Wednesday 4 May 2016

Looking at our 2016-17 CHL Opponents



So we now know where the Steelers will be venturing to in the 2016-17 Champions League Group Stage. We go to Austria to lock horns with Red Bull Salzburg and another trip to Sweden, this time to face HV71 Jonkoping.

FSB now brings you a little insight into both teams:


Red Bull Salzburg 

Champions of the EBEL, which is the highest echelon of Austrian hockey. They won the league with 105 points, a clear ten points of their closest challengers Orli Znojmo. It was their second successive title and sixth overall.

They play at the 3,600 capacity Eisarena Salzburg, which was opened in 1960.

Key players for them include Canadian forward John Hughes, who has featured in each of their previous two forays into the CHL, offensive American defenceman Brian Fahey who had seven games for the Washington Capitals in 2010-11 and is a former AHL All Star. They certainly will be a team we need to be ready for. 

Last season Salzburg made the last 32 of the CHL, beaten by Norwegian side Storhamar Ishockey 6-3 over two legs. 


HV71 Jönköping 

For our second season in the Champions Hockey League, we have a trip to Sweden to face a SHL team. Last season it was Frölunda Göthenburg, who went to win the actual thing, but this time it's to face HV71 Jönköping who are based in the south of the country. They made the post season and were defeated at the quarter final stage by eventual finalists Skellefteå AIK 4-0.

Their home rink is the 7,000 capacity Kinnarps Arena which was one of the venues used for the 2002 World Championships.

Jönköping's roster predictably has a good balance of Swedes and imports. One player that stands out from the Swedish side is winger Mattias Tedenby. Tedenby was taken 24th overall in the 2008 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils. He played 120 games for the Devils over a four year stretch, notching 30 points, before returning to HV71 where he started out in the youth teams. Also in the roster is Canadian centre Chris Abbott who captained Luleå to the inaugural CHL title in 2014-15.

Last season Jönköping were in the same group as Salzburg, and this is the third season in a row they have been paired together at the group stage. They exited at the last 16 stage, losing 4-2 to Finns Espoo Blues for whom Rod Sarich played 20 games for in 2003-04 as a 22 year old.

So that's a brief insight into this season's CHL opponents. Hope it's whetted your appetite ready for August.
 

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