Are Bantam Drafts on the Horizon?

Each spring the Western Hockey League (WHL) holds its Bantam Draft as a way of distributing talent among the 22 teams that make up the league. Last season almost 300 players from the 2009 birth year were selected during the two day event, including 52 from the United States. Having evolved from its original format, the current draft now consists of a 2-round U.S. Priority Draft, as well as a 15 round Prospect Draft that is open to US and Canadian players from the WHL’s region. 

Unlike the WHL, the other junior hockey leagues across North America restrict their drafts to players who have completed their first year of midget hockey. For instance the drafts for the CHL’s Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League are open to players following their first midget season, as is the United States Hockey League’s Phase-1 Futures Draft. 

As the CHL has worked to build uniformity between its 3 member-leagues, many assumed that this might mean an end to the WHL’s Bantam Draft system. Recent speculation however is that the CHL may choose to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction, and move all 3 of the leagues to a Bantam Draft model.  Since this topic seems to spur very strong emotions on both sides of the discussion, we wanted to explore some of the pros and cons associated with moving junior leagues to a Bantam draft system. 

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The Argument AGAINST a Bantam Draft:

Age is Not Just a Number 

One of the strongest arguments against drafting players out of Bantam hockey is that they are just too darn young. Every year we see scouting departments for professional sports organizations swing-and-miss on their drafts, and those are with physically mature 18 year olds who are attached to added years of comparative data.

Now imagine having to make those decisions about 14 year old players with varying degrees of experience and physical maturity. How many early blooming Bantams will fizzle out once they lose their size and strength advantage? How many late bloomers will be chased from the sport because they were passed over by no fault of their own? Obviously these questions don’t simply disappear by pushing the draft back to U15, but anyone who has watched Bantam hockey knows what it’s like to see a 5’2 95 lb defenseman try to win a puck battle in the corners against a 6’1 185 lb forward with a mustache. 

With such varying degrees of physical and emotional maturity at this age-group, it’s almost impossible to evaluate pure talent, and even harder to predict what these players will look like in the next 3-5 months, let alone 3-5 years. Holding the draft at such a young age only runs the risk that we will further pigeonhole players within a system that is already overly-obsessed with classifications. 

Exposure over Development 

We have to face the reality that we have a development problem in youth hockey, and transitioning to a Bantam draft runs the risk that we will make this situation even worse. Just to be clear, our problem in this area stems from a lack of appetite, not a lack of aptitude. By and large we have proven over the years that we have the staff and techniques to develop strong youth players, but unfortunately we are steadily losing the appetite to do so. Gone are the cost-effective local programs where players had the time and flexibility to hone their skills. These options have now been replaced by super-teams that recruit players from all over the country with guarantees of 70+ game seasons, tournaments across North America, and lofty national rankings. 

Unfortunately a Bantam draft will only further strengthen this “keeping up with the Joneses” culture within youth hockey. With the added pressure of getting drafted at such a young age, this overemphasis on exposure over development is bound to trickle down to the youngest levels of the sport. At an age where players should be focused on building personal skills and cultivating a life-long love of hockey, they will instead be preoccupied with the number of scouts in attendance and whether the scorekeeper accurately recorded all their secondary assists for the game. In a world where Peewee teams are scheduling games based on the potential impact to their national rankings, the last thing that we need is the added quantitative pressure of having a Bantam draft system thrown into the mix.

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The Argument SUPPORTING a Bantam Draft:

Let Time Be on Your Side

While the development of a youth player is certainly a marathon and not a sprint, the reality is that you can’t win the race if you haven’t started running. As the CHL has proven to be the strongest producer of NHL talent within the world, it would stand to reason that players would benefit from getting into this system as early as possible. Now this suggestion should not be confused with recent discussions about beginning junior hockey at 15 years of age, but rather a system whereby a player could fall under the development umbrella of a junior team following their selection in a Bantam draft. 

While almost every player (less those rare phenoms granted exceptional status) would remain with a youth program during their first year of Midget hockey, there are significant benefits to players having an extra year of access to a CHL program. 

Camp Experience - The benefits of having first-year midget players  

participate in CHL Rookie and/or Main Tryout Camps should not be overlooked. As this is often the first time that players will participate in this type of camp format, allowing them to do so in a low-pressure environment before they return to midget hockey can only help the following season when they are actually trying to make a junior roster. 

Education & Guidance - The transition from youth to junior hockey is 

significant and a Bantam draft system would provide players with an extra 

year to both learn about the junior program, as well as get guidance from their staff. Additionally, with the ever-changing hockey landscape, players and families would now have an extra year to gain knowledge and experience before deciding on specific development paths. 

Affiliate Opportunities - Recently the WHL implemented a pilot program 

expanding the number of junior games that a 15 year-old affiliate player 

can play in, as well as expanding the number of affiliates that can be rostered by a WHL club. Coupling this program with a universal Bantam draft system would provide first year midget players with unprecedented access to the developmental opportunities available from junior games. 

What’s Good For One is Good For All 

Try as we might, the current system with varying draft ages is not in any way 

equitable for players. For all of the aforementioned arguments, the experiences 

of a prospect within the WHL system is vastly different than that of players 

drafted into other junior leagues. Players who come through the WHL’s Bantam 

Draft have a significant head-start in accessing the developmental tools offered 

through the CHL, even though the playing age within the leagues are virtually the 

same.  

Beyond the uneven playing field, varying draft ages also complicate situations 

when a draft eligible player moves from one area to another. Take for instance a 

player that moves from New York to California during the start of their first year of 

midget hockey. Under the current system this player would’ve been ineligible for the WHL Bantam Draft because they were living in New York during their Bantam Major year. Unfortunately as a current California resident, the player is also not eligible for OHL draft at the end of their first season of midget season. Now situations like this may be rare, but they highlight the types of challenges and inequity that arise from not having a universal bantam draft age across all leagues.