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How does the minor league hockey system work?

Jessica (aka. digitalfrost) submitted a very good explanation about the entire minor league hockey system, including the junior leagues, on the grrrowlfan board. With her kindest permission, she has allowed us to re-print it here: The ECHL is generally accepted as the second tier, but whether or not we share our second tier status with the WCHL and/or the UHL has been the subject of long (and sometimes, shall we say, unpleasant) debates. Below us definitely is the CHL (Central Hockey League). All AHL teams are affiliates of NHL teams (some of more than one). Quite a few ECHL teams either have affiliations with NHL teams (and by proxy their AHL affiliates), or have working agreements with AHL teams. Some UHL teams have affiliations with AHL and/or NHL teams. Juniors and college are a totally separate concern from our league. These are the places where the guys play until they are "old" enough to play professionally (the presumption being this is where they mature as players until they are ready for pro hockey), or in the college player's case, hopefully until they graduate. Juniors and collegiate hockey are NOT above the level of ECHL hockey. Pro hockey is much faster and much more polished in general than juniors or college... and don't take my word on it even, ask the players. There are MANY, many levels and leagues of juniors. The top level of the Canadian Hockey League (also, CHL) are the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). These are considered approximately the same level, and while they compete for their individual league championships, they also take each league champion (plus one extra team from the host team's league) and compete tournament-style for what is called the Memorial Cup, which is the championship for the entire Canadian Hockey League. I would NOT presume to grade which league is best out of the big three. The Western league is generally known for toughness, the OHL for a little bit of everything, and the QMJHL for being high scoring but playing no defense. These are of course generalizations. Now, while most players come from the "big" leagues of the CHL, there are also "Junior A" and "Junior B" teams, which are a level or more lower than the O/W/QMJ-HL teams. The Canadian Hockey League has an age limit of 21 - each team may have a set amount of "overage" (21 year old) players... I believe the limit is 2. It's kind of like our veteran rule in the ECHL. There are also limits on "imported" players from Europe. Most players are 16 or 17 when they begin playing juniors... the younger players are billeted (hosted) by local families. They receive a small stipend. In the US, we also have juniors, but I'm not as familiar with the delineations. The ones I do know of are the USHL and the NAHL, both of which have teams mostly in the Midwest. My understanding is that they are about equal levels. I believe you can play US/NAHL from age 16 to 18, but I'm not positive on that. At any rate, most of the players who play in these leagues end up playing collegiate hockey. Now, there's collegiate hockey. :-) I'm not as familiar with the Canadian Collegiate System, so I won't address that. OUR collegiate system is of course overseen by the NCAA. Overall, it is split into divisions just like football, according to the ability of the program. Division I is the premier division. The Div I teams are generally grouped geographically into conferences, such as Hockey East (Boston University, Maine, Boston College, etc), CCHA - Central Collegiate Hockey Association (University of Michigan, Northern MI, Michigan State, Notre Dame, etc), and WCHA - Western Collegiate Hockey Association (University of Minnesota, Denver U., University of Wisconsin, North Dakota, etc). I say in general, because if they were solely on geography, the Michigan teams could have their OWN conference all to themselves. LOL! The college teams also play for their individual conference titles (both regular season and playoff), but the big prize comes at the Frozen Four every April. The selection for eligibility in the tournament isn't as mysterious as the basketball picks - if you want the whole break down, go to www.uscho.com/FAQs/?data=selection and read through - what happens is the 4 surviving teams from the East and West Regionals move on to the Frozen Four and then win or go home (unlike the CWS, lol). Anyhow, on to the draft. I swiped this off the Columbus Bluejackets website: Player Eligibility Players eligible for the 2002 NHL Entry Draft are subject to the following: North American players born between January 1, 1982 and September 15, 1984 are eligible in all rounds Non-North American players 18 years of age or older as of September 15, 2002 are eligible in rounds, with no maximum age limit All players playing outside North America must be drafted before signing with an NHL team Is it clearer now? Once teams draft an amateur player, he "belongs" to them for 2 years. If they are unable to sign him within that 2 year period, then he re-enters the draft. If he's signed, they can send him to their AHL affiliate for development, if he's not ready for the big-time (most of them aren't. Most of them never will be full-time NHL'ers.). Or they can send them to the ECHL. Sometimes, a player will initially be assigned to the AHL team only to be demoted to the ECHL because of skill or lack of room on the roster / no ice time available at the AHL level.

Who are the ECHL teams affiliated with?

What is the division alignment and playoff format for the 2009-10 season?

The conference quarterfinals will be a best-of-five game series with the remaining rounds being best-of-seven game series. The best-of-five series will be a 2-3 format with the higher seed choosing if it wishes to host Games 1-2 or Games 3-5. Teams that are less than 350 miles apart may choose to play a 2-2-1 format. In the National Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winner with the best record in the conference will receive a bye in the first round. The other division winner will be seeded second and meet the team that finishes seventh in the conference in the first round. The other first round matchups will be the third-place finisher in the conference against the sixth-place finisher in the conference and the fourth-place finisher in the conference against the fifth-place finisher in the conference. The conference semifinals will have the first-place finisher meeting the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place matchup and the winner of the second-place finisher and seventh-place finisher against the winner of the third-place finisher against the sixth-place finisher. In the American Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winners will be seeded first, second and third and will play the eighth-place finisher, the seventh-place finisher and the sixth-place finisher, respectively, while the fourth-place finisher and the fifth-place finisher will meet. The conference semifinals will have the winner of the first-place and eighth-place matchup will meet the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place game while the winner of the second-place and seventh-place game will face the winner of the third-place and sixth-place matchup.

How many players can dress for each game?

Teams may dress a maximum of eighteen (18) players for each regular season and playoff game, of which two (2) must be goaltenders. No team can play with only one designated goaltender on the lineup card.

What is the ECHL roster limit?

ECHL teams can carry a maximum of twenty (20) players on their active roster (not counting players on injured reserve). During the Kelly Cup playoffs, injured reserve is eliminated. Teams will have a maximum roster of 23 players for the postseason with 20 active players and up to three inactive players.

How many veteran players are allowed in the ECHL?

Each ECHL team shall be limited to four veteran players on its active roster during the hockey season (regular season and playoffs).

What constitutes a veteran player in the ECHL?

A veteran shall be defined as an individual who has played 260 regular season games of professional hockey. Provided however, any player signed to a NHL or AHL contract which contains an ECHL assignment provision shall be exempt from the foregoing rule. Notwithstanding the above, any player assigned to an ECHL member team on a NHL or AHL contract shall be deemed to be a veteran if said player is 24 years or older and has participated in 260 regular season professional hockey games as of the opening day of the season of said year. Translation: If a player starts the season in the AHL/NHL under the age 24 and under 260 games, but then gets assigned to the ECHL, he will still be considered to not be a vet, even though he may have turned 24 or played 260 games by the time he is assigned. It does not mean that guys who start the season in the NHL/AHL with a vet status in our league are exempt. They just look at the numbers he had before the season is started. It is not written very clearly in the faqs, but that is what they are talking about. The player will be considered a vet even if assigned as long as he would have been considered a vet starting in the ECHL that season.

What games count towards determining a player’s veteran status?

Games played for the Olympic or National Team of any country do not count as professional games and will not be applicable toward the 260 professional games needed to be classified as a veteran. The ECHL will use the International Section of current and previous National Hockey League Year In Review books to determine professional games played outside North America. If a player’s statistics are included in this section, those games will be considered to be professional games played and applicable toward his veteran status. Games played in all professional North American leagues, past and present, will count toward a player’s veteran status.

What is the injured reserve system for the ECHL?

ECHL teams can have one player on the 3-day injured reserve and one player on the 7-day injured reserve and an unlimited number of players on the 30-day injured reserve. Players may be moved from the 3-day injured reserve list or the 7-day injured reserve list to the 30-day injured reserve list, but may not be moved back from the 30-day injured reserve list to either the 3-day injured reserve list or 7-day injured reserve list. In addition, when placing a player on the 7-day or 30-day injured reserve list retroactive to his injury, a team may only go back three (3) days or to the first day after his last game played, whichever is less, including and beginning with the current day. Once put on the injured reserve list, a player must remain there the minimum number of clear days so that his total time on the injured reserve list equals the length of the respective injured reserve list slot. Any player who was moved from the 3-day injured reserve list or the 7-day injured reserve list to the 30-day injured reserve list will have the number of days already served count toward his 30-day total. Players on injured reserve may not skate in any pregame warm-up. During the Kelly Cup playoffs, injured reserve is eliminated. Teams will have a maximum roster of 23 players for the postseason with 20 active players and up to three inactive players.

How does the ECHL break ties?

If Two Teams Tie 1. Wins, regular season 2. Points, head-to-head 3. Wins, head-to-head 4. Goal differential, head-to-head 5. Winning percentage, division 6. Winning percentage, conference 7. Goals for, regular season 8. Goals against, regular season 9. Coin toss If Three or More Teams Tie Note: When two teams remain after third or other teams are eliminated during any step below, the tiebreaker reverts to Step 1 of the two-team format. 1. Wins, regular season 2. Winning percentage, games between the teams 3. Goal differential, games between the teams 4. Winning percentage, division 5. Winning percentage, conference 6. Goals for, regular season 7. Goals against, regular season 8. Coin toss

What are the critical dates for the ECHL?

The 2008-2009 ECHL critical dates are: Oct. 2 Players report for Training Camp Oct. 3 Training Camp opens and teams may begin on-ice sessions Oct. 15 Opening-Day rosters due at 3 p.m. ET Oct. 17 21st ECHL Regular Season Begins Nov. 1 ECHL Hall of Fame nominations due Nov. 30 ECHL Hall of Fame candidate selection Dec. 21-27 For all players on ECHL rosters as of 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 21, a roster freeze shall apply through 9 a.m. ET on Dec. 27 with respect to waivers, trades and other player assignments Jan. 20-22 All-Star Break Jan. 20 12th-Annual All-Star Skills Competition at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa. Jan. 21 17th-Annual All-Star Game at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa. Jan. 25 Jersey Reversal Feb. 1 NHL/AHL player bought out of his contract after this date may not appear on Protected List Feb. 2 Overseas Deadline at 5 p.m. ET Mar. 3 National Hockey League Trade Deadline Mar. 10 American Hockey League Clear Day List Mar. 13 Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. ET Recall/Assignment Deadline Apr. 1 Amateur Playoff Eligibility Deadline at 5 p.m. ET Apr. 4 Regular season ends Apr. 6 Kelly Cup Playoff rosters due at 3 p.m. ET Apr. 7 Kelly Cup Playoffs begin Jun. 1 Protected List due Jun. 13 Future Considerations Trades must be completed Jun. 15 Season-Ending Roster due

How are trades conducted?

Here is a Q&A to help media and fans to better understand the process. How Is A Trade Made? After two clubs have come to an agreement on a trade, the clubs must advise the League office, via an official trade form that has been signed by both clubs, of the terms of the trade. The League office then schedules a conference call with the two teams to review the transaction and give final approval for the deal. On the trade call, the League will review the terms of the player contracts and ensure that teams are aware of their respective obligations to the player(s) involved and that any conditions to consummation of the transaction have been clearly defined and agreed upon. The trade becomes official after each team has signed and returned the trade agreement form to the League office. Can A Trade Take Place After the Trade Date Deadline? Trade calls may take place after the 3:00 p.m. ET deadline, but the League must have been advised of any and all transactions, including the specific details, prior to 3:00 p.m. It is not unusual that a number of trades are agreed to between the clubs just before 3:00 p.m. However, due to the volume of trades occurring just prior to the deadline, the League may not be able to conduct the actual trade call until after 3:00 p.m. Trade calls may last anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the complexity of the deal. How Are Trades Announced? Once a trade has been approved and the players in the transaction have been notified, the teams involved mutually agree upon a time to make the official announcement.

What is the Year End Roster all about?

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-ending rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in the current season (i.e. players who were under contract to teams in either the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League). Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer not later than July 1. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the season). Players on open qualifying offers can not be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 1. The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season. A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer. If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

Where can I get more info about the ECHL?

For more information about the ECHL, including salary info and deadlines, click here to go to the ECHL's FAQ site.