Dubbed the “Centre ICE Summit”, the event took place alongside the Hlinka Gretzky Memorial Cup in the Canadian city.

The summit was claimed to be an opportunity for hockey personnel to learn from each other, before assessing the future of the sport.

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President René Fasel was among the key officials present at the event.

“The game is changing, players are getting bigger, coaches are using new tactics and making the game faster,” he said.

“It is important to evolve along with the game, keep player safety in focus but also not to make rules that would kill the sport.”

Members from the IIHF’s officiating, player safety and coaching committees also attended the event, along with officials from their youth and junior Development Committee.

Meetings were held by their committees with representatives from the National Hockey League (NHL) and Canadian Hockey League, according to the IIHF.

The worldwide governing body said key focus was placed on coaching, officiating, facility operations and athlete experiences.

Rule changes were claimed to have been discussed in seminars and meetings.

The summit was organised by the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, whose vice-chairman Bob Nicholson is an IIHF vice-president.

Nicholson, along with Hockey Canada President Tom Renney and IIHF Council Member Petr Briza, co-chaired a meeting between their respective IIHF Committees during the summit.