The English Ice Hockey Association have announced plans for the structure of their leagues next season.
Included in their plans for the NIHL next season are some core points:
Non-British Trained players (NBTs)
From next season this is confirmed as three NBTs being allowed to ice in all divisions, with no restriction on the number on the ice at any given time.
Roster Limits
Teams within the Planet Ice NIHL National Division have agreed to apply limits to rosters to support and encourage the development of British talent. There will be roster limits applied to all divisions of the NIHL in supporting development.
There will be roster limits in place around the age of players to encourage the development of young talent in collaboration with the wider ice hockey community. Details of the roster limits for the 2023/24 season for across the NIHL will be announced shortly.
Work Permits
Players with work permits will only be able to participate within the PI NIHL National Division for the 2023/24 season.
Planet Ice NIHL National Collective Investment into League Development
The teams have all agreed to collectively invest in developing league-wide marketing, communications, website and stats reporting functions, recognising the significant lack of capability in this area in the 2022/23 season. As plans develop we will share more.
Speaking about the roster developments, Ice Hockey UK said: “The board of IHUK are really pleased to see the NIHL National Division take such a bold move in looking to include the development of home-grown GB talent as one of their top priorities going forward.
“IHUK and the ownership group have been in talks with Pete Russell, Head Coach of the Great Britain, to discuss how best to support the GB Programme, and settled on the proposal that has been put forward for the coming season.
“The board of IHUK are really pleased to see the NIHL National Division take such a bold move in looking to include the development of home grown GB talent as one of their top priorities going forward.
“As mentioned, this will be subject to review after this coming season, particularly around how this will impact GB netminder development, as concerns have been raised that this could be adversely affected. We will all keep a watching brief.
“This is a hugely positive step and we’d like to thank everyone involved for getting to this point. We hope to be able to make a further announcement in due course regarding other areas in which the pro leagues can support the development of GB home-grown talent, both existing and emerging.
“We can’t wait to see what new GB talent is able to step up at the upcoming 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group A, tournament being held in Nottingham, starting at the end of this month. We hope everyone who can comes to support GB on home ice, particularly in the run up to the King’s Coronation.”
Click here to read more about the EIHA plans on their website.