We spoke to representatives of our three ICE participants from Austria and Hungary following the CHL Draw in Prague, Czechia, 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.
"We're really looking forward to the new season!"Viktor Szélig, Fehérvár AV19
"It's a big challenge each year," started Red Bull Salzburg's Helmut Schlögl, "we always try to compete on a top level internationally." Next to speak was KAC Klagenfurt's Oliver Pilloni who revealed that his side's goals were very simple: "It's the same as we have for our domestic league: go into every game wanting to win the game!"
Viktor Szélig, representing Fehérvár AV19 who are back in the Champions Hockey League for a second time following a debut in 2022/23, shared how excited everyone is to be back.
"It's cool to be back. We're really looking forward to the new season, especially since we have a new arena which will be opening for the first time. Let's hope we get a good start to the hockey year with some top-quality CHL games."
What did the ICE representatives think of their draw? Schlögl highlighted that the team from Salzburg will face two extra strong national champions in the form of ZSC Lions Zurich and Skellefteå AIK.
Klagenfurt's Pilloni expects a tough Regular Season: "When you qualify for the Champions Hockey League you have to be good. It's going to be tough!"
Szélig first focused on the two games Fehérvár will play in nearby Czechia: "The two Czech teams away could give our fans a great chance to travel and have fun with us."
"We will also travel to Sweden afterwards which will be new territory for us. At home we have the reigning CHL Champions Genève-Servette and Lausanne HC will also come to Hungary, both really strong opponents. We're going to have to dig deep," he added.
And finally, which clubs stood out to the representatives following the CHL Draw?
Schlögl reiterated that "all the clubs are exciting" but that his side is especially intrigued by going to Poland and Denmark. Why?
"They play an old style of hockey, so from that perspective, we're really looking forward to testing ourselves against them," was his answer.
For Klagenfurt's Pilloni, the Swedish teams stood out, while Fehérvár's Szélig is excited about coming to the Czech capital to face returning Sparta Prague on Game Day 2.