Is anyone smarter than me on this topic? Why, now, as in this week, have there been so many CHL signings? Free agents, as well as drafted players. The CHL seasons aren't over yet, and I didn't think there were that many teams that have made changes to the number of contracts that they are currently committed to. What's the deal here?

My guess is that none of this happens before the trade deadline because pieces are still being shuffled around and traded between teams. Once the deadline's over, the number of contracts on a team are pretty much set, so teams can start planning ahead and signing players. Any contracts signed now don't kick in 'til next year, so these players signed to ELCs can't play in the NHL, but they can still sign ATOs and play for AHL teams.

This isn't specific to CHL players, either; Colin Larkin was signed from NCAA Division III, and Vincent Praplan came over from the Swiss National League.

Teams are signing their prospects to get them on the NHL/AHL squads.

But I highly doubt there were any CHL UFA signings..... Sure, once in a blue moon some over-ager will get a contract for being a late bloomer but if you're not drafted by 19 and are playing in the CHL the odds are NHL teams have no interest....

Alex Barré-Boulet and Brayden Burke were CHL free agent signings.

Sure there will be some, but it won't be close to the NCAA er college hockey signings.

My point was that if you're not drafted by an NHL team, your chances of landing an NHL deal with an NHL franchise are extremely low.... Sure, some teams will sign guys and assign them to the AHL, but the odds of them making the NHL team are very low - but there is still a chance, which is why they get an ELC, however the majority of non-drafted CHL'ers that go on to play pro hockey land with AHL and ECHL contracts not NHL contracts..

You said "I highly doubt there were any CHL UFA signings," which is untrue, as Alex Barré-Boulet and Brayden Burke were undrafted.

If you had said, "Not many CHL UFAs get signed by NHL teams," I would've agreed. But that's not what you originally said. Semantics is important.

Most were signed to contracts that start next year. Is there a rule about how early ELC's can be signed for the coming season?

I don't think at any time, a team can be committed to more than 50 contracts for a given season.

If Team X has 50 contracts today, but 10 expire at the end of the seaosn, they aren't able to sign more than 10 ELC's beginning next year.

You will see some players especially NCAA UFAs who sign contracts will play one game in the NHL this season. It helps the players as it burns of year of his ELC, which gets him to RFA status a year sooner.

No, I get that. But that doesn't explain the rush of CHL players signing this week. I'm wondering if there's a date when these kinds of contracts that start next year can be signed.

No, I get that. But the signings we're discussing here aren't college players.

I'm not sure what the rules are for when CHL players actually become UFAs. For NCAA players, I believe it's right after they graduate or right after their final year of eligibility,

I still think it's related to the trade deadline. Teams are done moving contracts around, so they can go ahead and secure contracts for their prospects now.

But I am unsure about what time point defines when CHL players signed to ELCs have to wait 'til next year for their contracts to kick in. All I know is that this also happened last year just after the trade deadline.

I bet that's it. Before the trade deadline teams would have to keep their options open in terms of the number of contracts they can carry. Good point.

After March 1 players can be signed to contracts beginning next year, as was noted above, the majority of these ELCs have starting seasons of 2018-19