2020–21 Champions Hockey League

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2020–21 Champions Hockey League
Tournament details
DatesCancelled
Teams32

The 2020–21 Champions Hockey League was scheduled to be the seventh season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament. The tournament was planned to be competed by 32 teams, with qualification being on sporting merits only. The six founding leagues would have been represented by between three and five teams (based on a three-year league ranking), while seven "challenge leagues" were to be represented by one team each. An additional spot would have been awarded to the 2019–20 IIHF Continental Cup winner. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a revised schedule was presented that would have seen the season start directly with a 32-team play-off in October. However, because the situation did not improve sufficiently in Europe, it was announced in early October that the CHL board of directors had cancelled the tournament, without any games being played.[1][2]

Team allocation[]

A total of 32 teams from different European first-tier leagues would have participated in the 2020–21 Champions Hockey League. Besides the Continental Cup champions, 24 teams from the six founding leagues, as well as the national champions from Slovakia, Norway, Denmark, France, Belarus, Great Britain and Poland could have qualified.

The qualification for these places is set out in the rules as follows:[3]

  1. CHL champions
  2. National league champions (play-off winners)
  3. Regular season winners
  4. Regular season runners-up
  5. Regular season third-placed team
  6. Regular season fourth-placed team
  7. Regular season fifth-placed team

For the Austrian Hockey League teams are however picked in this order:[3]

  1. League champions
  2. Regular season winners
  3. Pick Round winners
  4. Pick Round runners-up
  5. Losing playoff finalists

Note: Great Britain is the lone exception as the EIHL, in line with their traditions, determine their national champion following the regular season (not in the playoffs).[4]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, many leagues were forced to cancel their seasons early. Places usually reserved for the playoff champions of those leagues were given to the next best team from the regular season, or in the Austrian Hockey League's case, the next best team from the regular season pick round.[5] In the case of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the team leading the regular season at the time of its cancellation were given its Champions Hockey League place.[6] HC '05 Banská Bystrica qualified for the CHL as Slovak Tipsport liga's regular season champion but had to withdraw due to issues related to the arena. They were replaced by HC Neman Grodno.[7]

On 15 September, the CHL announced that the Cardiff Devils had withdrawn from the league due to the suspension of the 2020–21 EIHL season. No new team would replace them.[8]

Teams[]

Teams in the 2020–21 Champions Hockey League
Team City/Area League Qualification Participation Previous Best
Sweden Frölunda HC Göteborg Swedish Hockey League 2020 CHL winner 7th Champion
Sweden Luleå HF Luleå Swedish Hockey League regular season winner 5th Champion
Sweden Färjestad BK Karlstad Swedish Hockey League regular season runner-up 5th Round of 16
Sweden Rögle BK Ängelholm Swedish Hockey League regular season third 1st First appearance
Sweden Skellefteå AIK Skellefteå Swedish Hockey League regular season fourth 6th Semi-finals
Switzerland ZSC Lions Zürich National League regular season winner 6th Quarter-finals
Switzerland EV Zug Zug National League regular season runner-up 7th Quarter-finals
Switzerland HC Davos Davos National League regular season third 4th Semi-finals
Switzerland Genève-Servette HC Geneva National League regular season fourth 3rd Round of 16
Switzerland EHC Biel Biel/Bienne National League regular season fifth 2nd Quarter-finals
Germany Red Bull München Munich Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season winner 6th Final
Germany Adler Mannheim Mannheim Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season runner-up 6th Round of 16
Germany Straubing Tigers Straubing Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season third 1st First appearance
Germany Eisbären Berlin Berlin Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season fourth 5th Round of 16
Finland Kärpät Oulu SM-liiga regular season winner 6th Final
Finland Lukko Rauma SM-liiga regular season runner-up 4th Semi-finals
Finland Tappara Tampere SM-liiga regular season third 7th Round of 16
Finland Ilves Tampere SM-liiga regular season fourth 1st First appearance
Czech Republic Bílí Tygři Liberec Liberec Czech Extraliga regular season winner 6th Semi-finals
Czech Republic Oceláři Třinec Třinec Czech Extraliga regular season runner-up 6th Semi-finals
Czech Republic HC Sparta Praha Prague Czech Extraliga regular season third 4th Final
Austria Red Bull Salzburg Salzburg Austrian Hockey League regular season first round winner 6th Semi-finals
Italy HC Bolzano Bolzano Austrian Hockey League regular season pick round winner 3rd Round of 16
Austria Vienna Capitals Vienna Austrian Hockey League regular season pick round third 7th Round of 16
Denmark SønderjyskE Ishockey Vojens Metal Ligaen Continental Cup winner 3rd Group stage
Denmark Aalborg Pirates[9] Aalborg Metal Ligaen regular season winner 2nd Group stage
Belarus Yunost Minsk Minsk Belarusian Extraleague play-off champion 4th Round of 16
Belarus HC Neman Grodno Grodno Belarusian Extraleague regular season runner-up 4th Group stage
France Brûleurs de Loups Grenoble Ligue Magnus regular season winner 3rd Group stage
Norway Stavanger Oilers Stavanger GET-ligaen regular season champion 5th Round of 32
Poland GKS Tychy Tychy Polska Hokej Liga regular season champion 3rd Group stage

References[]

  1. ^ "2020/21 CHL season cancelled". www.championshockeyleague.com. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  2. ^ "CHL plans to start the season on 6 October". championshockeyleague.com. 2020-04-28.}
  3. ^ a b "Qualification criteria updated for 2019/20". championshockeyleague.com. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  4. ^ "The CHL Format". championshockeyleague.com. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. ^ "WHO'S QUALIFIED FOR 2020/21?". championshockeyleague.com. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  6. ^ "No League Champions in 2019/20 - Devils to enter CHL". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  7. ^ "CHL plans to start the season on 6 October". championshockeyleague.com. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Cardiff Devils withdraw from the CHL 2020/21". championshockeyleague.com. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  9. ^ Søvsø, Michael (12 March 2020). "Metal Liga-sæsonen 2019/20 afsluttes øjeblikkeligt" (in Danish). Metal Ligaen.
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