Stiffer consequences for fighting among AHL rule changes for 2016-17

Fighting in pro hockey continues down the path of extinction.

The AHL Board of Governors met Wednesday to determine rule changes for the upcoming season, and starting in 2016-17, fighting will warrant harsher consequences.

The new rules state:

"Players who enter into a fight prior to, at, or immediately following the drop of the puck for a faceoff will be assessed an automatic game misconduct in addition to other penalties assessed."

Additionally, if a single player accumulates 10 fighting majors over the regular season, he will automatically be suspended for one game, with subsequent suspensions handed up until a player reaches 13 fights.

If a player reaches 14 fights and higher, suspensions will be two games.

On top of the changes to fighting, the league also opted to ban offending teams from using their timeout after an icing call, a tactic often used by coaches to provide a brief rest period.

The AHL has previously been a buffer zone for the NHL when it comes to adopting new rules, as the affiliate league tested both 3-on-3 overtime and hybrid icing before the NHL implemented them.