The Manitoba Junior Hockey League will be changing the way they go about its entry draft going forward.

Teams will now be drafting players from U-17, rather than players at the U-16 level. Portage Terriers head scout Frank Harding says there should now be fewer mistakes made when drafting.

"Before, it was maybe 2-3 years before the kids played and now it should be just a year or two," Harding explains. "Hopefully, you're going to be making a more accurate assessment, just for that reason."

Due to this change, the MJHL will not be having a 2021 draft. League commissioner Kevin Saurette says this was probably the best course of action for this season and it allows them to make a change they have been discussing for a while.

"With these players (the players that would've been draft-eligible in 2021) not really getting a season, we didn't want to have a whole age group miss a draft," says Saurette. "So, if we were going to do it this was the year to do it. The MJHL board of governors approved the new direction for the draft and we look forward to preparing for it in 2022."

While this will give scouts some extra time to make decisions on players, this will also give players an extra year to determine what point they're at and where their best fit is.

"They're closer to making a more realistic decision for themselves too," Harding explains. "They'll have a better idea a year later what league they want to play in."

2006-born players will have to wait an extra year before hearing their name called but Saurette says the league has had virtual meetings with many of these prospects. They will be planning quite a few more events for these players ahead of the 2022 draft.