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The NHL revised its rulebook effective for the 2026-2027 season, mandating that all incoming players wear a cut-resistant neck protector, the league announced Wednesday. Any new NHL player, including goalies, entering the league with zero NHL games played must wear a neck protector at every game – and during pregame warmups.
According to the rule, the equipment must provide a cut-level protection rating of no less than A5, also at the ANSI/ISEA standards. Players can’t physically alter the equipment by rolling, taping, or cutting the material. The devices will also be grandfathered for any veteran players who have played at least one NHL game prior to 2026-27, as they can retain the individual choice of wearing the equipment.
It is part of a worldwide trend in ice hockey to limit potentially fatal skate-blade cuts, which the IIHF, American Hockey League, ECHL and Canadian Hockey League have already adapted following a spate of recent tragic injuries. With the rule change, generations of future NHL players will have been born into a league where neck guards are a standard, just like helmets in 1979 and visors in 2013. Already, new NHL recruits are required to wear those helmets – as they were in their minor and junior leagues – before making their big-league debuts.
Ensuring player safety is as easy as fitting a player with a high safety standard. However, the NHL has been diligent in developing comfortable, technologically advanced base layers during the off-season in preparation for the new influx of rookies who will have almost negligible change in ability, but dramatic safety benefits when they hit the ice. As training camps open this season, this rule is the next step in the evolution of equipment standards at the highest levels of professional hockey.
Verified Sources: National Hockey League Official Rulebook (Rule 9.8), Scouting The Refs, Daily Faceoff, The Hockey News, Gino Hard.
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