2015–16 Champions Hockey League

The 2015–16 Champions Hockey League is the second season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament launched by 26 founding clubs, six leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The regulation round began on 20 August 2015 and ended on 6 September 2015. The playoffs began on 22 September 2015 and ended with the 2016 Champions Hockey League Final on 9 February 2016. Frölunda HC defeated Kärpät 2–1 to win the second edition of Champions Hockey League.
== Team allocation ==
A total of 48 teams from twelve different European first-tier leagues participate in the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League.
=== Team license ===
The teams were decided with regards to different licenses for the founding teams, leagues and wildcards.
* A license: The 26 founding teams get an A license, if they play in the first-tier league of their respective domestic league system in the 2015–16 season.
* B license: Two teams – the regular-season winner and the play-off champion in the 2014–15 season – from each of the founding leagues (the Austrian EBEL, the Czech Extraliga, the Finnish Liiga, the German DEL, the Swedish SHL and the Swiss NLA) received a B licence to the tournament. If those teams had already received an A license, other teams from the league took the B license spots. The order the B licenses were handed out is: 
# National champion
# Regular season winner
# Runner-up, regular season
# Play-off finalist
# Best placed semifinal loser
# Worst placed semifinal loser
* C license: There were 10 wild cards. The champions from Norway, Denmark, Slovakia, France and the United Kingdom will, like the previous season got wild cards. From Slovakia, France, Norway and the United Kingdom, a second team also got a wild card. One wild card license were assigned to the 2014–15 IIHF Continental Cup winner HK Neman Grodno.
=== Teams ===
Team 	City/Area 	League 	Qualification 	License
Red Bull Salzburg 	Salzburg 	Austrian Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Vienna Capitals 	Vienna 	Austrian Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Bílí Tygři Liberec 	Liberec 	Czech Extraliga 	founding club 	A
HC Pardubice 	Pardubice 	Czech Extraliga 	founding club 	A
HC Sparta Praha 	Prague 	Czech Extraliga 	founding club 	A
Vítkovice Steel 	Ostrava 	Czech Extraliga 	founding club 	A
HIFK 	Helsinki 	Liiga 	founding club 	A
JYP 	Jyväskylä 	Liiga 	founding club 	A
KalPa 	Kuopio 	Liiga 	founding club 	A
Kärpät 	Oulu 	Liiga 	founding club 	A
Tappara 	Tampere 	Liiga 	founding club 	A
TPS 	Turku 	Liiga 	founding club 	A
Adler Mannheim 	Mannheim 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	founding club 	A
Eisbären Berlin 	Berlin 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	founding club 	A
ERC Ingolstadt 	Ingolstadt	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	founding club 	A
Krefeld Pinguine 	Krefeld 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	founding club 	A
SC Bern 	Bern 	National League A 	founding club 	A
Fribourg-Gottéron 	Fribourg 	National League A 	founding club 	A
ZSC Lions 	Zürich 	National League A 	founding club 	A
EV Zug 	Zug 	National League A 	founding club 	A
Djurgårdens IF 	Stockholm 	Swedish Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Frölunda HC 	Gothenburg	Swedish Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Färjestad BK 	Karlstad 	Swedish Hockey League 	founding club 	A
HV71 	Jönköping 	Swedish Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Linköpings HC 	Linköping 	Swedish Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Luleå HF 	Luleå 	Swedish Hockey League 	founding club 	A
Black Wings Linz 	Linz 	Austrian Hockey League 	regular season runner-up	B
KAC Klagenfurt 	Klagenfurt	Austrian Hockey League 	play-off semi-finalist 	B
Oceláři Třinec 	Třinec 	Czech Extraliga 	regular season winner 	B
HC Litvínov 	Litvínov 	Czech Extraliga 	play-off champion 	B
Lukko 	Rauma 	Liiga 	play-off semi-finalist 	B
Espoo Blues 	Espoo 	Liiga 	regular season fifth 	B
Red Bull Munich 	Munich 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	regular season runner-up	B
Düsseldorfer EG 	Düsseldorf	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	play-off semi-finalist 	B
HC Davos 	Davos 	National League A 	play-off champion 	B
Genève-Servette 	Geneva 	National League A 	play-off semi-finalist 	B
Växjö Lakers 	Växjö 	Swedish Hockey League 	play-off champion 	B
Skellefteå AIK 	Skellefteå	Swedish Hockey League 	regular season winner 	B
Neman Grodno 	Grodno 	Belarusian Extraleague 	Continental Cup winner 	C
Stavanger Oilers 	Stavanger 	GET-ligaen 	play-off champion 	C
Storhamar Ishockey 	Hamar 	GET-ligaen 	regular season runner-up	C
HC Košice 	Košice 	Tipsport Liga 	play-off champion 	C
HK Nitra 	Nitra 	Tipsport Liga 	regular season runner-up	C
SønderjyskE Ishockey	Vojens 	Metal Ligaen 	play-off champion 	C
Sheffield Steelers 	Sheffield 	Elite Ice Hockey League	regular season champion 	C
Braehead Clan 	Glasgow 	Elite Ice Hockey League	regular season runner-up	C
Rapaces de Gap 	Gap 	Ligue Magnus 	play-off champion 	C
Grenoble 	Grenoble 	Ligue Magnus 	regular season winner 	C
==Round and draw dates==
The schedule of the competition is as follows.
Phase 	Round 	Draw date 	First leg 	Second leg
Group stage	Matchday 1 	13 May 2015 	20–21 August 2015 	20–21 August 2015
Group stage	Matchday 2 	13 May 2015 	22–23 August 2015 	22–23 August 2015
Group stage	Matchday 3 	13 May 2015 	27–28 August 2015 	27–28 August 2015
Group stage	Matchday 4 	13 May 2015 	29–30 August 2015 	29–30 August 2015
Group stage	Matchday 5 	13 May 2015 	3–4 September 2015	3–4 September 2015
Group stage	Matchday 6 	13 May 2015 	5–6 September 2015	5–6 September 2015
Playoff 	Round of 32 	8 September 2015	22 September 2015 	6 October 2015
Playoff 	Round of 16 	8 September 2015	3 November 2015 	10 November 2015
Playoff 	Quarter-finals	8 September 2015	1 December 2015 	8 December 2015
Playoff 	Semi-finals 	8 September 2015	12 January 2016 	19 January 2016
Playoff 	Final 	8 September 2015	9 February 2016 	9 February 2016
== Group stage ==
For the 2015–16 season, the regular season was expanded to 48 teams, divided into 16 groups with 3 teams in each group. The two first teams in each group advanced to the play-offs (round of 32).
The group stage began on 20 August and ended on 6 September 2015. The 48 teams were divided into 16 groups of three teams each. Each team played a double round-robin in their group, facing each team at home and on the road, giving 4 games per team. The 16 group winners and the 16 runners-up qualified for the playoffs.
=== Group stage draw ===
The 16 groups were determined by a draw taking place on 13 May 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic. The 48 teams had been ranked and placed into three pots of 16 teams each. Following the draw, each group consisted of one team from each pot. The seedings were as follows;
Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3
 Växjö Lakers
 Kärpät
 HC Litvínov
 HC Davos
 Red Bull Salzburg
 Adler Mannheim
 Skellefteå AIK
 Tappara
 Oceláři Třinec
 ZSC Lions
 Black Wings Linz
 Red Bull Munich
 Frölunda HC
 Lukko
 HC Sparta Praha
 SC Bern	
 Vienna Capitals
 ERC Ingolstadt
 Linköpings HC
 JYP
 HC Pardubice
 Genève-Servette
 KAC Klagenfurt
 Düsseldorfer EG
 HV71
 Espoo Blues
 Vítkovice Steel
 EV Zug
 Eisbären Berlin
 Luleå HF
 KalPa
 Bílí Tygři Liberec	
 Fribourg-Gottéron
 Krefeld Pinguine
 Färjestad BK
 HIFK
 Djurgårdens IF
 TPS
 HC Košice
 Stavanger Oilers
 SønderjyskE Ishockey
 Sheffield Steelers
 Rapaces de Gap
 HK Nitra
 Storhamar Ishockey
 Braehead Clan
 Grenoble
 Neman Grodno
=== Tiebreakers ===
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win in regular time, 2 points for an overtime win or shootout win, 1 point for an overtime loss or shootout loss, 0 points for a loss in regular time). If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria were applied in the order given to determine the rankings:
#higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
#superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
#higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
#higher number of wins in regular time in the group matches played among the teams in question;
#higher number of goals scored in one match in the group matches played among the teams in question;
#if, after having applied criteria 1 to 5, teams still had an equal ranking in a two-way tie, criteria 1 to 5 were reapplied against the third team in the group. If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 7 to 10 applied;
#higher number of wins in overtime;
#higher number of goals scored in shootout (if both matches ended in shootout);
#if two teams still remained tied and they met in their group's final game, they played a shootout to determine which team is ranked higher;
#higher pre-draw rankings.
=== Group A ===
=== Group B ===
=== Group C ===
=== Group D ===
=== Group E ===
=== Group F ===
=== Group G ===
=== Group H ===
=== Group I ===
=== Group J ===
=== Group K ===
=== Group L ===
=== Group M ===
=== Group N ===
=== Group O ===
=== Group P ===
== Playoffs ==
In the playoffs, the teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis with the team with the better standing after the group stage having the second game at home, except for the one-game final played at the venue of the team with the best competition track record leading up to the final.
The mechanism of the draw for playoffs were as follows:
*The entire playoff was drawn at a single occasion on 8 September 2015 to determine the sixteen pairings for the Round of 32. After the draw, all games up to the final were set in brackets.
*In the draw for the Round of 32, the 16 group winners were seeded, and the 16 runners-up were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group could not be drawn against each other.
=== Playoff teams ===
Group	Winners(Seeded in round of 32 draw)	Runners-up(Unseeded in round of 32 draw)
A 	Linköpings HC 	HIFK
B 	Tappara 	Djurgårdens IF
C 	HV71 	Red Bull Salzburg
D 	Skellefteå AIK 	Bílí Tygři Liberec
E 	HC Davos 	Färjestad BK
F 	HC Litvínov 	Espoo Blues
G 	TPS 	Düsseldorfer EG
H 	Red Bull Munich 	HC Košice
I 	Adler Mannheim 	Vítkovice Steel
J 	Kärpät 	Vienna Capitals
K 	Luleå HF 	Lukko
L 	Stavanger Oilers 	Oceláři Třinec
M 	Storhamar Ishockey 	HC Sparta Praha
N 	Frölunda HC 	JYP
O 	Växjö Lakers 	ERC Ingolstadt
P 	ZSC Lions 	Eisbären Berlin
=== Bracket ===
Note:
#The teams listed on top of each tie play first game at home and the bottom team plays second game at home.
#The order of the legs (what team starts at home) in the future rounds may be changed as the team with best record should have second game at home.
=== Round of 32 ===
The draw for the entire playoff (round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final) was held on 8 September 2015. The first legs were played on 22 and 29 September, and the second legs were played on 6 October 2015. The seeded teams (group winners) played the last game at home.
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=== Round of 16 ===
The first legs were played on 3 November, and the second legs were played on 10 November 2015.
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=== Quarter-finals ===
The first legs were played on 1 December, and the second legs were played on 8 December 2015.
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=== Semi-finals ===
The first legs will be played on 12 January, and the second legs will be played on 19 January 2016.
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;Notes
=== Final ===
The final was played on 9 February 2016.
== References ==
 
Category:Champions Hockey League
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