The Race to Qualify for the 2023/24 season of the Champions Hockey League is coming down to the wire with only six teams across Europe still in with a chance of adding their name to the line-up for the upcoming season of Europe's biggest club ice hockey competition.
Here's an in-depth breakdown of who can fill the final three spots in the coming days!
Denmark
Denmark's Metal Ligaen got its two finalists last week and has wasted no time in progressing toward crowning their national champions.
Last season's CHL participants the Aalborg Pirates, who picked up a memorable Game Day 1 win over Czech club Sparta Prague last season, and Herning Blue Fox, who have yet to feature on the pan-European stage, are the two teams still in the race for the Danish championship and CHL qualification.
The finals series started with two wins for Aalborg last week before Herning made it 2-1 on Tuesday. If Aalborg win the next two ties, scheduled for the weekend or early next week, the two-time CHL participants will be in for 2023/24.
If Herning put up a fight as they did on Tuesday, Aalborg's celebrations will be put on hold. Watch this space!
Czechia
The situation in Czech's Extraliga is still open following two nerve-wracking and extremely close semi-finals series that were both decided in Game 7 late last week.
Oceláři Třinec and Mountfield HK knocked out already-qualified Dynamo Pardubice and Vítkovice Ridera and will battle it out with each other for the T. G. Masaryk Trophy and their league's final CHL qualification place. It's and easy situation to follow - the winner takes all!
However, this came as bad news for CHL-hopefuls Sparta who would have qualified for their seventh season of elite European club ice hockey had Vítkovice and Pardubice contested the final.
Třinec and Mountfield, who both played in the CHL last season, have already played two games of their series - both ending in Třinec's favour. If Třinec also win the next two games, they could be in for 2023/24 as early as this Sunday!
Slovakia
HC Košice and Zvolen Hockey are the two teams eying up the Slovakian championship. Košice, who participated in the CHL three times between 2014-2017, have a two-nothing lead in the finals series and with two games scheduled for tonight and Friday, they could be back in the CHL as early as this Friday!
Stay tuned to our website and social media channels to be the first to know about the final three qualifiers for the upcoming 2023/24 season of the Champions Hockey League.