EHM The Blue Line

I've been playing EHM2007 quite some time and is loving every minute of it! I have a question though that I hope someone can help me with:

Is it possible as a NHL manager in the game to sign a prospect from Canadian major juniors (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) without loosing the first year of the entry level contract?

As an example I play as Colorado and the rights to Chris Durand will expire if he isn't signed before June 1st 2007. I make an offer in May, a three year contract, i.e. the only length an entry level contract can be under the current CBA for this kind of player. The offer always includes the 06-07 season as the first year of the contract (since the season is still in progress and there is no way I can change this in the interface). He signs but doesn't play a game in any pro league, but still 06-07 counts as the first year of the contract and only two years are left. So what should have been three years for entry level money will just be two instead.

Am I doing something wrong or why isn't that first year voided like it is IRL, if the player doesn't play in at least 10 pro games. Is this by design from the SI people or is it something that was overlooked, or am I just missing something obvious?

Yes, it is very possible.

I'm gonna make an example:

Patrik Andersson is making $1,500 in Sweden. As he's participating in camp in 2006, you sign him to a contract like this:
2006-07: $1,500
2007-08: $450,000
2008-09: $450,000
2009-10: $450,000

Then he will head over in the summer and you'll have him for three years with a cap hit of $340,000.

The same thing works with CHL players. You sign Chris Durand while he's at the 2006 camp but in that case the transfer goes through right away. Then you assign him to his WHL team and he'll come back next year with a sweet three-year deal.

So I have to sign Durand at the start of the 06-07 season instead of signing him at the end of the season like I always do with all my prospects?

If you want a contract to go through as many seasons as possible, yes.

Systemfel wrote: Patrik Andersson is making $1,500 in Sweden. As he's participating in camp in 2006, you sign him to a contract like this:
2006-07: $1,500
2007-08: $450,000
2008-09: $450,000
2009-10: $450,000

Then he will head over in the summer and you'll have him for three years with a cap hit of $340,000.

The same thing works with CHL players. You sign Chris Durand while he's at the 2006 camp but in that case the transfer goes through right away. Then you assign him to his WHL team and he'll come back next year with a sweet three-year deal.

It didn't work like this in my game in 2008. I signed Sam Gagner and Akim Aliu while they were at camp, and their contract started immediately.

It didn't work in my recently started Blackhawks game either.

I thought it was only me, cause I couldn't get it to work either. Not a major issue, but it is a bit annoying to waste the first year of the entry level contract.

It is. It's wasted with every prospect in the Canadian junior leagues who isn't NHL-ready before the season he turns 20, and with every European-based prospect who isn't NHL-ready on draft day. I usually sign my best CHL-based prospects a year after they're drafted, and then send them to juniors for the first contract year (or to the minors, if their CHL team releases their rights).

College players are the only ones for whom the first contract year is usually for real.