The Finns have never made it through the group stage in their two CHL seasons so far.

"We are really looking forward to the CHL game against Skellefteå AIK tomorrow. We have had a great off season and we’ve trained hard. Skellefteå is a very good team, who skate well and they give pressure and don’t stop the puck when behind the net. We are expecting high intensive hockey, we really need to be ready," said Juuso Riikola ahead of KalPa's first CHL game this season.

"Our last game was a pre-season game against Jukurit last week and we won that 4-2. We controlled the game and we need to be able to play even better now, when playing CHL. Champions Hockey League is a great league and the games are something we’re really excited about. It’s fantastic to play against top Swedish team."