Team Manager's Guide to Hockey Canada Minor Hockey 2026-27

A team listed on the Official Game Report can have no more than five registered team officials on the Players' Bench, and only players in uniform and those officials may occupy it (Playing Rules 2026-28, Rules 2.1 (b) and 1.9 (c)). The officials listed must include at minimum:

• one Coach that meets the Member's certification requirements; and
• one Hockey Canada Safety Person (HTCP in Ontario).

The glossary says team officials may include the Coach(es), Manager, Trainer, Equipment Manager, Team Doctor, President or other administrators within the team. The By-laws 2026-27 define Team Officials as the persons involved in the management of a team, including the coach, manager, safety person/trainer, equipment manager, team physician, president and other members of the executive or board.

Referees do not decide on the certification of team officials. Any irregularities are reported to the Member or league delegate for further action (Rule 2.1 (b), Interpretation 1).

During a game, team officials are restricted to the area of their Players' Bench. Leaving it is a Bench Minor for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Rule 1.9 (d)).

Sources: Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-28 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf) and By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf).

Under the Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-28:

• Line-up: before the game, the Team Official in charge of each team gives the Referee or Official Scorer a list of names and numbers of the players and goaltenders eligible to play. The visiting team's official must list first (Rule 2.2 (b)).
• Signed: the Official Scorer obtains from the Manager or Coach of each team their complete line-up, verified and signed by the team official in charge (Rule 5.6 (a)).
• Captains: before the game, the Manager or Coach notes the names and numbers of the Captain and Alternate Captain(s) on the Official Game Report. A team may have one Captain and a maximum of three Alternate Captains. Goaltenders and playing coaches or managers cannot be named (Rules 2.3 (a), (d)).
• Affiliated players: mark each with "AP" after their name (Rule 5.6 (a)).
• Team officials: list up to five registered team officials, including at minimum one Coach meeting Member certification requirements and one Hockey Canada Safety Person (HTCP in Ontario) (Rule 2.1 (b)).
• Numbers: a team may dress a maximum of 20 players (up to 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders), and needs at least six eligible players in uniform to start (Rule 2.2 (a)).
• Changes: no change or addition to the line-up is allowed after the game starts, except that a player inadvertently left off may be added before the game ends if they were in uniform and on the ice or bench at the start (Rule 2.2 (b)).

Source: Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-28 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf).

Under Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27, Regulation J (Hockey Tournament Regulations):

• Sanctioned tournaments only: no player or team registered with a Member may compete in any tournament unless it has been granted a sanction permit by the Member in whose geographic area the tournament is held (J.1).
• Your own Member's written permission: no team may play in any tournament unless it has the written permission of the Member or federation it is registered with. In giving it, that Member or federation agrees to impose and enforce any discipline on its team, players or team officials and to report all disciplinary action to the host Member (J.6).
• Roster: the host Member verifies the eligibility of all teams and players. Every player must be registered with the team in the Hockey Canada Registry (or under their foreign federation's rules), and the team must produce an approved HCR Roster (J.5).
• Rules: sanctioned tournaments are played only under official Hockey Canada Playing Rules. Any variance must be submitted when applying for the sanction permit (J.9).
• Games per day: no team or player may compete in more than three games in one day (J.10).
• Hockey Canada and USA Hockey teams only: tournaments and exhibition games that include only teams from Hockey Canada and USA Hockey are sanctioned by the Member and do not need sanctioning by Hockey Canada (J.4).
• If you host: all tournaments must submit a financial statement of income and disbursements to the sanctioning Member within 30 days of completion; failing to do so results in refusal of future sanction permits (Regulation Q).

The By-laws do not use the term "travel permit". The written permission in J.6 is the requirement they set for playing in a tournament.

Source: Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf).

The purpose of affiliation in the Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27 (Regulation F) is to let higher division or category teams dress the maximum number of players allowed for a game under the Playing Rules.

• How many: in all categories other than Senior AAA, a team may select up to 19 affiliated players. If it selects the maximum, at least two must be goaltenders (F.1).
• From where: only from lower division or category teams operating in the same geographic subdivision, and the players and teams must be properly registered in the Hockey Canada Registry (F.2).
• Not within a league: teams from different divisions or categories competing in the same league cannot affiliate between themselves (F.8), apart from a Senior league exception.
• Imports: a player transferred in from another Member or federation (including USA Hockey), other than a Non-North American Import, may move up as an affiliate only if the total number of active Imports on the higher team does not exceed the number allowed for it in any game (F.11). A Non-North American Import cannot advance as an affiliate (F.12), nor can a player who transferred to play minor hockey after a successful appeal (F.13).
• Game day: a team can dress at most 20 players (18 skaters and 2 goaltenders) per game, all registered under Hockey Canada Regulations (Playing Rules, Rule 2.2 (a)).

How to record an affiliate and the game limits are in the next answer.

Source: Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf) and Playing Rules 2026-28 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf).

Under the Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27 (Regulation F) and Playing Rules 2026-28:

• Endorsement first: an affiliated player cannot play for the selecting team until their Hockey Canada registration has been endorsed as an Affiliated Player by the Member Executive Director. That endorsement cannot be granted before written consent from both teams is filed with the Executive Director (F.3).
• The list: once endorsed, the player's name is on the selecting team's list of Affiliated Players and may not be dropped and replaced during the season, unless the player's registered team releases them on or before January 10, or the team holding their playing rights in the higher division or category transfers those rights to another team in that division or category (F.4).
• One list only: a player cannot be on more than one Affiliated Players list in a particular category at any time during the season (F.5).
• Approval: the player needs the approval of their registered team or Minor Hockey Association to be selected and to play as an affiliate (F.6).
• Game report: affiliated players used in a game are designated on the official game report with the symbol "AP" after their name (F.7). The Official Scorer asks that all affiliated players dressed for the game be marked this way (Playing Rules, Rule 5.6 (a)).
• Appearing on the report counts: an affiliated player's name on the official game report is participation in the game, except for an alternate goaltender, where only actual participation counts and must be noted on the report (F.15 (f)).
• Game limits: for Junior A, Junior B and championship-eligible teams the limit is 10 games per team. For all other categories and divisions, the Member sets the number of games (F.15). Exhibition and tournament games are excluded from the limits in F.15 (a) and (b).
• End of season: all affiliations end at the end of the current season (F.10).

Source: Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf) and Playing Rules 2026-28 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf).

Hockey Canada's Code of Conduct Policy defines Team Personnel as including coaches, managers, trainers, medical personnel and other team support personnel. It requires people in positions of trust, or with regular contact with minors, including Team Personnel, to:

• complete Screening under Hockey Canada's Screening and Compliance Policy before taking part in any Hockey Canada program, and periodically afterwards; and
• disclose to a Hockey Canada representative any ongoing criminal investigation, charge, conviction or bail/release condition that may affect their suitability.

Screening may include a criminal record and vulnerable sector check, reference checks, an interview, a disclosure form and completion of required training.

Training: the Code lists the Rule of Two as a safeguarding practice. Hockey Canada's Dressing Room Policy FAQ describes a trained and screened person as one who has completed ethics education (Respect in Sport or CAC Safe Sport Training) and passed a thorough background check. It also points to a free Coaching Association of Canada Rule of Two e-learning module of about 15 to 20 minutes.

Safety person: the team also needs one person qualified in the Hockey Canada Safety Program (By-laws 2026-27, Team definition; HTCP in Ontario until no later than the end of the 2027-28 season). Hockey Alberta's 2026-27 requirements say Safety Program Level 1 is a four-hour online course, valid three seasons.

Sources: Code of Conduct Policy (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/code-of-conduct-policy-e.pdf), Dressing Room Policy FAQ (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Downloads/dressing-room-policy-faq-e.pdf), By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf) and Hockey Alberta (https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/coaches/clinic-information/).

Hockey Canada's Code of Conduct Policy says:

• Two trained and screened adults must be present for games, practices, meetings and other program activities involving a minor athlete, including in the dressing room or immediately outside it with the door propped open to monitor the environment.
• Dressing rooms and changing facilities must be supervised by at least two screened adults whenever minors are present.
• Reasonable steps must be taken to protect athletes' privacy and modesty, including private changing areas where requested or required, and notice before entering a dressing room that is in use.
• Personal recording devices, including phone cameras and video, are prohibited in dressing rooms at all times. A phone may play music.

Hockey Canada's Dressing Room Policy FAQ (an earlier document) adds:

• Two screened and trained team officials, volunteers or parents/guardians may be the two adults in the dressing room.
• Where a team uses multiple dressing rooms, supervision and the Rule of Two still apply, and teams should endeavour to cover all of them.
• Gender should be considered when assigning supervisors, and volunteers may be assigned as dressing room supervisors.
• If an alternative dressing room is needed, team officials or the local hockey association should contact the facility once schedules are set. Examples listed include an officials' room, meeting room or staff room.
• If a player arrives without a base layer, team officials should have the athlete use a washroom or private changing area, and send the parents/guardians a reminder of the base layer requirements.

Sources: Code of Conduct Policy (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/code-of-conduct-policy-e.pdf) and Dressing Room Policy FAQ (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Downloads/dressing-room-policy-faq-e.pdf).

Under the Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-28:

• Conduct of players: the glossary says the Coach is primarily responsible for directing the team and, along with the Manager, is responsible for the conduct of their players in the arena before, during and after the game.
• Team officials: Section 11 says team officials are always responsible for their conduct and that of their players. They must endeavour to prevent disorderly conduct before, during or after the game, on or off the ice and anywhere in the rink. The Referee may assess penalties to team officials for failing to do so, and reports them to the Member or league delegate in a Game Incident Report.
• False statements: a team official who gives a false statement on the Official Game Report about eligible players or team officials will be dealt with by the Member or league (Rule 2.2 (c)).
• Identification: the Referee may ask any team official for their name at any time. Refusing is penalized under Rule 10.6 (f) (Rule 2.2 (d)).

Hockey Canada's Code of Conduct Policy also lists duties for Team Personnel, which includes managers, such as acting in the best interest of each athlete's development, respecting other Team Personnel and athletes playing with other teams, and using inoffensive language.

Sources: Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-28 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf) and Code of Conduct Policy (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Safety-Program/Downloads/code-of-conduct-policy-e.pdf).

Under the Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27:

• Responsibility: every Minor Hockey Association and Team Official is responsible for any representation made to Hockey Canada about the eligibility of its players, including a player's age. A team that plays an ineligible player is subject to discipline under Regulation O (Regulation D.6).
• Falsifying: a Player, Team Official or executive holder found guilty by their Member or Hockey Canada, after a proper hearing, of falsifying or forging a birth certificate or Hockey Canada registration information, playing under an assumed name, or knowing it occurred, is automatically suspended from playing hockey or holding office with any team or Minor Hockey Association for up to three years (Regulation O.3).
• Using a suspended player: a team found guilty of using a suspended player in any league, play-off, exhibition or tournament game loses any points earned in each game that player took part in, and the opposing team is credited with a victory in regulation time (Regulation O.4).
• Ineligible player in play-offs: if a team plays an ineligible player in any Member or Inter-Member play-off game, the team is removed from the season's competition and the opposing team is considered the winner (Regulation O.5).
• Earlier games, including tournaments: the player is suspended and, at the Member's discretion, either the team continues and every game the player took part in is awarded as a regulation-time win to the opponent, or the team is removed from all further competition (Regulation O.5).

Source: Hockey Canada By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf).