2016–17 EIHL season | |
---|---|
League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | September - March |
Regular season | |
League | Cardiff Devils |
Season MVP | Andrew Hotham (Cardiff Devils) |
Top scorer |
Matt Beca (Braehead Clan) 75 points |
Conference | |
Erhardt champions | Cardiff Devils |
Erhardt runners-up | Belfast Giants |
Gardiner champions | Braehead Clan |
Gardiner runners-up | Dundee Stars |
Playoffs | |
Champions | Sheffield Steelers |
Runners-up | Cardiff Devils |
Finals MVP | Ben Bowns (Cardiff Devils) |
The 2016-17 Elite Ice Hockey League Season was the 14th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season begun in early September and ended in March. Regular season champion Cardiff Devils were defeated in the playoff final by their Erhardt Conference rivals Sheffield Steelers 6–5 in double-overtime.
On 30 April 2014, the Elite League announced changes to the import rules, as from this season (2016–17), the number of non British-trained players rose from 13 to 14, but the amount of work-permit players remained at 11.
Playoffs – Nottingham Panthers
Challenge Cup – Nottingham Panthers
Erhardt Conference
Gardiner Conference
All games counted towards the overall Elite League standings. Each team played 52 matches; 32 matches against their four Conference rivals, and 20 against the five teams from the other Conference. The Cardiff Devils became regular season champions for the first time in twenty years, with a 6–2 win over the Sheffield Steelers on 18 March 2017 at Ice Arena Wales.
Only intra-conference games counted towards the Erhardt Conference standings. Each team played the other four teams in the Conference eight times, for a total of 32 matches. The Cardiff Devils won the Conference for the second successive season, with a 4–3 win over the Belfast Giants on 25 March 2017 at Ice Arena Wales.
Only intra-conference games counted towards the Gardiner Conference standings. Each team played the other four teams in the Conference eight times, for a total of 32 matches. The Braehead Clan won the Conference for the third successive season, with a 4–1 win over the Dundee Stars on 25 February 2017 at the Braehead Arena.