Last Man Standing Hockey League

Last Updated Fri, Jun 27, 2025, 10:21 PM EST

1. 1. 1. 1. Rule 1.1.1 - clarification of Rule 1.1 Zero Tolerance Policy regarding out of context & bad faith reports Rule 2.13.1 – new expansion compensation options for teams losing player via OTW/MTW Rule 2.6 – updated for key S8/S5 schedule dates and details Rule 3.1 – updated min/max roster sizes for S8/S5; new RA limits for AHL teams Rule 3.2.1 – definition of regular season game played Rule 3.7 – playoff eligibility of players who finish season with GP in both NHL & AHL Rule 4.2 - updates to trading rules to reflect abolishment of 2ways & trading of NHL/AHL rookies Rule 4.3 – new trading rules for NHL Prospects & AHL Prospects Rule 4.5.2 - mid-season AHL RA draft Rule 5.2 - expanded to allow teams to wear latest Fanatics/Adidas jerseys or older retro jerseys
Rule 5.9 – simplified disconnection rules 3 4
1. 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION & CODE OF CONDUCT ............................................................................................................................................ 2 1.1. ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 1.1.1. BAD-FAITH REPORTS & OUT-OF-CONTEXT EVIDENCE ............................................................................................................. 3 1.2. CODE OF CONDUCT ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.2.1. REFUSING TO PLAY/REPORT TO TEAM – CURRENT SEASON + NEXT SEASON BAN ....................................................... 3 1.2.2. OTHER PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.3. VIOLATIONS OF COC & RULES ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.3. CHIRP CHANNEL ................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.4. RULE AMENDMENTS & UPDATES ................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.5. MID-SEASON RULE LOCK ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 LEAGUE OVERVIEW – STRUCTURE, SIGN UP REQUIREMENTS, AND SCHEDULE ................................................................. 5 2.1. TITLE & PLATFORMS; LEAGUE STRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2. DISCORD & LEAGUE WEBSITE - CHEL MACHINE – https://lmshl.chelmachine.com/ ................................................... 5 2.2.1. DISCORD VERIFICATION ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3. CURRENT SEASON + NEXT SEASON BAN – LEAVING DISCORD WITHOUT APPROVAL ................................................. 5 2.3.1. RIGHTS OF TEAMS REGARDING PLAYERS WHO HAVE LEFT MAIN LEAGUE DISCORD ................................................... 6 2.4. LMSHL & LMSAHL .............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.5. NHL & AHL CONFERENCES & DIVISIONS .................................................................................................................................... 6 2.6. GAME DAYS & TIMES; REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE ..............................................................................................................7 2.7. GAME DAYS & TIMES; PLAYOFF FORMAT & SCHEDULE; TIE BREAKERS ............................................................................7 2.8. PLAYOFF LINE POSTING REQUIREMENTS; PENALTIES; SANCTIONS .....................................................................................7 2.9. PLAYOFF TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE ...........................................................................................................................................7 2.10. LEAGUE GAME NIGHT REQUIREMENTS; AHL ROSTER/ECUS/PLAYER LOANS .................................................................. 8 2.11. LEAGUE OWNERS; APPOINTMENT & REMOVAL; DISCIPLINARY POLICY ........................................................................... 8 2.11.1. OWNERS MUST END SEASON ON TEAM OWNED AT START OF SEASON ............................................................................ 8 2.12. TEAM MANAGEMENT; APPOINTMENT & REMOVAL ................................................................................................................... 8 2.13. OWNERSHIP & MANAGEMENT TRANSFER WINDOW (OTW/MTW) ...................................................................................... 9 2.13.1. Loss of Rostered Player - Compensation Options .................................................................................................................... 9 2.14. PLAYER ACQUISITION & INITIAL ROSTER BUILDING ............................................................................................................... 9 LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 – PLAYER CONTRACT TYPES & ICE TIME RULES .......................................................................... 10 3.1. LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 TEAMS & CONTRACT TYPE ............................................................................................................... 10 3.1.1. DESIGNATING OVERLY SKILLED PLAYERS TO AHL ROSTER ................................................................................................ 10 5 3.1.1. 3.1.2. 3.2. 3.2.1. 3.3. 3.4. 3.5. 3.5.1. 3.6. 3.7. 3.8. 4. REMOVAL FROM AHL DUE TO LEGEND STATUS – REGULAR SEASON ...............................................................................11 REMOVAL FROM AHL DUE TO LEGEND STATUS – OFF-SEASON ..........................................................................................11 REGULAR SEASON LMSHL/LMSAHL ICE TIME REQUIREMENT ............................................................................................ 12 DEFINITION OF GAME PLAYED; EXCEPTIONS – REGULAR SEASON ................................................................................... 12 REGULAR SEASON LMSHL/LMSAHL MAXIMUM GAMES ALLOWED LIMIT ....................................................................... 12 LMSHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY – PLAYERS ..................................................................................................... 12 LMSHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY – TEAM ............................................................................................................ 12 FAILURE TO COMPLY; PENALTIES & SANCTIONS ................................................................................................................... 12 LMSAHL CALDER CUP PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY - PLAYER & TEAM ........................................................................................ 13 PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS WHO TRANSFER BETWEEN LEAGUES ....................................................................... 13 LMSHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF & LMSAHL CALDER CUP PLAYOFF – GAMES PER ROUND ...................................... 13 3.8.1. “PLAYED GAME” DEFINED .............................................................................................................................................................. 14 3.8.2. STARTING GOALIE EXCEPTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.9. LMSHL/LMSAHL PLAYOFF MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS ........................................................................................................ 14 TRANSACTIONS – TRADES; FREE AGENCY; RAs; WAIVERS; INJURY RESERVE .................................................................. 15 4.1. TRADES ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 4.1.1. INITIAL POSTING OF TRADES TO LEAGUE DISCORD .............................................................................................................. 15 4.1.2. LEAGUE REVIEW & APPROVAL REQUIRED ................................................................................................................................ 15 4.1.3. THE FAIRNESS & COMPETITION COMMITTEE (FCC) ............................................................................................................... 15 4.1.4. PROHIBITED TRADES & TRADE-RELATED ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................................... 16 ADDITIONAL TRADING RULES BY CONTRACT TYPE (NHL ROSTER/AHL ROSTER) ........................................................ 17 ADDITIONAL TRADING RULES BY PROSPECT STATUS .......................................................................................................... 17 4.4. TRADE REQUESTS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 FREE AGENCY – NEW PLAYER ASSIGNMENT ........................................................................................................................... 18 4.5.1. FREE AGENCY – DROPPING A PLAYER ...................................................................................................................................... 18 4.5.2. REPORTING FA DROPS IN DISCORD ........................................................................................................................................... 19 LMSAHL SEASON 5: RANDOM ASSIGNMENTS (RAs) ............................................................................................................. 20 RA – TRADE AVAILABILITY & CALL UPS .................................................................................................................................. 20 4.6.2. RULE 4.5.2. — LMSAHL SEASON 5: MID-SEASON RA DRAFT ............................................................................................ 20 LMSHL SEASON 8/LMSAHL SEASON 5: PLAYER CALL-UPS & WAIVERS ......................................................................... 21 4.7.1. PLAYER CALL-UPS (ROSTER VACANCY) ................................................................................................................................... 22 4.7.2. PLAYER CALL-UPS & WAIVERS (NO ROSTER VACANCY) .................................................................................................... 23 OFF-SEASON AHL ROSTER PLAYER NHL DRAFT DECLARATION ........................................................................................ 24 4.2. 4.3. 4.5. 4.6. 4.6.1. 4.7. 4.8. 6 4.9. INJURY RESERVE (IR) .................................................................................................................................................................... 25 4.10. LMSHL GAME NIGHT EMERGENCY CALL-UPs (AHL ECUs) .................................................................................................. 25 4.11. LMSAHL GAME NIGHT ECUs ......................................................................................................................................................... 26 4.12. PLAYER LOAN PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................................................... 27
IN-GAME RULES .................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 5.1. CLUB SET UP ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 5.1.1. S8/S5 IN-GAME SCORE BOARD ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................. 28 5.2. TEAM CUSTOMIZATION .................................................................................................................................................................. 28 5.3. PLAYER CUSTOMIZATION.............................................................................................................................................................. 28 5.4. PLAYER BUILD & X-FACTOR RESTRICTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 28 5.5. GAMEPLAY RESTRICTIONS ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 5.6. SERVER ELECTIONS & PRE-GAME LOBBY SET UP; PRIVATE GAME PASSWORDS ....................................................... 29 5.7. POST-GAME REQUIREMENTS; SCREENSHOT ........................................................................................................................... 29 5.8. GOAL AHEAD / MERCY RULE ....................................................................................................................................................... 30 5.9. DISCONNECTS – CPU SKATER OR IMMEDIATE RESTART OPTIONS .................................................................................. 31 5.10. FORFEITS & LATE START ............................................................................................................................................................... 32 5.10.1. FORFEITS DISFAVORED .................................................................................................................................................................. 32 5.10.2. LATE STARTS - GRACE PERIOD; DELAY OF GAME PENALTY; FORFEIT LOSS. .................................................... 32 5.10.3. RESCHEDULES TO BE PLAYED ASAP ............................................................................................................................. 33 5.10.4. TOO MANY COOKS ............................................................................................................................................................. 33 5.10.5. NO SHOW TEAMS ............................................................................................................................................................... 33
RULE VIOLATIONS, DISCIPLINE, AND OTHER DISPUTES ........................................................................................................... 34 6.1. PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR AND RULE VIOLATIONS ................................................................................................................... 34 6.2. BAN BUY-OUT POLICY AND PROCEDURE ................................................................................................................................ 34
MISCELLANEOUS ................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 7.1. PRE-SEASON PREDICTIONS; STARS OF THE NIGHT; PLAYERS OF THE WEEK; EOS AWARDS ................................... 34 7.2. OFF-SEASON EVENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 34 7.3. LMSHL SEASON 8 SALARY CAP – INFORMATION & PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE ......................................... 35 7.4. FINAL WORD ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 7.4.1. LAST MAN STANDING VS. LAST MAN READING… ................................................................................................................... 35 APPENDIX 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ i 2
INTRODUCTION & CODE OF CONDUCT COMMISSIONER SHIZZ SAYS: “AS THE FOUNDER AND COMMISSIONER OF THE LMSHL, ALLOW ME TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR LEAGUE & SAY THANK YOU FOR JOINING AND ACTUALLY LOOKING AT OUR RULES! THROUGHOUT THE RULEBOOK, PLEASE LOOK FOR MORE OF THESE “SHIZZ SAYS” BOXES THAT EMPHASIZE EASY TO MISS BUT IMPORTANT LMSHL RULES. THANKS AGAIN & SEE YOU ON THE ICE!” Welcome to the Last Man Standing Hockey League! The LMSHL is a two-tier, EA SPORTS NHL WOC “keeper league” that uses real life NHL & AHL teams, drafts prospects each off-season, includes a salary cap, and rolls over most team rosters season to season. For LMSHL S8 and LMSAHL S5, the League will include forty (40) individually-owned teams— 20 NHL teams & 20 AHL affiliates. Each league is split into two conferences and four divisions. Both the LMSHL and LMSAHL are EA SPORTS NHL 6v6 online teamplay leagues played exclusively on current-gen consoles: PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S. Games are played Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 8:15/8:50/9:25 PM EST. Founded in June 2023, the LMSHL has grown from one league with six teams to two leagues with forty teams in just over a year. The League Discord is now proudly home to over 1,250 EA SPORTS NHL players. LMSHL Seasons 1 and 2 were played on NHL 23 and included Xbox-only and PS5-only clubs, with human goalies added in Season 2. LMSHL Seasons 3-5 and LMSAHL Seasons 1-2 were played on NHL 24, 6v6 with full cross-platform play. LMSHL S6/S7 and LMSAHL S3/S4 were played on NHL 25. LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 will be the League's final seasons on NHL 25, with the League transitioning to NHL 26 for LMSHL S9/LMSAHL S6. To help our League continue to grow and thrive through the release of NHL 26 and beyond, the LMSHL Commissioner, Executive Committee, Admin Team, NHL Owners, and AHL Owners collectively ask all League members to review, understand, & adhere to these revised and updated Official League Rules (“Rules”). These Rules are intended to, among other things, set player expectations, clarify common questions about League play, limit toxic and abusive behavior, ensure competitive fairness, and establish the standard of good conduct & sportsmanship we expect from all LMS participants, including League officials, Owners, Management, and Players. 1.1. ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY LMS ADMINS & DISCIPLINE DEPARTMENT ENFORCE A STRICT ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR BIGOTRY, HATE SPEECH, DISCRIMINATION & HARASSMENT OF ANY KIND BASED ON A PERSON’S RACE, ETHNICITY, DISABILITY, SEX, GENDER IDENTITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, RELIGION, OR OTHER PROTECTED CHARACTERISTIC. THIS POLICY APPLIES AT ALL TIMES EVERYWHERE TO ALL PERSONS WHO VOLUNTARILY CHOOSE TO PLAY IN LMS LEAGUES. LMS PLAYERS ARE ADVISED THEY MAY VIOLATE THIS POLICY AND BE SUBJECT TO LEAGUE DISCIPLINE WHILE USING COMMUNICATIONS OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, VOICE & CHAT COMMS WITHIN ALL LMS LEAGUE & TEAM DISCORDS, COMMS & DISCORDS OF OTHER CHEL LEAGUES, VOIP AND TEXT MESSAGING THROUGH CHEL AND OVER XBOX & PLAYSTATION NETWORK, PRIVATE/DIRECT MESSAGES BETWEEN PLAYERS USING ANY APP OR PLATFORM, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, FORUM SUBMISSIONS, AND/OR ANY OTHER FORM OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER KIND OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PLAYERS. VIOLATIONS OF THIS POLICY MAY RESULT IN SUCH DISCIPLINE AS THE LEAGUE’S DISCIPLINE DEPARTMENT & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DEEMS APPROPRIATE, UP TO AND INCLUDING PERMANENT LEAGUE BANS. 3 1.1.1. BAD-FAITH REPORTS & OUT-OF-CONTEXT EVIDENCE While the League maintains a zero tolerance policy, reports made in bad faith—including attempts to dig up outdated, off-platform, or out-of-context statements to "cancel" a player, gain a competitive advantage/cause a competitive disruption (e.g., just before a key game/playoff series), and/or as a means to harass another player, owner, or team— may result in disciplinary action against the reporting party. The League will generally not discipline players and/or impose lesser discipline for conduct occurring outside LMSHL than within LMSHL League & Team Discords unless:
1. 1. 1. The conduct is egregious, threatening, and/or criminal in nature; The conduct occurred while the player was a current member of the League; The report is timely and made in good faith, not for strategic or retaliatory purposes; and The reporting party was either the target of the conduct or a first-hand witness to it when it occurred. The Discipline Department, Executive Committee, Deputy Commissioners, and League Commissioner reserve the discretion to evaluate all reports made under Rule 1.1 on a case-by-case basis and to decline to act on reports intended to weaponize the League’s zero tolerance policy. 1.2. CODE OF CONDUCT 1.2.1. REFUSING TO PLAY/REPORT TO TEAM – CURRENT SEASON + NEXT SEASON BAN LMS is NOT a BYOT or “Pick Your Own Team” League. Players should find a different League if they want to only play with their friends or on a team owned by a buddy. All LMS players MUST show up and play for the team who drafts, trades for, or otherwise acquires them. A player may not refuse to play for a particular team, refuse a trade, refuse to report after being drafted, or quit a team to become a free agent or be acquired by a new team. This and similar behavior WILL result in an current season + next season ban for players who violate this fundamental League rule, subject to the review & discretion of the LMSHL Discipline Dept, Exec Committee, and Commissioner. 1.2.2. OTHER PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR All LMS participants are expected to behave reasonably towards one another, regardless of skill level or League tenure. League members are prohibited from engaging in disruptive conduct/behavior, which may include but is not limited to: A. Personal attacks, bullying, harassment – the LMSHL & LMSAHL are adult leagues & reasonable trash talk & friendly/competitive chirping is permitted in appropriate Discord channels, however, excessive harassment, bullying, and personal attacks unrelated to virtual hockey are strictly prohibited B. C. D. E. F. G. H. Zero tolerance for bigotry or hate speech, including but not limited to racism, sexism, most -ism’s really Posting offensive, indecent or explicit images or content Threatening others with violence and/or encouraging self-harm of others or themselves Spamming chat channels, promoting illegal activity or malicious websites or practices Revealing or sharing other people’s personal information to doxx them Playing w/ yourself in-game or out of game while not in Discord Use of in-game skater names, Discord Names, or online account names that violate these Rules 4 I. Unfair and unsportsmanlike behavior – this may include, but is not limited to, rage quitting, leaving games early, puck ragging, repeated delay of game penalties, forced fights, no showing games, going AFK while in a game, repeatedly showing up late to games, sharing internal team lineups, strategies, and locker room discussions with league opponents or any unauthorized third parties, and all similar behavior. J. K. L. Exploiting and/or scamming members; manipulating or creating false evidence in game/player reports False accusations of racism, harassment of any kind, or violations of these LMS Rules Leaving the League Discord while rostered on and/or under contract with an NHL or AHL team M. Knowingly “smurfing” (i.e., misrepresenting League/CHEL experience when signing up or otherwise deliberately playing in or assigning players to AHL despite these players being clearly NHL skill-level) N. Illegal trades, bad faith roster manipulation, bad faith trades, particularly related to a player’s availability; the use of players, clubs, or teams not on an LMS roster or affiliated with LMSHL; O. Tampering (i.e., member of management communicating with another team’s roster player about a trade without permission) and insubordination (i.e., member of management negotiating or agreeing to trades not authorized by their owner; non-management members contacting other teams re: trades or signings, etc. 1.2.3. VIOLATIONS OF COC & RULES Any substantiated violation of the letter, intent, purpose, or spirit of the rules above and anywhere within the Rulebook, including but not limited to Rule 1.1, will result in immediate review and possible disciplinary action as may be determined and/or recommended by the League’s Discipline Department. All player disciplinary action may be subject to the review and discretion of the League’s Executive Committee and Commissioner. 1.3. CHIRP CHANNEL LMS participants and Discord members who verify they are at least 18 years old may be given access to the League’s #chirp-channel in the main League Discord. In #chirp-channel, players may discuss more off-topic adult subjects, use more colorful language, engage in more aggressive trash talk, and offer more candid critiques of their fellow League players than what is permitted in #players-chat and other Discord channels. 1.4. RULE AMENDMENTS & UPDATES The LMSHL Commissioner & Executive Committee may amend and update these Rules at any time. The League may also discipline any member that violates the letter, intent, or spirit of these Rules. League officials may provide rule updates, guidance, interpretations, or directions to members via Discord. These communications are intended to assist League members in understanding the Rules and must be followed, though they should not be considered formal League rules unless specifically identified as such. For the avoidance of doubt, notwithstanding Rule 1.5, the Commissioner and XC reserve the right to evaluate all incidents and matters on a case-by-case basis and to take any action or no action to address all conduct or behavior that impacts the LMSHL community in any way. 1.5. MID-SEASON RULE LOCK In response to player and community feedback, the League’s Rules Committee has recommended and the XC has adopted a mid-season rules lock/rule change cutoff or any rule changes, modifications, or corrections to the current League Rulebook. The date for S8/S5 is Wednesday, July 30, 2025 @ 5:00 PM EST. 5 LEAGUE OVERVIEW – STRUCTURE, SIGN UP REQUIREMENTS, AND SCHEDULE TITLE & PLATFORMS; LEAGUE STRUCTURE
2.1. The LMSHL & LMSAHL will begin S8/S5 regular season play on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. LMS is a 6v6 (5 human skaters & 1 human goalie per side, per game) league playing NHL 25 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms only. Shortly before the start of S6/S3, LMS revamped its internal league governance structure. Please see Appendix I. 2.2. DISCORD & LEAGUE WEBSITE - CHEL MACHINE – https://lmshl.chelmachine.com/ All LMS members must join and remain a member of the primary LMSHL League Discord. Once assigned to a team, all players must join and remain a member of their respective team Discords. Team Owners and Management must be responsive in the main Discord for the purposes of following League news, arranging games with opposing management, and communicating with players and League Admins. Beginning with the Season 3 Off-Season Worlds Tournament, the League has used CHELMachine for automated stat tracking generated by the EA SPORTS NHL API. All LMS players must be registered and assigned to their in-game team on CHEL Machine to be eligible to play in League games. Players should contact their management and owners with any questions regarding CHELMachine or Discord. Please report any errors on the website to the Leage Admins. 2.2.1. DISCORD VERIFICATION All League members must be VERIFIED within the League’s main Discord. Verification is a quick and easy process that helps to limit and prevent ban circumvention, as well as alternate or double tagging by League players. ANY TEAM THAT PLAYS A LEAGUE GAME WITH AN UNVERIFIED PLAYER MAY BE REQUIRED TO FORFEIT THE GAME ONCE IT IS CONFIRMED BY THE ADMIN TEAM THAT AN UNVERIFIED PLAYER WAS USED. In most cases, the League will not cause a team to take FFLs for the use of an unverified player over more than a single calendar day. However, owners and management may receive strikes for the use of an unverified player or player who has left Discord in addition to FFLs as determined in the discretion of the Admins & Commissioners. Please visit #verify & #verify-help channels in Discord for more info. 2.3. CURRENT SEASON + NEXT SEASON BAN – LEAVING DISCORD WITHOUT APPROVAL Any LMS player on an LMSHL or LMSAHL team who: (1) leaves the main League Discord without prior Admin approval; (2) evidences an intent to quit/abandon their team and the League; and (3) fails to return within 72 hours, may receive an automatic ban for the remainder of the current season + the entirety of the LMSHL’s following season, as determined by the League Discipline Department and Admins. A. A player will be determined to have “evidenced an intent to quit/abandon their team and the League” if the player has: (i) directly told their team management or League Admins that they are quitting; or (b) failed to communicate with management or Admins at all prior to quitting. If a player is not present in the main League Discord on a gameday and plays for his NHL/AHL team, that team may be required to forfeit the game once confirmed by the Admin Team. Any player banned under this rule is ineligible to be played on IR and must be dropped to FA by their current team. The player may appeal their ban to the League’s Discipline Department and/or Executive Committee, who may affirm, reverse, or modify the players’ ban at their discretion. This Policy may be relaxed in the off-season and/or under special circumstances. Players should confirm in Discord. B. C. 6 2.3.1. RIGHTS OF TEAMS REGARDING PLAYERS WHO HAVE LEFT MAIN LEAGUE DISCORD Any player who has left the main LMS League Discord is not considered a “player” in the LMSHL or LMSAHL. If they do not return in 72 hours and are banned for the remainder of the season + following season, teams MUST use #drop-to- fa to remove the player from their roster. Players banned under Rule 2.3 are not eligible to be placed on IR. SHIZZ SAYS: “THERE ARE ONLY 3 BASIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS TO PLAY IN THE LMSHL AND THEY AREN’T COMPLICATED: (1) BE A VERIFIED MEMBER OF THE MAIN LEAGUE DISCORD; (2) BE A MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM DISCORD; (3) BE REGISTERED AND SIGNED UP FOR CHELMACHINE. YET HALF THE LEAGUE CAN’T FIGURE IT OUT.” 2.4. LMSHL & LMSAHL In January 2024, due to a rapid increase in players during the Season 3 off-season, LMS introduced the LMSAHL as a companion league to the LMSHL. LMSAHL games are played at the same times and usually between the same AHL organizations as the NHL game (i.e., Devils vs. Rangers, Comets vs. Wolf Pack, both Tuesday night @ 8:15 PM). Games, standings, and stats for the LMSAHL are tracked independently on CHEL Machine, including individual player cards, automated stat tracking, player & team leader tables, Discord integration, pre-season, playoffs, LMSAHL Cup Finals, pre-season predictions, awards, and an All-Star Game. After LMSHL S5/LMSAHL S3, the League split its NHL and AHL moreso than ever before by allowing each AHL team to be owned by another owner than their affiliated NHL owner, and also introduced an AHL Entry Draft and AHL Roster Players to the League and League Discord. Rules governing this split and the relationship between Leagues and affiliated NHL/AHL teams, management, and owners are set forth herein. 2.5. NHL & AHL CONFERENCES & DIVISIONS Both the LMSHL and LMSAHL are divided into two conferences featuring 10 teams each – the Eastern and Western Conferences. Within the NHL & AHL Eastern Conferences are two divisions – the Metro and Atlantic. Within the NHL & AHL Western Conferences are two divisions – the Central and Pacific. There are 5 teams per division. 7 GAME DAYS & TIMES; REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE 2.6. All LMSHL and LMSAHL League regular season games are played the same three days of the week each week – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with game 1 at 8:15 PM EST, game 2 at 8:50 PM EST, and game 3 at 9:25 PM EST. LMSHL Season 8 and LMSAHL Season 5 regular season will last from June 2025 to August 2025. Teams will play their divisional opponents 8x, their conference opponents 4x, and their cross-conference opponent 2x, for a total of 72 games to be played across 8 weeks (9 games/week). The League will also continue with waivers/call-ups during the Regular Season prior to the Trade Deadline. The LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 Trade Deadline is Wednesday, July 30 @ 5:00 PM. 2.7. GAME DAYS & TIMES; PLAYOFF FORMAT & SCHEDULE; TIE BREAKERS All LMSHL Stanley Cup and LMSAHL Calder Cup playoff games are played the same three days of the week each round – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Games 1-3 being played Wednesday @ 8:15, 8:50, and 9:25 PM EST; Games 4-6 being played Thursday @ 8:15, 8:50, and 9:25 PM EST; and Game 7 (if necessary) being played at 8:15 PM EST on Friday. Both the NHL and AHL playoffs follow the current NHL divisional playoff format & feature the top 8 teams in each conference (16/20 total teams make playoffs) playing Best-of-7 each Round under the following parameters: • Round 1: division winner with best record in each conference plays against wild-card team with the lesser record; wild card team with the better record will play the other division winner; teams finishing 2nd & 3rd in each division will meet within the bracket headed by their respective division winners • It is possible for 1 division to send 5 teams to playoffs (1-3, WC1, WC2) while the other sends only 3 (1-3) • Second Round: First-round winners within each bracket play to determine participants in Conference Finals 2.8. PLAYOFF LINE POSTING REQUIREMENTS; PENALTIES; SANCTIONS All teams must post their playoff lineups prior to game time. The away team must post no later than 1 hour before game time and the home team must post no later than 30 mins before game time. Late lines and illegal substitutions/lines not matching the 6 playing the game will result in the following penalties—1st time offense: 2 min penalty to start game; 2nd time offense—back to back 2 minute penalties and management strike; 3rd time offense—3 consecutive penalties to start game, management & owner strikes; 4th time offense & beyond—automatic forfeit loss. 2.9. PLAYOFF TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the standing of the teams is determined by: (1) the greater number of total games won (OT wins + regulation wins); (2) the greater number of games won in regulation; (3) head-to-head record (i.e., the greater number of points earned in games against each other among two or more tied clubs); and (4) goal differential - the greater difference between goals for and against for the entire regular season; and (5) if all previous 4 metrics do not determine a team’s final playoff seed, the teams shall play a 1-game head to head where the winner receives the higher seed. 8 2.10. LEAGUE GAME NIGHT REQUIREMENTS; AHL ROSTER/ECUS/PLAYER LOANS All teams must have a line-up of 6 players ready for League nights to play their club’s NHL or AHL League games. The correct LMS clubs and only rostered players and permitted RAs and ECUs may be used for LMS games. The schedule for home/away must be strictly followed to ensure correct stat tracking from EA’s and the League's API. The use of a different club or ineligible player may result in an automatic FFL for the team who used the wrong club and/or player. For LMSHL S8, NHL teams may use AHL Roster players as ECUs on Game Nights and AHL teams may utilize the Player Loan Program or request free agent ECUs to be assigned to their team, subject to the restrictions contained herein. Please carefully review Rule ___ (NHL use of AHL Roster ECUs) AHL Management should contact LMS Admins to request an emergency free agent to fill in for an AHL roster spot. If no free agents are available, or if a team requires 3 or more free agents in the AHL, the team should instead reschedule their games to the upcoming weekend or FFL the games if cannot be rescheduled. 2.11. All LMS owners must be approved and recommended for ownership by the League HR Department and Executive Committee. Any new owner should be recommended by at least two (2) current Owners in good standing with the League. Upon favorable review and recommendation by HR and the XC, Owners are appointed at the discretion of the Commissioner and may be removed at any time for a violation of these Rules and/or for other good cause shown. Owners may not transfer ownership of their teams unless the transfer & transferee are approved by the League. Owners are held to the highest possible standards of league conduct and must strictly adhere to all Rules at all times, as well as a LEAGUE OWNERS; APPOINTMENT & REMOVAL; DISCIPLINARY POLICY separate Owner Conduct & Discipline Policy. Disciplinary matters concerning League Owners are handled exclusively by the League Commissioner & Deputy Commissioners. Owner disciplinary decisions will be shared with the League in the #lmshl-rulings channel. The Commissioners will generally enforce a “2-strike” policy for Owners, issuing a warning, 1st strike, and 2nd strike, where a 2nd and final strike will result in an individual’s loss of ownership privileges. Penalties for warnings and strikes are determined at the discretion of the League Commissioners and may include but are not limited to, loss of draft picks, loss of players, loss of Discord privileges, and loss of games. 2.11.1. OWNERS MUST END SEASON ON TEAM OWNED AT START OF SEASON All LMSHL & LMSAHL owners must end the current season on the same team they owned to begin the season. LMS is a “keeper league’” that largely rolls over its rosters and allows teams to make trades and draft players that will impact the League and League players in the current season and future seasons. Ownership of an LMSHL or LMSAHL team is therefore a serious commitment that should not be undertaken if an individual feels they cannot commit to at least a full season of ownership. Owners may not step done from ownership and be traded to a different LMSHL or LMSAHL team during the season. Any Owner who fails to complete a full season of ownership will receive a minimum 5-season ownership ban at the discretion of the League Commissioners. 2.12. TEAM MANAGEMENT; APPOINTMENT & REMOVAL Owners must appoint a GM to their team and may also appoint an AGM. The appointment or removal of a manager within a club is generally at the owner's discretion and does not require League approval, however, any management appointment must comply with all League rules and disciplinary decisions. Owners may also trade players they have appointed to management positions. Teams must designate their GM/AGM on their Main League Discord Team Channel 9 Rosters & also ensure that they have the appropriate Team Mgmt Role and NHL/AHL Management Roles. While the League generally does not review or involve itself with an owner's management decisions, the League may investigate where it is believed or alleged a violation of these League rules has occurred. Owners, GMs, and AGMs at both NHL & AHL level are locked under NHL/AHL contracts for their teams and Leagues.RAs are not permitted to be members of LMSAHL Management. 2.13. OWNERSHIP & MANAGEMENT TRANSFER WINDOW (OTW/MTW) At the beginning of each off-season, new Owners of LMSHL & LMSAHL expansion teams may be permitted to acquire one (1) player to be named their team's GM for the following season. These acquisitions will be permitted over a defined period of days known as the Management Transfer Window (MTW). This can be any person except another LMS Owner, including any player new to the League, free agents, and current LMS rostered players. For all acquisitions, the player to be acquired must consent to the transfer. Players acquired via MTW are ineligible to be traded the following season and must remain on the acquiring team's management until the end of the playoffs unless an exception by the Admin Team is granted. No team can lose more than 1 player to MTW and OTW transfers in the same off-season. 2.13.1. Loss of Rostered Player - Compensation Options If an expansion team acquires a rostered player via OTW/MTW, team losing the roster player has two options: (1) Accept a League compensation pick for the NHL or AHL Entry Draft based on the salary cap tier of the player who was lost as an MTW/OTW; or (2) Decline the League compensation pick and be exempt from the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft. When a team losing a player to OTW/MTW declines the compensation pick, a third round comp pick will be awarded to the expansion team to allow them to reach the required number of roster players. For example, during an off-season when the league expands by two teams, every NHL team is expected to supply one (1) player to the expansion teams via the Expansion Draft. However, for the NHL teams who lost a player to own or GM the expansion teams, those teams will be exempt from the expansion draft having already supplied their one (1) player to the expansion team. While it is unlikely the League will require teams to lose more than one player in any upcoming expansion draft, in the event teams are expected to supply more than one player, teams losing a player to MTW/OTW will be expected to participate in the expansion draft and lose one (1) less player than they would have otherwise. 2.14. PLAYER ACQUISITION & INITIAL ROSTER BUILDING Every off-season, the LMSHL and LMSAHL hold entry drafts for players new to the League. Players may become eligible for the drafts in various ways, including playing in qualifying off-season tournaments, such as LMS World Junior Championship, or playing the prior season in the LMSAHL as a Random Assignment/RA. As the League continues to grow and expand, it is expected the League will hold off-season expansion drafts where expansion teams select from unprotected roster players on existing/returning LMSHL and LMSAHL teams. The rules for each off-season expansion and entry drafts will be set and specifics provided as soon as practicable each off-season. As noted elsewhere, LMS is not a “BYOT” league and players must report to the teams that draft them or acquire them in the off-season. The failure to do so will result in automatic discipline up to and including being banned from the League. 10 LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 – PLAYER CONTRACT TYPES & ICE TIME RULES LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 TEAMS & CONTRACT TYPE
3.1. LMSHL S8 & LMSAHL S5 will feature twenty (20) organizations consisting of an LMSHL team & LMSAHL team. All organizations must maintain an NHL Roster 14-16 players subject to a $95m salary cap. AHL teams may have up to 16 B. players total between AHL Roster and RAs. AHL Teams are expected to use a combination of AHL Roster and randomly assigned (RA) players in regular season and playoffs. A. NHL ROSTER – 14 to 16 players required; subject to $95m S8 Salary Cap; NHL Roster players are expected to be the best players in a single NHL/AHL organization; they are eligible for NHL regular season and playoff games only; they are ineligible for AHL Regular Season or Calder Cup Playoffs; can be traded for NHL Roster/NHL draft picks (does not have to be 1 for 1) but cannot be traded for AHL players or picks; can be waived to AHL Roster (subject to waiver claims). AHL ROSTER – no minimum up to 16 players @ soft salary cap; AHL teams will continuously receive RAs as available throughout the regular season; AHL Roster players are eligible for AHL Regular Season, AHL Playoffs, and to ECU in the NHL Regular Season and NHL Playoffs; AHL Roster can be traded only for other AHL rostered players (does not have to be 1 for 1); can play unlimited AHL games during regular season (no game max); First round NHL draft picks & players of a certain salary minimum/tier or those players selected to the Legends List are ineligible for AHL Roster designation. AHL RA – no minimum up to a max of 4 RAs; eligible for AHL regular season; cannot be called up to AHL Roster; no game max; ineligible for AHL Playoffs; eligible for mid-season RA draft; any remaining RAs at season end released to S9/S6 drafts; for LMSAHL S5, AHL teams may carry a limited number of RAs as follows— • 10 or less AHL roster—up to 4 RAs • 11 AHL roster—up to 3 RAs • 12 AHL Roster—up to 2 RAs • 13 AHL Roster—1 RA • 14 or more AHL roster—0 RAs. 3.1.1. DESIGNATING OVERLY SKILLED PLAYERS TO AHL ROSTER Teams are prohibited from knowingly assigning overly skilled players to AHL Roster status. Players of a certain skill must be assigned NHL Roster status or traded to a team that can accommodate them so that they play only in the LMSHL. In general, players who have played in the LGHL, LGAHL, or leagues of comparable skill are by default considered “too highly skilled” for the LMSAHL and may not be assigned AHL Roster contracts. This is not the only criteria as it is possible for players who have never played NHL/AHL LG to be too skilled for the LMSAHL as well. These players will be judged on a case-by-case basis primarily by the FCC with final decisions made by the League Executive Committee, Commissioner, and supported by the advice & recommendations of LMSAHL Admins. C. 11 3.1.1. REMOVAL FROM AHL DUE TO LEGEND STATUS – REGULAR SEASON Both the League Admins and AHL Admins will continuously evaluate the competition and top players in the LMSAHL. In exceptional cases, the League may require a player who is clearly too skilled from the LMSAHL to be called up to their NHL team from AHL Roster during the regular season. In such cases, the NHL team may need to make appropriate roster moves to accommodate the call-up, including trading the player to another team if the NHL team has no room on their NHL Roster. One criteria that may be used by the League and/or LMSAHL Admins to determine a player subject to a mandatory call-up is any player who is in excess of 3.5/4.0 points per game in the LMSAHL, though this is not the only or controlling criteria the LMSAHL Admins or League Admins may consider. The League expects to only mandate mid- season call-ups in extremely rare circumstances. A. Use of IR for Legends List Call-Ups – notwithstanding any other restrictions on the use of IR, NHL teams may place a mandatory call-up on IR for a maximum period of 9 League games (1 game week) to allow greater flexibility to roster or trade the player. After 9 League games have passed since the call-up, the player will be considered NHL Roster of their NHL team and their cap hit counted towards the team’s overall cap. Games played out of roster or cap compliance by the NHL team will result in FFLs. 3.1.2. REMOVAL FROM AHL DUE TO LEGEND STATUS – OFF-SEASON Both the League Admins and AHL Admins will continuously evaluate the competition and top players in the LMSAHL. After every season, the LMSAHL Admins will release a list (the “Legends List”) of players who—in their assessment— are too skilled for the LMSAHL and should play next season in the LMSHL. One criteria that may be used by the LMSAHL Admins is any player who is in excess of 3.5/4.0 points per game in the LMSAHL, though this is not the only or controlling criteria the LMSAHL Admins or League Admins may consider. The LMSAHL Admins will release the seasonal Legends List immediately after the regular season ends, and once accepted by the Commissioner, the players will be considered NHL Roster players and under the control of their organization’s NHL Owner. The NHL Owners can decide whether to keep or trade the player at that time. SHIZZ WARNS : TEAMS ARE REMINDED THAT THE LEAGUE SPENT AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE OFF-SEASON TO CREATE AND FOSTER TRUE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE LMSHL AND LMSAHL, INCLUDING A REAL SKILL GAP. OWNERS & MANAGEMENT WHO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THESE EFFORTS BY ASSIGNING PLAYERS WHO DO NOT BELONG IN THE LMSAHL AHL ROSTER CONTRACTS WILL FACE SIGNIFICANT SANCTIONS FOR DOING SO. WHO DOES NOT BELONG IN THE a FOR S4? WE KNOW THESE PLAYERS WHEN WE SEE THEM, BUT AS A RULE OF THUMB, IF YOU’RE IN THE N, A, OR E OF ANOTHER POPULAR 6V6 LEAGUE, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS IN THE LMSAHL AND SHOULD BE ASSIGNED AN NHL ROSTER SPOT. 12 3.2. REGULAR SEASON LMSHL/LMSAHL ICE TIME REQUIREMENT Owners and general managers are expected to play their entire roster during the regular season. Teams must prioritize playing drafted and returning LMSHL players over newly acquired RAs, who should be used as ECUs and are permitted to play in the AHL only. While there is no minimum games played per season or per week for rostered players, teams must have qualified a reasonable/sufficient amount of players for both the NHL and AHL playoffs at the end of the season. The eligibility requirements for playoffs are set forth in the sections below. 3.2.1. DEFINITION OF GAME PLAYED; EXCEPTIONS – REGULAR SEASON During the regular season, the 6 players who load into the game and play the majority of the game at 1 of the 6 available positions will be credited with the game played. In other words, if Team A’s LW1 disconnects after the 2nd period and cannot return, and another player replaces him at LW (LW2), and the game ends in regulation, LW1 gets credit for the game played and LW2 does not. However, if the game were to go 3-4 OTs, LW2 would get credit for the GP. Teams cannot credit more than 6 players per game with a GP for any particular game. Players may also receive GP credit for FFWs provided the winning team had a full lineup of 6 players ready to go at game time. Any unusual circumstances such as the foregoing should be recorded with dates and details on the team’s roster channel in Discord. 3.3. REGULAR SEASON LMSHL/LMSAHL MAXIMUM GAMES ALLOWED LIMIT For LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5— A. NHL Roster – unlimited NHL games; 0 AHL games permitted B. AHL Roster – unlimited AHL games; up to 3 NHL regular season games as ECU skater or up to 6 NHL regular season games as an ECU goalie. 3.4. LMSHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY – PLAYERS To be eligible for the S8 LMSHL Stanley Cup playoffs, players must meet the following requirements: A. NHL Roster – 18 regular season GP combined NHL or AHL (i.e., 15 NHL, 3 AHL = eligible) B. AHL Roster (ECU only, 3-game max) – must qualify for LMSAHL Calder Cup Playoffs (i.e., 10 reg sn GP combined AHL or NHL); AHL RA, ECUs/Player Loans – INELIGIBLE FOR NHL PLAYOFFS 3.5. LMSHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY – TEAM To meet playoff ice time limits and mitigate against the risk of team forfeits in the NHL Playoffs, every NHL team must qualify a minimum of thirteen (13) total NHL ROSTER players for the LMSHL SEASON 8 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS. 3.5.1. FAILURE TO COMPLY; PENALTIES & SANCTIONS Any NHL team that fails to qualify 13 players among its up to 16 total NHL Roster players may be required to forfeit their playoff spot to the team below them in the regular season standings. The League will apply this extreme sanction and penalty sparingly and on a case-by-case basis. Below are illustrative examples where an NHL team may be required to forfeit their playoff spot— • NHL team trades away eligible players at the deadline for draft picks or ineligible players, then fails to have 13 players eligible for playoffs; NHL team has several players with 20-30 or more NHL regular season games played and several players with fewer than 18 games played, indicating NHL team willfully overused certain players at the expense of others 13 Below are illustrative examples where an NHL team may not be required to forfeit their playoff spot— • Any team with 11-12 eligible players who provide reasonable justification for why they failed to qualify 13 • Any NHL team that loses an eligible player unexpectedly late in the regular season due to a disciplinary ban, player quit, or other unexpected event The foregoing are non-exhaustive and illustrative examples only intended to assist NHL teams understand the purpose and intent of this rule and how to assure they are compliant by the end of the regular season. In all cases where the League considers the sanction of removing a team from the playoffs, the NHL Owner & Management of the team in question will be given an opportunity to be heard and explain the situation. Ignorance of this rule will not be considered justification for failing to comply. In the event a team is removed from playoffs under this rule, it will be accompanied by an automatic loss of ownership for the current owner + ownership and management bans for the owners/managers involved. All teams beneath the removed team will move up a seed in the playoff bracket, so if the #1 seed in the Atlantic Division is removed, the team that finished 2nd in the Atlantic ascends to 1, seeds 3-4 in the Atlantic also move up, and if applicable, a team that missed the playoffs will move up to a wild card spot until all playoff spots are filled. 3.6. LMSAHL CALDER CUP PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY - PLAYER & TEAM To be eligible for S5 LMSAHL Calder Cup playoffs, players must meet the following requirements: A. AHL Roster – 10 regular season GP combined AHL or NHL (i.e., 9 AHL, 1 NHL = eligible) B. Unassigned ECUs – Eligible w/ restrictions C. NHL Roster, Player Loans – INELIGIBLE AHL teams must qualify a minimum of 11 playoff eligible or risk losing their playoff spot. ECUs are available in the Calder Cup playoffs, though their availability is not guaranteed and their use is heavily restricted. 3.7. PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS WHO TRANSFER BETWEEN LEAGUES A player who is waived from NHL to AHL, called-up from AHL to NHL, or who ECUs in the NHL will typically finish the regular season with games played in both leagues. Subject to all other rules herein, for the purpose of determining eligibility for either the NHL Playoffs or AHL Playoffs, these players may count all regular season games played across both leagues. For the NHL Playoffs, they must have played at least 18 regular season games across both leagues. For the AHL playoffs, they must have played at least 10 regular season games across both leagues. Regardless of games played across both leagues, players who finish the season under NHL contract (NHL Roster) are ineligible for AHL Playoffs. And players who finish the season under AHL contract (AHL Roster) are only eligible to ECU in NHL playoffs. 3.8. LMSHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF & LMSAHL CALDER CUP PLAYOFF – GAMES PER ROUND In the LMSHL Season 8 Stanley Cup Playoffs and LMSAHL Season 5 Calder Cup Playoffs beginning in August 2025, an eligible player may play at most three (3) out of the first six (6) games of a playoff series. Players can play any order of games provided they do not exceed the maximum limit of games. The limit of three (3) games applies even if a series ends in 4, 5, or 6 games. In other words, a team can play their “Top 6” players in Games 1, 2, and 3; or Games 1, 3, and 5; or Games 2, 3, 4; or Games 4, 5, 6, and so on. Provided a player is otherwise playoff eligible, there are no additional restrictions on who can play Game 7 in a playoff series. 14 3.8.1. “PLAYED GAME” DEFINED A player will be considered to have “played” a game for the purpose of the 3 out of 6 rule if they are in the lobby when the game launches from menu, load successfully into the game, and begin to accumulate ice time following puck drop. 3.8.2. STARTING GOALIE EXCEPTION The “3 out of 6” game restriction does not apply to goalies provided the goalie does not play any other position in the playoff round. For example, a goalie playing only goalie can play Games 1-7 of a series. However, if a goalie plays Games 1-3 or any combination of 3+ games as a goalie, he cannot play any additional games as a skater. 3.9. LMSHL/LMSAHL PLAYOFF MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS Two-Ways abolished LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 – section INTENTIONALLY OMITTED. ROSTER ELIGIBLE CONTRACTS & GAMES INELIGIBLE CONTRACTS MIN/MAX GAMES PLAYED CRITERIA PLAYED LIMITS & CRITERIA LMSHL MIN – 14 MAX – 16 REG. SEASON NHL ROSTER ONLY AHL ROSTER ECU NHL ROSTER – none AHL ECU – 3 games per season AHL RA ECUs/Player Loans LMSHL PLAYOFFS MIN – 13 MAX - 16 NHL Roster – 18 reg sn gp AHL Roster ECU – 10 reg season gp Any 3 out of first 6 gms per rnd; no GM7 restrictions if otherwise eligible AHL RA, ECUs, Loans LMSAHL REG. SEASON MIN – 0 MAX - 16 AHL ROSTER or RA ECUs/Player Loans NONE NHL Roster LMSAHL PLAYOFFS MIN – 11 MAX - 16 AHL Roster – 10 reg sn gp RA – N/A ECU Any 3 out of first 6 gms per rnd; no GM7 restrictions if otherwise eligible NHL Roster AHL RAs & Player Loans 15
4.1. TRADES TRANSACTIONS – TRADES; FREE AGENCY; RAs; WAIVERS; INJURY RESERVE 4.1.1. INITIAL POSTING OF TRADES TO LEAGUE DISCORD All trades between LMSHL clubs must be posted to the appropriate channel in the main League Discord. Proposed trades should be posted to #trading in the #management category with management for both teams tagged as well as the League @Admins. Trades may be posted by team management (GM/ AGM), but must be reacted to by both team Owners to confirm that the final deal is acceptable to both teams. Once both Owners have reacted to the proposed trade and confirmed their approval, the trade can no longer be voided by an individual team. The League will then begin to process and review the proposed trade for approval. @SwizzDekes 4.1.2. LEAGUE REVIEW & APPROVAL REQUIRED LMS Transactions Dept will generally approve all trades once confirmed by the Owners involved unless a team lacks the assets required to complete a trade and/or a trade will result in non-compliant roster(s). The League Transaction Czar and Admins do not evaluate trades for "fairness" or "value" and will not void a trade simply because one team appears to be getting a better deal than another, unless it is believed or alleged that a violation of these League rules has occurred. 4.1.3. THE FAIRNESS & COMPETITION COMMITTEE (FCC) The LMSHL Fairness & Competition Committee (FCC) is a new committee for LMSHL S7/LMSAHLS4. Unlike the League’s Transactions Department that verifies team assets and player eligibility only for the purposes of approving trades, the FCC will evaluate the “fairness” or “value” of certain trades made by certain teams. The FCC is an advisory committee only that makes recommendations to the League Commissioners regarding heavily imbalanced or unfair trades, players to be randomly assigned, and such other matters as may be referred to it by the League. A. Trade Fairness Review - advisory review of trades made by teams with new/rookie owners, owners who are on B. trade probation, and owners of teams who are low in the standings and/or in danger of folding; purpose of this review is to flag trades that are so extremely one-sided that they could only have been made due to the mistake/inexperience of a new owner or owner on trade probation, or because the owner is “throwing in the towel” and doesn’t plan to own again at the end of the season; in the past few seasons of LMS, there’s only been a handful of trades that meet this criteria & would warrant flagging by FCC for further review by Admins. Review of Late Sign-Ups/RAs – players who join league after entry draft & flag any players who should be sent to NHL RA instead of AHL—majority 9/10 will be RAd to AHL but occasionally an LGNHLer might come along who will throw competitive balance of the A out of whack, we’d like to send those guys to a limited NHL ECU role instead of ending up AHL rostered through usual RA course 16 C. Other Trades, Transactions, and Miscellaneous – reviewing any issue referred to FCC by admins (including draft issues) or bringing to admins attention any other issue impacting league competition & play the Committee feels is appropriate. When a trade, assignment, or other matter is subject to FCC review, the Committee will stamp the proposed transaction with a grey FCC logo. Once the transaction is determined to be acceptable or adjusted in accordance with the recommendation of the FCC (as approved by League Executive Committee & Commissioners) the FCC will stamp the transaction with a blue FCC logo. Once stamped with a blue logo, the League Transactions Dept may proceed to process the trade normally. The FCC’s trade review procedure is now attached to the rules as Appendix 3. 4.1.4. PROHIBITED TRADES & TRADE-RELATED ACTIVITIES The League prohibits and will not approve any proposed trade that involves any or all of the following: A. Owner Trades – Owners cannot trade themselves and cannot be traded by management. Owners cannot step down and then be traded from the team they owned at the beginning of the season. Owners must end the season on the team they owned at the beginning of the season. Owners can trade management at any time. GMs cannot make trades with other teams unless and until said trade is approved by the Owners of both teams. B. C. D. E. Future Considerations – trades cannot include "future considerations" unless more specific information is provided regarding the future asset(s) to be traded. Tampering – team owners & management cannot contact players on other teams regarding a trade without the written permission of the other team's management. Failure to follow this rule and/or any attempt to circumvent the intent of this rule will be considered tampering. Owners and management suspected of tampering are subject to discipline, up to and including removal from management/ownership positions and/or being banned from the League entirely. Player Consent & Approval of Trade Not Required - LMS players must accept a trade to another team proposed by their current team. Players cannot refuse a trade to another team, hold out, stop playing, or request a drop to free agency in lieu of a trade. Situations related to this rule will be evaluated on a case- by-case basis. Any player who has a concern about a trade may contact League Admins for assistance. Player Knowledge – while Player approval is not required for a trade to go through, Owners and/or Management must speak to their own player who they intend to trade prior to posting the proposed trade for League approval. The purpose of this conversation is to confirm the player is willing to play for the team where they will be traded. While this may be awkward, there have been too many occurrences in prior seasons where players were blindsided by a trade and quit the League as a result. This leaves at least one team in the deal empty handed and the League with no good options to repair the broken deal. 17 This rule DOES NOT mean a player's consent is required to be traded. If a player refuses to accept a trade and play for another team, the team Owner/Management should document the conversation and contact League Admins for help resolving the matter before executing the trade. Team owners & management should screenshot and retain conversations with Players to be traded confirming their intent and willingness to play for the new team. This screenshot will only be needed if an issue arises with the traded player refusing to play for their new team. 4.2. ADDITIONAL TRADING RULES BY CONTRACT TYPE (NHL ROSTER/AHL ROSTER) All LMS players for LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 will be assigned a specific contract type or tier: (1) NHL Roster; (2) AHL Roster; or (3) AHL RA (randomly assigned free agent). Newly drafted players from the S8/S5 Entry Draft and S7/S4 Entry Drafts will also be considered “NHL Prospects” or “AHL Prospects” depending on when they were drafted. Trade rules vary slightly depending on the type of contract involved in the proposed deal as explained below. A. B. be handled by an organization’s AHL Owner & Management. AHL RA trades are prohibited in LMSAHL Season 5. Proposed trades should be posted to #lmsahl-trading and approved trades will be posted to #lmsahl-s5-transactions. LMSHL Transactions – trades involving NHL Roster players will be considered as LMSHL transactions and must be handled by an organization’s NHL Owner & Management. Proposed trades should be posted to #lmshl-trading and approved trades will be posted to #lmshl-s8-transactions. LMSAHL Transactions – trades involving AHL Roster will be considered as LMSAHL transactions and must C. Trading S8/S5 Contract Types & Players – any player traded during LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5 will retain their current contract type when traded to a new team. No trade will be approved that results in any team party to the deal ending up with a non-compliant roster (i.e., more than 16/16 NHL Roster, 16/16 AHL Roster, and/or in excess of Season 8 salary cap). D. S9/S6 Prospect Draft Picks – the League has moved to a unified NHL/AHL Entry Draft where both Leagues draft from the same pool of prospects—the NHL drafts Rounds 1-3, and the AHL drafts Rounds 4-6. During the season, NHL teams may trade only Rounds 1-3 of LMSHL S9 Entry Draft & AHL Teams may trade only Rounds 4-6 of LMSAHL S6 Entry Draft. E. Expansion Draft Picks – expansion draft picks may not be traded by expansion teams. Any player acquired by an expansion team prior to the off-season expansion draft cannot be traded back to their former team by an expansion team or by ANY OTHER TEAM after the Expansion Draft. These players may be traded to other teams in accordance with these Rules. ADDITIONAL TRADING RULES BY PROSPECT STATUS 4.3. While NHL teams generally control and may trade most NHL Roster players and AHL teams generally control and may trade most AHL Roster players, players who are drafted by the NHL team and assigned to their AHL affiliate cannot be 18 a. traded by the AHL team without NHL consent. Similarly, if an AHL team drafts a player, that player cannot be called up and traded by an NHL team without AHL owner consent. A. NHL Prospects – all players drafted in Rounds 1-5 of the LMSHL S7 Entry Draft and all players drafted in Rounds 1-3 of the LMSHL S8 Entry Draft. B. AHL Prospects – all players drafted and/or initially assigned to AHL Roster in Round 6 or later of the LMSAHL S4 Entry Draft and all players drafted in Rounds 4-6 of the LMSAHL S5 Entry Draft. C. NHL Prospects Assigned to AHL Roster – any NHL Prospect assigned to or waived to AHL Roster may not be traded or released by an AHL team without NHL owner consent. D. AHL Prospects Assigned to NHL Roster – prior to assigning or calling up an AHL Prospect to NHL Roster, the AHL Owner must consent to the pre-season assignment or call-up. Both the NHL team and AHL team must list any mutually agreed upon call-ups of AHL Prospects to NHL Roster on their team channel pages. Once an NHL team has obtained consent of the AHL Owner to award an NHL Roster contract to an AHL Prospect, the NHL team does not require AHL owner consent again to trade the player. 4.4. TRADE REQUESTS The LMSHL does not currently allow players to formally request trades. Players may informally reach out to their owner and management about the possibility of a trade. Owners and management are prohibited from retaliating against a player who simply asks to be traded while still complying with League rules and showing up to play for their team. Owners & management are also cautioned that dropping a player to free agency or ECU status is the last possible resort, and that in almost all cases, there is an expectation that owners & management will at least explore the possibility of completing a player’s trade request in good faith. Both players and management may open support tickets for assistance from the Admin Team and the League’s HR Department regarding any trade requests or other locker room issues. 4.5. FREE AGENCY – NEW PLAYER ASSIGNMENT New players joining the League as free agents will be randomly assigned to a current LMSAHL team on a weekly basis (depending on availability) in accordance with these rules. Assignments will be based on team need with respect to a particular position (FWD/D/G) but will otherwise be random. Players will be assigned via wheelspin run by the Admin Team. Assignments are expected to occur Sunday or Monday of each week up to the trade deadline. There will be no option for teams to sign free agents, though Emergency Call Ups (ECUs) will still be available if needed to be assigned on a temporary basis during game nights. 4.5.1. FREE AGENCY – DROPPING A PLAYER LMS disfavors dropping players to free agency under any circumstances. Owners and team management must understand that dropping a player from your roster under this Rule is intended to be an absolute last resort. It is the 19 C. League’s expectation and your obligation to your team as an owner/manager to play with the hand you dealt yourself. The League may approve roster drops in the following, specific scenarios and no others: A. B. D. Hold-Outs – the rostered player refuses to join the team Discord, quits the League and/or Team Discord, or otherwise “holds out” and refuses to play for his team. Permanent/Seasonal League Ban – rostered player is banned for at least a season for misconduct. Short-term suspended players may not be dropped & replaced by an FA until punishment has concluded. Long Term, Regular Unavailability – the rostered player wants to play when he can and remain in the League, but due to scheduling conflicts, is unavailable for enough games to meet the minimum amount of regular season/playoff ice time requirement set forth herein. Team Fit – an Owner may also drop a player to Free Agency for other reasons, such as poor locker room fit, poor attitude, lack of chemistry, too many roster players at one position, or misconduct (i.e., insubordination, failing to show for games). Management must have made a reasonable effort to trade a player to another team prior to dropping a player to free agency for this reason. “Reasonable effort” will be determined at the discretion of the League Admins, but must include, at a minimum, (1) placing the player on the team’s trade block; and (2) reaching out directly to at least one other team’s management to inquire about the trade. Players released under subsections B-C above (bans, unavailability, or team fit) will not reduce their team’s roster size until a complete game night has passed (i.e., 2 NHL games have been played). Players released under subsection A (hold outs & players who have quit their team/the league) will reduce their team’s roster size by one (1) player as soon as the IR drop is approved by the League. 4.5.2. REPORTING FA DROPS IN DISCORD Team management must report the drop of any player to FA in the #player-release channel on Discord using the below format and Discord tags. Team management may not consider a player dropped until their post receives an appropriate approval reaction from the Commissioner/League Admins. TEAM: Detroit Red Wings DATE: 11/5/2023 PLAYER: Drop123 ON TRD BLK: 10/31/23 REASON: Hold Out DESC: Drop123 acquired on 10/26/23 and never reported to Team Discord. @admins @Detroit (MGMT) 20 C. 4.6. LMSAHL SEASON 5: RANDOM ASSIGNMENTS (RAs) For the purpose of these Rules, an “RA” refers to a player who has been placed on an LMSAHL team via “random assignment” (RA); these players join the League during the regular season, are placed on a wheel and spun to a random LMSAHL team by League Admins during LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5. A. Identification of RAs – the first RAs were assigned Week 1 of LMSAHL Season 5. Every RA will receive a specific Discord Role in the main League Discord. Teams must also identify their RAs separately from their Rostered Players on their #team-channel roster page. B. Purpose of RAs – RAs are intended to supplement AHL lineups and avoid AHL FFLs on gamedays where teams have limited NHL and/or AHL availability. Because RAs did not participate in the League’s off-season scouting tournaments, and because they are awarded to teams by chance at no cost to the receiving team, RAs are not expected to significantly contribute to a team’s success at the LMSHL level. AHL RAs – Regular Season & Playoff Eligibility – LMSAHL teams may generally use AHL RAs to the same extent as LMSAHL Roster Players during the regular season, though the League encourages team management to play their rostered/drafted players over RAs whenever possible. RAs are not available for LMSAHL S5 Playoffs though the League will finalize a decision at the S5 Rules Lock Deadline. 4.6.1. RA – TRADE AVAILABILITY & CALL UPS Any AHL RA are ineligible to be traded or called up in LMSAHL S5. All RAs will be released to next season entry draft— NHL RAs at end of regular season and AHL RAs at conclusion of playoffs. 4.6.2. RULE 4.5.2. — LMSAHL SEASON 5: MID-SEASON RA DRAFT Beginning in LMSAHL Season 5, the League will hold a Mid-Season RA Draft for eligible AHL Random Assignment (RA) players. The draft will take place after the conclusion of Week 4 of the regular season. The following rules apply: A. Purpose & Participation The RA Draft is intended to provide AHL teams with an opportunity to retain productive RAs and improve roster depth for the second half of the regular season and playoffs. Only AHL teams may participate. The draft is optional—teams may opt out. Teams that opt out will simply be skipped during the draft. B. RA Eligibility for Draft To be eligible for selection in the RA Draft, a player must: • Be classified and assigned to a team as a SEASON 5 AHL RA; • Have played a minimum of 6 AHL regular season games by the end of Week 4; • Any assigned S5RA player who has not played 6 regular season games prior to the draft will become ECU only for the remainder of the season. • While teams may opt out of the draft, RA players cannot. They must either enter the draft or become ECU for the rest of the season. 21 RA Draft Picks Cannot Be Traded C. Mid-Season RA Draft Picks are not tradable under any circumstances. All participating teams must make their own selections in real time during the draft. The draft is intended to help stabilize AHL rosters—not create leverage for asset movement or side deals. RA Drafted Players May Not Be Traded or Waived Until Off-Season B. D. Any player selected in the Mid-Season RA Draft must remain with the team that drafted them through the end of the regular season and playoffs. RA Drafted Players are not eligible to be traded or waived until the following off-season. They may be dropped for limited reasons as permitted by these Rules for roster players. 4.7. LMSHL SEASON 8/LMSAHL SEASON 5: PLAYER CALL-UPS & WAIVERS For LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5, the League will continue with the limited Waiver system introduced during S5/S2 as follows, with minor changes to account for the off-season split of NHL/AHL teams and four player contract types. A. C. Purpose of S8/S5 Call-Ups & Waivers – as set forth in Rule 3.3, players under a certain contract may only play in a certain league and are subject to different regular season games-played limits, playoff eligibility requirements, and off-season rules. It may be advantageous for management to move a player from one contract tier to another for eligibility purposes or to add reinforcements for a late-season playoff push. Initial Roster Compliance & Contract Designations – prior to the League’s final S8/S5 Roster Compliance deadline, NHL & AHL teams may designate their roster of players into two contract types—NHL and AHL— without needing to send any player down via waivers or call ups. These initial contract designations must fully comply with all applicable LMS Rules, as stated herein or otherwise. Call-Ups & Waivers Between Contract Types – during LMSHL S8 & LMSAHL S5, players may be called up to or waived from NHL Roster to AHL Roster and AHL Roster to NHL Roster. The following restrictions apply: AHL Prospects – NHL teams may call up to NHL Roster any player without the consent of their AHL Owner except AHL Prospects and Recent AHL Acquisitions. i. AHL Prospects – all players drafted in Round 6 or later of the LMSAHL S4 Entry Draft S4WK1 RAs and all players drafted in Rounds 4-6 of the LMSAHL S5 Entry Draft. Recent AHL Acquisitions – all players acquired via trade by an AHL team; AHL Roster players lose this protection from call-up once 18 league games have passed since the player is acquired (no minimum GP required). (2) AHL Owner Consent – AHL Owners may consent to the call-up of AHL Prospects or Recent AHL Acquisitions, but are under no obligation to do so. (1) ii. 22 D. (3) Legends List: any AHL Roster player including Prospects and Recent Acquisitions may be selected to the Legends List and subject to mandatory call-up to the NHL notwithstanding this rule. Waived Players – players waived from NHL Roster to AHL Roster are subject to claims from NHL teams only; if a waived player is unclaimed by NHL teams, they will be assigned to their NHL’s affiliate AHL Roster. CONTRACT CONTROLLED CALL-UP WAIVER MAY BE STARTED CAN END TYPE BY TEAM ELIGIBLE TO ELIGIBLE TO CLAIMED BY SEASON AS SEASON AS NHL NONE AHL ROSTER NHL TEAMS NHL ROSTER NHL or AHL AHL NHL ROSTER NA NA AHL ROSTER NHL or AHL AHL Roster RA AHL NONE NONE NONE RA (RA Draft only) DRAFT ELIGIBLE A. B. C. 4.7.1. PLAYER CALL-UPS (ROSTER VACANCY) Player Waiver Not Required – it is not always necessary to waive a player to make a call-up. NHL Teams with a vacant roster spot may call-up an eligible player to NHL Roster at any time prior to the League’s trade deadline. While it is not necessary to wait for a waiver window to call-up a player in these scenarios, the call- ups must still meet all requirements and restrictions of these Rules. Teams are reminded that players can only move up or down 1 contract tier during the season. (1) Roster Vacancy Call-Up Limit – teams may call-up no more than: three (3) AHL ROSTER to NHL ROSTER during LMSAHL S8. This limit does not apply during the off-season. Exceptions may be allowed during the regular season in exceptional circumstances. Call-Ups made under this Rule do not affect a team’s ability to waive & call-up another player during waivers pursuant to Rule 4.6.2. Procedure to Call Up Player Outside Designated Waiver Windows (vacant roster spot) – for more information. please see Discord Approval of Player Call-Ups (Roster Vacancy) – call-ups under this rule will not be approved and the proposed call-up will remain subject to his current contract type rules unless and until— (2) 23 (1) (2) The team must have a current and correct roster set forth in their team channel that clearly indicates the # of NHL or AHL Roster under their control. The roster must be current through and clearly dated the same day as the roster call-up. The below template is used in the proposed call-up post: DATE: 10/20/2024 TEAM: DETROIT RED WINGS PLAYER: @Shooter McGavin CALL-UP TYPE: (select one) [AHL ROSTER to NHL ROSTER]* CURRENT NHL ROSTER: 13/16 RESULTING NHL ROSTER: 14/16
1. 1. 1. D. A. IS YOUR TEAM CHANNEL ROSTER CURRENT & CORRECT? YES IS THIS THE PLAYERS FIRST CONTRACT CHANGE THIS SEASON? YES HAVE YOU REVIEWED PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY RULES & SALARY CAP IMPACT OF THIS CALL-UP? YES DOES THIS PLAYER REQUIRE AHL OWNER CONSENT TO BE CALLED UP? NO ( ) YES ( ) AHL Prospect / Yes ( ) Recent AHL Trade Acquisition Improper Use of IR/Player Release – teams are prohibited from using IR or drop-to-FA in bad faith to clear a roster spot for a call-up outside of waivers. If the League confirms this has occurred, the owner/management will receive a current + next season ban from both owning/managing and playing in the LMSHL/LMSAHL. 4.7.2. PLAYER CALL-UPS & WAIVERS (NO ROSTER VACANCY) Player Waiver Required – where a team does not have an open roster spot to call-up a player, they must waive an existing player to make a spot available. These waivers and call-ups will proceed in accordance with the Transaction Department’s Waiver Rules and Procedure, which can be found in Discord. SHIZZ SAYS: “VERY IMPORTANT  DO NOT PLACE A PLAYER WHO DID NOT PLAY A GAME THE PREVIOUS WEEK ON WAIVERS. IF THESE PLAYERS ARE INACTIVE & NO SHOWS, THEY MUST BE DROPPED TO FA & DISCIPLINED ACCORDINGLY. SCREW THIS UP AT THE RISK OF YOUR FUTURE DRAFT PLANS.” A. B. C. D. 24 4.8. OFF-SEASON AHL ROSTER PLAYER NHL DRAFT DECLARATION Declaring for NHL Entry Draft – any player (except an LMSAHL Owner) who ended LMSAHL S3 or future AHL seasons as an AHL Roster player may “declare” for the following season’s NHL Entry Draft by informing his/her AHL Management and/or the League’s AHL Admins (“Declared Player”) during the League’s off-season declaration window. Within a Declared Player's organization, the organization’s NHL Owner, upon the advice and recommendation of the org’s AHL Management, shall have first opportunity to make the Declared Player NHL Roster player for following NHL season. If the player is moved up from AHL Roster to NHL Roster after declaring, the Declared Player shall remain within his NHL/AHL organization and will not be eligible for NHL Entry Draft. i. The final decision to move a declared player from AHL Roster to NHL Roster shall rest solely with the NHL Owner; however, the NHL Owner must discuss & consult with AHL owner/management (or make a good faith, reasonable effort to do so) prior to making a decision on the Declared Player. ii. If an NHL Owner makes no decision or does not respond to the Declared Player's declaration, it shall be treated as declining to promote the player at the end of the window. iii. Any declared player must be protected by either NHL or AHL in any off-season expansion draft. If the Declared Player’s NHL Owner does not agree on promoting the player, the Declared Player shall go to the NHL entry draft where they can be selected by any team in Rounds 1-5. i. If the Declared Player is selected in the NHL Entry Draft, they go to their new team where they must be NHL rostered and are ineligible to be waived during upcoming season. ii. If the Declared Player is not selected in NHL Entry Draft, they return to their AHL team & AHL Roster status and will be ineligible to be promoted to NHL Roster upcoming season. iii. Players who enter the draft using this method may not do so in consecutive off-seasons. The League Executive Committee will evaluate and determine what if any compensation is owed to AHL teams who lose a Declared Player selected in the NHL Entry Draft prior to next season and/or whether AHL teams may “protect” certain Roster Players from NHL Entry Draft Declarations in future off-seasons. 25 4.9. INJURY RESERVE (IR) Teams may place player(s) on Injury Reserve (IR) in certain, limited situations as permitted by this Rule. IR should be used sparingly when a player or players are on extended but temporary leave that will cause them to be away from LMS for an extended period of time (i.e., a multi-week vacation or a busy work schedule/season). All transfers of players to and from IR require League approval. The use of IR transfers is subject to the following restrictions: A. B. Any team placing a player on IR must be at the minimum roster size (14) players; Any player to be placed on IR must have communicated with his owner/manager that he will be away for an extended period of time and also plans to return to the League as soon as possible; C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. Teams can place a maximum of three (3) players on IR at the same time; Once approved for IR, a player cannot be removed for a minimum of two (2) weeks (18 games); To return a player from IR, the team must have a vacant roster spot; Players on IR have no trade value and their "rights" cannot be traded; Players who have left the League Discord are ineligible to be placed on IR; Owners cannot go on IR; Teams may place a GM on IR but must name interim GM to serve in management while original GM on IR; Players on IR are not counted against a team’s salary cap; and Teams may either protect or expose a player to expansion who remains on IR at the end of the season—a player on IR will not satisfy a team’s obligation to expose a minimum number of active players to expansion. 4.10. LMSHL GAME NIGHT EMERGENCY CALL-UPs (AHL ECUs) During LMSHL S8, LMSHL teams may call-up any player on their AHL affiliate’s roster to ECU on an emergency basis if they do not have 6 NHL Roster players are available to play. A. Regular Season Limit – NHL teams may use any AHL Roster player as: (1) ECU Skater – up to 3 games per season (max 3 SKGP); and (2) ECU Goalie – up to 6 games per season (max 6 GGP). B. Recording Use of AHL Roster Players on NHL Team Channel Page – NHL teams must document the use of AHL Roster ECUs on their team channel page in Discord; teams must create a separate section on their team channel where they must list the NAME of the player, the DATES the player played, and the # of games played. C. Limited to At Most Six (6) Games for Goalies/Three (3) Games for Skaters – no AHL player may play B. Limited To Six (6) Games Total: No AHL player may play more than 6 games total (GP) as NHL ECU during LMSHL S8. -3 SKGP, 0 GGP = GOOD -0 SKGP 6 GGP = GOOD -3 SKGP, 3 GGP = GOOD -4 SKGP, 2 GGP = BANNED > 4 SKGP -3 SKGP, 6 GGP = BANNED > 6 GP total 26 D. E. Playoffs – any AHL Roster player who qualifies for the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs may be used as an NHL ECU in the Stanley Cup Playoffs up to 3 games total. This applies to skaters and goalies. Simply—AHL Roster player at any position who is eligible for LMSAHL Playoffs may play as an ECU in the NHL Playoffs up to 3 games. AHL RAs – RAs are ineligible to be used as NHL ECUs; does not apply to RAs selected to AHL Roster via Mid- Season RA draft. F. Notice & LMSAHL Compliance – NHL teams must give AHL teams as much notice as possible re: use of an AHL Roster for NHL ECU. The amount of notice required depends on regular season or playoffs set forth below.
Regular Season: NHL teams have until 5 minutes before game time (8:10 pm, 8:45 pm, and 9:20 pm) to call up AHL Roster to play as NHL ECU Playoffs: NHL teams have until 10 minutes before game time to call up AHL Roster as NHL ECU. G. 2. Extended AHL Grace / Option to Reschedule – LMSAHL teams may not refuse a permitted NHL ECU call-up made pursuant to this Rule.
1. AHL teams should ensure they have available subs each game and that they are using the AHL ECU pool, AHL Player Loan program, & weekly RAs as needed. Any AHL team that loses a last minute player to NHL ECU will be afforded extended grace (10 minutes past game time) to find an ECU without penalty. i. If no sub can be found after 10 minutes, the AHL game will be rescheduled without an automatic forfeit. H. Violations – an NHL team’s use of any illegal ECU from the AHL will result in the NHL team’s FFL of any games played by the ineligible player. 4.11. LMSAHL GAME NIGHT ECUs LMSAHL teams may use Emergency Call Up (ECU) players to ensure they have 6 skaters on game nights. A. ECUs Eligible for LMSAHL Regular Season & Playoffs Only –ECUs are not permitted in LMSHL regular season or playoff games. If an ECU is needed for an AHL game, management must take the following actions by 7:45 PM EST on gameday: (a) alert League Admins they require an ECU for a playoff game; and (b) notify their opponent they will be using an ECU for a playoff game and what position the ECU will fill. A League Admin will identify available players in the main League Discord and assign available free agents to ECU positions as needed. All eligible ECUs who respond and confirm their availability will be placed on a wheel and randomly assigned to the LMSAHL team needing a substitute. 27 B. C. D. Rogue ECU Hunts Prohibited – team management may not use the League’s #free-agent category and channels in Discord to hand pick their own ECU. All ECU assignments must go through the same process of randomized appointment to teams in need by League Admins. Regular Season Restrictions – no team is permitted to use the same ECU for more than 3 gm’s in 1 week during the regular season or more than 6 games total during the entire regular season. Playoff Restrictions – The following restrictions also apply to the use of ECUs during the LMSAHL playoffs: Teams may not use more than one (1) ECU per game (i.e., minimum of 5 roster players) In a single playoff-round, teams may not use the same ECU more than three (3) games total. Teams may not use the same ECU for more than three (3) total playoff games in a season. Teams that cannot procure an eligible ECU in accordance with these requirements should attempt to reschedule their LMSAHL playoff game(s). If a reschedule is not possible, the team unable to ice a lineup of six (6) AHL playoff eligible players must forfeit. i. Owners and management who forfeit in the LMSAHL playoffs for this reason may be subject to additional sanction from the League.
1. 1. 1. 4.12. PLAYER LOAN PROGRAM Any player who has been RA’d (randomly assigned to an AHL team after season begins) may participate in the Player Loan program to ECU for other AHL teams on nights when they are not in the lineup or needed to sub for their assigned AHL team. Teams may not play against their own team via PLP and may be recalled by their team if needed by 8:00 PM EST on game nights. No team is permitted to use the same PLP player for more than 2 gm’s in 1 week during the regular season or more than 6 games total during the entire regular season. The PLP is not available during the Calder Cup Playoffs and is not available at anytime for the LMSHL. Players should review League Discord for more information.
IN-GAME RULES 5.1. CLUB SET UP Owners should create their in-game club in NHL 25 and beyond using the following format: “LMSHL [Team Name],” i.e., “LMSHL Bruins,” “LMSHL Red Wings,” “LMSHL Rangers.” The city name is not to be included. LMSHL should be in all caps followed by first letter(s) capitalization and lowercase team name. The same rules apply for naming AHL teams as “LMSAHL Bruins.” All LMSHL players are encouraged (though not required) to join the in-game club of their respective teams to play non-league games with their teammates and to ease in setting up private games for League matchups. Owners and general managers are required to be “members” and in-game “GMs” of their League teams at least Wednesday to Friday each week for the purpose of setting up private League matches. 28 5.1.1. S8/S5 IN-GAME SCORE BOARD ABBREVIATIONS NHL EAST / METRO – PIT, TBL, NYI, PHI, WSH NHL WEST / CENTRAL – VGK, LAK, ANA, COL, CHI NHL EAST / ATLANTIC – BUF, DET, BOS, TOR, HFD AHL EAST / METRO – WBS, SYR, HFD, PHI, HER AHL EAST / ATLANTIC – ROC, GR, PRO, TOR, CT NHL WEST / PACIFIC – EDM, VAN, SEA, ANA, UTA AHL WEST / CENTRAL – HSK, ONT, SD, COL, RFD AHL WEST / NORTHWEST – BAK, ABB, CV, CGY, TUC SHIZZ SAYS: “LMSHL OILERS. EDM. LMSAHL CONDORS. BAK. SIMPLE, RIGHT? YET…” 5.2. TEAM CUSTOMIZATION For LMSHL S8/LMSAHL S5, all NHL & AHL teams will or have received stock branding and arena WOC bags for their in- game clubs. Unless a team has been granted a special exception, LMS teams are required to choose “Stock Branding” in-game and equip their NHL/AHL club’s logo and team colors. Teams are encouraged to select their latest Fanatics (NHL) and CCM (AHL) home, away, and alternate jerseys. Teams may also choose to wear any of their club’s recent special event or retro jerseys, including Reverse Retro (2021), Reverse Retro 2.0 (2022-23), Winter Classic, Heritage Classic, Stadium Series, Anniversary, 07/08 to 16/17 Rbk/Reebok Jerseys, and older CCM jerseys. If a team has not received their stock branding bag or otherwise unlocked the required uniforms in-game, teams should utilize “Custom Branding” and recreate the look of their NHL/AHL team’s logo, colors, and authentic jerseys as closely as possible. AHL teams that do not have an alternate jersey may create a reasonable alternate uniform using custom branding that must be submitted for League review and approval. -NHL S8 Exceptions – Carolina Hurricanes & Buffalo Sabres– as needed -AHL S5 Exceptions – various teams – use of custom logo/uniforms permitted w/ intent to match IRL team as much as possible -All AHL teams will wear dark stock uniforms @ home and light stock uniforms @ away. 5.3. PLAYER CUSTOMIZATION While not required, LMS encourages the use of authentic hockey gear by skaters and goalies and discourages the use of fantasy Fortnite WOC gear. LMS players may choose a male or female player model but may not play LMS games using a fantasy character or build, as further detailed below. 5.4. PLAYER BUILD & X-FACTOR RESTRICTIONS LMS does not currently ban the use of any base World of CHEL player class (i.e., Sniper, Grinder, Power Forward, Defensive D-Man, Hybrid Goalie) and all X-Factors and Zone Abilities available in NHL 25 may be used in League games. This includes abilities commonly banned in other leagues, such as Big Tipper, Truculence, and One Tee. While all base classes and abilities are allowed, EA’s pre-made, real money fantasy builds (and character skins), whether or not obtained with real money, are banned from use in LMS League games. This includes but is not limited to DeepFreeze, Howler, Moonlight, Hammer, 29 Dobby, the Shocker, Soap, Agent 47, and all other Fortnite & Call of Duty-themed builds released by EA at the beginning of each World of CHEL in-game season. 5.5. GAMEPLAY RESTRICTIONS LMS generally does not regulate in-game behavior during League games. Players can utilize tactics, strategies, abilities, and gameplay features to whatever advantage they feel is necessary, whether said features are working as intended by EA or not. Some examples include hip checks in the launch version of NHL 24, using LB/L1 to pop up immediately after an injury, repeated wraparound attempts, and so on. Players are reminded that the League broadly prohibits “unfair and unsportsmanlike behavior,” which can include in-game player actions in extreme scenarios. One such example would be indefinitely delaying the end of a game by repeatedly taking delay of game penalties or utilizing the “forced fight” glitch in a game. The need for the League to review such occurrences should be extremely rare since all LMSHL players are expected to police themselves in-game and to play like reasonable adults—competitive, skilled, but fair. Any disputes regarding egregiously unfair in-game behavior or excessive abuse of unintended gameplay mechanics/bugs/exploits must be documented by appropriate evidence and may be brought directly to the Admin Council, who must first decide whether to review the issue at all. If the Admin Council does take up the dispute, Council’s decision is subject to final review/decision of the Commissioner. 5.6. SERVER ELECTIONS & PRE-GAME LOBBY SET UP; PRIVATE GAME PASSWORDS Team owners or management should coordinate and arrange setting up private games for League play using Discord. The home team selects the server for the game from East, Central, and West. Teams must advise their opponent what server they want for their home games by 7:15 PM EST. Once a server is selected, it may not be changed. Games should be set up using 4 minute periods with the appropriate teams searching as home and away as indicated on the schedule. ON NHL 25, GRUDGE MATCH MUST BE DISABLED. Passwords are case sensitive and shall be as follows for home team: LMSHLTEAM ABBREVIATION LMSAHLTEAM ABBREVIATION From Rule 5.1.1 i.e., LMSAHLGR, LMSAHLABB, LMSAHLBAK From Rule 5.1.1 i.e., LMSHLNYR, LMSHLLAK, LMSHLVAN Please see Discord for exceptions due to EA Profanity filter. 5.7. POST-GAME REQUIREMENTS; SCREENSHOT Once a game has ended, one player on the winning team is required to take the following screenshots and upload same to the League Discord in #nhl-game-winning-pics & #ahl-game-winning-pics as appropriate. In the case of disconnects or other unusual occurrences, please post all screenshots from the various end of game screens and include a written explanation in the Discord post providing details about the disconnect & final score/stats of the game. 30 5.8. GOAL AHEAD / MERCY RULE All LMSHL and LMSAHL games must be played through the 1st and 2nd period. If one team is 7 or more goals ahead of their opponent at the end of the 2nd period, or if a team gains a 7 goal lead at any time in the 3rd period, the trailing team may quit the game without facing early quit/DNF penalties from the League Discipline Department. EXAMPLE 1 Team A jumps out to an early lead against Team B that has started their emergency back - up’s emergency back - up in net. At the end of the 1 st period, Team A leads Team B 7 - 0. At the end of the 2 nd period, Team A leads Team B 1 1 - 2 (A) Although Team B trailed by 7 goals at the end of the 1st, they could not quit under the Goal Ahead Rule until the 1st and 2nd period were completed. At the end of the 2nd, Team B is down 9 goals and can quit the game. EXAMPLE 2 Team A leads Team B 6 - 0 at the end of the 2 nd period. Team B scores two quick goals to make the score 6 - 2, followed by 3 straight goals by Team A to make the score 9 - 2. Team A goes up 9 - 2 with 5 mins left in 3 rd . (B) Team B ineligible to quit under the Goal Ahead Rule until Team A attained a 7-goal lead, 9-2. 31 DISCONNECTS – CPU SKATER OR IMMEDIATE RESTART OPTIONS 5.9. This rule governs how to proceed when a player involuntarily disconnects from a game. Step 1: Immediate Action After a Disconnect At the first whistle after a player disconnects, the team with the lost player (the "Disconnecting Team") must immediately choose one of two options: • Option A: Finish the Period with a CPU o The game continues with a CPU skater until the end of the current period. o Important: Any goals scored by the CPU replacement do not count. o If the disconnect happens in the 3rd period and the score is not tied when the period ends, the game is over. Otherwise, proceed to Step 2. • Option B: Quit at the First Whistle o The game is quit immediately after the 1st whistle blows following the disconnect. o Proceed to Step 2. Step 2: The Resumed Game & Mandatory Penalty To complete the match, a new game (the "Resumed Game") must be started to play out the remaining time. (A) Mandatory Penalty. o The Disconnecting Team must take a minor penalty (e.g., slashing) to begin the Resumed Game. o The player who disconnected must take the penalty immediately after the opening faceoff. o The penalty must be taken within the first minute of play (by 19:00 on the game clock). o Failure to take the penalty by 19:00 results in a second penalty, creating a 5-on-3 power play. Repeated failure may result in league discipline. (B) Resumed Game Setup o Score and Stats Carry Over: The score from the original game is carried forward. Teams should screenshot the pause menu stats. o Lineups: Lineups, builds, and positions must remain the same.  Exception: If the original player cannot return, a rostered substitute may take their place. The sub must play the same position and is responsible for taking the mandatory penalty.  No additional penalty is required to substitute the original disconnected player. o Opening Faceoff: The Disconnecting Team is allowed to win the opening faceoff of the Resumed Game. Resumed Game Length – the Resumed Game is played only for the time that remained in the original match. If the score is tied when time expires, play continues until a goal is scored. See table with examples below. (C) 32 (D) (E) Multiple Disconnects – If the same team disconnects again in the Resumed Game, they must finish the game with a CPU. If the opposing team disconnects in the Resumed Game, they become the new "Disconnecting Team," and this entire process restarts for them. Any team that suffers three total disconnects in one match (original + resumed game) forfeits. Pre-Game Crashes (Lobby Glitches) – These are not treated as disconnects but have their own penalties. This rule covers any crash that occurs prior to puck drop. o 1 crash – no penalty o 2 crashes – team starts with minor penalty o 3 crashes – team starts with back-to-back minor penalties o 4 crashes – FFL (must be recorded on stream or with appropriate XBL/PSN clip) 5.10. FORFEITS & LATE START From time to time, an LMS team may not have enough players to play a League game, and are either below the minimum number of rostered players to play (3) or there are not available replacement free agents to sign. In these scenarios, it may ultimately be the case that the team short on players may need to forfeit 1 or more games in an evening. Owners and GMs are advised as follows with regards to forfeit wins (“FFW”) and forfeit losses (“FFL”): 5.10.1. FORFEITS DISFAVORED Forfeits are discouraged by the League during the regular season and are highly discouraged during the playoffs. If a team has any concern regarding their ability to file a line up of 6 players for an upcoming game, management should reach out to their opponent as soon as possible to discuss the issue and arrange a reschedule. 5.10.2. LATE STARTS - GRACE PERIOD; DELAY OF GAME PENALTY; FORFEIT LOSS. 1-5 Minutes Late. LMS teams are afforded an initial 5 minute grace period to begin a game without penalty (i.e., 8:15 PM to 8:20 PM). This applies to agreed upon reschedules. 5-10 Minutes Late: the late team must begin the game by taking a delay of game minor penalty. 10+ Minutes Late: If a team is 10 or more minutes late, the late team will FFL the scheduled game unless the non-late team agrees to reschedule or to accept 2 penalties to start the game. 33 5.10.3. RESCHEDULES TO BE PLAYED ASAP Rescheduled games must occur as soon as possible after their original time & date and on a mutually agreeable time & date between team Management and Owners. Team Management must inform League Admins and post 5.10.4. TOO MANY COOKS When discussing the possibility of a forfeit and/or reschedule, or simply arranging for the start of games in general, Management for both teams is encouraged to designate one person to communicate on their team’s behalf. Having multiple players or managers communicate with multiple players or managers on an opposing team creates confusion and the potential for misunderstanding or mistake, including scenarios where a GM might forfeit 1, 2, or even FFL both games in a single evening when the team Owner expects the games to be played or rescheduled. 5.10.5. NO SHOW TEAMS If there is a complete lack of communication between Management of both teams by the day of the scheduled games, the team intending to show up with six players should: (a) alert Admins that they have contacted opposing management about the upcoming games, but have received no response (include screenshots of DMs and Discord pings to “@[TEAM]Mgmt;” and (b) show up at game time with their 6 players and screenshot their lobbies searching and/or ready and available to play. Once an FFW or FFL is agreed to by the two teams, management for both teams should memorialize the decision with a brief description and an appropriate screenshot in # management-chat LMSHL Discord channel that is reacted to by both teams, as in the following example: Teams need not wait around until the start of the 2nd game to take an additional screenshot. If there is a documented lack of communication from the opposing team’s management before the first game was scheduled to begin, the non- responsive team will FFL Game 1. The team that showed up on time can then call it a night. The second game will either also result in: (1) a FFW, or (2) if the team that failed to show for Game 1 makes an appearance in-time for Game 2, the second game may be rescheduled or may still result in a FFL for the original no-show team. In no scenario can a team fail to show GM1, take FFL, show up for GM2 after their opponent has left for the night, and then claim a FFW in GM 2. 34
RULE VIOLATIONS, DISCIPLINE, AND OTHER DISPUTES The League’s Discipline Department, headed up by a League Admin with assistance from the Deputy Commissioner in charge of the League’s PLAYERS Division, reviews allegations of rule violations and occurrences of player and management misconduct. The League’s Deputy Commissioners under the supervision of the League Commissioner and with the assistance of the Executive Committee handle misconduct and discipline review and sanctions of League Owners. Except where necessary to protect player privacy and safety, all LMSHL disciplinary actions will be open and transparent to the greatest extent possible, with written explanations and reports posted in the #league-rulings and #discipline-announcements channels on Discord. 6.1. See Appendix 2. PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR AND RULE VIOLATIONS 6.2. BAN BUY-OUT POLICY AND PROCEDURE Anticipated for Season 9.
MISCELLANEOUS 7.1. All LMS players are encouraged to visit the League Discord to make pre-season predictions, such as, LMSHL Cup Champion, Best Defense, Best Goalie, and so on) and to vote on players of the week and end of season awards. Seasonal and tournament trophies can be viewed at the Trophy Case section of the League’s website: https://lmshl.chelmachine.com/trophy_case. PRE-SEASON PREDICTIONS; STARS OF THE NIGHT; PLAYERS OF THE WEEK; EOS AWARDS 7.2. OFF-SEASON EVENTS LMS holds two major off-season tournaments: LMSHL Worlds (“Worlds”) and LMSHL World Junior Championship (“WJC”). These tournaments are played with complete API- stat tracking with standings and statistics saved on ChelMachine. Presently, participation in the LMSHL WJC tournament is mandatory for players new to the League who wish to become eligible in the upcoming entry draft. For veterans and returning players, participation in LMSHL Worlds is encouraged, but not required. LMS rules for these off- season events, such as the and World Junior Championships, draft lotteries, and expansion/prospect drafts will be issued on an event-by-event basis until such time as an established format is agreed to and applicable to multiple off-seasons. In the event of a conflict between these LMS Rules and event specific rules, the event specific rules will control unless indicated otherwise. 35 LMSHL SEASON 8 SALARY CAP – INFORMATION & PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE 7.3. All teams can find player salary cap information via Discord. For Season 8, NHL Roster must be 14 min, 16 max @ $95m or less. Teams that are over the salary cap or non-compliant with the required number of roster players may be subject to sanction from the League, including but not limited to, FFLs of any game played while non-compliant with cap/roster rules, as well as management and owner strikes and bans. 7.4. FINAL WORD All LMSHL Rules are intended to promote competition, encourage fair play, and limit toxic behavior amongst LMSHL players, managers, owners, and teams. Rules are subject to change and will be enforced at the discretion of the Commissioner & Executive Committee. Questions regarding these Rules should be directed to team owners and the Admin Team as needed. Any dispute related to these Rules will be resolved by the appropriate League Department and/or Sub-committee, subject to review by the HOCKEY OPs Deputy Commissioner, XC, and Commissioner. 7.4.1. LAST MAN STANDING VS. LAST MAN READING… As a reminder, teams are advised that they are expected to raise known Rule violations promptly as soon as they become known to the team or player reporting the violation. If you identify an issue, such as a mistake in your opponent’s pre- game playoff lineup being posted in the wrong place, you need to bring it up before the game or when you become aware of it—not wait to see if you win first, then make the report to try to get out of a loss. Sitting on a rule defect and only reporting it after a loss is bad faith, and it won’t be rewarded. Although this is a long rulebook, very few violations will ever justify reversing the result of a game that was otherwise played fairly and competitively. Many rule violations that are purely administrative or technical in nature, like forgetting to update a roster page for a properly signed, eligible player, are handled with management-level penalties such as loss of draft picks or trading rights. By contrast, violations that create a tangible competitive advantage, such as using a player who isn't on your team or isn’t even in the League, are far more serious and may result in forfeits, game reversals, or suspensions. In other words, prior to submitting your next ticket to the League Admins, please remember—notwithstanding any technical or literal violation of these League Rules, LMS will always consider whether a rule violation had a material impact on the outcome of a game or series before interfering with a fairly played and competitively determined result. LMS has been and always will be a league where champions are determined by team skill on the sticks, not keyboards. SHIZZ SAYS: FINALLY, EH? GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD HOCKEY. APPENDIX 2 - DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES i APPENDIX 1 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – the Executive Committee (“XC”) is a 13-member, permanent LMS committee consisting of the LMSHL Commissioner and League Founder, three (3) Deputy Commissioners and seven (7) Admins appointed by the Commissioner, and two (2) Executive Representatives elected from the LMSHL and LMSAHL Owners Groups. The XC is responsible for day-to-day League operations and short- and long-term League planning. While the Commissioner and XC reserve the final say on most League governance matters, such as player discipline, transactions, and rules, the XC defers whenever possible to the League’s Divisions, Departments, Sub-Committees, and the NHL and AHL Owners Groups on matters relating to League growth and overall structure. The XC’s Owner Reps are responsible for bringing the ideas and concerns of their respective owner groups to the XC and also for reporting the XC’s major decisions, guidance, and deliberations back to the NHL and AHL Owners. LMSHL OWNERS GROUP – the LMSHL Owners Group consists of the twenty (20) individuals owning LMSHL teams + one (1) LMSHL Management Liaison. NHL Owners discuss and review day-to-day League business and may also vote on major issues/rules affecting the structure, size, schedule, and competitive integrity of the LMSHL. The Management Liaison is responsible for bringing the concerns & ideas of NHL Management to the NHL Owners and for reporting the major decisions of the NHL Owners to NHL Management. APPENDIX 2 - DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES ii LMSAHL OWNERS GROUP – the LMSAHL Owners Group consists of twenty (20) individuals owning LMSAHL teams + one (1) LMSAHL Management Liaison. AHL Owners discuss and review day-to-day League business and may also vote on major issues/rules affecting the structure, size, schedule, and competitive integrity of the LMSAHL. The Management Liaison is responsible for bringing the concerns & ideas of AHL Management to the AHL Owners and for reporting the major decisions of AHL Owners to AHL Management. LMSHL Management Group – the LMSHL Management Group consists of one (1) General Manager and one (1) Assistant General Manager from every LMSHL team, plus one (1) LMSHLPA Players Representative. NHL Management discusses and reviews day-to-day League operations, game set-ups and scheduling, game results, disciplinary matters, rules issues, and more. The LMSHLPA Players Representative is responsible for bringing the ideas and concerns of players to the attention of NHL Management, and for reporting the major decisions and deliberations of NHL Management to all LMSHL Players making up the LMSHLPA. LMSAHL Management Group – the LMASHL Management Group consists of one (1) General Manager and one (1) Assistant General Manager from every LMASHL team, plus one (1) LMSAHLPA Players Representative. AHL Management discusses and reviews day-to-day League operations, game set-ups and scheduling, game results, disciplinary matters, rules issues, and more. The LMSAHLPA Players Representative is responsible for bringing the ideas and concerns of players to the attention of AHL Management, and for reporting the major decisions and deliberations of AHL Management to all LMASHL Players making up the LMSHLPA. ADMIN TEAM – The Admin Team consists of the League’s seven (7) Admins and about a dozen or so Admin Assistants. Admins & Admin Assistants are various LMSHL/LMSAHL owners, managers, and players who have proven to be community leaders and who are wiling to devote free time to put their ideas for the League into action. Admin Assistants may assist in any or all areas of need within LMS. SERVER DEVELOPERS – LMS Server Developers primarily work within the Comms Division and IT & Discords Departments. They have expanded Discord access and permissions to enhance the Discord and League experience for all LMS players and to provide tech support and other assistance to Admins & Admin Assistants as needed. HOCKEY OPS DIVISION (DEP COMMISH – Hockey Ops is headed up by a Deputy Commissioner and consists of several Departments and various Sub-Committees that are primarily responsible for the short and long-term planning and operations of the League. Departments and/or Sub-Committees within Hockey Ops are each headed by an Admin or Admin Assistant and include the following for LMSHL S6/LMSAHL S3: -Rules -Salary Cap -Schedule & Drafts -Off- Season Tournaments -Stats & Analytics; S7/S4 HOCKEY OPS DEP COMMISH – SJUL PLAYERS DIVISION – Players is headed up by a Deputy Commissioner and consists of several Departments and various Sub-Committees that create and manage the day-to-day experience of all LMSHL/LMSAHL players. Players typically enforces decisions and guidance made by the XC, Ownership groups, League Management, and Hockey OPs Division. APPENDIX 2 - DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES iii Departments within Players are each headed by an Admin or Admin Assistant and include the following for LMSHL S6/LMSAHL S3: -Discipline -Transactions -Waivers & Free Agency -Game Night Support -HR & Player Feedback S7/S4 PLAYERS DEP COMMISH – SWIZZ COMMS DIVISION – Comms is headed up by a third and final Deputy Commissioner and consists of several Departments and various Sub-Committees that are responsible for League communications, promotions, partnerships, marketing, IT, Discord, and Awards. Departments within Comms are each headed by an Admin or Admin Assistant and include the following for LMSHL S6/LMSAHL S3: -Promotions & Partnerships -Graphics & Media -Website -IT/Discord -All-Star and Awards; S7/S4 COMMS DEP COMMISH – SNAKE APPENDIX 2 - DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES i