With the conclusion of the SHL, the allocation pots for the 2017-18 Champions Hockey League Group Stage Draw have been finalized.
CHL News
With HV71 Jonkoping winning the Swedish SHL championship on Saturday night, all national leagues involved in the Champions Hockey League have seen their champions crowned. With this taken care of, the CHL has generated its final rankings ahead of the Group Stage Draw on 17 May at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne (16:00 CET live on CHL’s digital channels) and allocated the qualified 32 teams to four pots.
Reigning CHL champions Frolunda Gothenburg are the top ranked and seeded team, followed by the national champions of the six Founding Leagues: Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.
CHL Group Stage Draw: Pot Allocation
Pot 1 (A) | Pot 2 (B) | Pot 3 (C) | Pot 4 (D) |
Frolunda Gothenburg (CHLW) | TPS Turku (FIN2) | Ocelari Trinec (CZE3) | Banska Bystrica (SVK1) |
HV71 Jonkoping (SWE1) | ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI2) | Grizzlys Wolfsburg (GER3) | Stavanger Oilers (NOR1) |
Tappara Tampere (FIN1) | Bili Tygri Liberec (CZE2) | KAC Klagenfurt (AUT3) | Neman Grodno (BLR1) |
SC Bern (SUI1) | Adler Mannheim (GER2) | Malmo Redhawks (SWE4) | Esbjerg Energy (DAN1) |
Kometa Brno (CZE1) | Red Bull Salzburg (AUT2) | JYP Jyvaskyla (FIN4) | Cardiff Devils (GBR1) |
Red Bull Munich (GER1) | Brynas Gavle (SWE3) | HC Davos (SUI4) | Gap Rapaces (FRA1) |
Vienna Capitals (AUT1) | KalPa Kuopio (FIN3) | Mountfield Hradec Kralove (CZE4) | Comarch Cracovia (POL1) |
Vaxjo Lakers (SWE2) | EV Zug (SUI3) | IFK Helsinki (FIN5) | Nottingham Panthers (CCW) |
CHL ranking tool criteria: A) CHL champion, B) National league champion, C) Regular season winners, D) Regular season runner-up, E) Losing playoff finalist, F) Higher-seeded losing semi-finalist, G) Lower-seeded losing semi-finalist, H) Third-placed team in regular season.
How will the draw work?
- There will be four pots with 8 teams each.
- Pot 1: Teams ranked 1-8 | Pot 2: Teams ranked 9-16 | Pot 3: Teams ranked 17-24 |
Pot 4: Teams ranked 25-32; the CHL ranking tool applies. - The Draw will provide 8 groups of four teams each.
- Clubs from the same league cannot be drawn into the same group
- Software will help us detect any potential conflict. Should such a conflict occur then the software will determine the next possible group available. The club in question will then be placed into this available group.