In just a few days, the 32 teams in the 2020/21 Champions Hockey League will learn their first-round opponents for the new season.
The competition will be a knock-out only competition this season because of the effects of Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), meaning we’ll be going straight to a Round of 32, with no Group Stage this year, so let's take a look at some of the most interesting potential matchups ahead of Wednesday's Draw.
Frölunda Indians V Sparta Prague
We start with the potential of a repeat of the 2016/17 Final, with the Frölunda Indians in Pot 1 and Sparta Prague in Pot 2.
Sparta were the first Czech team to make it to the Final back in 2017, forcing Frölunda all the way to overtime, but missed out thanks to a Nicklas Lasu overtime goal in favour of the Swedish side. That secured the Indians' second-straight title at the time, and what has turned into their second of four.
A regular team in the early seasons of the CHL, Sparta haven’t competed since the aforementioned Final, so a draw against Frölunda would be a tough task to welcome them back, but also see two teams with a good CHL history go head to head in an all-or-nothing clash.
EHC Biel-Bienne V Frölunda Indians
When you think back to some of the big games from last season, none were quite as dramatic as the Quarter-Final meeting between EHC Biel-Bienne and the Frölunda Indians.
After making an immediate impact in their debut CHL season, Biel-Bienne topped Group A and came out one goal better in a tightly contested Round of 16 meeting against the Augsburger Panther.
That set up a tough meeting in the Quarters against Frölunda, who themselves had survived a scare at the start of the tournament, dropping their opening two Group Stage games, and had to overturn a 6-3 deficit after the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup against Färjestad Karlstad.
It was tight after the first leg, an early third-period goal by Marc-Antoine Pouliot was the only thing that separated the sides as the Swiss team led 3-2 heading into the return fixture, and that’s where the drama really hyped up.
Pouliot again scored in the third period, and with less than 10 minutes to go, that gave Biel-Bienne a 5-4 lead, and you could forgive them for celebrating minutes later when Peter Schneider gave them a two-goal cushion with less than five minutes remaining.
But the reigning champions were by no means done with this tie. They managed to find two goals just 19 seconds apart to tie the aggregate score, and as Frölunda found themselves on the powerplay in overtime, Patrik Carlsson, who scored late in the third period fired a shot past Jonas Hiller to complete an epic comeback, which sent his side on their way to their fourth CHL title.
Now with the prospect of the two sides meeting again, Biel-Bienne will have that fresh in their memory as they look to impress again heading into their second CHL season.
HC Davos V Cardiff Devils
When these two sides met in the 2017/18 Group Stage, the two fixtures couldn’t have possibly been more different.
In the first leg in Davos, the Cardiff Devils' debut in the CHL couldn’t have gone worse. A crushing 10-1 loss away from home as HC Davos ran riot on home ice. But in the return leg, things changed dramatically.
When it was Cardiff's turn to host Davos, they were better prepared. Despite falling behind early, Cardiff held a 2-1 advantage. The teams traded chances through the rest of the game, forcing overtime with the score tied 3-3. That’s where the Devils made history. Having already sealed their first CHL points with the game going to overtime, it didn’t take long in the extra session for them to find their way through. Drew Paris fired a blast past goalie Joren van Pottelberghe to give Cardiff their first-ever CHL win.
Fast forward to now, and the two sides could meet eachother again, and if they do, the Devils will be looking to make a statement if they return to Davos, to put that 10-1 defeat well and truly behind them while Davos will look to mark their return to the competition with a bang.
GKS Tychy V Oceláři Třinec
Two teams in two countries, but only about an hour's drive from each other, Oceláři Třinec of the Czech Republic be drawn against Pot 2 side GKS Tychy of Poland.
With only a short stretch of land separating the two cities, this could be a quick road trip to an important Round of 32 clash, with Tychy facing the prospect of playing a Czech side in the CHL for the first time as they enter their third season.
It'd be the first meeting in the CHL between the two teams if they are drawn against each other, but a quick road trip to start the campaign, keeping players' legs fresh ahead of the game could make for a high spirited and exciting first-round matchup.
Kärpät Oulu V Skellefteå AIK
Two more teams with recent history in the CHL, Kärpät and Skellefteå played twice last season in the Group Stage, taking one win each. The two also share relative geographic proximity in the far north of Sweden and Finland, separated by a short flight across the Gulf of Bothnia.
After a dramatic game between the two teams on Game Day 6, which ended in a win for Kärpät in a dramatic contest, Kärpät looked destined to win and progress. However, a goal in the final minute for Skellefteå sent the game to overtime and all the way to a shootout, which saw Kärpät emerge victorious. But dropping a point for not winning in regulation was the difference between progressing to the playoffs and not, causing Kärpät to miss out on a chance to advance.
Now with the prospect of the two sides meeting again early next season, Kärpät will be looking to repeat their victorious Game Day 6, but this time keep their season alive and advance.