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National Hockey League Collective Bargaining Agreement
Article 8: Entry Draft
8.1. General.  Commencing with the 1995 Entry Draft and with
respect to the Entry Draft to be held each League Year
thereafter, the provisions of this Article 8 shall apply.  Each
Entry Draft will be held in June (or July in the case of the 1995
Entry Draft), on a date which shall be determined by the
Commissioner.

8.2. Draft Choices.  The Draft shall consist of nine (9) rounds,
with each round consisting of the same number of selection
choices as there will be Clubs in the NHL the following League
Year.

8.3. Compensatory Draft Selections.

     (a) In addition to the nine rounds of the Entry Draft, there
shall be an additional number of Compensatory Draft Selections
not to exceed the number of Clubs to be in the League in the
following year.

     (b) In the event a Club loses its draft rights to an
unsigned Rookie drafted in the first round of the Entry Draft
(except as a result of failing to tender a required Bona Fide
Offer (as defined below)), who is again eligible for the Entry
Draft or becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent, a Compensatory Draft
Selection shall automatically be granted to that Club, which
Compensatory Draft Selection shall be the same numerical choice
in the second round in the Entry Draft immediately following the
date the Club loses such rights.  By way of example, if a Club
cannot sign the third pick in the first round, it will receive
the third pick in the second round as compensation.

     (c) Following the allocation of any selections provided for
in Section 8.3(b), any Club losing an Unrestricted Free Agent of
the type described in Section 10.1(a) shall be eligible to
receive a Compensatory Draft Selection.  Under no circumstances
will such Compensatory Draft Selection be awarded from the Club
signing such Unrestricted Free Agent.  These Compensatory Draft
Selections shall be allocated based on a formula, which appears
as Exhibit 15.  The formula shall provide that no Compensatory
Draft Selection under this subsection 8.3(c) shall be awarded
prior to the eleventh pick in the second round.

8.4. Eligibility for Claim.

     (a) All players age 19 or older are eligible for claim in
the Entry Draft, except: 
            (i)a player on the Reserve List of a Club, other than
as a Try-Out; 
            (ii) a player who has been claimed in two prior Entry
Drafts;     
       (iii) a player who previously played in the League
and became a free agent pursuant to this Agreement;               
            (iv)a player age 21 or older who played hockey for at
least one season in North America when he was age 18, 19 or 20.   
   (b) In addition to the players referred to in sub-paragraph
(a), any player who  (i)  will be age 18 on or before September
15 in the year in which such Entry Draft is held, or (ii) reaches
his 19th birthday between September 16 and December 31, both
dates included, next following the Entry Draft and who in either
case wishes to become eligible for selection in the Entry Draft,
can attain eligibility by delivering to the League a written
notice in the form of Exhibit 3 hereto prior to the later of (A)
May 1, or (B) seven days following the date such player finishes
competing on his team in the year in which such draft is to be
held.

8.5. Order of Selection.  The League may determine the rules
governing the order of selection among Clubs in the Entry Draft,
provided that such rules (i) shall not in any manner affect or
enlarge in any respect the selecting Club's rights (including,
without limitation, rights of retention) in respect of such
player, and (ii) are not inconsistent or contrary in any other
respect to any provision of this Agreement.  Following discussion
with the NHLPA, the League adopted the procedures set out in
Exhibit 4 as a modification to the rules governing order of
selection in Entry Drafts conducted prior to 1995.  In the event
that the League proposes a material change to those prior rules
regarding order of selection, as intended to be modified by
Exhibit 4, the League shall notify the NHLPA no later than March
1 in the year of the Entry Draft during which such changes are
proposed to take effect, and shall afford the NHLPA a reasonable
period of time prior to the implementation thereof for the
purpose of conferring regarding any such changes. 

8.6. Reserve List-Exclusive Rights.

     (a) A player selected shall be registered on the Reserve
List of the selecting Club as an "unsigned draft choice."

                  (i)     Subject to the provisions of subsection
(ii) of this Section and of subsections (b), (c) and (d) hereof,
such registration by the selecting Club shall establish for such
Club the exclusive right of negotiation for the services of each
player selected and registered as against all other professional
clubs up to and including June 1 of the calendar year next
following the date of his selection.

                 (ii)     If such player continues to play hockey
as an overage player for a Major Junior Club, in the season
following his selection, such registration by the selecting Club
shall establish for such Club the exclusive right of negotiation  
for the services of each such player selected and registered as
against all other professional clubs up to and including the next
June 1 following the date of his selection.

     (b)       (i)    A player selected who is a bona fide
college student at the time of such selection or who becomes a
bona fide college student prior to June 1 of the calendar year
next following the date of his selection may be retained on the   
Reserve List of the claiming Club as an "unsigned draft choice"
so long as he remains a bona fide college student and thereafter
for 180 days plus the period between the end of said 180 days and
the next June 1; provided always that such a player may at any
time by notice in writing delivered to the claiming Club, with
copy to the Central Registry, declare his desire to be tendered a
Player Contract with that Club. 
               (ii)   Upon receipt of such notice, the claiming
Club may tender to the player a Player Contract for a term
corresponding to his age as required under Section 9.1(b)
commencing at the start of the next regular playing season.       
               (iii)  If the claiming Club fails to tender to the
claimed player a contract within thirty days of filing of the
notice by the claimed player in the Central Registry,             
             the player shall be eligible for selection in the
next Entry Draft if he is otherwise eligible in accordance with
Section 8.4(a). 
               (iv)   For purposes of application of this
section, a player playing for his Olympic or National Team shall
be deemed to be at college.

     (c) A player who, having been selected by a Club and having
been placed on its Reserve List as an "unsigned draft choice,"
enters into an agreement with any person or organization, other
than a Club of the League or a member club of an affiliated
professional league, which agreement includes the obligation by
the player to provide his services as a hockey player, may be
retained on the Reserve List of the claiming club as a "defected"
player for so long as said agreement to provide his services as a
hockey player or any renewal or extension thereof remains in
effect.Such player shall be subject to the provisions of Section
10.2(b).

     (d) If, on or before June 1 of the calendar year next
succeeding the draft, the claiming Club makes a Bona Fide Offer
(as defined below) to its claimed player of a contract, the Club
shall retain the exclusive right of negotiation for the services
of such player up to and including the second June 1 following
the date of his selection. 
         A "Bona Fide Offer" is one which is for a period
corresponding to the player's age as required under Section
9.1(b) commencing at the start of the next League Year,         
offers at least the NHL Minimum Compensation for each year
covered by such offer and remains open to the player for at least
thirty days after receipt of the offer by the player.  A Bona
Fide Offer may be conditioned upon acceptance by the player
within thirty days and carries no right to salary arbitration.

     (e) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, a claimed
player unsigned on June 2 next succeeding his draft shall be
removed from the Reserve List of the Club that claimed him.

8.7. Age 18 and 19 Players.

     (a) During the first two seasons next succeeding the draft
of an age 18 player, the Club he signs a contract with must first
offer him to the club from which he was claimed before it may
assign him out of the NHL.

     (b) During the first season next succeeding the draft of an
age 19 player or a player who reaches his 19th birthday between
September 16 and December 31, inclusive, of the year of the
draft, the Club he signs a contract with must first offer him to
the     club from which he was claimed before it may assign him
out of the NHL.

     (c) During the seasons set forth in (a) and (b) above, the
age 18 and age 19 player, respectively, may be assigned to the
minor league team affiliate of his Club when his Junior team is
no longer in competition and provided he has been listed on the   
Club's minor league eligibility list.

8.8. Assignment of Rights.  The rights acquired under the
selection process under this Article shall be transferable
without waivers to any other Club by Standard Assignment and the
transferee Club shall thereby acquire all of the rights of the
original selecting Club.

8.9. Eligibility for Play in the League.  No player shall be
eligible for play in the League unless he:

     (a) had been claimed in the 1994 Supplemental Draft or in
the last Entry Draft, or was ineligible for claim in the 1994
Supplemental Draft or under Section 8.4(a); or

     (b) had been eligible for claim in the last Entry Draft but
was unclaimed, and:

                  (i)     had played hockey in North America the
prior season and was age 20 or older at the time of the last
Entry Draft, and signed a Player Contract which was signed and
registered with the League between the conclusion of the Entry
Draft and commencement of the next NHL season.

                 (ii)     had played hockey in North America the
prior season and was under age 20 at the time of the last Entry
Draft, and signed a Player Contract which was signed and
registered with the League between the conclusion of the Entry    
Draft and commencement of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League 
season (except that if such player had signed an NHL Try-Out
Form, which was signed and registered with the League during the
aforesaid time period, then the deadline for signing and
registering with the League a Player Contract with such Try-Out
club shall be the commencement of the NHL season).

                (iii)     The words "eligible for claim in the
last Entry Draft" in subparagraph (b) above mean "eligible for
claim in all rounds of the last Entry Draft."  The words "the
prior season" in subparagraph (i) and (ii) above mean "a full     
season prior to the last Entry Draft."

8.10.    Age of Players.  As used in this Article, "age 18" means
a player reaching his eighteenth birthday between January 1 next
preceding the Entry Draft and September 15 next following the
Entry Draft, both dates included; "age 19" means a player
reaching his nineteenth birthday by no later than September 15 in
the calendar year of the Entry Draft, "age 20" means a player
reaching his twentieth birthday by no later than December 31 in
the calendar year of the Entry Draft; and "age 21" means a player
reaching his twenty-first birthday by December 31 in the calendar
year of the Entry Draft.

8.11.    Expiration of Rights.  A Club's unsigned draft choice
rights to a claimed player shall continue until one year after
conclusion of his playing of hockey in college, except as
modified in Section 8.6(b).

 

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