Ahead of this weekend’s IIHF Continental Cup Final, the Champions Hockey League Board has reviewed the four teams taking part and considers Yunost Minsk (BLR) and the Sheffield Steelers (GBR) eligible to qualify for next season’s Champions Hockey League should they win the tournament.

Both Yunost Minsk and the Sheffield Steelers have competed in the Champions Hockey League before (2016/17, 2015/16 & 2016/17 respectively) and fulfill the criteria to take part in the CHL again.

On the contrary, the CHL Board has agreed it cannot accept either Nomad Astana (KAZ) or Ritten Sport (ITA) as CHL qualifiers if they win the IIHF Continental Cup. Nomad Astana, as a Kazakh team, is geographically based in Central Asia and is therefore not eligible for a pan-European competition. Ritten Sport plays in the Alps Hockey League and is therefore considered a second-division team (underneath the EBEL) which cannot be eligible for the CHL.

If Astana or Ritten win the IIHF Continental Cup, the CHL Board will award Slovakia a second spot for the 2018/19 Champions Hockey League season as the highest ranked C-license country.

The IIHF Continental Cup Final is played 12-14 January 2018 in Minsk (BLR). For more information about the tournament click here.