Red Wings Draft Rights to Three College Hockey Players Expire
The Detroit Red Wings' draft rights to Sam Stange, Cooper Moore and Ryan O'Reilly expired Thursday because they did not sign within four years of their draft year.
The Detroit Red Wings' lost the exclusive draft rights to three of its college hockey prospects Thursday.
Defenseman Cooper Moore, forward Sam Stange and forward Ryan O'Reilly did not sign pro contracts by Thursday. Because Detroit did not sign them within four years of their draft, its rights expired.
According to the NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement section 8.6(c)i:
If a Player drafted at age 18 or 19 is a bona fide college student at the time of his selection in the Entry Draft, or becomes a bona fide college student prior to the first June 1 following his selection in the Entry Draft, and remains a bona fide college student through the graduation of his college class, his drafting Club shall retain the exclusive right of negotiation for his services through and including the August 15 following the graduation of his college class. The Club need not make a Bona Fide Offer to such Player to retain such rights.
All three players remain in college, where they will play their fifth seasons of eligibility.
Moore will be an alternate captain for Quinnipiac this season. He previously played three years at North Dakota before transferring to the defending national champion Bobcats last season. They didn't defend the title, but Moore scored a career best 22 points in 39 games.
Stange transferred from Wisconsin to Omaha, where he should factor into the offense a bit more. Under new coaching with Mike Hastings' Badgers, Stange spent most nights in the press box, playing just seven games without recording a point. After what amounts to a lost season, playing with the NCHC's Mavericks will give him a chance to rekindle his career.
O'Reilly will play for Providence College after four years at Arizona State, where he was an alternate captain last season. In 127 career games, he has recorded 55 points. Playing in the tough Hockey East will test his abilities more than his past four years — the Sun Devils' independent status meant that O'Reilly played a lot of weaker teams during the regular season.
Just because Detroit's exclusive rights to these players lapsed does not mean it cannot sign these players. If they decide to go pro, the Red Wings could still sign them if both parties are interested. All that has changed is the exclusivity of these players' draft rights. Back in July, both Moore and Stange attended Red Wings development camp.
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