The European hockey season has reached its first major checkpoint with most leagues breaking for international competition, as well as the Champions Hockey League eighth-finals. Read below about what's happening in the leagues, as teams jockey for positions in next year's CHL.
As Europe comes to the international break, we take a look at how the top leagues are doing, as the race for 2015–16 CHL qualification begins to take shape!
Austria
The Vienna Capitals’ lead at the top of the EBEL has been cut to three points, with Red Bull Salzburg now ever hotter on the Caps’ heels—especially as Salzburg have played a game less. Friday was a strange evening in terms of results, as none of the top four teams won. The Graz 99ers, in third, lost to last-place Ljubljana, before bouncing back with a 6-1 win over HC Bolzano. Hungarian side Alba Volán Székesfehérvár have been on a good run of late, and now tie Linz with 20 points in fourth. Remember, it’s the top two teams that make the CHL in the EBEL, after founding members Vienna and Salzburg.
Denmark
Blue Fox Herning are back on top of the Metal Ligaen, holding a two point advantage over SønderjyskE Vojens—who, in turn, are two points ahead of Odense and Fredrikhaven. Both the top two teams won their last games by scoring five goals, to keep ahead of the pace.
France
Ligue Magnus still sees a three-way tie at the top, but now between Grenoble, Epinal, and Chamonix—all on 12 points. Grenoble still have a game in hand, though, and could go two points clear. The top three are followed by Dijon, Strasbourg, and Gap with 11 points each, and Angers down in seventh with 10 points—meaning just two points separate first from seventh! CHL entrants Briançon Diables Rouges still sit in 11th.
Germany
Red Bull Munich continue to eat into Adler Mannheim’s lead, with the gap now down to four points. Mannheim (1st), Eisbären Berlin (11th), ERC Ingolstadt (4th), and Krefeld Pinguine (8th) are founding CHL clubs, so will play in the league next season. Munich, in second, would be likely to take the next place as the ‘regular season winners’ are already qualified—and sitting four points clear in second gives them some breathing room. The Hamburg Freezers, who have been on a rich run of form, have now slipped back to sixth from third, while Kölner Haie continue to struggle and sit second-last.
Czech Republic
Oceláři Třinec did have a six-point lead in the Czech Extraliga not long ago, but that’s now been cut down to zero by HC Litvínov, who now are now tied for first place! Sparta Prague sit third, four points off the pace, with Mountfield Hradec Králové and HC Pardubice a couple of points further back. PSG Zlín remain last, but have cut the gap to two points behind Vítkovice Ostrava; nonetheless a surprising position for last year’s playoff winners. Bílí Tygři Liberec, Pardubice, Sparta, Vítkovice are CHL founding members, so qualify for next year’s CHL automatically. At present, Třinec would join them—plus the playoff winners, of course.
Finland
Lukko Rauma’s lead at the top of Liiga is down to one point over Tappara Tampere, whose recent run of form has lifted them up to second. KalPa Kuopio have dropped a place to third, where they’re joined on 34 points by Kärpät Oulu and HPK Hämeenlinna—all three points off top spot. IFK Helsinki (7th), JYP Jyväskylä (6th), KalPa (3rd), Kärpät (4th) and Tappara (2nd) are the CHL founding members in Finland. Two other places from Liiga will be awarded before the competition starts next year.
Great Britain
The Belfast Giants and Braehead Clan are tied atop the Elite League with 19 points from 13 games so far, followed by the Nottingham Panthers in third, who are a point behind having played two less games. Three points off top spot, but with three games in hand still, are the Sheffield Steelers. The Coventry Blaze join Sheffield tied for fourth, but have played four more games already. The Elite League doesn’t stop for the international break, so will continue next weekend.
Norway
The Stavanger Oilers look unstoppable in Norway at the moment, extending their lead of the GET-Ligaen to 10 points already, and not having lost a game since September. Averaging over four goals a game, and just two against, Stavanger sit comfortably on top. Sarpsborg and Lørenskog are the two clubs in joint second mounting any form of challenger to the league leaders, while CHL entrants Valerenga Oslo have now climbed up to sixth after a disappointing start.
Slovakia
Slovakia has no automatic CHL qualifiers as founding members, which means finishing top of the Extraliga, or winning the playoffs, could well mean qualification for next year’s competition. HC Košice continue to lead, preserving their six-point lead at the top and having a game in hand on the team below them, HK Poprad. HK Nitra are up into third, five points behind Poprad, with HKM Zvolen having dropped to third to fifth. Dukla Trenčín, in sixth, have extended their lead to 12 points over ŠHK 37 Piešt’any, putting the top six well clear of the rest of the field.
Switzerland
HC Davos have extended their lead at the top of the NLA to four points, and still have a game in hand over second-place ZSC Lions Zurich, putting them potentially six points ahead. The Lions lead SC Bern by four points, having played a game more than their rivals from the capital city. The Kloten Flyers, who suffered such a terrible start, continue to move up the table and now sit seventh, while Fribourg-Gottéron are 11th, leaving Rapperswil Jona Lakers five points adrift at the foot of the table. Bern (3rd), Fribourg (11th), ZSC (2nd), and Zug (5th) are the CHL founding members in Switzerland.
Sweden
The lead in the SHL continues to change hands on a weekly basis, with Skellefteå AIK now tied at the top with Frölunda Gothenburg. HV71 Jönköping, who did lead by a point, now find themselves three behind the top two, but four clear of the teams below them. Frölunda (2nd), Färjestad Karlstad (11th), HV71 (3rd), Linköping HC (5th), Djurgården Stockholm (6th) and Luleå Hockey (8th) are the founding members in Sweden, with at least two other places to be filled.