If there’s a major glaring focus that’s reflected in the changes brought forth by the USA Hockey Playing Rules Committee, it is that development and safety in youth and girls hockey are the top priority.
“The two biggest things are the safety and the player development, which is for the betterment of everybody,” said Mid-American District RIC Jim Weaver. “It makes for a better game all the way around for spectators and participants alike. Instead of watching people chase the puck, you actually watch people possess the puck and make plays.”
The biggest rule change in the mind of Weaver as well as Pacific RIC Dan Ellison is the new focus on body checking. A player needs to make a competitive attempt to possess the puck in order to complete a legal body check and the blade of that player’s stick has to be below the knees when making the check. Even in younger leagues without body checking, any contact will have to be seen as a competitive effort to win possession of the puck.
As Ellison pointed out, “How can you gain possession of the puck if your stick blade is up around your shoulders?
“The idea behind a check has always been to gain possession of the puck. I think the emphasis to keep the sticks down while you’re going into a check with the intent of gaining possession of the puck is huge for players’ safety, for the skill development and for the future of the game.”
Weaver noted this change is going to be a big adjustment for officials. They’re going to need to change their criteria to determine what’s a legal body check in the modern game and what’s not, and incorporate that into their psyche for a game.
“When you’re trying to make a decision in a split second on a play, you don’t have a whole lot of time to think over it, because a second later, they have another decision to make,” Weaver said. “From an officiating standpoint, that’s the biggest thing. Of course, everybody needs to change: the coaches, the players and the fans, the parents, everybody needs to adjust.”
A few other notable changes include whistling icing on penalty kills for all youth and girls levels. Also,tag-up offside has been eliminated at all youth and girls levels of play, replaced now with immediate offside.
There have been significant changes when it comes to penalties. Any player that receives four penalties in the same game will be assessed a game misconduct. If a team is whistled for 12 penalties in a game, the coach will receive a one-game suspension.
Penalty times have been adjusted relative to period length. For youth levels that play 12-minute or less periods, minorpenalties will be assessed for one minute. Periods that range from 12 to 17 minutes will have 1:30 penalty times. Levels playing 17-minute periods and above will stay at two minute penalties.
