Group A this year has some very interesting sub-stories: former champions from 2009 ZSC Lions against two-time winners Frölunda; new ZSC Head Coach Serge Aubin against his former team Vienna Capitals; and a first CHL visit for all of these teams to Denmark as they face Aalborg.
ZSC Lions Zurich
- Qualified as: National League Playoff champions
- 5th CHL appearance, QFs in last two seasons
- Club information
Off the back of a surprise NLA championship secured in Game 7 of the finals, the ZSC Lions head into the new season under the leadership of former Vienna Head Coach Serge Aubin. They have met two of these teams before - taking 1 point from 6 against Frölunda in last year’s group stage, and losing to Vienna in the first CHL season. The Lions have some impressive additions to their team in Maxin Noreau (NLA), and Roman Červenka (NLA), with the majority of last year’s team – that also got to the CHL Quarter-Finals- also staying put.
Vienna Capitals
- Qualified as: EBEL Regular Season winners
- 5th CHL appearance; first playoff round in 2014/15 & 2015/16
- Club information
Vienna have been unlucky in their past two CHL seasons – on both occasions they finished last in their group, but went into the final Game Day with a chance at making the playoff round. New Coach Dave Cameron has spent the last seven seasons in the NHL, most of that as an Assistant Coach in Ottawa and later Calgary, while also spending a season and a half as Head Coach of the Senators. He takes over a team that has dominated the EBEL Regular Season in the past two years, but failed to really live up to expectation in the CHL. Marc-André Dorion, Chris DeSousa and Jamie Arniel all join from elsewhere in the EBEL, while other key players have been kept – including former NHLer Andreas Nödl.
Frölunda Indians
- Qualified as: 3rd in SHL
- 5th CHL appearance, two-time champions
- Club information
All things considered it was a relatively unsuccessful season for Frölunda last year, as they excited the CHL in the Round of 16 and SHL in the Quarter-Finals. Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olosffon and Gustav Lindström have departed to the NHL; however the two-time CHL champions have strengthened by bringing in Patrik Carlsson (IFK Helsinki), Chay Genoway (KHL), and Rhett Rakhshani (Malmö) – the latter now playing with his fourth different team in the CHL!
Aalborg Pirates
- Qualified as: Metal Ligaen champions
- Debut appearance
- Club information
With Head Coach Brandon Reid departing for Krefeld in the summer, the task on new coach Jason Morgan is a big one for the upcoming season. The former forward played 44 NHL games and has also played in both the SHL & EBEL. Arriving from Dunaújváros in Hungary, Morgan has added former NY Rangers draftee Thomas Spelling as well as imports from the ECHL in Jack Walker and Aaron Harstad. 31-year-old captain Julian Jakobsen may be known to SHL fans after his three years with Södertälje SK.