How would you compare/contrast and ?
The NHL is the #1 league in the world- no one is disputing that. The level of hockey, caliber, and depth is higher in the NHL than the EIHL. Due to the EIHL being one of the most common leagues in Europe for high quality imports to play in, a number of veteran players here possess prior experience playing pro in North America, predominantly in the AHL/ECHL. You will find a number of EIHL players with some NHL games played on their resumes. This doesn't equate to their whole team being at the NHL level, it simply shows that this subset of players once played at the highest level in all of hockey. Another area where the two leagues are slightly similar is in their style of play. Whereas much of European hockey is more finesse, the EIHL is one of the tougher EU leagues with physicality, hard nosed hockey, and fighting.
We've worked with hockey players with experience playing in each of these respective leagues (many of them both). Our insights derive from this as well as current conversations with scouts, staff, and current players.
