Rosters & Transactions

Version: 1.03 — Last Updated: [date]

AHL provisions in this Article (Prospect status, call-ups, the Transfer Wire) take effect when the AHL level opens (Article I, 7.1).

Section One: Roster Assignment and Restrictions

1.1: Sign-Ups

Players register with the league through the official sign-up process, providing platform/gamertag information, position preference, and any prior league experience. Sign-ups are reviewed by the Development Committee and assigned per Section Two status definitions and Section Three (3.4) random assignment rules.

1.2: Salary Cap

Each franchise operates under a league-wide salary cap. The Season 1 cap is $55,000,000. The Commissioner's Office may raise or lower the cap as the league grows. A change is announced to all members before the season it applies to and takes effect at the start of that season. No franchise may exceed the current cap at any point during the season, including at the moment a transaction is processed.

1.3: What Counts Towards the Salary Cap

• All active roster player contracts (Section 1.7)
• Retained salary from a prior trade (per 3.5.4/3.5.5)
• Any buy-out cap hits from Section 3.1.6 or 4.5
• Players on Injured Reserve do not count against the active cap unless otherwise specified by IR rules (3.3.3)

1.4: Exceeding the Salary Cap

A franchise may not complete any transaction (sign, trade, call-up) that would push it over the salary cap. Transactions attempted in violation are void; repeat attempts to circumvent the cap are reviewed by the Trade/Waiver Analyst and may result in disciplinary action under Article I, Section Five.

1.4a: Contract Length

Every contract runs for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 7 years. A contract outside that range cannot be signed, offered or accepted.

1.4b: Roster Size

An APHL team must carry at least 6 and no more than 23 players. A transaction that would put a team below 6 or above 23 is void.

1.5: Roster — Positional Limits, Restrictions and Exceptions

Each franchise must maintain positional minimums/maximums (e.g., minimum 2 goalies, positional balance across forward lines and defensive pairs) as defined by the current roster limit rules. Exceptions (e.g., temporary shortages due to injury) require Trade/Waiver Analyst approval.

1.6: Free Agent Bidding

1.6.1: Free Agent Bidding Process

Unsigned/free agent players are made available for bidding at designated points in the season (season start, post-waiver clears). Franchises submit bids within cap space; the highest compliant bid wins the player's rights.

1.6.2: Bidding Restrictions

• Bids may not exceed available cap space
• A franchise may not retract a submitted bid once the bidding window closes
• Bidding windows and rules are set by the League Director for each tier

1.7: Player Contracts

1.7.1: Contract Distribution

Contracts are assigned based on player status (Section Two), draft position (Section 4.7), or bidding result (1.6), following the league's salary scale.

1.7.2: Contract Restrictions

• Contract length must be between 1 and 7 years, and value must fall within league-defined bands for the player's status
• Contracts cannot be altered mid-season outside of an approved trade or re-sign window (Section Four)

1.8: Unrestricted and Restricted Free Agency (UFA/RFA)

1.8.1: Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA)

A player whose contract has expired and who has met the league's minimum service/contract threshold (recommended: has completed a defined number of seasons or contracts under their current or any franchise) becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent. A UFA may sign with any franchise in the off-season free agency window, with no compensation owed to their previous franchise.

1.8.2: Restricted Free Agent (RFA)

A player whose contract has expired but who has not yet met the minimum service/contract threshold for UFA status becomes a Restricted Free Agent. The player's most recent franchise retains the right of first refusal on any offer the player receives.

1.8.3: How RFA Offers Work

• Another franchise may submit an offer sheet to a RFA
• The player's original franchise has a defined window (recommended: 48–72 hours) to match the offer and retain the player at those terms
• If the original franchise declines to match, the player signs with the offering franchise, and the original franchise may be entitled to compensation (e.g., a draft pick) per league-defined compensation tiers based on the contract value

1.8.4: Qualifying Offers

To retain RFA rights over a player heading into free agency, a franchise must extend a Qualifying Offer (a minimum-value contract offer) by the league's published deadline. Failing to extend a Qualifying Offer converts the player to a UFA.

1.8.5: UFA/RFA Restrictions

• A franchise cannot exceed the salary cap (1.2) when signing a UFA or matching an RFA offer sheet
• RFA offer sheets are subject to the same bidding restrictions as free agent bidding (1.6.2) where applicable
• A player's UFA/RFA status is tracked and confirmed by the Stats Commissioner ahead of each off-season free agency window

Section Two: Player Status Definitions

2.1: Understanding Player Statuses

Every rostered player carries one status designation that determines contract eligibility, draft treatment, and movement rules. Statuses are assigned at sign-up or transition points (draft, promotion, re-sign) and tracked by the Stats Commissioner/league database.

2.2: Veteran Status (V)

Players who have completed a defined minimum number of seasons in the league (recommended: 1+ full season) and are no longer subject to entry-level contract restrictions.

2.3: Amateur Status (A)

Newly signed players without prior league draft history, typically entering via free agency or random assignment rather than the entry draft.

2.4: Prospect Status (P)

Drafted or developmental players held at the AHL tier (or a franchise's development pipeline) before being eligible for full-time NHL call-up.

2.5: Randomly Assigned (RA)

Players placed onto a roster via the league's random assignment process (Section 3.4) rather than free agent bidding or the draft, typically used to fill roster gaps at season start.

2.6: Drafted Players (DP)

Players selected in the NHL Entry Level Draft (Section 4.7), carrying draft-slot-based entry contract terms per the draft pick salary scale.

Section Three: Seasonal Transactions and Restrictions

3.1: Seasonal Bans Structure

3.1.1: Seasonal Ban Requirements

A seasonal ban is triggered when a player or Owner/Manager accumulates violations meeting the threshold defined in the strike system (3.1.7), separate from in-game suspensions under Article I.

3.1.2: Seasonal Ban Procedures

The Discipline Officer reviews the violation history, issues the seasonal ban with documented reasoning, and logs it in the public disciplinary record.

3.1.3: Seasonal Ban Appeal (Players)

Players may appeal a seasonal ban to the Commissioner's Office within 7 days of issuance, following the same appeal structure as standard suspensions (Article I, Section Six, 6.7) but escalating directly given the season-length severity.

3.1.4: Seasonal Ban Appeals (Owners, Managers)

Owners/Managers appeal seasonal bans to the Board of Governors, given the franchise-level impact of a Management-level ban.

3.1.5: Seasonal Ban Punishment

A seasonal ban removes the player/Manager from active participation for the remainder of the season, with roster/management coverage arranged per standard vacancy rules (Article IV, Section Seven).

3.1.6: Seasonal Ban Buy-outs

A banned party may petition for a buy-out — a reduced ban length in exchange for a defined cap penalty (player) or probationary term (Manager/Owner) — subject to Discipline Officer and Commissioner approval.

3.1.7: Understanding the Strike System

Violations accumulate as strikes on a rolling basis (recommended: strikes reset at season end unless tied to a permanent-ban-level offense). Strike thresholds trigger escalating consequences: warning → suspension → seasonal ban → permanent ban, consistent with Article I disciplinary tiers.

3.1.8: Definitions

• Strike: A logged violation counting toward the seasonal ban threshold
• Seasonal Ban: Removal from active participation for the remainder of the current season
• Buy-out: A negotiated reduction of a ban's length in exchange for a defined penalty

3.2: Waiver Wire and Send Downs

3.2.1: Placing a Player on Waivers

A franchise may place a player on waivers to remove them from the active roster, making them available for claim by other franchises for a defined waiver period (recommended: 24–48 hours).

3.2.2: Claiming a Player Off Waivers

Franchises with available cap space and roster room may submit a waiver claim; if multiple franchises claim the same player, priority follows inverse standings order (lowest-standing team gets priority) unless otherwise specified.

3.2.3: Waiver Wire Restrictions

• A player cannot be re-added to the same franchise's roster once claimed by another team
• Waiver claims must be cap-compliant at the time of the claim
• Franchises may be limited in the number of waiver claims per week

3.2.4: Waiver Exceptions, Exemptions, and Conditions for Conditional Waivers

Certain player statuses (e.g., Prospect status players being sent to AHL) may be exempt from standard waivers ("conditional waivers"), following separate rules published by the League Director.

3.2.5: Transfer Wire

The Transfer Wire is a separate mechanism for moving players between tiers (NHL ↔ AHL) or franchises outside of the standard waiver claim process, typically used for depth/roster balance moves rather than removing a player from a franchise's control.

3.2.6: Transfer Wire Restrictions

Transfer Wire moves must remain cap-compliant and are subject to the same claim-priority rules as standard waivers unless the League Director specifies otherwise for a given transfer window.

3.2.7: Owner Player Contract Opt-Out

An Owner may opt out of a specific player's contract (effectively releasing them) under defined conditions (e.g., buy-out window, cap relief need), following the process set in Section 4.5 (Retirement) and the buy-out framework in 3.1.6 where applicable.

3.3: Call Ups

3.3.1: Full-Time Call Ups

A Prospect or AHL-tier player may be called up to the NHL roster on a full-time basis, subject to salary cap and roster limit compliance at the NHL level, and processed by the Trade/Waiver Analyst.

3.3.2: Full-Time Call Up Restrictions

Full-time call-ups must be finalized before the next scheduled NHL game to count for that game's roster, and may be subject to a minimum time-served requirement at the sending tier before eligibility.

3.3.3: Requesting to be Placed on the Injured Reserve (IR)

A franchise may request IR placement for a player unavailable due to a documented reason, providing cap relief per 1.3. IR requests are reviewed and approved by the Trade/Waiver Analyst or League Director.

3.3.4: Emergency Call Up (ECU)

An Emergency Call Up allows a franchise to temporarily call up an AHL/Prospect player to cover a roster shortage (e.g., IR, sudden inactivity) ahead of an immediate game, without triggering standard call-up restrictions.

3.3.5: Emergency Call Up Restrictions

ECUs are limited in duration (recommended: single game or short-term window) and the player must be returned to their original tier once the emergency need is resolved, unless converted to a Full-Time Call Up per standard process.

3.4: Random Assignment

3.4.1: Player Assignment

New or unassigned players may be randomly assigned to a franchise with an open roster spot, typically used at season start to fill remaining vacancies after free agent bidding concludes.

3.4.2: Player Assignment Restrictions

Random assignment respects cap space and positional limits; a franchise cannot be assigned a player that would push it over the cap or violate positional restrictions (1.5).

3.4.3: Player Rights Assignment

In cases where a franchise holds "rights" to a player (e.g., prior draft rights, prior season rostering) without an active contract, those rights may be assigned/retained per league rules governing rights tracking.

3.4.4: Player Rights Assignment Restrictions

Rights assignments expire after a defined period of inactivity (recommended: rights lapse if unsigned by [X] point in the following season) and are subject to League Director review on disputed claims.

3.5: Trading

3.5.1: Trade Deadline

All trades must be submitted and approved before the league's published trade deadline for the season. No trades are processed after the deadline except league-approved exceptions (e.g., emergency roster necessity, reviewed by the Commissioner's Office).

3.5.2: Submitting Trades

Both franchises must submit matching trade details (players, picks, retained salary) to the Trade/Waiver Analyst for cap compliance review before the trade is finalized.

3.5.3: Trade Restrictions

• Trades must be cap-compliant for both sides post-trade
• Players may be subject to a no-trade restriction under specific contract or status conditions
• A franchise may be limited in trades per week/season to prevent roster instability

3.5.4: Trade Compensation Criteria

Trades must include reasonably equivalent value (players, picks, or retained salary) as judged by the Trade/Waiver Analyst; lopsided trades suspected of circumventing competitive balance may be flagged for review.

3.5.5: Trade Compensation Procedures

Retained salary in a trade counts against the retaining franchise's cap per 1.3 for the duration specified in the trade terms.

3.5.6: League Trade Reversal

The league may reverse a trade found to violate trade restrictions, involve collusion, or otherwise undermine competitive integrity, following review by the Trade/Waiver Analyst and ratification by the Commissioner's Office.

3.5.7: Player Trade Request

A player may formally request a trade through their GM; the request does not obligate the franchise to trade the player but must be acknowledged and logged.

3.5.8: Trade Request Restrictions

Repeated or disruptive trade requests may be reviewed by the Discipline Officer if they cross into general conduct violations (Article I, 6.7).

3.6: Management Seasonal Promotions

Management (GM/Assistant GM/Coaching staff) may be promoted between franchises or tiers mid-season or at season end based on performance and league need, at the discretion of the Commissioner's Office and affected Owners.

Section Four: Off-Season Transactions and Restrictions

4.1: Re-signs

4.1.1: Re-sign Restrictions

Re-signs must occur within the designated off-season re-sign window and remain cap-compliant under next season's projected cap. Re-sign terms must follow the standard contract bands for the player's status (Section Two).

4.1.2: Sign and Trades

A franchise may re-sign a player specifically to facilitate an immediate trade ("sign and trade"), subject to the same cap compliance and trade restriction rules as standard trades (3.5.3).

4.2: Off-Season Trades

Trades may continue during the off-season under relaxed scheduling (no deadline pressure) but remain subject to the same cap compliance and compensation criteria as in-season trades.

4.3: Off-Season Transfer Wire

The Transfer Wire (3.2.5) reopens during the off-season for tier-balance moves ahead of the next season's roster lock.

4.4: Off-Season Waiver Wire

Waivers may be used in the off-season to clear roster spots ahead of free agency/the draft, following the same claim-priority rules as in-season waivers (3.2.2).

4.5: Retirement

A player may retire from the league voluntarily, releasing their rights and removing their contract from any franchise's cap. Retired players may return in a future season through standard sign-up/free agency channels unless subject to a permanent ban.

4.6: Management Selections

Off-season is the primary window for Owner appointment of new Management (GM/Assistant GM/Coaching staff) per Article I, Section Five, ahead of the next season's roster-building process.

4.7: NHL Entry Level Draft

Drafted players are signed automatically for 3 years.

4.7.1: Draft Eligibility

New sign-ups without prior league contract history, and any players designated Amateur status (2.3) who have not been assigned via free agency, are eligible for the NHL Entry Level Draft.

4.7.2: Draft Process

Draft order is set by inverse standings (or a league-defined draft lottery system) from the prior season. Franchises select eligible players in turn; selected players receive Drafted Player (DP) status and an entry contract per the draft pick salary scale (4.7.3).

4.7.3: Draft Pick Salary Scale

Every drafted player is auto-signed to an entry-level contract the moment they're selected — no offer or acceptance step, unlike free agency (1.6) or UFA/RFA signings (1.8).

Scale Structure:

• #1 overall pick: top-pick salary, set per league per season by the Commissioner's Office (default: $3,000,000)
• Last pick of the draft: league minimum salary (default: $500,000)
• Every pick in between: calculated by linear interpolation between the top-pick salary and the minimum salary, based on where that pick falls in the overall draft order
• Contract length: every drafted player is signed automatically for 3 years, regardless of round or pick position. The length is fixed and is not changed by the Commissioner's Office
• Total picks: rounds × number of teams in that league's draft (default: 5 rounds × 8 teams = 40 total picks)

Salary Formula:

For a given pick number P out of N total picks, with top salary T and minimum salary M:

t = (P - 1) / (N - 1)
Salary = T - (t × (T - M))

Salary is rounded to the nearest $1,000. Pick #1 always receives exactly the top-pick salary; the final pick always receives exactly the minimum salary; every pick in between scales smoothly along that line.

Per-Season Customization:

• The Commissioner's Office sets the top-pick salary and the minimum salary for the NHL Entry Level Draft each season
• The contract length is not set per season. Every drafted player is signed for 3 years
• Once the top-pick salary, minimum salary, rounds, and team count are set for a season, the full pick-by-pick salary table is generated automatically — no manual entry required for individual picks

Example (using defaults: $3,000,000 top / $500,000 min / 40 total picks):

Restrictions:

• Draft pick salaries must still be cap-compliant for the drafting franchise at the moment of assignment; a franchise cannot draft a player whose entry-level salary would push it over the cap
• Entry-level contracts assigned through the draft cannot be renegotiated until the player's contract expires and they enter free agency (Section One, 1.8) or re-signs (4.1)