2021 NAHL Entry Draft Preview

Jul 14, 2021

The North American Hockey League will hold its annual Entry Draft today starting at 2:00 PM with the Titans holding seven picks and selecting in the following rounds:

Round 1: Pick 26
Round 2: Pick 36
Round 3: Picks 66, 70 and 78
Round 4: Picks 107 and 109

The Titans first round pick originally was number 20 but it was traded during the season to the Maine Nordiques for the rights to Jake Suede, who was later became the team’s captain this season.

The Titans now will have the 26th pick in the draft after trading defenseman Tyler Nasca to the Lone Star Brahmas for its first-round pick.

“The draft is always an exciting time of the year” said Titans head coach and general manager Craig Doremus. “For the scouts and staff, it’s a bit of culmination of a full year of identifying, scouting and recruiting work.  As always, it’s filled with excitement and anticipation and a bit of anxiety as pick by pick goes by.  We have a plan going into the draft but ultimately you must see how everything plays out and be ready to audible at any given moment.  We have a deep player pool identified and are excited for Wednesday to finally get here.

We really like our roster as we head into the draft this year.  We feel we have a lot of pieces in place and the draft is going to add a tremendous amount of talent and depth to our franchise.  I wouldn’t say we are targeting any specific position.  We are looking to add the best possible people/players to our team.  It’s an exciting time for sure in Titan land” concluded Doremus.

Last season the Titans had 17 picks in the draft, using 13 of them on forwards. In fact, eight of those picks appeared in at least one game for the Red Buckets. Three of the picks (Loudon Hogg, Blake Humphrey and Even Werner) played the entire season with the team while Levente Keresztes joined the team in early November (Keresztes later on in the season made an NCAA Division I commitment to Long Island University). Werner, a 15th round pick (402 overall) led the Titans in goals (21). He made the All-East Division Rookie Team as well as the All-NAHL Rookie Team.

Fans and players will be able to follow the draft one of three ways:

1)         Follow online at nahldraft.com

2)         Follow each selection on twitter at: @NAHLHockey

3)         Listen to a free live broadcast of the draft on HockeyTV

Who is eligible for the NAHL Entry Draft?
Amateur players less than 21 years of age on December 31, 2021 who are not listed on an NAHL team roster or are listed on an NAHL team roster but played less than (10) NAHL regular season and/or playoff games during the 2020-21 season, did not accept a tender from an NAHL team prior to the 2021 NAHL Entry Draft, or who were not drafted in the 2021 NAHL Supplemental Draft are eligible for selection in the draft.

How many players can each team select in the NAHL Entry Draft?
The number of players each team is able to draft varies on that team’s current roster (protected list). Each team’s roster is comprised of veteran players, signed tenders, and players that were selected in the Supplemental Draft.

Do prospective NAHL players have to register for the NAHL Entry Draft?
No, there is no registration process to be eligible for the NAHL Entry Draft. It is largely based on a team’s scouting and camps throughout the 2020-21 season.

Are drafted players eligible to try out for other NAHL teams?
Unless agreed upon in writing by the two NAHL teams, tendered or drafted players are not eligible to try out for other NAHL teams.

Are drafted players eligible to try out for teams in other junior leagues?
Yes, all tendered and drafted players are eligible to try out for any team in any league other than the NAHL in the U.S. and Canada.

Will the results of the NAHL Entry Draft be posted on NAHL.com?
Yes, the results of the NAHL Entry Draft will be posted on NAHLDraft.com in alphabetical order in its entirety upon completion.

Will the NAHL Entry Draft be broadcast?
Yes, the NAHL Entry Draft is scheduled to be broadcast with FREE live round-by-round coverage on HockeyTV, official broadcast partner of the NAHL. Hosts will be Alex Kyrias and Vinnie Pericelli.

Will all NAHL tenders signings be posted on NAHL.com?
No, all tender signings will not be posted on NAHL.com. NAHL teams may make their tender signings public but are not required to do so. Tender signings for the NA3HL and NAPHL are public.

What if a prospective player is not drafted but is still interested in playing the NAHL?
Players not drafted but who still want to play in the NAHL are encouraged to attend individual team’s open tryout camps. NAHL tryout camp information

Additional Notes:
All NAHL rosters must be reduced to 25 players by September 1.