2015–16 Champions Hockey League

{{Infobox international hockey competition

| tourney_name = Champions Hockey League

| year = 2015–16

| image =

| size =

| caption =

| dates = {{nowrap|20 August 2015 – 9 February 2016}}

| num_teams = 48

| type = other

| winners = {{flagicon|SWE}} Frölunda HC

| count = 1

| second = {{flagicon|FIN}} Kärpät

| games = 157

| goals = 802

| attendance = 513760

| scoring_leader = {{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Lasch

| points = 16

| mvp = {{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Lasch

| prevseason = 2014–15

| nextseason = 2016–17

}}

The 2015–16 Champions Hockey League was the second season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament launched by 26 founding clubs, six leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

The regulation round began on 20 August 2015 and ended on 6 September 2015. The playoffs began on 22 September 2015 and ended with the Champions Hockey League Final on 9 February 2016. Frölunda HC defeated Kärpät 2–1 to win the second edition of Champions Hockey League.

Team allocation

A total of 48 teams from twelve different European first-tier leagues participate in the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League.

= Team license =

The teams were decided with regards to different licenses for the founding teams, leagues and wildcards.

A license: The 26 founding teams get an A license, if they play in the first-tier league of their respective domestic league system in the 2015–16 season.
B license: Two teams – the regular-season winner and the play-off champion in the 2014–15 season – from each of the founding leagues (the Austrian EBEL, the Czech Extraliga, the Finnish Liiga, the German DEL, the Swedish SHL and the Swiss NLA) received a B licence to the tournament. If those teams had already received an A license, other teams from the league took the B license spots. The order the B licenses were handed out is:{{cite web|title=New clubs join CHL|url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=8660&cHash=4740b1f34301de6c890940cbc9b9d9ae|work=iihf.com|access-date=26 September 2014|date=4 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=Qualifikationskriterien für die Champions Hockey League|url=http://www.erstebankliga.at/de/news/detail/2014/02/20/qualifikationskriterien_fuer_die_champions_hockey_league|work=iihf.com|language=de|access-date=26 September 2014|date=20 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305105829/http://www.erstebankliga.at/de/news/detail/2014/02/20/qualifikationskriterien_fuer_die_champions_hockey_league|archive-date=5 March 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

National champion
Regular season winner
Runner-up, regular season
Play-off finalist
Best placed semifinal loser
Worst placed semifinal loser

C license: There were 10 wild cards. The champions from Norway, Denmark, Slovakia, France and the United Kingdom—like the previous season—got wild cards.{{cite web |url=http://www.tv2.no/a/6534754|title=Norge får to plasser i Champions Hockey League|publisher=TV2|date=10 February 2015|access-date=16 February 2015|language=no}} From Slovakia, France, Norway and the United Kingdom, a second team also got a wild card.{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/sk/clanok/v-lige-majstrov-bude-mat-slovensko-od-sezony-2015-2016-dvoch-zastupcov |title=V Lige majstrov bude mať Slovensko od sezóny 2015/2016 dvoch zástupcov |publisher=Slovak Ice Hockey Federation |date=13 February 2015 |access-date=16 February 2015 |language=sk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216111250/http://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/sk/clanok/v-lige-majstrov-bude-mat-slovensko-od-sezony-2015-2016-dvoch-zastupcov |archive-date=16 February 2015 }} One wild card license were assigned to the 2014–15 IIHF Continental Cup winner HK Neman Grodno.{{cite web |url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=9360&cHash=91953f6440355014cd40cfbefc5b5539|title=Neman wins Continental Cup|publisher=IIHF|date=10 January 2015|access-date=10 January 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://eng.belta.by/all_news/sport/HC-Neman-Grodno-to-play-in-2015-16-CHL-season_i_79279.html |title=HC Neman Grodno to play in 2015-16 CHL season |publisher=Belarus News (BelTA) |date=5 February 2015 |access-date=16 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216170742/http://eng.belta.by/all_news/sport/HC-Neman-Grodno-to-play-in-2015-16-CHL-season_i_79279.html |archive-date=16 February 2015 }}

= Teams =

class="wikitable sortable" style="width:70%; text-align:left"
Team ! City/Area ! League ! Qualification ! License
{{flagicon\|AUT}} Red Bull Salzburg \| Salzburg \| Austrian Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|AUT}} Vienna Capitals \| Vienna \| Austrian Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|CZE}} Bílí Tygři Liberec \| Liberec \| Czech Extraliga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|CZE}} HC Pardubice \| Pardubice \| Czech Extraliga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|CZE}} HC Sparta Praha \| Prague \| Czech Extraliga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|CZE}} Vítkovice Steel \| Ostrava \| Czech Extraliga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|FIN}} HIFK \| Helsinki \| Liiga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|FIN}} JYP \| Jyväskylä \| Liiga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|FIN}} KalPa \| Kuopio \| Liiga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|FIN}} Kärpät \| Oulu \| Liiga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|FIN}} Tappara \| Tampere \| Liiga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|FIN}} TPS \| Turku \| Liiga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|GER}} Adler Mannheim \| Mannheim \| Deutsche Eishockey Liga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|GER}} Eisbären Berlin \| Berlin \| Deutsche Eishockey Liga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|GER}} ERC Ingolstadt \| Ingolstadt \| Deutsche Eishockey Liga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|GER}} Krefeld Pinguine \| Krefeld \| Deutsche Eishockey Liga \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SUI}} SC Bern \| Bern \| National League A \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SUI}} Fribourg-Gottéron \| Fribourg \| National League A \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SUI}} ZSC Lions \| Zürich \| National League A \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SUI}} EV Zug \| Zug \| National League A \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Djurgårdens IF \| Stockholm \| Swedish Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Frölunda HC \| Gothenburg \| Swedish Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Färjestad BK \| Karlstad \| Swedish Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SWE}} HV71 \| Jönköping \| Swedish Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Linköpings HC \| Linköping \| Swedish Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Luleå HF \| Luleå \| Swedish Hockey League \| founding club \| style="background-color: #CCCCFF; text-align: center;" \| A
{{flagicon\|AUT}} Black Wings Linz \| Linz \| Austrian Hockey League \| regular season runner-up \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|AUT}} KAC Klagenfurt \| Klagenfurt \| Austrian Hockey League \| play-off semi-finalist \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|CZE}} Oceláři Třinec \| Třinec \| Czech Extraliga \| regular season winner \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|CZE}} HC Litvínov \| Litvínov \| Czech Extraliga \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|FIN}} Lukko \| Rauma \| Liiga \| play-off semi-finalist \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|FIN}} Espoo Blues \| Espoo \| Liiga \| regular season fifth {{cite web \|url=http://www.championshockeyleague.net/news/kaerpaet-march-to-liiga-semis-saipa-replaced-by-blues-in-chl/886/ \|title=Kärpät march to Liiga semis, SaiPa replaced by Blues in CHL \|last1=Mankila \|first1=Pekka \|date=29 March 2015 \|website=Champions Hockey League \|access-date=29 March 2015 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100455/http://www.championshockeyleague.net/news/kaerpaet-march-to-liiga-semis-saipa-replaced-by-blues-in-chl/886/ \|archive-date=2015-04-02 \|url-status=dead }} \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|GER}} Red Bull Munich \| Munich \| Deutsche Eishockey Liga \| regular season runner-up \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|GER}} Düsseldorfer EG \| Düsseldorf \| Deutsche Eishockey Liga \| play-off semi-finalist \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|SUI}} HC Davos \| Davos \| National League A \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|SUI}} Genève-Servette \| Geneva \| National League A \| play-off semi-finalist \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Växjö Lakers \| Växjö \| Swedish Hockey League \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|SWE}} Skellefteå AIK \| Skellefteå \| Swedish Hockey League \| regular season winner \| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; text-align: center;" \| B
{{flagicon\|BLR}} Neman Grodno \| Grodno \| Belarusian Extraleague \| Continental Cup winner \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|NOR}} Stavanger Oilers \| Stavanger \| GET-ligaen \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|NOR}} Storhamar Ishockey \| Hamar \| GET-ligaen \| regular season runner-up \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|SVK}} HC Košice \| Košice \| Tipsport Liga \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|SVK}} HK Nitra \| Nitra \| Tipsport Liga \| regular season runner-up \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|DEN}} SønderjyskE Ishockey \| Vojens \| Metal Ligaen \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|UK}} Sheffield Steelers \| Sheffield \| Elite Ice Hockey League \| regular season champion \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|UK}} Braehead Clan \| Glasgow \| Elite Ice Hockey League \| regular season runner-up \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|FRA}} Rapaces de Gap \| Gap \| Ligue Magnus \| play-off champion \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C
{{flagicon\|FRA}} Grenoble \| Grenoble \| Ligue Magnus \| regular season winner \| style="background-color: #FFFFCC; text-align: center;" \| C

class="wikitable sortable" style="width:70%; text-align:left"

Team

! City/Area

! League

! Qualification

! License

{{flagicon|AUT}} Red Bull Salzburg

| Salzburg

| Austrian Hockey League

| founding club