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New kids on the block - how have they coped?
EHC Biel-Bienne and Augsburger Panther faced off in the Round of 16 (Photo: Simon Bohnenblust)

We saw 10 teams make their debut this season and as we predicted at the start of the season, they’ve proved to be as unpredictable and exciting as we had hoped. Whilst some have fared better than others, they’ve all provided some great high-paced hockey matches that have gone right down to the final buzzer. Here’s a look back at some of the stand out debuting teams of this, and past, CHL seasons.

Diving into the previous five CHL seasons it’s evident that debuting teams have struggled in the competition. Being a debuting team is extremely challenging. You are entering a competition that you’ve never played in before, you don’t know what to expect and your opponents are suddenly not just the best teams from your league, but the best teams in Europe! To make matters worse, you can get caught out even before you set a skate on the ice with traveling. Traveling is a key aspect of the CHL and while veteran teams of the competition know how to deal with it, this can be a big challenge to overcome for the new kids on the block. Combining all of the travelling for matches with your relentless domestic season schedule can be a real headache, but as the teams say best themselves – it’s all worth it.

The steep learning curve is one of the reasons why first timers usually see their inaugural season as an opportunity to learn rather than aim for the top spots. They hope to return next season more ambitious and prepared, but that hasn’t stopped a few teams really hitting the ground running.

Kometa Brno players shaking hands after losing to eventual champions JYP Jyväskylä in the Quarter-Finals in their first ever participation in the 2017/18 season of the CHL (Photo: Jiří Grulich)

Two years ago – back in the 2017/18 season, Czech side Kometa Brno and Swedish side Brynäs IF both made their CHL debuts and after advancing from their groups, they made it all the way to the Quarter-Finals in their first ever appearance on Europe’s biggest stage proving that they had what it takes to compete amongst the best. But if you dive even deeper into the CHL stats, it’s hard to miss HC Davos in the 2015/16 season.

Back in 2015, Swiss side HC Davos made their CHL debut after winning their domestic championship a year prior. After topping their group, the Swiss giants advanced through the elimination rounds and made it all the way to the Semi-Finals in their first ever season! And the team that ended their run that year? To-be champions the Frölunda Indians. To this day no other team has made it as far as the Semi-Finals in their first season. Can that change this year?

Out of the 10 debuting teams that started the season, three advanced from the Group Stage – the Augsburger Panther, Lausanne HC and EHC Biel-Bienne and the latter two are even gearing up for the Quarter-Finals that start next week. Starting with Augsburg – after a tremendous Group Stage run in which they finished second in Group C, it was evident that their intense playing style caused problems for all their opponents. Their focus and winning mentality gave them the edge especially towards they end of games where they would finish off and decide games with last minute goals. Sadly though, after a close Round of 16 loss to another debuting team – Biel-Bienne, their hopes of glory are over for this year.

Augsburger Panther fans watching the Round of 16 action on the ice (Photo: CHL)

EHC Biel-Bienne have been the surprise of the season so far – the debuting Swiss team topped Group A with 15 points and finished the Group Stage with the most points out of all the other teams. Their amazing form and determination have won them a lot of key games and were just enough to edge them past Augsburg in the Round of 16 a few weeks back. But the biggest test has yet to come for the currently second-placed team of the Swiss National League, as their Quarter-Final opponents are no one else then three-time CHL Champions the Frölunda Indians. If they can overcome them, they will not only cement themselves as one of the best teams of the year, but also equal the record set by HC Davos four years ago. And the same can be said for Lausanne HC – the debuting Swiss team also have a chance to equal the record set by their countrymen but standing in their way are 2015 CHL Champions Luleå Hockey.

It’s been a great year for debuting teams and with two still in the competition we could see the current record equalled or even hope to see it surpassed! We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.

 
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