INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA has granted a waiver for 17- and 18-year-old Division I men's ice hockey student-athletes that will allow them to enter the 2004 National Hockey League entry draft and still retain college eligibility.

Granted last week by the NCAA's Division I Management Council Administrative Review Subcommittee, the waiver applies only for the 2003-04 academic year.

"This waiver provides the opportunity for enrolled Division I men's ice hockey student-athletes to be able to enter the professional hockey draft, be drafted, and still return to school to complete their education as well as participate in collegiate ice hockey," said Robert H. Aronson, chair of the Division I Administrative Review Subcommittee and faculty athletics representative at the University of Washington.

Aronson noted the waiver was granted with the condition that student-athletes not participate in professional-type activities, such as signing a contract with a professional team, accepting compensation from a professional team or agreeing to be represented by an agent.

The waiver was supported by several men's ice hockey coaches, athletic directors, athletic conference commissioners and current players. The NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Agents and Amateurism supported the request and will discuss the possibility of sponsoring legislation to permit this in future years at its June meeting.

The Administrative Review Subcommittee stressed that the narrow scope of the waiver addresses a limited number of student-athletes who may be able to take advantage of this opportunity for the 2004 NHL entry draft, scheduled for June 26-27. NCAA officials believe the waiver will affect approximately 10-11 players for the NHL draft.

NHL draft eligibility requirements allow teams to claim players 19 and older in the entry draft. Teams retain the draft rights to those players until 30 days after the student-athlete graduates from college.

The NHL recently changed its draft eligibility requirements to allow younger players to participate in the entry draft, a factor cited by the subcommittee in its decision to issue the waiver. NHL rules now allow players who will turn 18 on or before September 15 in a draft year, and those will turn 19 between September 16 and December 31 after the entry draft, to take part in the entry draft. Under current NCAA rules, 17- and 18-year-old Division 1 men's ice hockey players would not be eligible to enter the NHL draft because NCAA guidelines prevent enrolled student-athletes from having their names placed on the draft list.

Colleges or universities that have a player exercise the waiver must submit information on the student-athlete's draft status to the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Agents and Amateurism.

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