Fribourg-Gottéron Head Coach Roger Rönnberg: “Last year’s champions with a strong fanbase at home in an arena called “the bunker” will be a tough challenge. They deserve respect after sweeping the playoffs and not losing a single game.”

Bordeaux Boxers Head Coach Olivier Dimet: “Graz are the reigning ICE Hockey League champions, which obviously shows the quality of this team. Winning this championship requires a great deal of consistency throughout the season. I expect a very intense and physical game. We will have to be ready from the start, stay disciplined and be able to match their pace. It will be a very good test for our team.”

SaiPa Lappeenranta Head Coach Raimo Helminen: “Graz have invested in a highly successful team. They also have a couple of players I’m familiar with.”

Eisbären Berlin Head Coach Éric Dubois: “This will be our first home game and I am really looking forward to it. It will be a difficult game. Games between German and Austrian teams are always very emotional. The 99ers won their first national championship in a very dominant way. They didn’t even lose one game in the playoffs. They will be ambitious and will work very hard.“

Bílí Tygři Liberec Head Coach Jiří Kudrna: “Another representative of the ICE Hockey League and in this case, the winner of the past season. It is a massive challenge for us to test our strength against the champion of this European league. Just like with Salzburg, we expect physical hockey, battles for every inch of ice and an attractive spectacle for the fans.”

Storhamar Hamar Head Coach Petter Thoresen: “Another top Austrian team that will surely give us a good, competitive game at our arena!"