Rules

RULES & REGULATIONS

The Wapiti Players League,(WPL) is governed by the rules and regulations that are outlined in the Hockey Canada Rulebook unless noted otherwise below. The WPL would like to place emphasis on the following rules:

Article I. ROSTERS

Section 1.01 All players must complete and sign the Player Registration and Liability Waiver prior to any game play. Players can find this link on the website at www.wplgp.ca.

Section 1.02 Team representatives must ensure that all players’ names and numbers are clearly and correctly recorded on the pre-game roster submitted to the timekeeper before the start of the scheduled game

Section 1.03 All players must be a minimum of 16 years of age to qualify for league registration. Minors must have parental permission and the appropriate waiver signed to be able to participate.

Section 1.04 There are no restrictions to how many players can be on a team’s roster.

Section 1.05 A player is permitted to play for multiple teams and multiple divisions.

Section 1.06 A player is considered rostered for a game when;

the players name is on the game roster before the scheduled start of the game
the player is added to the roster during the first period
the player has participated during the first period. COMMENT: A player must be on the roster before the end of the first period and must participate during the first period. Players will NOT be added after the completion of the first period.
a team is notified of a forfeit, the non-forfeiting team's roster will be added to the game sheet as follows:
1. Roster will be comprised of all players that would be considered to be their regular team.
2. No "Spare" players will be rostered.
3. Only 1 Goaltender will be rostered.

Section 1.07 A player is considered NOT to be rostered when:

the player is added to the roster after the completion of the first period
the player is on the roster but did not participate during the first period
the player is not on the roster before the end of the first period and did not participate during the first period
a team is notified of a forfeit, the forfeiting team's game roster consist of only their regular goaltender.

Article II. PLAYER 10-GAME PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY

Section 2.01 A player is considered eligible to participate in playoffs for a team when:

A player has been rostered for 10 regular season games for that team. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Section 2.02 A player can only participate in playoffs for multiple teams if:

The 10-game eligibility is achieved for each team
Teams that a player is for rostered with are not in the same division.

COMMENT: When a player has been rostered for multiple teams in the same division during the regular season, the team to which they are first rostered with in playoffs, will solidify that player to only that team’s roster, in that division, for the remainder of the playoffs.

Section 2.03 If a team is found to have rostered an illegal player for a playoff game, that team will forfeit that game (1-0) and any subsequent games with the illegal player rostered until eliminated from playoffs.

Article III. GOALTENDERS

Section 3.01 All goaltenders must be rostered prior to the scheduled game start during the regular season and playoffs

Section 3.02 All Goaltenders are eligible to play with multiple teams during the regular season

Section 3.03 Goaltenders are not eligible to play with multiple teams in the same division during playoffs.

COMMENT: If a goaltender has been rostered for a playoff game, the team to which they are first rostered with will solidify that goaltender to only that teams roster in that division until they are eliminated. If that goaltender is found to be rostered on another team in any playoff game still ongoing in that division thereafter, the team that the ineligible goaltender is rostered with for their 2^nd game, will forfeit that game (7-0) and any subsequent games rostered until eliminated. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Section 3.04 Goaltender playoff eligibility:

Teams may be required to use a backup goaltender during playoffs.

Teams may only select an eligible backup goaltender for playoff the following ways:

Industrial Teams – May select any eligible goaltender registered within the WPL in any division
Division 2 Teams– May only select an eligible goaltender:
1. from a division 2 team that are not actively in playoffs
2. or from any team below division 2
Division 3 Teams– May only select an eligible goaltender:
1. from a division 3 team that are not actively in playoffs
2. or from any Division 2 team and below
Division 4 Teams– May only select an eligible goaltender:
1. from a division 4 team that are not actively in playoffs
2. or from any Division 3 team and below
Women's Teams– May only select an eligible goaltender:
1. from any women's team that are not actively in playoffs

COMMENT: Goaltenders that play on multiple teams will be ranked for playoff team eligibility based on their highest divisional team they are rostered on as a “regular” goaltender.

Example 1: John Smith is rostered for an Industrial team and a division 2 team during the regular season and has played 20 games played for each team. Both his teams lost in the first round of playoffs. John is considered to be an Industrial goaltender and is not eligible to play for any other division in any playoff round.
Example 2: John Smith is rostered with an industrial team and a division 2 team during the regular season. He has played 20 games for his division 2 team and only 4 games for the Industrial team. Both of his teams do not make the playoffs. John is considered to be a “regular” goaltender for his div 2 team and will be eligible to play for any Division 2 or Industrial team as a backup.

Section 3.05 All teams are encouraged to have a goaltender present and on the ice at the beginning of each game.

Section 3.06 If a goaltender does not come onto the ice until after the allotted 5-minute warm up has expired, no further warm up will be permitted.

Section 3.07 If the goalie does not come on the ice after the 5-minute warm up the game will start with 6 Skaters on the ice. This will continue until the goalie is fully dressed.

If a goalie is not on the ice before the end of the 1st period, the game will be forfeited.
If a goalie is injured during the game, a team will have 15 minutes to redress a new goalie and play with 6 skaters during that period. If no goalie is on the ice within 15 minutes the team forfeits the game and can use the remainder of the ice time for shinny, but officials will leave the ice surface

Section 3.08 Goaltenders shall be permitted to wear ‘Cat-Eye’ type goaltender masks. By doing so, they assume all risk inherent therein and agree to take full responsibility for any injury or harm caused to themselves while wearing such equipment. In addition, they must agree to waive any liability whatsoever from the WPL, league administrators or the league governing body.

Atricle IV. IDENTIFICATION

Players must be prepared to produce picture ID upon the request of league officials at any league sanctioned game (regular season or playoffs). Any player failing to produce valid ID upon request shall be considered an illegal player and asked to leave the ice surface. If the player refuses to leave the ice surface it will result in an immediate forfeit for their team.

DIVISION REALIGNMENT AND SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENT

Article 5.01 The league administration reserves the right to change the division of any team at any time during the season to ensure divisional parity.

Article 5.02 Any team that is moved to a different division due to realignment will be notified prior to the movement.

Article 5.03 Realignment will happen whenever needed throughout the first 10 games of the season based on:

Realignment candidates will be primarily identified (but not exclusively) based on the following criteria: Win % of .800 / .200 & Goal Differential +/- 8 per game
Realignment may happen after the first 10 games. Once teams are realigned the schedule will remain unchanged for the remainder of the season unless the board of directors deems necessary in the best interest of the league.

Section 5.04 All scheduled games are subject to arena ice availability. In some cases, due to mechanical difficulties or administrative error, facilities are forced to cancel bookings with the WPL. The League reserves the right to reschedule any effected games to the best available alternate booking at the time of cancellation. Following any schedule change, team GM’s will be notified as soon as possible and are responsible for ensuring the new game information is distributed amongst their teammates. Any schedule changes will also be updated on the website to reflect the same.

Article IV. EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS

Section 6.01 All participating members of the league are required to wear full equipment (i.e. helmet, shin pads, elbow pads, etc.) while on the ice. It is strongly suggested a CSA approved helmet is worn. If a player chooses not to wear a CSA approved Helmet they do so under their own discretion and the WPL is not liable for any injuries that may occur.

Section 6.02 Facial protection (eg. cage and/or visor) are mandatory for the Industrial and Division 2 participants.

Facial protection (eg. cage and/or visor) are encouraged and highly recommended but not required in divisions 3 and below.

Section 6.04 Helmet mounted cameras (eg. GoPro) will not be allowed during any WPL games; Regular season, Playoffs or Tournaments. All other cameras (glass mounted) are not allowed in the playing area of the Arena and these cameras must be outside the playing area unless approved my the board of directors.

Section 6.05 All teams are required to have both matching Dark (Home) and Light (Away) team jerseys; A plain jersey consistent in color with the base color of their team’s jerseys will be accepted as a team jersey. Jersey may have the team logo, team name, or a plain front.

Jerseys should stay within the following:

Any jersey with another team logo, or dissimilar in color will not be acceptable
Logos must not contain profanity, racial slurs, vulgar content, nudity or offensive in nature.
All jerseys must have distinct contrasting numbers clearly marked (sewn, screened, sublimated, or heat sync) on the back. Tape will only be accepted for a short period of time.
Goaltenders are exempt from having numbers
Players cannot have the same number as another player except if the other player is a Goalie

Section 6.06 A special arrangement will be made between team representatives and league administration to allow new teams to play with one uniform set. Teams will ensure that a second set of jerseys will be used for their next season or while their second set is in production for the current season. During this time:

Teams with only one set of uniforms are responsible for checking for uniform conflicts.
Visiting teams that wear a similar color to their opponents’ home jersey must contact the home teams GM to ask if they would be able to wear their white jerseys for that game.
The WPL will not provide jerseys for teams.

Section 6.06 All players under the age of 18 while on the ice, players’ and/or penalty bench must wear their certified helmet and facial protector securely attached. The chin straps of the helmet shall be securely fastened under the chin. The straps of the facial protector, when designed to allow such straps, shall also be securely fastened to the hockey helmet.

Section 6.07 If a player intentionally removes their helmet or intentionally releases their chinstrap to fight and the opposing player doesn’t, the former will be assessed an additional two-minute penalty in addition to the Gross Misconduct. If the player removes an opponent’s helmet or releases an opponent’s chinstrap before or during a fight, a Gross Misconduct penalty will be assessed.

Section 6.08 Should the helmet of a player come off while play is in progress, such player shall replace the helmet (properly fastened) or shall proceed to the players’ bench for a substitution. If such a player participates in the play in any manner without their helmet, the play must be stopped immediately, and the player assessed a Minor penalty. The penalty shall be assessed for participating in the play without the proper protective equipment and recorded on the Official Game Report as Ineligible Player.

Article VII. BODY Checking

Section 7.01 Body Checking is prohibited. COMMENT: Incidental contact may or may not result in a penalty based upon the discretion of the on-ice officials

Section 7.02 Head Contact infractions:

if Minor will be called as a regular 2-minute minor penalty i.e.: Roughing, High Sticking, Elbowing
if Major may be called as a 5-minute Major Penalty ie. Roughing, Body Checking, High Sticking, Charging
If an infraction was deemed intentional and the purpose is to cause injury a 5- minute Match Penalty will be called.
Accidental High Stick penalties will be called as a Double Minor penalty as explained in section 8.3 b – of the Hockey Canada Rules in which Referees will follow Junior and Senior Hockey rules. Referees still have the discretion to call a Major penalty during these incidents. COMMENT: The WPL does not follow the set rules for Head Contact as set out by the Hockey Canada Rule Book. The above protocol will be followed for all head contact calls.

Article VIII. FIGHTING AND/OR THE ABUSE OF OFFICIALS

Section 8.01 Fighting is strictly prohibited

Section 8.01 Receiving a fighting major will result in a fine and a game misconduct. All fines must be paid prior to the player returning to the WPL in any year. Fines not paid will carry over year to year until the fine is paid. Fines are as follows:

1^st Fight - $500
2^nd Fight - $1000
3^rd Fight - $1500 and ejection from the WPL indefinitely.

Section 8.03 Fighting Majors will be called based on the discretion of the on-ice officials. The WPL Board of Directors will review all fighting majors and may issue supplemental discipline.

Section 8.04 Fighting major totals will not carry over into the following year. Each year fighting majors are reset to zero.

COMMENT: The Board of Directors may take into consideration, a player’s previous years history when deciding on supplemental discipline regarding fighting in the current year.

Section 8.05 Any Player who leaves the players’ bench in the midst of an on-ice altercation will be placed on suspension for the remainder of the current season.

Section 8.06 Verbal abuse of any official will result in the assessment of a 10-minute Game Misconduct penalty based upon the discretion of the on-ice officials.

Section 8.07 Any physical abuse or even the threat of physical abuse to any league officials will result in immediate expulsion from the League.

Article IX. MAJOR, MATCH, Gross misconduct PENALTIES AND EJECTIONS

Section 9.01 Any player who incurs a Gross Misconduct game will be ejected from the game, and will be suspended for a set determined number of games set out by the Board of Directors.

Section 9.02 Any player who has been ejected from a game must leave the ice and/or bench/penalty box immediately, after which any remaining penalty time for the offending player is to be served by another teammate that was on the ice at the time of the offence. Comment: Any player who is ejected from a game for whatever the reason must leave the ice surface immediately and without further incident. The player is not permitted back on the ice, the bench or any adjacent area where he will have contact with the team or the officials.

Section 9.03 Any player that is assessed a game misconduct, gross misconduct, match or fighting penalty within the last 9 minutes(the last half) of the final period will be assessed a suspension for one an additional game.

Section 9.04 Officials must submit a game incident report for all of the following penalty’s assessed:

1. Game Misconducts

2. Gross Misconducts

3. Match penalty

4. Fighting

Section 9.05 3 Penalty Ejection - Any player that is assessed 3 penalties during a game will be ejected from the game. The game ejection will be recorded on the game sheet as the 4th penalty, however there is no time associated with that penalty to affect those player’s penalty minutes. Reports are not required for this rule.

COMMENT: Double minors are considered 1 penalty.

Article X. SUSPENSIONS AND PROBATION

Section 10.01 Any player who is currently under suspension as the result of an ejection, game or gross misconduct or match penalty and/or any other violation of the league rules may be:

Suspended for any number of games at the discretion of Board of Directors during the regular season including playoffs and/or
Permanently expelled from the league

Section 10.02 Any individual player suspensions incurred will carry over into the playoffs and/or the next consecutive season.

Section 10.03 Any player who receives an indefinite suspension for any reason will remain suspended indefinitely pending a disciplinary hearing by the Board of Directors.

10.03. Comment: Anyone suspended indefinitely from the WPL must:

Wait a minimum 1 calendar year from when the disciplinary verdict is made before asking for a review from the WPL.
A reinstatement hearing may be granted at the discretion of the WPL Board of Directors.
It is the personal responsibility of each suspended player to make arrangements with the WPL for a disciplinary reinstatement hearing

Section 10.04 A player suspended for any reason as the result of his/her actions during a game will not be permitted to play for any team in the WPL including tournaments, until the suspension has been served in full for that team to which you were suspended from.

Section 10.05 A player suspended for any reason will not be permitted to be present on the bench during any WPL game.

Section 10.06. Any player attempting to play while suspended will be suspended indefinitely from the league. ID may be requested at any time from a player to verify identification during the Regular season, Playoffs, and Tournaments.

Article XI. INCIDENT REVIEW PROCESS

Section 11.01 The review committee is comprised of no less than three members of the WPL Board of Directors.

Section 11.02 Suspensions will follow a review procedure. These will be any major, match penalties or gross misconducts. The procedure will be as follows:

Game sheets and official write ups will be received
Write ups from both team GMs from the game will be requested
Discussions with both officials and GMs will be done if clarification of write ups is needed
Decisions will be made by the Board of Directors and GM’s will be notified. Decisions will be published on the WPL website.
All decisions made are FINAL
Any suspensions that are indefinite will require a disciplinary meeting before the player can play in the WPL again.

Article XII. FORFEITS

Section 12.01 A forfeit will be registered on the game sheet as a 1-0. The entire roster for the winning team will be registered for this game and will count towards playoff eligibility. Losing team will only have their starting goaltender rostered for this game.

Article XIII. GAME PLAY

Section 13.01 All games will be comprised of Two 15-minute ‘Straight-Time’ periods and one 18 min “Stop-Time”.

If after regulation time has expired, and the match is still tied, the match will continue into a single 3 minute straight time Period. No flood will be provided. Overtime format will be as follows:

A Three minute period of 3 on 3 "sudden death" format
If no winner is determined, then a "sudden death" shootout format will be used. The rules governing the shootout shall be the same as those listed under Section 13.04.

Section 13.02 Penalties on the scoreboard are 3-minute straight time during the 1^st and 2^nd period. 2-minute stop time during the 3^rd period. Double Minors are 6 mins in the 1st and 2nd period. 4 minutes in the 3rd.

Comment: Penalty minutes stats (PIM's) are recorded and totalized on the website based on the traditional Hockey Canada Rules. PIM stats do not reflect the actual total minutes used during WPL game play. PIM's on the website represent the anticipated PIM's registered in a normal game play situation.

Section 13.03 Awarding points - 3 points are awarded each game. No game will end in a tie.

3 points for a win
2 points for an overtime win
1 point for overtime loss
2 points for shootout win
1 point for shootout loss

Section 13.04 Shootout Format - During the regular season, if after the overtime period has expired, and the match is still tied, the match will continue into a single round 3-man shootout. No flood will be provided. Shootout format will be as follows:

Teams will not change ends for the shootout. The visiting team will shoot first. The teams shall alternate shots
3 players from each team shall participate in the shootout. All players are eligible to participate in the shootout unless they are serving a 10-minute misconduct or have been assessed a game misconduct, gross misconduct, or match penalty.
Each team will be given their shots unless the outcome is determined earlier in the shootout. After each team has taken three shots, if the score remains tied, the shootout will proceed to a “sudden death” format. No player may shoot twice until everyone who is eligible has shot.

Section 13.05 All teams must have a minimum of 6 skaters and a Goalie before a game will start. If no Goalie is on the ice a team must have a minimum of 7 skaters to start a game. Referees are encouraged to allow teams a 10 minutes grace period to allow a team to meet the minimum requirement. If after 10 minutes a team cannot field enough players, they forfeit the game.

Section 13.06 Icing the puck is completed the instant the puck crosses the goal line. Officials shall immediately blow their whistle, stopping play. For the purpose of this rule, the defensive blue line will be used to determine if an icing infraction may occur.

Automatic icing may be called or waived off based upon the discretion of the on-ice officials.
If the officials shall have erred in calling and icing infraction under any condition, the face-off shall take place at the center ice face-off spot.

Section 13.07 Each team will be permitted to take one-30 second time out during any game, regular season or playoffs. This time out must be taken during a normal stoppage of play.

Section 13.08 In the instance a goalie is struck in the head by a puck, the play will not be called dead unless;

The referee feels an injury occurred
An injury is visibly present *this call is strictly discretionary by the on-ice referee*

Section 13.09 Hurry Up Face Offs will be conducted on all faceoffs except at the start of a period or after a goal is scored. The procedure will be:

As soon as the official has determined that each team has had enough time to perform a line change, the official will blow their whistle.
Players will have five (5) seconds to line up for the ensuing face-off. At the end of the five (5) seconds (or sooner if both centers are ready), the official will conduct a proper face off.

Article XVI. Playoff Rules

Section 14.01 Time and Game Play:

Game play will use the same rules of play as the regular season.
Regulation Period length and time management will remain the same as the regular season

Section 14.02 Seeding order:

Points
Win %
Games Played
Wins
Goal differential
Goal Quotient

Comment: If your team is unable to proceed in the playoff round, please advise the league withing 48 hours of the end of the regular season. Your opponent will continue to the next round of the playoffs.

Section 14.03 Overtime:

If after regulation time has expired, and the match is still tied, the match will continue into a single 3 minute stop time period. No flood will be provided. Overtime format will be as follows:

Single Three minute stop time period of a 3 on 3 "sudden death" format
If no winner is determined, then a "sudden death" shootout format will be used. The rules governing the shootout shall be the same as those listed under Section 13.04.

Section 14.04 Quarterfinal Bracket

Each division will have a maximum of an 8 team Single Elimination playoff bracket. Each divisions quarterfinal playoff will be bracketed in the following way:
1. 1st vs 8th
2. 2nd vs 7th
3. 3rd vs 6th
4. 4th vs 5th

Comment: If the 8th seed is needing to be determined for any reason, the format will be a Single Round Elimination game.

Section 14.05 Semifinal Bracket (Re-Sorting)

The winner of each quarterfinal series will move onto the Semifinal round. The semifinals will feature re-sorting of the advanced seeds based on their regular season seeding record. Ex: Highest seed vs lowest seed.
The winner of each of those ensuing two series will advance to the division finals.
In each series Home team is determined based on the regular season records.

The WPL reserves the right to add to and/or amend the official league rules at any time as deemed necessary or appropriate by league administration

Last Amended Nov 15, 2023