The Champions Hockey League Round of 16 starts tomorrow!
Teams from Sweden, Austria, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France and Italy will all line up for 16 games of playoff hockey over the course of the next two weeks.
We have new faces, experienced veterans and title-winning teams on the hunt - here are five things to look forward to in this season's Round of 16!
Playoff hockey
First and foremost - CHL Playoff hockey is finally back! After over a year and a half, teams in the CHL are finally back in the Playoffs and ready to give it their all.
The last Playoff game to be played was the 2019/20 Final on 4 February 2020, that pitted against each other then three-time CHL Champions Frölunda Gothenburg and Czech challengers Mountfield HK.
Frölunda secured their fourth title that night, but this season they face a tough opponent in the Round of 16 - Adler Mannheim. Will the reigning Champions be able to overcome one of the strongest DEL teams out there?
New faces
Of the 16 teams remaining in the CHL, three are new to the Playoffs - KAC Klagenfurt, Rögle Ängelholm and Leksands IF.
All three enjoyed very good runs in the Group Stage and are poised for more success this season, but will the challenge of playoff hockey prove too big to overcome? We'll have to wait and see!
Unbeaten Fribourg-Gottéron
Swiss side Fribourg-Gottéron made CHL history in the Group Stage, as they became the first team ever to end the first phase of the CHL with 18 out of a possible 18 points.
Not only that, but they are also the only unbeaten team remaining in this season's Round of 16 roster - will they manage to extend their winning streak against Red Bull Munich?
Tappara's Round of 16 curse
Tappara Tampere are a staple of the CHL - the Finns have participated in every CHL season to date and made it past the Group Stage on all six occasions, yet they have never made it past the Round of 16.
Why is that? Nobody knows. It's become a thing of CHL folklore and is referred to as "Tappara's Round of 16 curse".
Could 2021/22 be the season the Liiga side finally break free and move onto the Quarter-Finals where they have deserved to be for so many seasons?
Most productive players
The top two most productive players of the Group Stage, Frederik Tiffels and Ludvig Larsson, have played a major part in their team's success in qualifying for the Playoffs. Both snipers are on ten points so far - Tiffels has 5G and 5A, whilst Larsson has 3G and 7A.
Now that half the pack have been eliminated and only the best of the best remain, will they still be able to pull off these numbers?
Keep one eye on these sharpshooters as the Round of 16 gets underway!