JAHL Supplemental Aggressive & Excessive Penalty Policy

Current JAHL Policy - Revised September 2026

Ø      Players

-         Any player receiving five (5) penalties in one game shall be suspended for the remainder of that game. A second occurrence will cause an additional one-game suspension; a third occurrence will cause an additional two-game suspension and review by the JAHL Disciplinary Committee.

-         Excessive Penalties: A) Any player who accumulates forty (40) penalty minutes in one season per team will be assessed a one-game suspension for that team. B) Any player who accumulates sixty (60) penalty minutes in one season per team will be assessed a two-game suspension for that team. Each additional twenty (20) penalty minutes adds one additional game of suspension. For example, 60 minutes is 2 games, 80 minutes is 3 games, 100 minutes is 4 games, and so on. C) All penalties count toward this rule, including minors, majors and misconducts. A 2-minute minor plus a 10-minute misconduct counts as 12 minutes. A 5-minute major plus a game misconduct counts as 15 minutes toward this rule. D) Suspensions under this rule are in addition to any suspension or discipline resulting from the underlying incident or game. E) The League Statistician will inform the JAHL President and Vice President of any player who is approaching or has crossed an applicable threshold.

-         Any player receiving four (4) aggressive penalties and/or Abuse of Officials (Rule 601) penalties in any combination in a game shall be suspended for the remainder of that game. A second occurrence will cause an additional one-game suspension; a third occurrence will cause an additional two-game suspension and review by the JAHL Disciplinary Committee.

-         Fighting (fisticuffs), Rule 613, or any other major penalty involving a game misconduct requires a one-game suspension and a $50 fine. A second occurrence carries the same penalties and will be reviewed by the JAHL Disciplinary Committee.

-         Any player incurring a second non-fighting major penalty in one season will be suspended for the next game.

Ø      Teams

-         A team that incurs ten (10) penalties in a game shall receive a warning of a team fine for the next occurrence. A second occurrence will result in a $25 fine; additional occurrences will each result in a $50 fine. Upon the fourth occurrence, the team will be subject to review by the JAHL Disciplinary Committee.

Ø      Suspensions

-         Suspensions are administered in accordance with the JAHL Handbook. Bye weeks and canceled or postponed games do not count toward serving a suspension. A rescheduled game counts when played or when it qualifies under the applicable forfeit rule. Unserved suspensions carry into the playoffs and, when necessary, beyond the season. A suspended player or goalie may not be on the team bench during the suspended game. Match Penalties are subject to the separate participation restrictions and disciplinary procedures established in the JAHL Handbook.

Ø      Abuse of Officials - Rule 601

-         Officials are expected to strictly enforce Rule 601. Officials must be able to officiate a game and assess penalties without abuse from players on the ice or bench. Abuse directed toward either official may be penalized by the officiating crew. The officiating crew works together to enforce all applicable playing and conduct rules.

-         Any player who challenges or disputes the ruling of any official, endeavors to incite an opponent (including taunting), or creates a disturbance during a game may be assessed the applicable unsportsmanlike conduct or Abuse of Officials penalty.

Ø      Definitions

-         Aggressive penalty

1. Head contact

2. Checking in a non-checking classification

3. Boarding

4. Cross-checking

5. Abuse of officials (Rule 601)

6. Fisticuffs

7. Roughing

8. Slashing

9. Any major penalty

-         Suspensions are served as provided by the JAHL Handbook. Bye weeks and canceled or postponed games do not count toward serving a suspension.

-         Fines and other disciplinary obligations must be satisfied in accordance with current JAHL rules and any disciplinary decision issued by the league.

-         The team is responsible for ensuring that suspended or otherwise ineligible players do not participate. Use of an ineligible player is subject to the applicable JAHL illegal-player and forfeit rules.