We've asked representatives from the clubs a few questions relating to their club competing in the CHL in 2014/15. We've arranged the answers into 11 articles, one for each group. It's now time for Group H, which features ERC Ingolstadt, SaiPa Lappeenranta, Vítkovice Ostrava and EV Zug. Ingolstadt, the defending German champion, has faced Zug in each of the past two European Trophies, while SaiPa and Vítkovice are both newcomers.
Staff Writers
What do you think of the group you've been drawn into, and which team do you think is the strongest?
Jiří Ehrenberger (sports director, ERC Ingolstadt): "I think our group is very even and there are no favourites. It’s difficult to say who will be the strongest, because the group seems to be very even. Maybe SayPa could be favoured a little."
Riku Kallioniemi (CEO, SaiPa Lappeenranta): "I'm quite happy with the draw, we are ready to play anybody and we have interesting teams in our group. It's a nice new competition for us. Zug will be interesting for our fans, but Vítkovice and Ingolstadt will also be, as we've never had them in our town before. I'm sure the fans will be excited about that."
Petr Husička (general manager, Vítkovice): "Of course I wanted Košice and Vienna so we wouldn’t have to travel too far and the costs wouldn’t be so high as well. We got very good opponents: Zug from Switzerland, SaiPa from Finland and German champion Ingolstadt. I believe it will help us to prepare well for the league and we’ll see what results we can get."
Patrick Lengwiler (CEO, EV Zug): "The Champions Hockey League Draw was very interesting. I don’t know very much about our opponents, but they all have good names and for sure they'll be very interesting games for us. I know Vítkovice has a really good team, but I'm sure the others do too."
What does competing in the Champions Hockey League mean to your club?
Ehrenberger (ING): "The CHL is a new start for European hockey and we are excited to be part of it. I appreciate the fact that we will play three clubs from three different countries. As German champion we want to use the opportunity and play with dignity and represent the DEL."
Kallioniemi (SAI): "The CHL is a big thing for our team as we are a small club and this really helps us with benchmarking the other teams, as far as where we rank among them. it will also be a big thing for development of our team."
Husička (VIT): "Since we are one of the founding clubs and shareholders, we are ready to give a lot to this competition. We take it as a brilliant contest. I admit that, over last 20 years, I've noticed many European Cups and champions leagues come and go, but I believe we are headed in the right direction now.”
Lengwiler (EVZ): "It is something brand new for us, so we look forward to competing with other European clubs. We are very proud we can play there and we hope we can get a good result."
How far do you expect your team to advance in the competition?
Ehrenberger (ING): "Our goal has to be to advance from the group stage. We know it’s going to be very difficult."
Kallioniemi (SAI): "We want to win every game we play."
Husička (VIT): "Firstly, it will be great for preparation for the upcoming season with tough games against top-quality clubs. I think these games can give us a great picture about the actual strength of our team. We will be testing some players, of course, but it is still a big competition and we’re in it to go as far as we can."
Lengwiler (EVZ): "We want to stay in the competition as long as possible. I'm looking forward to it because for sure we'll see many interesting games."
Click here to compare basic information about these four clubs.