2023–24 Champions Hockey League
The 2023–24 Champions Hockey League is the ninth season of the Champions Hockey League, a European ice hockey tournament. The tournament is competed by 24 teams, with qualification being on sporting merits only. Apart from the reigning champion, the six founding leagues are represented by three teams each, while five "challenge leagues" are represented by one team each. Format changes
Starting from the 2023–24 season the format was changed. The number of teams was reduced from 32 to 24 teams. The group stage was replaced with the regular season in which teams will play six games each, with the teams being ranked in overall standings and 16 best-ranked teams advancing to the playoffs. In the regular season draw, teams are allocated into four pots featuring six teams each. The seeding depends on the teams’ achievements in their national leagues and the respective league’s standing in the CHL league ranking. Each team was drawn against two teams from each of the other three pots. In the playoffs, teams will form pairs based on the overall regular season standings. For the first time since the 2015–16 season, the IIHF Continental Cup winners did not get a wild card spot. Team allocation
A total of 24 teams from different European first-tier leagues are scheduled to participate in the league. Besides the title holders Tappara, 18 teams from the six founding leagues, as well as the national champions from Denmark, France, Norway, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The qualification criteria for national leagues is based on the following rules:
 CHL champions
 National league champions (play-off winners)
 Regular season winners
 Regular season runners-up
 Regular season third-placed team

Note: the national league champions of the United Kingdom are distinct from the national champions, who are determined in play-offs following the regular season. In 2023, Belfast Giants won both competitions. Teams

Round and draw dates
The schedule of the competition is as follows. Regular season

In the regular season the 24 teams were combined into one table. Each team played home and away against six different opponents once. The best sixteen teams qualified to the round of 16. The draw of the regular season took place on 24 May 2023 in Tampere, Finland. Pots
The participating teams were seeded into Pots A to D according to their achievements in their national leagues and their respective league’s standing in the CHL league ranking. The reigning CHL champions Tappara were the top seeded team and therefore given a place in pot A. The top pot also contained the reigning champions of four of the top five founding leagues according to the league rankings (Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and ICE Hockey League), as well as 2022–23 Liiga regular season runners-up. Grid
Teams were allocated their opponents based on a pattern in connection to the positions in the regular season grid. They played the teams on the left-hand side at home and the ones on the right-hand side away excluding teams from the same row. Teams from the last column played teams from the first column away, and teams from the first column played teams from the last column at home. League table

Regular season tie-breaking criteria
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win in regulation time, 2 points for a win in overtime, 1 point for a loss in overtime, 0 points for a loss in regulation time). If two or more teams are tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria will be applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see 8.4.4. Tie breaking formula group stage standings):
Greater number of wins in regulation time (3 point wins);
Greater number of wins in total (regulation time wins + overtime and shootout wins);
Better goal difference;
More goals scored; 
More away goals scored;
The higher position in the CHL Draw pot allocation. Results

Playoffs

Format
In the playoffs, pairings will be formed based on the positions of the teams in the regular season as follows: the team finished 1st in the regular season will face the team finished 16th, the team finished 2nd will face the team finished 15th, and so on. There will be no play-off draw or any reseedings for the quarter-finals and semi-finals. In each round except the final, the teams play two games and the aggregate score decides which team advances. The first leg is hosted by the team with the lower seed with the second leg being played on the home ice of the other team. If aggregate score is tied, a sudden death overtime follows. If the overtime is scoreless, the team who wins the shoot out competition advances. The final will be played on the home ice of the team with the higher seed. Bracket

Round of 16
The first legs will be played on 14 and 15 November with return legs played on 21 and 22 November 2023. |}

Quarter-finals
First legs will be played on 5 and 6 December with return legs played on 12 December 2023. |}

Semi-finals
First legs will be played on 9 and 10 January with return legs played on 16 and 17 January 2024. |}

Final

Statistics

Scoring leaders
The following players are leading the league in points. Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders are leading the league in save percentage, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes. References

2023
Champions
Current ice hockey seasons