The American Hockey League has long been the testing ground for various new rules and regulations.

Those include but are not limited to:

• Hybrid icing
• Widening the blue lines and centre red line
• The shootout
• 3-on-3 overtime
• Minor penalties for playing ‘on’ without a helmet
• Incremental bans for fighting majors

As with many alterations to the regulations, some work and others do not. In recent history, the NHL has chosen to implement plenty of rule changes successfully tested in the AHL.

The following is a list of alterations to the regulations that I would like to see trialled at the AHL level.

Extend Overtime

It’s a fair assumption given the discourse on social media, that the majority of hockey fans prefer to watch 3-on-3 overtime to resolve a game, rather than the shootout.

Continuous overtime in an already long and arduous regular season feels like overkill.

However, I don’t see any issue with increasing the length of the overtime period, perhaps even doubling it to ten minutes.

When trialling overtime in 2014-15, the AHL had a seven-minute overtime period (first three minutes at four-on-four and three-on-three following the first whistle thereafter).

Powerplay to continue for the length of the penalty

This is one of a few new rules in the Champions Hockey League this season. I hope leagues in North America take note of what the CHL is attempting with their rule alterations to see whether they work.

There has been some pushback regarding this decision but in essence, it’s no different to a five-minute major penalty being enforced.

Perhaps there could be some middle ground with the power play ending if two goals are scored?

With the NHL indicating a want for more scoring in recent years, this is surely worth exploring and experimenting with.

A goal during a delayed penalty does not negate the upcoming penalty

A minor change in comparison to the above and would be the easiest to implement in the short term. More scoring, right?

Eliminate Icing for teams on the penalty kill

This has always felt like a cop-out in hockey. Making an exception for a team that has been punished has never sat well with me.

Not only would it negate the ability to dump the puck to safety and boost power play scoring, but it would also likely encourage penalty killers to become more adventurous and inventive.

A shorthanded goal will end the powerplay

This change would marry up with the previous suggestion. It would certainly encourage teams to attack whilst down a man, alter the dynamic of penalty killing and perhaps the type of players utilised

Implement a three-point system

The American Hockey League finally has some uniformity regarding the schedule for the foreseeable future.

With all teams playing the same amount of games, it’s time that regulation victories were given higher regard and priority.

Three points for a regulation win would not only reward successful teams through the season but lead to more exciting games down the stretch. Teams chasing a play-off spot would have to gamble late on in tied games, especially when their opponents are likely to be divisional rivals given the AHL’s current set-up. Making up ground late in the season wouldn’t be the forlorn hope it is in the current system when there is the opportunity to gain three points in one swoop.

This is perhaps the most controversial rule change of those listed above but I believe it’s worth a deeper look into and trialling.

In a North American system that adores levelling the field and parity, this could be a groundbreaking move for the sport.

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