Well Well Well. What do we have here?
I feel this really handicaps the teams that are younger that start slow out of the gates, but may pick up a player or two in Late September, and/or start clicking and winning games the 1/2 half of the season. They are out before they are in. It insures top ranked teams get an easy in - I am sure they will not pit the top teams against each other, so they get a fee pass.
Teams will simply have to shorten the bench on labor day and play playoff hockey before the season gets going.
If you read between the lines, It could be designed to drive the number of teams in Tier II down to 10 or less. (Not a bad idea)
But, as I always say buyer beware - your value for the dollar just got leveraged down and if you participate in this, you may be guilty of throwing good money after bad.
Having said all that, teams (players) can do a few things.
1) Play the whole season and run through the new rule set and see how it goes. If you are in the loser bracket by Sept 4th, we isn't that a peach. You are playing basically exhibition for 7 months. (Yay)
2) Participate in the preseason / post season Labor Day Extravaganza. If you are not in the top 6 and/or are asked to play "extra games", the team (or player) just drops to A right after your last game up In San Jose.
3) Your team (or player) drops now and avoids this man-made circus.
or (there is always option 4) Go nuclear! Manage to get all SCAHA teams to drop to A now, and let the 4 norcal teams have fun all season playing each other. Thereby circumventing the whole thing and forcing norcal teams to play a 4 team tournament (or they will be suspended from Tier II - if i read it right) - a somewhat in your face approach to the norcal folks who are driving this bus.
Being a person that has been through the youth hockey circuit, I would relegate my choices to #3, or #4 - lean into #4 hard. You will save a ton of money, and you will get as many games (or more). And, especially if somehow people could pull off #4, you will play all the top teams anyways (Just in A). And you will avoid the choke hold of rules reigning down from CAHA.
Remeber - Peewee AA never leaves the state after state finals. (so what is really the difference i ask?). The difference is, a simple season. (4-5 preseason games, 16 regular season games - and post season). No fuss, no muss.
Just think! All local games, no caha weekends, extra money to save or take lessons, sticktimes, public skates, I could keep going here, (maybe a college savings plan).
Youth hockey is too expensive, and too complicated, and getting more complicated each year. Its beginning to be treated like semi-pro hockey, not a youth sport to pass the time and develop skill. The kids are just that, kids.
Think about it. That's my 3 cents.