House League Policies

House League Affiliation

The NMHA believes strongly in the affiliate program and desires to see affiliated players used as often as possible.

Coaches requesting affiliation player must notify the affiliate player’s head coach prior to asking a player to affiliate. This is to ensure that suspensions and other issues are known and respected. Similarly, coaches using affiliated players must notify the affiliate's regular coaching staff following a game should injuries or suspensions occur. Team officials must respect this policy and make no effort to discourage affiliated players from participating with affiliated teams as a result of its implementation.

To this end the following guidelines must be followed:

Where there is no event conflict (the player’s regular team does not have a game, practice or other team function), it is not necessary to seek permission from the regular team's coach.
Where there is an event conflict, the following schedule of event priorities should be used. The team with the highest event priority will take precedence.
Where the event priorities are the same, the player’s regular team will take precedence.

6. League or playoff game.
5. Out-of-town tournament (where roster is depleted).
4. In-town tournament game.
3. Practice.
2. Exhibition game.
1. Off-ice team event

The 5 game affiliation rule applies to any and all levels they are affiliated to, It is not 5 games affiliated to competitive and 5 to house league, it is 5 games total. After January 10, the maximum 5-game limit for affiliates comes into effect. Should a player play six games total with one or more higher level teams, the player is disqualified from further play at the level where he or she is registered.

OTTAWA DISTRICT MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Rules and Regulations 2011-12
8.0 Affiliated Players

These rules are further supplemented for play between teams in the ODMHA as per the following paragraphs and as specified in Appendix B

The Affiliation process is used to give players a chance to develop their skills by playing for a higher level team. Refer to Hockey Canada Regulation Part III E (Teams, Clubs and Affiliations) for affiliation rules. These rules are further supplemented for play between teams in the ODMHA as per the following paragraphs and as specified in Appendix B.

a) Suspensions are to be served with the lower category team, regardless of which team the player incurred the suspension with.
b) Novice players are permitted to affiliate to Atom level Competitive teams.
c) A coach cannot deny a player the opportunity to affiliate
d) When houseleague players (Novice level or higher) are affiliating with competitive teams, they may only affiliate with the lowest competitive category team.
e) Minor Aged Players – A minor aged player assigned to a major aged team may affiliate to a higher category minor team for league purposes only within the ODMHA Branch. Note that this rule applies only within the ODMHA and does not apply to tournaments or exhibition games.
f) Supplement to Hockey Canada Policy B 42- 44. As a general rule no replacement can be made for any ill or injured players by a player of the same Division and Category. The only exception to this rule is the emergency replacement of a goaltender from the same division and category, when no affiliated goalie is available. The replacement must come from within the same district. Written permission must be obtained from the District Chairman (or designate) and with a doctor‟s note restricting the team‟s regular goalie from playing for a specified period.
g) A player affiliating to a higher age classification may play below his letter classification at the higher age level except for affiliating to the house “C” level where this level is for developmental purposes. This paragraph refers to house league only.

House League Transfers

As standard practice, the Nepean Minor Hockey Association does not approve transfers to, or from, other Districts.

Competitive transfers at AAA, AA and A are expressly forbidden by the ODMHA. This includes transfers to try out for these levels in another District. Competitive B transfers between Districts can be approved at the District level and the NMHA has posted a policy on those types of transfers - see the Competitive Policy statement.

However, in certain special circumstances, the Nepean Minor Hockey Association will approve a House League transfer, on a case-by-case basis.

These circumstances include:

1. House League players who attempt to register in Nepean, but cannot do so, due to waiting lists.

2. Players who have geographic or custody issues. These may include (but are not limited to): residency in close proximity to another District or equal shared custody arrangements.

In every case, the player must register as a Nepean player (with or without fees, depending on waiting lists) and then receive an approved transfer to the non-resident District. The transfer form must be signed by the non-resident District and Association first, before Nepean will sign.

Players who sort out into House A Divisions that include body-checking and who do not wish to play in a body-checking division, will be expected to play in the non-contact B Division at that age level. The NMHA will offer a non-contact B Division at Peewee only. Players in Bantam and Midget who sort into the A Division can request a transfer to another District as noted above, provided that the non-resident District and Association approve.

As stated in ODMHA Regulations, transferred players may neither try out for, nor affiliate with, nor register with any higher level teams.

The decision of the NMHA on these matters may be appealed via the ODMHA Discipline and Appeal process.