Group E begins with a pair of teams that have hopes of going far in this year’s CHL. The Växjö Lakers have been a powerhouse in Sweden as of late, winning the title in 2015 and being a solid contender ever since. Likewise, Bílí Tygři Liberec have finished 1st overall in the Czech regular season standings the last two years, winning their first title in 2017 and losing in the finals last season. However, they first have to worry about getting out of a tough group, so getting off to a fast start would be helpful.

Looking ahead to his team’s first CHL opponent of the season, Liberec Sports Director and Head Coach Filip Pesan said: “Växjö is one of the strongest Swedish teams of the last few years and the way they play in SHL and CHL shows how strong they can be this season again.”

Växjö General Manager Henrik Evertsson, whose team went as far as the CHL Semi-Finals last season before losing to Czech club Sparta Prague, was similarly wary, stating: “Liberec is a stable Czech team. Czechs are always hard to meet and they often offer tough opposition.”