Post by Beaver Banker on Sept 5, 2012 8:43:27 GMT -4
MEMBERSHIP
The Pool will consist of no more than 20 teams. League membership for the coming season shall be finalized no later than August 1. Owners must be members in good standing of the QMJHL Maritimes Division Message Board ("the Message Board"). Teams may designate an alternate owner to help with team management.
Owners who become unable to maintain their teams after the start of the season will have their teams transferred to a new owner. If a new owner cannot immediately be found, the team will be run by the league.
Owners are expected to respond within 48 hours to all communication relating to the Pool, both from the Pool Administrators, and fellow owners. If an owner is away for a time period of longer than 48 hours, they are requested to let the league know of their absence. Owners are encouraged to find an assistant GM to be able to fill in for extended absences.
An owner may have membership revoked if:
- Conduct directly relating to the Pool initiates the issuance of warning points by Message Board Administrators
- The owner accumulates enough warning points (not just Pool related) to initiate a suspension from the Message Board
- The commissioner receives Private Messages from at least one half of all other owners asking for the owner to be recalled.
Owners are expected to participate in the pool within the confines of friendly competition appropriate for a prize-less contest run by a volunteer commissioner.
ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
Players will be considered eligible for the pool when either:
- They are drafted by a QMJHL team in with the Midget or Import drafts - OR -
- They are signed as a free agent by a QMJHL team - OR -
- They are invited to a QMJHL training camp on a tryout basis
Players remain eligible until the completion of the hockey season that begins the same year as the player reaches his 20th birthday.
ROSTERS
Each team will consist of exactly:
- Five (5) Forwards
- Three (3) Defensemen
- One (1) Skater who may be either a defenceman or a forward
- One (1) Goaltender
The roster may contain no more than three (3) Special Designation player. A Special Designation Player is either a player considered by the QMJHL to be an Import player, or a player who by Hockey Canada rules, are considered 20 years old during the current season. No more than two (2) Special Designation players may be Imports. 20-year-old goaltenders do not take up a Special Designation Spot. 20-year old Imports take up two Special Designation Spots.
Each team roster will also contain one Injured Reserve slot. Any player occupying this spot will score no points, but his rights are retained by the pool team. A player can only be added in that spot if they are not currently playing in the QMJHL. They must have missed two consecutive games to qualify. Upon playing their second consecutive game on returning to the lineup, the player must be activated within five days. If the player is not activated within those five days, that player will become a free agent. Any eligible player may occupy the IR spot, regardless of age, position or import status. A player on the IR may remain there until the end of the regular season, at which point, they must be activated or released.
SCORING
Points will be awarded as follows:
Forwards: 1 point for a goal, 1 point for an assist, 1 point for a short handed goal (in addition to the one point already awarded for the goal), 0.2 points for a penalty minute
Defensemen: 2 for a goal, 1 for an assist, 1 point for a shorthanded goal (in addition to the two points already awarded for the goal), 0.2 for a penalty minute
Goaltenders: 2 for a win, 1 bonus for a shutout, all multiplied by his save percentage, rounded to the nearest tenth of a point. Goals and assists by goaltenders do not apply to their point totals.
The team with the highest aggregate score from all ten roster spots will be the winner.
ROSTER CHANGES
Trades
Players may be traded freely between Pool teams anytime between the start of the entry draft and 9PM on the Monday following January 31. There Is no limit on the number of trades a team may complete.
Draft picks for the upcoming two drafts may be traded. Trades for subsequent drafts are not tradable until the completion of the previous draft.
To complete a trade, both teams must submit a Private Message to the League Commissioner. In the event of an uneven number of players being exchanged, the corresponding roster moves must also be included in the PM.
Re-acquisition of traded players
Players who are traded away from a Keeper Pool Team may not return to that team's lineup for a period of two seasons from the date of the trade. 16 year old players cannot be reacquired until their 18-year old season, 17s until 19, and 18s til 20.
Players who have been dropped from a Keeper league team and subsequently acquired by another keeper league team cannot be traded back to the first team for a period of two seasons.
If a player, who was owned by a team within the past two years, was subsequently acquired by another keeper league team, and is currently on the free agent market, and has been for at least seven full days, that player can be claimed by his previous team.
Players who are dropped and never claimed by another team may be signed as free agents by their previous team at anytime.
Players who are left unprotected prior to the annual draft can be traded back to a former team at any time following the draft.
Free Agency
A free agent is considered any player who, following the completion of the draft, meets the criteria for eligibility above, and who are not currently on a Pool team roster.
Each team may sign up to three (3) free agents during the period between the first Monday following the end of the draft and 1pm on the first day of the QMJHL season. Additionally, each team may sign up to eight (8) free agents during the period between the first day of the season, and the last day of January. Free agents can be claimed using the official free agency thread on the board. All free agents are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Please include in the post how many add you have used.
Free agents added to fill the roster following a trade DO count against an owner's eight moves, as do adds used to replace a player who has been assigned to the IR.
If a free agent signing puts you above the roster limits set above, you must drop a player. Dropped players immediately become free agents.
Effective date of roster moves
While players can be added or dropped at any time, for scoring purposes, all roster moves will be effective at 9 PM Atlantic Time on Monday following the move, unless there is a QMJHL game scheduled for that night, in which case moves are effective 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for the earliest game scheduled. Points accumulated by a player AFTER he is acquired but before Monday at 9PM will NOT count for his new team. Conversely, if a player is dropped points acquired by that player after the drop but before Monday at 9PM will count for his old team.
This effective deadline will be enforced for scoring purposes only. Once a player is acquired through legal means, he is immediately the property of his new team and can be traded, dropped or placed on the IR at any time.
PLAYOFFS
QUALIFIERS
The top twelve teams in the regular season will qualify for the playoffs. The remaining non-playoff teams will participate in the draft lottery.
SCORING
Scoring for all playoff rounds will be exactly the same as regular season scoring. All players on the active roster as of the end of the season will count toward the team’s scoring totals.
QUARTERFINALS
Playoff teams will be divided into four pools:
Pool A contains the First, Eighth and Twelfth seeds
Pool B Contains the Second, Seventh and Eleventh seeds
Pool C contains the Third, Sixth and Tenth seeds
Pool D contains the Fourth, Fifth and Ninth seeds
During the first round of the QMJHL playoffs, the three teams will compete against each other, with the highest scoring team advancing.
SEMI-FINALS
During the second round of the QMJHL playoffs, the winner of Pool A will play the winner of Pool D, and B winner will play the C winner. Scores from Round one do not carry forward. Only points scored in round two count towards the semi-finals scores. The highest score in each semi-final will advance to the final
PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
The Keeper Pool Playoff Final will encompass the Third and Fourth rounds of the QMJHL playoffs, and include the two semifinal winners. Scores from Round one and two do not carry forward. Only points scored in rounds three and four count towards the finals scores. The highest score will be crowned the playoff champ.
TIE BREAKERS
If two teams finish the first round tied for the lead in their pool, the higher seeded team will advance.
If two teams finished tied in either the semi-final or final rounds, the team with the highest total score from previous rounds will advance. In the event that this does not break the tie, the higher seed will advance.
OFF SEASON
The off season will begin June 1st. Prior to this date, owners must declare their intention to remain in the league for the upcoming season. Trades between teams will be permitted. At this time, teams may choose to trade a player to another team, including the protected slot. Protected slots cannot be traded on their own; they can only be included with a player traded between June 1 and the protection deadline.
Protected Lists
Prior to August 15, all teams must provide a list of players protected for the next season's roster. Protected lists may include no more than six players.
Draft
The entry draft will take place beginning the Tuesday after the long weekend in September and will be scheduled for four rounds.
Draft Order
The selection order for the first choices of the first round of the draft will be determined by lottery.
Teams who fail to make the playoffs will be awarded entries in the lottery based on their finish during the regular season as follows:
Last place – 15 entries
Second last place – 9 entries
Third last place – 6 entries
Fourth last place – 4 entries
Fifth last place – 3 entries
Sixth last place or better – 2 entries
In the event that two or more teams tie in the standings, the total number of entries for the spaces those teams occupy will be distributed evenly, rounding up in the event of a fractional split.
There are no restrictions on how far up or down a team can move in the lottery.
The entries will be mixed up, and a single entry selected. This team will choose first.
A second entry will then be chosen. If the entry belongs to the team picking first, it will be discarded, and another entry chosen. This team will pick second.
Selection will continue until the last non-playoff team has a pick
The twelve playoff teams will then chose in reverse order of finish.
In the second and subsequent rounds, all teams will pick in reverse order of finish.
The lottery will be conducted by the commissioner, and recorded for verification purposes.
Draft Procedure
A thread will be started for draft choices, and all picks must be made in that thread. A summary of picks will be provided in the first post of the thread, and will be updated regularly throughout the draft.
Teams have six hours to make their picks. If they have not picked within six hours, their turn will expire and the draft will continue. Skipped players can then make their picks at any time. Players who have a pick expire will only have four hours for their subsequent picks. Players who have a second pick expire will only have two hours for each subsequent pick. There is a blackout period between 11 PM and 7 AM where no picks are required, but can still be made. If your pick would have expired during the 11-7 window, it is due by 9AM.
Players who pick a player already taken will be treated as if their six hour window has expired: the draft will immediately continue with the next pick, and the offending team may re-pick at any time from the players still remaining in the draft pool.
During the draft, players may carry a roster that is considered ineligible, provided that the roster is fixed by the day before the season starts. Teams shall never possess more than 10 players, and shall never possess more than one goaltender.
Should the final round of the draft end and there exist one or more teams with fewer than ten players on their rosters, additional rounds will be added to the draft until all teams have full rosters. Picks in supplemental rounds will be in reverse order of finish from the previous season.
Rule changes
Rule changes for the next season must be proposed prior to April 1st. Changes will be voted on by the membership, and require a 2/3 majority for approval.
Approved changes will be in effect as of June 1, the start of the preseason.