# 2023–24 EIHL season

The 2023–24 EIHL season was the 20th anniversary season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 23 September 2023, and the final match day was on 7 April 2024; the playoff quarter-finals were held over the weekend of 14 April and the Playoff final weekend was held the following weekend.
The Sheffield Steelers won their sixth league title – and first since 2015–16 – having opened up an unassailable 14-point lead over the Cardiff Devils with a 7–3 victory over the Guildford Flames on 24 March 2024. The Steelers had also won the Challenge Cup 11 days earlier, beating the Flames 3–1 in the final. The Steelers ultimately completed their first Grand Slam in the EIHL era, defeating the Belfast Giants 3–1 in the playoff final.
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, held on 28 October, at the Sheffield Arena. Johnson had suffered a cut to his neck by the blade of a skate, and received emergency treatment on the ice before being transferred to the Northern General Hospital, but died from his injuries. The EIHL postponed all scheduled matches for the following day, 29 October, and subsequent matches on 31 October and 1 November were also postponed. Teams returned to action on 4 November, with the exception of Sheffield and Nottingham, 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 | 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
### 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, where 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 2024–25 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams qualified for the playoffs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sheffield Steelers (C) | 54 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 228 | 113 | +115 | 91 | Regular season champions Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Cardiff Devils | 54 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 210 | 151 | +59 | 77 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Belfast Giants | 54 | 28 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 182 | 147 | +35 | 71 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 4 | Manchester Storm | 54 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 142 | 154 | −12 | 61 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 5 | Guildford Flames | 54 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 160 | 165 | −5 | 58 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 6 | Coventry Blaze | 54 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 25 | 147 | 185 | −38 | 52 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 7 | Dundee Stars | 54 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 169 | 198 | −29 | 51 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 8 | Fife Flyers | 54 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 23 | 166 | 202 | −36 | 51 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 9 | Nottingham Panthers | 54 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 165 | 195 | −30 | 50 | |
| 10 | Glasgow Clan | 54 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 24 | 175 | 234 | −59 | 49 | |

### 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 | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers | 54 | 23 | 43 | 66 | +23 | 8 |
| Troy Lajeunesse | Fife Flyers | 52 | 28 | 32 | 60 | +1 | 26 |
| Ryan Valentini | Dundee Stars | 53 | 27 | 33 | 60 | –11 | 18 |
| Spencer Naas | Dundee Stars | 54 | 32 | 27 | 59 | +1 | 2 |
| Cole Sanford | Cardiff Devils | 54 | 29 | 29 | 58 | +13 | 56 |
| Patrick Watling | Sheffield Steelers | 53 | 22 | 36 | 58 | +27 | 16 |
| Gary Haden | Glasgow Clan | 54 | 27 | 29 | 56 | –25 | 30 |
| Marcus Crawford | Cardiff Devils | 54 | 4 | 51 | 55 | +25 | 70 |
| Marc-Olivier Vallerand | Sheffield Steelers | 49 | 24 | 29 | 53 | +27 | 38 |
| Kyle Osterberg | Fife Flyers | 47 | 22 | 31 | 53 | +2 | 28 |

#### 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) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Matt Greenfield | Sheffield Steelers | 47 | 2826:00 | 38 | 9 | 91 | 8 | 92.96% | 1.93 |
| Eamon McAdam | Guildford Flames | 30 | 1794:44 | 14 | 15 | 75 | 2 | 91.88% | 2.51 |
| Evan Weninger | Manchester Storm | 47 | 2795:17 | 23 | 23 | 118 | 3 | 92.93% | 2.53 |
| Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils | 38 | 2257:12 | 25 | 12 | 97 | 5 | 92.38% | 2.58 |
| Tyler Beskorowany | Belfast Giants | 36 | 2049:28 | 21 | 14 | 96 | 1 | 89.39% | 2.81 |

## 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 (12–14 April) | Quarter-finals (12–14 April) | Quarter-finals (12–14 April) | Quarter-finals (12–14 April) | Quarter-finals (12–14 April) | | | Semi-finals (20 April) | Semi-finals (20 April) | Semi-finals (20 April) | Final (21 April) | Final (21 April) | Final (21 April) |
| 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 9 | 4 | 13 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Fife Flyers | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Fife Flyers | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 3 | | | |
| 2 | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 3 | 7 | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 3 | | | |
| 7 | Dundee Stars | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Dundee Stars | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 3 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 3 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 3 | Belfast Giants | 1 |
| 3 | Belfast Giants | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | 3 | Belfast Giants | 1 |
| 6 | Coventry Blaze | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| 6 | Coventry Blaze | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | 2 | Cardiff Devils | 1 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | | | | | 3 | Belfast Giants | 2 |
| 4 | Manchester Storm | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | 3 | Belfast Giants | 2 | 2 | Cardiff Devils | 7 |
| 5 | Guildford Flames | 5 | 4 | 9 | | | | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 5 |

### Quarter-finals

The quarter-final schedule was announced on 7 April 2024, following the conclusion of the final-day regular season matches.

#### (1) Sheffield Steelers vs. (8) Fife Flyers

* Sheffield Steelers win 13–5 on aggregate.

#### (2) Cardiff Devils vs. (7) Dundee Stars

* Cardiff Devils win 7–4 on aggregate.

#### (3) Belfast Giants vs. (6) Coventry Blaze

* Belfast Giants win 3–2 on aggregate.

#### (4) Manchester Storm vs. (5) Guildford Flames

* Guildford Flames win 9–1 on aggregate.

### Semi-finals

Following the conclusion of the quarter-final matchups, the schedule for the Finals weekend was confirmed.

### 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 | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Ryan Tait | Guildford Flames | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +1 | 0 |
| Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | +2 | 0 |
| Steven McParland | Guildford Flames | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +5 | 0 |
| Scott Allen | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +6 | 2 |
| Josh Nicholls | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +3 | 0 |
| Mikko Juusola | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | +3 | 2 |
| Nicolas Ouellet | Guildford Flames | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | +3 | 2 |
| Jamie Arniel | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Daniel Ciampini | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +3 | 4 |
| Sam Jones | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +4 | 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) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Jackson Whistle | Belfast Giants | 4 | 246:22 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 94.57% | 1.22 |
| Taran Kozun | Coventry Blaze | 2 | 117:58 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 94.92% | 1.53 |
| Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils | 3 | 188:05 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 94.83% | 1.91 |
| Taz Burman | Guildford Flames | 3 | 177:39 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 93.75% | 2.03 |
| Matt Greenfield | Sheffield Steelers | 3 | 180:00 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 89.61% | 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 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 qualified for the knockout stage. The quarter-finals and semi-finals were held over two legs, with a one-off final.

### 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 | Qualification to knockout stage |
| 3 | Glasgow Clan | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 4 | Qualification to knockout stage |
| 4 | Dundee Stars | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 26 | −11 | 2 | |

#### 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 | Qualification to knockout stage |
| 3 | Coventry Blaze | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 27 | −9 | 5 | Qualification to knockout stage |

#### Group C

Following the death of Adam Johnson, the Nottingham Panthers withdrew from the Challenge Cup on 8 November 2023. 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.
| 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 | Qualification to knockout stage |
| 3 | Nottingham Panthers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 19 | −10 | 2 | Withdrew from the competition |

### Knockout stage

| Quarter-finals (December 2023) | Quarter-finals (December 2023) | Quarter-finals (December 2023) | Quarter-finals (December 2023) | Quarter-finals (December 2023) | | | Semi-finals (January & February 2024) | Semi-finals (January & February 2024) | Semi-finals (January & February 2024) | Semi-finals (January & February 2024) | Semi-finals (January & February 2024) | Final (13 March 2024) | Final (13 March 2024) | Final (13 March 2024) |
| 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 5 | 5 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Manchester Storm | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Manchester Storm | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 4 | 10 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 7 | Coventry Blaze | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | |
| 2 | Belfast Giants | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | 7 | Coventry Blaze | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | |
| 7 | Coventry Blaze | 1 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Coventry Blaze | 1 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 3 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 1 | Sheffield Steelers | 3 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 5 | Guildford Flames | 1 |
| 3 | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 1 |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 0 | 6 | 6 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 6 | Glasgow Clan | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Fife Flyers | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | 6 | Glasgow Clan | 0 | 3 | 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. The Belfast–Coventry game dates were confirmed two days later.

##### (1) Sheffield Steelers vs. (8) Manchester Storm

* Sheffield Steelers win 10–2 on aggregate.

##### (2) Belfast Giants vs. (7) Coventry Blaze

* Coventry Blaze win 6–5 on aggregate.

##### (3) Cardiff Devils vs. (6) Glasgow Clan

* Glasgow Clan win 6–5 on aggregate.

##### (4) Fife Flyers vs. (5) Guildford Flames

* 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.

##### (1) Sheffield Steelers vs. (7) Coventry Blaze

* Sheffield Steelers win 10–1 on aggregate.

##### (5) Guildford Flames vs. (6) Glasgow Clan

* Guildford Flames win 6–3 on aggregate.

#### Final

As number 1 seeds, the Sheffield Steelers hosted the final on 13 March, at Sheffield Arena.

### 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 | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers | 12 | 6 | 11 | 17 | +7 | 4 |
| Patrick Watling | Sheffield Steelers | 12 | 5 | 10 | 15 | +11 | 2 |
| Ryan Tait | Guildford Flames | 13 | 9 | 5 | 14 | +3 | 2 |
| Marc-Olivier Vallerand | Sheffield Steelers | 11 | 6 | 8 | 14 | +9 | 2 |
| Daniel Ciampini | Sheffield Steelers | 12 | 4 | 9 | 13 | +7 | 10 |
| Trevor Cox | Cardiff Devils | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +8 | 4 |
| Marcus Crawford | Cardiff Devils | 10 | 1 | 11 | 12 | +10 | 12 |
| Peter Crinella | Guildford Flames | 13 | 8 | 3 | 11 | +3 | 4 |
| Mark Cooper | Belfast Giants | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 | +5 | 2 |
| Mikko Juusola | Sheffield Steelers | 12 | 0 | 11 | 11 | +9 | 6 |

#### 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) | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Anthony Morrone | Sheffield Steelers | 8 | 453:47 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 94.47% | 1.45 |
| 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 |
| Eamon McAdam | Guildford Flames | 6 | 341:01 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 91.03% | 2.29 |
| Jake Kielly | Glasgow Clan | 6 | 329:45 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 92.74% | 2.37 |