Playing Cards and Types?
- Thread starter AttackSound
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HockeyPops
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A cards are limited to 30 for the season. These are your typical OHL cards. Even if you trade or cut a player that was allocated a card, you dont get that card back. London ran out of these last year at the trade deadline and it limited trades they could make.
Everyone is on an A card unless they qualify for a B card. To qualify, the player has to play 10(?) games at the affiliate level (usually Junior A) by the end of the trade deadline. Once qualified, it means the team can use their A card on someone else. But if a B card player plays more than 10 games in the OHL they automatically switch to an A card.
There is also a list of protected players. Usually your draft picks that arent assigned cards are protected this way. I believe the list is max 50 names. If you dont protect someone they become a free agent.
I agree, its tough to find this info. Most of this I have gleaned through this board, and its possible I might be a bit off. Perhaps others can weigh in too.
Everyone is on an A card unless they qualify for a B card. To qualify, the player has to play 10(?) games at the affiliate level (usually Junior A) by the end of the trade deadline. Once qualified, it means the team can use their A card on someone else. But if a B card player plays more than 10 games in the OHL they automatically switch to an A card.
There is also a list of protected players. Usually your draft picks that arent assigned cards are protected this way. I believe the list is max 50 names. If you dont protect someone they become a free agent.
I agree, its tough to find this info. Most of this I have gleaned through this board, and its possible I might be a bit off. Perhaps others can weigh in too.
Last edited:
AttackSound
Junior Hockey Fan Since Birth
Thanks for you're information hopefully others can piece together some of the other little details of the the playing cards too.
It's always been a bit of a mystery to how many actual cards a team actually holds in the OHL. I've heard similar things but no one has been able to provide anymore then chatter about it.
I've heard that similar things like you get 25 what they call active card which makes up your main roster and 10 game tryout cards typically used for emergency situations like around world junior's time when pretty much almost every team in the league are missing players to national programs.
This shines some light on what teams truly have to play with on trade fronts.
aresknights
Registered User
30 A cards per year per team
50 player protected roster
Non A carded players can play 9/10 games before the need to use an A card on them. ( JrB, Tier 2 Jr A type players in your system)
Games played for non A carded players do not count if they are replacing players at NHL camps or during international tournies.
Players/agents/ team management can use the A cards as leverage during negotiations.
So exceptions to the #s and use of cards are out there but no idea where to the "official" rules.
The OHL is so archaic in that regard. Heaven forbid if the masses could have easy access to this type stuff
50 player protected roster
Non A carded players can play 9/10 games before the need to use an A card on them. ( JrB, Tier 2 Jr A type players in your system)
Games played for non A carded players do not count if they are replacing players at NHL camps or during international tournies.
Players/agents/ team management can use the A cards as leverage during negotiations.
So exceptions to the #s and use of cards are out there but no idea where to the "official" rules.
The OHL is so archaic in that regard. Heaven forbid if the masses could have easy access to this type stuff
ohloutsider
Registered User
It is 10 games - I remember HL clarifying that last year.
aresknights
Registered User
TY. I always forget that #.
So game #11 is the game you automatically get an A card? ( not including the "fill in" games for replacing players at pro camp of intern. tournies )
ohloutsider
Registered User
Yes if the team wishes you to play more games game 11 requires an A card ( unless as you noted they are playing during the WJT etc.).
Let’ see if I can sum this up, as much for myself as anyone else based on what’s already posted and what I’ve seen in the past.
50 man protected list includes rostered/signed players as well as any unsigned prospects/players the team wishes to protect. Any unprotected players become FAs.
Anyone signed to a B/affiliate card can play 10 games without having to be signed to an A card plus any international events they can be called up for without counting those games towards the 10 game limit within certain dates on the schedule.
Any A carded players can play full time on the regular roster.
The team is allowed to dress 4 16 year olds per game regardless of what type of card they are on with any above limits taken into account.
The team may dress 3 OAs for any game while being allowed to carry more than 4 until November (not sure of the exact date) and then 3 as of the day prior to the trade deadline.
The team may dress 2 Imports for any game. If any of their Imports or those they hold the rights to are NHL picks they can draft/protect the rights to more than 2 but if they have 3 or 4 under their control they must move through trade or waiver any above two that are considered active on their roster.
What I am not sure about are the floating cards that come into play at the beginning of the season where teams can sign a player to a card that does not count towards the total A cards for the year while players are away at NHL or other pro camps. I believe this tends to be used when carrying more than 3 OAs at the start of the season as well as bubble players who won't likely earn a full time roster spot once any players away at camps are returned.
Teams can only use a total of 30 A cards for the year. Once a card has been used by a team that card is no longer available and does not transfer with the player, if traded to any other team. To acquire a player in a trade a team must have an available A card, if the player will be rostered or space on the 50 man protected list if they will be playing with an affiliate or the team is simply acquiring that player’s rights. You cannot acquire a player already signed to an A card on one team if you don’t have your own available A card to sign them to. I believe this is the trouble London ran into last year at the deadline with too many A cards used and no cards left at the deadline to make any more acquisitions through trades or sign anyone to an A card from within their system.
All rosters must be finalized by February (not sure of the date but I believe sometime in the first 10 days).
If a player is to be returned by their NHL team after the trade deadline the team receiving the player must have an A card available to roster the player as well as a spot on their 50 man protected list. This is what happened with Dale Mitchell in his last year as an OA in Windsor.
FAs initially signed to an A card, sent to an affiliate team then recalled by the team must be signed to a second A card. Windsor had this with Mario Culina in his first year in Windsor, signed, moved for playing time then recalled. I believe this only applies to FAs. If a drafted player is signed to an A card, sent to an affiliate then recalled I believe the original A card remains active as the issue is whether the player is signed and the card designation has no relevance. I think this prevents teams from attempting to hoard or block FAs if they have no intention of using them full time when another team may have offered them a full time position.
I think that covers the majority of it, someone correct what I may have wrong.
50 man protected list includes rostered/signed players as well as any unsigned prospects/players the team wishes to protect. Any unprotected players become FAs.
Anyone signed to a B/affiliate card can play 10 games without having to be signed to an A card plus any international events they can be called up for without counting those games towards the 10 game limit within certain dates on the schedule.
Any A carded players can play full time on the regular roster.
The team is allowed to dress 4 16 year olds per game regardless of what type of card they are on with any above limits taken into account.
The team may dress 3 OAs for any game while being allowed to carry more than 4 until November (not sure of the exact date) and then 3 as of the day prior to the trade deadline.
The team may dress 2 Imports for any game. If any of their Imports or those they hold the rights to are NHL picks they can draft/protect the rights to more than 2 but if they have 3 or 4 under their control they must move through trade or waiver any above two that are considered active on their roster.
What I am not sure about are the floating cards that come into play at the beginning of the season where teams can sign a player to a card that does not count towards the total A cards for the year while players are away at NHL or other pro camps. I believe this tends to be used when carrying more than 3 OAs at the start of the season as well as bubble players who won't likely earn a full time roster spot once any players away at camps are returned.
Teams can only use a total of 30 A cards for the year. Once a card has been used by a team that card is no longer available and does not transfer with the player, if traded to any other team. To acquire a player in a trade a team must have an available A card, if the player will be rostered or space on the 50 man protected list if they will be playing with an affiliate or the team is simply acquiring that player’s rights. You cannot acquire a player already signed to an A card on one team if you don’t have your own available A card to sign them to. I believe this is the trouble London ran into last year at the deadline with too many A cards used and no cards left at the deadline to make any more acquisitions through trades or sign anyone to an A card from within their system.
All rosters must be finalized by February (not sure of the date but I believe sometime in the first 10 days).
If a player is to be returned by their NHL team after the trade deadline the team receiving the player must have an A card available to roster the player as well as a spot on their 50 man protected list. This is what happened with Dale Mitchell in his last year as an OA in Windsor.
FAs initially signed to an A card, sent to an affiliate team then recalled by the team must be signed to a second A card. Windsor had this with Mario Culina in his first year in Windsor, signed, moved for playing time then recalled. I believe this only applies to FAs. If a drafted player is signed to an A card, sent to an affiliate then recalled I believe the original A card remains active as the issue is whether the player is signed and the card designation has no relevance. I think this prevents teams from attempting to hoard or block FAs if they have no intention of using them full time when another team may have offered them a full time position.
I think that covers the majority of it, someone correct what I may have wrong.
HockeyPops
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The team can roster 4 - 16 year olds acquired through the draft, but can roster more if acquired by trade. I don't believe there is a limit on how many can dress.
Firebrd828
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And those four have to be the team's first two taken and any two of the others, if I recall correctly.
OMG67
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I also believe the team does not have to have an available card for NHL returned players after the deadline. For example, since we’ve used the Knights in here last year for not having enough cards, after their last acquisition, they were maxed out at 30 cards. Rosters don’t need to be finalized until February. If one of their NHL players were returned for any reason (non-OA aged), they get to roster that player regardless of the number of cards they have. So if Ottawa had kept Formenton through the end of January and decided to send him back and London had exhausted all their cards, they’d get to keep him.
Windsor had that situation with Dale Mitchell in 2010. He was returned in February and I believe they had to have him on their protected list and a card available for him.
Could be wrong and things may have changed as well.
He was also an OA and I think the following year is when they changed the OA deadline. Again, could be wrong on that as well.
OMG67
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I’m pretty certain that as long as the player is on their 50 man roster, meaning they have not released the player, he can be returned after the trade deadline and prior to the roster freeze and it doesn’t count as a card.
I believe this is to facilitate development...meaning the player can play junior. Otherwise there is no place for the player to really go other than the press box.
HockeyPops
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I thought it was as cfaub said. Even at this past trade deadline there was speculation that Rasmus Sandin might have been sent to the Soo after the deadline, and the discussion was that the Soo would need to have a card for him.
OMG67
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Again, I am not 100% certain at all.
It is just my understanding because after the deadline the teams cannot trade the rights and if the nhl team wants to continue development for any reason (Vilardi would be a good example had he not been assigned to Kingston prior to the deadline), if the team holding the rights don't have a card, it handcuffs the nhl team.
HockeyPops
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Perhaps. It's clear as mud to me. Dug up a few old threads and a tweet from January.
Windsor Spitfires 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 6)
Ottawa 67's 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 2)
Windsor Spitfires 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 6)
Ottawa 67's 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 2)
OMG67
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Yes, that is why I thought the rule is what I stated. It was about Vilardi. But, then the Kings sent him back to Kingston prior to the trade deadline so that nulified that option.
