Collective Bargaining Agreement

Between the National Simulated Hockey League General Managers And

National Simulated Hockey League Players

 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

 

Article 1                   OUTLINE

Article 2                   DEFINITIONS

Article 3                   DATES & EVENTS

Article 4                   PLAYER AGENT ELECTION PROCESS

Article 5                   ENTRY DRAFT

Article 6                   FREE AGENCY

Article 7                   CONTRACTS

Article 8                   FREE AGENT SIGNING SYSTEM

Article 9                   GM RESPONSIBILITIES

Article 10                 THE SIMULATOR

Article 1

Outline

The contents of this Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) have been agreed upon by the National Simulated Hockey League's General Managers and will be in place for one (1) year until the end of the NSHL's tenth season.

Through this agreement, the NSHL Player Agent(s) (NSHLPA) assumes full control over the players' side of negotiations based on the guidelines of this Collective Bargaining Agreement as well as the NSHL's Official Rulebook. The process for deciding on a Player Agent / Player Agent(s) is outlined in the agreement below.

Upon the conclusion of the playoffs and prior to the start of negotiations in the off-season the league announces a date by which all General Managers are asked to submit a vote on whether or not to approve the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement and use it for the upcoming season (includes the upcoming off-season).

The CBA or proposed changes must be approved by 75% of the submitted votes from league General Managers by the announced deadline in order to pass.

Any time a change is requested to the CBA aside from the initial off-season vote, the CBA or proposed changes must be approved by 80% of the submitted votes from league General Managers by the announced deadline in order to pass.

Any deadline proposed for a CBA vote requires at least seven (7) 'real world' days' notice to meet the requirements above.

The details of which General Managers submitted their votes as well as how each General Manager voted is revealed once the deadline has past.

 

Article 2

Definitions

'Age' means the age of a player determined at the time of re-rates in the off-season based on January 1st of their real birth year and the current date at that time.

'CBA' or 'Collective Bargaining Agreement' means the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the National Simulated Hockey League and the National Simulated Hockey League Player Agent(s) acting on behalf of the players.

'Contract' means the agreement reached between a NSHL Player Agent, on behalf of a player, and a league General Manager or between a coach and a league General Manager on at least, a salary and term of employment.

A 'contract' may consist of a salary, term, signing bonus, no movement clause, player option, or a team option.

All 'contracts' must adhere to this agreement as well as the Official Rulebook.

In order to be signed to a 'contract' a player must have an STHS rating listed through the league, originally via LCHV ratings.

'Future Considerations'- are potential additional inclusions on a trade which will be made at a defined point in time as is outlined when the trade is made.  These considerations are usually production based and need to be clearly outlined by all parties involved for a trade to be approved.

'GM Union' is the ‘best interest’ group made up of volunteer GMs (excluding the Commissioner and the NSHLPA) who work out CBA and league related issues on behalf of all GMs.

The GM Union has a ‘Union Leader’ which may be voted on by the active Union GMs.  This person is the point of contact for the NSHL & NSHLPA during any CBA or league related negotiations.

'Healthy Scratch' means extra players a team carries on its Pro Roster in case of injury or suspension. These players do not dress for games and are made up of any combination of forwards, defensemen or goalies.

During the regular season a team may carry up to 3 players on their healthy scratch list and after the Trade Deadline a team may carry up to 5 players on their healthy scratch list.

Injuries and suspensions do not count towards a team's healthy scratches.

Despite the fact that players listed as healthy scratches are not active members of the roster, they are still paid their full wage.

'Hold Out (HO)' is a player that is classified as a restricted free agent who has not come to terms on a contract by the time the regular season starts and is placed on the team holding his rights' prospect list. A player listed as a 'hold out' cannot play games and therefore cannot be re-rated based on his stats earned.

A 'hold out' can be signed at any time in the year by their team or offered a contract by another team under restricted free agent signing guidelines.

Any 'hold outs' at the end of the year are automatically released by their clubs as unrestricted free agents regardless of age.

'League Average Salary' means a calculation that is done at the end of the regular season to determine the 'average salary' for pro forwards, defensemen, goalies as well as farm forwards, defensemen and goalies.

Players are included in the average if they have played at least 20 games (10 for goalies) in either the pro or on the farm (depending on which is league the average is for). A player may count in both leagues if he has played 20 games (10 for goalies) in both leagues during the course of the regular season.

'Minor League Playoff Roster' is the roster teams are allowed to dress for any minor league playoff games they play. Any player that has played in 52 or more pro games (20 for goalies) during that regular season is ineligible to be a part of the minor league playoff roster.

For every player that participates in a minor league playoff game in violation of this rule, the team is fined $2,000,000 per infraction and the player is suspended for the remainder of the post-season in the NSHL & the MSHL.

'Minor League Roster' means the 20 man active roster and limitless minor league scratch roster of players. Any players on this roster are paid 10% of their contract value provided they have not played 20+ games in the pros that season.

'No Movement Clause' means a player with a 'no movement clause' may not be demoted, waived, released or traded during the course of their contract and no request may be made by the team or the player to have it waived.

'NSHLPA' means the GM(s) that volunteer to act as the voice of the players for the current season as elected by the league. The NSHLPA is directly involved in contract negotiations and CBA related discussions and is expected to put the player's best interest first in all player agent situations.

'Pro Roster' means the 23 man or 25 man (post Trade Deadline) roster of players that may be dressed for an NSHL game. Any players on this roster must have a valid NSHL contract and are paid 100% of their contract value.

'Prospect' means an unrated player, 18-24 years old with fewer than 20 NSHL games played (10 for goalies).

‘Prospect List’ is a list where teams can store players that are 18-24 years of age and qualify as a rookie OR are 25 or older and are not yet rated (no NHL experience).

Prospects may be traded from one team’s prospect list to another team’s prospect list.

Once the season has started any players listed as Hold Outs (HO) are added to the prospect list.  After this point in time, players cannot be signed to pro or MSHL contracts that are on a prospect list until the end of the NSHL season.

Every eligible player that remains on a team’s prospect list that has an NSHL rating costs the team $200,000.00 per player which is removed at the start of the season as a ‘listing fee’.

Every eligible player that remains on a team’s prospect list that does not have an NSHL rating has no ‘listing fee’.

‘Re-Rates’ means the process by which a player’s simulator ratings can increase or decrease by either the league’s off-season adjustment based on performance, the league’s off-season NHL-based adjustment based on NHL performance or through the application of Training Camp points.

The NSHL uses a manual re-rate system based on a player's performance during that season. To qualify for a re-rate a player has to have played 20 or more games (10 for goalies) in either the NSHL or the MSHL. If a player has played more than 20 games (10 for goalies) in both leagues, they will be re-rated in both leagues and an average of the two ratings is used.

The NSHL's NHL-based ratings are generated through the same NSHL created system but using NHL statistics.

'Rookie' means a rated player, 18-24 years old with fewer than 20 NSHL games played (10 for goalies).

'State of Emergency' - can be declared by the Commissioner with the support of at least one (1) member of the NSHLPA, the GM Union leader and one (1) additional GM from each Conference.

A State of Emergency is declared when a league loophole or bug has been exposed and the parties declaring can prove the result has benefited specific teams more than others.  Once declared a State of Emergency can temporarily change a rule including something within the CBA until a point in time when it can be amended.

GMs involved in calling a State of Emergency can propose retroactive changes to correct any errors but cannot act on them without approval of 80% of voting GMs.

 

Article 3

Dates & Events

in chronological order

3-1 NSHL Re-Rates Conducted

Prior to the official start of the off-season the league releases player re-rates based on the performance of players during that season. Both NSHL & MSHL based re-rates are done by the league using its own customized re-rates system and at this time the league also incorporates NHL-based ratings for new players (not previously in an NSHL organization, including undrafted NSHL rookies).

3-2 First Day of the Off-Season: New Collective Bargaining Agreement

The previous season's Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on the first day of the off-season, at which time a new agreement is enforced if has been agreed upon by the league's General Managers. If there is no agreement at this point in time, no roster moves can be made until a Collective Bargaining Agreement is elected and in place.

3-3 Qualifying Offers Due & Options Decided On

Players not qualified by this deadline cannot be negotiated with further until the free agent market is opened as they become unrestricted.

At this point GMs and players will also notify one another whether or not they agree to pick up any outstanding option years on their contracts.

3-4 Entry Draft

The NSHL Entry Draft will commence and extend as long as is necessary to complete given the number of rounds and picks to be made.

3-5 NHL-Based Re-Rates

Each team has the opportunity to have one of their current players completely re-rated based on their NHL-based ratings at the time.  A team use this re-rate once every two seasons and must meet the following requirements:

1) The player being re-rated must be 29 years of age or younger
2) Any contract the player being re-rated has is voided, making the player a qualified restricted free agent and giving the team limited time to reach an agreement with the player on a new deal
3) The new deal between the player and the team must include a minimum $2,000,000 signing bonus and a No Movement Clause

Using the NHL Based Re-Rate costs the team 20 Training Camp points* which they are required to have on-hand at the time of the re-rate.

* For the NSHL 11 off-season only, teams may use Training Camp points from the following off-season as this feature was introduced after teams had wagered points in Make Your Call.

3-5 Restricted Free Agent Negotiations & Franchise Player Negotiations

After Qualifying Offers have been received and filtered by the NSHL's Player Agent(s), there will be a re-negotiation period between the NSHLPA and potential restricted free agents (RFAs) and recently drafted prospects who have ratings. At the same time, eligible teams may name and negotiate with the player they tagged as their franchise player.

3-6 Free Agent Market Opens

Once the free agent market has been declared open league General Managers may negotiate with any players without contracts based on the outline provided for negotiation standards and following the guidelines of this agreement and the league's Official Rulebook.

3-7 NHL-Based Ratings Implemented

This date determination will be made by the NSHL Player Agent(s) based on the amount of free agent offers currently outstanding.

During this NHL-based re-rate, unrestricted free agents will have their ratings re-done based on NHL-based ratings generated by the NSHL's NHL-based rating system in hopes of generating interest for players still unsigned to obtain a new contract.

3-8 Hold Outs Removed from Active Rosters

Restricted players that are still without a contract at this time will be removed from their team's active roster and placed on their team's prospect list as a Hold Out. This player is eligible for negotiations from any team.

3-9 Pre-Season Commences

The league will announce and begin a short pre-season schedule, allowing teams an opportunity to try out their roster. Statistics earned in the pre-season do not carry over in any way. During the pre-season there are no expenses and no income is generated.

During the pre-season teams are allowed to sign unrestricted free agents to a Tryout Contract which expires at the start of the regular season.

3-10 Training Camp

Each team has the ability to earn up to 20 Training Camp Points which can be used to upgrade player ratings on their roster. If a GM meets the required criteria, the points are given to the team prior to the start of the pre-season.

No player may receive more than 3 of the points in one off-season and no single category can receive more than 2 of the points.

Points may not be assigned to players 33 or older. Points may also not be assigned to a category already at 80 or higher.

Points may be assigned to any rating category except MO, PO, EX, LD and OV.

Throughout the pre-season GMs may begin using any Training Camp points on their players.

Training Camp points may not be used outside of the pre-season and cannot be removed from a player once applied.

Training Camp points may be used to increase or decrease a player's rating as the GM decides is necessary so long as the above guidelines are met.

3-11 Opening Day Rosters Due

Between the end of the pre-season and the first day of the regular season all GMs must submit their Opening Day Roster and thereby placing the necessary players on waivers so they can be applied to minor league rosters.

3-12 Regular Season Commences

The Commissioner will manually generate a 78 game regular season schedule during the off-season which will begin a few days after teams complete their pre-season schedules. During the regular season player contracts are automatically deducted from a team's bank account with each game they play.

Once the regular season schedule begins, any prospect not under contract will remain on a team's prospect list for the entire season and may not be signed during the season.

3-13 RFA Re-Negotiation Period

Between the All-Star Classic and the Trade Deadline all GMs are able to attempt negotiations with restricted free agent aged players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the season. Any negotiations during this time have no effect on a player's restricted free agent status.

Any contract agreed upon during this period does not go into effect until the upcoming off-season and comes with a mandatory, temporary, no trade clause.

3-14 Trade Deadline & Pro Roster Size Expands

At the 80% mark of the regular season the league has a Trade Deadline after which time no trade or signings may be made.

From this point forward the size of every team's pro roster increases to 25 healthy players.

3-15 End of Regular Season & Start of Playoffs

Once the regular season ends and the Playoffs begin, there are no longer any expenses for teams however all playoff teams still generate income.

During the MSHL Playoffs, no player may be dressed for a team that has played 52 or more games for their pro team. For every infraction on this rule, a team is charged $2,000,000.

 

Article 4

Player Agent Election Process

An elected NSHL Player Agent is in place from the start of the NSHL off-season until the NSHL Trade Deadline each season.

Once the NSHL Trade Deadline has past the election process to find the following season's Player Agent commences.

• Any interested candidates submit a text only application to the league e-mail stating their qualifications and why they're interested in the position.
• The NSHL Commissioner collects all applications and posts them on the league website for the rest of the league to review.
• A vote is held based on which candidate the league believes would make the best Player Agent.

To be declared victorious the candidate must:

• Receive at least a 51% majority of the vote**
  
  * - If this is not done in the first ballot with two (2) applicants, the league opens up a third voting category 'indifferent' where any votes cast are applied to the majority
  
  ** - If this is not done in the first ballot with three (3) or more applicants, the league removes all applicants but the top two and another vote is held
  
• Be the only candidate applying for the role OR be a part of a joint candidacy and be willing to share duties with the other applicant
  
  

Article 5

Entry Draft

5-1 Draft Choices

Each Entry Draft consists of five (5) rounds with each team starting out with one pick per round for a total of 120 picks, however picks may be swapped via trade meaning teams could have more or less than the original one (1) pick per round.

5-2 Player Eligibility

In order to be eligible to be selected in the Entry Draft a player:

• Must not be on an NSHL roster (pro or farm) or on an NSHL prospect list
• Must be considered a rookie in the NSHL and must be 18-24 years old
• Must have already been drafted into the NHL or have already played in the NHL and is still active

5-3 Order of Selection

The order for the Entry Draft is determined by the following:

• All non-playoff teams are placed into the Entry Draft Lottery
• The last pick of the 1st Round is given to the Stanley Cup Champions
• The second last pick of the 1st Round is given to the Finals runner-up
• The third and fourth last pick of the 1st Round is given to the Conference Finals, ordered based on their regular season winning %
• The remaining Playoff teams are then slotted to pick based on their regular season winning % (best picks 5th last, 2nd best 6th last and so on)
• Rounds 2 - Round 5 are completely based on regular season winning % and have worst picking first and best picking last each round

5-4 Entry Draft Lottery

The Entry Draft Lottery involves every team that does not make the Playoffs in the previous season as well as any incoming expansion teams. Any incoming expansion team starts out the lottery with the highest seed available, followed in order by the team with the worst win % in the league, then the 2nd worst and so on.

Teams may jump up or down a maximum of three spots once the lottery is done.

During the lottery teams are listed in order (worst to first). The numbers for the corresponding number of teams entered into the lottery are randomly generated by www.random.org. The first number pulled corresponds to the first team on the list (the worst team).

If that number is within that team's jumping range (for the first team, their range is slots 1-4) then that becomes their new slot.

If that number is NOT within that team's jumping range (for the first team, slots outside their range are 5-8) then the team's name is marked in each slot it could fit into (slots 1-4). The next team now draws a number and the process continues.

Teams are only given a slot they pick if its within their range however higher seeded teams at the start of the lottery have priority in the end. So, if two teams have picked numbers outside of their range and are available for the same two slots, the team that started out with the worst record gets the better pick.

This also means that if a team drafts outside of its range and cannot find another slot within its range to land on and a separate team lands in their original slot, the first team stays in their original slot and the second team gets the next available slot.

5-5 Drafted Players

Once a player has been drafted by a team he is placed on their Prospect List where he will remain until signed to a contract.

Should a team decide to try and sign a prospect off their prospect list, the prospect will require NHL-based ratings and will have to have a deal reached by the start of the regular season. Once the regular season has begun prospects will remain on the Prospect List for the entire season.

 

Article 6

Free Agency

6-1 Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA)

An unrestricted free agent is a player 30 years of age or older whose contract has expired OR is a player under the age of 30 whose contract has expired and who has not received a qualifying offer.

Unrestricted free agents will automatically test the free agent market without listening to offers from their previous team.

Should an unrestricted free agent sign with a new team, their old team receives no compensation.

6-1-1 First Year Unrestricted Free Agents

A player that is 30 years of age whose contract is expiring and is set to become unrestricted for the first time in his career. This type of free agent may be offered a one year deal by his previous team prior to the free agent market opening but does not have to accept. Should this type of free agent hit the free agent market his former team does not receive compensation if he signs elsewhere.

6-1-2 Franchise Player Tag

A player that is 30+ years of age and about to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) is allowed to be tagged as a ‘franchise player’ which gives the team with his rights a unique opportunity to work out a contract with him rather than have him hit the free agent market.

A team may only use one ‘tag’ at a time and has to wait until the previous franchise tag expires before they may use it again.

Once applied, a franchise tag gives the team qualified restricted free agent-like negotiating rights on the player in question.  They are then allowed to try and negotiate with the tagged player ahead of the free agent market opening.

A player that is tagged as a franchise player must:
- Sign for the maximum allowable contract length based on his age
- Be the one (1) highest paid player on the team for the entire length of the contract
- Receive a No Movement Clause

If the team and the player fail to reach an agreement prior to the free agent market opening, the player can test the open market provided the team that tagged him may match any incoming offers from other clubs and receive compensation if they decline.

If a tagged player still is without a contract when the next season starts he becomes an unrestricted free agent and the team has lost the right to use the franchise player tag for that off-season.

6-2 Restricted Free Agents (RFA)

A restricted free agent is a player 18-29 years of age whose contract has expired and has received but not accepted a qualifying offer (referred to as a 'qualified restricted free agent'.

A restricted free agent has the right to listen to offers from any team once the free agent market opens however his previous team has the right to match any offer presented.

If a restricted free agent receives an offer from a new team that his former team does not choose to match, his former team has the right to receive compensation from the new team.

6-2-1 Qualifying Offers

A qualifying offer does not have to be accepted to make a player a Restricted Free Agent, making the offer does that and ensures compensation. For a player making the league average salary or less (for their assigned position) the one year contract offer must be 110% of the player's previous salary.

For a player making more than the league average salary (for their assigned position) the one year contract offer must be 100% of the player's previous salary.

All qualifying offers will be due prior to the re-negotiation process beginning. An exact due date will be posted by the league prior to contract re-negotiations.

Example A

Example B

6-2-2 Non-Qualified Restricted Free Agent

A player 29 and under whose contract is expiring and has not received a qualifying offer from his previous team. Once the free agent market opens, this type of free agent has no loyalty to his previous team and can sign anywhere without compensation.

Once the free agent market opens his status changes to UFA.

6-2-3 RFA Compensation

* Note - All salaries listed are based on one year of the contract

New Salary	Compensation
$300,000 - $500,000	None
$500,001 - $750,000	5th Round Choice
$750,001 - $1,000,000	4th Round Choice
$1,000,001 - $1,250,000	3rd Round Choice
$1,250,001 - $1,500,000	2nd Round Choice
$1,500,001 - $1,750,000	1st Round Choice
$1,750,001 - $2,000,000	One 1st Round Choice & One 5th Round Choice
$2,000,001 - $2,250,000	One 1st Round Choice & One 4th Round Choice
$2,250,001 - $2,500,000	One 1st Round Choice & One 3rd Round Choice
$2,500,001 - $2,750,000	One 1st Round Choice & One 2nd Round Choice
$2,750,001 - $3,000,000	One 1st Round Choice & Two 2nd Round Choices
$3,000,001 - $3,500,000	Two 1st Round Choices
$3,500,001 - $4,000,000	Two 1st Round Choices & One 3rd Round Choice
$4,000,001 - $4,500,000	Two 1st Round Choices & One 2nd Round Choice
$4,500,001 - $5,000,000	Two 1st Round Choices & Two 2nd Round Choices
$5,000,001 - $5,500,000	Three 1st Round Choices
$5,500,001 - $6,000,000	Three 1st Round Choices & One 2nd Round Choice
$6,000,001 - $7,000,000	Four 1st Round Choices
$7,000,001+	Five 1st Round Choices

6-3 Signing Bonuses

Each team is allowed a maximum of $5,000,000.00 they can spend on Signing Bonuses in one season (does not include bonuses to prospects).

During negotiations the NSHLPA takes the total signing bonus offered and spreads it evenly over the length of the contract for comparison to other offers.

6-4 Rookie Free Agents

A player 18-24 years of age without a contract and not on a team's prospect list and has fewer than 20 pro games played in the NSHL is classified as a rookie free agent.

Players that are classified as rookie free agents may not be signed to a contract until they have been drafted into the league via the Entry Draft.

 

Article 7

Contracts

7-1 Contract Lengths

Age	Maximum Allowable Contract Length
Off the Prospect List	3 years
Under 30	4 years OR 3 years + 1 option year
30-34	3 years OR 2 years + 1 option year
35+	2 years OR 1 year + 1 option year

 

7-2 Minimum Wage

Age	Experience	Term Minimum	Salary Minimum	Mandatory Bonus
18-24	Prospect List	3 years	$300,000 - $1,250,000	25% - 50% of 1 year
21 - 25	Less than 40 Pro GP or 20 GP for goalies	1 year	$350,000	None
21+	More than 40 Pro GP or 20 GP for goalies	1 year	$500,000	None
26+	Fewer than 40 Pro GP or 20 GP for goalies	1 year	$400,000	None

 

7-3 Prospect Contracts

All prospects that are signed off the prospect list are awarded a contract based on where they were drafted.

* Note - All salaries listed are based on the player's age at the time of the signing

Round	18-21 years old	22-24 years old
1st Round Pick (1st - 5th overall)	$1,250,000.00 for 3 years + $350,000 signing bonus	$1,250,000.00 for 3 years + $600,000 signing bonus
1st Round Pick (6th - 12th overall)	$1,000,000.00 for 3 years + $250,000 signing bonus	$1,000,000.00 for 3 years + $500,000 signing bonus
1st Round Pick (13th - 24th overall)	$850,000.00 for 3 years + $225,000 signing bonus	$850,000.00 for 3 years + $450,000 signing bonus
2nd Round Pick	$700,000.00 for 3 years + $225,000 signing bonus	$700,000.00 for 3 years + $400,000 signing bonus
3rd Round Pick	$600,000.00 for 3 years + $200,000 signing bonus	$600,000.00 for 3 years + $300,000 signing bonus
4th Round Pick	$500,000.00 for 3 years + $175,000 signing bonus	$500,000.00 for 3 years + $250,000 signing bonus
5th Round Pick & HO Compensation Rounds	$400,000.00 for 3 years + $100,000 signing bonus	$400,000.00 for 3 years + $200,000 signing bonus

7-4 MSHL Contract

Players signed to a minor league contract make $15,000 for one year (listed as $150,000 in STHS) and may only play for a minor league team.

Players under a minor league contract may be traded to another minor league team.

Players under a minor league contract are still considered free agents and may be signed to a pro contract through normal signing procedures. The team with a player's minor league rights have the right to match an pro contract offer from any other team.

7-5 Pro Contract

A player signed to a pro contract will make 100% of that contract while they're playing in the Pros.

When a player is injured and his Condition (CON) drops below 70 will not be paid his salary by the team while his Condition (CON) is below 70.

7-5-1 Pro Contract in the Minors

A player signed to a pro contract who is demoted to the minors will make 10% of that contract while they're playing in the Minors.

If a player has played 20 or more games in the Pros, that player will make 100% of their pro contract while playing in the Minors.

7-5-2 Pre-Season Tryout Contract

During the pre-season teams are eligible to sign any unsigned unrestricted free agents to a tryout contract for the duration of the exhibition schedule.

A tryout contract is worth $15,000 which is paid out immediately at the time of the signing (the contract will appear as $1.00 in STHS as no contracts are paid during the pre-season).

All players that are under a tryout contract are technically still unrestricted free agents and therefore may negotiate with any team in the league.

The team holding the player's tryout contract earns the right to match any offer by another team trying to sign the player.

Players under a tryout contract may not be traded.

Upon the conclusion of the pre-season all tryout contracts expired and the players are released back into the free agent pool.

7-6 IIHF Transfer Agreement

Any player that has not played one (1) game under affiliation with the NHL (AHL, CHL or another developmental league) during the corresponding NSHL season falls under the IIHF Transfer Agreement.

Any player that's 30+ years of age whose contract has expired and is an unrestricted free agent OR is 29 years of age and under who is not qualified as a restricted free agent is eligible to be signed provided the following criteria is met:

1 - The team must provide a reliable link proving the player is still active in one of the professional European leagues (Czech Extraliga (Czech Republic), DEL (Germany), KHL (Russia), National League A (Switzerland), SEL (Sweden), SM-liiga (Finland)).
2 - Regardless of age or experience the player is limited to a 1 year contract which requires an automatic No Movement Clause.
3 - The player receives a mandatory 10% signing bonus at the time of the signing which is given as a 'fee' to the respective league.

Any player that's 29 years of age or under and is qualified as a restricted free agent may sign a contract under normal NSHL guidelines as per this CBA.

7-7 Releasing A Player From A Contract

A player may be released from his contract at any time for 100% of the remaining value of the current year of his contract and regardless of the remaining term.

A player that has successfully cleared waivers with a team may be released from his contract for 50% of the remaining value of the current year of his contract and regardless of the remaining term.

A player that is released that still qualifies as a rookie is not eligible to be re-signed and must be drafted into the league via the Entry Draft.

A player that is released and does not qualify as a rookie is considered as an unrestricted free agent regardless of his age.

Any player that is released from his contract is not eligible to be re-signed or drafted by the team that released him.

7-8 Retirements

A retirement in the NSHL is based on a player retiring in 'real life' in the NHL.

If a player retires once the NSHL pre-season has commenced, it is up to the GM holding his rights whether or not to hold onto the player for the season and have him retire in the off-season or retire him immediately.

Any player that is 35 or older and retires once the NSHL pre-season has commenced is owed 100% of his contract for that season regardless of when the GM decides to let him retire. If the team holds onto a retiring 35+ player for the remainder of the season and he has another year on his contract, they are required to pay him the extra year as well, despite his retirement.

All decisions on retiring players are to be made immediately upon discovering a player has retired by the team GM who is to notify the league of their decision.

If a player retires during the NSHL off-season, he retires immediately.

Any player who is 35 or older and under contract that retires in an NSHL off-season is owed 100% of his remaining contract.

Officially retired NHL players may not be signed to any deal regardless if they have a rating or not.

 

Article 8

Free Agent Signing System

8-1 Purpose of the System

The free agent system is in place to create a 'black & white' system for negotiating contracts where the NSHLPA does not have to have an opinion on who should get a free agent and it's determined by money on the table.

8-2 Setup

Prior to each deadline / wave outlined below, the NSHLPA will release speficic details on what is required from GMs. They will release the closing date of each wave, what is needed to enter final negotiations and also how many offers each GM may submit.

8-2-1 Wave As

During this wave GMs are able to submit offers to the NSHLPA on the free agents they wish to negotiate with. The NSHLPA will collect all incoming negotiations during this wave but will not issue a response until the 'B' wave. All offers submitted during this wave must meet the standards of the CBA and the NSHL Rulebook.

8-2-2 Wave Bs

During this wave the NSHLPA responds to all offers submitted by GMs and determines which (if any) players enter what is called final negotiation mode. Once the deadline that was set by the NSHLPA for Wave A to conclude, has passed, Wave B begins.

During ALL of the 'B' waves, which are NSHLPA response waves, no new offers are accepted by the NSHLPA. 'B' waves are for the NSHLPA to respond to all offers and inform GMs where the player stands.

8-3 Final Negotiation Mode

A player enters what is called Final Negotiation Mode when they receive a specified number of offers from separate teams in a single wave (a pre-determined value announced at the start of each wave). Any player that has enough offers to enter Final Negotiation Mode will only continue negotiating with the top three teams that have offers already on the table.

During a 'B' wave the NSHLPA will notify the three teams involved in Final Negotiation Mode and will inform them whether they're the highest offer or one of the other two offers still in consideration.

Of the top three offers, the two that are initiall the lowest will be allowed to submit one final improved offer to try and land the player. If one of these two offers comes in above the team that initially had the highest offer on the table, the team that initially had the highest offer will be allowed to submit one final offer to try and land the player.

If neither of the initial lower two offers goes above the initial highest offer after being re-submitted, the initial high offer is the one the player will take.

Final Negotiation Mode does not have to take place during the same waves as the rest of free agency and deadlines will be given to the GMs involved by the NSHLPA at the start.

8-4 Consecutive 'Best Offer' Signing

Any team that has been the highest bidder for a player for 3 (three) consecutive waves will be able to sign that player regardless of the 'minimum number of offers to enter final negotiation mode' at the time.

If at any time the highest bidder decreases their bid on a player, their 'best consecutive bid' record resets to 0. In this situation, any teams that were in the bidding prior to a bid being decreased are notified the 'high bid' has been lowered and they may re-submit if they wish.

8-5 Making Offers

Offers to free agents must consist of the player's first and last names, his current age, position, previous NSHL team or NHL team if he wasn't on an NSHL roster during the last season, previous NSHL salary (if applicable), the maximum length of contract and minimum wage for his age and experience in the league and of course, the offer itself. All of these pieces of information must be included in the e-mail to the NSHLPA which is to be submitted to the NSHL Player Agent handling the negotiation for that particular player.

8-5-1 The Value of a Contract in Negotiations

During the negotiation process a contract can have a higher or lower value in terms of the negotiation than the salary and term of the contract dictate. A player's age, experience and free agent status combined with a number of variances to a contract (length, amount, added options etc.) can increase or decrease a contract to make it more or less likely to be agreed to by the NSHLPA.

This 'value' of a contract does not change what the dollar figures of the offer itself are worth, simply the value of the contract in the eye of the NSHLPA which can help a team win or lose the ability to sign the player.

8-5-2 The Difference Between Single & Multi-Year Offers

In making an offer to a player, there is a difference between making a one year offer and a multi-year offer based on the player's age.

Unqualified Restricted Free Agents & 30-32 year old Unrestricted Free Agents' offers are 20% higher in value to the NSHLPA with each year added.

Therefore -- A 1 year offer @ $1,000,000 = A 2 year offer @ $1,100,000

Because:

20% of $1,000,000 is $200,000. The $200,000 is then divided evenly across the entire term of the contract (in this case 2 years) which is $100,000 per year extra, or $1,100,000.

Unrestricted Free Agents that are 33 and older are 20% lower in value to the NSHLPA with each year added.

Therefore -- A 1 year offer @ $1,000,000 = A 2 year offer @ $900,000

Because:

20% of $1,000,000 is $200,000. The $200,000 is then divided evenly across the entire term of the contract (in this case 2 years) which is $100,000 less per extra year, or $900,000.

8-6 Option Years

An option year may be added to the end of a contract so long as it is still within the maximum allowable signing length for the player receiving the offer.

Option years come as either a player option year, where it is up to the player to decide whether or not to pick-up the option, or a team option year where it is up to the team whether or not to pick-up the option year.

Options are picked up or rejected prior to the free agent market opening.

Any option submitted during negotiations (player or team) that is 10% higher than the base salary in the rest of the contract, a 1% discount is applied in the negotiation process by the NSHLPA to determine the difference between similar offers.

8-6-1 Player Options

A player option that is added on to the end of a contract must be at least 100% of the base salary from the rest of the contract.

During free agent negotiations an added player option adds a 5% discount to the team that's submitting the offer's negotiation in the eyes of the NSHLPA. This discount does not come off the contract value but instead is used to determine the difference between similar offers that are on the table.

8-6-2 Team Options

A team option that is added on to the end of a contract must be at least 100% of the base salary of the rest of the contract.

During free agent negotiations an added team option removes 5% on the value of the offer from the team that's submitting the offer's negotiation in the eyes of the NSHLPA. This removed value does not come off the contract value but instead is used to determine the difference between similar offers that are on the table.

8-7 No Movement Clause

A no movement clause may be added to a contract which prevents the player receiving the clause from being traded, demoted from the pro roster, placed on waivers, or released from the contract.

When a no movement clause is added to a contract for a player that is 30 or older, the NSHLPA applies a 15% discount during negotiations when comparing similar offers (this value does not actually come off the contract).

When a no movement clause is added to a contract for a player that is under 30, the NSHLPA applies a 10% discount during negotiations when comparing similar offers (this value does not actually come off the contract).

8-7-1 New GMs & the No Movement Clause

After 30 days in the league a new GM has the option to trade any player on their roster with a No Movement Clause so long as the team picking the player up:

1 - Picks up and honours the No Movement Clause

2 - Has a projected end of season positive bank balance at the time of the trade

This option to have No Movement Clauses waived lasts until the end of one calendar NSHL year.

 

Article 9

GM Responsibilities

9-1 Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy comes up at any time when a team's bank balance dips below $0.00. At that time the league steps in and takes over temporary control of the team, declaring it financially bankrupt.

The league's goal when they step in is to stabilize the organization and get the team back on its feet as quickly as possible. The following steps will be taken by the league to begin the re-building process:

9-2 GM Participation

To ensure the league is functioning at its best, all GMs are required to meet a standard level of participation in order to qualify for various levels of additional income.

Below are the requirement guidelines for all GMs:

• In order to qualify for any income from the All-Star Classic & the NSHL Awards the GM must submit the ballot on time for that specific event
• In order to qualify for the following off-season's Training Camp and in order to receive any Training Camp Points the team must have more 'GM load lines*' as per the GM Contacts page than they have pro & farm 'auto rosters' combined, as iscounted on the Transactions page
  
  * - while the league is OK with the occasional text e-mail based line changes, GMs are supposed to use the STHS Client for everyday roster moves and line changes
• After the first back-to-back* 'auto roster' and or 'auto lines' a team uses, every subsequent back-to-back comes at a cost of two (2) future Training Camp Points plus an additional one (1) point for each 'auto roster' and or 'auto lines' attached
  
  * - a 'back-to-back' is defined as two (2) consecutive games played where a team has not submitted roster and or line changes and STHS has to 'auto' a part of their roster; this includes pro and minor league games

9-3 Player Positions

Rated players are given a rating as they enter the league based on their NHL position at that time. This position is their 'default position' which can be adjusted by a GM at any point during the season via e-mail.

To adjust a player's 'default position' or to add a position to the player's profile, a GM simply has to submit an e-mail request to the league to change or add the specific position and then summarize the position(s) the player should have in his profile after the changes are made.

Forwards may be assigned to play any or all of the three forward positions (C, LW, RW) however online proof is needed to move a defenseman to a forward position or move a forward to defense.

9-4 Arena Income

Every General Manager is responsible for setting ticket prices for their arenas in both the NSHL and the MSHL in order to generate income.

Every pro arena's overall capacity is based on their NHL team's real-life arena which is based an the wikipedia capacity for hockey games.

Once the pro arena's capacity is entered, the league breaks down the capacity into five (5) 'levels' of seating, each of which can have its own pricing set. The seating 'levels' are based on the following percentages:

Level 1 - 33% of capacity
Level 2 - 27% of capacity
Level 3 - 11% of capacity
Level 4 - 22% of capacity
Luxury Box - 7% of capacity

9-4-1 Minor League Ticket Prices

Every pro team's MSHL affiliate has an arena which has a capacity of 3000 seats regardless of what the 'true' capacity is. The 3000 seats are broken into 2 'levels':

Level 1 - 30% of capacity
Level 2 - 70% of capacity

Each of these levels has a maximum* ticket price that may be set which is:

Level 1 - $100
Level 2 - $50

* - should four (4) or more teams each be able to sell-out three (3) consecutive home games at maximum value, the league will automatically increase the 'maximum level' by $25 each time the target is met.

9-5 Roster Requirements

During the regular season a team is required to have enough players to play games with both their NSHL and MSHL organizations, and enough healthy scratches to cover in case of injury or suspension.

18 pro skaters, 2 pro goalies, 18 farm eligible skaters, 2 farm eligible goalies, as well as 3 pro eligible healthy replacements (1 defense, 1 forward and 1 goalie) and 3 farm eligible healthy replacements. So long as players on the farm can be called up to play in the pros, they count towards being a pro eligible player (and vice versa).

If during a simulation a team does not have enough players for a pro or farm game the Commissioner will sign a player randomly to a pro or MSHL contract (based on the situation) that the team is responsible for.

9-6 Submitting Lines

Team lines are set by each of the league's GMs for their own teams over the course of the season and are to be edited and submitted using the STHS Client File.

A team's lines must consist of 20 healthy players and include 2 goalies, all dressed and active.

A team's line-up must be re-submitted whenever a trade, injury, suspension or other roster move occur as well as any other time that they may need tweaking. When fresh lines are not submitted and the lines or team roster need adjusting STHS does it automatically. Each team's GM is responsible for STHS adjusted lines the same way they are if they submitted them (IE waivers, promotions etc).

In the event that a GM is unable to access the STHS Client they may send in their changes via text e-mail which is to include ONLY the changes being made. To help the league out, the e-mail changes must be as clear and to the point as possible.

Example

In the event that a GM is knowingly going to be MIA (missing in action) for an extended period of time they should make arrangements for someone else to look after their team.

9-7 Submitting Trades

In a trade teams may exchange players, picks, cash (up to $4 million) and future considerations (definition below – to be added as well) and may be submitted for processing at any point in time when trades are allowed to be made.

In order to complete a trade, all of the GMs involved in the trade must e-mail the league and the other GMs involved in the trade with the same exact details of the trade.

A trade will be accepted and posted by the league following the next simulation (if it's not during the season then at the league's earliest convenience) so long as all details submitted by all parties match and all teams have the roster room to accommodate incoming players.

Trades are to be submitted to the league e-mail nshl@jaykashman.net for processing.

9-8 Voting

Many league events require GMs to vote as part of their every day participation in the league, such as the All-Star Classic and the NSHL Awards. For these votes the league will submit a deadline by which votes are to be in by, and any GM that fails to meet that deadline may lose out on additional income associated with the specific event.

For the All-Star Classic and NSHL Awards voting, once the deadline for votes to be in has past the league will announce who did and did not submit their votes on time.

All votes are determined by a simple majority unless otherwise specified.

9-9 Waivers

Waivers are required for players who are demoted from the pro roster to the minors during the regular season if they're 25 years of age or older.

To place a player on waivers a General Manager must send the league a text e-mail stating which player is involved. From there, the league will send out a league-wide e-mail along with the daily update with all of the waiver placements.

Any players who qualify for waivers, that have been demoted by a General Manager and not placed on waivers, will be placed on waivers by the league and any team that claims the waived player will be given $100,000.00 instead of having to pay a fee.

Once the league e-mail has gone out, the player will spend two sim days on the waiver wire, giving teams a chance to make their claims. At the end of the two sim days, if there is a bid on a single player, the team bidding for the player will receive their claim.

If there are multiple teams bidding on the same player, there is a priority claim list which acts in one of two ways.

1 - Up until the time when each team has played 5 games in the regular season, the waiver claiming priority list will be based on the previous season's final regular season win % (worst to first).

2 - After the time when every team has 5 games played the priority list will be based on the current season's win % (worst to first).

A team may have one waiver claim submitted at a time.

To bid on a player that's on waivers, a General Manager simply has to respond to the e-mail sent out by the league stating which player they wish to claim.

A successful waiver claim costs the team claiming the waived player $100,000.00.

A player that is claimed off of waivers is transferred to his new team's pro roster and is still required to clear waivers once again before he may be demoted to the minors.

Once a player has been claimed and transferred to his new team he must play in 5 Pro games before he may be demoted once again through the normal waiver process.

Should the player that was claimed play fewer than 5 Pro games before he is demoted, the team he was claimed by (Team B) must first offer him back to his original team (Team A) for half the waiver fee ($50,000.00). Should Team A accept, he goes to their pro roster.

If Team A rejects the offer, the player is placed on waivers as per usual however, should he clear waivers Team A may claim the player back for half the regular waiver fee ($50,000.00) and send the player directly to their minor league roster.

9-9-1 Opening Day Waivers

Upon the conclusion of the pre-season and just prior to the start of the regular season all teams will have every player on their roster automatically promoted to the pro roster. Before the regular season starts every team must have a pro roster with no more than 23 healthy players meaning anyone over 25 years old will have to clear waivers. The league has every team place players on waivers at the same time during this period which is known as opening day waivers.

Once all teams have announced which players 25 or older they wish to place on waivers, the league sends out a list of available players. From that list teams may submit an e-mail to make one claim on one of the players while all non-playoff teams may submit a second claim at the same time just in case their first claim doesn't pull through. Once the first day of claims are submitted, the league will filter through all of the claims, transferring players to the teams that claimed them with priority going to the teams with the worst Win % from the previous season's regular season standings.

Once all the claims from the first day have been posted, any team that has not yet made a successful claim on a player may make a final bid on remaining players from the original list.

During the entire opening day waivers process each team may only end up claiming one player.

Any player claimed on opening day waivers will be sent to his new team's pro roster and must first be demoted through waivers before he may go to the minors.

Any team that claims a player on opening day waivers and then decides to demote him and place him on waivers during that season will not receive any compensation should they lose him.

Any team that loses a player through opening day waivers may re-claim that player regardless of Win % standings during the first instance that players appears on waivers that same season.

 

Article 10

The Simulator

10-1 Version & Settings

The NSHL is currently using STHS V2 Version 2.0.7.8.

If an updated version of the simulator is released during the NSHL season, it will not be applied until the following off-season unless there is a bug that needs to be fixed and a vote has been held where GMs approve the update.

The NSHL uses NHL-based ratings for first year players which are based on a player's NHL stats..

Re-rates occur during the NSHL off-season using the NSHL's manual re-rate system for the NSHL and the MSHL..

Settings:
Farm Active - On
Finances Active - On
Injuries Active - On
Suspensions Active - On
* Waivers Active - Off
Forwards Play All Positions - On
Pro Stats Ratings Change - Off
Farm Stats Ratings Change - Off

* - The NSHL runs its waiver system outside of STHS.  Although the simulator option is turned off, there is an active waiver system in the NSHL which GMs are expected to be familiar with and abide by.

Game Options:
Coaches - 40/100
Fights - 40/100
Finances - 55/100
Goals - 45/100
Injuries - 25/100
Morale - 1/100
Penalties - 45/100
Shots - 40/100
Hits - 40/100

10-2 STHS Client

One of the requirements of being a General Manager in the NSHL is using the STHS Client file to make roster moves, adjust lines, assign captains and set ticket prices.

With every update done by the league STHS creates a league file in .zip format which is uploaded to the league website which GMs can download to their computers, extract and open with the STHS Client.

With the STHS Client open, File -> Open -> Locate File -> Open

Once the file has been opened a GM can double-click on their team name which brings them to the team information window.

First a GM should ensure their roster is complete by clicking 'Roster'.

In the 'Roster' screen you may promote players, scratch players, demote players and assign your captains. Your changes will be automatically saved when you click 'Exit'.

By clicking 'Lines' from the team information window you can adjust your lines, coaching strategy and decide when you want the simulator to switch goalies for you.

Note - You may adjust your lines for multiple days by scrolling through the arrows at the top left of the 'Lines' window.

Click 'Exit' to save your changes. If you receive a line error message your lines may not be saved and you'll have to go in and redo them correctly.

In the 'Tickets and Arena' screen you may adjust their ticket prices. Click 'Exit' and save any changes made.

Once all the changes are made, go back to the team information window and click 'Save To File'. A window will pop-up after the save has been completed which will tell you where the file has been saved to. Attach this file to an e-mail and send it to the league to have your changes made.

10-3 Sim Days

A sim day is based on STHS' scheduling sim day and is numbered accordingly (Day 1, Day 2 etc).

The league will announce which sim day will be played in correspondence to a 'real' day prior to the actual date.

All injuries and suspensions are based on sim days.

10-4 Official Sim Time

The league's official sim time is the date and time that a sim day is scheduled to be simulated. All lines and roster moves are to be submitted to the league by this point or there is no guarantee they will be in place for that simulation.

The official sim time will be posted at least one calendar day prior to the simulation. The Commissioner will try his best to have simulations completed within 3 hours of the sim time listed.

Unless previously specified by the Commissioner, only one 'sim day' will occur per simulation.