Rule Change Proposals

New Rulebook Next Year. In 2013 USA Hockey moved from a two-year to a four-year rulebook update schedule. Consequently, this will be the final year for the 2013-2017 Rulebook. Playing rule change proposals are submitted Playing Rules Committee and reviewed by the USA Hockey Playing Rules Committee. The Playing Rules Committee meets in early winter to discuss and make a preliminary recommendation on each proposal. These recommendations are then forwarded to the various Councils/Sections and Committees and are posted on USAHockey.com. The Board of Directors will review and make any amendments to the proposals during the Winter Meeting and they are again posted on USAHockey.com. The Winter Meeting was held in Orlando Jan. 12-15 and the results of this preliminary review are posted here: 2017_Rule_Change_Proposals.

The Playing Rules Committee will meet one more time during the Annual Congress in an open forum and will review each proposal taking into consideration the feedback received from the respective Councils/Sections and Committees. At that time, they will make a final recommendation on each proposal to be presented to the Board of Directors for adoption or defeat. The Board can accept the recommendation of the Playing Rules Committee or can make their own determination. Once the Board has voted and adopted the changes, work on editing the rule book gets started right away so the new version can be ready at the start of the season. The playing rule changes that are formally adopted in June 2017 by the USA Hockey Board of Directors will go into effect for the 2017-18 through 2020-21 seasons.