Release from 30.08.2022

ICE teams ready for the fight for the European crown

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From September 1, the Champions Hockey League begins for EC Red Bull Salzburg, EC IDM Wärmepumpen VSV, Hydro Fehérvár AV19 and HK SZ Olimpija. The representatives of the win2day ICE Hockey League are ready to take on Europe's best.

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32 teams from 13 leagues will compete in the Champions Hockey League starting on Thursday. Among them are four representatives of the ICE Hockey League: champions Red Bull Salzburg, runners-up of regular season VSV, runners-up Hydro Fehérvár AV19 and Olimpija Ljubljana, which received a wild card from the CHL after the Ukrainian representative withdrew due to the war.

Fehérvár AV19 and Olimpija Ljubljana make their debut on the European stage, for Red Bull Salzburg it will already be the seventh participation (best result: semi-final 2018/19) and VSV returns to the Champions Hockey League after an absence of eight years (2014/15 exit in the group stage).

Game plan for 2022/23

The CHL group stage begins on September 1 and ends on October 12. The 32 teams have been divided into eight groups of four and each team will play six group games - against each of the three opponents once at home and once away. The top two teams in each group advance to the playoffs. In the playoff draw on October 14, the first round of the knockout stage will be drawn - after which teams will know their possible path to the finals based on the playoff tree.

With 16 teams in the playoffs, it will take four rounds to crown the European club champion. The first three playoff rounds all go over two games, in which the total score from the home and return games will count. The playoffs start on November 15 and end with the ultimate final game on February 18, 2023. For the first time ever, the CHL final will take place on a Saturday.

The defending champions are Rögle Ängelholm. The Swedes replaced four-time champion Frölunda Gothenburg last season. The ICE teams will try to repeat or even top Red Bull Salzburg's greatest success to date - their semi-final appearance in 2018/19. Last season all three ICE representatives made it to the playoffs, but in the Round of 16 the European adventure ended for all of them.

Statements:

Matt McIlvane, Head Coach EC Red Bull Salzburg: "Our goal in the Champions Hockey League is simple: we focus from game to game. But our big goal is always the same: We want to win."

Rob Daum, Head Coach EC IDM Wärmepumpen VSV: "There is great competition in the Champions Hockey League. Every participating team has earned its place in the competition. That means all teams are strong and every game will be intense. Of course, our team wants to be successful in the group stage and advance. The CHL games will also help us for the ICE season opener."

Kevin Constantine, Head Coach Hydro Fehérvár AV19: "We approach all games the same, no matter which ones they are. We want to be as good as we can be. We want to play at our best level."

Mitja Šivic, Head Coach HK SZ Olimpija: "We are playing in the Champions Hockey League for the first time. We will meet very good teams with very strong players. The games will be fun for sure, but also very demanding. Nevertheless, we don't want to see the CHL participation only as an experience, because that's a loser mentality from my point of view. We are a hard-working team. We will play hard and see where that takes us. We haven't set high goals, but: we're not just in it, we want to challenge the others."