Spengler Cup 2026: Six Teams, Their Stories and a Special Reunion in Davos

For Dominik Egli, the Spengler Cup 2026 will bring more than another international challenge. The HC Davos defenceman is set to face Frölunda HC, the Swedish club he represented for two seasons before returning to Switzerland in summer 2026. Former teammates will become opponents, adding a personal connection to a tournament already filled with intriguing stories.

From 26 to 31 December, six teams will compete in Davos. The hosts return as defending champions, the SCL Tigers make their tournament debut, and Ilves Tampere return after an absence of 54 years. Adler Mannheim are back for the first time since 2015, while Frölunda arrive as reigning Champions Hockey League winners. The U.S. Collegiate Selects, meanwhile, return after reaching the final on their first appearance in 2025.

Behind these names are different traditions, ambitions and routes through the hockey world. IceHockeyAtlas explores the clubs’ histories, the people connecting them and the stories that make this year’s Spengler Cup worth following.

Dominik Egli: Familiar Faces on the Other Side

Dominik Egli left HC Davos in 2024 to continue his development with Frölunda HC in Sweden. Two seasons later, he returned to Davos with experience of another league, another dressing room and another approach to the game.

The Spengler Cup now brings those two chapters of his career together. Davos and Frölunda have been drawn into Group Cattini, ensuring that the Swiss defenceman will encounter his former club during the group stage.

For Egli, the opposition will include familiar faces. His time in Gothenburg gave him an understanding of the club and its working environment that goes beyond watching an opponent on video. This time, however, he will be representing Davos.

It is one of the personal connections behind the tournament’s international line-up. While the teams compete for the same trophy, individual players bring relationships and experiences that cross club and national boundaries.

HC Davos: The Hosts Have a Title to Defend

For HC Davos, the Spengler Cup is part of the club’s identity. Founded in 1921, the Swiss club hosts a tournament whose history stretches back to 1923. Generations of players and supporters have experienced the competition as a distinctive part of the Davos winter.

The club’s domestic record includes 31 Swiss championship titles. Its Spengler Cup history is equally significant: victory in 2025 brought a 17th tournament title, making Davos the competition’s outright record winners.

That success came with a 6–3 victory over the U.S. Collegiate Selects in the final. Both teams return in 2026, and their place in the same preliminary group creates another meeting between the previous edition’s finalists.

Playing at home brings familiarity and support, but also expectations. Davos enter the tournament as defending champions, facing opponents with different league backgrounds and relatively little time to adjust between games.

Their Group Cattini opponents provide two contrasting challenges: Frölunda arrive with recent European title-winning experience, while the Collegiate Selects have already demonstrated that their selection of university players can reach the final.

For the hosts, the objective is clear. Their history provides the setting, but retaining the trophy will depend on what they produce during the six days between Christmas and New Year.

Frölunda HC: European Champions and a Reunion with Egli

Frölunda HC bring a strong European record to Davos, along with a direct connection to one of the hosts’ players. Dominik Egli spent the previous two seasons with the Gothenburg club before returning to HC Davos in summer 2026. Their group-stage encounter will therefore combine an international contest with a reunion between former teammates.

Frölunda’s roots date back to 1944, when Västra Frölunda IF established its ice hockey section. It became an independent club, Västra Frölunda HC, in 1984. The current name, Frölunda HC, was adopted in 2004.

The men’s team won Swedish championships in 1965, 2003, 2005, 2016 and 2019. Those successes span different generations, reflecting a club that has repeatedly found its way back to the top.

Its achievements in the Champions Hockey League are particularly impressive. Frölunda won the competition in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2026. The Swedes therefore arrive at the Spengler Cup as reigning CHL champions.

Their opening game on 26 December, at 20:15, is against the U.S. Collegiate Selects. It immediately places European club experience alongside North American college hockey. The meeting with Davos adds the tournament’s personal storyline: Egli facing the club where he spent two important years of his career.

SCL Tigers: A First Appearance in an Anniversary Year

The SCL Tigers have a long place in Swiss hockey history, but the Spengler Cup 2026 gives them a new experience. The team from Langnau will participate in the tournament for the first time.

The timing gives that debut additional significance. Founded in 1946 as Schlittschuhclub Langnau, the club celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2026. Its greatest domestic achievement came in 1976, when Langnau won the Swiss championship.

Half a century after that title, the Tigers will write a different kind of chapter in Davos. They arrive with an established club identity, yet without previous Spengler Cup appearances to draw upon.

Their first game will also open the entire tournament. On 26 December at 15:10, Langnau face Adler Mannheim. A Swiss debutant will therefore meet an experienced German participant returning after an eleven-year absence.

Ilves Tampere complete Group Torriani, giving the Tigers an additional opportunity to test themselves against Finnish opposition.

For Langnau, the appeal extends beyond the novelty of the invitation. The tournament offers direct comparisons with teams outside the Swiss league and gives supporters a first opportunity to follow their club at this particular international event. An anniversary year gains a new sporting occasion.

Adler Mannheim: Back in Davos After Eleven Years

Adler Mannheim are familiar with the Spengler Cup, but their return in 2026 follows a substantial break. This will be their ninth appearance and their first since 2015.

Mannheim’s hockey roots reach back to 1938. Over the decades, the club developed into one of the major names in German ice hockey, winning eight national championships.

The first title came in 1980. A particularly successful period followed in the late 1990s, with three consecutive championships in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Further titles arrived in 2001, 2007, 2015 and 2019.

The Adler also bring recent domestic success to Davos, having finished as German runners-up in the 2025/26 season. Their invitation therefore combines a recognised hockey tradition with current sporting credentials.

The opening game against the SCL Tigers provides an immediate contrast between tournament experience and a first appearance. Ilves Tampere are their other Group Torriani opponents.

After eleven years away, Mannheim have an opportunity to renew their connection with the competition and present themselves against international opposition. Their previous visits form part of the background; the returning team must establish its own place in the 2026 tournament.

Ilves Tampere: A Return 54 Years in the Making

For Ilves Tampere, the journey to Davos reconnects the club with an appearance made more than half a century ago. The Finnish team last played at the Spengler Cup in 1972, finishing third. Its second participation comes 54 years later.

Founded in 1931, Ilves became an important force during the early development of Finnish ice hockey. The men’s team won its first national championship in 1936, followed by further titles in 1937 and 1938.

Many more followed. Ilves have won 16 Finnish championships, with the most recent coming in 1985. Their record reflects a particularly influential role in the earlier decades of the Finnish game.

Today, the club plays in a very different setting. Since December 2021, Ilves have staged their home games at Nokia Arena, sharing the venue with city rivals Tappara.

The Spengler Cup return connects that modern organisation with a rarely revisited part of its history. For many current supporters, 2026 will be the first opportunity to experience their club competing in Davos.

Group Torriani places Ilves alongside the SCL Tigers and Adler Mannheim. The Finnish returnees will therefore encounter both a tournament newcomer and a German club renewing its own Davos connection after a lengthy absence.

U.S. Collegiate Selects: The Newcomers Who Reached the Final

The U.S. Collegiate Selects made an immediate impression on their Spengler Cup debut in 2025. The selection won its group and progressed to the final, where it lost 3–6 to hosts HC Davos.

That first appearance gave the team an established tournament story almost overnight. In 2026, the Collegiate Selects return with opponents already aware of what their selection model can achieve.

Unlike the other participants, this is not an individual club with a year-round domestic league campaign. The team brings together active players from different NCAA Division I university programmes.

Its name also requires an important distinction: the Collegiate Selects are not the United States national team. The inaugural selection was open to players of different nationalities and included representatives from all six Division I men’s hockey conferences.

Their participation brings a younger selection and a different development pathway into a competition featuring established professional clubs. The 2025 final showed that this contrast can produce competitive results.

The return to Group Cattini includes another meeting with Davos and a challenge against reigning CHL champions Frölunda. With invitations covering both 2026 and 2027, the Collegiate Selects have an opportunity to build a continuing connection with the tournament rather than leave their successful debut as an isolated appearance.

Different Backgrounds, One Trophy

The Spengler Cup 2026 brings together more than six teams pursuing the same prize. It connects a defending champion with a returning finalist, a Swiss debutant with established international visitors, and Dominik Egli with the club he recently left.

Group Torriani consists of the SCL Tigers, Adler Mannheim and Ilves Tampere. Group Cattini brings together HC Davos, Frölunda HC and the U.S. Collegiate Selects.

The two group winners advance directly to the semi-finals. The remaining four teams compete in the pre-semi-finals for the other two places. The final takes place on 31 December 2026 at 12:10.

From Langnau’s first appearance to Ilves’ long-awaited return, each participant brings a different reason to follow its progress. The tournament will determine which of those stories ends with the trophy.

Watching the Spengler Cup in Davos: Tickets and Travel

Tickets for games at the VAT Arena are available through the official Spengler Cup ticket portal. Individual seats can become available again through released ticket allocations, so checking the official shop may be worthwhile even when a game initially appears sold out.

An official match ticket includes free outward and return travel in second class on the Rhaetian Railway network on the match day or the following day. A special train also operates after evening games from Davos via Landquart to Chur.

From 26 to 30 December, Südostbahn provides an additional late-night connection from Landquart towards Zurich. Separate ticket conditions apply to this onward journey; it is not automatically included in the free RhB travel entitlement.

With parking limited during the holiday period, the organisers recommend travelling by public transport. Check the official travel information and current timetable when planning both your arrival and your journey home.

Following the Tournament on Television and Online

Supporters unable to travel to Davos can also follow the tournament through its broadcast and online coverage. The viewing options announced include SRF zwei, the SRF Sport app and the official Spengler Cup website.

Consult the current SRF Sport schedule and the tournament website for individual broadcast times and available live streams.

Sources and Further Reading