BCHL Card Deadline Approaching:

The BCHL Card Deadline is looming with BCHL teams trying to make that final roster move before the leagues deadline on December 1st at 6pm.

Here is what I was told a few years ago on how the card deadline and rules work. Now this may be right or wrong but this is what I was told.

Each BCHL each team gets 35 cards in late May for the upcoming season. These can be registered electronically, but a hard copy with signature is ultimately needed. Hockey Canada allows 45 cards, BCHL limits this to 35.  At the start of the season, a team may sign up to 23 players, you can only dress 20 for each game. Of the players signed, a team must have a minimum of 4 rookies, a maximum of 6 20 year olds,( you can sign 8 in the season, but only 6 carded at any given time) and a maximum of 8 imports, ( you can sign 10 in the season, but only 8 at any given time.) An import is someone who did not play in BC last year. Last year's imports are not imports this year.

Dec.1 is the first deadline. A team has to declare 25 cards at this time.It can be 20 players and 3 open cards, or any combination of players and open cards up to 25. Any of the original 35 cards not used are void as of this date. Teams often do some deals at this date to use up any of the 35 which would become void.

Jan.10 is the final cutdown date. Teams on this date declare their final roster of 23 this year. Finally, A team can sign up to 2 players who played in the WHL as a 19 year old., These players must be signed by Nov.15.

This is posted on Brian Wiebe's BCHL Blog:

December 1st Roster Deadline Approaching:

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The first CJHL roster deadline of the season is coming up this Sunday, December 1st and it's one that's seen BCHL teams be traditionally busy.

As of December 1st, teams must be at 25 or less, which includes carded players plus available unused cards. The norm is for teams to end up with a 22 player roster and 3 cards, but occasionally teams will go with less than 22 players and then have more cards available for use leading up to the January 10th roster deadline.

For example, if a team has 28 cards remaining of the 45 they started with, (including the 22 players on their roster) and it reduces to 25 on Sunday night, it makes sense to trade now, rather than after December 1st. The idea being that the team uses up cards 23 through 28 instead of losing them. This is assuming the team wants to make some changes.