THE KENTUCKY HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY LEAGUE (KHSHL)

 THE Kentucky High School Hockey League (KHSHL) Inc. operates as follows:
SCHEDULE--Each of the 10 teams plays the other 9 home and home for an 18 game schedule.  The top 6 finishers get opening round byes.  The bottom four play opening round games, and then the two winners join the 6 top teams to make up the single elimination State Tournament.

ADMINISTRATION --The KHSHL has its own consitution and by laws.  They are designed to follow the KHSAA as much as practical and possible, and the KHSHL adopts a policy that unless specified otherwise, if no clear policy to the contrary is in place,  the KHSAA guidelines will be followed.
The KHSHL is made up of a Board of Directors.  Each team appoints one (1) voting member to the Board.  Policy decisions are made with a simple majority vote.  These Members are appointed on a yearly basis by the individual teams.
In addition, there is a three (3) member, non-voting Executive Board, comprised of a President/Commissioner, a Vice-President/Assistant Commissioner, and a Secretary who work at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE--All players, coaches, team managers and administrative officials are required to sign a KHSHL CODE OF CONDUCT in order to be permitted to play in the KHSHL.  This document is regarded with great importance and is considered a cornerstone of the operations of the KHSHL.
This code is a stated commitment to high standards of conduct, sportsmanship and deportment at all times in all events associated with the KHSHL.  A Disciplinary Board is comprised of four (4) board members plus the Assistant Commissioner
 who serves as the Chairman.  This group is assigned the task of making sure the Code of Conduct is adhered to and to make suggestions to the Commissioner's office regarding any disciplinary action.  The Commissioner does not vote on these recommendations but serves as a facilitator to the Disciplinary Committee in trying to reach its decisions, and may insist that a decision be reviewed for a possible modification.  In any instance where the Commissioner and the Disciplinary Board cannot reach agreement, the decision of the Disciplinary Board takes precedent.  
If a disciplinary matter is appealed, that appeal goes to the entire Board for a vote. 

COMMISSIONER'S DUTIES--The Commissioner is called on to interpret the rules and bylaws and to make decisions that are deemed most fair and consistent with these rules.  When the KHSHL rules are not specifically different from the KHSAA rules, the Commissioner tries to apply the KHSAA rules as fairly and  suitably as possible.
 
 CLASSIFICATION OF TEAMS--One instance, though far from the only instance, where KHSHL rules are unique and different from the KHSAA is in classification of teams.  The KHSHL is comprised of two types of teams--"intact" teams and "metro" teams.  If a school has at least 11 players eligible to play between the grades of 8 and 12,  that team shall compete as  an intact team with ONLY players from that school. (Some schools are designated FEEDER SCHOOLS for the high schools and count toward the intact total.)
If there are not enough players from one school, they are combined in the following manner.  After deternining how many teams can be rostered out of EACH of the four regions (Jefferson County, Lexington, Owensboro,Oldham County) the schools that have the highest number make up the "core" and the REMAINING players are distributed equally both in number and approximate ability. (As an example, Oldham has only enoungh for one team, so all Oldham County players play for the Oldham HS team.   Lexington has enough for two teams...the highest numbers come from Lafayette and Dunbar.  ALL the Lafayette players play for the team called "Lafayette" and all the Dunbar players play for "Dunbar".  The REMAINING Lexington students that do NOT attend either of the "intact" teams' schools (Henry Clay and Lexington Catholic) are divided as equally as possible in terms of numbers and abilities between Lafayette and Dunbar.  No two players in this assigned group who attend the same high school may play for different Metro teams, and players who begin their career with a certain Metro team are "grandfathered" in to play again for that team the following year unless THEIR school begins its own intact team or forms the core for a new and different Metro team.)

For 2009-10 the following teams were the INTACT teams:
Lexington Catholic, Henry Clay, St. Xavier, Trinity
The following were the Metro teams:
Oldham, Owensboro, Dunbar, Lafayette, Eastern and Fern Creek

It is the stated goal of the KHSHL to increase as much as possible the number of intact schools participating.
These rules were designed to make recruiting for specific Metro schools impossible, to make it so players from the same school will not be playing against each other, to create a structured and reasoned way to assign players, and in the case of "grandfathering" players when possible, to allow Metro players, as much as possible to enjoy a "career" with one team and with the same teammates, such as any high school athlete enjoys.
(All players in the KHSHL are required to attend school in Kentucky in order to be able to play in the KHSHL.)