2020–21 Champions Hockey League

The 2020–21 Champions Hockey League was scheduled to be the seventh season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament. The tournament was planned to be competed by 32 teams, with qualification being on sporting merits only. The six founding leagues would have been represented by between three and five teams (based on a three-year league ranking), while seven "challenge leagues" were to be represented by one team each. An additional spot would have been awarded to the 2019–20 IIHF Continental Cup winner.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a revised schedule was presented that would have seen the season start directly with a 32-team play-off in October. However, because the situation did not improve sufficiently in Europe, it was announced in early October that the CHL board of directors had cancelled the tournament, without any games being played.
==Team allocation==
A total of 32 teams from different European first-tier leagues would have participated in the 2020–21 Champions Hockey League. Besides the Continental Cup champions, 24 teams from the six founding leagues, as well as the national champions from Slovakia, Norway, Denmark, France, Belarus, Great Britain and Poland could have qualified.
The qualification for these places is set out in the rules as follows:
# 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
For the Austrian Hockey League teams are however picked in this order:
# League champions
# Regular season winners
# Pick Round winners
# Pick Round runners-up
# Losing playoff finalists
Note: Great Britain is the lone exception as the EIHL, in line with their traditions, determine their national champion following the regular season (not in the playoffs).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, many leagues were forced to cancel their seasons early. Places usually reserved for the playoff champions of those leagues were given to the next best team from the regular season, or in the Austrian Hockey League's case, the next best team from the regular season pick round. In the case of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the team leading the regular season at the time of its cancellation were given its Champions Hockey League place. HC '05 Banská Bystrica qualified for the CHL as Slovak Tipsport liga's regular season champion but had to withdraw due to issues related to the arena. They were replaced by HC Neman Grodno.
On 15 September, the CHL announced that the Cardiff Devils had withdrawn from the league due to the suspension of the 2020–21 EIHL season. No new team would replace them.
===Teams===
Team 	City/Area 	League 	Qualification 	Participation	Previous best
Frölunda HC 	Göteborg 	Swedish Hockey League 	2020 CHL winner 	7th 	Champion
Luleå HF 	Luleå 	Swedish Hockey League 	regular season winner 	5th 	Champion
Färjestad BK 	Karlstad 	Swedish Hockey League 	regular season runner-up 	5th 	Round of 16
Rögle BK 	Ängelholm 	Swedish Hockey League 	regular season third 	1st 	First appearance
Skellefteå AIK 	Skellefteå 	Swedish Hockey League 	regular season fourth 	6th 	Semi-finals
ZSC Lions 	Zürich 	National League 	regular season winner 	6th 	Quarter-finals
EV Zug 	Zug 	National League 	regular season runner-up 	7th 	Quarter-finals
HC Davos 	Davos 	National League 	regular season third 	4th 	Semi-finals
Genève-Servette HC 	Geneva 	National League 	regular season fourth 	3rd 	Round of 16
EHC Biel 	Biel/Bienne	National League 	regular season fifth 	2nd 	Quarter-finals
Red Bull München 	Munich 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	regular season winner 	6th 	Final
Adler Mannheim 	Mannheim 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	regular season runner-up 	6th 	Round of 16
Straubing Tigers 	Straubing 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	regular season third 	1st 	First appearance
Eisbären Berlin 	Berlin 	Deutsche Eishockey Liga	regular season fourth 	5th 	Round of 16
Kärpät 	Oulu 	Liiga 	regular season winner 	6th 	Final
Lukko 	Rauma 	Liiga 	regular season runner-up 	4th 	Semi-finals
Tappara 	Tampere 	Liiga 	regular season third 	7th 	Round of 16
Ilves 	Tampere 	Liiga 	regular season fourth 	1st 	First appearance
Bílí Tygři Liberec 	Liberec 	Czech Extraliga 	regular season winner 	6th 	Semi-finals
Oceláři Třinec 	Třinec 	Czech Extraliga 	regular season runner-up 	6th 	Semi-finals
HC Sparta Praha 	Prague 	Czech Extraliga 	regular season third 	4th 	Final
Red Bull Salzburg 	Salzburg 	Austrian Hockey League 	regular season first round winner	6th 	Semi-finals
HC Bolzano 	Bolzano 	Austrian Hockey League 	regular season pick round winner 	3rd 	Round of 16
Vienna Capitals 	Vienna 	Austrian Hockey League 	regular season pick round third 	7th 	Round of 16
SønderjyskE Ishockey	Vojens 	Metal Ligaen 	Continental Cup winner 	3rd 	Group stage
Aalborg Pirates 	Aalborg 	Metal Ligaen 	regular season winner 	2nd 	Group stage
Yunost Minsk 	Minsk 	Belarusian Extraleague 	play-off champion 	4th 	Round of 16
HC Neman Grodno 	Grodno 	Belarusian Extraleague 	regular season runner-up 	4th 	Group stage
Brûleurs de Loups 	Grenoble 	Ligue Magnus 	regular season winner 	3rd 	Group stage
Stavanger Oilers 	Stavanger 	GET-ligaen 	regular season champion 	5th 	Round of 32
GKS Tychy 	Tychy 	Polska Hokej Liga 	regular season champion 	3rd 	Group stage
==References==
Category:2021 in ice hockey