The Champioms Hockey League returns in a matter of days on 29 August. Here are some of the most important things you need to know about our format:

1. Three points for a win

Similar to most domestic leagues in Europe, we give three points to a team that wins a game in regulation. If the game goes to overtime, both teams receive a point - and will play sudden-death, or a shootout if necessary, to determine the winners who receive an additional point.

2. Overtime

If we need overtime in a game, it's played 3-on-3 with the first goal scored being the game's winner.

3. Shootouts

Shootouts are 'Best of 5'. If that doesn't solve things, we reverse the order the teams shoot in and go to 'sudden death' where anyone can step up to shoot for the first time, or again from earlier rounds.

4. Top two go through

The top two teams in each Group qualify for the Round of 16 - Group Winners are seeded against the Group Runners-Up at a draw in October. It normally takes at least five Game Days, and often six, to working things out - unless you're HC Pilsen, who managed to secure their place in the next round after just four games last season!

5. Every point counts for the team AND their country

It's not just themselves that teams are playing for! The League Ranking decides how many places each league gets next season. Leagues are ranked based on the average number of points per game. So in the cases of Sweden and Switzerland, this means 'How many points did their five teams manage on average?'.