After an odd year for the Euro Hockey Tour with the 2018 Olympics smack dab in the middle of the schedule, the 2018-19 Euro Hockey Tour schedule has returned to a similar format, with the core four teams of Czechia, Russia, Finland and Sweden starting up this season’s tournament in November.
Both November’s Karjala Tournament and December’s Channel One Cup return to the four team format, after a year of introducing six teams at both tournaments in the lead-up to PyeongChang. The Sweden Hockey Games, now known by their corporate name of the Beijer Hockey Games, will return to its February dates, while the Carlson Hockey Games slide out to the beginning of May, just prior to the start of the 2019 World Championship in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia.
The Carlson Games will also act as the final leg of the 2019 Euro Hockey Challenge, with teams looking to gain valuable points to capture the Challenge title. Finland, who last year won both the Euro Hockey Tour and Challenge, will look to become the first team to repeat as double champions, while Russia and Sweden will look to carry momentum from their 2018 Olympic and World Championship Gold Medal victories, respectively, heading into the 2019 Worlds.
The schedule for the 2018-19 Euro Hockey Tour is as follows:
| 2018 KARJALA TOURNAMENT |
2018 CHANNEL ONE CUP |
Thursday, November 8 Czechia vs. Sweden   Finland vs. Russia  |
Thursday, December 13 Czechia vs. Finland Russia vs. Sweden |
| Saturday, November 10 Russia vs. Sweden Czechia vs. Finland |
Saturday, December 15 Finland vs. Sweden Czechia vs. Russia |
| Sunday, November 11 Czechia vs. Russia Finland vs. Sweden |
Sunday, December 16 Czechia vs. Sweden Finland vs. Russia |
| 2019 BEIJER HOCKEY GAMES |
2019 CARLSON HOCKEY GAMES |
| Thursday, February 7 Czechia vs. Sweden Finland vs. Russia |
Thursday, May 2 Czechia vs. Finland Russia vs. Sweden |
| Saturday, February 9 Czechia vs. Finland Russia vs. Sweden |
Saturday, May 4 Finland vs. Russia Czechia vs. Sweden |
| Sunday, February 10 Czechia vs. Russia Finland vs. Sweden |
Sunday, May 5 Finland vs. Sweden Czechia vs. Russia |
This year’s Tour once again sees Sweden starting the tour with the International Hockey Lineal Championship, ensuring the title will carry through at least to the Beijer Hockey Games, before the incumbent would start April in the Euro Hockey Challenge against a non-Tour competitor. Whether the title will make the Carlson Hockey Games, and who will hold the title into the 2019 Worlds, still remains to be seen!
Photo Credit: Leijonat – IIHF – HHOF – IOC
