It is that time of the year when hockey players across Canada are signing letter of intents with Junior ‘A’ and ‘B’ programs.
Here are seven need-to-know details on signing an LOI:
- In Canada, an LOI is an agreement from a team to sign you to a Hockey Canada card on June 1. Hockey Canada does not allow teams to sign players ahead of June 1 – so an LOI is ultimately a promissory to do that.
- Some leagues like the Alberta Junior Hockey League keep track of their LOIs – Letter of Intent | Alberta Junior Hockey League (ajhl.ca). If your LOI is not listed on a website such as this, the team has not put your paperwork through to the league.
- Junior ‘A’ teams in Canada are not allowed to have more than 25 players signed (including returning players) at a time, but they are typically given 45 cards for the season. That means a team could ultimately interchange 20 players in one season; that’s one big revolving door.
- The teams have all the power. If you sign with a team, they own your Junior rights. They also have the power to release you without your consent. Every year numerous hockey players sign LOIs in the spring and get released before regular-season even starts in the fall. The commitment was more or less a commitment to main camp, but nothing beyond that.
- To add to that point, being signed ultimately means your name is in pencil. Your name isn’t turned into pen until the January 10 trade deadline passes. It’s important to take everything one day at a time and enjoy the ride or the uncertainty will eat at you.
- Players age 18-20 are allowed to be released all the way up to the January 10 trade deadline. Each province has different rules for players 16-17, but typically they are allowed to be released until December 1.
- With all that said, it’s important to do your homework on which team you sign with. Does the team have a track record of cutting 5-6 “signed” players before regular-season starts? That would be a concerning number. But just as a heads up, every team will cut at least 2-3 “signed players” ahead of regular-season due to receiving last-minute players from the WHL and USHL, walk-on players taking spots and signed players showing up out of shape.