Group H features four teams who have all competed in the Champions Hockey League before, including JYP Jyväskylä, who are making their fifth straight appearance and won the whole competition last season. The other three teams all have considerably less experience and considerably less success – they're all making their second appearance and none have gone farther than the Round of 16.
JYP Jyväskylä
- Qualified as: CHL champions
- Fifth appearance; champions in 2017/18
- Club information
Over the past decade, JYP Jyväskylä have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Finland, consistently finishing near the top of the standings and winning a pair of Liiga titles. Last season, they did what no team from outside Sweden has done before: win the Champions Hockey League by beating the Växjö Lakers in their own building. The road to repeating as European champions won't be easy, but they are favourites to escape their group as they carry a strong lineup into this season. Supplementing their championship roster will be the veteran and Stanley Cup champion Éric Perrin, who has now played for a long time in Finland and gained plenty of CHL experience with TPS. He and another veteran, Jarkko Immonen, are known names around Europe and both spent time in Switzerland, so Lugano fans should be familiar with them. Another new pick up, Czech centre David Tomášek, should be known to Pilsen fans.
HC Pilsen
- Qualified as: Extraliga Regular Season winners
- Second appearance; Round of 32 in 2016/17
- Club information
HC Pilsen appeared in the CHL two seasons ago but their showing was less than spectacular, losing twice to Slovak champions Nitra in the group stage and bowing out in the Round of 32 to Lugano. Now they're back after topping the Extraliga regular-season standings and this time around they will again face Lugano and the Slovak champs from Banská Bystrica – having JYP in their group will only make things harder. A pair of defenceman, David Sklenička and Michal Moravčík, are off to the training camp of the Montreal Canadiens, but their blueline has been bolstered somewhat by the acquisition of former New York Ranger Conor Allen. As well, international hockey fans of a certain age should recognize the name of former NHLer and KHLer Václav Nedorost.
HC Lugano
- Qualified as: National League Playoff finalists
- Second appearance; Round of 16 in 2016/17
- Club information
An eight-time Swiss National League champion, Lugano were denied a ninth title when they suffered a painful game-seven loss on home ice in the finals this past season. However, that finals appearance was enough to return them to the CHL, and they fared well the first time around in 2016/17 when they topped a group that included Tappara Tampere and Adler Mannheim, then beat Pilsen in the Round of 32 before falling to Swiss rivals Zurich in OT in the Round of 16. In fact, Lugano have had a fair bit of international success over the years, regularly competing in the European Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the European Hockey League in 1999/2000. They certainly have the ability to make an impact again with renowned Latvian netminder Elvis Merzlikins. As well, longtime NHLer Maxim Lapierre won a gold medal with Canada at the Olympics this past year, and JYP fans will be familiar with former Tappara centre Jani Lajunen when those teams clash. The most significant addition to the roster this off-season is defenceman Taylor Chorney, who has been an NHL regular the past few seasons.
HC05 Banská Bystrica
- Qualified as: Tipsport Liga champions
- Second appearance; Group Stage in 2017/18
- Club information
After winning the Slovak title in 2016/17, Banská Bystrica bolstered their roster with several international imports, but it didn't help them get out of the CHL group stage. This time around, after repeating as domestic champs, they are trying to build a contending team once again, starting with American goaltender Stephon Williams, defencemen Ben Marshall and Brenden Miller in an effort to keep the goals against down. Also helping to solidify the blueline is homecoming Slovak Karol Sloboda, who has played the past several years in the Czech Extraliga and will be familiar to Pilsen fans. Of course, the most familiar name on the roster continues to be veteran forward Tomáš Surový, who has played in many different countries and has plenty of experience in the NHL and KHL.