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 regular season began on 7 September 2024, and the final match day will be on 6 April 2025; the playoff quarter-finals will be held on the weekend of 12–13 April, with the Playoff final weekend to be held the following weekend.[1][2]
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 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 14 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Coventry Blaze | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 15 | +13 | 10 | |
| 3 | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 14 | +14 | 10 | |
| 4 | Belfast Giants | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 9 | |
| 5 | Guildford Flames | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 9 | |
| 6 | Dundee Stars | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 6 | |
| 7 | Manchester Storm | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 6 | |
| 8 | Nottingham Panthers | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 4 | |
| 9 | Glasgow Clan | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 30 | −18 | 2 | |
| 10 | Fife Flyers | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 39 | −20 | 2 |
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 1 November 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Hebert | Manchester Storm | 8 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +8 | 10 |
| Mikko Juusola | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | +9 | 0 |
| Lucas Chiodo | Fife Flyers | 8 | 3 | 9 | 12 | +2 | 2 |
| Elijiah Barriga | Belfast Giants | 7 | 5 | 6 | 11 | +5 | 0 |
| Alessio Luciani | Coventry Blaze | 6 | 4 | 7 | 11 | +2 | 5 |
| Zach O'Brien | Cardiff Devils | 8 | 5 | 5 | 10 | +7 | 0 |
| Scott Conway | Belfast Giants | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +4 | 8 |
| Jake Durflinger | Manchester Storm | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +3 | 14 |
| Michael Regush | Coventry Blaze | 6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | +5 | 0 |
| Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +1 | 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 1 November 2024.[5]
| Player | Team(s) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils | 8 | 479:07 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 95.33% | 1.50 |
| Tom McCollum | Belfast Giants | 5 | 303:49 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 91.67% | 2.17 |
| Matt Greenfield | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 362:42 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 91.08% | 2.32 |
| Mat Robson | Coventry Blaze | 6 | 360:00 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 92.35% | 2.50 |
| Jake Kupsky | Guildford Flames | 4 | 237:38 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 91.67% | 2.52 |
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 play each of the other teams twice for a total of ten games, while the teams in Group B 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 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 18 | +9 | 13 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Nottingham Panthers | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 23 | +5 | 13 | |
| 3 | Manchester Storm | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 27 | −2 | 9 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 4 | Coventry Blaze | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 8 | |
| 5 | Cardiff Devils | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 7 | |
| 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
Group B
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast Giants (Y) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 14 | Qualification to semi-finals |
| 2 | Glasgow Clan | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 11 | Qualification to play-in match |
| 3 | Dundee Stars | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 37 | 38 | −1 | 9 | |
| 4 | Fife Flyers | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 43 | −24 | 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.
(Y) Assured of a top-two finish
Statistics
[edit]Scoring leaders
[edit]The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of games played on 30 October 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 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 15 | +9 | 2 |
| Deven Sideroff | Glasgow Clan | 9 | 7 | 6 | 13 | +7 | 4 |
| Domenico Alberga | Dundee Stars | 10 | 5 | 8 | 13 | +6 | 11 |
| Ryan Hughes | Manchester Storm | 8 | 4 | 7 | 11 | –3 | 4 |
| Grant Mismash | Belfast Giants | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +3 | 2 |
| Mark Cooper | Belfast Giants | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +3 | 6 |
| Kristoff Kontos | Nottingham Panthers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| Mitchell Heard | Glasgow Clan | 9 | 1 | 9 | 10 | +5 | 51 |
| Jake Durflinger | Manchester Storm | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +2 | 12 |
| Sam Herr | Nottingham Panthers | 9 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +5 | 0 |
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 30 October 2024.[9]
| Player | Team(s) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Whistle | Belfast Giants | 4 | 245:00 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 94.79% | 1.22 |
| Ryan Bednard | Nottingham Panthers | 6 | 356:03 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 92.57% | 2.19 |
| Matt Greenfield | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 366:41 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 90.00% | 2.29 |
| Tom McCollum | Belfast Giants | 4 | 243:21 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 93.01% | 2.47 |
| Landon Bow | Glasgow Clan | 6 | 360:59 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 92.54% | 2.49 |
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 2 November 2024.
- ^ "Statistics: Goalies – Elite Ice Hockey League 2024/2025". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 2 November 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 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Statistics: Goalies – Challenge Cup 2024/2025". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 31 October 2024.