Many new fans are just getting familiar with hockey and terms like "entry-level deal", "PTO", or "two-way contract" can be confusing. This guide provides a detailed explanation of Professional Tryout (PTO) contracts in hockey, particularly within the NHL and AHL.
What is a Professional Tryout (PTO) Contract?
A Professional Tryout agreement, or PTO, is a type of temporary contract that allows athletes to participate in NHL training camps and preseason games on a tryout basis. This unique contract provides an opportunity for "unsigned veteran players" or free agents to showcase their skills and potentially earn a permanent spot on a team.
This allows them to train and play with the team during that time, in the hopes that they impress enough to earn a full-time role on the roster. A player on a PTO is not officially part of the team until they sign an actual contract with the club, which will usually end up being a one-year deal.
Minor League affiliates start sending up players to fill the roster and the affiliates of the minor leagues in turn are called upon to replenish the lines. In the ECHL, change and flux are something a fan has to expect, you can never become too attached. While we want all players to make it to the show, sometimes it is bittersweet. That top scorer for your ECHL team won’t be there that long, he’ll get the Call-Up. Tracking all the transactions that take place with a minor league team is a daily game of catch-up and understanding all the lingo that goes along with player movement can be a bit tricky.
Who Can Sign a PTO?
Any unrestricted free agents or unsigned veteran players, including draft picks who were not signed to entry-level deals and later became UFAs, are all eligible to join a team on a PTO basis. Most commonly, it's established players who were not offered new contracts in free agency and still believe they can contribute in an NHL lineup.
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Unsigned veteran players can earn a contract with an NHL team by impressing enough during training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO). It's that time of year again -- the ice is being painted, the players are flocking back to the arena, and training camp rosters are being finalized for each NHL club. That includes players on PTOs who are vying to earn a spot in the lineup.
Duration and Termination of a PTO
All NHL clubs must finalize their opening night roster prior to the season beginning. Because of that, PTOs are usually announced in the days and weeks leading up to the start of training camp in September, and they only run through the end of the preseason. Once that period is over, the organization must decide whether to offer them a contract or release them.
At that point, the players are once again eligible to sign with any NHL team, not just the team they were on a PTO with. Not all players on PTOs will end up signing with the team they tried out for, which leaves them at UFA status until they sign with another club or, in some cases, retire altogether. Every tryout is an opportunity for a player to prove he still belongs at the top level, so expect some big announcements following the conclusion of the preseason.
PTOs in the AHL
A Professional tryout (PTO) contract exists in the AHL and NHL. In the AHL, this type of contract is limited to 25 games. The length of a PTO contract is 25 games, but it can be terminated at any time. So some of those names come in for a week ― or maybe even only a weekend ― to fill a roster spot on a team dealing with recalls or injuries.
These professional tryouts, as they are officially known, fill the transactions page on TheAHL.com daily, even hourly. Press releases go out each day to announce a new PTO in Providence or Bakersfield or in any of the AHL’s 31 depots. These players serve a crucial, if sometimes overlooked, role for teams patching the roster holes that open regularly in a league constantly sending talent on to the National Hockey League.
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After the player has reached the 25-game maximum, they can sign a second PTO with the team or an SPC.
Here’s a summary of contract types in the AHL:
| Contract Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Standard Player Contract (SPC) | An AHL contract which is non-transferable to the NHL. |
| Professional Tryout (PTO) | Limited to 25 games; can be terminated at any time. |
| Amateur Tryout Contract (ATO) | Given to players leaving college or junior leagues. |
| Entry Level Contract (ELC) | A type of two-way contract given out at the NHL level. |
But it is an opportunity in the NHL’s top development league. “Go play your game,” Manitoba Moose head coach Mark Morrison advises. “Show us what you have. Other players go on to earn further commitment. Maybe another PTO is offered or perhaps even a full AHL contract.
For most players on a PTO, such as forward Alexis D’Aoust, they migrate from one team to the next regardless of organization. The 25-year-old D’Aoust played 99 AHL games in his first two pro seasons, splitting that time between Utica and Manitoba. But then he found himself in the ECHL in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic ended that season.
Back in North America this past fall, the 25-year-old forward racked up 15 goals and 23 points in 29 contests with Trois-Rivières. When COVID-19 hit some of the Laval roster in mid-February, the Rocket plucked St. Amant for a trip into Syracuse. “I didn’t know where I was going to play this year,” St. Amant said of his offseason. “I decided to come back to North America.
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But sticking full-time in the AHL, let alone the NHL, is a formidable challenge. No one knows that more than a goaltender trying to land one of 60-something AHL jobs at that position. Between December 2014 and December 2015, Pat Nagle signed nine separate PTO’s with five different AHL teams: Lake Erie, Rochester, Grand Rapids, Utica, and Stockton.
Other Types of Contracts
To fully understand the landscape of player agreements, it's helpful to know about other types of contracts as well. Besides PTOs, here are some other common contracts in hockey:
- Two-Way Contract: Sets a salary based on whether the player is in the NHL or AHL.
- Entry-Level Deal: Similar to rookie contracts in other sports, with a maximum base pay (e.g., $950,000) and is determined by the player's age.
- Amateur Tryout Contract (ATO): This type of contract is for players who are leaving college and attempting to turn professional, are done with college or are graduating from the junior leagues.
A two-way contract is probably the most recognizable phrase in professional sports, especially the NHL and the NBA. What a two-way contract does, according to the Desert Sun, is it sets a salary "when (teams) expect a player to spend at least some of their season with their AHL affiliate", basically guaranteeing money wherever the player ends up during the year.
An entry-level deal in the NHL is similar to a rookie-scale contract in the NFL or NBA, with a few minor details. The age of the player determines how long an entry-level deal is, and the maximum base pay is $950,000, not including bonuses.
ATO- this is an Amateur Try-Out agreement, and is for players who are coming in from college and have never played at the professional level. These type of contracts are common at the end of the season as many players try to break in to the pro leagues after the college or junior season is over.
Also, in the case of Kole Sherwood, a player with an ELC can also be reassigned to other leagues such as the OHL. Unfortunately, assigning a player to the OHL means they will not be able to come back until after their season is over.
A two-way contract is used is an NHL/AHL contract. Here’s a fun little twist with the two-way contract. Jordan Schroeder signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets in June.
This is what a player signs to lay out the terms of their playing status and salary. An Amateur tryout (ATO) contract exists in the NHL, the AHL and the ECHL. An ATO is a very common practice near the end of the professional seasons as they go deeper into the year than college or junior schedules. In the NHL, an ATO may only be used for one day on an emergency basis, with no pay or compensation for skaters, per Exhibit 17 of the NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
For goaltenders and skaters, the ATO may only be used according to section 13-13(m)(ii) of the NHL-NHLPA CBA, when Emergency conditions shall be established when the playing strength of the Loaning Club, by reason of incapacitating injury or illness or by League suspension to its Players is reduced below the level of two (2) goalkeepers, six (6) defensemen and twelve (12) forwards.
Every team in the League is required to maintain a list of emergency goaltenders who reside in their respective club's home market. Another use of an ATO was when the Minnesota Wild signed 51-year-old Paul Deutsch[4] on November 23, 2011.[5] Deutsch was signed because the Wild were unsure their minor league goaltender, Matt Hackett, would arrive in time for the game. Deutsch wore number 33 and only participated in warm ups, as Hackett arrived just before the game started.
During that night's game against the Winnipeg Jets, the starting goaltender Collin Delia (who also made his NHL debut that night) was injured early in the third period, and Scott Foster played, becoming the first emergency backup goaltender to be forced to play in the NHL due to injuries. On January 28, 2023, the Edmonton Oilers signed goaltender Matt Berlin of the University of Alberta Golden Bears to an ATO on an emergency basis, after regular goaltender Stuart Skinner was pulled from the lineup before game time due to illness.
All of the goaltenders listed above served as backups to the team's remaining available goaltender. As of the 2022-23 season, only Scott Foster, Jorge Alves, David Ayres, Matt Berlin, and Jett Alexander have actually played in an NHL game.
Emergency backup goaltenders (EBUGs) are frequently seen at the ECHL level. A team is required to carry two goaltenders into a game but if the AHL affiliate needs one of the goaltenders, the lower team is left in a bit of a scramble. Emergency backup goaltenders can come in for 1 game or for a series and they are usually a local guy who may have played at an elite level when they were younger.
Some backups have a rather colorful life, such as Las Vegas based Backup Goaltender Jay White, who is also a Neil Diamond impersonator.
Here's a table summarizing different contract types and their key features:
| Contract Type | Description | Eligibility | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| PTO | Temporary contract for training camp and preseason | Unsigned veteran players and free agents | Ends at the end of preseason (NHL); 25 games (AHL) |
| Two-Way Contract | Salary varies based on league (NHL/AHL) | Players expected to play in both NHL and AHL | Varies |
| Entry-Level Deal | Rookie contract with capped base pay | New NHL players | Determined by player age |
| ATO | Emergency contract for college players | Players leaving college or junior leagues | One day on an emergency basis |
Understanding these contracts helps fans appreciate the complexities of team management and player development in professional hockey.
If you want to know all the ins and outs of player contracts and enjoy reading legal-eze, you will have hours of fun pouring through the NHLPA CBA. I am really happy the players have this meaty document that is conveniently available as a PDF, but let’s get down to the essence.