Neck guards are required below Adult, and BNQ-only guards are legal only through this season
Rule numbers: USAH 304(g) USAH 304(b)
Under the 2025-29 rules every player and goalkeeper outside the Adult classification now has to wear a neck laceration protector certified by HECC, and it should cover as much of the neck as it can. In the 2021-25 book this was only a recommendation. A note to Rule 304(g) lets BNQ-certified protectors meet the rule through the 2026-27 season, so this is the last season a BNQ-only guard is acceptable. Adult players are strongly encouraged to wear one but are not required to. Rule 304(b) handles violations of the helmet, facemask, mouthpiece and neck-protector paragraphs: first a team warning with the player sent off the ice, then a misconduct. A quick look at both benches during warm-up prevents most of it.
For violation of paragraph (c), (d), (f) or (g) of this rule, following a team warning and removal of the player from the ice, a misconduct penalty for an equipment violation shall be imposed.
- On the ice
- A player without a legal neck guard is removed from the ice under the 304(b) procedure.
- Clock
- A misconduct is written on the scoresheet but not posted on the penalty clock (507(b) Note 2); the team is not shorthanded (404(a)).
- Scoresheet
- An assessed 304(b) penalty is recorded as a misconduct for an equipment violation.
Example
Before an 18U game, a linesperson sees a Team A defender warming up with no neck guard. The crew tells the Team A coach before the opening face-off, and the player puts one on.
Common mistake: Treating neck guards as optional in Youth, Girls or High School games (the 2021-25 status), or rejecting a BNQ-only protector during 2026-27.
Sources
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 304(g), p. 48 (PDF p. 82)
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 304(b), p. 47 (PDF p. 81)
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Rule Change Summary, Rule 304(g)
Verified