English Premier Ice Hockey League

The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) is a developmental ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which are based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL is the secondary professional ice hockey league in Great Britain (after the ten-side Elite Ice Hockey League). A total of 27 teams have been in the league at one time or another; with 10 currently featuring in the league. Swindon Wildcats are the only team to have consistently featured in the EPIHL since its inaugural season in 1997-98.

History

The league was founded in 1997, under the banner of "national division", as part of the English National Ice Hockey League in order to serve former members of the British National League who couldn't afford to remain in the latter as a result of increased operating costs; but who were capable of a level of play above the import-free English leagues that made up the rest of the ENIHL. During the 1997-98 season the teams' that constituted this division played dual schedules; a series of games solely amongst their own division, and another amongst all the teams that were playing under the ENIHL at that time. Solihull Blaze won the league and play-off trophies of both formats during this inaugural season. At the start of the 1998-99 season the divisions, whilst still both under the ENIHL umbrella, performed in their own separate competitions; and the national division adopted the name "premier division", and later on became known as the "premier league". By the end of the season the league had established itself outside of the ENIHL as the "English Premier Ice Hockey League". In 2005 the BNL disbanded; leaving the EPIHL to take its place as the second tier of the national game.