In 1990, the Western Hockey League established the bantam draft to better distribute the talent within its boundaries to its member teams.
Teams select in reverse order from their regular season finish the previous year.
Teams must have an open slot on their 50-player PPL in order to make a selection in the bantam draft and can continue to draft players as long as they continue to open up slots. The establishment of the bantam draft reduced the need for teams to scout players below the bantam level. This cut down on the scouting costs for teams as well as reducing the pressure as much as possible on the very young players. It also allowed the league to better distribute the top end talent among its teams. This, in theory, prevents certain teams from being very good or very bad for any extended period.