Puck drops in revamped 2026 IIHF Continental Cup
by Henrik MANNINEN|16 OCT 2025
photo: © James Assinder
share
The 2026 IIHF Continental Cup is getting underway with an updated format. The 28th edition of the pan-European club competition brings together 14 teams from 14 different countries, spanning three rounds from October 2025 to January 2026.

Featuring teams from Akureyri, Iceland, in the west to Ukraine´s Kremenchuk in the east, the First Round takes place from 17–19 October 2025. It features two groups of four teams each, playing in a round-robin format. Group A will be hosted in Vilnius, Lithuania, while Group B is played in Remetea, Romania.

All twelve games will be streamed live on https://iihf.tv

Details about the game schedules for both groups are found below:
 
  The top team from each group will advance to the penultimate round, Group C held in Angers, France, from 14–16 November 2026.

You will find more information of the 2026 IIHF Continental Cup here on IIHF.com.

Here is what to keep an eye out for in the opening round:

Group A

  • HK Mogo (LAT)
  • Hockey Punks (LTU)
  • Narva PSK (EST)
  • Skautafelag Akureyrar (ISL)

  Venue: Pramogu Arena, Vilnius, Lithuania

The game schedule for Group A: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/cca/schedule
 
After narrowly missing out on a place in the penultimate stage of the competition last season, HK Mogo from Latvia´s capital Riga heads to neighbouring Lithuania as strong favourites to top Group A. Their vastly experienced all-Latvian roster recently gained an extra boost with the arrival of 37-year-old Kaspars Daugavins — a legendary figure in Latvian hockey and a key member of the national team that won bronze at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. As back-to-back Latvian champions under coach Girts Ankipans, Mogo appears to have found its groove in the cross-border Latvian league (OHL). They are currently on a four-game winning streak, including a 5–2 away victory against an upcoming Continental Cup opponent, Hockey Punks, in Vilnius on 11 October.
 
Four years after making their Continental Cup debut, the First Round returns to Vilnius, where Hockey Punks take on hosting duties. The reigning Lithuanian champions have endured a shaky start to the season, but have recently secured their first league win. Among their homegrown talent, the energetic Ilja Cetvertak stands out as a key offensive force. The 28-year-old forward was part of the gold medal-winning Lithuanian national team at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I Group B, alongside teammates Laisvydas Kudrevicius and Tomas Krukovski.
 
Narva PSK completes the Baltic contingent in Group A. Based in Estonia's eastern hockey hub, the team in black, red, and white celebrated its first-ever Continental Cup win on home ice last year. Second in the Estonian championship last season, Ilya Ilin´s coached team has started the domestic season with two straight road victories. 23-year-old forward Nikita Kirillov provides an offensive spark, while veteran Alexander Kuznetsov was once a teammate of none other than Alexander Ovechkin in his junior days.
 
Skautafelag Akureyrar is back on familiar ice in Vilnius, where they finished third in the opening round of the 2023 Continental Cup. Goaltending duo Jakob Johannesson and Robert Steingrimsson plus Johann Leifsson and Andri Mikaelsson in attack, are set to feature in their fifth Continental Cup tournament for the club. But that all pales in comparison to the international merits of teammate and blueliner Ingvar Jonsson. With 23 World Championship tournaments for Iceland under his belt, the defenceman is poised to make a comeback in Vilnius.

Group B

  • Budapest JAHC (HUN)
  • HK Kremenchuk (UKR)
  • Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
  • Gyergyoi HK (ROU)

  Venue: Remetea Ice Arena, Remetea, Romania

The game schedule for Group A: https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/ccb/schedule
 
Budapest JAHC returns to Remetea Ice Arena, aiming to atone for a heavy 6-1 loss on the opening day of the season versus Gyergyo. With wholesale changes to their roster and a clear focus on developing home-grown talent, Budapest is undergoing a period of transition. A combination of injuries to key players and failing to convert on their chances means Balazs Kangyal's coached team is currently second from bottom in the standings of the Hungarian-Romanian Erste Liga. With only one win from their last five league games, can success at the Continental Cup help kick-start Budapest's season?
 
HC Kremenchuk´s two previous Continental Cup appearances (2016 and 2023) resulted in six losses from as many games. Now reigning Ukrainian national champions and recent cup winners HC Kremenchuk travels to neighbouring Romania with a point to prove. Hlib Kryvoshapkin and Vitali Lialka return to Romania eager to avenge the disappointment of losing out on promotion when representing Ukraine at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania last spring. A key game for Kremenchuk´s prospects comes straight away in the tournament opener versus Budapest.
 
Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda arrive in northeastern Transylvania to skate in their eleventh Continental Cup tournament. Competing in the International Hockey League (IHL) against teams from Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia, they will look for Marko Dragovic to add spark to the Belgrade team's offense. National team blueliners Pavle Podunavac and Ivan Anic are two players who developed at their Continental Cup rivals, Budapest. 18-year-old Subotica-born prospect Aleksandar Antonijevic is another player worth keeping an eye out for.
 
During his first season in charge, Finnish head coach Markus Juurikkala led Gyergyoi HK to the Hungarian-Romanian championship, the Romanian title and the domestic cup. Since then, the team has relocated from their old home in Gheorgheni to top-modern facilities in the nearby village of Remetea. The current leaders of the Hungarian-Romanian Erste Liga, with a perfect record, Gyergyo will be the team to beat this weekend. Canadian-born duo Christopher Bodo and Brance Orban lead the team in scoring, but regional talent such as Hunor Csaszar and blueliner Nandor Fejes also feature high up in the scoring charts.