Due to the lockout-shortened 2012-13 NHL season, the GWMHL’s 2013-14 season will consist of 48 games. The following rules will supersede the Reserve Roster section of 4.0 Rosters and 6.0 Player Use Limitations in the Rulebook for the 2013-14 season only.

4.0 Rosters

Reserve Roster: A team’s Reserve Roster may contain up to 3 players. Players on the Reserve roster are not eligible to play in any regular or playoff games in the current season. To be assigned to the Reserve Roster, a skater must have played in 32 or fewer games in the 2012-13 NHL season. A goaltender must have played in 15 NHL games or fewer. Players on the Reserve Roster cannot be traded or released during the season.

6.0 Player Use Limitations

Maximum Use – Regular Season

All players will be limited to the actual number of games they played in the previous NHL season.

Incidents of overuse will be reviewed by the Commissioner on a case-by-case basis. Penalties may range from a loss of draft position within a round to forfeiture of a draft pick to loss of the player as a free agent.

Maximum Use – Playoffs

Player use is limited in each seven-game series. Each skater is limited to up to 20% (or 1/5) of NHL games played, with fractions of .5 and larger rounded up, per round.

Goalies who appeared in 23 or fewer NHL games will be limited to the same 20% limit as skaters. Goalies who played in 24 or more NHL games can play in all GWMHL playoff games.

Minimum Use

In order to retain a player’s rights at the end of the season, all skaters on a team’s Playing Roster must appear in at least 1/3 of their NHL games during the GWMHL season.

For example, if John Doe played 34 games in the 2012-13 NHL season, he must play a minimum of 12 games in the 2013-14 GWMHL season for his rights to be retained. If he played 33 NHL games, his minimum would be 11.

All goaltenders on a Playing Roster must play 1/3 of their NHL minutes played.

Skaters and goaltenders who do not meet minimum use restrictions will be declared Free Agents at the end of the season. This rule applies even to players acquired at mid-season through trades or free agency.