http://hockey.ecac.org/Page_for_Men/releases/Feature_Stories/03-04/Cornellian_Vesce_Featured_in_USAHockey.com
Anybody know the draft situation with Vesce?
Ryan Vesce is undrafted, which gives all 30 NHL teams the opportunity to sign him. I hope pro scouts are undeterred by his size. He doesn't shy away from traffic and is not easy to knock off the puck. If I were a GM, I'd want him in my organization.
How many GMs can see beyond the data sheet that says 5'8"? Probably not many.
My guess is if Ryan's going to get a tryout it will be as a free agent. If he hasn't been drafted by now, I don't think it's gonna happen.
JH
QuoteJeff Hopkins '82 wrote:
How many GMs can see beyond the data sheet that says 5'8"? Probably not many.
My guess is if Ryan's going to get a tryout it will be as a free agent. If he hasn't been drafted by now, I don't think it's gonna happen.
JH
If he doesn't get drafted, that'll be okay. He'll just kick ass in the ECHL (much like what Paolini is doing now) until he gets called up to the AHL, and with any luck, the NHL will follow.
Also, the 5'8" number will probably become moot if Vesce can dominate the ECAC in points by a fair margin. So let's hope he can keep lighting the lamp.
Actually, I believe he isn't eligible to be drafted thus he has to sign a free agent contract if he wants to join an NHL organization.
Actually, I was kind of wondering if there was some kind of draft ineligibility going on. Why is this? Was he eligible for last year's draft, and they passed him up? I can't believe, when considering some of the other players the NHL drafts from around the league (including the Red), that they would consciously pass on Vesce... His numbers speak for themselves; regardless of his size...
I know size is an unfortunate issue in the NHL, but come on, look at the numbers Martin St. Louis is putting up (5'9'', 185 lbs, and an ECAC veteran himself)... Plus, as we all know, Vesce plays a lot bigger and tougher than 5'8''... Weren't any of these GMs watching the Frozen Four last year?
Sorry about this rant, but I had to vent... Barry Melrose on NHL tonight put it best when he said, "It's unfortunate that in the NHL, little guys are always having to prove they can play, while the big guys always have to prove that they can't"...
Go Big (and little) Red!
This is why somebody needs to write Moneypuck... :)
You have to be 18 or 19 to be drafted. Vesce was passed up a few years ago. Either after his sophomore, or, more likely, after his freshman year was his last chance. At that point he wasn't much of a standout. He'll need to try out with any organizations that will let him, and probably start off signing a minor league contract. Think of his as essentially a free agent now, 'cept without any star power.
[Q]Jacob '03 wrote:
This is why somebody needs to write Moneypuck... [/Q]
If I become a GM, you can write an adulatory book about my work. ;-)
Post Edited (11-19-03 19:17)
I suppose I should find a link to the rules, but for now I'll just state them as I understand them. Players are eligible to be drafted the year they are 19 years old (strictly speaking if they turn 19 by a specific date). They also can opt into the draft a year earlier at the cost of forfeiting college eligibility. Since Vesce was born in April '82 he was eligible for the 2001 draft. I'm not positive that players are only eligible for the draft once but in practice an undrafted player remains a free agent.
It's easy to see why Vesce did not get drafted two years ago. He's listed as 5'8", 165 which is very small by NHL standards. He played Junior hockey on Long Island of all places, which isn't exactly a hockey hotbed. While he may have been a good college hockey prospect, he doesn't fit the mold of the typical NHL prospect.
Remember that many quality college players are not drafted. Players do make it to the NHL as free agents (e.g. Brad Chartrand) and being drafted does not imply that you will be signed (e.g. Matt McRae). Sometimes being undrafted is an advantage since competition between teams could drive prices up.
Vesce will probbaly have a hard time making it to the big time due to prejudices against small players. I have no doubt he will be able to get a pro contract somewhere but moving up will be tough. Martin St. Louis proves that it is possible, but he had a tough time breaking in too.
Vesce is no longer eligible to be drafted. He will be signed by a team shortly after the season ends. His size likely will not be much of a factor. If you put up big numbers in college, a few teams will offer contracts. St. Louis, Perrin, and S. Kariya are all examples of this.
Darren Haydar is another good example of this.
Probably the best example out there is Adam Oates. He has scored 1400 points in the NHL and was never drafted.
Keith K. is correct on all accounts ... except that now, if you opt-in as an 18-year old prior to having enrolled in college, you no longer forfeit your NCAA eligibility.
Many, many undrafted free agents either leave college for big money, or get big money after they gradute. Many stars in college were late bloomers, which is why many of them didn't go to junior to begin with. i.e. last year's Hobey winner, Peter Sejna.