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. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a revised schedule was presented that would have seen the season start directly with a 32-team play-off in October. However, because the situation did not improve sufficiently in Europe, it was announced in early October that the CHL board of directors had cancelled the tournament, without any games being played.
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:
CHL champions National league champions (play-off winners) Regular season winners Regular season runners-up Regular season third-placed team Regular season fourth-placed team Regular season fifth-placed team
For the Austrian Hockey League teams are however picked in this order: League champions Regular season winners Pick Round winners Pick Round runners-up 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).
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. 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. 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.
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.
Teams
Team City/Area League Qualification Participation Previous best Frölunda HC Gothenburg 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 Liiga regular season winner 6th Final Lukko Rauma Liiga regular season runner-up 4th Semi-finals Tappara Tampere Liiga regular season third 7th Round of 16 Ilves Tampere 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 VojensMetal Ligaen Continental Cup winner 3rd Group stage Aalborg Pirates 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
References