Global Ice Hockey Federation Rules (version 0.1)
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Rosters
Initial Roster: When a team joins the league, it must select 16
players from its named team which must contain at least 8
forwards, 4 defensemen, and 1 goalie.
Season Roster: Each team will have 30 players at the
conclusion of the draft. There is a minimum of 27 but no
maximum after the season starts.
Game Roster: Each game a team may only use a maximum of
20 players which must consist of a minimum of 9 forwards, 6
defensemen, and 2 goalies.
Offseason Roster: Each team must cut their roster to 16 which
must contain at least 6 forwards, 4 defensemen, and 1 goalie.
This roster is due 11:59 pm Eastern time the second Sunday
after the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Player Universe
All carded players on a franchise team.
All carded players on a free agent team.
All players retained on an GIHF offseason roster.
The player universe is reset after the offseason roster deadline.
Any players not matching one of the above three criteria are no
longer part of the universe for the upcoming season. Example:
A player who was on a franchise roster, was drafted into our
league, his nhl team traded him to a non-franchise, non-free
agent team, and was not retained on a GIHF offseason roster
would not longer be in the game.
Free Agent Teams
There will be one free agent team per franchise team.
Free Agent teams will be selected anew each year one week
after the regular season ends.
Selection process: The NHL will be divided into quarters
based upon season points with any uneven number of teams
included in the bottom pool. Example: With the current 30
teams, they will be divided 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-30.
Numbering from the bottom quarter will be how the teams are
divided for selection. Example: We have 7 franchises so will
use 14 teams total. This means 3 from the top quarter, 3 from
the second quarter, 4 from the third quarter, and 4 from the
bottom “quarter”. The franchise teams will then be deducted
from the available teams in their quarter. If there are more
franchise teams in a quarter then the allotted available, the
extra will be deducted from the next highest quarter.
Example: Our initial franchises finished 2, 6, 7, 13, 17, 19, 23.
Therefore, we will have no teams available from the top
quarter (3-3), two available from the second quarter (3-1),
two available from the third quarter (4-2), and three available
from the bottom “quarter” (4-1). The selection of teams from
a quarter will be by random number ranked from low to high.
Player Eligibility
A player must have played 10 NHL games the previous NHL
season and have a card produced by APBA to be drafted.
A player must be carded on one of the franchise or free agent
teams to be drafted.
Players can be held on an off season roster without meeting
either of the above criteria.
Skaters must have played at least 40 games the previous NHL
season to be on a game roster.
Goalies must have played at least 10 games the previous NHL
season to be on a game roster.
Rookie Reserve
2 weeks prior to the player draft, each existing team has the
opportunity to select up to two players from their franchise
who received cards for the first time and were considered
rookies by the NHL the previous season.
Player Draft
Maximum of 14 Rounds
Initial year draft only: Order will be based on reverse order of
finish of franchise team.
First round: Lottery of non playoff teams with first team below
playoff spot having one chance and each team below gaining
one additional chance. Example: next year, last place will
have 3 chances, 6th place will have 2 chances, and 5th place
will have one chance. The maximum a team can fall in the
lottery is two draft spots. No team is allowed to draft first two
years in a row. If they are picked first in the second year, they
will be given the second overall pick. After lottery teams,
reverse order of finish in standings.
Additional rounds: Reverse order of finish in standings.
New Franchises: Will be given a number of chances in the
lottery based on the “quarter” of the NHL their team finished.
In the additional rounds, their position will be between the
lottery teams and playoff teams. If multiple new teams enter in
a season, their order in this middle group will be based on their
order of the new franchises in the lottery.
Talent Leveling: After the third round, any skaters listed first
in their position on the APBA roster which have not been
drafted are removed. After the fifth round, any goalies listed
first on the APBA roster which have not been drafted are
removed. After the seventh round, any skaters listed second in
their position on the APBA roster which have not been drafted
are removed. After the tenth round, any skaters listed third in
their position on the APBA roster which have not been drafted
are removed.
Trading
Can occur any time between the end of the draft and the
finalization of the offseason rosters. Roster minimum size
must be maintained but there is no requirement that an equal
number of players be exchanged. During the first three years
of the league’s existence, draft picks for the following draft
may be included as part of a trade. After the first three years,
draft picks for the following or second following draft may be
Global Ice Hockey Federation Rules (version 0.1)
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included as part of a trade. Example: In the 2014/2015
season, you can only trade draft picks for the 2015 draft. In
the 2017/18 season, you could trade draft picks for the 2018
and 2019 drafts. Trades are only official once confirmed by
both managers to the commissioner or his designee.
Free Agent Acquisition during the Season
Undrafted players from the player universe can be signed
during the season until the second deadline.
To sign a player from a franchise team, one player must be
dropped from your roster.
To sign a player from a non-franchise team, one player which
is eligible to play the same position and has an equal or greater
minutes rating must be dropped from your roster.
Free Agent signings will take affect at 11:59 pm Eastern each
Sunday. If multiple teams want to sign the same player, a
priority list will be used. The initial priority list for the season
will be based upon the second round draft order. When a team
signs a player, they will move to the bottom of the priority list.
If multiple free agents are signed in the same week, the order
they are signed will be randomized as this will affect the
priority list.
Game Roster Limitations
Each team will assign 3 forward lines and 3defensemen pairs
as their regular units.
Each forward position (left wing, center, and right wing) must
total at least 48 minutes between their three skaters.
Each defense position (left and right) must total at least 54
minutes between their three skaters.
A skater must have at least a 18 minutes to play on a first
forward line or 20 minutes to play on a first defensive pair.
A skater must have at least a 13 minutes to be assigned to the 3
forward lines or 3 defensive pairs.
Teams can create up to two power play and two penalty kill
units.
Any forward with less than 20 minutes must rest and sit out his
line’s next shift if he kills a penalty or plays on the powerplay.
If a skater is rated for 20 minutes or more, this rule does not
apply. A simple way to remember this is to flip the skater’s
card over if he must rest and sit out his next shift. When that
skater comes up again, you know he must sit out this shift.
Defensemen never rest.
No skater may ever play 3 consecutive shifts counting
powerplay/penalty kill as a shift even if only for one [X].
Skaters only used on powerplay/penalty kill units or used to
replace a player who must rest or is injured have no minimum
minute requirements.
Goalies may only be play in a number of games equal to one
half the number rounded up they actually played. Violation of
this rule will result in a penalty imposed on the team for the
following season. Severity will depend on the level of
violation.
Game Play
Each shift will be two minutes long. The first line will start on
the ice for the first and third periods. The second line will
start on the ice for the second period. The lines will roll
continuously one, two, three, one, etc. When a powerplay
expires, the next line following the one on the ice at the time
the penalty was called takes the ice.
Dump and Chase - clarification
When a team receives the puck on the fourth [X] for the line, it
dumps the puck to the other team. All but the player who
received the dumped puck changes. The player who received
the puck changes once he no longer controls the puck.
Injuries
Injuries only affect the home team.
If a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd line forward is injured for the rest of a period
or of a game, use a bench forward in his place and ignore the
need for this replacement player to rest if he plays on a PP/PK
unit. If the forward is not on these lines, then any player he
was supposed to replace after PP/PK does not need to rest.
If a defensemen is injured for the rest of a period or of a game,
play with only two defensemen on that side. If two
defensemen on the same side are out, then re-arrange the lineup to have two defensive pairs.
Any injury durations for longer than the rest of game are
divided by 3 and rounded up. The player only sits for home
games.
Overtime
During the regular season, there will be no overtime. During
the playoffs, it will be five-on-five sudden death.
Final Standings
The order of finish will be based on points with 2 points for a
win and 1 point for tie. If there is a tie for position, it will be
broken by most wins, most roads wins, head to head record,
best plus/minus, best road plus/minus, coin flip.
Playoffs
The top four teams will advance to the playoffs. Semi-finals
will be 1 versus 4 and 2 versus 3 in a best of five with games
1, 2, and 5 at the higher seed. The finals will be best of seven
with the higher seed hosting games 1, 2, 5, and 7.
Goalies can only play in a total number of games in the
playoffs equal to the number of games they played divided by
6 rounded up.
Rule Changes
Any changes to these rules will require a 75% vote by the
owners.