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+---- Thread: [J + H Media] Expansion From a Rookie's POV (/showthread.php?tid=141786)
[J + H Media] Expansion From a Rookie's POV - ColonelSaunders - 03-11-2025
With the SHL Expansion confirmed, we are all excited to see where the new teams land as well as their mascots and colors. Some of the inquisitive among us are also probably wondering how this will affect not only active SHL players, but prospects as well. Being a member of the S82 draft class, I am as curious as anyone about how this will impact the beginning of my SHL career.
If the confirmed two (and possibly four) teams enter the SHL and play at the earliest in S83, we will see the entire S80 class in the SHL full time, some S81 players called up, and S82 players in their 3rd year with their respective SMJHL clubs working toward the TPE cap.
So, how will the expansion draft work, and how will it affect active players and prospects? While HO is still deliberating on how the draft will go down, I have taken inspiration from past expansion drafts to come up with a potential format (specifically the S55 and S61 SMJHL expansion drafts). Here I will speculate on how the SHL expansion draft will go by answering three questions:
- How will the SHL expansion draft itself work?
- When will the expansion teams get to draft their own prospects?
- Will prospects be on the table during the expansion draft?
Let it be known that I have absolutely no insider information and this is all speculation on my part. This is not to be interpreted as anything more than an educated guess, all I do know is that they need to bring a team to Ohio. Anyway, let’s get started.
How will the SHL Expansion Draft work?
The SMJHL expanded in both S55 and S61. In S55, existing teams were allowed to protect either 6 forwards, 4 defensemen and 1 goaltender, or 10 players regardless of position. This was slightly changed for the S61 by allowing teams to protect 7 forwards instead of 6, everything else stayed the same.
Once the protected players lists were released, the expansion teams took turns drafting in snake order. Existing teams could only lose one player to expansion, and once a player was selected, said team would be removed from the expansion pool. If an expansion GM had a player in the league, they were required to take their own player in the final round. Similarly, if an expansion Co-GM had a player in the league, their player was required to be taken in the second round. If a team were to lose a player in this manner, this counted as their one player and that team was exempt from exposing other players to the expansion draft.
So, with all of those rules established, it seems reasonable the coming draft will follow a similar format. It is important to note that these were SMJHL expansion drafts, so there may be differences for the SHL, but I believe the expansion format will be:
Each team will be allowed to protect:
7 Forwards, 4 Defense and 1 Goaltender
OR
10 players regardless of position
- The expansion teams will take turns drafting in snake order
- Each team can only lose one player to expansion. Once a player has been selected from a team’s roster, that team will be removed from the draft pool
- If an expansion GM has a player in the SHL, they must select their player in the final round
- If an expansion Go-CM has a player in the SHL, they must select their player in the second round
- If a team will lose a player via a GM or Co-GM selection, this will count as their one player and that team will be exempt from exposing more players to the draft.
When will the expansion teams get to draft their own prospects?
Looking back at SHL/SMJHL history, all signs point to the expansion teams being able to draft in whatever season they start play (we will use S83). So exciting news for everyone creating now, you could potentially make SHL history as the first draftees of these new teams! Should these teams start play in S83, I believe the timeline look like this:
- Announcement of expansion teams
- End of S82 postseason/beginning of offseason
- Expansion Draft
- S83 SHL Draft
So once again, with a precedence established for these rules, it is likely that the expansion teams will have a shot to win the draft lottery but will most likely pick 3rd and 4th overall in the 1st round (if it is a two team expansion) and have picks somewhere in the middle of each remaining rounds of the draft.
Will Prospects be on the table during the Expansion Draft?
This is where the real fun begins if you are a younger SMJHL player, like I am. Is it possible that we will see prospects as an option for expansion teams to select? The short answer is no, I don’t think so. At least, not directly.
Even if it is allowed per the rules, SMJHL players cap at 425 applied TPE. Even the lowest team in the SHL standings (The Minnesota Monarchs) lowest TPE player is 549. While SMJHL players are able to bank any TPE they earn over their cap, I don’t really see a situation where a prospect would be a more viable selection than an active SHL roster player.
BUT…
Even though the new teams will be equipped with a full, experienced SHL roster along with a shiny new draft class, that leaves a potential four season gap between their current players and first class of prospects. How will they close this gap? Surely, they won’t be expected to sell their future picks and/or star players just to keep their rosters full as players regress, retire or leave in free agency, while simultaneously waiting for their prospects to develop. While I wasn’t around for the last expansion drafts (and therefore don’t know how this was handled in the past) I have a couple of fun ideas that will almost certainly not happen.
1) Expansion Draft Sweeteners
If you were a fan of the NHL circa 2017, you may remember that the Florida Panthers actually PAID the Vegas Golden Knights to select a certain player in their expansion draft. That’s right, Florida traded Jonathan Marchessault to the VGK in return for a 4th round pick, and the promise that the VGK would select Reilly Smith, a move that totally didn’t backfire!
Another helpful tidbit newbies might not know is that SHL GMs are allowed to trade the rights to RFAs (and all draftees become RFAs at the conclusion of their entry level contract). Is it possible that teams might trade the rights to some prospects to ensure one of the new teams picks the “right” player in the expansion draft? We’ll certainly see!
2) Trade Literally Every Pick
The classic kick that can down the road! Why draft when you can sell all of those picks to fill your prospect pool with older, gruffer, tougher players that will join your club sooner. While the whole RFA rights rule is fresh in our minds, I’m sure some GMs would be willing to part with their old toys for the chance at shiny new prospects. There’s always next season, right?
3) The SECOND Draft
Two is better than one after all. Imagine once the final pick of the expansion draft is made, the bell rings for round two. GMs create another list protecting their most precious of prospects, and the exposed ones will be subject to a second, almost identical draft for the rights to young and hungry SHL hopefuls who were surely JUST getting attached to the first big league team that drafted them…Sorry kids ☹
While these three options are most likely off the table, they were fun to workshop, and I am eager to see how the new teams address this potential speed bump when catching up to the competition.
There you have it folks, we looked at how the draft format might look, when the new teams will get their first prospects, and how expansion teams might fill the gap between present and future. Thank you for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Players, good luck in the post season. My fellow SMJHL rookies, get excited about the big draft! And for S83, welcome to the SHL.
(1486 words via WordCounter, Microsoft Excel)
RE: [J + H Media] Expansion From a Rookie's POV - HabsFanFromOntario - 03-11-2025
YES MEDIA! GET PAID!