Special arrange­ment for the group stage

Following a year-long coronavirus break, the Champions Hockey League is set to return in its usual format next season, 2021/22. 32 teams, including three from the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League, will compete for the European club title. The draw will already feature a special arrangement for clubs from the domestic league.

As the initially scheduled matchday (26-29 August) clashes with Olympic qualifying, there will be a separate draw for the ICE clubs and the champions from France, Slovakia, Norway, Poland and Denmark. These five national champions will be drawn together with the three ICE clubs into the two groups of four whose matchdays differ slightly from the rest of the CHL and include an additional matchday in September instead of the August matchday.

This means that, even before the draw on 19 May, it is clear that at least two ICE clubs will be placed in the same group. Alongside EC-KAC, HC Bozen has already qualified, while the champion or the highest-placed semi-finalist will also qualify should the final be EC-KAC against Bozen. The first match dates for these two groups will be 2-5 September, while the group stage for all eight groups – the remaining 24 teams will be drawn into six further groups of four – will conclude on 12/13 October. In addition to the two ICE representatives, eleven further clubs have already qualified.