In the round of 16 of the Champions Hockey League, the clubs from the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) will face a Swedish-Swiss comparison. This was the result of the table after the last matchday of the preliminary round, which Mannheim finished first in the table after a 4-1 win on Wednesday evening at the Slovakian HC Kosice. In the duel between the two national champions, EHC Red Bull Munich will face the Swiss title holders Servette Geneva, while ERC Ingolstadt will face the Swedish champions Växjö Lakers. Preliminary round winner Adler Mannheim has the supposedly easiest task: Coach Johan Lundskog’s team awaits the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the round of the best 16 teams. The seeding was based on the preliminary round placement: first against sixteenth place, second against fifteenth place, etc.
“We know that a big challenge awaits us with Växjö. Nevertheless, the anticipation for the two duels with the Lakers is great,” said Ingolstadt’s sports director Tim Regan. The Upper Bavarians have qualified for the CHL for the fourth time and are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2015/16 season. In the quarterfinals there could be a German duel with champions Munich; both teams faced each other in the DEL final last season.
Like all knockout rounds up to the semi-finals, the round of 16 will be played in a return leg, with the games taking place on the 14th/15th. November or 21st/22nd. November. The final is scheduled for February 20, 2024.
