>I know I should know this but....what are the ages of the players that
>were just drafted by the NHL.  I know that some were recruits who are
>going to college and some are college students (or departing college
>students).  The reason I ask is that I am trying to figure out if the
>player  drafted at 291 by Chicago (from Phi) - Arne Ramholt of the Swiss
>team is the same young man who played as a freshman at St. Lawrence in
>97-98.  He didn't return for his sophomore yea and I had heard that it
>was for family reasons.  The former SLU player has a birthdate of
>5/20/76.  Would he be the right age for the draft?  Thanks for the info.

First question: The NHL Draft is primarily for 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds. (For NHL purposes, a player's age is his age on September 15). So, this year, they would be drafting players who were born between 1980 to 1982, primarily 81s and 82s.

If a North American goes undrafted by the time he is 20, he is a free agent.
However, the rules are be different for Europeans. So the answer to your second question is: yess, it's the same guy.

(From http://www.chicagoblackhawks.com/ll/news/display=default&newsid=251)
9th ROUND - 291st OVERALL
 ARNE RAMHOLT
 Kloten (Switzerland)
 6'3'' 215
 Defenseman
 Born: May 20, 1976


Hope this helps,
John

--
  John Edwards - Carleton (Ont) '96, Manitoba '00 - [log in to unmask]
      Manitoba Women's Ice Hockey - #9 CIAU, 5-3-2 CanWest, 18-7-2 Overall
               Carleton U. Football - Undefeated since 1998
The opinions expressed are mine alone, because everybody else says I'm weird.