High Sticks, Hand Passes and Pucks out of Play

This response details the APHL Official Rules 2025-2026 governing high sticks, hand passes, and pucks out of play (out of bounds).

1. High Sticks

The rules differentiate between penalizing contact with an opponent (Rule 60 – High-sticking) and regulating the batting of the puck (Rule 80 – High-sticking the Puck).

A. High-sticking (Contact with Opponent - Rule 60)

A “high stick” is defined as one carried above the height of the opponent’s shoulders. Players are required to control and be responsible for their stick.

| Penalty Type | Infraction Details | Exceptions / Notes | | :— | :— | :— | | Minor Penalty | Assessed for any contact made by a stick on an opponent above the shoulders. | Accidental contact is permitted if it occurs during a normal wind up or follow through of a shooting motion. Accidental contact on a center bent over during a face-off is also permitted. A “wild swing at a bouncing puck” is not considered normal follow-through and results in a penalty if contact is made above the shoulders. | | Double-minor Penalty | Assessed when a player carries their stick above the shoulders and makes contact with an opponent’s neck, face, or head resulting in injury (e.g., drawing blood or otherwise). | If a goal is scored when a Rule 60 penalty is signaled, two minutes of the appropriate penalty (double-minor for injury) will still be assessed, meaning the player serves two minutes only. Linesmen may stop play and report to the Referee if an injury results from a high-sticking incident that went undetected, requiring a double-minor penalty. | | Match Penalty | Assessed if, in the Referee’s opinion, a player attempts to or deliberately injures an opponent while holding any part of the stick above the opponent’s shoulders. | |

The official signal for high-sticking involves holding both fists clenched, one slightly above the other (as if holding a stick), at the height of the forehead.

B. High-sticking the Puck (Game Flow - Rule 80)

Batting the puck above the normal height of the shoulders with a stick is prohibited.

• Stoppage of Play: A whistle is blown if the puck is struck with a high stick and subsequently comes into possession and control of a player from the offending team (including the player who struck it), either directly or deflected off any player or official. The Linesman shall stop play if the puck is struck by a stick above the normal height of the shoulders and this goes undetected by the Referee.
• Continuation of Play: Play is permitted to continue if the puck has been batted to an opponent (the Referee signals “washout” immediately).
• Illegal Stick Movement: Cradling the puck on the blade of the stick (like lacrosse) above the shoulders is prohibited and results in a stoppage of play. If performed during a penalty shot or shootout attempt, the shot is immediately stopped and considered complete.
• Disallowed Goal: A goal is disallowed when an attacking player causes the puck to enter the net by contacting it above the height of the crossbar, regardless of deflection off any player or official. The key factor is the point where the puck makes contact with the stick.
  • Exception: A goal scored as a result of a defending player striking the puck into his own goal with his stick carried above the crossbar is allowed.
• Face-Off Location: For a high-sticking the puck violation, the face-off is placed at the spot that yields the least territorial advantage to the offending team. If the attacking team is at fault and the stoppage occurs in the attacking zone, the face-off moves to the nearest neutral zone face-off spot.

2. Hand Passes (Rule 79)

A player may stop or “bat” a puck in the air with an open hand, or push it along the ice with their hand.

• Stoppage Condition: Play is stopped if an official determines that the player deliberately directed the puck to a teammate or allowed their team to gain an advantage, and the offending team subsequently obtains possession and control (either directly or by deflection). The Linesman shall stop play if this infraction goes undetected by the Referee in any zone other than the defending zone.
• Defending Zone Exception: Play is not stopped for any hand pass made by players in their own defending zone. The zone is determined by the location of the puck when contacted by either the player making the pass or the player receiving the pass.
• Face-Off Location: When a hand pass violation occurs, the face-off is usually at the nearest face-off spot in the zone where the offense occurred. If the offending team gained a territorial advantage, the face-off is held at the spot nearest where the stoppage occurred. If a hand pass violation occurs in the attacking zone, the face-off is moved to a neutral zone spot outside the defending team’s blue line.
• Refusing to Play the Puck: If a hand pass is made, and both the teammate and the opposing team intentionally abstain from playing the puck (perhaps to run out time on a penalty), the Referee stops play and orders a face-off at the nearest face-off location where the play was stopped.
• Catching the Puck (Minor Penalty - Rule 67): A player must immediately place or knock a caught puck down to the ice. A minor penalty for “closing his hand on the puck” is assessed if a player catches the puck and skates with it (to avoid a check or gain advantage), places their hand over the puck on the ice (to conceal it), or picks the puck up off the ice during play. (If the puck is concealed or picked up in the goal crease, a penalty shot or awarded goal applies).

3. Pucks Out of Play (Rule 85)

Play is stopped when the puck leaves the playing area (out of bounds) or becomes unplayable.

A. Puck Out of Bounds (Rule 85.1)

The puck is considered out of bounds if it:

• Goes outside the playing area at either end or side.
• Strikes any obstacle above the playing surface other than the boards or glass.
• Causes the glass, lighting, timing device, or supports to break.
• Strikes the spectator netting at the ends and corners of the arena.

| Location Struck/Left Play | Resulting Face-Off Location | Notes/Exceptions | | :— | :— | :— | | Shot or Deflected Out of Play | Nearest face-off spot in the zone from where it was shot or deflected out of play. If in the neutral/defending zone, the location must give the offending team the least territorial advantage. | If the puck goes out of play directly off a face-off, the face-off stays at the same spot, and no penalty is assessed. | | Strikes Official and Goes Out | Face-off spot in the zone nearest to where the puck deflected off the official. | Play is not stopped if the puck merely strikes an official. | | Enters Players’ Bench (Shooting Team) | Nearest face-off spot in the zone from where the puck was shot. | This includes contact with a player hanging over the shooting team’s bench. | | Enters Opposing Players’ Bench | Neutral zone adjacent to the opponent’s players’ bench. | This applies if the puck hits an opposing player’s glove/body hanging over the bench or enters through an open door. |

B. Puck Unplayable (Rule 85.2)

The Referee stops play if the puck becomes:

• Lodged in the netting on the outside of either goal, making it unplayable (if it remains there for more than three seconds).
• “Frozen” between opposing players intentionally or otherwise.
• Out of Sight (e.g., scramble, player falls on it).

If the puck is deemed unplayable (lodged or frozen), the face-off is typically at the adjacent face-off spots or nearest spot in the zone from where it was shot. If the attacking team committed a game flow infraction (like high-sticking the puck) in the attacking zone, the face-off must be moved back to the neutral zone.

C. Delay of Game Penalty (Rule 63)

A minor penalty for delay of game is imposed for infractions related to intentionally removing the puck from play:

• Any player or goalkeeper who deliberately shoots or bats the puck outside the playing area (from anywhere on the ice) during play or after a stoppage.
• Specifically, a minor penalty is assessed if the player or goalkeeper shoots or bats the puck directly (non-deflected) out of the playing surface from his defending zone (unless there is no glass). The position of the puck when struck is the determining factor.
• No penalty is assessed if the puck goes out of play directly off a face-off.