Release from 04.09.2024

ICE Teams Start in the Champions Hockey League

Short text 453 CharactersPlain text

With EC Red Bull Salzburg, EC-KAC, and Hydro Fehérvár AV19, three teams from the win2day ICE Hockey League will kick off their campaigns in the Champions Hockey League in the coming days. The action starts with the Hungarian team on Thursday in the Czech Republic. On Friday, EC-KAC will play an away game in France, while ICE champions EC Red Bull Salzburg will begin with a home game. The three ICE teams will also be in action on Saturday and Sunday.

Press release 4727 CharactersPlain text

Champion EC Red Bull Salzburg, runner-up EC-KAC, and Hydro Fehérvár AV19 will represent the win2day ICE Hockey League in the 2024/25 season across Europe. All three teams will face two top international opponents in the coming days. EC Red Bull Salzburg will kick off with two home games, while Klagenfurt and Fehérvár will begin with road trips.

Fehérvár Starts with a Road Trip

Hydro Fehérvár AV19 qualified for the Champions Hockey League for the second time. Their first CHL season in 2022/23 didn't go as planned for the Hungarians. After four straight losses, the "Red Devils" managed to secure two wins against GKS Katowice (at that time, the first phase was still in group stage format), but it wasn’t enough to reach the playoffs. In the new CHL season, Fehérvár will face six top-tier opponents. Their campaign starts on Thursday with a game against Dynamo Pardubice in the Czech Republic, before they head to Prague on Sunday to face Sparta Praha.

Fehérvár’s Opponent: Dynamo Pardubice (Thursday)

  • Dynamo Pardubice has qualified for the CHL for the fifth time.
  • Pardubice reached the quarterfinals in the previous CHL season.
  • Pardubice made it to the finals in the Czech Extraliga last season.

Fehérvár’s Opponent: Sparta Praha (Saturday)

  • Sparta Praha has qualified for the CHL for the seventh time.
  • Last season, Sparta Praha did not advance past the CHL regular season.
  • In the Extraliga, Sparta Praha reached the semifinals last season.

KAC Begins with Games in France and Sweden

EC-KAC is entering its fifth Champions Hockey League season. Their last appearance on the European stage was three years ago. The Klagenfurt team’s best CHL performance was reaching the round of 16 in the 2021/22 season. This year, EC-KAC will compete in the CHL "regular season" format, facing six different opponents. The vice-champions of the win2day ICE Hockey League will travel extensively at the start. After their opener on Friday in France against the Rouen Dragons, KAC will continue on to Sweden to face Färjestad Karlstad.

KAC’s Opponent: Rouen Dragons (Friday)

  • The Rouen Dragons are participating in the CHL for the fifth time.
  • Last season, the Rouen Dragons did not advance past the CHL regular season.
  • The Rouen Dragons have won the French championship in the past two seasons.

KAC’s Opponent: Färjestad Karlstad (Sunday)

  • Färjestad Karlstad has qualified for the CHL for the eighth time.
  • Last season, Färjestad Karlstad reached the CHL quarterfinals.
  • In Sweden's SHL, Färjestad Karlstad was eliminated in the quarterfinals last season.

Red Bulls Start with Back-to-Back Home Games

EC Red Bull Salzburg has qualified for the Champions Hockey League for the tenth time, making them the most frequent participant from the win2day ICE Hockey League. The Salzburg team’s biggest CHL success was reaching the semifinals in the 2018/19 season. Back then, they narrowly missed the final in a “stable duel” against Red Bull Munich. When the Champions Hockey League was still played in group stages, Salzburg always qualified for the playoffs. However, in the first season with a regular season format, they failed to advance to the knockout stage. In the opening weekend of the 2024/25 CHL season, Salzburg will face last year’s finalist Skellefteå AIK (SWE) on Friday and Danish champion SønderjyskE Vojens, who is making its second CHL appearance, on Sunday.

Salzburg’s Opponent: Skellefteå AIK (Friday)

  • Like Salzburg, Skellefteå AIK has also qualified for the CHL for the tenth time.
  • Skellefteå AIK narrowly lost the final 2-3 to Genève-Servette last season.
  • Skellefteå AIK won the Swedish SHL title last season.

Salzburg’s Opponent: SønderjyskE Vojens (Sunday)

  • SønderjyskE Vojens is making its second appearance in the CHL.
  • In their only previous CHL season, SønderjyskE did not advance past the group stage.
  • SønderjyskE were crowned Danish champions last season.

Champions Hockey League Format

Since last season, the Champions Hockey League has featured 24 teams and starts with a regular season – with each team playing against six different opponents. Once all regular season games are completed, the top 16 teams advance to the playoffs, where opponents are assigned based on their standings.

Champions Hockey League:

Thu. 05.09.2024:
17:00 Dynamo Parducibe – Hydro Fehérvár AV19

Fri. 06.09.2024:
20.00 Rouen Dragons - EC-KAC
20.20 EC Red Bull Salzburg - Skellefteå AIK

Sat. 07.09.2024:
18.30 Sparta Praha – Hydro Fehérvár AV19

Sun. 08.09 2024:
15.00 EC Red Bull Salzburg - SønderjyskE Vojens
15.00 Färjestad Karlstad – EC-KAC

 Live-Ticker bzw. Streams gibt es auf https://www.championshockeyleague.com/