2020–21 Champions Hockey League

The 2020–21 Champions Hockey League was scheduled to be the seventh season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament. The tournament was planned to be competed by 32 teams, with qualification being on sporting merits only. The six founding leagues would have been represented by between three and five teams (based on a three-year league ranking), while seven "challenge leagues" were to be represented by one team each. An additional spot would have been awarded to the 2019–20 IIHF Continental Cup winner. On October 13, 2020, it was announced that the CHL board of directors had cancelled the tournament as the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe had not improved.[1]

2020–21 Champions Hockey League
Tournament details
DatesCancelled
Teams32
2021–22 →

Team allocation

A total of 32 teams from different European first-tier leagues would have participated in the 2020–21 Champions Hockey League. Besides the Continental Cup champions, 24 teams from the six founding leagues, as well as the national champions from Slovakia, Norway, Denmark, France, Belarus, Great Britain and Poland could have qualified.

The qualification for these places is set out in the rules as follows:[2]

  1. CHL champions
  2. National league champions (play-off winners)
  3. Regular season winners
  4. Regular season runners-up
  5. Regular season third-placed team
  6. Regular season fourth-placed team
  7. Regular season fifth-placed team

For the Austrian Hockey League teams are however picked in this order:[2]

  1. League champions
  2. Regular season winners
  3. Pick Round winners
  4. Pick Round runners-up
  5. Losing playoff finalists

Note: Great Britain is the lone exception as the EIHL, in line with their traditions, determine their national champion following the regular season (not in the playoffs).[3]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, many leagues were forced to cancel their seasons early. Places usually reserved for the playoff champions of those leagues were given to the next best team from the regular season, or in the Austrian Hockey League's case, the next best team from the regular season pick round.[4] In the case of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the team leading the regular season at the time of its cancellation were given its Champions Hockey League place.[5] HC '05 Banská Bystrica qualified for the CHL as Slovak Tipsport liga's regular season champion but had to withdraw due to issues related to the arena. They were replaced by HC Neman Grodno.[6]

On 15 September, the CHL announced that the Cardiff Devils had withdrawn from the league due to the suspension of the 2020–21 EIHL season. No new team would replace them.[7]

Teams
Teams in the 2020–21 Champions Hockey League
Team City/Area League Qualification Participation Previous Best
Frölunda HC Göteborg Swedish Hockey League 2020 CHL winner 7th Champion
Luleå HF Luleå Swedish Hockey League regular season winner 5th Champion
Färjestad BK Karlstad Swedish Hockey League regular season runner-up 5th Round of 16
Rögle BK Ängelholm Swedish Hockey League regular season third 1st First appearance
Skellefteå AIK Skellefteå Swedish Hockey League regular season fourth 6th Semi-finals
ZSC Lions Zürich National League regular season winner 6th Quarter-finals
EV Zug Zug National League regular season runner-up 7th Quarter-finals
HC Davos Davos National League regular season third 4th Semi-finals
Genève-Servette HC Geneva National League regular season fourth 3rd Round of 16
EHC Biel Biel/Bienne National League regular season fifth 2nd Quarter-finals
Red Bull München Munich Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season winner 6th Final
Adler Mannheim Mannheim Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season runner-up 6th Round of 16
Straubing Tigers Straubing Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season third 1st First appearance
Eisbären Berlin Berlin Deutsche Eishockey Liga regular season fourth 5th Round of 16
Kärpät Oulu SM-liiga regular season winner 6th Final
Lukko Rauma SM-liiga regular season runner-up 4th Semi-finals
Tappara Tampere SM-liiga regular season third 7th Round of 16
Ilves Tampere SM-liiga regular season fourth 1st First appearance
Bílí Tygři Liberec Liberec Czech Extraliga regular season winner 6th Semi-finals
Oceláři Třinec Třinec Czech Extraliga regular season runner-up 6th Semi-finals
HC Sparta Praha Prague Czech Extraliga regular season third 4th Final
Red Bull Salzburg Salzburg Austrian Hockey League regular season first round winner 6th Semi-finals
HC Bolzano Bolzano Austrian Hockey League regular season pick round winner 3rd Round of 16
Vienna Capitals Vienna Austrian Hockey League regular season pick round third 7th Round of 16
SønderjyskE Ishockey Vojens Metal Ligaen Continental Cup winner 3rd Group stage
Aalborg Pirates[8] Aalborg Metal Ligaen regular season winner 2nd Group stage
Yunost Minsk Minsk Belarusian Extraleague play-off champion 4th Round of 16
HC Neman Grodno Grodno Belarusian Extraleague regular season runner-up 4th Group stage
Brûleurs de Loups Grenoble Ligue Magnus regular season winner 3rd Group stage
Stavanger Oilers Stavanger GET-ligaen regular season champion 5th Round of 32
GKS Tychy Tychy Polska Hokej Liga regular season champion 3rd Group stage

Play-offs

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group stage was skipped and the season would have started with a 32-team play-off in October. However, this will no longer happen as the season was cancelled on October 13, 2020.[1][9]

Round of 32   Round of 16   Quarterfinals   Semifinals   Final
  Bílí Tygři Liberec  
  GKS Tychy        
  Kärpät      
  Aalborg Pirates          
  Oceláři Třinec          
  Yunost Minsk      
  Red Bull Salzburg      
  Tappara          
  Straubing Tigers          
  Genève-Servette HC        
  Rögle BK      
  Stavanger Oilers        
  Red Bull München          
  Ilves      
  Lukko      
  HC Sparta Praha        
  Luleå HF        
  Eisbären Berlin        
  Adler Mannheim      
  Brûleurs de Loups          
  Frölunda HC          
  Neman Grodno      
  HC Bolzano      
  EHC Biel        
  Färjestad BK w/o          
  Cardiff Devils (withdrew)[7]       Färjestad BK  
  HC Davos      
  Vienna Capitals        
  EV Zug          
  Skellefteå AIK      
  ZSC Lions      
  SønderjyskE Ishockey  

References
  1. "2020/21 CHL season cancelled". www.championshockeyleague.com. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  2. "Qualification criteria updated for 2019/20". championshockeyleague.com. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  3. "The CHL Format". championshockeyleague.com. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  4. "WHO'S QUALIFIED FOR 2020/21?". championshockeyleague.com. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  5. "No League Champions in 2019/20 - Devils to enter CHL". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  6. "CHL plans to start the season on 6 October". championshockeyleague.com. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  7. "Cardiff Devils withdraw from the CHL 2020/21". championshockeyleague.com. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. Søvsø, Michael (12 March 2020). "Metal Liga-sæsonen 2019/20 afsluttes øjeblikkeligt" (in Danish). Metal Ligaen.
  9. "CHL plans to start the season on 6 October". championshockeyleague.com. 2020-04-28.}
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