2022–23 Champions Hockey League

The 2022–23 Champions Hockey League was the eighth season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament. The tournament is competed by 32 teams, with qualification being on sporting merits only. The six founding leagues will be represented by between three and five teams (based on a four-year league ranking), while seven "challenge leagues" will be to be represented by one team each.
Finnish team Tappara won their first Champions Hockey League title, defeating Swedish team Luleå HF 3–2 in the final. This made Tappara the second Finnish side to win the title. The title holders Rögle BK were defeated by Tappara in the quarterfinals with the total score 7–4.
American right winger Ryan Lasch from Swedish team Frölunda HC became the top scorer for the fifth time, scoring 22 points.
==Team allocation==
A total of 32 teams from different European first-tier leagues will participate in the 2022–23 Champions Hockey League. Besides the Continental Cup champions and wild card invitee Olimpija Ljubljana, 24 teams from the six founding leagues, as well as the national champions from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will participate. Belarusian teams were not invited to participate due to the current political situation in Belarus while a Ukrainian team HC Donbass was forced to withdraw from the competition due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and was replaced with the Slovenian champions Olimpija Ljubljana.
The qualification criteria for national leagues is based on the following rules:
# CHL champions
# National league champions (play-off winners)
# Regular season winners
# Regular season runners-up
# Regular season third-placed team
# Regular season fourth-placed team
# Regular season fifth-placed team
Note: the national league champions of the United Kingdom are determined following the regular season.
===Teams===
On 12 January 2022 it was decided that the 2021–22 season would not be accounted for in the league ranking and the status at the end of the 2019–20 season was taken into consideration to allocate places for the season.
Team 	City/Area 	League 	Qualification 	Participation	Previous best
Rögle BK 	Ängelholm 	Swedish Hockey League 	2022 CHL winners 	2nd 	Champion
Färjestad BK 	Karlstad 	Swedish Hockey League 	Play-off winners 	5th 	Round of 16
Luleå HF 	Luleå 	Swedish Hockey League 	Regular season runners-up	5th 	Champion
Skellefteå AIK 	Skellefteå 	Swedish Hockey League 	Regular season third 	7th 	Semi-finals
Frölunda HC 	Gothenburg 	Swedish Hockey League 	Regular season fourth 	8th 	Champion
EV Zug 	Zug 	National League 	Play-off winners 	8th 	Quarter-finals
HC Fribourg-Gottéron	Fribourg 	National League 	Regular season runners-up	5th 	Semi-finals
ZSC Lions 	Zürich 	National League 	Regular season third 	7th 	Quarter-finals
 	Rapperswil 	National League 	Regular season fourth 	1st 	First appearance
HC Davos 	Davos 	National League 	Regular season fifth 	4th 	Semi-finals
Eisbären Berlin 	Berlin 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga 	Play-off winners 	6th 	Round of 16
Red Bull München 	Munich 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga 	Regular season runners-up	7th 	Final
Grizzlys Wolfsburg 	Wolfsburg 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga 	Regular season third 	3rd 	Round of 32
Straubing Tigers 	Straubing 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga 	Regular season fourth 	1st 	First appearance
Tappara 	Tampere 	Liiga 	Play-off winners 	8th 	Final
Jukurit 	Mikkeli 	Liiga 	Regular season runners-up	1st 	First appearance
Ilves 	Tampere 	Liiga 	Regular season third 	1st 	First appearance
TPS 	Turku 	Liiga 	Regular season fourth 	7th 	Quarter-finals
Oceláři Třinec 	Třinec 	Czech Extraliga 	Play-off winners 	7th 	Semi-finals
Mountfield HK 	Hradec Králové	Czech Extraliga 	Regular season winners 	4th 	Final
Sparta Praha 	Prague 	Czech Extraliga 	Regular season third 	5th 	Final
Red Bull Salzburg 	Salzburg 	ICE Hockey League 	Play-off winners 	7th 	Semi-finals
Villach SV 	Villach 	ICE Hockey League 	Regular season runners-up	2nd 	Group stage
Fehérvár AV19 	Székesfehérvár	ICE Hockey League 	Regular season third 	1st 	First appearance
Belfast Giants 	Belfast 	Elite Ice Hockey League 	Regular season champions 	2nd 	Group stage
Brûleurs de Loups 	Grenoble 	Ligue Magnus 	Play-off winners 	3rd 	Group stage
Slovan Bratislava 	Bratislava 	Tipos Extraliga 	Play-off winners 	2nd 	Group stage
Stavanger Oilers 	Stavanger 	Fjordkraftligaen 	Play-off winners 	5th 	Round of 32
GKS Katowice 	Katowice 	Polska Hokej Liga 	Play-off winners 	1st 	First appearance
Aalborg Pirates 	Aalborg 	Metal Ligaen 	Play-off winners 	2nd 	Group stage
MKS Cracovia 	Kraków 	Polska Hokej Liga 	Continental Cup winner 	3rd 	Group stage
Olimpija Ljubljana 	Ljubljana 	Slovenian Ice Hockey League	Wild card 	1st 	First appearance
==Round and draw dates==
The schedule of the competition is as follows.
Phase 	Round 	Draw date 	First leg 	Second leg
Group stage	Matchday 1 	25 May 2022 	1–2 September 2022 	1–2 September 2022
Group stage	Matchday 2 	25 May 2022 	3–4 September 2022 	3–4 September 2022
Group stage	Matchday 3 	25 May 2022 	8–9 September 2022 	8–9 September 2022
Group stage	Matchday 4 	25 May 2022 	10–11 September 2022	10–11 September 2022
Group stage	Matchday 5 	25 May 2022 	4–5 October 2022 	4–5 October 2022
Group stage	Matchday 6 	25 May 2022 	11–12 October 2022 	11–12 October 2022
Playoff 	Round of 16 	13 October 2022	 	
Playoff 	Quarter-finals	13 October 2022	6–7 December 2022 	13 December 2022
Playoff 	Semi-finals 	13 October 2022	10–11 January 2023 	17–18 January 2023
Playoff 	Final 	13 October 2022	18 February 2023 	18 February 2023
==Group stage==
For the group stage, the teams were drawn into 8 groups of 4 teams. Each team will play home and away against every other team for a total of six games. The best two teams will qualify to the round of 16.
The draw of the group stage took place on 25 May 2022 in Tampere, Finland.
===Pots===
The participating teams were seeded into Pots 1 to 4 according to their achievements in their national leagues and their respective league’s standing in the CHL league ranking. The reigning CHL champions Rögle BK were the top seeded team and therefore given a place in pot 1. In the top pot there were also the reigning champions of the six founding leagues and the regular season winner of SHL. The 16 remaining teams from the founding leagues were placed to pots 2 and 3. The fourth pot included the playoff champions from the seven challenge leagues and MKS Cracovia, winners of 2021–22 IIHF Continental Cup.
Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
 Rögle BK
 Färjestad BK
 EV Zug
 Eisbären Berlin
 Tappara
 Oceláři Třinec
 Red Bull Salzburg
 Luleå HF	
 HC Fribourg-Gottéron
 Red Bull München
 Jukurit
 Mountfield HK
 Villach SV
 Skellefteå AIK
 ZSC Lions
 Grizzlys Wolfsburg	
 Ilves
 Sparta Praha
 Fehérvár AV19
 Frölunda HC
 SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
 Straubing Tigers
 TPS
 HC Davos	
 Belfast Giants
 Brûleurs de Loups
 Slovan Bratislava
 Stavanger Oilers
 GKS Katowice
 Aalborg Pirates
 Olimpija Ljubljana
 MKS Cracovia
===Group A===
===Group B===
===Group C===
===Group D===
===Group E===
===Group F===
===Group G===
===Group H===
===Group stage tie-breaking criteria===
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win in regulation time, 2 poins for a win in overtime, 1 point for a loss in overtime, 0 points for a loss in regulation time). If two or more teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see 8.4.4. Tie breaking formula group stage standings):
#Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
#Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
#Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
#The higher number of goals in one of the matches among the tied teams;
#The most goals in the two game winning shot series;
#If more than two teams are tied, head-to-head criteria 1, 2 and 3 are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
#If more than two teams are tied, and after applying head-to-head criteria 1, 2 and 3, a subset of teams are still tied, goal difference and goals scored then the results between each of the three teams and the closest best-ranked team outside the subset was applied; best-ranked team outside the sub-group was applied;
#The higher position in the 2021–22 Champions Hockey League club ranking;
#Goal difference in all group matches;
#Goals scored in all group matches;
#Regulation time wins in all group matches;
#Overtime wins in all group matches;
#Overtime losses in all group matches.
==Playoffs==
===Qualified teams===
The knockout phase involves the 16 teams which qualify as winners and runners-up of each of the eight groups in the group stage.
Group	Winners(seeded in round of 16 draw)	Runners-up(unseeded in round of 16 draw)
A 	Luleå HF 	Jukurit
B 	EV Zug 	Grizzlys Wolfsburg
C 	Tappara 	Red Bull München
D 	Rögle BK 	ZSC Lions
E 	HC Fribourg-Gottéron 	Red Bull Salzburg
F 	Straubing Tigers 	Färjestad BK
G 	Mountfield HK 	Frölunda HC
H 	Skellefteå AIK 	HC Davos
===Format===
In each round except the final, the teams play two games and the aggregate score decides which team advances. As a rule, the first leg is hosted by the team who has the inferior record in the tournament with the second leg being played on the home ice of the other team. If aggregate score is tied, a sudden death overtime follows. If the overtime is scoreless, the team who wins the shoot out competition advances.
The final will be played on the home ice of the team who has the better record in the tournament.
===Bracket===
The eight group winners and the eight second-placed teams advanced to the round of 16. The teams were divided into two seeding groups and group winners were randomly drawn against runners-up. Teams who had faced each other in the group stage could not be drawn against each other in the round of 16.
===Round of 16===
The draw for the entire playoff was held on 13 October 2022 in Zürich. The first legs were played on 15 and 16 November with return legs played on 22 and 23 November 2022.
|}
===Quarter-finals===
First legs were played on 6 and 7 December with return legs played on 13 December 2022.
|}
===Semi-finals===
First legs were played on 10 January with return legs played on 17 January 2023.
|}
===Final===
==Statistics==
===Scoring leaders===
The following players are leading the league in points.
Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	Frölunda HC 	11	7	15	22	4 	+8 	1	0	0	27	25.93%
 	EV Zug 	12	6	11	17	8 	+12	3	1	0	23	26.09%
 	Luleå HF 	11	5	9 	14	+4	9 	1	1	0	20	25.00%
 	Tappara 	13	8	5 	13	2 	+10	2	3	0	35	22.86%
 	Skellefteå AIK 	9 	7	5 	12	2 	+7 	0	0	0	17	41.18%
 	Frölunda HC 	12	5	7 	12	2 	+3 	1	3	1	30	16.67%
 	Tappara 	13	3	9 	12	6 	+5 	2	0	1	20	15.00%
 	Eisbären Berlin	6 	8	3 	11	6 	+4 	0	1	0	17	47.06%
 	HC Davos 	8 	5	6 	11	6 	+5 	1	0	1	14	35.71%
 	Skellefteå AIK 	10	2	9 	11	4 	+1 	0	1	0	17	11.76%
===Leading goaltenders===
The following goaltenders are leading the league in save percentage, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes.
Player	Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	HC Fribourg-Gottéron	6 	2	2	115	4 	96.64%	0.80	2	300
 	Tappara 	12	9	2	312	16	95.12%	1.33	4	724
 	Grizzlys Wolfsburg 	5 	2	3	165	11	93.75%	2.22	0	297
 	Stavanger Oilers 	6 	2	4	189	13	93.56%	2.14	1	364
 	Skellefteå AIK 	4 	3	1	105	8 	92.92%	1.92	1	250
==Awards==
===MVP===
The winner of the LGT MVP Award was announced on 18 February 2023.
Player 	Team
Christian Heljanko	Tappara
===Team of the Season===
The Team of the Season was announced on 23 February 2023.
Position 	Player 	Team
Goaltender	Christian Heljanko 	Tappara
Defenceman	Julius Honka 	Luleå HF
Defenceman	Valtteri Kemiläinen	Tappara
Forward 	Brian O'Neill 	EV Zug
Forward 	Juhani Tyrväinen 	Tappara
Forward 	Ryan Lasch 	Frölunda HC
==References==
2022
Champions