Shea Weber had a long journey through hockey before becoming the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, and any undrafted player should look to that for guidance.
The 2003 NHL Entry Draft is still remembered as one of the best in NHL history. The event saw a goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury go first overall while other future stars such as Eric Staal, Ryan Kesler and Patrice Bergeron made their way into the league. That was also the year Shea Weber got his time in the spotlight being drafted in the second round 49th overall before making his way to the Montreal Canadiens down the line.
It was still an interesting journey for Weber, one that started back years before starting with the WHL Bantam Draft.
This year’s event just took place with the Regina Pats selecting Connor Bedrard first overall. For 286 players, it was a great day as they can now begin the next stretch of their hockey careers. But unfortunately, not everyone can be chosen, and at such a young age, that might be hard to deal with.
It’s important to remember that just because you’re not taken in the Bantam Draft, doesn’t mean it’s the end. Many NHL stars were not drafted in their first year of eligibility for the WHL and went on to have stellar careers regardless. One of which was Shea Weber.
Weber was not selected by any team in his first year of WHL bantam eligibility after spending the season with the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association (BCAHA). Fortunately, it wasn’t the absolute end.
The Bantam Draft process provides teams with the option of players being put on a Protected Player List. This is in place to ensure there’s some sort of organization as far as rights to players who are not selected, and teams can add up to 50 names. Weber wasn’t drafted by a team in that first year, but he was placed on the Kelowna Rocket’s Protected Player List.
For the 2001-02 season, Weber moved up from the BCAHA to the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) playing with the Sicamous Eagles. It was pure domination from the British Columbia native that year scoring 9 goals and 33 assists for 42 points in 47 games. The Eagles won both the KIJHL league championship and the Keystone Cup (which is basically the Memorial Cup for teams in Western Canada).
Weber’s play caught the eye of the Kelowna Rocket’s organization, and he was called up to play five games with the team at the end of the season.
His journey took off from there. Weber played 70 games in his rookie year in Kelowna, scoring 2 goals and 16 assists. Similar to the Rockets, the Nashville Predators caught the eye of the defenceman’s abilities and took him in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft.
Year after year, Weber improved his stock becoming one of the better-known defencemen in the league. Memorial Cup Champion, World Junior Gold Medalist, Seven-time All-Star, Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and captain of both the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens.
All this from a player who wasn’t taken in his first year of bantam eligibility. And for a player in the same situation, just know it’s not the end, just another means of a better beginning.