Player Code of Conduct & rule book

Purpose of the League:
The AMCHL is a men's hockey league in which Christ-like love and consideration comes first before all else. It is a place to play semi-competitive hockey with a culture that promotes level-headedness over competitive wills. Seeking to allow Christian men to meet and interact with other Christian men in and out of our typical social circles. The hope is that our actions on the ice would bear as good witness to our saviour Christ Jesus in the eyes of league members, referees and any spectator.

Section 1 - AMCHL Board

a. The AMCHL Board will be made up of 5 members. All board members must be members in good standing at a Christian Church. 

b. Board members do NOT need to be players in the league. 

c. Board members must serve a minimum of 1 year; it is recommended that 3 years be the maximum term of a member. A board member may be allowed to serve an additional 1-3-year term up to a maximum of 6 years. Any extension will be voted upon and approved by the current board. 

d. New executives will be voted on prior to each year, the administrator position must also be voted on.

e. The positions of the board are as follows:

1) Chair

2) Vice Chair

3) Treasurer

4) Secretary

These positions are to be voted on as positions come available. 

f. The Board shall meet minimum 3x annually. Preferably at the beginning, middle and end of each hockey season. 

g. Decision making- major decisions will need to be done via unanimous agreement. If this cannot be accomplished, a majority vote will take place among the board members. Team leaders may be consulted if needed for input. 

Section 2 - Administrator

The Administrator is a non-board member position. The administrator will take care of ice times, referees, applications, payments and any other matters the board deems appropriate. If the administrator is a player in the AMCHL, this person will NOT pay to play the years they serve as administrator. The administrator may attend and be involved in board matters, but cannot participate in matters that require a vote.

Section 3 - Team Leader/ Captain: 

a. Each team will have a designated leader. 

b. The expectations of the team leader is to understand the AMCHL Bylaws & Constitution and to share the Code of Conduct with the players on his team. 

c. Team leader is expected to share all league communication (from the board) with his players. 

d. Team leader is expected to be carry out and exemplify the Purpose of the League. IE- Lead by example to the best of their ability. 

e. Team Leaders are picked/chosen by the board and will be asked to let their name stand as team leader for minimum one full season. 

Section 4 - Player Eligibility

a. Players must be between the age of 19 and 55 years old.

b. Players must be a member in good standing at a Christian Church. A pastor’s letter to confirm membership may be required.

Section 5 - Application Process

a. Players seeking to play (Full time or Spare) in the AMCHL, must fill out  the online player application prior to the application deadline.. Full time players must pay league fees with the application, prior to the deadline. There are two deadlines: Early bird and final application period. Early bird applicants will save on league dues.  E-transfers to 2018amchl@gmail.com is the preferred method of payment.

b. All applications will be reviewed by the board and players will be assigned to a team by the board. 

c. Friend/car pool requests are allowed, but are NEVER guaranteed.

d. Players are NOT guaranteed a spot. If there is a player not assigned to a team, the board will notify the player and refund the deposit he has given.

e. Players, either full time or spare CANNOT play in the AMCHL without having filled in and e-mailed a registration to the board. 

f. Teams may only use the spares allocated to their team by the board. Any player who plays without board approval, will be deemed ineligible and that team will forfeit the game. The player will forfeit his right to play the rest of the year.

g. Applications and full payment must be in by the final application period deadline, which is set by the board each year. If there is still room for players, the board reserves the right to extend the deadline.

Section 6 -Team Making Process

a. The board will meet to make teams a couple weeks before the season starts. New teams are not necessarily going to be created every year. Rather, the board will review the previous hockey season, compare and evaluate the overall parity and will review any new applications to determine if new or additional teams need to be created. 

b. All players are rated by their skill level and divided up as evenly as possible.

c. New players to the league may be asked to rate themselves.

d. When making teams, the board will weigh friend/carpooling requests, but league parity will be priority. 

e. Teams are never 100% set, the board will adjust teams or make trades to help level the playing field, wherever they see fit.

f. Input from Team Leaders may be requested by the board. 

Section 7 - Spares

a. Starting in the 2020/21 Season, the AMCHL will start a spare pool group.

b. All players in the pool group can be called by a team.

c. The player being called must have a rating that  equivalent to or less than the player he is replacing.

d. With Board approval, spares are eligible for playoffs regardless of how many games they’ve played. 

e. Effective for the 2020/21 Season, spares will be charged $25 per game, payment is made to the AMCHL. 

Section 8 - League Dues

a. League dues are set every year by the board before the application period opens. 

b. League fees are due at time of application. An application is not complete, until full payment has been made. 

d. Players that are late with league dues will in be charged an additional $50. Late applicants may forfeit their roster spot or be put down as a spare. 

e. Refunds - League fees are non-refundable. Extenuating circumstances can be brought up with the board.

Section 9 - Game Format

a. Games will consist of 3 stop time periods. 1st and 3rd period will be 15 minute, stop time periods. The 2nd period will be a 12-minute stop time period.

b. Penalties will be 2 minutes in length.

c. All AMCHL games will have a minimum of 1 referee and 1 timekeeper. 

d. Both teams will gather at centre ice after warm up for prayer. A player from the home team will lead in prayer.

e. Players must be dressed and on the ice by the end of the first period to be eligible for that game.

f. If an ineligible player participates in a game, that team will forfeit that game.

g. Teams must submit their roster sheet prior to the end of warm up. Failure to provide the roster sheet will result in a 2 minute minor penalty.

Section 10 - Rules

a. The AMCHL will use the rules from the Adult Safe Hockey League (ASHL).

b. All sinfractions will be 4 minute penalties. This includes, slashing, hooking, cross checking, tripping..etc.

c. If a player enters the goalie crease during the course of play, the play will be stopped and the faceoff will be outside the zone. If the puck is in the crease, a player may then enter the crease area.

d. Swearing will be a 4 minute penalty. If a player receives 2 swearing penalties in a game, he will be ejected from that game and be suspended the following game as well. 

e. Swearing penalties can be called by both on ice and off-ice officials (IE: Timekeepers)

f. Blasphemy is an automatic ejection from the game and additional 2 game suspension. Blasphemy twice in one season will result in expulsion from the league for 1 year minimum and player must reapply for the AMCHL. (Fill out a new application). 

g. A player who receives 4 penalties in one game will be ejected from that game. They will NOT be suspended for the next game.

h. A double minor will count as only 1 penalty. 

i. Any major or match penalties called by the referee, will be reviewed by the board, with the help of the game officials. Minimum suspension length is what’s listed in the ASHL rule book. The board will add to a suspension when and where it deems necessary. 

j. All fighting majors will be an automatic suspension for the remainder of the season. 

Section 11 - Other

a. Players who get 30 PIMS over the course of the regular season will receive a 1 game suspension. If the same player gets 40 PIMS, he will receive another 2 game suspension. If a player hits 50 PIMS over the course of a single season, he will be suspended the remainder of that season and the playoffs. His eligibility for the following seasons will be reviewed by board.

b. Jerseys and socks will be supplied by the board. Other jerseys can be used if approved or requested by the board.

c. Within the first 6 games of the regular season, trades or player (full time or spare) movement may be done at the discretion of the board and in consultation with team leaders in order to create as fair teams as possible. 

d. Visors are mandatory.

Section 12 - Core Groups

A. Core groups is a tool the AMCHL has decided to use to help the league grow. Friends like to play together and the AMCHL would like to find a happy medium between playing with friends and league wide parity.

B. Core groups can consist of a maximum 6 skaters and 1 goalie. A core group cannot have more than 2 players who played in the league the previous year. 

C. A core group must be submitted in full to the board prior to the registration period closing.

D. The board can approve or deny any core group at their discretion. Approval means that the core group will stay together as long as it matches with the AMCHL’s parity model. If it does not work, the board will move players as it sees fit. This will depend on the caliber of the core, other teams in the league and individual players who are registered. Parity is the boards #1 priority.

E. Like all other players, the players in core groups must apply and pay league dues prior to the deadline.

F. Jerseys are supplied by the league, core groups may request to use their own. The board will decide on a case by case basis.

Section 13 - League Vision

a. The league vision to start was to have an 18+ and 30+ division. This vision will remain for the length of the leagues duration. 

b. When there are enough teams and players, the league will become a 2 division league and provide a place to play for both groups. 

c. If the league is unable to have a minimum of 4 teams in either of the divisions, the league will merge into one division until this goal is possible