pɹˈiːviəsli, ˈaɪhl tˈiːmz wɜːɹ ˈoʊnli ˈeɪbəl tə sˈaɪn plˈeɪɚz hˌuː hæd plˈeɪd ɪnðɪ ˌɛnˌeɪtʃˈɛl, ˈɑːl ænd ˈɛtʃl, sˈʌmθɪŋ wˌɪtʃ ᵻsˈɛnʃəli lˈɪmɪɾᵻd ˈaɪhl klˈʌbz tʊ ɐ smˈɔːl pˈuːl ʌv ˈɛtʃl plˈeɪɚz ænd ɪnflˈeɪɾᵻd wˈeɪdʒ dᵻmˈændz.
Previously, EIHL teams were only able to sign players who had played in the NHL, AHL and ECHL, something which essentially limited EIHL clubs to a small pool of ECHL players and inflated wage demands.