a handful of guys that fall through the cracks and would be an asset to any team that can sign them.
With the success of Stars rookie Fabian Brunnstrom from last year’s undrafted class, other NHL teams have taken note. He’s been a productive member of their team for most of the season. When you figure that most players that are drafted never make it past the AHL, anyone that plays in the NHL is a success.
The key to all of these acquisitions is that the teams don’t have to give up anything to pull a good prospect into their system. While there are always diamonds in the rough (Brunnstrom, Purcell, Bozak), usually there’s a reason that these players weren’t drafted in the 7 rounds of the Entry Draft.
Both Toronto and Ottawa would be thrilled to land Tyler Bozak
There are a couple of guys this year that have the attention of most of the NHL teams. The interesting part is that because of the collective bargaining agreement that is in place between the NHLPA and the League, the offers for these prospects are all likely to be the same. Entry level contracts are a little different than your normal free agent contract. Each will offer 2 years and approximately $1.8 million plus performance bonuses (entry-level max). Basically, it comes down to where the prospect WANTS to play. Maybe it’s playing time, maybe it’s an organization, maybe it’s a hometown—whatever the reason, the player gets to decide.
Teams like the Kings have a history of picking up rookie free agents at the end of the season in recent years. Los Angeles has signed Corey Elkins from Ohio State and expects him to join the team for a few games with the big club before the end of the season. Teddy Purcell was a coveted prospect during his time at the University of Maine after he won Hockey East Rookie of the Year. In 2007, they were able to pick up Joe Piskula from the University of Wisconsin after the Badgers were eliminated from tournament play. While playing in Manchester, he’s still one of the better stay-at-home defensemen in the loaded Kings pipeline. More and more teams are looking towards the undrafted free-agent pool to supplement their talent pool.
A couple of the top prospects that have already been eliminated from this year’s NCAA Tournament have already been snagged by NHL teams. Center Paul Crowder signed with the New York Rangers after his University of Alaska-Anchorage team was eliminated last month. The Capitals signed 6’7” defenseman Joe Finley out of University of North Dakota, also to a two-year entry-level contract, to help bolster their defensive pipeline of prospects. Toronto has already picked up University of Notre Dame Center Christian Hanson to a 2-year, entry level contract. While Hanson is one of the best undrafted prospects available this year, he should also serve to help the sales of the movie Slap Shot all over Ontario. Yes, Hanson—as in the Hanson Brothers. His Dad was one of the brawlers to strap on the foil in the 1970s cult classic.
The most highly regarded of this year’s bunch has to be Tyler Bozak from Denver University. The 23 year old forward from Saskatchewan was contacted by 26 of the 30 NHL teams—and it looks like he’s narrowed the contestants down to 3 or 4. Whoever wins the Bozak sweepstakes—probably a Canadian team at this point—will have a guy that will compete for NHL playing time at center as a rookie. Not too bad when you’re looking to think outside the box for ways to rebuild a team (we’re looking at you Maple Leafs).
The last of the talented undrafted prospects to sign will probably be Matt Gilroy from Boston University. The talented senior defenseman grabbed the Hockey News National Player of the Year last week and has helped lead the Terriers to this year’s Frozen Four. Any team would be happy to have his play on the ice, as well as his leadership in the locker room. Once his season’s over this weekend, I’m sure the bidding will heat up.
With a system that drafts players at such a young age, I actually like the system that has been set up under the collective bargaining agreement. For all the players that aren’t drafted, they can continue grow as a player and as a person. For those that thrive and persevere, they can be rewarded with not only an NHL contract but also some options. Most of these guys are “feel good” stories—and what can I say, I’m a sucker for a happy ending for these guys.
If you've been back this many times and aren't a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Even if our RSS feeds scare the hell you (because you don't quite understand RSS), we promise the email alerts aren't painful at all. Seriously, a money-back-guarantee-even-though-its-free kind of promise.
