Czech clubs HC Plzen and BK Mlada Boleslav qualified for the 2016–17 Champions Hockey League season on back to back nights this week. 

CHL News

On back to back nights on Wednesday and Thursday, the two Champions Hockey League B-Licenses allotted to the Czech Republic were claimed by HC Plzen and BK Mlada Boleslav. The two clubs finished 4th and 6th respectively in the Extraliga's regular season, and now are in the league's semi-finals along with A-License clubs Bili Tygri Liberec and Sparta Prague – the regular season's top two finishers.

Plzen actually qualified for the semis on Tuesday when they finished their quarter-final against HC Olomouc in five games, but their spot in next year's CHL wasn't assured until the following night when Sparta eliminated PSG Zlin, assuring that Plzen would be one of only two unqualified teams in the semi-finals. Mlada Boleslav claimed the other spot on Thursday with a 4–0 home-ice victory over Hradec Kralove to finish that series in six games.

“For our club this is a great success and we are really pleased,” Plzen general manager Martin Straka said in a club-issued press release on Thursday. “Our journey in the playoffs is definitely not over yet and we will fight with all our strength to go further, but we now know that our efforts this season will be rewarded with great confrontations against the best teams in Europe. This is great news not just in terms of prestige for the club but also for the fans.”

Plzen will now face Sparta in the semi-finals starting on Tuesday, while Mlada Boleslav make the short 50 km bus trip to Liberec to begin their series next Thursday.