Ahead of the start of the upcoming Champions Hockey League season, we asked the Head Coaches of Fribourg-Gottéron's six Regular Season opponents what their thoughts are on the Swiss team - here's what they had to say!
Sheffield Steelers Head Coach Aaron Fox: “On the road to open our season will be a fun place to start. They had a very successful year last season and am sure they will want to start this campaign at home with a win so we will have to acclimate very quickly to the pace they will play with.”
Storhamar Hamar Head Coach Petter Thoresen: “Fribourg-Gottéron are another top-notch Swiss opponent for us. We know Jacob de la Rose who practiced with us during the summer when his brother Erik played here. They have quite a few other familiar names as well.”
KAC Klagenfurt Head Coach Kirk Furey: “We know that Fribourg have had some issues converting great regular season performances to playoffs success in the National League in recent years. This has blurred the view on the actual qualities of this club and this team a bit. We know that they are one of the toughest opponents we will meet in this year’s CHL Regular Season and we look forward to hosting them in Klagenfurt.”
Oceláři Třinec Head Coach Zdeněk Moták: “Swiss teams regularly bring their fans to Třinec and the game will be played in a good atmosphere. The game against Fribourg will also be very important for us considering our position in the Regular Season Standings, and it will be a big test before the start of our domestic season.”
Eisbären Berlin Head Coach Serge Aubin: “I know the Swiss teams well. I even played for Fribourg-Gottéron for two seasons. I also know them as opponents from my time as a coach in Zurich. They play very good ice hockey in Switzerland. Fribourg-Gottéron are a strong team, so it won’t be an easy task for us.”
Straubing Tigers Head Coach Tom Pokel: “Fribourg are a team known for their offensive skill, strong special teams and great goaltending. They were the best team offensively with a league-high 175 goals scored in the NL regular season. We played exhibition games against Fribourg during the 2018 Olympic break and last pre-season in 2023 in Bolzano, Italy. Both times losing close games 2-1. This game against Fribourg in the CHL is the opportunity to record a win against the Dragons.”