Buds Board Keepers League

The morning scrimmage Wednesday, Aug. 18, will display the USHL’s “hybrid” icing rule that enables on-ice officials to whistle the play dead when they determine the race to an iced puck will be won by the defensive team, precluding a dangerous collision at the end boards. The prospects also will play under rules that prohibit line changes for teams committing an offside and with a face-off variation that has the puck placed on the ice, with the draw commenced by a linesman’s whistle. Overtime will proceed from 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 to 2-on-2 to a shootout.

The Wednesday afternoon scrimmage will focus upon the effect of changing the markings on the ice. A bigger crease, wider blue lines, painted line-change zones in front of each bench, face-off dots down the middle of the ice and a second “verification goal line” behind the goal line will be among the visual changes. The prospects also will be prohibited from icing the puck while shorthanded. Face-off violators will be moved back from the dot for the drop of the puck rather than replaced by linemates. And for overtime, teams will switch ends, requiring the longer second-period line change that often results in odd-man rushes and goals.

For Thursday’s morning scrimmage, one of the two referees will be stationed off the ice. No-touch icing will get a look. And on offside infractions, the face-off will be moved into the offending team’s zone with it being prohibited from changing lines. On face-off infractions, the opposing center will be able to choose his subsequent face-off opponent. On delayed penalties, play won’t be whistled dead until the offending team gets the puck out of its zone.

The final scrimmage, Thursday afternoon, will be played in two halves utilizing various special-teams innovations that will be deployed by coaches Ken Hitchcock and Dave King. For the 4-on-4 overtime, the teams will switch ends, requiring longer line changes.

For all sessions, the camp also will test the effects of equipment and playing surface innovations — such as different mesh on nets and padding on the partitions at the end of the glass at the benches.

The morning scrimmage Wednesday, Aug. 18, will display the USHL’s “hybrid” icing rule that enables on-ice officials to whistle the play dead when they determine the race to an iced puck will be won by the defensive team, precluding a dangerous collision at the end boards. The prospects also will play under rules that prohibit line changes for teams committing an offside and with a face-off variation that has the puck placed on the ice, with the draw commenced by a linesman’s whistle. Overtime will proceed from 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 to 2-on-2 to a shootout.

The Wednesday afternoon scrimmage will focus upon the effect of changing the markings on the ice. A bigger crease, wider blue lines, painted line-change zones in front of each bench, face-off dots down the middle of the ice and a second “verification goal line” behind the goal line will be among the visual changes. The prospects also will be prohibited from icing the puck while shorthanded. Face-off violators will be moved back from the dot for the drop of the puck rather than replaced by linemates. And for overtime, teams will switch ends, requiring the longer second-period line change that often results in odd-man rushes and goals.

For Thursday’s morning scrimmage, one of the two referees will be stationed off the ice. No-touch icing will get a look. And on offside infractions, the face-off will be moved into the offending team’s zone with it being prohibited from changing lines. On face-off infractions, the opposing center will be able to choose his subsequent face-off opponent. On delayed penalties, play won’t be whistled dead until the offending team gets the puck out of its zone.

The final scrimmage, Thursday afternoon, will be played in two halves utilizing various special-teams innovations that will be deployed by coaches Ken Hitchcock and Dave King. For the 4-on-4 overtime, the teams will switch ends, requiring longer line changes.

For all sessions, the camp also will test the effects of equipment and playing surface innovations — such as different mesh on nets and padding on the partitions at the end of the glass at the benches.