Reigning Swiss champions HC Davos made it through to the Round of 32 with a solid campaign in Group E, taking 10 of 12 possible points. They flew out of the blocks, winning their first two matches in Sweden and the Czech Republic. This left them needing just a single point from their remaining two games to ensure their route to the next round – they achieved this with a 1–0 overtime loss at home to Farjestad Karlstad, before closing out the group stage with a 5–3 win over HC Pardubice. The Round of 32 saw them lose a tight first leg 2–1 in Helsinki, but they then showed their strength at home by powering away to a 5–2 victory, that saw them progress 6–3 on aggregate. The next round produced a match-up against the upstarts from Liberec. The White Tigers, as they are known, allowed Davos to score early and often in both games, winning each opening period by 3–1. This would prove critical in the big picture as, even though Liberec outshot Davos by a massive 47 shots to 19 in the second tie, by the end of that first period, the aggregate score was already 8–4. In the quarter-finals they played to a 1–1 draw on home ice against Skelleftea, then pulled off a suprising 4–1 win in northern Sweden despite being out-shot 39–13, thanks to the stellar netminding of Leonardo Genoni.

Frolunda were also 1st in their group, finishing with a perfect 12 points in Group N, although after opening with a 9–1 win over the Sheffield Steelers, the remaining three group games against the Steelers and JYP Jyvaskyla were close. In the knockout stages, the Indians have made a habit of digging themselves a hole in the first leg and then climbing their way out in the second. First they fell 4–2 in Ingolstadt before rallying a week later on home ice to tie the aggregate score in the dying seconds courtesy defenceman Lukas Bengtsson. Then in overtime, Ryan Lasch scored a highlight-reel goal to win it. In the next round Frolunda lost 2–1 in Litvinov, then rebounded with a big 6–0 win on home ice. In the quarter-finals, they lost the opener in Lulea 3–2 before winning 5–4 on home ice in the return leg to tie the aggregate score, then won the series in a shootout. In the semi-finals they will again start on the road, but will try to keep their heads above water this time and make life easier for themselves in the return leg back home.

These two teams have met once before in European club championship play, with Davos defeating Frolunda 6–2 in the group stage of the 2006 European Champions Cup.

HC Davos are the Scandinavian party poopers in the Champions League this year. Having already defeated Farjestad twice in the group stage, they then eliminated IFK Helsinki in the Round of 32 and Skelleftea AIK in the quarter-finals. The only non-Finnish or -Swedish team in either of the competition's first two seasons to make it as far as the quarters, and now they face another Swedish team in the semis. For Frolunda, the goal is simple – return to the Final. Anything less than that will be a major disappointment. While Davos had earned home-ice in the second game having accumulated more points than Frolunda through their first 10 games, the World Economic Forum in Davos has required the teams to switch home dates. Therefore, the first leg is in southeastern Switzerland on 12 January, with the return leg Sweden a week later.

Closer look: Frolunda Gothenburg

(7-0-0-3, 21 points, 41:19)

The most successful period in Frolunda's seven decades of playing hockey was the early 2000s, when they won two Swedish titles in three years – they had also previously won once in 1965. With stars on the team such as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and centre Daniel Alfredsson (playing back on the team of his youth during the 2004–05 NHL lockout), Frolunda have gained a reputation as Europe's best exporter of talent – a claim goes back to the days when the club produced Swedish NHL pioneers Ulf Sterner and Thommie Bergman. The team continues to be a talent factory, and as recently as 2014, eight Frolunda players were chosen in the NHL Entry Draft.

For the last decade, Frolunda have consistently been in the Swedish Hockey League's upper echelon, but a fifth title has managed to escape them. They've finished second in the regular season each of the past two years, but came up short of the league finals both times. And of course, they made it to the 2014–15 CHL Final and had a two-goal lead with a period to go, but let it slip through their fingers. This year they mean business. That's evident from the start to the domestic season, and the way they've advanced through the CHL, overcoming all sorts of obstacles by getting big goals when they need them.

A key to Frolunda's great offence is their power play, which has struck a CHL-leading 21 times so far, which accounts for more than half of their goals. Blessed with a wealth of attacking talent, Frolunda have four players in the top 10 CHL point scorers in Lasch, Spencer Abbott, Artturi Lehkonen and Andreas Johnson. Domestically they have been just as dominant, losing only five of their first 30 games while out-scoring SHL opponents 116–63 to put themselves atop the standings.

Ryan

Lasch

5+8, +4

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: When Frolunda lost CHL MVP centre Mathis Olimb in the off-season, they needed to replace the offence he produced and former TPS winger Ryan Lasch has done just that. The 28-year-old American leads the team in SHL scoring and also leads the whole CHL, and made the difference in Frolunda's Round of 32 victory over Ingolstadt, scoring the overtime-winner on a spectacular indivudual effort. As well, Lulea know what kind of threat he is to score, with 2 goals in the first meeting between these teams this season. But on a team full of dangerous scorers, other forwards to watch out for are Swede Andreas Johnson, Canadian Spencer Abbott, and Finn Artturi Lehkonen.

Henrik

Tommernes

3+6, +1

Top Defenceman: After failing getting a spot in Vancouver Canucks for two seasons, 25-year-old Henrik Tommernes has returned to the club where he started his professional career and spent five seasons before he went to North America. He’s a great all-round d-man with a great offensive mind. He scored a hat-trick (+1 assist) in the 9–1 win against the Sheffield Steelers and was the club's top scorer in the group stage with 8 points. While he's only added 1 assist in six games during the playoff stage, he has continued his solid play in his own end, and still leads all CHL defencemen with 9 points in 10 games heading into the semi-finals.

Lars

Johansson

91.73 %

Top Goaltender: 28-year-old Lars Johansson is starting his third season in Frolunda Gothenburg and has really gotten to prove that he deserves starting goalie job. The two previous seasons he and Linus Fernstrom pretty much split the job, alternating almost every game, but Johansson managed to out-compete Fernstrom in the playoffs and became the starter. This season he’s battling with former U20 World Champion (2012) and Senior World Champion (2013) Johan Gustafsson, who's back in Sweden after two seasons in North America. Johansson has started seven CHL games so far and has won all seven with a 91.73 save percentage and 1.52 goals-against average. He will most likely start at least one of the games, if not both, against Davos.

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Closer look: HC Davos

(7-0-2-1, 23 points, 32:18)

History is a word you associate with HC Davos. The team which plays in the highest city in Europe, in county Graubunden, Switzerland, has won the Swiss championship a record 31 times, and are the current defending champions. They are also the hosts of the world-renowned Spengler Cup, which since 1923 is one of the world’s oldest annual professional sporting events.

Arno Del Curto IS HC Davos! The enigmatic leader from St Moritz is in his 20th season as coach of the club, and under his watch the team has won six championships and were runners up on three other occasions. His teams are known to play hard, fast, intelligent hockey, and many young players have developed into national stars while playing for him.

With the good times come also the bad, and Davos have also experienced low points, particularly in 1990, when they were relegated to the 1.Liga (3rd division), only a couple of seasons after back to back titles. They fought their way back up after a new beginning of sorts, and in 1992 were back where they belong in the National League A, but it would take them a decade until they could once again lift the championship trophy.

The last decade has been very successful in Davos, with titles coming in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015. Current NHL stars Jonas Hiller, Nino Niedereiter and Mark Streit all played their formative seasons for HC Davos, the former two being products of their junior system. After 34 games in 2015–16, they sit second in the NLA standings.

Andres

Ambuehl

6+3, +6

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: 32-year-old Andres Ambuehl is one of Davos’ key players and also one of their most experienced. Ambuehl made his hometown club debut before he turned 18 years of age, and has since represented the Swiss national team over 200 times! His excellent skating and aggressive style see him getting in where it hurts, allowing to make clutch plays. Keep your eyes on number 10 in blue and yellow. Just 2 points below with 7 are Dino Wieser and Dario Simion – the just just 21 years old, but a highly-rated talent in Swiss Hockey, Simion has already broken through into the national team after over 80 appearances at all age levels within the Swiss junior system.

Beat

Forster

0+1, +4

Top Defenceman: Big Beat Forster has been a fixture in Swiss hockey since he broke into the Davos team as an 18-year-old in 2001. A veteran of almost 100 games for the Swiss national team, you can rely on Forster for a hard-hitting no-nonsense style at the back, plus leadership – he likes to make opponents pay with big hits and a big shot from the point. Although his point production has dropped off a little in the last couple of seasons, his skating ability and hockey sense mean that he can still be relied on for an important play which could prove crucial at this stage of the competition. A solid defensive group, Davos don't get a lot of offence from the back end as only two d-men have more than 1 point.

Leondardo

Genoni

95.13%

Top Goaltender: Leonardo Genoni is another one of the standout Swiss goalies that have come to the fore in recent years. He took over the number-one spot in 2007–08 after Jonas Hiller left for the NHL, and has not given up the starting spot since. Only three goals on 109 shots against in four group games was a statement. He has now conceded just 15 goals on 308 shots, for a save percentage of 94.47, while playing more minutes and facing more shots than any other goalie in the tournament. Goaltending is always key in tight games, and Genoni proved his worth in the last round against Skelleftea by turning away an amazing 71 of 73 shots.

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