ZSC Lions entertain ERC Ingolstadt in Weinfelden to kick off the CHL season for both teams.

The Zurich side have a good record against teams from the DEL, having beaten Eisbaren Berlin in both of their meeting last season, and went on to the Round of 32 where they were knocked out on home ice by Sparta Prague. The previous year they failed to get beyond the group stage. In last year NLA, the Lions won the regular season buy went out of the playoffs early, somewhat surprisingly, in the quarter-finals. New coach Hans Wallson previously coached Skelleftea AIK to the CHL Semi-Finals.

ERC Ingolstadt made it through the group stage of the CHL in their second season in the competition, despite suffering a slightly unexpected loss to the Braehead Clan in their last game as they pushed to win the group. The went out to eventual winners Frolunda Gotheburg in the Round of 32. Another team with a new coach, Tommy Samuelsson has previously been behind Farjestad Karlstad's bench in the CHL. The Panthers have come up against Swiss opposition before, losing away to EV Zug in the 2014-15 season before beating them on home ice in the return game in OT.

"Ingolstadt are a top team from Germany who have had decent success in the DEL in recent seasons, so we're expecting a tight game," says ZSC general manager Edgar Salis, who wants to see his team go further in the CHL this year. "We would like to compete more successfully this season than last where we made the Round of 32, and stay in the competition as long as possible."

Ingolstadt sport director Jiri Ehrenberger is looking forward to the challenge. "The ZSC Lions won the NLA regular season last season, and for me they are one of the biggest teams in Europe," he said ahead of the game, while also adding that a lot of Panthers' fans wanted to see their team draw the Lions in their group.