The 2024–25 EIHL season was 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.
Ten teams competed in the league, over a 54-game regular season, with the best eight teams qualifying for the second competition, the playoffs. The playoffs were 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 competed 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.
The first silverware of the season went to the Belfast Giants, who won the Challenge Cup for the sixth time overall, and a fifth time in seven seasons, with a 4–0 victory over the Cardiff Devils. The Giants then added a record seventh regular season title, prevailing over the Steelers by three points, after both teams had entered the final day of the season with an opportunity to finish top of the table. The Devils stopped a Grand Slam with a 5–0 win over the Giants in the playoff semi-final, progressing to the final against the Nottingham Panthers. In a final where both teams had a game-winning overtime goal overturned via coach's challenge, the Panthers won 4–3 in double overtime for their first playoff title since 2016.
Teams The same ten teams that competed in 2023–24 remained for the 2024–25 season. Belfast Giants BelfastSSE Arena Belfast8,700Cardiff Devils CardiffVindico Arena3,110Coventry Blaze CoventryCoventry Skydome3,000Dundee Stars DundeeDundee Ice Arena2,400Fife Flyers KirkcaldyFife Ice Arena3,525Glasgow Clan GlasgowBraehead Arena4,000Guildford Flames GuildfordGuildford Spectrum2,001Manchester Storm AltrinchamAltrincham Ice Dome2,351Nottingham Panthers NottinghamMotorpoint Arena Nottingham7,500Sheffield Steelers SheffieldUtilita Arena Sheffield9,368
Regular season League standings Each team played 54 games, playing each of the other nine teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home. Points were awarded for each game, two points were awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time or after overtime or game-winning shots. One point was 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 finished with the most points was crowned the league champion, and qualified for the 2025–26 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams qualified for the playoffs.
Statistics Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the regular season. 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 Manchester Storm 54 32 36 68 +1 30 Coventry Blaze 54 32 30 62 +7 38 Coventry Blaze 54 30 29 59 +9 55 Coventry Blaze 54 27 32 59 +13 23 Cardiff Devils 51 28 29 57 +11 14 Belfast Giants 54 28 29 57 +36 40 Sheffield Steelers 54 23 34 57 +15 10 Sheffield Steelers 54 27 28 55 +28 12 Sheffield Steelers 53 17 38 55 +24 20 Dundee Stars 54 25 29 54 +2 50
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 the regular season.
Player Team(s) Nottingham Panthers 30 1679:41 19 10 48 3 94.87% 1.71 Belfast Giants 27 1582:01 20 6 57 2 92.28% 2.16 Sheffield Steelers 49 2875:09 36 13 107 3 92.76% 2.23 Nottingham Panthers 23 1342:47 15 7 50 2 92.32% 2.23 Belfast Giants 28 1684:10 17 11 64 2 91.10% 2.28
Playoffs Bracket In the two-legged quarter-finals, the highest-ranked team met the lowest-ranked team, the second-highest-ranked team met the second-lowest-ranked team and so forth. The winners of each tie was determined by aggregate scoring over the two games. In the semi-finals, the highest remaining seed was matched against the lowest remaining seed, with the other two teams facing off. The winners of the semi-finals progressed to the Final, with the losers playing in the third-place match.
Quarter-finals (1) Belfast Giants vs. (8) Dundee Stars
(2) Sheffield Steelers vs. (7) Glasgow Clan
(3) Nottingham Panthers vs. (6) Guildford Flames
(4) Cardiff Devils vs. (5) Coventry Blaze
Semi-finals Following the conclusion of the quarter-final matchups, the schedule for the Finals weekend was confirmed.
Third-place match
Final
Statistics Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the playoffs. 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 Nottingham Panthers 4 6 4 10 +4 0 Sheffield Steelers 4 5 2 7 +1 0 Nottingham Panthers 4 0 7 7 +1 4 Nottingham Panthers 4 2 4 6 +4 2 Belfast Giants 4 3 2 5 +1 0 Belfast Giants 4 3 2 5 +4 4 Cardiff Devils 4 3 2 5 +3 2 Cardiff Devils 4 3 2 5 +3 2 Nottingham Panthers 4 3 1 4 –2 2 Glasgow Clan 2 2 2 4 +3 0
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 the playoffs.
Player Team(s) Cardiff Devils 4 272:15 3 1 7 2 95.14% 1.54 Glasgow Clan 2 122:21 1 1 5 0 92.86% 2.45 Sheffield Steelers 3 182:48 1 2 8 0 91.49% 2.63 Nottingham Panthers 4 272:49 3 1 12 0 92.26% 2.64 Belfast Giants 3 180:00 2 1 8 0 90.12% 2.67
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup was 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). The teams in Group A (the five English teams and the Cardiff Devils) played 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) played 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 qualified for the semi-finals. The runners-up in Group B faced 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.
Group stage Group A
Group B
Knockout stage Bracket
Play-in match
Semi-finals As the highest seed from the group stage, the Belfast Giants selected the Nottingham Panthers to be their semi-final opponents, with the Sheffield Steelers taking on the Cardiff Devils as a result of this.
(1) Belfast Giants vs. (4) Nottingham Panthers
(2) Sheffield Steelers vs. (3) Cardiff Devils
Final As the highest remaining seed, the Belfast Giants had home advantage for the final against the Cardiff Devils.
Statistics Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the Challenge Cup. 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 Belfast Giants 14 8 11 19 +12 4 Belfast Giants 15 9 8 17 +8 6 Coventry Blaze 10 7 9 16 +8 16 Glasgow Clan 13 8 7 15 +8 6 Belfast Giants 12 5 10 15 +10 10 Glasgow Clan 13 3 12 15 +9 55 Cardiff Devils 12 11 3 14 +4 8 Fife Flyers 12 7 7 14 −5 6 Manchester Storm 10 5 9 14 −4 6 Belfast Giants 15 6 7 13 +12 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 the Challenge Cup.
Player Team(s) Belfast Giants 10 605:51 8 2 15 4 94.30% 1.49 Nottingham Panthers 6 356:03 4 2 13 1 92.57% 2.19 Glasgow Clan 8 480:04 4 4 23 1 91.39% 2.87 Sheffield Steelers 10 605:03 8 2 29 0 89.18% 2.88 Cardiff Devils 7 367:56 4 3 18 0 89.71% 2.94
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