The Champions Hockey League (CHL) season 2024-2025 will start on September 5th. From Finland, the teams participating are Tappara, Pelicans, and Ilves.

This page will provide, closer to the start of the season, the CHL match schedule, results, and information about broadcasting.

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CHL news

CHL standings

There are initially 24 teams in the CHL. The top 16 will advance to the playoffs.

CHL standings
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1Farjestads BK FAR6510026-1017
2ZSC Lions Zurich LIO6410120-1014
3HC Lausanne LHC6402017-914
4Ocelari Trinec TRI6311124-1612
5HC Fribourg-Gotteron FRG6311123-1612
6Skelleftea AIK SKE6311119-1512
7Eisbaren Berlin BER6310222-1511
8Red Bull Salzburg RBS6310220-1311
9Pelicans Lahti PEL6310224-1811
10Sheffield Steelers SST6221118-1311
11Fischtown Pinguins FIS6301217-1310
12Vaxjo Lakers VLA6301213-1210
13Sparta Prague SPP6301213-1510
14Geneve-Servette HC GEN6212121-1910
15Straubing Tigers STR6211214-149
16Tappara Tampere TAP6210320-168
17HC Pardubice PAR6202220-138
18Aksam Unia Oswiecim OSW6202218-238
19Ilves Tampere ILV6120317-217
20KAC Klagenfurt KAC6110414-245
21Storhamar Hockey STH6021310-175
22Rouen Dragons ROU6001512-331
23Fehervar AV19 FEH600068-270
24SoenderjyskE Ishockey SON600065-330

CHL playoff schedule

CHL results

DateMatchResult
16.10.2024KAC KlagenfurtKAC – ZSC Lions ZurichLIO1-5
16.10.2024Sheffield SteelersSST – HC PardubicePAR3-2 so.
16.10.2024Eisbaren BerlinBER – SoenderjyskE IshockeySON8-0
16.10.2024Pelicans LahtiPEL – Rouen DragonsROU10-1
16.10.2024Tappara TampereTAP – HC LausanneLHC0-2
16.10.2024Ocelari TrinecTRI – Aksam Unia OswiecimOSW7-3
15.10.2024Red Bull SalzburgRBS – Sparta PragueSPP1-2
15.10.2024HC Fribourg-GotteronFRG – Straubing TigersSTR3-2 ot.
15.10.2024Farjestads BKFAR – Storhamar HockeySTH3-1
15.10.2024Skelleftea AIKSKE – Fischtown PinguinsFIS3-2 ot.
15.10.2024Fehervar AV19FEH – Geneve-Servette HCGEN2-5
15.10.2024Ilves TampereILV – Vaxjo LakersVLA3-0

CHL scoring leaders

CHL scoring leaders

CHL information package

CHL is the Champions Hockey League, where the unofficial championship of European club teams is contested. CHL was launched in the 2008-09 season, replacing the previously held European Champions Cup.

The league began to be developed in earnest from the 2014-15 season onwards. At that time, the league replaced the previously held European Trophy, which was played solely as a tournament. The league is owned by the founding clubs together with the top leagues from six countries and the IIHF. In practice, CHL operates on a very similar principle to the UEFA Champions League in football.

In the 2023-24 season, there were 24 teams in the CHL. The championship was won by Genève-Servette HC.

How CHL is played in the 2024-25 season

In the 2024-25 season, there will initially be 24 teams in the CHL. There will no longer be group stages; instead, the top 16 teams from the overall standings of the CHL regular season will advance to the first round of the playoffs.

In the first round of the playoffs, the regular season’s first-placed team will face the 16th-placed team, the second-placed team will face the 15th-placed team, and so on. The matchups will meet each other once at home and once away. The teams will advance based on aggregate goals after two matches.

Only the final will be played as a single match in the playoffs.

CHL regular season game days

1st matches September 5-6.
2nd matches September 7-8.
3rd matches September 12-13.
4th matches September 14-15.
5th matches October 8-9.
6th matches October 15-16.

Finnish teams in CHL 2024-25

Three teams from Finland will participate: Tappara, Pelicans, and Ilves.

Source: CHL

CHL broadcasting

The broadcasting rights for the Champions Hockey League (CHL) in Finland are owned by NENT Group, which is the parent company of Viaplay and V sport.

All CHL matches will be broadcast live on Viaplay and V sport channels.

The price of the Viaplay Total package is currently €44.99/month, and the price of the V premium package varies depending on the service provider, with the highest price being €44.95/month.

Sources: Viaplay and Telia

Viaplay’s CHL team for the 2024-25 season

In Viaplay’s CHL broadcasts, the commentators will be Antti Mäkinen, Nuutti Vihtilä, Jussi Eskola, Tero Kainulainen, and Niki Juusela. The studio will be hosted by Iiro Harjula and Tuomas Meling, with experts Risto Dufva, Mikko Lehtonen, and Esa Pirnes.

Frequently asked questions – FAQ

Frequently asked questions about CHL
What is CHL?
Where can I watch CHL matches?
Which Finnish teams are in CHL?
Has a Finnish team won CHL?

CHL final 2023-24

Genève-Servette HC-Skellefteå AIK 3-2 (3-1, 0-0, 0-1)

5:30: 1-0 Eliot Berthon (Arnaud Jacquemet, Josh Jooris)
11:35: 1-1 Martins Dzierkals (Pär Lindholm, Zeb Forsfjäll)
17:37: 2-1 Sakari Manninen (Teemu Hartikainen, Valtteri Filppula)
18:36: 3-1 Daniel Winnik (Tim Berni, Vincent Praplan)
48:09: 3-2 Anton Heikkinen (Oscar Lindberg, Oskar Nilsson)

For Genève-Servette HC, the CHL championship was the first. The team featured five Finns: goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, defenseman Sami Vatanen, and forwards Valtteri Filppula, Teemu Hartikainen, and Sakari Manninen.

Sami Vatanen was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the CHL season.

History of CHL

The most successful club in the Champions Hockey League is the Swedish team Frölunda, which has won the CHL championship four times (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020). Additionally, Frölunda has lost in the final once in 2015.

The first CHL championship was won in 2009 by the Swiss team Zürich Lions, which defeated KHL team Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the final.

Among Finnish clubs, JYP and Tappara have won the Champions Hockey League. JYP’s championship came in 2018 when they defeated the Swedish Växjö Lakers in the final. Tappara, on the other hand, defeated the Swedish Luleå HF in the final in 2023.

Finnish clubs that have reached the finals include Kärpät and Tappara. Kärpät reached the final in the 2015-16 season but lost to Frölunda HC. Tappara experienced a final loss in the 2021-22 season against Rögle BK.

Sweden has been the most successful country in the CHL. Swedish clubs have won the CHL five times, and they have also secured silver four times.

SeasonChampionRunner-up
2023-24Switzerland Genève-Servette HCSweden Skellefteå AIK
2022-23Finland TapparaSweden Luleå HF
2021-22 Rögle BKTappara
2020-21Not played
2019-20Frölunda HCMountfield HK
2018-19Frölunda HCEHC München
2017-18JYPVäxjö Lakers
2016-17Frölunda HCHC Sparta Praha
2015-16Frölunda HCKärpät
2014-15Luleå HFFrölunda HC
2008-09ZSC LionsMetallurg Magnitogorsk