Age Caps For Professional Sports And Their Drafts

The NHL is discussing raising the draft age to 19. Right now players can be drafted when they turn 18. One of the biggest reasons to change the age is that skaters drafted may not make an opening night roster for an NHL team at 18. According to ESPN Former NHL player and Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine who now works for the league said, “We’re exploring many ideas in improving conditions for player development, and raising the draft age is one of many things that we’re looking at, and those discussions remain very preliminary”.

It may be a good idea to increase the age for an athlete to get drafted in the NHL. Some of these competitors may not suit up for their NHL teams for a few years. They sometimes are sent to the Minors while most of them go to their Junior Leagues to develop their skills. It might be possible that at 19 they would be more ready for the NHL. Even though they are discussing an age requirement, they aren’t the only sport where age is capped to enter the league.

The NBA used to have players in high school enter the NBA Draft. These included Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. This occurred until 2005. NBA.com stated that the age limit for NBA players in America is 19 and one year out of high school. Sure this has forced players to go to school for a year. The biggest problem with the rule is there are some freshmen in college basketball who could appear in the NBA right away. For those players it’s a waste of time. Others use that time to stay in college for a few years to improve their skills. The one and done hasn’t been awful for the NBA but disappointing for the college game.   Players stay a year to help their draft stock and not to receive an education.

The NFL requires participants in the NFL draft to be at least three years out of high school. Kids who are 18 aren’t ready to play in the NFL. Athletes in the NFL are bigger and stronger than high school. Participating in college football improves their skills. When they declare for the draft, they are ready for the next level.

The conversation about changing the NHL draft age is in a beginning stage. For the NHL it is worth altering the age. That way most of these young skaters will be able to appear in the NHL once they are drafted.

What do you think of changing the age for a player to get drafted in the NHL?

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