2023–24 EIHL season
LeagueElite Ice Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Duration
  • 22 September 2023 – 21 April 2024
Number of matches330
Number of teams10
Regular season
Challenge Cup
Playoffs

The 2023–24 EIHL season is the 20th anniversary season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 23 September 2023, and the final match day will be on 8 April 2024; the playoff quarter-finals will be held over the weekend of 14 April and Playoff final weekend will be held the following weekend.[1]

The season was marred by the death of Nottingham Panthers forward Adam Johnson during a Challenge Cup match between the Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers,[2] held on 28 October, at the Sheffield Arena.[3] Johnson had suffered a cut to his neck by the blade of a skate,[4] and received emergency treatment on the ice before being transferred to the Northern General Hospital, but died from his injuries.[3] The EIHL postponed all scheduled matches for the following day, 29 October,[5] and subsequent matches on 31 October and 1 November were also postponed.[6][7] Teams returned to action on 4 November, with the exception of Sheffield and Nottingham,[7] who returned to the ice a week and two weeks later.

Teams

The same ten teams that competed in 2022–23 competed in the 2023–24 season.

Team City/Town Arena Capacity
Belfast Giants Northern Ireland Belfast SSE Arena Belfast 8,700
Cardiff Devils Wales Cardiff Vindico Arena 3,088
Coventry Blaze England Coventry Coventry Skydome 3,000
Dundee Stars Scotland Dundee Dundee Ice Arena 2,400
Fife Flyers Scotland Kirkcaldy Fife Ice Arena 3,525
Glasgow Clan Scotland Glasgow Braehead Arena 4,000
Guildford Flames England Guildford Guildford Spectrum 2,001
Manchester Storm England Altrincham Altrincham Ice Dome 2,351
Nottingham Panthers England Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 7,500
Sheffield Steelers England Sheffield Utilita Arena Sheffield 9,300

Regular season

League standings

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.[8] Points are awarded for each game, where 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 is crowned the league champion, and qualify for the 2024–25 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sheffield Steelers 27 21 3 1 2 117 45 +72 49 Qualification to playoffs
2 Guildford Flames 29 12 3 6 8 89 79 +10 36
3 Belfast Giants 28 13 3 3 9 82 70 +12 35
4 Cardiff Devils 26 14 2 1 9 91 66 +25 33
5 Coventry Blaze 27 5 9 3 10 82 93 −11 31
6 Dundee Stars 29 9 5 3 12 92 100 −8 31
7 Glasgow Clan 28 6 4 8 10 82 109 −27 28
8 Manchester Storm 28 8 3 4 13 65 87 −22 26
9 Fife Flyers 30 6 3 5 16 78 117 −39 23
10 Nottingham Panthers 24 6 3 4 11 66 78 −12 22
Updated to match(es) played on 17 January 2024. Source: Elite League
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

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of games played on 17 January 2024.[9] 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
Ryan Valentini Dundee Stars 28 16 19 35 +3 0
Spencer Naas Dundee Stars 29 20 13 33 +10 0
Patrick Watling Sheffield Steelers 27 12 21 33 +22 8
Lewis Hook Guildford Flames 28 12 20 32 +7 2
Marcus Crawford Cardiff Devils 26 2 28 30 +15 22
Gary Haden Glasgow Clan 28 12 17 29 –9 20
Robert Dowd Sheffield Steelers 27 14 14 28 +20 15
Kyle Osterberg Fife Flyers 27 12 16 28 –4 10
Drydn Dow Dundee Stars 29 10 18 28 +5 32
Mitchell Balmas Sheffield Steelers 27 9 19 28 +17 2
Marc-Olivier Vallerand Sheffield Steelers 27 9 19 28 +18 23

Leading goaltenders

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 17 January 2024.[10]

Player Team(s) GP TOI W L GA SO SV% GAA
Matt Greenfield Sheffield Steelers 25 1508:30 22 3 41 6 93.50% 1.63
Eamon McAdam Guildford Flames 24 1459:51 13 11 57 2 92.37% 2.34
Tyler Beskorowany Belfast Giants 23 1383:07 14 9 57 0 90.42% 2.47
Evan Weninger Manchester Storm 23 1343:13 8 14 56 2 92.74% 2.50
Ben Bowns Cardiff Devils 19 1135:16 11 8 48 2 92.27% 2.54

Challenge Cup

The Challenge Cup is split into two stages: an initial group stage where the league's ten teams are divided into three groups based on geographical distance – one group of four teams (Group A) and two groups of three teams (Groups B and C). The three group winners, along with the five best remaining teams on win percentage qualify for the knockout stage. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are held over two legs, with a one-off final.[11]

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Belfast Giants 6 6 0 0 0 27 11 +16 12 Qualification to knockout stage
2 Fife Flyers 6 3 0 0 3 19 18 +1 6
3 Glasgow Clan 6 2 0 0 4 15 21 −6 4
4 Dundee Stars 6 1 0 0 5 15 26 −11 2
Source: Elite League
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 Cardiff Devils 8 6 0 0 2 36 22 +14 12 Qualification to knockout stage
2 Guildford Flames 8 3 1 0 4 26 31 −5 8
3 Coventry Blaze 8 2 0 1 5 18 27 −9 5
Source: Elite League
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 C

Following the death of Adam Johnson, the Nottingham Panthers withdrew from the Challenge Cup on 8 November 2023.[12] The game between the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham, which was being led 2–1 by Sheffield at the time of its abandonment, was not considered in the standings or for potential tie-breaking scenarios between Sheffield and the Belfast Giants.[13]

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sheffield Steelers 6 6 0 0 0 30 8 +22 12 Qualification to knockout stage
2 Manchester Storm 6 1 0 0 5 16 28 −12 2
3 Nottingham Panthers 4 1 0 0 3 9 19 −10 2 Withdrew from the competition
Source: Elite League
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

Quarter-finals
(December 2023) 		Semi-finals
(January & February 2024) 		Final
(March 2024)
             
1 Sheffield Steelers 5 5 10
8 Manchester Storm 1 1 2
1 Sheffield Steelers
7 Coventry Blaze
2 Belfast Giants 1 4 5
7 Coventry Blaze 1 5 6
TBD
(Pairings are reseeded after the first round)
TBD
3 Cardiff Devils 4 1 5
6 Glasgow Clan 3 3 6
5 Guildford Flames
6 Glasgow Clan
4 Fife Flyers 1 2 3
5 Guildford Flames 3 3 6

Quarter-finals

Following the conclusion of the league phase of the Challenge Cup, the quarter-final matchups (except for Belfast–Coventry) were determined on 29 November 2023.[14] The Belfast–Coventry game dates were confirmed two days later.[15]

(1) Sheffield Steelers vs. (8) Manchester Storm
7 December 2023 Manchester Storm 1–5 Sheffield Steelers Altrincham Ice Dome Recap  
Michael Korol – 6:46 First period 19:59 – Robert Dowd (PPG)
No scoring Second period
No scoring Third period
  • 6:59 – Patrick Watling
  • 10:53 – Brandon Whistle
Evan Weninger (38 shots / 33 saves) Goalie stats Anthony Morrone (38 shots / 37 saves)
20 December 2023 Sheffield Steelers 5–1 Manchester Storm Sheffield Arena Recap  
  • Cole Shudra – 11:46
  • Mitchell Balmas (PPG) – 16:58
  • Mitchell Balmas (2; PPG) – 17:59
 First period No scoring
Brandon Whistle – 8:10 Second period No scoring
Brett Neumann (PPG) – 16:49 Third period 6:12 – Tyler Hinam
Anthony Morrone (27 shots / 26 saves) Goalie stats Alex Oldale (39 shots / 34 saves)
Sheffield Steelers win 10–2 on aggregate.
(2) Belfast Giants vs. (7) Coventry Blaze
13 December 2023 Coventry Blaze 1–1 Belfast Giants Coventry Skydome Recap  
Kim Tallberg – 10:55 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 2:45 – Matthew McLeod
Taran Kozun (32 shots / 31 saves) Goalie stats Tyler Beskorowany (27 shots / 26 saves)
20 December 2023 Belfast Giants 4–5 SO Coventry Blaze SSE Arena Recap  
Ara Nazarian – 16:26 First period No scoring
Henrik Eriksson – 13:23 Second period No scoring
  • Quinn Preston – 1:12
  • Henrik Eriksson (2) – 3:42
 Third period
  • 5:52 – Kim Tallberg
  • 11:01 – David Clements
  • 11:41 – Alessio Luciani
  • 13:18 – J. D. Dudek
 Shootout
  • MISS (goalie save) Kobe Roth
  • MISS (goalie save) Danny Kristo
  • GOAL J. D. Dudek
  • MISS (goalie save) Ian McNulty
  • MISS (goalie save) Kim Tallberg
Tyler Beskorowany (17 shots / 13 saves) Goalie stats Taran Kozun (40 shots / 36 saves)
Coventry Blaze win 6–5 on aggregate.
(3) Cardiff Devils vs. (6) Glasgow Clan
6 December 2023 Glasgow Clan 3–4 Cardiff Devils Braehead Arena Recap  
  • Darien Craighead (PPG) – 8:05
  • Michael Pelech (PPG) – 12:03
  • Jake Bolton (PPG) – 15:59
 First period 0:43 – Brandon Alderson
No scoring Second period
No scoring Third period 8:36 – Trevor Cox (2)
Antti Karjalainen (27 shots / 23 saves) Goalie stats Tyler Wall (37 shots / 34 saves)
13 December 2023 Cardiff Devils 1–3 Glasgow Clan Ice Arena Wales Recap  
No scoring First period
  • 7:57 – Gary Haden
  • 13:25 – Jake Bolton
Josh Waller – 7:41 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 2:01 – Darien Craighead
Ben Bowns (29 shots / 26 saves) Goalie stats Jake Kielly (36 shots / 35 saves)
Glasgow Clan win 6–5 on aggregate.
(4) Fife Flyers vs. (5) Guildford Flames
6 December 2023 Fife Flyers 1–3 Guildford Flames Fife Ice Arena Recap  
Max Humitz – 11:29 First period
  • 3:37 – Peter Crinella
  • 5:24 – Patrick Bajkov
No scoring Second period 15:26 – Peter Crinella (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Shane Owen (42 shots / 39 saves) Goalie stats Eamon McAdam (27 shots / 26 saves)
13 December 2023 Guildford Flames 3–2 Fife Flyers Guildford Spectrum Recap  
  • Steven McParland (PPG) – 16:27
  • Ryan Tait – 18:29
 First period No scoring
Austin Glover – 13:00 Second period 14:15 – Kyle Osterberg
No scoring Third period 10:09 – Vitalijs Pavlovs (PPG)
Eamon McAdam (28 shots / 26 saves) Goalie stats Shane Owen (38 shots / 35 saves)
Guildford Flames win 6–3 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

The game dates for the Sheffield–Coventry matchup were confirmed on 21 December 2023, with the Guildford–Glasgow matchup dates not confirmed until 4 January 2024.[16][17]

Statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of games played on 20 December 2023.[18] 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
Marc-Olivier Vallerand Sheffield Steelers 8 6 7 13 +6 2
Mitchell Balmas Sheffield Steelers 9 4 9 13 +3 4
Patrick Watling Sheffield Steelers 9 3 10 13 +9 0
Trevor Cox Cardiff Devils 10 6 6 12 +8 4
Marcus Crawford Cardiff Devils 10 1 11 12 +10 12
Ryan Tait Guildford Flames 10 7 4 11 +1 2
Mark Cooper Belfast Giants 7 4 7 11 +5 2
Peter Crinella Guildford Flames 10 7 3 10 +4 4
Cole Sanford Cardiff Devils 9 5 4 9 +6 0
Gary Haden Glasgow Clan 8 4 5 9 +1 2

Leading goaltenders

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 20 December 2023.[19]

Player Team(s) GP TOI W L GA SO SV% GAA
Anthony Morrone Sheffield Steelers 7 393:47[lower-alpha 1] 7 0 10 0 94.59% 1.52
Tyler Beskorowany Belfast Giants 6 354:23 4 1 12 0 90.77% 2.03
Ben Bowns Cardiff Devils 6 342:27 4 2 13 1 92.40% 2.28
Jake Kielly Glasgow Clan 6[lower-alpha 2] 329:45 3 2 13 1 92.74% 2.37
Taran Kozun Coventry Blaze 8 485:53 3 4 21 0 92.66% 2.59

Notes

  1. ↑ Morrone is credited by the EIHL as having played 20 minutes in the game against the Nottingham Panthers on 28 October, despite 33:47 having been played.[20]
  2. ↑ Kielly is credited by the EIHL as having played 5 games, with an appearance of 32:18 – in relief of Antti Karjalainen – against the Dundee Stars on 12 November missing.[21][22]

References

  1. ↑ "Gamecentre". EIHL. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  2. ↑ "Adam Johnson: Nottingham Panthers forward dies after neck cut in Challenge Cup match". BBC Sport. BBC. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Adam Johnson: Nottingham Panthers player dies after 'freak accident' in ice hockey match against Sheffield Steelers". Sky Sports. Sky UK. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Morgan, Tom (29 October 2023). "Adam Johnson: Nottingham Panthers ice hockey player dies after throat cut by opponent's blade". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "EIHL Statement: Adam Johnson". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Club Statement: Upcoming fixtures". Nottingham Panthers. Nottingham Panthers Limited. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Adam Johnson: Elite League postpones midweek games after death of Nottingham Panthers forward". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Elite League Info". Nottingham Panthers. Nottingham Panthers Limited. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Statistics: Players - Elite Ice Hockey League 2023/2024". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Statistics: Goalies - Elite Ice Hockey League 2023/2024". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "2023/24 Challenge Cup Format". Elite Ice Hockey League. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Eight-time winners Nottingham Panthers withdraw from Challenge Cup after Adam Johnson death". ITV News. ITV plc. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "Tie-breaking in the Challenge Cup". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals set". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Challenge Cup Quarter Final Dates Confirmed". Coventry Blaze. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Semi Final Dates Confirmed Vs Coventry Blaze". Sheffield Steelers. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Flames vs. Clan Cup SFs scheduled". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Statistics: Players - Challenge Cup 2023/2024". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Statistics: Goalies - Challenge Cup 2023/2024". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  20. ↑ The Nottingham Panthers [@PanthersIHC] (October 28, 2023). "33:47 - The game is stopped for a bad injury. Steelers 2 Panthers 1" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 November 2023 – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ "Report: Dundee Stars 6 Glasgow Clan 2". Glasgow Clan. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023. James Phelan then doubled Dundee's lead almost instantly with a slot drive and back hand finish before Jake Kielly replaced Karjalainen in the Clan net.
  22. ↑ "Dundee Stars 6:2 Glasgow Clan - Official Gamesheet". Elite Ice Hockey League. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
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