Three Spengler Cup participants will kick off their 2024/25 season early with the first games of the Champions Hockey League (CHL) Regular Season in early September. Notably, there will be two direct matchups between Spengler Cup teams: Straubing will face both Pardubice and Fribourg.

Despite the warm weather in Switzerland, with lake temperatures still over 20°C and air temperatures occasionally nearing 30°C—conditions more suited for beach volleyball than ice hockey—three of the six Spengler Cup teams are gearing up for serious competition. On September 5th and 6th, half of the 96th Spengler Cup's participant teams will start their CHL campaigns. Each of the three teams will begin with a home game: Pardubice against Hungarian team Fehérvár AV19, Fribourg against England's Sheffield Steelers, and Straubing against the Danish champions SønderjyskE Vojens.

For Pardubice, the 2024/25 season is a chance to finally claim the long-awaited titles. After falling just short in the previous season- in the league, the CHL, and at the Spengler Cup - the ambitious Czech team has bolstered its roster with players like Roman Cervenka, Jiri Smeikal, and Andrej Sustr, making them even stronger contenders this year.

Fribourg-Gottéron also has high hopes for advancing in the CHL. Facing opponents like Sheffield, Hamar, Klagenfurt, Trinec, Berlin, and Straubing in the Regular Season, the Dragons aim to finish in the top 16 of the 24 teams, which is necessary for qualifying for the knockout stages.

The Straubing Tigers are also aiming for a strong showing in the CHL. After an impressive previous season, the Bavarian team has shown they can compete at a European level. However, they face tough competition, including the Danish champions SønderjyskE Vojens, Polish champions Unia Oświęcim and European true top-class players of European ice hockey
 Skellefteå AIK, the ZSC Lions, Dynamo Pardubice and Fribourg-Gottéron.

While Pardubice, Fribourg, and Straubing engage in competitive matches, Kärpät and Davos are still in the preseason. Kärpät's season begins with a league game against Vaasan Sport on September 10th, while HC Davos will host EHC Kloten for their Season Opener on September 17th.

Quelle: Spengler Cup-Onlineredaktion    Foto: CHL