European Federations and Leagues Officially Ratify the New Four-Year IIHF-NHL Player Transfer Agreement

The 2007-2011 Player Transfer Agreement between the IIHF member national associations, their leagues and the National Hockey League was ratified by the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland in Zurich on Thursday.

Like for the 2005-2007 PTA, the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia chose not to be part of the agreement.

The Player Transfer Agreement regulates transfers to the NHL from all non-North American IIHF affiliated associations and leagues, except Russia.

The highlights of the new PTA:

++ The agreement is for four years; 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11.

++ The signing deadline each year, for players under contract, is June 15 for each of the four years. IIHF players subject to NHL Draft related rights and who have not yet signed an NHL-contract must be signed by the NHL team by June 1 in any year of the current PTA.

++ Any player who is not under contract to an IIHF team may be signed by an NHL team at any time.

++ The NHL will pay a basic development fee of 9,000,000 USD for the first 45 players, 200.000 USD per player. If the total amount of signed IIHF-players exceeds 45, the NHL will pay an additional 200,000 USD for each additional player.

++ Players who are drafted in the NHL Entry Draft (late June each year) can be signed until July 15 or until August 15 in the year which they are drafted. For players signed between July 16 and August 15, the NHL will pay an additional fee of 100,000 USD.

++ Furthermore, the IIHF will be compensated for players who are signed by NHL-clubs and who are not on the NHL-clubs’ roster for 30 games or more (including playoffs) in their first season. The funds generated from this clause (between 50.000 and 100.000 USD pending on draft round selection) will be retained in an IIHF Supplementary Fund to be used for IIHF player transfers to the NHL which do not comply with the IIHF/NHL Player Transfer Agreement. This mainly pertains to situations where European players are signed from North American junior clubs to the NHL.

++ The agreement also regulates the release of NHL players to the IIHF World Championships and to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

In the 2006-2007 NHL-season, 259 players – or 27.4 percent – where from IIHF affiliated national associations outside of North America.