Basingstoke Bison will compete in a revised National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) Division One South next season following the late withdrawal of three teams.
Nine sides will now face each other in a single league, playing each other twice home and away for a 32-game season.
The top-eight teams at the end of the year will fight for the play-offs, while a cup competition is also being planned.
It ends a period of uncertainty following Oxford City Stars, Chelmsford Chieftains and Solent Devils all resigning due to increased costs of a single league structure after a two conference system had previously been agreed.
A statement from the NIHL said: “We’re naturally disappointed, as are our member teams, that the conference system agreed in the meeting on May 7 is not going to be possible.
“Since this happened, we’ve been consulting with our member teams to resolve the way forward. It is clear that from discussions that we have nine teams committed to the NIHL1 standard and we’re pleased to get this information out.
“It has always been our intention to attempt to return NIHL1 South to 10 teams at the earliest possible opportunity.
“Therefore we can confirm that with nine teams in the league there will be no relegation at the end of the 2017/18 season.”
Discussions are still ongoing for division two, in which Basingstoke Buffalo is expected to play.
Following the statement from the league, Bison confirmed that Derek Roehl and Joe Rand would not be returning for the new campaign.
Roehl made 51 appearances for the club and scored 25 goals, while Rand played 224 times over five seasons. He has returned home to Canada after retiring from ice hockey.
But Tomas Karpov will be staying with the Herd for a fifth season as part of a university link-up while he continues his studies at the University of Winchester.
Doug Sheppard, Bison’s director of hockey, said: “I couldn’t be happier that Tomas will be back for a fifth season in the club’s colours.
“He’s the complete player for our side, a great point-scorer.”
