KHL entry draft 2013

KHL Entry Draft is set for May 25th and 26th in Ukrainian Donetsk, the home of KHL franchise Donbass. This will be the first time that the Entry Draft will be held outside Russian borders (previous took place in Moscow, Mytishchi and Chelyabinsk).

"At the recent owners' meeting we had a lively debate in which we decided to keep the Junior Draft. However, we shall examine some changes in the procedures. We will look to grant preferential rights to teams in chosing and signing players from their own systems which will be based upon the extent to which the club contributes to development and the amount of investments into their youth academies", said Alexei Kireyev, KHL Deputy Executive Director.

"I would like to say, in contrast to some false reports carried out by the media, that all the teams will take part in the Entry Draft, not only Russian franchises. Furthermore, the clubs have to pay 75,000 euros in compensation to their respective schools for each first-round pick which is lower than they spend on nurturing players and also 20 percent of this amount goes to coaches", he added.

The Draft will feature 1561 players from Russia, Europe and North America between 17 and 21 years of age. They will be separated into three categories: the Russian category, the European category and the American category.

"This is the first time Medvescak will be a part of a Draft. There are a few players we might be interesting for us and we would be extremely pleased to set a deal with them. All in all, this will be a unique and useful experience for the whole organization", said Markoantonio Belinić, the GM of Medveščak.

On the 25th there will be a "Rookie Showdown" between teams made up of top players in KHL Scouting Burreau's rankings. This will give youngsters a great opportunity to show what they have to offer to scouts directly. The Draft will take place on the following day, May 26th.

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