NHA Rule Book

Below is a general list of rules for the NHA. It will be updated as we go, and any specific questions may be posted on the message board.

Game Roster

Each team must dress 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders. This includes two goaltenders and a combination of forwards and defenseman totaling 18. It is possible to dress 7 or 8 defenseman while also dressing only 10 or 11 forwards to achieve your 18 dressed skaters.

Lines can be set using the "STHS Client" program available at the SimonT Hockey Simulator website and loading the NHA's client file into it.

Simulator, Setting lines, Etc.

The NHA used the FHLSim simulator from 1998 up until the summer of 2007 when we updated to the SimonT Hockey Simulator (STHS).

Setting lines and other things can be done using the "STHS Client" software. Please download the latest version at the download section of the official STHS website. Be sure that you are getting the newest version of the STHS Client.

After downloading and installing the latest version of the STHS Client, you'll most likely have to get the "Support Files to Run the STHS - Automatic Installation" which is also available on the STHS website. After installing that, load the STHS Client. Now you'll have to load the NHA file available here on the NHA website.

Entry Drafts

The NHA Entry Draft is held annually in a live chat room online. Each year we select from the same list of players who were taken that month in the NHL's Entry Draft. The NHA Entry Draft is always held shortly after the NHL Entry Draft and is always the same number of rounds as the NHL Entry Draft. Typically, the first two or three rounds are held live with the rest of the draft being done by league management based on draft lists submitted by GMs.

The NHA does not have players re-entering the draft. Prospects drafted in the NHA remain on their respective teams' prospect list until they are either signed to a pro contract or released.

Player Ratings

Player ratings are based on not only the past NHL season's player performances, but the current NHL season as well. This generally affects only young breakout players and aging or majorly slumping players during the current NHL season.

As an example, if a young defenseman played only sparringly in a few games in the past, his rating will be low. If, during the season, he is establishing himself as a regular player in the NHL, his NHA rating will rise as the season goes on. Since the NHA's season starts typically a little after the NHL season, this gives us time to see which players are becoming NHLers or breaking out and scoring at a higher pace, etc. We adjust ratings cautiously, and this system has proven to work well every year in the NHA to date.

Another way our "current" rating system can affect players is if a player gets hurt for an extended period of time in the NHL. This may cause the player's durability (DU) rating to take a hit in the NHA for that season.

Rating changes and challenges

As mentioned, player ratings are updated by league admin as the season goes on. However, it often helps if a GM brings one of his players to the league's attention to be possibly rated higher. This is called a ratings challenge, where the GM can email the commissioner with the player(s) name(s) and we will take a look at the situation.

No ratings may be challenged during the playoffs, and no ratings will be lowered after the trade deadline.

Rookie Status

Rookie status for any player based on that players' current rookie status in the NHL, regardless of NHA games played in any previous season.

Free Agency

Free agency is done annually during the off-season. Please note that every player in the NHA will age by 1 year and have 1 year taken off their contract right before free agency.

Scott Baldree negotiates all player contracts with GM's, while his contracts are negotiated with the commissioner.

The UFA age in the NHA is the same as it is in the NHL. Therefore it will eventually be 27 years of age that players become UFAs at when their contracts expire.

After January 1 GMs may attempt to negotiate contract extensions for any player on their roster with 1 year left on their contract.

Bonuses and staggered salaries (eg. 500k for year 1 and 700k for year 2) are not a part of the NHA.

The exact process for signing UFAs and RFAs for the free agency period will be posted every off-season.

The maximum contract length in the NHA is 5 years. There are restrictions on contract length based on player age at time of free agency, which is detailed below:

33yrs and younger: 5 years
34+yrs: 4 years
35+yrs: 3 years
36+yrs: 2 years
37+yrs: 1 year

Entry Level Contracts, Signing Rookies

The league automatically researches which players turn pro every year to graduate from prospect lists to team rosters during the off-season. The league hands out entry level contracts automatically, as they are generally very standard with little to negotiate. Lengths of contracts are as follows:

Age 18-21 when first signing: 3 years
Age 22-23: 2 years
Age 24: 1 year
Age 25-27 (European players only): 1 year
Otherwise: not subject to entry-level restrictions

Salary Cap

The salary cap for the NHA is 47 million dollars and is affected by the pro payroll only.

Any club that is over the cap for one full week must get under the cap at that point before their next scheduled game is played, or risk having the league handle the situation in order to get the team under the cap. This may include outright releasing a player or players, putting a player or players on waivers, sending a player or players to the farm, and even termination of the GMs spot in the NHA if no effort has been made to correct the situation.

Contract Buyouts

Buying a player out of his current contract will cost a team 40% of the players total remaining contract (salary x years). The player will then be released and salary will not count towards the cap. A buyout can happen during the off-season only.

Retiring Players

If a player retires in the NHL, he will then retire in the NHA. If the player retires during the NHA regular season after the trade deadline or during the playoffs, the player will remain on his NHA team for the remainder of the season. If the player retires in the NHL during the NHA season before the trade deadline, he will then retire in the NHA immediately as well.

A player who retires will be owed 10% of his total remaining NHA salary (salary x years).

Players Leaving for Europe

A player who leaves the NHL to play in europe will be taken off his NHA roster and be owed 10% of his total remaining NHA salary, which is taken from his teams bank. The players rights will be retained for over one year if needed, until one week before the following NHA season begins. If that player remains in europe at that point, his rights are released.

Any player returning to the NHA must be signed to a new contract as his previous one was bought out.

Any player returning to the NHA whose rights were not retained is a UFA. Any player whose rights were retained is a RFA regardless of age.

Making Trades

GMs may trade their players and draft picks with other GMs.

Draft picks may only be traded for the upcoming draft, and for the draft the year after the upcoming draft.

Trades must be submitted to the commissioner via email by BOTH GMs involved. They must be written clearly and both GMs must list the trade and that they approve of it. Any trade may be rejected by the league if the league feels a particular team involved in doing wreckless damage to its team for either its present state or future state.

Submitting Lines

Lines should be sent as an attachment in an email to the commissioner, Mike McEwan at mikedempsey44@hotmail.com.

General Manager Activity

All GMs must be active in the NHA in order to keep their spot. This includes being active publically on the message board so that we know you are still here. Any GMs failing to have any sort of activity or even drop in from time to time may be removed of their duties at any time, although we try to avoid this at all cost.

Waivers

If sending a player to the minors who has played 20 games in the NHA during the season, they must first clear a 48-hour waiver period. Players 23 and younger are excempt. The GM Editor software will tell you when a player needs to be put on waivers when you try to demote the player.

Moving your team, logos, farm team name, etc.

A GM must be in the NHA for one full year in order to have a chance at changing their team's name\location. It can only be done during the off-season, and must be submitted to the commissioner for approval.

Team logos and farm team names may be changed during the off-season regardless of how long the GM has been in the league, but are subject to approval by the commissioner and\or a committee to be named.

More to come...

Please bear with us as more rules and guidelines are to be posted soon.