McKee wasn't eligible for draft?

So McKee was not eligible for the entry draft this year? If so, why wasn't he eligible this year?

Will he be eligible next year?

Over and out.

I belive he was too old this year, and this will be too old next year. He missed his chance earlier when he would have been the right age, but he can still sign as a free agent later if offered.

In the 2004 draft, David McKee was in the same situation as Jon Gleed. McKee was born in December 1983, and Gleed was born in January 1984. The cutoff birthdate for draft eligibility is September 15, so they are considered to have the same age for draft purposes. By not opting into the 2002 draft, they both became eligible to be drafted in 2003. Neither was selected. This year, they were both eligible as overage players, who are generally disfavored because they new crop of eligible players appears more attractive than people on whom 30 teams passed a year ago. As you know, Gleed was selected, and McKee was not.

Sometimes players are drafted as overage players because they are late bloomers. Others are drafted as overage players because they fell under the scouting radar beforehand. David McKee played in front of plenty scouts while playing with Matt Nickerson for the Texas Tornados, so the latter scenario was inapplicable.

It was surprising that Montreal drafted Jon Gleed last month. As Adam Wodon wrote, it was a fluky selection resulting from Gleed impressing Canadien scouts who were watching 2003 selection Ryan O'Byrne.

I think French Rage is still right, though. Teams may not have wanted to expend a valuable draft pick on McKee, but he still may sign after graduating. Gleed's unique circumstance may be the result of the Habs wanting to see if Gleed and O'Byrne can mature together in the organization. For all we know, O'Byrne put in a good word with the Canadiens.

[Q]ugarte Wrote:

Teams may not have wanted to expend a valuable draft pick on McKee, but he still may sign after graduating.[/q]

I agree. Technically, all that drafting a college player brings the drafting team is the exclusive right to negotiate with and sign a player while he is in college and one year afterward.

An overage player who has multiple teams interested in him would typically be better off not getting drafted, in which case he could sell his services to the highest bidder. I doubt Jon Gleed was in that situation. However, I wonder if Peter Sejna would be a little less wealthy today if he had been drafted after his sophomore season instead of being a free agent during and immediately after his junior season.

McKee is a free agent. After not being drafted in 2003, he became a Free Agent. This is the case according to McKee himself.

[Q]calgARI '07 Wrote:

McKee is a free agent. After not being drafted in 2003, he became a Free Agent. This is the case according to McKee himself.[/q]

Yes, but David McKee would have lost his free-agent status had he been drafted last month. Jon Gleed was a free agent on June 26, and could have signed a pro contract with the team of his choice. When he got drafted on June 27 as an overage player, the Canadiens nullified that right.

Unless it's different for 20-year olds, draft-eligible players cannot just declare themselves to be free agents. A 19-year old, for example, couldn't just leave school in April and sign with any pro team.

[Q]adamw Wrote:

Unless it's different for 20-year olds, draft-eligible players cannot just declare themselves to be free agents. A 19-year old, for example, couldn't just leave school in April and sign with any pro team.[/q]

An undrafted player in North America does become a free agent when he turns 20. Thus, prior to last month's draft, David McKee and Jon Gleed were free agents. Mitch Carefoot, who is 19 years old, was not.

I don't think you are correct. And the notion that a player could be both a free agent and draft eligible at the same time, doesn't pass the common sense test.

Do you have documentation somewhere about this? I've looked in the CBA, and there is nothing in the section about the Entry Draft that would support what you say.

In the section about Free Agency, it says this:

[Q](i) Any Player not eligible for claim in
any future Entry Draft pursuant to this Agreement and not on a
Club's Reserve List shall be an unrestricted free agent.
Further, any player eligible for claim in the Entry Draft but who
was unclaimed shall be an unrestricted free agent subject to the
provisions of Section 8.9(b).[/Q]

Section 8.9(b) says:

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

(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.[/Q]

All emphasis mine.

Under Section 8.9(b)(i) [as quoted by Adam], a 20-year old, who is undrafted in the June draft, can sign with any team up until the start of the NHL season.

Similarly, under Section 8.9(b)(ii) [not quoted by Adam], a player younger than 20 who is undrafted in the June draft, can sign with any team up until the start of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League season.

I stand corrected. Thanks to Adam and culater89 for taking the time to read the CBA, which I obviously didn't do, and clarifying the free agency and draft rules for overage players.

[Q]CUlater 89 Wrote:

Under Section 8.9(b)(i) , a 20-year old, who is undrafted in the June draft, can sign with any team up until the start of the NHL season.

Similarly, under Section 8.9(b)(ii) , a player younger than 20 who is undrafted in the June draft, can sign with any team up until the start of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League season.[/q]Here is that section:

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

(b) had been eligible for claim in the last Entry Draft but
was unclaimed, and: [...]
(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).[/q]

I think this solves the simultaneous free agent/draft eligible question. The league has set up a window for undrafted <20-year-old players to sign with clubs that is designed to minimally interfere with the Major Junior (and, presumably, NCAA) season.

Good catch, CULater.

cbuckser: You weren't exactly wrong; McKee and Gleed were free agents, in the sense that every undrafted player playing in North America is a free agent from the time after the last draft until the start of the following NHL/MJHL season. And technically, 18-, 19- and 20- year olds are still draft-eligible (for the following draft).

The "overage" cutoff (i.e. when you are no longer eligible for the draft and become a free agent until signed) is 21 (for North American players).