As reported by EuroHockey.com, there will be changes this year to the annual Euro Hockey Tour between the four European hockey powerhouses – Russia, Sweden, Finland and Czechia.

Gone are the Oddset and Czech Hockey Games tournaments, and while the Karjala Tournament in Finland and Channel One Cup in Russia will remain, there will be six additional games over three weekends in February and April 2015 to finalize the point distribution, and crown a 2014-15 Euro Hockey Tour winner. Details are to be released on the game locations for the remaining games.

Schedules for the tournaments are as follows:

Karjala Tournament – Helsinki 🇫🇮
Thursday, 06 November
🇫🇮 Finland vs. Czechia 🇨🇿
🇸🇪 Sweden vs. Russia 🇷🇺 (at Leksand  🇸🇪)

Saturday, 08 November
🇷🇺 Russia vs. Finland 🇫🇮
🇨🇿 Czechia vs. Sweden 🇸🇪

Sunday, 09 November
🇷🇺 Russia vs. Czechia 🇨🇿
🇫🇮 Finland vs. Sweden 🇸🇪

Channel One Cup – Sochi 🇷🇺
Thursday, 18 December
🇷🇺 Russia vs. Finland 🇫🇮
🇨🇿 Czechia vs. Sweden 🇸🇪 (at Prague 🇨🇿)

Saturday, 20 December
🇷🇺 Russia vs. Sweden 🇸🇪
🇫🇮 Finland vs. Czechia 🇨🇿

Sunday, 21 December
🇷🇺 Russia vs. Czechia 🇨🇿
🇫🇮 Finland vs. Sweden 🇸🇪

Euro Hockey Tour Games – locations TBC
5-8 February
🇷🇺 Russia @ Czechia 🇨🇿 (5 Feb at Karlovy Vary, 7 Feb at Prague)
🇫🇮 Finland @ Sweden 🇸🇪 (6 Feb at Västerås, 8 Feb at Stockholm)

16-19 April
🇷🇺 Russia @ Finland 🇫🇮 (16 Apr @ Tampere, 18 Apr @ Helsinki)
🇨🇿 Czechia @ Sweden 🇸🇪 (17 Apr at Umeå, 19 Apr at Timrå)

22-26 April
🇸🇪 Sweden @ Russia 🇷🇺 (24 and 25 Apr @ Mytischi)
🇫🇮 Finland @ Czechia 🇨🇿 (22 Apr @ Znojmo, 24 Apr @ Brno)

As of this writing, Russia is currently IHLC champion, after winning from Finland to close out the 2014 IIHF World Championships. Will they survive the Karjala Tournament with the IHLC? Will the IHLC make it to the Tour finals without another country snatching the title away from the champion? Only time will tell!

Photo Credit: Uplause