Following a period of consultation with the sport’s governing body, Ice Hockey UK, the Planet Ice NIHL National League (PINIHL National) confirm the roster and game-day lineup headline requirements for Competition Year 2026/27.

Rosters:

Rosters for teams in the Planet Ice NIHL National competitions will be capped at 25 registered players, including direct signings and players on two-way agreements with other clubs with teams in the lower tiers of the National Ice Hockey League (the “external two-way” player).

Players within the club system are free to play up into their PINIHL National side within the constraints for the game-day rosters without any cap on appearances (“internal two-way”). Where a club does not have any teams in a lower tier, they can nominate one club that does not have a National team to qualify as a collaborator for internal two-way players.

A team’s roster may include up-to five Non-British Trained (NBT) players. An NBT player is someone who does not qualify as British Trained per the League’s Development rule.  A player is considered British Trained under the Development rule if they have been registered under the jurisdiction of a competition associated with Ice Hockey UK for a minimum of 16 consecutive months after their 6th birthday and before their 18th birthday. Should a player have their 18th birthday mid-season, their development status will need to be re-certified. Additionally, any player that has represented Great Britain in competitive fixtures since 2010, in sanctioned IIHF Junior and Youth competition will also qualify as British Trained under the Development rule.

An Eligibility Assessment form is available for clubs to confirm player work permit, ITC and Development status. Any player new to PINIHL National in competition 26/27 wishing to be considered British Trained must be referred with evidence provided through this form before approvals can be granted.

PINIHL National is “dress five, skate five”: all NBT players may appear on the game-day roster and are allowed to be on the ice at the same time, in-game penalties permitting.

All signings will be subject to UK employment regulations with the clubs, League and governing bodies working with the requisite government agencies to ensure compliance with work permit and Right to Work legislation.

Should they wish, clubs may sign a NBT netminder as one of their quota. If they do, a British Trained netminder must be in-net for at least 600 minutes across the League season; the time equivalent of 10 complete fixtures.

It remains a requirement for players to have dressed in at least one qualification game to be eligible for the Cup knock-out phase, and a minimum of 25% available League games for participation in the Play-off competition. That is, 14 games in a 54-game campaign.  In a refinement to the previous campaign, the qualification game(s) must be playing for the team in-competition as opposed to any team in the League.

Game-day lineups:

On any given game in PINIHL National, a team may dress a maximum of 20 skaters and 2 netminders in their lineup. However, the last two out-skater bench slots may only be filled by players of Season Age 18 or below, encompassing players eligible to compete in Under 19s competition. That is to say: a team without any Season Age 18 players are capped at a 20-player bench (18 out skaters, 2 netminders). As per previous seasons, a player of Season Age 16 may only participate once they turn 16 years old.

All minors (players under the age of 18) must be approved for play by the club’s or league’s Chief Medical Officer, with the acknowledgement of the club’s Safeguarding Lead, and with explicit consent of a parent or guardian.

In a change from last season, there are no other requirements or constraints on player age for the game-day lineup; there are no “age bands”.

The PINIHL National League ownership and management groups remain grateful for the support of Ice Hockey UK and England Ice Hockey as we work together to drive forward the development of the sport we all hold dear. The League and its members remain committed to offering a pathway of excellence for British players through from youth to professional ice hockey.

The Rules of Competition 26/27 document will be published with further clarifications during the off-season in collaboration with the member clubs, and the new, unified, National Governing Body.