NCAA to allow 17- and 18-year-olds to enter NHL draft


April 28, 2004
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The NCAA on Wednesday granted a waiver allowing
17- and 18-year-old players at Division I schools to enter the NHL
draft in June.

The players would retain college eligibility as long as they don't play
for a professional team or hire an agent.

NHL teams can keep draft rights until 30 days after a player graduates
from college. The league recently changed its draft eligibility
requirements to include players who turn 18 on or before Sept. 15, and
those who turn 19 between Sept. 16 and Dec. 31.

Under current NCAA rules, players under 19 would not be eligible for
the June 26-27 draft.

The waiver, approved last week by the NCAA's Division I Management
Council administrative review subcommittee, applies only for the
2003-04 academic year. The possibility of extending the waiver beyond
this year will be discussed at a meeting of a Division I subcommittee
on agents and amateurism in June.

NCAA officials believe the waiver will affect fewer than a dozen
players for this year's draft