With the Group Stage nearing completion and half of the 2021/22 Champions Hockey League line-up set to exit the competition, now's the perfect time to take a look at how the current standings effect the CHL League Ranking and place allocation for next season.
First a quick recap: The CHL League Ranking is a performance driven tool used to determine the number of places allocated to each national league. The ranking takes into account the past CHL season (for us currently midway into the season it will be the live points data available so far) weighted at 100%, plus the last three CHL seasons, which each have a 25% decrement from the last season.
The top two shareholder leagues receive an allocation of five teams, the third and fourth ranked leagues are permitted to have four teams, and the fifth and sixth ranked leagues have three teams, so there is a big incentive to perform.
The shareholder leagues are the ICE-HL, Czech Extraliga, DEL, Swiss NL, SHL and Finland's top tier Liiga. During the Group Stage, three points are awarded for a win in regulation time, two points in overtime or game-winning shootout, and one point for a loss in overtime or game-winning shootout. Here's a short video explaining the League Ranking.
So how are each league's teams performing so far and how could the rankings change ahead of 2022/23?
The Czech Extraliga is currently ranked sixth on the League Ranking and by the looks of things, they'll struggle to increase their allocation from three teams this season. Four games into the Group Stage, it's clear that teams from Czechia haven't been the strongest performers.
Currently, Sparta Prague are leading the league's hopes of making the Playoffs and are neck and neck with the Växjö Lakers and trailing group leaders Pinguins Bremerhaven by two points on their quest for one of the top two spots.
BK Mladá Boleslav have managed to earn just one point in Group B, while Oceláři Třinec are pointless in Group F. It’s a stark contrast to the 2019/20 CHL season, which saw four Czech Extraliga teams participate, of which two qualified for the Playoffs and Mountfield HK even managed to go all the way to the Finals.
The DEL, Liiga and ICE-HL teams in comparison are very close, with just a handful of points separating them in the League Rankings. They occupy places three to five on the League Ranking, so if either league does bad in 2021/22, they could be left with only three teams for 2022/23.
In Group H, both ICE-HL teams, Red Bull Salzburg and HC Bolzano, have already qualified, while compatriots KAC Klagenfurt are currently sitting at the top of Group G. The clubs have a good opportunity to increase their representation up to four teams if they can continue to perform like they have so far. Red Bull Salzburg have come closest to glory during their 2018/19 campaign which saw them reach the CHL Semi-Finals.
The DEL teams are performing equally well so far. Right now they have three out of four teams leading their respective groups including: Pinguins Bremerhaven in Group A, Adler Mannheim in Group C, and 2019/20 CHL Finalists Red Bull Munich in Group D. The only German team to have struggled so far are the Eisbären Berlin, but they aren't out yet!
Liiga teams have been a mixed bag. TPS Turku have managed just one point in Group A, IFK Helsinki and Lukko Rauma are vying for top rank in Groups B and C respectively, and Tappara Tampere are leading the pack in Group E. Over the last two CHL seasons, Finnish teams haven’t fared well in the rankings, and if they bomb out this year, they risk losing one of their places for next season.
Lastly, the SHL and NL teams continue to perform strongly and push to maintain their five team allocation, but big upsets are always a possibility! The Växjö Lakers are Playoff contenders in Group A, unsurprisingly Frölunda Gothenburg are leading Group B, although ZSC Lions Zurich are close on their heels. Fribourg-Gottéron and Leksands IF breezed through Group F with 12 points apiece and Playoffs qualification already in the bag!
In Groups D and E there is just a point separating Rögle Ängelholm and EV Zug, and Lugano HC and Skellefteå AIK. It's early days, but which teams do you think will make it into the Round of 16?
Stay tuned and catch the action of the remaining Group Stage games starting October 5!
Find the current League Raking HERE