Cardiff Devils Face Swedish, Czech, Swiss Teams In Europe

Cardiff Devils will play opponents from Sweden, Czech Republic and Switzerland in their Champions Hockey League campaign.

Elite League title winners Devils have been drawn in group E, playing each off the other teams home and away.

They will take on Vaxjo Lakers (Sweden), Bili Tygri Liberec (Czech Republic) and HC Davos (Switzerland).

Devils managing director Todd Kelman and coach Andrew Lord were in Cologne for the draw.

The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four. The first and second placed teams in each group advance to the play-offs stage.

Cardiff Devils were seeded 29th and were in pot four along with Nottingham Panthers. The top seeds are reigning champions Frolunda Gothenburg from Sweden.

Champions Hockey League:

Group A: Taparra Tampere (Finland), Red Bull Salzburg Austria), Grizzlys Wolfsburg (Germany), Banska Bystrica (Slovakia).

Group B: Kometa Brno (Czech Republic), Kalpa Kuopio (Finland), Malmo Redhawks (Sweden), Stavanger Oilers (Norway).

Group C: Vienna Capitals (Austria), EV Zug (Switzerland), Jyp Jyvaskala (Finland), Neman Grodno (Belarus).

Group D: HV71 Jonkoping (Sweden), Adler Mannheim (Germany), Ocular Trinec (Czech Republic), Esbjerg Energy (Denmark).

Group E: Vaxjo Lakers (Sweden), Bili Tygri Liberec (Czech Republic), HC Davos (Switzerland), Cardiff Devils (UK).

Group F: SC Bern (Switzerland), TPS Turku (Finland), Mountfield HK (Czech Republic), Nottingham Panthers (UK).

Group G: Red Bull Munich (Germany), Brynas IF (Sweden), IFK Helsinki (Finland), Comarch Cracovia (Poland).

Group H: Frolunda Gothenburg (Sweden), ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland), KAC Klagenfurt (Austria), Gap Rapaces (France).