League rules
Rules are maintained by league admins. To propose a change, contact Braden or Nadr.
General
01
Zero tolerance for loaning players or selling players for non-ZHL assets.
02
Agreed trades are final — no reversals without admin approval.
03
Higher seeds choose their playoff opponent in the play-in round.
Keepers
01
Each team must declare exactly 7 keepers, any position mix - no cap on goalies.
02
Players with fewer than 10 regular season games may only be kept as prospects, not as regular keepers.
03
Keeper declarations are due before the start of the draft.
Prospects
01
Each team may draft exactly 1 prospect per draft year.
02
When a prospect is activated (called up to the NHL), they become a free keeper and do not cost a roster slot.
03
Prospects graduate by birth year: 1999s in 2024, 2000s in 2025, 2001s in 2026, etc. Goalies receive an additional 3 years.
04
Prospects are held on placeholder ESPN teams to keep them off the waiver wire.
Scoring — Skaters
01
Goals: ×2 points
02
Assists: ×1 point
03
Shorthanded Goals: +1 bonus
04
Shorthanded Assists: +1 bonus
05
Game-Winning Goals: +1 bonus
06
Hat Tricks: +3 bonus
07
Defenseman Points: ×0.5 bonus per point
Scoring — Goalies
01
Goals Against: ×−0.6
02
Saves: ×0.1
03
Shutouts: +1 point
04
Overtime Losses: +1 point
05
Wins: ×2 points
06
Manual scoring: Goalie Assists +1 pt each, Goalie Goals +2 pts each (applied by commissioner).
Roster & Draft
01
20-player roster: 14 starters + 6 bench + 4 IR.
02
Lineup slots: 8 Forwards, 3 Defensemen, 1 Utility, 2 Goalies, 6 Bench, 4 IR.
03
Draft: 14 rounds, straight order (same pick slot every round — no snake reversal).
Waivers
01
The waiver wire closes when the puck drops on the second Sunday of the NHL Finals.
Playoffs
01
Seeds 1–5 automatically qualify for the main playoff bracket.
02
Seeds 6–11 play a one-week play-in. Winners advance to the main bracket; losers go to the consolation bracket.
03
Seeds 12–16 go directly to the consolation bracket (Consolation Cup / Bum Bowl).