We spoke to representatives of our three ICE participants from Austria and Italy following the CHL Draw in Stockholm, Sweden, to find out what their goals were for the upcoming season, what they thought about their six Regular Season opponents and who they were most looking forward to playing.
First to speak was Hannes Biedermann, head of communications of six-time Champions Hockey League qualifiers KAC Klagenfurt, who highlighted just how proud his side is to be part of the competition: "It's 24 top teams from all over Europe. We've played five times already, but only made the Playoffs once. Given that, making the knockout stages will be our main goal"
"It's a pretty amazing draw for us"Hannes Biedermann, KAC Klagenfurt
Games on the road in Sweden, Denmark and Finland and three top-tier clubs making the journey to Austria to play in the Heidi Horten-Arena, it's easy to see why KAC are so excited. "We're really looking forward to facing Berlin and the Nordic trips will be really great," commented Biedermann.
Reigning ICE champions Red Bull Salzburg are also equally excited for 2025/26 to get underway. They spectacularly made the Quarter-Finals in the CHL last season and as one of the most experienced clubs in the line-up for the upcoming season, they'll be looking to make it even further.
"We had a really good run last year and we want to live up to that," said the club's managing director Helmut Schlögl. What does he think about his side's draw? "Very strong opponents," was his immediate reaction, "we're heading twice to Finland, we expect two very tough games against them there."
The stand-out opponent for the Austrian side are Eisbären Berlin: "Berlin are very interesting. They are a powerhouse club in Germany, a very traditional team, but the format itself is appealing to us, getting to see and play against these different styles of play."
After missing out on 2024/25, Italian side HC Bolzano are back for their fifth CHL season and ready to take on Europe's very best: "It's going to be a challenging year given the opponents we have but we're excited to face these teams," said COO Markus Meraner about the club's goals.
"We're facing very traditional clubs," he commented when asked about his thoughts on the draw, "two Czech teams on home ice, three Scandinavian clubs on the road - it's going to be a challenging year!"
Does any one team stand out? One would guess that a chance to take on four-time CHL Champions Frölunda Gothenburg on their big CHL return could spark interest and it certainly does for the Italians: "Facing the most successful club in CHL history in Frölunda is going to be really exciting," revealed Meraner.
Be sure to return to our website for more reactions to the 2025/26 CHL Draw and other news! Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X to keep up to date on all the latest CHL action.