Special draft session to be held Friday

Press Release

VICTORIAVILLE, Thursday, June 2, 2011 – The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, today announced that a special draft session will be held Friday at noon in which the Lewiston MAINEiacs’ players and 2011 draft picks will be submitted to the seventeen other teams.

The special draft session will be comprised of two rounds. The order of selection for the two rounds will be determined from the regular season standings. In round one, teams will draft from the lowest number of points earned during the regular season to the highest number of points considering that the division champions will select 15, 16 and 17 while in round two, teams will draft from the highest number of points earned during the regular season to the lowest number of points. Teams are not obligated to make a selection in the second round.

At its order of selection, the team will need to confirm its selection immediately or within a maximum of two minutes by using the official league form.

Each of the thirty-five players on the Lewiston MAINEiacs’ eligibility list can be selected, even if such player could have been on the team’s protected list in previous years. Also, each of the MAINEiacs’ 2011 draft picks can be selected.

Any Lewiston MAINEiacs player who was not selected during the special draft session will be eligible to be selected at the entry draft on Saturday in Victoriaville. The entry draft begins at 10 am.

Selection ranks regardless of round can be traded during the draft. Moreover, following the special draft session, trades are permitted as stipulated in QMJHL rules.

Picks which were submitted to the QMJHL for trade before the second trade deadline on January 6, 2011 will be honoured. For picks owned by the Lewiston MAINEiacs for the 2012 entry draft, the procedure will be as follows: teams will select the last pick of the designated round.

Here is the order of selection for both rounds.

Round 1

1 – Rouyn-Noranda

2 – Baie-Comeau

3 – Cape Breton

4 – Halifax

5 – Val-d’Or

6 – Chicoutimi

7 – Rimouski

8 – Victoriaville

9 – P.E.I.

10 – Moncton

11 – Shawinigan

12 – Acadie-Bathurst

13 – Gatineau

14 – Drummondville

15 – Québec

16 – Montréal

17 – Saint John

Round 2

1 – Saint John

2 – Montréal

3 – Québec

4 – Drummondville

5 – Gatineau

6 – Acadie-Bathurst

7 – Shawinigan

8 – Moncton

9 – P.E.I.

10 – Victoriaville

11 – Rimouski

12 – Chicoutimi

13 – Val-d’Or

14 – Halifax

15 – Cape Breton

16 – Baie-Comeau

17 – Rouyn-Noranda

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)