Cardiff Devils 2020/21 CHL Journey
After the 2020/21 CHL draw has concluded, the Cardiff Devils now know who they will face in the round of 32. Cardiff have been drawn against Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. The Devils were the 7th of 16 ties drawn meaning they end up in the bottom right side of the 2020/21 CHL tournament bracket. It will be a difficult matchup against the runners-up of last season's SHL who are participating in their 5th CHL.
Färjestad BK are competing in their 5th CHL after qualifying by finishing the regular season in 2nd place behind Finnish champions Luleå HF. Despite 4 previous appearances in the competition, the furthest Färjestad have been is the round of 16. It is another trip to Finland for the Devils to visit Löfbergs Arena which has a capacity of 8,645 whilst hosting a hockey game.
Devils fans will inevitably travel in good numbers considering it could be their only European trip for this season. The Red Army will provide a huge boost for the Devils on the road and will be hoping to get a result to progress to the round of 16 for the first time after 3 straight group stage exits. Expect a 'hell out' at Ice Arena Wales when Färjestad visit, if fans are allowed to enter arenas in early October.
Färjestad will be hoping to break their curse of losing in the first knockout stage of the tournament and hopeful to progress further in the tournament than their previous best, round of 16. Cardiff will play their first knockout CHL game and with a win would see them progress further than their previous 3 attempts. Whatever the outcome of the match the winners will likely have a tough tie against HC Davos in the round of 16. HC Davos are a team that the Devils are aware of how good they are after a crushing 10-1 defeat in 2017/18.
Confirmed Fixture Dates
It was confirmed by the CHL that the 2 legs for this matchup would take place on the following dates and times (All times are UK):
Cardiff Devils v Färjestad Tuesday 6th October 2020 7:30pm
Färjestad v Cardiff Devils Tuesday 13th October 2020 5:00pm
The Devils will be hoping for a good result at home to give them a decent chance when they travel to Löfbergs Arena a week later.
Cardiff Devils possible opponents on the route to the final are shown below with the pot 1 teams shown in bold with a potential matchup against HC Davos again in the round of 16.
Route to the final
Round of 32 : Färjestad BK
Round of 16: HC Davos, Vienna Capitals
Quarter Final: EV Zug, ZSC Lions, Skellefteå AIK, SønderjyskE Ishockey
Semi Final: Luleå HF, Adler Mannheim, Frölunda HC, HC Bozen–Bolzano, Eisbären Berlin, Brûleurs de Loups, HC Neman Grodno, EHC Biel-Bienne
Final: EHC Red Bull München, Oulun Kärpät, Bílí Tygři Liberec, Rauman Lukko, HC Oceláři Třinec, EC Red Bull Salzburg, Rögle BK, Straubing Tigers, Tappara, HC Sparta Praha, Genève-Servette HC, Ilves, Yunost Minsk, Stavanger Oilers, GKS Tychy, Aalborg Pirates
