Quad Hockey League Collective Bargaining Agreement (QHLCBA)

Presented by Alain and accepted at the Pump House Brewery, Moncton (08/08/2005).

Last update: July 3, 2022

QHLCBA

1.1 The QHLCBA is the set of rule by which our pool will abide.
1.2 Changes and exceptions to the QHLCBA require unanimous approval from the general managers (GMs).
1.3 All decisions taken with unanimous approval can only be undone by unanimous approval.
1.4 For issues not covered in the QHLCBA, all GMs must be consulted but only majority of approval is required.
1.5 The uncle Buck rule: the times indicated in the QHLCBA are in the time zone of majority.
1.6 In the case of a dispute between two GMs on an issue not covered by the QHLCBA, the decision is made by the other GMs. Status quo stands if there is no agreement.

Entry Draft

2.1 A list of at most 26 protected players and at most 10 farm team players is handed by each GM after completion of the regular season.
2.2 The protected list must be emailed to the pool webmaster by August 1st before midnight.
2.3 Draft day is to be determined each year at a convenient time by unanimous decision.
2.4 The order of the entry draft is to be set based on the previous regular season’s standing. The order is reverse. The fourth-place team will draft first. The same order is kept for all rounds.
2.5 Eligible players to be drafted are those drafted and/or signed by a National Hockey League (NHL) team.
2.6 If a GM has on his roster a player that has died, announced his retirement or signed a contract with a non-NHL team, that GM has the option of waiving that player. The time window is set for after the entry draft and before the 1st day of the NHL season. Unanimous approval from the GMs is required to define the status of the waived player.
2.7 Each GM drafts until a total of 40 regular players and a total of 15 farm team players are reached.

Trades

3.1 Materials to be traded are players and draft picks.
3.2 Future drafts picks may be traded if they are within three years of the trade date.
3.3 Trades can take place anytime after the last day of the QHL regular season and until 11:59:59 PM of the day one month before the NHL trade deadline.
3.4 Trade announcement must be made by the GM that has made the last offer that has been agreed on.
3.5 Trades are final, are as stated in the email, and cannot contain strings attached or additional conditions.
3.6 Trades of any positions may be done during the off-season. An even number of players must be traded during the regular season.
3.7 Only trades between two GMs are acceptable.
3.8 Injured players cannot be traded.
3.9 In multi-player trades made during the regular season, GMs must state which player is replaced by which.
3.10 Conditional draft picks are allowed to be exchanged as part of a transaction as long as they are performance based. The condition of trade must be clearly stated and agreed unanimously from all GMs.
3.11 A GM can drop a farm team player or a roster player between August 1st and when the team completes the Entry draft (as determined by 2.7).

Waivers

4.1 Four waiver drafts are held during the regular season before the trade deadline. The drafts are held preferably on the first Saturday of November, December, January and February.
4.2 The order of the draft is the reverse of the standings at the morning of the day of the waiver draft.
4.3 Each GM receives one waiver right during each waiver draft.
4.4 Waivers may be used to pick any undrafted players, injured or not, and to drop any player on the team, injured or not.
4.5 Waivers may be used to pick and drop players, position for position during regular season only.
4.6 When using a waiver to drop a farm team player, the player picked must respect the eligibility of farm team player at the moment of the waiver.
4.7 Waivers not used during the waiver draft are void.
4.8 Waiver rights cannot be traded.

Farm Team

5.1 Each team has a farm team consisting of a maximum of 15 players.
5.2 At the first day of the regular season, a farm team will have a minimum of one forward, one defencemen and one goaltender.
5.3 Eligible players that can be added to the farm team by waiver or by the Entry draft are players that have been drafted in the last three NHL entry drafts.
5.4 When a GM drafts a farm team player, the GM must clearly designate the player to its farm team.
5.5 If a farm team player is called up to the parent team during the regular season, the player must stay there for the rest of the respective regular season. The player that drops is made available to the QHL via standard waivers.
5.6 The stats from a player who is designated to the farm team will not count.
5.7 During the regular season, a farm team player can be traded. No transaction can be made after the QHL trade deadline.
5.8 During the offseason and before the Entry draft, a farm team player can be called up. This transaction is made without dropping a player from the parent team.

Point system

6.1 During the regular season, the top 12 forwards, the top two goaltenders and the top six defensemen count for the final standings.
6.2 The forwards are counted using the following point system:
Goal = 1 pt
Assist = 1 pt
Powerplay goal = 1 pt
Shorthanded goal = 1 pt
Game winning goal = 1 pt
Hat trick = 3 pts
Shootout game winning goal = 1 pt
6.3 The defensemen are counted using the same point system as forwards except with the value of a goal set at two points.
6.4 The goaltenders are counted using the following point system:
Win = 3 pts
Overtime loss = 1 pt
Shutout = 2 pts
6.5 In case of a tie in the standings during the regular season, the most points from the counting players in the last month of play will be used. Subsquent tie breakers are week points, then day points.

Trophies and Player Recognition

7.1 The GM of the team which finishes the regular season with the most points is awarded the Stanley Cup trophy.
7.2 The following trophies are awarded at the end of the regular season:
top goaltender = Vezina
top defenseman = Norris
top forward = Art Ross
top rookie = Calder
7.3 A trophy is awarded to the GM who have the awarded player on their roster at the end of the respective season.
7.4 Points in each category are calculated from all the points the player has produced in the QHL season.
7.5 The Calder trophy is given to the best player that never played before in the QHL, defined as never had a point in the QHL prior to the season.
7.6 In case of tie, the player with the highest QHL points per game ratio wins.
7.7 The top player of the QHL playoffs is awarded the Conn Smythe trophy (first and second round points are combined).
7.8 The Wickenheiser trophy is awarded after every season to the best draft pick as voted by all GMs.
7.9 The voting is done by having each GM to vote for five players and rank them in order. The GM can only vote for a players that he did not draft.
7.10 #1 player gets 5 pts, #2 player gets 4 pts, #3 player 3 pts, #4 player 2 pts and #5 player 1 pt. The player with the most voting points is declared the winner.
7.11 Tie-breaker: the player with the most points in the QHL. If still a tie: the highest QHL points per game played ratio.
7.12 The all-star team consist of the top 12 forwards, the top six defensemen and the top two goaltenders of the QHL during the respective season.
7.13 At the end of the season, one player (regardless of the position) will be voted to be part of the QHL Hall of Fame.
7.14 Voting is done according to rules 7.9, 7.10 and 7.11.
7.15 Eligible players are ones recognized as a retired player from the QHL and who played a significant role in the QHL.
7.16 The team that the Hall of fame player will be recognized is determined in which he had the most career QHL points.