The rules for the Regionals are based off Hockey Canada National Championship rules.
In case of discrepancy, the Tournament Directorate and Referee in Chief have final authority on all rulings.

M. Tournament Rules and Regulations

The Tournament shall be conducted in accordance with the Rules and Regulations prescribed by Hockey Canada in its Rules and Regulations for the 2026 Men’s U18 National Club Championship.

MANAGERS AND COACHES
RULES AND REGULATIONS PACKAGE

2026 U18 AAA WEST REGIONALS CHAMPIONSHIP

April 2-5, 2026

Co-operators Centre
Regina, SK

Please find below the Rules and Regulations for the 2026 U18 AAA Western Regional Championship. These are based on the 2026 TELUS Cup National Championship Rules & Regulations.

A. Rules & Regulations

To participate in the Regional U18 Hockey Championship (except the Host Team), a team must compete in Member U18 Playdowns and be declared Member U18 Champion.
The team shall be composed of players meeting the residential qualifications contained in the Hockey Canada Regulations and shall be a team qualifying for Member U18 playoffs. The team shall not be an all-star team drawn from one or more teams or leagues in a city, town, police village, rural area or a zone that has been established by the Member of from any special intern-Member transfers.
Each team’s roster list must be approved and verified by the Member Executive Director, and each team must be prepared to present its Hockey Canada-approved rosters for inspection by the Chair of the Tournament Directorate at the championship prior to participation in the championship.
Each team may have a minimum of fifteen (15) players and a maximum of twenty (20) players, at least two (2) of whom must be goaltenders. Once the championship commences, this player roster of twenty (20) is frozen, and further additions will not be granted. The roster must include a minimum of two (2) goaltenders.
Teams can have affiliate players to reach the maximum number of players if the member approves such affiliation and the affiliation complies with Regulation F. Affiliate players must be from a lower division or category.
No roster changes will be permitted once the final roster has been signed off by participating teams and their member representatives and submitted at the Tournament Directorate Meeting.
Any player listed on the declared roster for a team participating in a national or regional championship will not be allowed to be on the declared roster of any affiliated team participating in another national or regional championship being played concurrently.
Each team may have up to twenty (20) players in uniform (dressed per game), including the regular goalkeeper and an alternate goalkeeper, all of whom shall be duly registered in accordance with Hockey Canada regulations. The players registered as goalkeepers shall be eligible to play as goalkeepers only (Hockey Canada Rule 2.2 (g)). One alternate goalkeeper must be dressed and on the bench. Each team is permitted to have five (5) staff on the bench during the games as per Hockey Canada Rule 1.9 (C).
During the championship competition a replacement may be permitted for a goaltender who becomes ill or injured during the competition or is under suspension. The following process outlines the procedure and protocol for the use of alternate goaltenders:
1. The Host Member will recommend two alternate goaltenders to the Tournament Directorate
2. The two alternate goaltenders will come under the direct jurisdiction of the Tournament Directorate Chair and will be used when a team has an ill, injured, or suspended goaltender.
3. The procedure for using an alternate goaltender shall be as follows:

A team requesting to use alternate goaltenders must make a written request to the Tournament Directorate Chair in charge of the championship.
In the case of an ill or injured goaltender, a medical certificate must accompany the request.
The replacement goaltenders will alternate games as required and will remain with a team until the regular goaltender returns.

The two alternate goaltenders will receive the same privileges as the other participants:

Accreditation
Gold, silver, or bronze medals if they are part of the team winning such an award.

The two replacement goaltenders must be present at each game.*

The Championship will be played under official Hockey Canada rules.

The Championship game, the team which finished highest in the final round robin standings shall be the home team.

B. Game Protest Procedures

Protests will only be entertained when they are concerning rule interpretation. Official(s) judgment cannot be protested.

Protests and all supporting evidence must be submitted in writing within one (1) hour of the game’s conclusion to the Tournament Directorate Chair.

a) The Tournament Directorate Chair shall conduct a meeting with team and event officials involved and record all the facts pertaining to the case.
b) The Tournament Directorate Chair will have full authority to rule on protests.
c) The ruling of the Tournament Directorate Chair shall be final and binding and not subject to further appeal.
d) Protests will NOT be entertained on the outcome of the final championship game.
e) Any decision will be given in writing to the team(s) involved.
f) All press releases or public statements related to game protests or disciplinary action shall be made only by the Tournament Directorate Chair.

Pictures, video, or any equipment, visual, electronic, digital, or otherwise, shall not be used to determine or to change the result of a ruling or game. The use of such images and equipment is valid only for information purposes and assisting in rendering of a decision by the Tournament Directorate Chair, such as:

1) To review situations which have led to line brawls or bench-clearing incidents to determine whether any instigators may be identified.

2) To review incidents which have led to serious injuries of players.

C. Discipline

All Member suspensions will be recognized at the Regional. The Tournament Directorate Chair must be notified of this matter at the tournament directorate meeting prior to the opening of the Championship.
A suspended player shall not be eligible to take part in tournament ceremonies.
If a player or team official is ordered to the dressing room or ejected for the balance of the game, they shall be subject to any further disciplinary action deemed necessary by the Tournament Directorate.
A player or team official ordered to the dressing room or ejected for the balance of the game or for receiving a penalty that would require a suspension shall not take part in any closing ceremonies following the game. Should this take place during the final game of the tournament, the player or team official shall not take part in the closing ceremonies for the tournament.
Unless participating in a game or by special permission of the Tournament Directorate, all players will have a curfew of 11:30 P.M.
The Tournament Directorate will rule on all grievances resulting from any of the games.

D. Game Procedures

Preliminary Round

Teams will play a single round-robin schedule, and points will be awarded as follows:

Result	Points
Win in regulation time	3
Win in Overtime or Shootout	2
Loss in Overtime or Shootout	1
Loss in regulation time	0

In the event of a tied game at the conclusion of three regulation periods, in the preliminary round, the following procedure will be utilized:
There will be a three-minute intermission.
Teams will play a single five-minute, sudden victory, 3-on-3 overtime period. The teams will not change ends between the end of regulation time and the beginning of overtime.
If no goal is scored in the overtime period, then the Game Winning Shots procedure will apply (see Section F).

Any overtime is considered part of the game, and all unexpired penalties will remain in force. If either team declines to play in the necessary period(s) the game will be declared a loss for that team.
If two teams are equal according to all the above tie-breaking criteria described in this Technical Package at the end of their last mutual game in the group and their standing cannot be influenced by games to follow, this game shall be prolonged according to the regulation for over- time period in play-off games, just to decide the positions of the two teams.

Championship Game

The team with the higher placement in the round-robin standings will be considered the “home” team in the gold medal game.

In the event of a tied game at the conclusion of three regulation periods, in the championship game, the following procedure will be utilized:

There will be a sixteen-minute intermission, during which the ice will be resurfaced.
teams will play a single twenty-minute, sudden victory, 3-on-3 overtime period. The teams will not change ends between the end of regulation time and the beginning of overtime.
If, at the end of the overtime period, the teams are still tied, then the Game Winning Shots procedure will apply (see below).

Note 1: Any overtime is considered part of the game and all unexpired penalties will remain in force. If either team declines to play in the necessary period(s), the game will be declared a loss for that team.

E. Tie Breaking Sequence

If two teams are tied on equality of points in the standings, the following tie breaking criteria applies:

Head-to-head (mutual) games between the teams concerned.
Overall goal differential.
Higher number of goals scored for.
Game Winning Shot competition between the teams concerned.

If three or more teams have the same number of points in the group, then their ranking shall be determined by the higher number of points in a special standing composed just from the results of their head-to-head (mutual) games (the “Special Standing”). If two or more of those teams have the same number of points in this Special Standing then the following tie breaking criteria shall be applied, in order, until all remaining ties are broken (with no secondary return to the head-to-head results) and each team’s ranking has been determined:

Goal differential in the Special Standing.
Higher number of goals scored in the Special Standing.
Goal differential from all games played in the group.
Higher number of goals scored from all games played in the group.
Game winning shot competition between the teams which are still equal.

If no goal is scored in the overtime period of a preliminary, or championship game, then the Game Winning Shot Procedure will apply.

F. Game Winning Shots

Procedure for Game Winning Shots

The fourteen-metre-wide longitudinal center section of the rink, between the face-off spots in the neutral and end zones, will be dry-scraped.
A coin toss will determine which team takes the first shot. The winner of the coin toss will choose whether their team will shoot first or second. The “home” team will call the coin toss.
Shots will be taken at both ends of the ice surface.
Goaltenders will defend the same end as they did for the overtime period.
Goaltenders will remain in their crease while their team is shooting at the opposite end of the ice.
The Official Scorer will record all shots taken, indicating the player shooting, the goaltender defending the shot, and the result of the shot.
Only the decisive goal will count in the result of the game. It will be credited to the player who scored and to the goaltender who allowed the shot.
If a player is designated to participate in the Game Winning Shots but declines or commits an infraction prior to or during their shot, that shot will be declared “no score” for their team.
If a team declines to participate in the Game Winning Shots, the game will be declared a loss for that team.

Rules for Game Winning Shots

All shots will be taken as per Hockey Canada Rule 4.11 – Penalty Shot.
The Game Winning Shots will begin with five players from each team, taking alternate shots until a decisive goal is scored. Once a decisive goal has been scored, the remaining shots will not be taken.
The coach of each team will provide the names and numbers of five different players to the Referee prior to the conclusion of the dry scrape.
Any player whose penalty had not been completed when the overtime period ends may not participate in the Game Winning Shots. They must remain in the penalty bench or the dressing room until the conclusion of the game.
The goaltenders from either team may be changed after each shot.
Penalties during the Game Winning Shots will be served as follows:

If a player is penalized during the Game Winning Shots, they must proceed immediately to the Penalty Bench or the Dressing Room. They will be ineligible to participate in the remainder of the Game Winning Shots.
If a goaltender is assessed a Minor, Major, Misconduct, or Match penalty, or a team is assessed a Bench Minor penalty during the Game Winning Shots, the team must designate a player to serve the penalty. If the penalty is assessed during the initial five shots, the player to serve the penalty must be one of the designated players who has not yet taken their shot. That player must proceed immediately to the Penalty Bench and they will be ineligible to participate in the remainder of the Game Winning Shots. They will be replaced in the shooting order by any other player who has not yet taken a shot.
In the event that the goaltender is assessed a Game Misconduct, Gross Misconduct, Game Ejection, or Match penalty, during the Game Winning Shots, they will be removed from the game and must be replaced by a substitute goaltender. If the team does not have a substitute goaltender dressed, the team may dress an alternate, as per Rule 2.4 – Injured Players.

If, after five shots by each team a winner has not been determined, the Game Winning Shots will continue with a tie-break, with one player from each team taking alternate shots until a decisive goal is scored.
The shooting order will be reversed for the tie-break.
The same or different players may shoot in the tie-break. There is no limit to how frequently the same player may shoot in the tie-break.
Penalties during the Game Winning Shots will be served as detailed in F(15)(a-c). In the event that a goaltender is assessed a Minor, Major, Misconduct, or Match penalty, or a team is assessed a Bench Minor penalty, any player of that team may serve the penalty.

G. Penalty Shot Procedure

The coach or the captain of the non-offending team selects and reports to the Referee the number of any non-penalized player who shall take the shot, other than a goaltender.
The Referee shall announce the name and number of the player taking the penalty shot who cannot be a player serving a penalty or has been assessed a delayed penalty.
Penalty shots will be conducted in accordance with Playing Rule 4.11(b), including the following:

The players of both teams shall withdraw to the sides of the rink.
The referee shall place the puck on the center spot.
Only a goalkeeper shall defend against the Penalty Shot.
The goalkeeper shall stay in their crease until the player has touched the puck.
The player shall, on instruction of the Referee, play the puck and proceed towards the opponent’s goal line and attempt to score on the goalkeeper.
Once the puck is shot the play shall be considered complete, and no goal can be scored by a second shot of any kind.
The goalkeeper may attempt to stop the shot in any manner except by throwing their stick or other object, or deliberately dislodging the goal.
If a goal is scored, the face-off shall take place at center ice.

H. Forfeiture Policy

A forfeiture will occur in the following circumstances:

Team Does Not Appear for a Scheduled Game

When a game is declared forfeited due to the non-appearance of the team following a two- minute warning by the referee at or after the scheduled start time for the game (using the procedure generally described in Hockey Canada Rule 10.8), the team in attendance shall be declared the winner and the score recorded as 5-0. The incident shall be reported to the League/Association President to take any further actions as may be authorized in the organization’s Constitution, By-Laws, and Regulations.

Refusal to Start Play

When a game is declared forfeited in accordance due to a refusal to start play in accordance with Hockey Canada Rule 10.8, the non-offending team shall be declared the winner and the score shall be recorded as per the Official Game Report if the non- offending team was in the lead at the time of the infraction or as 5-0 if the non-offending team was not in the lead. The players on both teams shall be credited with all personal statistics earned to the time the forfeit was declared. The incident shall be reported to the League / Association President.

Insufficient Players

When a game is declared forfeited due to a team having insufficient players to continue play (fewer than a goaltender and three (3) other players), either through injury and/or penalties, the non-offending team shall be declared the winner and the score shall be recorded as per the Official Game Report if the non-offending team was in the lead at the time of the infraction or as 5-0 if the non-offending team was not in the lead. The players on both teams shall be credited with all personal statistics earned up to the time the forfeit was declared. The incident shall be reported to the League / Association President.

Both Teams Unable or Unwilling to Continue

When a game is declared forfeited due to both teams being unwilling or unable (insufficient players) to continue the game, the score shall be recorded as 0-0 with no points awarded either team. The players on both teams shall be credited with all personal statistics earned up to the time the forfeit was declared. The incident shall be reported to the League / Association President.