2024–25 EIHL season
 |
| 2024–25 EIHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration |
|
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| Challenge Cup | |
| Playoffs | |
The 2024–25 EIHL season is the 21st season of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the highest level of domestic ice hockey played in the United Kingdom, with three separate competitions played for between September 2024 and April 2025.[1][2]
Ten teams compete in the league, over a 54-game regular season, with the best eight teams qualifying for the second competition, the playoffs. The playoffs are then held over three knockout rounds with aggregated quarter-finals, and one-off matches for the semi-finals and final – with the last two rounds played over the finals weekend at the Nottingham Arena. Teams also compete in the Challenge Cup, involving group play and one-off knockout rounds to crown its winner.
The defending champion in all three competitions are the Sheffield Steelers, having completed a Grand Slam in 2023–24.
Teams
[edit]The same ten teams that competed in 2023–24 competed in the 2024–25 season.
| Team | City/Town | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Giants |  Belfast
|
SSE Arena Belfast | 8,700 |
| Cardiff Devils |  Cardiff
|
Vindico Arena | 3,088 |
| Coventry Blaze |  Coventry
|
Coventry Skydome | 3,000 |
| Dundee Stars |  Dundee
|
Dundee Ice Arena | 2,400 |
| Fife Flyers | Kirkcaldy
|
Fife Ice Arena | 3,525 |
| Glasgow Clan | Glasgow
|
Braehead Arena | 4,000 |
| Guildford Flames | Guildford
|
Guildford Spectrum | 2,001 |
| Manchester Storm | Altrincham
|
Altrincham Ice Dome | 2,351 |
| Nottingham Panthers | Nottingham
|
Motorpoint Arena Nottingham | 7,500 |
| Sheffield Steelers | Sheffield
|
Utilita Arena Sheffield | 9,300 |
Regular season
[edit]League standings
[edit]Each team plays 54 games, playing each of the other nine teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home. Points are awarded for each game, two points are awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time or after overtime or game-winning shots. One point is awarded for losing in overtime or game-winning shots, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that finishes with the most points will be crowned the league champion, and may qualify for the 2025–26 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams will qualify for the playoffs.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff Devils | 21 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 77 | 45 | +32 | 32 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Belfast Giants | 18 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 70 | 44 | +26 | 26 | |
| 3 | Coventry Blaze | 18 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 73 | 49 | +24 | 25 | |
| 4 | Sheffield Steelers | 19 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 24 | |
| 5 | Guildford Flames | 19 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 58 | 54 | +4 | 23 | |
| 6 | Nottingham Panthers | 19 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 62 | 47 | +15 | 23 | |
| 7 | Glasgow Clan | 18 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 46 | 63 | −17 | 16 | |
| 8 | Manchester Storm | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 54 | 80 | −26 | 13 | |
| 9 | Dundee Stars | 21 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 58 | 91 | −33 | 13 | |
| 10 | Fife Flyers | 19 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 43 | 95 | −52 | 6 |
Rules for classification:
- In-season: 1) Points; 2) Fewest games played; end of season criteria as below.
- End of season: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
Statistics
[edit]Scoring leaders
[edit]The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of games played on 15 December 2024.[4] If two or more skaters are tied (i.e. same number of points, goals and played games), all of the tied skaters are shown.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh MacDonald | Cardiff Devils | 21 | 13 | 12 | 25 | +11 | 2 |
| Alessio Luciani | Coventry Blaze | 18 | 11 | 13 | 24 | +11 | 9 |
| Elijiah Barriga | Belfast Giants | 18 | 12 | 11 | 23 | +16 | 4 |
| Nick Seitz | Coventry Blaze | 18 | 12 | 11 | 23 | +11 | 0 |
| Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers | 19 | 11 | 12 | 23 | +3 | 4 |
| Cole Sanford | Cardiff Devils | 20 | 9 | 14 | 23 | +13 | 16 |
| Michael Regush | Coventry Blaze | 18 | 6 | 17 | 23 | +5 | 4 |
| Lucas Chiodo | Fife Flyers | 19 | 6 | 17 | 23 | +1 | 8 |
| Grant Hebert | Manchester Storm | 18 | 10 | 12 | 22 | +3 | 12 |
| Chase Gresock | Coventry Blaze | 18 | 9 | 13 | 22 | +9 | 8 |
Leading goaltenders
[edit]The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, at the conclusion of games played on 15 December 2024.[5]
| Player | Team(s) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils | 15 | 898:07 | 11 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 93.74% | 2.07 |
| Matt Greenfield | Sheffield Steelers | 14 | 826:55 | 11 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 93.16% | 2.10 |
| Tom McCollum | Belfast Giants | 12 | 726:12 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 2 | 92.24% | 2.15 |
| Ryan Bednard | Nottingham Panthers | 17 | 1003:46 | 11 | 6 | 39 | 1 | 91.84% | 2.33 |
| Jake Kupsky | Guildford Flames | 10 | 597:38 | 7 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 91.69% | 2.71 |
Challenge Cup
[edit]The Challenge Cup is split into two stages: an initial group stage where the league's ten teams were divided into two groups based on geographical distance – one group of six teams (Group A) and a group of four teams (Group B).[6] The teams in Group A (the five English teams and the Cardiff Devils} play each of the other teams twice for a total of ten games, while the teams in Group B (the three Scottish teams and the Belfast Giants) play each of the other teams four times for a total of twelve games.
The top two teams in Group A and the winners of Group B qualify for the semi-finals. The runners-up in Group B will face the third-placed team in Group A in a one-off game, held at the arena of the team with a higher group stage points percentage, to determine the final semi-finalist.[7]
Group stage
[edit]Group A
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield Steelers (Q) | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 16 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Nottingham Panthers (Y) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 23 | +5 | 13 | |
| 3 | Coventry Blaze | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 35 | −3 | 12 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 4 | Cardiff Devils | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 11 | |
| 5 | Manchester Storm (E) | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 9 | |
| 6 | Guildford Flames (E) | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 35 | −12 | 5 |
Rules for classification:
- In-season: 1) Points; 2) Fewest games played; end of season criteria as below.
- End of season: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
(E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (Y) Assured of a top-three finish
Group B
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Giants | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 24 | +25 | 21 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Glasgow Clan | 12 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 15 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 3 | Dundee Stars | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 38 | 41 | −3 | 9 | |
| 4 | Fife Flyers | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 28 | 56 | −28 | 7 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
Knockout stage
[edit]Bracket
[edit]| Play-in match | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 1 | Belfast Giants | ||||||||||||
| 4 | TBD | TBD | |||||||||||
| 5 | TBD | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Sheffield Steelers | ||||||||||||
| TBD | |||||||||||||
Statistics
[edit]Scoring leaders
[edit]The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of games played on 11 December 2024.[8] If two or more skaters are tied (i.e. same number of points, goals and played games), all of the tied skaters are shown.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Kawaguchi | Belfast Giants | 11 | 6 | 11 | 17 | +10 | 4 |
| Chase Gresock | Coventry Blaze | 10 | 7 | 9 | 16 | +7 | 16 |
| Deven Sideroff | Glasgow Clan | 12 | 8 | 7 | 15 | +9 | 6 |
| Mark Cooper | Belfast Giants | 12 | 7 | 7 | 14 | +5 | 6 |
| Phélix Martineau | Fife Flyers | 12 | 7 | 7 | 14 | –5 | 6 |
| Scott Conway | Belfast Giants | 10 | 5 | 9 | 14 | +9 | 8 |
| Ryan Hughes | Manchester Storm | 10 | 5 | 9 | 14 | –4 | 6 |
| Mitchell Heard | Glasgow Clan | 12 | 2 | 12 | 14 | +8 | 53 |
| Domenico Alberga | Dundee Stars | 12 | 5 | 8 | 13 | +5 | 11 |
| J. J. Piccinich | Belfast Giants | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | +11 | 2 |
Leading goaltenders
[edit]The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, at the conclusion of games played on 11 December 2024.[9]
| Player | Team(s) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Whistle | Belfast Giants | 7 | 425:51 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 92.12% | 1.83 |
| Tom McCollum | Belfast Giants | 5 | 303:20 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 94.15% | 1.98 |
| Ryan Bednard | Nottingham Panthers | 6 | 356:03 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 92.57% | 2.19 |
| Landon Bow | Glasgow Clan | 7 | 420:04 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 91.86% | 2.57 |
| Lucas Brine | Glasgow Clan | 5 | 295:28 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 89.26% | 2.64 |
References
[edit]- ^ "2024/25 Schedule Released!". EIHL. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Gamecentre". EIHL. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Standings 2024/2025 Elite Ice Hockey League". EIHL. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Statistics: Players – Elite Ice Hockey League 2024/2025". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Statistics: Goalies – Elite Ice Hockey League 2024/2025". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Crow, Allan (13 May 2024). "EIHL's new Challenge Cup format revealed after fans' survey criticism – and it still feels clunky". Fife Free Press. National World. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "New Challenge Cup format for 2024/25". EIHL. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Statistics: Players – Challenge Cup 2024/2025". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Statistics: Goalies – Challenge Cup 2024/2025". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 11 December 2024.