David Růžička, an 18-year-old defenseman on the HC Kladno hockey team, has just suffered the biggest disappointment of his career.

After making his debut in the professional Extraliga last spring at 17, Růžička hoped to receive a preliminary invitation to the North American National Hockey League (NHL) in its annual Entry Draft, held this year in Vancouver June 26.

In the run-up to the draft, Růžička's chances looked good, with many media reports predicting he could go in the top 50.

He didn't. Not only was Růžička not selected in the top 50, he was completely passed over. None of the 30 NHL clubs was interested in the 6-foot-3-inch (190.5 centimeters) defenseman.

"It's obviously a disappointment," Růžička said. "I'll need to wait one more year, and then we'll see what happens."

Růžička is not alone. This year's NHL draft left many Czech juniors disappointed. In fact, only eight players were picked, the lowest number in 15 years. By comparison, 31 Czechs were selected in the 1991 draft.

Hockey experts such as NHL veteran forward Robert Reichel, who last year returned to play for Litvínov in the Extraliga, said the NHL's interest was low because the young players didn't perform well in international competitions last year.

Junior teams brought home only one medal in 2005, a bronze at the World Under-18 Championship. The Under-20 squad, which usually includes NHL hopefuls, failed to defend its bronze medal-winning performance at the 2005 World Championship, finishing sixth at this year's event in Vancouver in January.

"The NHL scouts don't have much time to monitor players throughout the season, and it was crucial that our juniors earn recognition in the championship in Canada," Reichel said.

Of the Czechs in the draft, Kladno forward Michael Frolík went highest. The Florida Panthers selected him 10th. The only other Czech picked in the first round was forward Jiří Tlustý, who went 13th to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Despite going high in the first round, Frolík said he does not intend to play in the NHL in his first season.

"I think I'd rather start in junior competition, where I'll get the chance to adapt to a different style of hockey," he said. "But I'll certainly go through pre-season training with the Panthers, and you never know what can happen in the end."

Eyeing the money

Players weren't the only ones disappointed by the draft. Local teams lost out as well because they receive as much as $200,000 (4.5 million Kč) for each player who leaves for the NHL, according to an agreement signed last summer by the NHL and European teams in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

"On the one hand, we're losing talent, but we at least get money for bringing up other youngsters," said Jaromír Látal, general manager of HC České Budějovice.

According to the agreement, the NHL will put $9 million annually into a fund for the IIHF. The money is then distributed among teams from six national hockey federations (Czech, Finnish, Swedish, Slovak, Swiss, German) that regularly lose youngsters to the NHL. The agreement also sets the maximum number of European players that can leave at 45 a year, down from 60.

Russia is the only hockey powerhouse not participating in the agreement, having cut a deal of its own.

Some critics, including Zbyněk Kusý, general manager for HC Moller Pardubice, insist that NHL teams have been taking advantage of European clubs. He said the minimum compensation for a player should equal the average NHL salary: $450,000.

Indeed, České Budějovice's Látal said Kladno could have gotten more money for Frolík if the IIHF–NHL agreement weren't in place. He pointed out, however, that at least now teams are guaranteed some money.