Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 Emirates Ice Hockey League | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Countries | United Arab Emirates |
| Continent | Asia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dubai White Bears (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Dubai Mighty Camels (5 titles) |
The Emirates Hockey League (EHL) is the national ice hockey league of the United Arab Emirates. The league is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation and founded in 2009 by the country’s Winter Sports Federation and the Emirates Olympic Committee.[1][2] The Scorpions and Mighty Camels are composed of expatriate players, including Canadians, working in the U.A.E., while the other clubs consist of mostly Emirati players who form the United Arab Emirates national team.[3]
In November 2018, Vladimir Burdun, a former karate champion who had lived in Dubai since the mid-1990s, was appointed as the new president of the League.[4] He planned to eventually field at least one Emirates team in the international, professional Kontinental Hockey League by 2021.[5] "The main goal of the EHL management is to improve the quality of the league and bring new exposure to the level of play and create bridges with one of the best leagues in Europe, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)", he said. At about the same time, Dmitry Butenko was appointed as Managing Director of EHL.[6] A new ice arena was expected to open in Dubai, possibly before the end of 2019, with a seating capacity of 17,000,[7] and that venue would meet all the requirements of the KHL. (Preliminary plans for a major arena in Abu Dhabi were also underway in 2018.)[8][9][10]
In April 2018, the Dubai Mighty Camels won the fourth title of Emirates Hockey League, becoming the major winner of the competition while in 2019, the champions were the Abu Dhabi Storms.[11]