We spoke to representatives of our three Extraliga participants from Czechia 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.
Petr Vosmík, CEO of traditional Champions Hockey League participant and past Finalists Sparta Prague, is excited for the upcoming season: "We made the Semi-Finals last season, so our goal for this year is to fight for the Trophy!"
With away games in Austria, Norway and a game in Switzerland against reigning CHL and NL champions ZSC Lions Zurich, backed up by not one, but two past CHL Champions making a trip to Prague, the Czechs have their work cut out for them in the Regular Season and they know it.
"Our stand-out opponent is Zurich"Petr Vosmík, Sparta Prague
"It's interesting and it's going to be a really great experience for us and our fans. At home, we are really looking forward to facing the Swedish teams and on the road our stand-out opponent is Zurich," commented Vosmík.
Tomáš Vincour, sport manager of reigning Extraliga champions Kometa Brno, is all business from the get-go: "Obviously we want to win, but mainly we want to play good hockey in front of our fans and represent ourselves on this stage."
"Every single opponent is going to be tough"Tomáš Vincour, Kometa Brno
Stand-out Regular Season game for the two-time CHL Quarter-Finalists? "There are so many top teams, every single one is going to be tough," said Vincour, focusing on all six of their upcoming opponents, "it's going to be a very good experience to compare against the very best."
Another past CHL Finalist from Czechia returns for 2025/26: Mountfield HK. With six top-tier opponents waiting for them in the Regular Season, it's going to be a tough start to the season for the club aiming to "make the Round of 16" in the words of club director Petr Picka.
Games against the SHL regular season winners and the reigning Finnish champions in the ČPP Aréna are just two of the six match-ups the Czechs have in store for the Regular Season. What do they think about their draw?
"Facing Brynäs IF is going to be great, I'm really looking forward to playing this traditional team. The same also with KalPa Kuopio, but we're equally interested in finding out what HC Bolzano bring to the table. It's all very exciting for us!" thinks Picka.
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