We’ve completed six full seasons since top-flight European ice hockey returned in 2014. Over those Champions Hockey League campaigns some players have stood out on more than one occasion, and over the next few weeks we’re going to be taking a look at those that are on top of Europe.
We start with our Top 10 Goal Scorers!
Keen followers of the CHL won’t be surprised to know who is out in front leading the all-time scoring records. Frölunda’s frontman Ryan Lasch has totalled 29 goals in his 60 CHL games to date across six seasons in the competition. Lasch’s CHL debut was actually for TPS Turku in 2014/15 before switching to Frölunda for the following season. He put up four goals in eight games for the Finns, and then nabbed seven in 13 for the Indians. A season with SC Bern saw Lasch score three in six, before spending the last three with Frölunda since 2017/18 – and scoring four, five and six goals across those three seasons respectively.
Six goals short of Lasch, having played five more games, is ‘Captain Joel’ Lundqvist. The man who has lifted the CHL trophy more than anyone else, Lundqvist has played six CHL seasons with Frölunda and scored at least a goal in all of them – this year’s run to the trophy was his most successful, scoring seven goals in 12 games along the way, although in 2017/18 he scored in every single game, just playing only six.
Up third on the all-time list is Pilsen forward Milan Gulaš. The Czech player has notched an impressive 20 goals in only 32 CHL games across five CHL seasons. The 34-year-old played three years with Färjestad Karlstad for whom he got four goals, but it’s been his two campaigns with Pilsen where he’s really been invaluable – eight goals in both, including a run to the Semi-Finals the season before this one. In six games this season, he averaged over a goal a game.
Lino Martschini comes next with 19 goals in 39 games across six seasons for EV Zug, while Broc Little and Chris Baltisberger complete the top five with 17 goals. Little spent three of his four CHL seasons with Linköping for whom he scored 13 goals, and then another four in Davos; while Baltisberger got to his total over five seasons with ZSC Lions.
Joint seventh seven on the list goes to Thomas Raffl (Red Bull Salzburg) and Patrik Carlsson (Frölunda) who each have 16 goals in 37 and 50 games respectively. Completing the top ten are Gregory Hoffman and Dario Simion. The pair who spent this season with Zug have 15 goals each – although eight of Hofmann’s came while playing for HC Lugano, and six of Simion’s were scored for Davos.
Honourable mentions
They may not be in the top ten of all-time, but there are a few other players who deserve a mention when it comes to leading goal scorers. Teemu Eronen (IFK Helsinki) and Severin Blindenbacher both have eight goals in total, which is the most of any defenseman in CHL history.
Here's the full list of the best scorers in CHL history: