AHL mandates neck protection to prevent cuts from skate blades

Field Level Media|published: Fri 23rd August, 13:57 2024

Dec 28, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland (8) wearing a neck guard during a stop in play against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period at Rogers Arena. Flyers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The American Hockey League will require all skaters, referees and linespersons to wear approved cut-resistant neck protection on the ice, beginning with the 2024-25 season.

The league's governors unanimously approved the mandate, the AHL announced Friday.

Already, AHL players were required to wear wrist sleeves and socks that were resistant to cuts. The AHL is the top development league for all 32 NHL teams, which has no such neck-protection rule.

The move comes after the death of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Adam Johnson, who was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in Britain's Elite Ice Hockey League last Oct. 28 when he collided with another player and suffered a slashed neck via a skate blade from a Sheffield Steelers defenseman.

Johnson received emergency treatment on the ice, was taken to Sheffield's Northern General Hospital and later pronounced dead. He was 29.

--Field Level Media

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