2026–27 EIHL season
Sports season
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The 2026–27 EIHL season will be the 23rd season of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), the highest level of domestic ice hockey played in the United Kingdom. The league will run three separate competitions which will be played between 12 September 2026 and 18 April 2027.[1][2][3] The Belfast Giants are defending the League Championship.[4] The Nottingham Panthers are defending the Challenge Cup cup.[5] The Cardiff Devils are defending the Playoff title.[6]
| 2026–27 EIHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration |
|
Starting this season, the Challenge Cup Elimination Game and Semi-Finals will not include shootouts, they will instead have a full 20-minute period of 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime followed by continuous periods of 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime until the winning goal is scored (if required). The playoff Quarter-Finals Second leg and Semi-Finals will also work under this format.[7]
Teams
The same ten teams that competed in the 2025–26 EIHL season will compete in the 2026–27 season. The only change is that the Manchester Storm will compete out of the AO Arena, after completing out of Planet Ice Altrincham in 2025-26.[8] The OVO Hydro Arena will host three games this season (two Glasgow home games and one Dundee home game). The game on Thursday 31 December between Glasgow and Dundee will see the new Scotia Quaich trophy on the line.[9]
| Team | City/Town | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Giants |  Belfast |
SSE Arena Belfast | 8,700 |
| Cardiff Devils |  Cardiff |
Vindico Arena | 3,110 |
| Coventry Blaze |  Coventry |
Planet Ice Coventry | 3,000 |
| Dundee Stars |  Dundee |
Dundee Ice Arena | 2,700 |
| Fife Flyers | Kirkcaldy |
Fife Ice Arena | 3,525 |
| Glasgow Clan | Glasgow |
Braehead Arena | 4,000 |
| Guildford Flames | Guildford |
Guildford Spectrum | 2,200 |
| Manchester Storm | Manchester |
AO Arena | 21,000 |
| Nottingham Panthers | Nottingham |
Motorpoint Arena Nottingham | 7,500 |
| Sheffield Steelers | Sheffield |
Utilita Arena Sheffield | 9,512 |
Regular season
League standings
Each team will play 54 games, playing each of the other nine teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home. Points will be awarded for each game: two points for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time or after overtime or game-winning shots, one point 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 league champions. The top eight teams will qualify for the playoffs.[10]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Cardiff Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Coventry Blaze | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Dundee Stars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Fife Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Guildford Flames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Manchester Storm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Nottingham Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Sheffield Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup will be split into two stages: an initial group stage where the league's ten teams will be divided into two groups based on geographical distance – one group of six teams (Group A) and a group of four teams (Group B).[11] The teams in Group A (the five English teams and the Cardiff Devils) are to 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) are to 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 will qualify for the semi-finals. The runners-up in Group B will play the third-placed team in Group A in a semi-final playoff game to be held at the arena of the team with a higher group stage points percentage to determine the final semi-finalist.
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Coventry Blaze | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Guildford Flames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 4 | Manchester Storm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Nottingham Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Sheffield Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Dundee Stars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 3 | Fife Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Glasgow Clan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.