MHL RULES
Rule 1
1.0 – The “No Douchebags” Rule: Moose Hockey is intended to be a fun, competitive league.
With that, shit talking, bragging, and being Corey Perry-esque is tolerated. However, there is a
line that should not be crossed, and crossing that line will result in discipline ranging from
warnings, to suspensions, and culminating in league removals.
1.1 – Code of Conduct Rule 1 Violations: Violations of the Moose Code of Conduct are
considered Rule 1 Violations. Disciplinary procedures for Code of Conduct Rule 1 Violations is
found within the Moose Code of Conduct.
1.2 – Additional Prohibited Conduct: The following conduct is prohibited under Rule 1, and
may result in MEC discipline as a Rule 1 Violation:
- Excessive Inactivity – Missing two (2) or more games without notice, or missing
five (5) or more games regardless of whether notice is given.
- Excessive complaints from a member regarding any of the following:
- Repeatedly demanding a trade. (Members are welcome to request a trade.
However, pestering a Captain and/or making unreasonable demands will not be
tolerated.)
- Complaining about playing time or lack thereof. (This rule does not cover
complaints that a member’s playing time is in violation of these Rules. Members
are encouraged to discuss with their Captains any concerns they may have of a
Captain’s alleged violation of the league’s scheduling rules. In addition, any
Member who suspects a Captain has violated the league’s scheduling rules is
encouraged to file a complaint with the MEC.)
iii. Repeatedly complaining about the quality of teammates
- Inability to be available for the minimum number of games required under Rule
4.10.1 and 4.10.2
1.3 – Discipline for Rule 1 Violations
- First Offense: A member’s first offense will result in a warning from the MEC.
- Subsequent Offenses: Any members found to have committed a Rule 1 Violation
after already receiving a warning will be suspended for the remainder of the current
season, and the following season.
- Additional Discipline: MEC reserves the right to issue additional discipline for
Rule 1 Violations as the MEC, in its sole discretion, deems necessary.
- Mitigating Circumstances: MEC reserves the right to adjust its disciplinary
procedures due to unforeseen and/or mitigating circumstances.
*All Rule 1 complaints shall be submitted via email to [email protected]
Rule 2 – League Play
2.0 – Remain active and play to win. This is not a “sim league”!
2.1 – Moose Hockey has minimal gameplay rules. The following on-ice conduct is prohibited:
- Skater diving at a goalie to cause the goalie to lose the puck.
- Goalie intentionally diving at or otherwise moving to initiate contact with a skater
with the intent of drawing a penalty against the skater.
- Puck ragging. (Puck ragging is defined as excessively skating backwards into
your own end with the puck in a manner inconsistent with actual ice-hockey. Going back
to reorganize is fine, but if what you’re doing isn’t something an ice-hockey player would
do, don’t do it.)
Video proof must be submitted for MEC review.
2.2 – MEC reserves the right to add gameplay restrictions as the MEC, in its sole discretion,
deems necessary. MEC will notify all Moose members of any such gameplay changes. Any
changes made by the MEC pursuant to this rule will not be retroactive.
2.3 – Captains are solely responsible for ensuring all scheduled games are played with a full 6 v
6 roster, and the failure of any Captain to do so will face MEC discipline, which may include,
but is not limited to loss of Captaincy, and even removal from the league.
Rule 3 – Rosters (MHL and MAHL)
3.1 – MHL: All MHL teams must carry a roster size of minimum 9 players to maximum 12 players, including Captains and Co-Captains.
3.2 – MHL: A team who ends up with a roster of less than 9 players due to MEC discipline
must call up a player from the eligible Free Agent pool. (Affiliate player when MAHL is active.)
3.3 – MHL: All roster players must be scheduled for the league minimum games each week.
3.4 – MHL: Captains are solely responsible for ensuring their team’s compliance with these
rules, the failure of any Captain to do so will face MEC discipline, which may include, but is not
limited to loss of Captaincy, and even removal from the league.
Rule 4 – Availability of Players & Captains
4.1 – This “availability contract” will be clearly stated to all Captains on the draft sheet and it
will represent your expected availability throughout the season.
4.2 – When signing up to play for a season, Players must indicate on the sign-up form provided
whether they will play full-time or part-time.
- Part-Time Players must make themselves available for at least two (2) games per
week, but cannot be scheduled for more than Three (3) games per week.
- Full-Time Players must make themselves available for at least four (4) games per
week, but cannot be scheduled for more than six (6) games per week.
- Captains and Co-Captains may play a full eight (8) game week, provided that the
team is abiding by the lineup requirements for each player on its roster.
4.3 – Players may not, for any reason, change their availability status during the season from
full-time to part-time, or from part-time to full-time. A player’s availability falling below 2
games per week may be grounds for a Rule 1 Violation.
4.4 – Prior to beginning play, Players are expected to provide notice of their unavailability, or
“MIA” days, dates, times, etc. that the Player knows he or she will be unavailable to play. These
entries are binding on all players and teams and a Player’s deviation from these entries will result
in a loss for his or her team.
4.5 – Regular Season Scheduling Procedures:
- Player Duties & Responsibilities:
- Players must declare their availability for the upcoming week in their
respective team’s designated team channels on the discord server by Saturday at 10:00 PM EST.
- Players may not change their availability after Saturday at 10:00 PM EST,
unless such change is approved by the MEC.
iii. Once a Captain has scheduled a Player for a game for which the Player has
indicated his availability, the Player is expected to play in his or her scheduled
game. A Player’s failure to play the scheduled game as a result of the Player’s
involvement in another EASHL league may result in discipline for a Rule 1 Violation.
Iv. Players failure to post availability, will result in not being scheduled or playing that week. Multiple violations, may result in a rule 1 violation.
- Captain Duties & Responsibilities:
- Captains and players must use the Moose supplied discord channel for their team as
the location players post their weekly availability.
- Captains must post weekly lines no later than 3:00 PM EST on the Sunday
leading into the upcoming week using the Moose supplied discord channel for
their team.
iii. Captains must schedule all Full-Time Roster Players for a
minimum of two (2) games per week, and Part-Time Players a minimum of (1) game per week.
4.6 – Playoff Scheduling and Availability:
- Player Duties & Responsibilities:
- Players must declare their availability for the upcoming week in their
respective team’s designated channel on the MHL discord server by Saturday at 10:00 PM EST.
- Players may not change their availability after Saturday at 10:00 PM EST,
unless such change is approved by the MEC.
iii. Once a Captain has scheduled a Player for a game for which the Player has
indicated his availability, the Player is expected to play in his or her scheduled
game. A Player’s failure play the scheduled game as a result of the Player’s
involvement in another EASHL league may result in discipline for a Rule 1 Violation.
- Captain Duties & Responsibilities
- Captains must use the channel in their Moose supplied team’s discord
server for the purpose of having their players submit their weekly availability.
- The Regular Season rules regarding the Captain’s posting of lines to not
apply in the Play-Offs. In the Play-Offs, the posting of lines will be governed as
follows:
(1) Away Captains must post their playoff lines by 5:00 PM EST on
game day.
(2) Home Captains must post their playoff lines by 7:00 PM EST on
game day.
(3) There are no exceptions to this rule, and any team in violation of
this rule must take a penalty at the start of the next game.
(4) Playoff lines are locked, making a change to the posted lines before or at a game time, will be a 2 minute penalty served by the player being subbed in,
iii. The Regular Season rules regarding minimum game scheduling for the
week do not apply to the Play-Offs. Captains have complete discretion in setting
their lineups for each playoff game, with the exception that all roster players must
have played at least one (1) game in the frist 4 games of the 7 game series. Failure by any team to abide by this rule will result in the Captain suspended for game 5 and the player must play in the next game.
- Any team seeking an exception to this rule must provide to the MEC
documentation as to why the team qualifies for an exception. Such requests will
be met with a high degree of scrutiny by the MEC, and any team seeking an
exception will have a high burden of proof to show why the team qualifies for
such an exception. Decisions on such a request will be made on a case-by-case
basis as the MEC, in its sole discretion, deems necessary.
Rule 5 – Goalie Disconnects (Regular Season & Playoffs)
5.1 – First Disconnect: If a goalie disconnects during a game, the teams will restart the game and
run the clock down to the time of disconnect in the first period of the restarted game.
5.2 – Second Disconnect: If a goalie disconnects for a second time, the goalie’s team may, at
their sole discretion, choose to replace the disconnected goalie.
5.3 – Third Disconnect: If a team’s goalie disconnects three times in one game, the offending
team forfeits the game, regardless of the score.
5.4 – Penalties for lag-outs/disconnects: A two (2) minute minor penalty shall be assessed to any
team who loses a goaltender due to a disconnect or lag-out.
- The non-offending team may choose the skater who must take the resulting minor
penalty.
- Upon restarting the game and allowing the clock to run down to the appropriate
time, the non-offending team must allow the offending team to win the subsequent
faceoff.
- The offending team’s Player chosen to take the penalty by the non-offending
team, must immediately receive the puck, and flip the puck over the boards in the
player’s defensive zone so as to cause a two (2) minute delay-of-game penalty.
- The game shall resume as normal from that point.
5.5 – In the event of multiple lag-outs in the same regular season series, a different skater shall
serve the two (2) minute penalty on each lag-out of that two (2) game series.
5.6 – MEC reserves the right to investigate and take disciplinary action in the event of repeated
goaltender disconnects with a particular player or team over the course of the season.
Rule 6 – Skater Disconnects (Regular Season & Playoffs)
6.1 – Game Requirements: All games are must start 6 v 6. If a team cannot field a full lineup of
6 players:
- When waivers are active, the MEC shall grant a team’s waiver request.
- When waivers are inactive, the team’s Captain may call-up an affiliate player so
long as such call-up is not otherwise prohibited by these Rules.
6.2 – In the event that a skater disconnects or lags-out during a league game, the offending team must quit the game, and the non-offending team must remain in the game until the offending team has quit.
- If the skater disconnects in the 1st period, play the period out and restart during the intermission.
- If the skater disconnects in the 2nd period, play the period out and restart at the intermission.
6.3 – If the disconnect occurs after the initial puck drop and before the 3rd period begins,
- Teams must play to the next intermission before the offending team quits the game.
- At intermission but before quitting the game, the offending team must collect stats.
- After collecting stats, the offending team must quit the game.
- Upon restarting the gameThe offending team must get the puck to the offending player, who must immediately flip the puck over the boards in the player’s defensive zone so as to cause a
two (2) minute delay-of-game penalty.
- The game shall resume as normal from that point.
6.4 – If the disconnect occurs during the 3 rd period, teams are required to finish the game with the CPU skater, but if the game continues into overtime, the teams MUST restart the game with the offending player re-joining the game, subject to a two-minute penalty as described above.
6.5 – CPU goals count towards the game score of the offending team, but the CPU goal may not be attributed to the statistics of the offending player.
6.6 – In the event of any disconnect or lag-out and subsequent restart, both teams must use the
exact same lineups with the same players in the same positions as originally started the game.
- The only exception is for goalies as described above, or if a player cannot reconnect.
- In the event a disconnected player cannot reconnect, the offending player’s team
may replace him or her, but the offending player’s team must keep the rest of the lineup
the same as at the beginning of the game.
- MEC must be notified of any player change under this rule prior to the restart of
the game.
6.7 – Players may not intentionally disconnect during a game for any reason other than to restart a game due to an unintentional disconnect or lag-out. In the event that three or more players from one team intentionally disconnect or “rage-quit” during a league game, the offending player’s teams will be assessed a 1-0 forfeit loss, regardless of the score at the time of the offenses, and player statistics for the non-offending team will be entered for the winning team.
- Exceptions will be made for verified EA server mass disconnect, at which point
the MEC will review and determine results of games, which may result in a rescheduled
date.
- Moose Members should report to the MEC for further investigation all suspected
cases of “intentional disconnecting”. Members reporting such suspected violations
should include in their report any evidence, if possible. However, reports should be filed
even in the absence of physical evidence. All such reports will be documented by the
MEC, which will handle all investigations on a case-by-case basis.
Rule 7 – Hosting Regular Season & Playoffs
7.1 – All regular season games shall be hosted by the scheduled Home team. The Home team
has the right to pick their jerseys first, and may choose either white or dark jerseys, with the
Away team required to select their jersey with the opposite jersey color.
7.2 – Prior to the start of each two-game series, the Away team may choose one (1) scheduled
player from the opposing team that cannot host the game session. That chosen player may not
host for the entirety of the series.
7.3 – In the event of a disconnect or lag-out, the non-offending team may request a new host
before a restart.
7.4 – In the Playoffs, the team with the higher seed shall host games 1 and 2, and, if necessary,
games 5, and 7. The team with the lower seed shall host games 3 and 4, and, if necessary, game
6.
7.5 – In the Playoffs, the Home team shall be permitted to choose their jerseys first, and the
Away team must accommodate by using the opposite color.
Rule 8 – Captain Responsibilities.
Rule 8.1 is nulled for S41
8.1 – Captains do not need to take stats. Moose is set up with state of the art software that allows
stat capture from games, even when disconnects occur and restarts are needed. If the software
fails and Captains need to begin taking manual stats again, a tutorial will be provided and
Captains must take manual stats.
8.2 – In the event a Captain must take manual stats, the Captain must enter game stats by 9:00
PM EST the night after a game. Failure of a Captain to enter stats in a timely manner will result
in the following discipline:
- First offense: Warning.
- Second offense: Captain is suspended from next series, or, first night of Playoff.
- Third offense: Captain is removed, with eligibility to return to Captaincy the
following season.
8.3 – If Captains are taking manual stats, Captains may, upon request made to MEC, be granted two (2) time extensions for entering stats. Per season
- Extension requests must be made to a MEC member no later than 8:30 PM EST
the evening stats are due.
- Any request for extended time may be negated by entering the stats by the regular
9:00 PM EST deadline.
8.4 – Miscellaneous Duties and Responsibilities of Captains:
- Captains are representatives of the Moose Hockey League, and must conduct
themselves accordingly and in a manner that reflects positively on the Moose.
- Captains are expected communicate consistently with MEC, other captains, and
their own teams.
- Captains are expected to participate in mandatory MHL activities such as draft
practice and league hosted scouting events.
- While Captains are not held responsible for Code of Conduct violations
committed by their members of their team, Captains should also bear in mind that his or
her team may be affected by such violations, and Captains should thus work hard to
resolve and prevent such issues in order to avoid the risk of losing a player mid-season.
8.5 – Captain Discipline – Any Captain removed from Captaincy, or found to have committed a
Rule 1 violation, will be ineligible for team management for the following two seasons.
Rule 9 – Waivers (Rules apply to MHL and, when active, the MAHL)
9.1 – In the event that a team cannot field a full legal lineup of six (6) players on the ice for a
two-game series, the Captain may request a waiver to complete his or her lineup.
- Captains must request a waiver by 8:55 PM EST before the first game. Waiver
requests made after 9:00 PM EST before the first game will be not be acknowledged or
fulfilled, and may result in a sim loss to the requesting team.
- Requesting a waiver does not grant the requesting team an extension to the
time limit for beginning game play, and the MEC bears no responsibility for any
delays between a waiver request being made and a waiver player being available.
For example, in the event a Captain requests a waiver at 9:05 PM EST before the
first game of the evening, and a waiver player is unavailable until 9:11 EST, the
opposing team Captain may still claim a forfeit win, resulting in a sim loss to the
requesting team.
- For the above reason, Captains are encouraged to make waiver requests at
the earliest possible time.
- Captains may request waiver players for the second game of a two-game series so
long as the request is submitted to a MEC member no later than 9:35 EST.
- Requesting a waiver does not grant the requesting team an extension to the
time limit for beginning game play, and the MEC bears no responsibility for any
delays between a waiver request being made and a waiver player being available.
For example, in the event a Captain requests a waiver at 9:35 PM EST before the
first game of the evening, and a waiver player is unavailable until 9:41 EST, the
opposing team Captain may still claim a forfeit win, resulting in a sim loss to the
requesting team.
- For the above reason, and because MEC members receiving waiver
requests may, themselves, be playing in a 9:00 PM EST game, Captains are
encouraged to make waiver requests at the earliest possible time.
- After submitting a Waiver Request, a Captain may still attempt to fill his or her
lineup with eligible Roster Players, however,
- In the event that a Captain submits a Waiver Request, but subsequent to
submitting a Waiver Request, the Captain is able to locate an eligible Roster
Player to fill his or her lineup, the Captain is responsible for notifying the MEC
immediately that the Captain is no longer in need of a Waiver Player.
- Once the MEC receives, and fulfills a Waiver Request by locating an
eligible Waiver Player, the Waiver Player must play at least one (1) game that
evening. For this reason, it is imperative that a Captain who has submitted a
Waiver Request promptly notify the MEC if the Captain is able to fill his or her
lineup with a Roster Player.
- The MEC is responsible for ensuring that a Waiver Player may not play for the
same team more than once in one (1) week, absent extenuating circumstances.
- All Waiver Requests must be submitted to the appropriate MEC. Captains may
not contact Waiver Players directly. In the event a Captain makes direct contact with a
Waiver Player, that Waiver Player will be ineligible to play for that Captain’s team for up
to one (1) month of that current season.
- Captains may not request any specific Waiver Player. Any such requests will be
ignored. In the event that a Captain requests a specific Waiver Player, that Waiver Player
will be ineligible to play for that Captain’s team for up to one (1) month of that current
season.
- In the event a Captain fills a lineup with an unapproved Waiver Player, the
offending Captain’s team will be issued a sim loss.
Rule 10 – Trading
10.1 – Trading of players is permitted provided that there is no Collusion.
- For the purposes of this Rule, “Collusion” is defined as:
- A transaction wherein one team receives a highly disproportionate benefit
as compared to what the other team receives; or
- A transaction wherein one team’s Captain communicates directly with a
player on another team with the intention of having that player traded onto that
Captain’s team;
iii. Any other transaction that the MEC determines to have been conducted in
bad faith, to have been conducted as a result of dishonesty, or one that shocks the
conscious.
10.2 – The MEC may prohibit or reverse any trade which the MEC, in its sole discretion,
determines to be a result of Collusion.
10.3 – All teams must remain under the hard salary cap of 115 BOD’s at all times, and the MEC
may prohibit or reverse any trade that would result in one team exceeding 115 BOD’s.
10.4 – Trades may involve an odd number of players on both sides. (i.e. 1 forv2, 2 for 3, 3
for 2, etc.)
- An MHL Player may only be traded for an MHL player.
- An MAHL Player may only be traded for an MAHL player.
- An Affiliate Player may only be traded for an Affiliate Player.
10.5 – Notwithstanding Rule 10.4, Teams may retain a player’s BOD value in a trade.
- A Team may retain up to 25% of the original BOD value of a player.
- In the event that 25% of the original BOD value of a player is not a whole
number, the retained value shall be rounded down to the next whole number. (For
example, a Team who wishes to retain the maximum 25% of the original BOD
value of a player whose original BOD value is 10 BOD’s may retain 2 BOD’s.
[25% of 10 = 2.5, rounded down = 2])
- If a Protected Player is traded, and a portion of that Protected Player’s BOD value
is retained, then at the end of that season, the Protected Player’s BOD value shall be
restored to his/her original BOD value. For the definition and explanation of “protected
players” please refer to Rule 12.2.
10.6 – All trades must be conducted as follows:
- All trades must be announced in the Discord Channel/Server specifically
dedicated to Captain’s Transaction between 10 PM EST and 1:00 PM EST. This
time period shall be known as the Trade Window. Captains may not announce any trade
outside of the Trade Window.
- At the conclusion of a Trade Window during which a trade was announced, there
shall be a three (3) hour Counter-Trade Period that will run from the end of the Trade
Window, 1:00 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST. During this Counter-Trade Period, Captains may
offer, consider, and accept any counter offers.
- In the event that a Counter Offer is accepted in between 3:50 PM EST – 4:00 PM
EST, the Counter-Trade Period will be extended to 5:00 PM EST.
- A Captain must make a final decision to accept or deny a Counter-Trade no later
than 4:00 PM EST.
- All trades shall be final and submitted to the MEC Trade Approval Committee no
later than 4:00 PM EST, at which time the MEC shall review all submitted trades
and salary caps.
10.7 – During the trade process as described in Rule 10.6, all trades and trade discussions shall
remain confidential between the Captains involved so as to avoid leaking of trade rumors,
accepted trades that may later be countered, or other unwanted incidents that may be detrimental
to the teams involved or the league in general.
- A Captain may not intentionally leak a trade, potential trade or trade discussion,
or any details or information pertaining to any trade, potential trade or trade discussion.
- A Captain found to violate this rule will not have his/her trade automatically
denied or reversed, however, the offending Captain will face disciplinary action by the
MEC as follows:
- A Captain found in violation of this rule will be suspended for one (1)
week for his/her first violation.
- A Captain found in violation of this rule will be suspended for two (2)
weeks for his/her second violation.
iii. A Captain found in violation of this rule will be issued a Rule 1 Removal
for his/her third violation.
10.8 – In the event a traded player quits before playing for his/her new team so that the new
team’s Captain is short a player, the MEC may reverse the trade.
- In such an event, MEC may issue a Rule 1 Removal and provide a Captain with a
replacement player as necessary.
- A Captain may not offer or trade players the Captain knows to be unresponsive or
otherwise potentially eligible for a Rule 1 Violation. A Captain found to be in violation
of this rule faces disciplinary action by the MEC, up to and including suspension,
removal as Captain, or even Rule 1 Removal.
- A player who refuses to play for any team, whether before or after a completed
trade, including during and after the MHL Draft, will be subject to removal from the
Moose Hockey League.
- The Captain of a player who is refusing to play for the Captain’s team (a Refusing
Player) may attempt to trade the Refusing Player to a team acceptable to the Refusing
Player, or the Captain may seek a Rule 1 Removal.
- In the event that a Captain attempts to trade the Refusing Player, and the Refusing
Player states that he/she will not play for certain teams, or will only play for certain
teams, the Captain should:
- document any and all instances of the Refusing Player stating that he/she
will not play for certain teams, or will only play for certain teams,
- submit this documentation to the MEC,
iii. trade the Refusing Player to a team acceptable to the Refusing Player.
- In the event of a Trade pursuant to Rule 10.8(E), and the Refusing Player plays
for the acceptable team to which he/she is traded, the MEC reserves the right to suspend
the Refusing Player for one (1) or more seasons after the conclusion of the current
season. In the event that the Refusing Player who is traded pursuant to Rule 10.8(E)
continues to refuse to play, then the Trade shall be reversed.
- In the event that a Captain is attempting to trade a Refusing Player pursuant to
10.8(E), the Refusing Player’s Captain must notify any potential trading Captain of the
circumstances surrounding the potential trade. Failure of a Captain to provide such
notice shall subject the offending Captain to disciplinary action by the MEC, up to and
including suspension, removal as Captain, or even Rule 1 Removal.
10.9 – Off-season trades are permitted by returning teams provided that the players involved are
listed as Keeper Players, and the Keeper Players are signed up for next Moose Draft before
trades are posted. Such Keeper Players must remain as Keeper Players after a completed Trade.
10.10 – Captains are strictly prohibited from contacted any player on another team, directly or
indirectly, suggesting, encouraging, or requesting, whether seriously or in jest, that the player
request a trade to that Captain’s team. A Captain found to be in violation of this rule shall be
subject to disciplinary action by the MEC as follows:
- A Captain found in violation of this rule will be suspended for one (1) week for
his/her first violation.
- A Captain found in violation of this rule will be suspended for two (2) weeks for
his/her second violation.
- A Captain found in violation of this rule will, at the discretion of the MEC, be
issued either a three (3) week suspension, or a Rule 1 Removal for his/her third violation.
Rule 11 – Transfer of Players Between Leagues (When MAHL is Active)
11.1 – The Waiver/Claim window for MHL Roster Players is between 10:00 PM EST and 6:00
PM EST.
11.2 – During a Waiver Period, MHL Captains may make a claim on a Waived Player, and the
Waived Player will be awarded to the claiming Captain with the highest Waiver Priority. The
Waiver Priority List shall be the inverse of league rankings (by total points) at the time of the
claiming Captain’s claim. (i.e., The Captain of a team in 3 rd place in the MHL out of 10 teams
will be 7 th on the Waiver Priority List.)
11.3 – All MHL Roster Players are on 1-way contracts, and must clear waivers in order to be
assigned to the team’s MAHL affiliate.
11.4 – MAHL Affiliate Players / Free Agents can be called up as MHL fill-in if a Captain cannot
fill his/her lineup with his/her Roster Players, but MAHL Affiliate Players / Free Agents cannot
be traded to an MHL Team.
11.5 – MAHL Affiliate Players / Free Agents may be called up for no more than eight (8) MHL
games. In the event an MAHL Player is called up for a ninth (9 th ) MHL game, that player shall
thereafter be considered a MHL Roster Player, and that team’s Captain shall be required to waive
another Roster Player in order to make room for the recently called up MAHL Player.
11.6 – If a MAHL Player is called up to fill a MHL Roster spot, the MHL Captain must replace
that vacant MAHL roster spot by waiving someone on his/her MHL Roster.
11.7 – A MAHL Affiliate Player / Free Agent may be called up for an MHL Playoff game so
long as the MAHL Player has not exceeded the eight (8) game limit under Rule 11.5.
11.8 – Classification and Eligibility of Players:
- MHL/Roster Players: All players on an MHL Roster shall be considered MHL
Players or Roster Players. To become an MHL Player, the Player must:
- Be available in the preceding MHL Draft, and either
- Be drafted by their MHL team, or
iii. Be permanently called up to an MHL team’s roster.
- MAHL Player: The following players will be considered an MAHL Player:
- Any Player who was available during the preceding MHL Draft, but who
was not drafted by any MHL team and who has not been called-up to a permanent
MHL Roster,
- Any Player who was available during the preceding MHL Draft, whether
drafted or not, who had a permanent MHL Roster position but who has since
cleared Waivers,
iii. Rookie Player: Any Player who was unavailable in the MHL Draft due to
that Player’s “Rookie” status. A Rookie Player shall be ineligible to be called-up
to a permanent MHL Roster, and shall only be eligible for emergency call-up
(ECU) a maximum of four (4) times per season.
- Late Sign-Up: Any Player who was not available during the preceding
MHL Draft due to the Player not having signed-up for the season. A Late Sign-
Up Player is ineligible to play any MHL games as an ECU, and shall be ineligible
for a permanent MHL Roster position.
11.9 – MAHL Players are on 2-way contracts, and as such, can be called-up and sent down
without having to clear waivers to play on the MHL Affiliate.
11.10 – MAHL Players that are called-up to a permanent MHL Roster shall receive a BOD value
equal to half (1/2) the BOD value of the MHL Player they are replacing. (If that MHL Player
subsequently is recalled for a permanent MHL Roster position, that MHL Player will receive
their original BOD value).
Rule 12 – Franchise Keeper’s / RFA’s
12.1 – A returning Franchise is defined as a Franchise that existed in the previous season under a
certain name returning under the same name in the upcoming season. The leadership of that
Franchise, as long as it conforms with the rules below, is irrelevant.
12.2 – Each Returning Franchise is permitted a maximum of three (3) Protected Players. These
Protected Players may be Keepers or RFA’s, but no Returning Franchise is permitted more than
two (2) Keepers.
12.3 – To qualify as a Franchise’s Keeper, the player must:
- have been on that Franchise’s Roster at the conclusion of the previous MHL
season,
- have played in at least five (5) games for that Franchise in the previous MHL
season,
- have been drafted by an MHL team in the previous season’s MHL Draft, and
- agree to be a Keeper for that Franchise.
12.4 – A Keeper’s BOD value will increase by five (5) BOD’s over the previous season.
12.5 – Pursuant to Rule 12.3, a Player otherwise eligible for Keeper status may accept or decline
that Franchise’s offer to be a Keeper Player. If a Player otherwise eligible for Keeper status
declines a Franchise’s offer of Keeper status, that Player will be placed in the upcoming season’s
Draft.
12.6 – To qualify as a Franchise’s RFA, the player must:
- have been on that Franchise’s Roster at the conclusion of the previous MHL
season, and
- have played in at least five (5) games for that Franchise in the previous MHL
season.
12.7 – Within twenty four (24) hours after the season sign-ups close, Returning Franchises must
list their Protect Players.
12.8 – RFA’s will be entered into the RFA Draft, a draft taking place separately from the MHL
Season Draft.
12.9 – At the conclusion of bidding on each RFA Player, the Franchise owning that RFA
Player’s rights will have the option of either matching the current high BOD bid on that RFA
Player, or releasing that RFA Player and his/her contract, resulting in the RFA Player being
awarded to the highest bidder in the RFA Draft.
Rule 13 – Position & Availability Changes
13.1 – A Player removing or adding any preferred/willing position(s) will make the Player
ineligible for Keeper status. Such a player may still be eligible for RFA status. Note, this rule
does not apply to a Player who swaps a preferred/willing position, only to Players who
completely add or remove preferred/willing positions.
13.2 – A Player who switches his/her status from part-time to full-time is ineligible for Keeper
status, but remains eligible for RFA status.
13.3 – MEC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to investigate any player’s
availability/position changes that the MEC believes may be for the purpose of avoiding other
rules in this rule book, and the MEC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to issue any
discipline accordingly.
Rule 14 – Rule 1 Replacement
14.1 – Replacement Players will be assigned a BOD value equal to one half (1/2) the BOD value
of the Player they are replacing.
When MAHL is Active:
14.2 – In the event that a Captain issues a Rule 1 Removal of his/her Roster Player, the Captain
must call up an MAHL Player as a permanent MHL Player.
14.3 – The MEC will make every reasonable effort possible to provide an eligible replacement
call-up player for the affected MAHL team.
When the MAHL is inactive:
14.4 – Free Agents shall be used for Rule 1 Replacements, or, in the event there are no Free
Agents, Waivers shall be used as Rule 1 Replacements.
Rule 15 – Returning Captains & Franchises
15.1 – At the conclusion of an MHL Season, Franchises will have an allotted amount of time to
announce whether they intend to return the following season, disband, or turn the Franchise over
to a new owner/captain.
- A New Owner must have been on the previous season’s roster at the conclusion of
the previous regular season.
- The MEC shall announce the time frame for Franchises to make such
announcements, and such time frame to make such announcements shall usually occur in
the two (2) weeks between the conclusion of the regular season, and the Moose Cup
Finals.
15.2 – New Captains of Returning Franchises:
- A Player must, at the time he/she expresses interest in becoming a Captain, also
declare if they intend to take on the role of Captain of their previous team.
- A New Captain can only take on the role of Captain of their previous team if their
former Captain no longer wishes to retain such position.
- A Former Captain wishing to relinquish his/her role of Captain will be placed into
the Draft Pool upon signing up for the following season.
- In the event two Players of the same Franchise declare their intention to Captain
their current Franchise, the MEC will determine which Player is best qualified to take on
such role.
Rule 16 – Franchise Clubs
16.1 – Franchises must use a club organized on the current EA Sports NHL game.
16.2 – Franchises must have “MHL” in the team name. The City name is optional. (i.e. the
following names are permissible: “MHL Manitoba Moose” and “MHL Moose”)
16.3 – Franchise jerseys may match the real team’s jerseys, or Franchises may use custom
jerseys, but the colors of custom jerseys should match the real team colors.
Rule 17 – Scouting
17.1 – Scouting is mandatory for all Players and Captains.
17.2 – The MEC will schedule multiple scouting events during each scouting season to take
place before the upcoming MHL season Draft. The MEC will attempt to schedule multiple
scouting events each week for the weeks between sign-up and the draft.
17.3 – All Rookie Players must participate in at least two (2) scouting events.
17.4 – All veteran (returning) Players must participate in at least one (1) scouting event.
17.5 – A 12’s lobby organized by Moose Captains, Owners, or Keepers, even though not
officially organized or scheduled by the MEC, may qualify as a scouting event, so long as
multiple Franchise Captains are involved and can vouch for the event and confirm the
participating players.
17.6 – If requested by a Captain, a Player may be required to scout for a particular Captain. In
such an event, the Player and Captain should make reasonable attempts, in good faith, to
schedule such scouting event. If, without good cause, a Player refuses to scout, or acts in bad
faith in coordinating the event, the Player may, at the discretion of the MEC, be removed from
the Draft Pool.
17.7 – The MEC shall review all scouting complaints and all MEC decisions shall be final.
Rule 18 – Scheduling
Regular Season:
18.1 – Each week shall consist of four (4) series of two (2) games, with one series being played
each night.
- Games shall be played on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
nights, with each team playing in one series of (2) games each night.
- All MHL series will begin at 9:00 PM EST.
- All MAHL series will begin at 9:00 PM EST (when active).
18.2 – Home Team Captain is responsible for sharing with the Away team the locker room code.
18.3 – The first game of a series must start no later than 9:10 PM EST.
( A 2 minute penalty shall be taken by the team causing any game to start after 9:07 PM EST.)
- In the event that one team causes the first game of the series to start after the 9:10
PM EST deadline, the non-offending team’s Captain may either:
- Declare the game a forfeit, thereby issuing to the offending team a sim
loss, or
- extend the start time as he/she sees fit.
- A non-offending Captain’s decision to extend the start time is at the non-
offending Captain’s sole discretion, and once a non-offending Captain offers to extend
the start time beyond the original 9:10 PM EST deadline, any further grace periods are at
the sole discretion of the non-offending Captain.
18.4 – In the event the first game of the series was not played, then the second game of the series
must begin by 9:20 PM EST, unless extended by the non-offending team.
18.5 – Any team that fails to field a full roster of 6 eligible MHL players by either the scheduled
start, or, by start time as extended under Rules 18.3 and 18.4, shall be issued a sim loss
constituting 1-0 defeat.
Playoffs:
18.6 – Each playoff round shall be a best of seven (7) series and shall take place over the course of one week, or four consecutive business days. Games 1 and 2 will take place Monday, Games 3 and 4 will take place Tuesday, and, if necessary, Games 5 and 6 will take place Wednesday, and Game 7 will take place Thursday.
18.7 – Start times, Captain host responsibilities, and sim loss times for the Playoffs shall follow
the same rules as for Regular Season games.
Rule 19 – Rescheduling
19.1 – Rescheduling games is prohibited unless there is a verified server failure of EA or Xbox
Live, or other unforeseen event out of the control of MEC that appears to affect the entire EA or
Xbox community. In such an event, MEC will reschedule these series or games for a later date.
Rule 20 – Standings
20.1 – Teams shall receive 2 points for a regulation or overtime win, and 1 point for an over-time
loss. No points shall be issued for regulation losses.
20.2 – League standings shall be determined by total points earned as described in Rule 20.1.
20.3 – In the event two or more teams have the same number of points from wins, the teams shall
be seeded in standings by a tie-breaker, with the higher league seeding being awarded to the
team with:
- The most wins, or, if equal,
- The most head-to-head earned Points, or, if equal,
- The best goal differential, or, if still equal,
- The tied teams shall play a 1-game playoff to determine seeding for playoffs.
Rule 21 – Expansion Drafts
21.1 – From time to time, as the MEC may, in its sole discretion, determine to be in the best
interest of the league, add additional teams to the League.
21.2 – In the event of an Expansion, each existing team will be required to submit two players to
the expansion draft pool. These players will be eligible to be drafted by an expansion team, at
the cost of their assigned BOD value.
21.3 – The following Players are ineligible for the Expansion Draft:
- Protected Players
- Captains/Co-Captains
- Rookies
21.4 – Expansion Teams may build their team by selecting Players from the unprotected
Expansion Draft Pool, Waivers, and Free Agency.
21.5 – Expansion Teams must build their team while staying under the salary cap.
21.6 – All teams that lose a player from their roster due to the expansion draft will move to the
top of the Waiver/Free Agent list in order of pick so that they can replace the player lost from
their roster.
21.7 – Waiver/Free Agent pick-up will be frozen for forty-eight (48) hours prior to the expansion
draft and will re-open to all teams one (1) hour after the end of the Expansion Draft.
21.8 – Beginning twenty-four (24) hours prior to the Expansion Draft and until twenty-four
hours after the close of the Expansion Draft, all trading shall be suspended.
Rule 22 – MEC DISCRETION
22.1 – The Moose Executive Committee reserves the right to address any issues that arise and
are not otherwise covered in these rules, and the MEC shall resolve these issues in the best
interests of the League and in the spirit of good faith and fair play.
22.2 – Captains are strongly encouraged and expected to resolve any and all in-game issues
amongst themselves and to reach a fair compromise or agreement before requesting the
assistance of the MEC. In the event the MEC is required to resolve issues among Captains, the
MEC will resolve the issue in accordance with these rules, or, otherwise in the best interests of
the League and in the spirit of good faith and fair play, which may not be a desirable outcome for
the Complainant Captain.
22.3 – Excessive harassment or abuse of any MEC member will not be tolerated and will subject
the Player to discipline by the MEC.
Rule 23 – Gamertag Changes
23.1 – Gamertag changes must be registered with the MEC and posted on the website in the help
desk forums, Gamertag change thread, before being allowed to play in a regular season or
playoff game. Not following this rule will result in an invalid lineup, and a sim loss. While
gamertag changes are allowed mid-season, changing Xbox live accounts are not allowed during
the season.
Rule 24 – Second Tagging
24.1 – A Player may not have more than one Gamertag active in the Moose at the same time.
24.2 – A Player seeking to play in the Moose with Gamertag other the one with which the Player
has already used to Play in Moose – if that gamertag is not disclosed as a prior gamertag on the
sign-up sheet – will be ineligible to play in the Moose for the current season and one season after
the current season or more.
Rule 25 – Minimum Gamerscore
25.1 – All newly applying members of moose (ie. Not Veterans) must meet the following
requirements:
- Gamerscore of at least 1,000, or
- Have their previous account used in Moose (with at least a 1,000 Gamerscore)
listed when signing up, or
- Have a reference deemed acceptable by the MEC. It is the sole discretion of the
MEC to determine if the reference is acceptable. Typically, references who have suffered
discipline of their own will be less likely to be acceptable, but this will be determined on
a case by case basis.
25.2 – When signing up for a new season, all Moose members must list all of his/her previous
gamertags, whether known to others or not. If a member is found, by clear and convincing
evidence, to have had a different, undisclosed tag prior to this season, that member is subject to
removal and at least one season ban after the current season applied for – at the discretion of the
MEC.
