18/10/2026
Continental Cup lineup complete: Corona Brasov confirmed as fourth contender
The lineup is complete! With the conclusion of the qualifying tournament held in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia, the final team set to compete in the Continental Cup semifinal group at Asiago's Odegar Ice Stadium from November 13 to 15 has been confirmed. Romania's Corona Brasov will complete the four-team lineup alongside hosts Asiago, Kazakhstan's Nomad Astana and Denmark's Herlev Eagles.
Corona Brasov secured qualification with a flawless campaign, winning all three games and collecting the maximum nine points available. After cruising to an 11–3 victory over Zagreb in their opening game, the Romanian side comfortably defeated hosts Viru Sputnik 9–2 before overcoming Budapest Akademia 4–2 in the decisive clash for qualification.
Let's take a closer look at the three teams heading to the Asiago Plateau in November, examining their starts to the season and some of their key players.
Corona Brasov: Romanian leaders dominating on two fronts
Corona Brasov head into the Continental Cup following a particularly impressive start to the season. The Romanian team are competing in two competitions simultaneously: their domestic championship and the Erste Liga, a cross-border league featuring Romanian and Hungarian clubs, including Budapest Akademia, whom Brasov defeated in the decisive qualifying game.
Brasov currently sit top of the standings in both competitions. In the Romanian championship, they have collected 16 points from six games, recording five wins and one overtime defeat, scoring 29 goals while conceding just six.
Their performances in the more competitive Erste Liga have been equally impressive. The Romanian side lead the standings with 24 points, having recorded seven regulation-time victories, one overtime win and one defeat after regulation. Across nine games, they have scored 38 goals and conceded 21.
One of the team's greatest strengths is a particularly experienced and dangerous first line, featuring Israeli-Canadian forward David Levin, currently second in the Erste Liga scoring standings. Alongside him are 38-year-old Canadian Jeremy Walsh, who also boasts 27 NHL appearances and 277 AHL games, and 37-year-old Radim Valchar, a Czech-born forward with Romanian citizenship.
Between the pipes, Romanian-Hungarian goaltender Attila Adorján has been the team's main reference point, posting a 91.7% save percentage.
Combined with their perfect record in the qualifying tournament, these numbers make Corona Brasov a team that certainly cannot be underestimated.
Herlev Eagles: from a difficult spell to a climb up the standings
The Herlev Eagles, who compete in Denmark's top division, the Metal Ligaen, have experienced a much more turbulent start to the season.
The second half of September proved particularly difficult for the Danish side, as a run of five consecutive defeats sent them tumbling to the bottom of the standings. Over the past week, however, their fortunes have changed dramatically. Four games in just seven days produced three regulation-time victories and one overtime win, earning the Eagles 11 points and lifting them to fourth place with 18 points.
The Danish team has a distinctly Swedish influence. Head coach Joakim Akerman leads a roster featuring no fewer than eight of his fellow countrymen.
Offensively, Latvian-Danish forward Victor Cubars has been particularly impressive, recording six goals and six assists so far. Swedish forward Joseph Jonsson has also performed well, following his teammate with five goals.
There have been a few more uncertainties in goal, where Swedish netminder Alexander Hellnemo has posted a 90.7% save percentage but has not always looked entirely convincing.
Herlev will therefore arrive in Asiago following an inconsistent start to their domestic campaign, although their recent performances suggest they have begun to find both results and consistency.
Nomad Astana: Kazakh champions setting an impressive pace
The situation is entirely different for Nomad Astana, the reigning Kazakh champions, who are dominating their domestic championship.
The Kazakh season, which began on September 1, has already reached its twentieth round, and Nomad sit firmly at the top of the standings with 38 points, having recorded 15 regulation-time victories, three overtime wins and two defeats after regulation.
Their offensive production is particularly impressive: 93 goals scored in 20 games, an average of 4.65 per game, compared with 43 goals conceded.
Nomad boast an exceptionally deep roster, as demonstrated by the 36 players who have already taken to the ice this season. This depth is partly due to the club's close relationship with Barys Astana, who compete in the KHL, and their associated junior programme in the MHL, Russia's major junior hockey league.
The roster, made up entirely of Kazakh players, also stands out for an unusually even distribution of offensive contributions: no fewer than 26 different players have already found the back of the net during the opening part of the season.
The team's leading scorer is 23-year-old Daniil Tsybin, with 11 goals and 10 assists, followed by Abay Mangisbayev, who has recorded eight goals and eight assists.
Interestingly, neither player features among the league's top 15 scorers, with leaders Gurin and Korotin having accumulated approximately ten more points. This highlights Nomad's ability to spread their offensive production throughout the entire roster rather than relying on just a handful of individuals.
There has also been considerable rotation between the pipes, with four goaltenders already seeing action. Nurek leads the statistics with a 93.7% save percentage in six appearances, followed by Shestakov at 91.5% in nine games, Lytkin at 90.9% in three appearances and Dudarkiyev at 89.9% in six games.
Nomad are a deep and versatile team, capable of scoring through numerous players, and will arrive at the Odegar boasting outstanding offensive numbers. The main question, however, remains which players will actually be included in the squad travelling to Asiago for the competition.
See you at the Odegar from November 13 to 15
Three opponents with different characteristics, representing different leagues and ice hockey traditions, but all sharing the same ambition: to continue their European journey.
From November 13 to 15, the ice at the Odegar Stadium will determine which three teams will keep their European dream alive.
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Foto: © IIHF