Draft Day

Happy Thursday Steel Fans! By the time the season rolls around the team has a total of 23 players on their roster. However, what happens in the months before the start of the season? Prior to tryouts, the USHL teams participate in a two day draft. This year the draft will be held on Monday, May 5th at 5pm and Tuesday, May 6th at 8am. To learn more about the draft process, check out the information below, provided by the USHL.  

The USHL Draft Process

The USHL Draft takes place during the first week of May each year and is completed in two “Phases”.

Phase I of the Draft is eight rounds of “Futures” age players only, which are U-17 players for next year’s season. (1998 birth year players only for the 2014 Draft) 

Phase II of the Draft will take place the following day beginning with round one. This draft is open to players of all ages eligible to play junior hockey and are not currently protected by another USHL team.  Teams will fill their roster to a total of 45 players on this date; this includes players that were previously on a team’s Affiliate List. The total number of players that a team will draft will vary depending on the number of Affiliate players a team may have.  All veteran roster players are automatically protected by their current team until July 10.

Teams will have their training camps/tryouts in June and July. Teams will typically have 60-80 players at their training camps. By July 10th, teams must be down to a 30-man protected and 18-man affiliate list. Undrafted players have the opportunity to go to any team’s camp and make the team as a tryout player.

Before the season starts, teams will be required to have their team rosters cut down to 23 players and teams are allowed to carry an 18-man affiliate list of players.

The above information gives you a generic idea about how the draft works, but what does it look like from the eyes of an organization? We were also able to sit down with Coach RJ Enga to get learn more about the draft, and see how the coaches get ready for it. Check it out! 

Prior to the draft, how do you scout players?

We start in September looking at the NAHL and AAA leagues. By the time the draft comes around we have an idea of the player pool. We know what we need and look for players to replace the one we have here who are going to be leaving for college.

How do you decide what players you want to draft?

We look at hockey ability. However, we also take into consideration the character, personality, and work ethic of the player we are scouting. We know our players and we know what will fit well into our team. It’s also important for us to meet with these kids, talk to coaches, and other teammates, to get an idea of who they are.

What does draft day look like for you?

It’s a long day, and we drink a lot of coffee. There are a lot of names being thrown around, as well as, a lot of communication and discussion. Overall we look at a lot of different variables and pick who we believe will be the best. In the office we have names of players we want to draft on a board. We continue to look up stats, talk to coaches, players, and advisers to ensure that we have all of our bases covered.

What happens when your pick gets taken?

Before the draft we have a list of players under each round number, arranged in order of who we would pick first. We go off of those names for each round. However, if we see someone who we like that wasn’t picked, in an earlier round, we’ll move him over and push the other picks back a round.

What is your favorite part about the draft?

My favorite part is the excitement about getting a new player and knowing you are part of a young man’s dream. It’s rewarding to hear the excitement in their voice, and see where the future of the organization is going.

What is the toughest part about the draft?

The toughest part is selecting the right player at the right pick. It’s all a projection, based on research, scouting, and knowing if the player will live up to their potential.

For new coaches, what advice would you give them about doing a draft?

My advice would be to know your current team and what would fit best. When looking at potential players know about them, talk to people who know them, do your research so you can select the best players for your team, collaborate with staff, and know the personality of your locker room. 

We hope you were able to learn something new about the draft. We would also like to thank Coach Enga for taking the time out of his day to sit down and talk with us. 

If you are interested in watching the draft live, and for free, log on to http://www.ushl.com. 

Have a great day Steel fans!!