We spoke to representatives of our three Swiss participants following the CHL Draw in Tampere, Finland, to find out what their goals were for the upcoming season, what they thought about their teams' six Regular Season opponents, and what excites them about the new competition changes in 2023/24. 

"Our goal is to make it to the Playoffs," said Stefan Hedlund, Head Coach of Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, "but we have a lot of tough opponents in our way first."

Martin Steinegger, General Manager of EHC Biel-Bienne, was quick to point out how excited his club are to be playing in the CHL this season. Biel-Bienne's goals for their second CHL season? 

"We are always aiming for the best," commented Steinegger, "so that means making the Playoffs and going from there."

Marc Gautschi, General Manager of National League champions Genève-Servette, thinks "every team plays to win" and that it's hard to look past the fact that no Swiss team has ever won the Champions Hockey League.

Will 2023/24 be the year that changes?

All three representatives of the Swiss clubs in the 2023/24 season are excited about their opponents. 

Hedlund, who is a native of Sweden, is especially excited about facing the Växjö Lakers in the Regular Season, saying: "Facing Swedish champions Växjö will be an opportunity to test ourselves."

Steinegger thinks that all their opponents are interesting teams, adding: "We're looking forward to meeting good opponents, different cultures and countries. It will be a lot of fun!"

Gautschi said that the range of opponents will be "really cool for the team".

"It's been a while since we were last in the Champions Hockey League, so we're excited to meet new teams, visit new cities and get on the road with the team," he added.

 Finally, what did the clubs think about the new format changes for 2023/24?

"It's very cool," said Hedlund straight off the bat, "all the games are going to matter and that's super positive."

"We're excited about the new format and ready to get going," he added.

Steinegger highlighted what an advantage facing six teams instead of just four is, adding: "every game counts, every point matters - it's a really good development."

Gautschi of Genève-Servette had this to say: "It makes the competition super competitive - the more games you win, the higher you are in the ranking."