Competitions
The NIHL National Division (NIHL) operates through a dedicated company, Premier Ice Hockey League Ltd, in which all participating teams are equal shareholders. This collaborative model ensures each club has an equal voice and stake in the league's governance and operations. While operated by this company, the NIHL remains affiliated to and governed by England Ice Hockey (EIH).
League format
The eleven active clubs for 2025/26 compete over 54 regular season games, with each club having 27 home games in competition.
The regular season runs from 20 September 2025 through to 22 March 2026.
Game format
Games are three periods of twenty-minutes stop-clock, full contact. No league match shall end in a tie.
If scores are level after regulation, games will proceed to five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime, and if still tied, a shootout competition.
During the regular season, each team selects three shooters to take alternate shots. If the scores remain tied after the first three rounds, the shootout continues with one shot each ("sudden victory") until a winner is determined. Any eligible player may take a penalty-shot attempt, and the same player may be used for multiple attempts. Eligible players are those not serving a penalty and not injured at the time of the attempt.
Points System
2 points are awarded for a win, whether in regulation, overtime or shootout; 1 point is awarded to the team losing in overtime or shootout; and 0 points for a regulation loss.
League tie-breaker
If two or more teams are tied on points at the end of the regular season, their position in the
standings will be determined by the following criteria, in order:
- Most regulation wins (60 minutes).
- Most wins excluding shoot out wins
- Head-to-head points between the tied teams.
- Head-to-head goal difference between the tied teams
- Best goal difference (goals for minus goals against in all league games).
- Most goals scored in all league games.
- Fewest penalty minutes in all league games.
- Coin toss/draw conducted by NIHL/EIH, if all other criteria are equal.
Post-season
The NIHL National post-season competition runs from 28th March 2026 through 19th April 2026.
Qualification
Following the regular season, the top eight teams based on league position qualify for the post-season competition. Group A will feature the teams finishing 1st, 4th, 5th and 8th; the remaining teams feature in Group B. Teams will play each other in their group once home and once away. The top two teams from each group then progress to the Final Four Playoff Finals weekend at the Planet Ice Coventry SkyDome arena, where the Winner of each group will play the runner-up of the other group (A1 v B2, B1 v A2).
In order to be eligible to compete in the post-season competition, a player must have played in at least 25% of the scheduled regular season games for their club during the 2025/26 season. (i.e. 14 games)
Game format
Group stage: Games in the post-season follow the same format as the regular season, with the exception of how games tied at the end of regulation are decided at the Final Four weekend only. Group-stage games follow the same format as games in the regular season competition. The same tie-breaker criteria are used for the group stage of the playoffs as used in the regular season.
Final Four - Semi-finals: if the scores are level at the end of regulation during the semi-finals fixtures, the game will proceed to 20 minutes of 5-on-5 overtime, and if still tied after that, a shootout competition in the same format as during the regular season and playoff group stages.
Final Four - Final: if the scores are level at the end of regulation of the Final, the game will proceed to successive 20 minute periods of 5-on-5 sudden-victory overtime until a winner is determined; there shall be no shootout for the Final.
Cup
Between September and December, five home and five away games will count both toward League standings and a Cup qualification table. The top four teams will progress to home-and-away semi-finals, with the top seed selecting their opponent. The winners will then meet in a two-legged final.
In order to qualify for participate in in the knock-out rounds of the Cup, each player must have appeared in at least one fixture in the qualifying round.
Game format
Games in the knock-out rounds of the Cup competition follow the same as for the League: each game must have a winner, with a five minute 3-on-3 overtime period followed by the same format shootout competition if scores are tied at the end of each fixture.
Further information
For more detailed information regarding the structure and governance of the NIHL National league and its competitions, regarding team and player eligibility, constraints on roster composition and player movement, on fixture and match-day information, and more, please consult the NIHL National Rules of Competition (ROC) as co-signed by the eleven member clubs and EIH.
