Another Lawsuits filed to end players from being drafted

According to investigative journalist Rick Westhead, a new class action lawsuit has emerged in an attempt to challenge the entry draft system in major junior hockey. The class-action lawsuit filed earlier this year in the U.S. District Court in New York seeks better player rights and compensation within the CHL. The draft system has been likened to restrictive player movement, and players Isaiah DiLaura and Tanner Gould are now directly challenging it in an attempt to alter the landscape in how athletes are recruited in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL.

DiLaura and Gould have asked U.S. District Court Judge Margaret Garnett to certify the class-action lawsuit and grant a preliminary injunction that would suspend the annual drafts in the CHL. Their motion, filed in September 2024, argues that the current draft process effectively deprives players of autonomy in choosing where they would like to play. In abolishing these drafts, they look to give players more control over their careers and their futures, something, they argue, is necessary to reform the system.

While the plaintiffs' argument for player choice is appealing on its face, the issue at hand is a bit more complex. Many of them are minors, and the thought or idea of being able to fully manage their futures is not quite as cut and dry as it seems. One also hears concerns about the well-being of young players, with some critics contending that their health and personal development too often are sacrificed at the altar of the business of hockey. The lawsuit illustrates that players are treated like commodities and expected to perform under intense pressure without support.

One of the constant complaints about the CHL's drafting system is that prospects are promised the world, only to be then cast aside when they don't deliver. Compensation also continues to be an issue: too many players see very little money despite the fact that the profits drawn in because of their participation in games are substantial. The current format has bred increasing discontent as it favors the success of the league and its teams over the players themselves.

This lawsuit is among several legal challenges to hockey's current systems. Earlier this summer, another case gained attention with Canadian junior hockey player Rylan Masterson filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAAand ten universities. His case argues it should not be okay to declare off-limits athletes that have played major junior hockey from playing NCAA hockey. Masterson, who lost his NCAA eligibility after only two exhibition games with the Windsor Spitfires, said the rules too narrowly restrict the options for players. These cases just note the increasing dissatisfaction by players over how their rights and futures are being decided by the sport's governing bodies.