HC Slovan got into the Champions Hockey League! He will play in an extremely attractive group

ŠPORT.sk
–

today 16:12
|

HC Slovan Bratislava will represent Slovakia in the Champions Hockey League (CHL) in the 2021/2022 season.

The management of the CHL confirmed in a press release on Thursday that they had given the extra-league club a free card. Slovan will present himself in an attractive F-group instead of the Belarusian champion Junost Minsk, who was taken away from a place due to the unstable situation in the country.

His rivals in the group will be the Czech champion HC Oceláři Třinec, the third team after the basic part of the Swiss NLA Friborg-Gottéron and the third team after the basic part of the Swedish SHL Leksands IF, in which the Slovak representatives Peter Cehlárik and Marek Hrivík also worked last season.

“One of the goals of the CHL is to offer participation in the Champions League for renowned clubs through the system of so – called free cards and thus contribute to the development of European club hockey by having the competition as diverse internationally as possible.

A place for Slovan Bratislava offers us the opportunity to welcome back in our competition a representative from Slovakia, a country with a rich hockey tradition, which has brought up many top players in world hockey.

HC Slovan Bratislava is a well-known and recognized hockey brand in Europe. In addition, this year the club celebrates the 100th anniversary of its establishment and has shown great interest in presenting itself on the European scene by participating in the CHL. For this reason, the CHL Council decided to award him a free card and 32nd place in the 2021/2022 season, ” The CHL Council stated in its official statement, which was also published by Slovan on its website.

Slovan returns to the European club scene after nine years. In 2011 and 2012 he worked as the only Slovak team in the international club competition European Trophy. In December 2012, together with Vienna, he co-organized the final tournament, in which the Swedish team Lulea HF won.

Slovan was eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to another Swedish team, Färjestad BK 1: 4. Slovan also holds the best position of the Slovak team in the Champions League – in January 2008 he took 3rd place at the final Super Six tournament in St. Petersburg.

In this year’s edition of the Champions League, after a one-year hiatus due to a coronavirus pandemic, a total of 32 teams from 13 different leagues and 14 European countries will present 125 matches. The competition will start at the end of August and will culminate in a final match on March 1, 2022.

Slovakia should not have had a representative in LM 2020/2021, which they did not play at all due to the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, Banská Bystrica refused the right to start and the management of the highest Slovak competition did not offer another club to LM. In the new era of the Hockey Champions League, Slovakia has so far been represented by three clubs – HC Košice, HK Nitra and HC ’05 Banská Bystrica. The reigning Slovak champion HKM Zvolen did not show interest in starting in the upcoming LM edition.