This page covers all of the official rules of this keeper league. From time to time the game administrator may suggest rule changes to the general managers. In most cases rules will require a majority vote of 8 votes to automatically come into effect. The game administrator has final say and will uphold existing rules in the spirit of fair play.
This pool is a competitive hockey pool. Not all rules are written to cover every situation. Where possible, the spirit or intent of each rule should be laid out and will be upheld when required.
Entry fee is $40 (Starting 2011 - $50) per year. Must be paid on or before draft day in cash.
Every other year, the owners can review the entry fee. Only by majority vote (ie. 7 vs. 5) can the fee be increased.
No refunds. Duh...
2016 Fees $60, add $10 every two years. 2018 - $70. 2020 COVID; 2021, 2022 $80, 2023,2024 $90
Next increase 2025 - $100
The original league was set up with 12 general managers with the potential for an expansion team.
With 13 general managers, this keeper league will no longer expand.
Team Structure = 13 Forwards, 7 Defensemen, 2 Goalies, 2 Extra (F/D/G)
Two (2) Extra spots are designed to enable GM's to have a farm team of potential prospects or young star players.
An X player may stay in the X spot of a GM's roster if he was not activated in the prior season and played in less than 30 NHL regular season games
CLARIFICATION - For consideration, the X player must also have been in the GM's roster at the start of the prior season from the main draft and not added to the roster by other means in-season.
Should a GM wish to leave the league, special arrangements will be made for the sale of his franchise to a wait listed player.
The Annual Main Draft occurs sometime prior to the season or by the end of the first weekend of the NHL regular season schedule.
Draft order is determined based on the reverse order of finish from the previous year's pool results. Each round the order is the same (ie. not snake)
Prior to the start of the NHL season; By August 31st, all GM's must submit a ten player KEEPER LIST based on 6 forwards, 3 defensemen, 1 goalie to the pool administrator
If any eligible X players exist, the GM may choose to maintain their X status on their roster and have them protected as well on this Keeper List
Eligible draft picks include any drafted player in the NHL, any signed player in the NHL including previously signed NHL players from the prior season.
If one of your protected players dies/retires/signs elsewhere (non-NHL league), you have an option to pick up any previously dropped player before the draft begins.
Retirement is defined as a clear, public statement on behalf of the player that his NHL career is over.
You get up to one (1) minute to make each draft pick on draft day.
Every GM may elect to drop up to two players on their roster on December 23rd.
The list of dropped players will be made available to all GM's within 24 hours. Arrangements will be made for a two round draft.
The draft order at the Christmas waiver will be based on the reverse order of the current pool standings. (no snake)
GM's can waiver active players and "call-up" players from their X spots and back-fill their X spots
Players drafted during the waiver draft and placed into an X spot do not qualify for X spot treatment
The Christmas Waiver draft will attempt to occur ASAP prior to the restart of the NHL season over the Xmas break.
While a full roster consists of 13 active Forwards and 7 active Defensemen, only your top 12 and 6 Forwards and Defensemen contribute to your pool point total
Your team's point total is based on:
Player Points
Goals = +2 Pts
Assist = +1pt
PPG = +1pt
SHG = +1pt
GWG = +1pt
Hat-Trick = +3pts
Defensemen Points (All Player Points plus these)
Plus / Minus = 1pt / -1pt
PIM = 0.2pt
Shots = 0.1pt
Goalie Points (All Player Points plus these)
Win = 3 pts, OT Win = 2 pts
OTL = 1 pt
Shutout = 3pts
With 13 GM's, the current prize pool is $500 after the $20 hockeydraft.ca entry fee.
Updated 2019-2020 $910 - $25 = $885 Prize Pool.
1st 35%; 2nd 20%; 3rd 15% (or $300, $175, $140)
Top G pts 5% ($45 each)
Top D pts 5%
Top F pts 5%
Calder 5%
PIM (D) 5%
Best (+/-) 5%
You can trade players and draft picks. Nothing else. Draft picks within 2 seasons (current + 2).
You can only trade equal number of players during the regular season. Off-season multi/unbalanced trades are allowed.
Trades can occur anytime from the last game of the regular season to NHL Trade Deadline of that NHL season. - CLARIFICATION Prior to Puck Drop day of.
Trades must be announced by the accepting GM and verified by the Administrator.
You can only trade between 2 GMs.
You cannot (Rule changed in Season 5) trade an injured player during the regular NHL season.
All trades must be approved by the pool administrator. Complaints can be lodged within 24 hrs of a trade agreement and considered for trade rejection.
CLARIFICATION - All traded players must be activated to replace players in existing active roster spots (one of the 13F+7D+2G); or dropped altogether if the GM has available players in their X spots to fill in for the vacated roster spot (vacated by outbound traded player). This means no player received may be placed into the X spot.
Each GM can call up a player of the same position from their X spot to replace an injured player.
For clarification, the injured player cannot be traded. He can be protected at the end of the season as one of your Top 10. If he is not protected, he is dropped. Should he become healthly before the trade deadline and play again, you may trade him like any active player.
The League/Pool Administrator has sole discretion during the season to interpret and fairly (seek consensus) accommodate situations which rules do not cover. In general, new rules must have the support of 8 or more GM's to be enacted in subsequent seasons.
NO LONGER APPLIES. LEAGUE CAPPED AT 13 TEAMS. (September 2008)
This assumes a new team(s) is to be added in the pool in subsequent years. All existing teams would submit their protected rosters for the year and the new expansion team would be allowed to generate a protected roster based on available players prior to drafting (any ten of their players regardless of position). After this, the expansion team would draft 3rd place in the first round and then 4th, 5th, etc... until it was 13th, at which time they would join the snake. ie.
Pre-Draft = Pick 10 players ahead of everyone. Everyone now has 10 players and draft lasts 15 rounds.
Your place in subsequent rounds would be: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, then based on the snake order you will go 13->1 and 1->13 as spot 13.
Season 1 (2007-08) - Waiver increased to 2 rounds. Draft order the same both rounds based on team placing worst to first as of games ending Christmas eve. (Was 1 round previous).
Season 2 (2008-09) - MVP prize consolidated to 1st. Protection max games set to 30. Injury call up rule established.
Season 3 (2009-10) - No changes
Season 4 (2010-11) - No changes
Season 5 (2011-12) - $50 fees starting Season 6 and onwards. IR players can be traded.
NHL Season 2012-13 - Lockout year, season cancelled
Season 6 (2013-14) - no changes
Season 7 (2014-15) - no changes
Season 8 (2015-16) - Implemented Lottery Draft for next year (Draft 2016); 2016 Fees go up $10, every each year +$10. The max improvement is 4 spots for any position. This means only 5th could theortically get 1st place.
Season 9 (2016-17) - Fees $60; (NBA Style Lottery)
Season 10 (2017-18) - NHL Style Lottery
Season 11 (2018-19) - Fees $70
Season 12 (2019-2020) - no changes.
Season 13 (2020-2021) - Awards updated. Fee increase delayed. (Was going to be $80)