With the Champions Hockey League Group Stage officially over, we’ve compiled an update regarding the League Ranking and the places allocated for next season based on the current standings.
But first, a quick recap: The CHL League Ranking is a performance driven tool used to determine the number of places allocated to each national league. The ranking takes into account the past CHL season (for us currently midway into the season it will be the points data after the Group Stage) weighted at 100%, plus the last three CHL seasons, which each have a 25% decrement from the last season.
The top two shareholder leagues receive an allocation of five teams, the third and fourth ranked leagues are permitted to have four teams, and the fifth and sixth ranked leagues have three teams, so there is a big incentive to perform.
The shareholder leagues are the ICE, Czech Extraliga, DEL, Swiss NL, SHL and Finland's top tier, Liiga. During the Group Stage, three points are awarded for a win in regulation time, two points in overtime or game-winning shootout, and one point for a loss in overtime or game-winning shootout.
Here’s a short video explaining the League Ranking:
With the Group Stage results in, let’s take a look at how each league’s teams have performed and how it has impacted the rankings ahead of 2022/23.
The Czech Extraliga currently sit in sixth on the rankings and are likely to stay there as Sparta Prague were the only team to qualify for a Playoff berth and give the Czechs any kind of fanfare. The club from the Czech capital have had their fair share of CHL success, though, reaching the Round of 16 in each season and even securing a trip to the Final in 2016/17.
However, with 15 total points separating them from 5th ranked Liiga, it appears the Czech league will remain with three allocated places for next season.
In comparison, the Finns have two teams advancing to the Playoffs in Lukko Rauma and Tappara Tampere, but the good news stops there. At present, Liiga are six points behind the DEL and are in danger of forfeiting their fourth allocation if they fail to rise in the rankings.
To avoid this, Lukko and Tappara will have to do the heavy lifting. The latter are hoping history doesn't repeat itself as Tappara have managed to reach the Round of 16 six times in seven seasons, but have been unable to advance further. Lukko, on the other hand, have had a bit more success, making it to the Semi-Finals in 2015/16.
Meanwhile, the DEL and ICE are currently ranked fourth and third respectively with a five-point gap between them. The Germans have two clubs continuing in the competition with Red Bull Munich and Adler Mannheim moving on, while all three teams from the ICE have qualified for the Round of 16 – a first for their league.
Munich’s had some success recently, as they reached the Quarter-Finals in 2019/20 while Mannheim will be making their third Round of 16 appearance in as many seasons. For the ICE, this has been a favourable season – KAC Klagenfurt topped their group while Red Bull Salzburg and HC Bolzano claimed the top two places in Group H. Because of their strong showing so far, the ICE is in a position to add an allocated place in 2022/23 provided they keep their current ranking.
Nine points ahead of them in the League Ranking is Switzerland’s NL. Of the five clubs representing the Swiss side, only Fribourg-Gottéron and ZSC Lions Zurich have made it through to the Playoffs. Fribourg took center stage in their group as they made CHL history by becoming the first club to secure maximum points during the Group Stage. The Swiss side's success has certainly boded well for the NL in their bid to maintain their five allocated places.
Leading the League Ranking is the SHL who continue to be the benchmark with 245 total points at the moment. The league are on track to solidify their ranking and with that their five allocations for the 2022/23 season of the CHL.
Like the ICE, all SHL clubs have qualified for the Round of 16 with Frölunda Gothenburg and newcomers Rögle Ängelholm finishing first in their groups, while Leksands IF, despite consecutive losses to Fribourg, played well enough in their first four contests to secure their place in the Playoffs in their CHL debut. Skellefteå AIK and the Växjö Lakers needed a strong finish (and some luck) to qualify, and that’s just what they got.
With Playoff points up for grabs, and upsets a real possibility, these rankings are not set in stone just yet. Who will move up and who will move down? Stay tuned and catch the first games of the Round of 16 starting November 16.