The 2017 National Hockey League will be played under a new format this season. It will be held across nine days from September 16 to 24 at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington. The new structure aligns with the current International Hockey Federation tournament model. The Southern Dogs are in pool A with Midlands, Harbour and Capital, while the Southern Storm will play Canterbury, Auckland and Capital in pool play. Southern Hockey, which did not enter teams last season, did not respond to messages yesterday.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 28, 2017 18:11 UTC