It has been hotly debated at Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League meetings for years, and the league has now decided to make it happen.
Starting this summer, the SJHL will hold a draft in which Saskatchewan prospects who have completed their bantam hockey are eligible.
Under the current system, players can be added to a team's 50-man protected list on their 15th birthday, and the team that lists the player first gets his SJHL rights.
Now, those players' rights will be determined by who picks them in the draft.
Players who live directly in one of the 12 SJHL centres will continue to be protected by that team automatically and not included in the 50-man list.
SJHL president Bill Chow said the matter of the auto-protects was one of the main concerns coaches and governors had.
"We've talked about different scenarios and one of the concerns was the local players being protected, being able to still protect them under the rules we currently have and then moving forward into the draft. I think that's eased some concerns in that regard."
Chow said the draft, which was announced on New Year's Day, had been approved at one of the governors' meetings in 2014.
The 2015 draft will take place during the league's annual general meetings in early June. It will consist of six rounds, with teams drafting in reverse order of the previous year's standings.
Teams must have an open spot on their 50-man list to draft a player. Players who go undrafted can be listed by any team on their 15th birthday. Draft picks can be traded at any time of the year.
Chow said one of the biggest benefits to holding a draft is allowing teams to establish a long-term relationship with their prospects, helping them convince their youngsters to play for them.
"When it comes to recruiting and retaining players, we just felt like in similar other drafts, you allow the teams to then have the opportunity to recruit and retain that player over a period of two to three years before they actually have to play for you. It's a different relationship than we have currently.
"It's a little bit more exposure for the league and teams in that regard. Still having (undrafted) kids going to spring camp, it allows you an opportunity to then learn more about the player, learn more about the family and then when it comes to drafting that player in June, whether that's what your choice is or not. I just think it's a better opportunity to build some relationships."
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League holds a draft, while the Alberta Junior Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League do not.
Chow said there was a committee of SJHL coaches that put the details of the draft together.
"So a lot of the teams had input into the draft and how they would see it work. I don't really see that there were any concerns. I think a lot of those concerns have been dealt with," Chow said.
One potential worry is that top prospects may not want to play for the team they're drafted by and could end up leaving the province.
"That happens in other leagues and other situations and that's where the teams have to do their homework. If that's the situation, that's where the team has to sit down with the player and his family and discuss what's going to be in the interest of both parties. There's a chance of a player being listed right now by a team in the current situation and not liking where he's going. I think it's up to the team and player and family to figure it out."
Chow added that teams also have the option of trading top prospects who don't want to join their club, and getting a large return.
The president said it will take a few years to see whether the draft is working out, and it's not a situation where a decision can be made after one or two years.
"In order for it to really fly, most kids will get drafted and we're not going to see them till they're 17 or 18, so you're going to have to see it go three to five years to see if it works. To give it a true test, you're going to have to go to that three-to-five-year mark to see the pros and cons of it."
