We have all been waiting for it, but the Champions Hockey League is just getting started. Today the draw for the group stage was made, in which all 44 participating clubs have learned just exactly who they will play against in the group stages.

by Shaun Nicolaides

This is the day that all 44 participating clubs of the Champions Hockey League have been waiting for. The group stage draw, which has taken place today in Minsk, Belarus, marked the real beginning of the CHL, a tournament that we have all been waiting for. All 44 clubs have been divided up into 11 seperate groups, with teams from the same country not being allowed to play against each other at this stage of the tournament. This is what all of the groups look like.

Group A

Kärpät Oulu

Köln Haie

Bílí Tygři Liberec

HC Košice

Group B

ZSC Lions Zurich

Färjestad Karlstad

Vienna Capitals

Vålerenga Oslo

Group C

Frölunda Gothenburg

Villach SV

Geneva Servette

Briançon Diables Rouges

Group D

PSG Zlín

Fribourg-Gottéron

Eisbären Berlin

Djurgården Stockholm

Group E

Tappara Tampere

Oceláři Třinec

SC Bern

Stavanger Oilers

Group F

Südtirol Bolzano

Linköping HC

HC Pardubice

TPS Turku

Group G

Sparta Prague

Växjö Lakers

Adler Mannheim

KalPa Kuopio

Group H

ERC Ingolstadt

SaiPa Lappeenranta

Vítkovice Ostrava

EV Zug

Group I

Red Bull Salzburg

Kloten Flyers

JYP Jyväskylä

HV71 Jönköping

Group J

Skellefteå AIK

Krefeld Pinguine

IFK Helsinki

SønderjyskE Vojens

Group K

Hamburg Freezers

Lukko Rauma

Luleå Hockey

Nottingham Panthers