Växjö lead rankings of 48 CHL clubs ahead of Draw
The Växjö Lakers, Swedish champs, get top ranking heading into the CHL Draw. by Vaxjo Lakers/CHL via Getty Images
The 48 teams that will compete in the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League have now been ranked ahead of the Draw, which will take place 13 May in Prague.
CHL News
As champions of Sweden, the Växjö Lakers are the top-ranked team, followed by the champions of Finland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria and Germany in the top six, followed by the regular-season champions (or second-placed teams, if they're the same) in the same six countries. The 10 Wild-Card teams are ranked 39 to 48, with national champions getting priority.
The 48 teams have been divided into three baskets, and each of the 16 groups will have one team from each pot, which will be drawn 13 May in Prague.
Basket A (1–16) | Basket B (17–32) | Basket C (33–48) |
| 1. Växjö Lakers SWE | 17. Vienna Capitals AUT | 33. Fribourg-Gottéron SUI |
| 2. Kärpät Oulu FIN | 18. ERC Ingolstadt GER | 34. Krefeld Pinguine GER |
| 3. HC Litvínov CZE | 19. Linköping HC SWE | 35. Färjestad Karlstad SWE |
| 4. HC Davos SUI | 20. JYP Jyväskylä FIN | 36. IFK Helsinki FIN |
| 5. Red Bull Salzburg AUT | 21. HC Pardubice CZE | 37. Djurgården Stockholm SWE |
| 6. Adler Mannheim GER | 22. Genève-Servette SUI | 38. TPS Turku FIN |
| 7. Skellefteå AIK SWE | 23. KAC Klagenfurt AUT | 39. HC Košice SVK |
| 8. Tappara Tampere FIN | 24. Düsseldorfer EG GER | 40. Stavanger Oilers NOR |
| 9. Oceláři Třinec CZE | 25. HV 71 Jönköping SWE | 41. SønderjyskE Vojens DEN |
| 10. ZSC Lions Zurich SUI | 26. Espoo Blues FIN | 42. Sheffield Steelers GBR |
| 11. Black Wings Linz AUT | 27. Vítkovice Ostrava CZE | 43. Gap Rapaces FRA |
| 12. Red Bull Munich GER | 28. EV Zug SUI | 44. HK Nitra SVK |
| 13. Frölunda Gothenburg SWE | 29. Eisbären Berlin GER | 45. Storhamar Hamar NOR |
| 14. Lukko Rauma FIN | 30. Luleå Hockey SWE | 46. Braehead Clan GBR |
| 15. Sparta Prague CZE | 31. KalPa Kuopio FIN | 47. Grenoble FRA |
| 16. SC Bern SUI | 32. Bílí Tygři Liberec CZE | 48. Neman Grodno BLR |
To see last year's rankings, click here.