The 2015–16 Champions Hockey League Playoff Draw will take place Tuesday, 8 September in Helsinki, and it will be conducted by a special guest. Read below to find out all relevant information for the draw and the Round of 32.
Press Release
The Champions Hockey League is proud to announce that Finnish rock singer Samu Haber of Sunrise Avenue will conduct the Playoff Draw on 8 September in Helsinki. Samu is an avid hockey fan and supporter of CHL founding club IFK Helsinki.
Sunrise Avenue just concluded its Summer festival tour through Europe and only recently announced its tour dates for 2016. Check out their official website www.sunriseave.com for more information.
The draw will include 32 teams - the 16 group winners and runners-up. The group winners are all placed in Basket 1 and the runners up in Basket 2. The following teams will be in each basket:
BASKET 1 (Group winners): Linkoping HC, Tappara Tampere, HV71 Jonkoping, Skelleftea AIK, HC Davos, HC Litvinov, TPS Turku, Red Bull Munich, Adler Mannheim, Karpat Oulu, Lulea Hockey, Stavanger Oilers, Storhamar Hamar, Frolunda Gothenburg, Vaxjo Lakers, ZSC Lions Zurich.
BASKET 2 (Group runners up): IFK Helsinki, Djurgarden Stockholm, Red Bull Salzburg, Bili Tygri Liberec, Farjestad Karlstad, Espoo Blues, Dusseldorfer EG, HC Kosice, Vitkovice Ostrava, Vienna Capitals, Lukko Rauma, Ocelari Trinec, Sparta Prague, JYP Jyvaskyla, ERC Ingolstadt, Eisbaren Berlin.
Below are some common questions about the Champions Hockey League Playoff Draw, the Round of 32, and playoff format.
When and where does the draw take place?
The CHL Playoff Draw takes place on September 8 at 12:00 CET (13:00 local) at MTV studios in Helsinki.
Can I watch the draw live?
Absolutely, the draw will be streamed live at www.championshockeyleague.net.
Will there be any more playoff draws for subsequent rounds?
No. Once the 32 teams are drawn against each other, a knock-out bracket will determine the match-ups for all rounds leading to the final.
What is the draw procedure?
The winners will be placed in Basket 1 and the runner-up teams in Basket 2. Teams from Basket 1 will then randomly be drawn against teams from Basket 2. The draw will also determine each team's position in the knock-out bracket.
Can teams from the same country be drawn against each other?
Yes, national clashes are possible from now onwards. However, teams who played each other during the group stage cannot play each other in the Round of 32. Because match-ups in all subsequent rounds will be determined by bracket position, they can meet again later in the competition, though.
Who plays at home first?
The runner-up does have home ice in the first game. However, should there be an issue with arena availability for one of the teams, then there is a chance of swapping games.
When does the Round of 32 start?
First games will be played on 22 September, the return leg will take place on 6 October.
When will the playing schedule be available?
The schedule will be made available at www.championshockeyleague.net in due course.