The EIHL is in a bit of a weird spot right now. The standard of hockey in the UK is arguably the best it's ever been, moving away from the old-school North American style towards a faster, more skillful game, more in line with what’s played across Europe.
At the top end, it’s brilliant. We’ve seen that in CHL fixtures over the years, and if you watched a game in Germany, Sweden, or Austria, you’d probably walk away with the same buzz fans had during the WNIR and BBT eras. But if you're not seeing that level of hockey every week, the modern game can feel a little flat.
What’s interesting (as has been pointed out already) is that when you drop down to the NIHL/NIHL1, where the overall standard is much lower, the style shifts. The gap in quality is massive, but because the skill level isn't as high, the game leans more towards the physical side, almost by necessity, and despite the skill level being much lower, the games are often more entertaining.
I think what I'm trying to say is, the game is very entertaining at both ends of the 'sliding meter' between low-skill and physical vs skillful and limited physicality, but the middle ground can feel a little uninspired at times, and for me that’s where the EIHL seems to be stuck right now.
