As the 2025/26 Champions Hockey League season charges past its first four Game Days, early trends and standout performances are already beginning to shape the narrative of this year’s competition.
With Europe's top clubs battling it out for places in the Playoffs, the opening rounds have delivered not only high-intensity action but also a wealth of intriguing statistics. From unexpectedly dominant defences and goaltending to prolific scoring and surprising underdog surges, the numbers offer a deeper look into which teams are setting the pace, each in their own special way.
Here's a closer look at some of the most interesting team stats from the early stages of the CHL.
Straight W's!
Just two teams have navigated the opening rounds of Europe's elite club ice hockey competition with a big fat 0 in the losses column, and it's no surprise they are our Finnish duo, Ilves Tampere and KalPa Kuopio, who are both already qualified for the Playoffs!
Unstoppable Firepower
13 teams have scored over three goals per game, but just three have scored four or more per game. With 17 goals in four games, EV Zug and Kometa Brno are tied for the teams' top scorer crown, while with 16 goals scored, KalPa Kuopio are a close third.
Swiss side Zug and Czech side Kometa have both spread their scoring out, scoring at least three in each of their games this season.
On the flip side, the Top 5 least-scoring teams rather surprisingly features past CHL Champions Luleå Hockey and ZSC Lions Zurich!
Highest Scoring Game
The highest scoring game so far this season was the 13-goal Game Day 3 clash between Pinguins Bremerhaven and Grenoble that ended 5-8 to the visiting French side!
Tightest Defence
Ilves Tampere, KalPa Kuopio and Brynäs IF are the three that have let in just six goals across the opening four Game Days, setting them all up for a very respectable 1.5 goals against average.
Finns KalPa also lead the CHL's goal difference chart with a +10 mark, with fellow countrymen Ilves in a close second with +9.
Reverse the table and you find the Belfast Giants, who are dead last with a -11 goal difference, while GKS Tychy and Storhamar Hamar are the two teams that have scored the least amount of goals four games in, with the Poles scoring only four and the Norwegian side slotting in a mere five.
Face-off Kings
With a 62.4% success rate on the face-off, DEL side Pinguins Bremerhaven are the leaders in this stat. A close second place goes to Eisbären Berlin, which leads us to wonder if winning the puck at the start of play is an important trademark of play for German teams.
Rounding out the Top 10 are teams from Sweden, Switzerland, Finland and Czechia, so no big surprises there, while the Top 5 teams with the lowest FOW% features three of our five Challenger League participants.
Powerplay Boss
With over 30% success rate on the powerplay, Czech side Mountfield HK and German side Eisbären Berlin are the stand-out leaders on extra-man advantage play.
Reverse the grid and you surprisingly find SC Bern, who haven't scored a powerplay goal so far this season and Swedish side Brynäs IF, KAC Klagenfurt and reigning CHL and Swiss champions ZSC Lions Zurich who have all scored on less than 10% of their powerplays.
Punching Above Their Weight
This category has Grenoble written all over it. The French side are the only Challenger League team to be in the Top 16 following Game Day 4 and with back-to-back wins on the road, Grenoble have really set the European club ice hockey scene alight!