Kometa Brno and EV Zug are two teams making their first appearances in the Champions Hockey League Round of 16. While this is the first CHL appearance for Kometa, the team from Zug is making its fifth straight appearance in the European championship.

After winning their first domestic title in 51 years, Kometa Brno got off to a flying start this season in both the CHL and the Czech Extraliga. They won their first five games in Group B – three of them in overtime – before finally falling to the Malmö Redhawks in the last game to fall to second place. Still, that was enough to see them through. They have been in first place in the Czech lead most of the season, but a recent slump that’s seen them lose five of their last six has dropped them to third place for the time being.

Veteran Martin Erat has been their best player domestically with 22 points in 18 Extraliga games, while in the CHL their offensive leader has been linemate Martin Zaťovič, with five points in five games. In both competitions, their main man between the pipes has been Slovak Marek Čiliak. First-round NHL Draft pick Martin Nečas is also back in the team’s lineup and ready to make his CHL debut.

"It'll be something different – it's a team we don't know much about," Kometa forward Tomáš Svoboda said about Tuesday's opponent. "We'll have to watch some video. I expect it'll be fast-skating, physical hockey. It should be a good experience."

EV Zug came out of a tight Group C that came down to a dramatic win over the Vienna Capitals in their last game to not only advance but also win the group. They started their domestic schedule very well, winning 10 of their first 12 games. However, since then they have lost five straight games and have dropped to sixth place in the 12-team circuit.

"I still have a good feeling," Zug Head Coach Harold Kreis said about the team's current situation. "We want to play good hockey against a good team. We have to work hard, play solid defence and keep the mistakes to a minimum. Czech teams are typically sound technically with above-average speed."

Win or lose, their mainstay between the pipes has been Tobias Stephan, who has appeared in every single CHL and NL game so far. Offensively, their leading scorer in each competition is American centre Garrett Roe, who has seven CHL points and 19 in the National League.