The winners of Group H, HC Pilsen, were the only team to go undefeated through the CHL Group Stage. They take on HC Bolzano, who by finishing second place in Group C, become the first Italian-based team to reach the Round of 16.
In their second CHL appearance, Pilsen have looked very strong so far and have yet to be beaten –) they won their first five Group Stage games in regulation time before needing overtime in their last game to win their last game in Banská Bystrica, taking 17 of a possible 18 points. They were led offensively by David Stach, whose 11 points lead the whole CHL. Domestically, their top scorer is Czech national team mainstay Milan Gulaš, the team’s captain. In goal they have had success with both Dmitri Milchakov and Dominik Frodl - Milchakov has played four of six CHL games, but Frodl has had the bulk of the work in the Extraliga.
Bolzano, qualifying for the CHL as EBEL champions for the second time, finished second in their group thanks to two regulation wins, two shootout wins and two regulation losses. A decisive factor was taking five of six points against IFK Helsinki –) a team they beat out by one point. Especially key to their success was the play of Canadian goaltender Leyland Irving, particularly in the early part of the Group Stage. Irving played all 308 minutes for the Foxes, posting a goals-against average of 2.73 and a save percentage of 91.36. Up front, Mike Blunden had six points in six games and is also one of their top scorers in the EBEL as well.