The New International Hockey League (IHL):
The New International Hockey League (IHL) is a men's professional ice hockey league in North America. It was formed out of a merger between the National Hockey league (NHL), American Hockey League (AHL), East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) . It has now been expanded to over 64 teams (58 in the United States and 6 in Canada). The new IHL will play a 76 or 56-game schedule, with promotion & relegation now being implemented for the league. All IHL teams will have no more than 1 affiliate.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, 8 teams at each level (i.e. 4 from each conference) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the IHL Championships, which will usually start on the second week of March and is played between the champions of the American & National Conferences. The IHF will now play under IIHF rules, with the following exceptions listed on this website.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, 8 teams at each level (i.e. 4 from each conference) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the IHL Championships, which will usually start on the second week of March and is played between the champions of the American & National Conferences. The IHF will now play under IIHF rules, with the following exceptions listed on this website.