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SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! We're coming at you with an interview of Prima eSport goaltender Juuso @TheSpeedo Sirkola, who took his first strides back in the second season of the Summer Cup with NG International Army alongside players such as @janbonator and @Mullweiser, who have since put down the controller. The 25-year old virtual goaltender hailing from the Finnish coastal city of Vaasa actually started his NHL gaming career as a winger, but quickly realized that his talent is better suited for stopping pucks. 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? Back in NHL 17 we played 3v3 in a team called Gainsville Gains with some friends. We all played on our 4G connections with pings between 100-200. Good times. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club Prima eSport? The team is full of highly skilled players with high ceilings. That also motivates me to become a better player every time i take the ice. 3. What is your greatest NHL gaming memory? NHL gaming get togethers between friends. Tough 1v1 matches, great drinks, fair and sometimes less fair competition. Usually these things last far into the morning hours before the best of the best is determined, and who will hold the bragging rights until next time we go at it. 4. Describe your perfect breakfast! Not a big breakfast guy by any means, but if I'm on a day off I'd say lots of coffee, apple juice, sausage, bacon and some yoghurt with granola will do the trick. On workdays my specialty is to throw water & oats in a shaker - bon appétit! 5. You're GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team but none of your current teammates. Who's in your starting six and why? @Hippitukka - @ReDMisTi - @Maexsa @saunapastori - @jahajaha93 @ICappeI Giving credit where it is due. Maexsa opened the door for me to the legendary Elamam Kiekko back in the day, as a young goalie I got a lot of responsibility which definitely motivated me and made me a better player. Eventually we co-captained the team for a while too. I picked Redmisti & Hippitukka for similar reasons, they trusted me to mind the net for Arkham and I really learned a winning mentality from these guys. Saunapastori will be our press guy, handling all the public statements and PR. Jaha is the one who originally got me into the scene. Finally, I had to pick the best goalie out there to give this team the slightest chance of being competitive! 6. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? Every little boys dream, I wanted to be a hockey player, and later on a chef. Nowadays I'm a correctional officer. 7.  Do you play or have you played hockey? As a kid I played for Vaasan Sport, but nowadays my hockey is limited to the PlayStation version or outdoor rinks. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? Absolutely the 2009 SM-Liiga relegation series between Sport and Ässät. I was a little kid back then and cheered so hard my throat got sore in those games. 9. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL?  Sleeping and watching Netflix, but also a lot different types of sports. At the moment floorball and Padel are my favorites. 10. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? Pepperoni, shrimp and paprika. 11. You're the locker room DJ and get one song to hype up your team. What do you play? Fabian Mazur & Snavs - Arena 12. How did you come up with your PSN ID? As a kid I was a pretty good swimmer and when creating my PSD ID I laid eyes on some trunks of a particular brand next to me. The rest is history. 13. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? I'll have to say another goalie, Casper @ICappeI Lundgren. He's been at the top for so long and won pretty much everything you can imagine. He doesn't just give his team the opportunity to win every night, but also the opportunity to claim the title every season. 14. Describe your ideal holiday!  A summer cottage getaway. No rush, great food, a sauna and some good drinks, what else could you ask for? 15. Now it's up to you to suggest who we should interview next. Who do you want to hear from and why? @Maexsa, the guy has been around for a long time and I'm sure he would have some interesting stuff to tell. When will we see the return of Elamam Kiekko, for example? Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series - let us know in the comments below!

Action is just about to kick off in the playoffs of the Pro division! The theme of the regular season was parity unlike what we've seen before. Many teams expected to be at the top struggled immensely, opening up opportunities for other teams to thrive. Let's kick off the postseason! Structure & Prize Pool Schedule Broadcasts As you have grown accustomed to during the regular season, there will be at least one Pro broadcast per week on Tuesdays, with a 19.45 CEST start time. You can access that and our other live content on the SportsGamer Twitch, where you can also find our up-to-date stream schedule. This preview was written in co-operation by @Wpaanane & @jahajaha93. (1) Reality Check vs (8) GHETTO FIREBIRDS Reality Check really flexed their muscles by once again going all out in a powerful regular season showing. They showed their power at goal scoring, getting the most goals in group 1. Adding @Mikax222 and @JesseL2002 to their lineup has made Reality Check maybe the favorites to win whole Pro Division. On the other hand, GHETTO FIREBIRDS didn't have as good of a regular season as expected but they still managed to claim the needed points for a playoff spot. Adding @Valluxet and @Talonmies69 (Talonm1es) to their lineup hasn't really worked out in the best way yet but this team is capable of winning games when they find good form and get the real mentality. This series will be tough and we'll be excited to see if GHETTO FIREBIRDS can challenge Reality Check for the spot to the Quarterfinals. Key players from both teams can be found on the wing as Reality Check's @Pursuitti 29+31=60 scored most goals for his team in the regular season. GHETTO FIREBIRDS' winger @Valluxet 25+23=48 also scored most goals for his team in the regular season. We'll see if these players keeps scoring goals in the increasingly important games. Prediction: @jahajaha93: Plays for GHETTO FIREBIRDS @Wpaanane: 4-2 Reality Check (1) Växjö Lakers vs (8) Geekz Energy eSports Finishing 1st in Group 2, the mixed nationality roster repping the Swedish hockey club Växjö Lakers delivered as they were expected to, perhaps even a bit better. Having that successful regular season Växjö Lakers must have confidence for the upcoming first round of the playoffs and they aren't looking to slow down any time soon. Växjö Lakers scored the most goals in the entire Pro division with 110 goals in 30 games played. Geekz Energy eSports started their season by losing six games in a row, but after that something clicked and they started to claim points on a nightly basis and they finished 8th in group 1. They are a dangerous counter-attack team that can strike in the blink of an eye. Key players for both of these teams you can find on center position. Växjö's @dzouvi with 26+26=62 is a former Elite division player, who had a wonderful regular season alongside @Kattenj on his left flank, who was the teams leading point getter with the phenomenal 35+47=82 points. Geekz Energy eSports' centerman @Krinke 21+26=47 is also a former Elite player, a very skillful center with great faceoff ability (53.4% as his faceoff percent). We'll see can Geekz Energy eSports answer to this huge challenge when they are up against another contender Växjö Lakers. Prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-0 Växjö Lakers @Wpaanane: 4-0 Växjö Lakers (2) HanaaHC vs (7) VISU Gaming HanaaHC, the runner-up from Group 1, hopes to make a deeper playoff run than last season. They fell short against noRex Gaming in game six of the Winter season. They had a great regular season and if they are keeping the same form up, they are going trough from this round with relative ease. VISU Gaming missed playoffs last season but they were active in the offseason and added @IKarkkiI, @Pontinho(I-CLAUGHTON-I) and @jubex0r to their core and made their way to the playoffs this time around. This matchup will bring us tight and small margin games. Key players in this series are both playing on the left wing. Hanaa HC's @xLeikku 33+34=67 continued where he left off last season and had a great regular season. VISU Gaming's experienced left wing @hpkfani(MuKiMaisteri) 39+23=62 also has a great regular season behind. MuKiMaisteri scored 39 goals in 30 games, being the top scorer for VISU Gaming and the second best finisher in the division. Also VISU Gaming's rookie defenseman @Pontinho (I-CLAUGHTON-I) 6+25=31 had an excellent regular season as a rookie. We'll see how he performs in the playoffs. Prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-2 HanaaHC @Wpaanane: 4-3 HanaaHC (2) Deadly Phantoms vs (7) Sulkavan Sudet The German pride Deadly Phantoms is on a mission to make their way back to the Elite division and will make life miserable for anyone that will try to stop them. This is one of the most complete teams in the division and despite not outright dominating in the regular season, the German outfit is built to take down strong opposition in gruelling playoff competition. Coming into the playoffs in 8-1-1 form also is very telling of their form right now, and they look like they could be on the brink of peaking at the right time. Sulkavan Sudet, on the other hand were a team that many expected to be in the middle of the pack or even finish outside of playoff position. The team is a true Pro division juggernaut and possess a tremendous amount of experience to get the job done. The grinding they've done in Pro thus far has only fuelled the fire and these guys must be very hungry to show everyone that they have the necessary skill to move up the ranks. Statistically, it looks like it's going to be mission impossible for the wolfpack to overcome the German side, but we'll be smarter after a minimum of four games. The Phantoms have some of the best players in the division at several positions, but especially important to them are centerman @PlaymakerSJ (28+25=53), defenseman @xXPsykoSkillsXx (12+32=44) and goalie @RPH_31 (17 W, 83.33 SV%, 1.42 GAA), not only due to their excellent numbers, but the intangibles that these guys possess through the experience they've got with the team. Sulkava doesn't quite have the roster to match, but the pressure to get his team to perform to the best level will be on captain @Oxdoggi (14+28=42). Prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-0 Deadly Phantoms @Wpaanane: (3) Tohtorit vs (6) Herlev Eagles We're going to see tight small margin games in this matchup. Tohtorit is 11-0-1 in their last 12 games, whereas Herlev Eagles barely managed to pave their way to the playoffs. Both of these teams are very skilled so we're expecting to see some nice plays and nice goals between these two teams. Especially puck movement and the pace of it will be an important factor. From Herlev Eagles' side @TeikDaun and also from Tohtorit's side @Stammer70 will be important, both goalies can win games for their own side and could end up tipping the scales if one of them gets hot early on. Also wingers from these both teams are in the spotlight as @keranee and @vibholm10 are very dangerous especially in the offensive zone. Also Tohtorit wingers @Ojala16 and @Ristimaki12 are both passing playmakers but have the ability to sniff a scoring chance when the opportunity presents itself. This will be a tough one but Tohtorit are a slight favorite to win this matchup. Herlev Eagles needs to step up after a difficult regular season if they are going to win this series. Prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-2 Tohtorit @Wpaanane: 4-1 Tohtorit (3) Be a Bro vs (6) RCTIC We're going all the way in this one! Be a Bro and RCTIC are clashing in a matchup between two very experienced and skilled rosters. Despite Be a Bro being assembled over the offseason, the squad still holds several veteran players that have found chemistry nicely along the way. RCTIC, on the other hand, are now in their third consecutive ECL Pro season with increasingly good results. Some fluctuation to start the season really did RCTIC in when trying to gain a higher finish, but they managed to find their form later on, much alike their competition in Be a Bro. Key players for both teams can be found on the wing, as Be a Bro's @imosi and @rakkauspakkaus- have been great with production for them, but they've been nowhere near the production level of RCTIC's @Limbe65, who finished third in the league and first in goals with 47+24=71. While Limbe will be the definite X-Factor for RCTIC, it's undeniable that Be a Bro has the wider arsenal and they've still got the highest scoring defenseman @MCH_98 (8+33=41) in their ranks, who we haven't even mentioned yet! Prediction: @jahajaha93: 3-4 RCTIC @Wpaanane: 4-2 Be a Bro (4) Sinister vs (5) Renascor Sinister has some of the most exciting up and coming players in the game on their roster with @OsquuG and @JerePaloranta (Harlowi-) leading the way, but they are lacking in the experience department. Look for their defensemen @xeblax1 (TonninHazzi) and @Thewix93 (thewix_1) to hold down the fort while the youngsters up top try to wreak havoc in the Renascor end. The Russian side surprised this season with a great run thus far after losing some key components in the offseason. The departure of star player @Valluxet has perhaps forced players like @Virusactive and @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) to elevate their game, and they have done so on command. Quite some time has passed since any of these players have made a deep Pro playoff push, so consider them as green to the stage as the Sinister side. The difference in individual skill and scoring power tips the scales heavily in favor of the Sinister squad, but if the Russians can find a way to really pull things together in their own end, you never know what could happen in a one-goal game. The further we go without a goal on the board, the better the situation is for Renascor throughout. In terms of goalie duels, this one is quite interesting. Renascor have their mainstay @sumskoy26 (SumkaX), who actually improved statistically quite a lot from last season (+5,03SV% and -0,06GAA, +3 shutouts). Sinister will be icing @PuukAesi (rransu), who very much alike his teammates, isn't overly experienced at this level and has slowly grown into the goalie he is today. Statistically, he is better than his counterpart, but it's tough to draw conclusions based on that when both teams have competed in different groups. We're calling this even for now, and the guys will show us who takes the cake come puck drop. Prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-1 Sinister @Wpaanane: 4-2 Sinister (4) AHJO vs (5) Hokurit We're in for a tight one in this matchup. Hokurit were one of the sensations last season, but suffered some big losses in the offseason. Despite that, they have been able to bounce back nicely and the experience they've gathered has now solidified them as a bona fide playoff team in the Pro division. On the other side we have AHJO, the former Dynastia. This squad has had a rather streaky season, but their campaign has been good enough thus far. In the playoffs, they'll need to elevate their level even more and they seem to be at the brink of peak form with their 7-2-1 record in the last ten games. Statistically, the two squads are very similar, and one team running away with games shouldn't be expected. If any differences should be highlighted, the AHJO squad looks a bit more individually skilled and since putting @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) on defense, their game has clicked very well. However, we mustn't forget that Hokurit definitely do possess that skill too, and a player like @J-_-Jamaltheman could be a difference maker for them. Both of these teams are on the aggressive side, and like to put pressure on the opposing team with physical play. AHJO with their 113 PIMs were among most penalized teams in the division, and Hokurit with 105 PIMs aren't close behind. This leads us to expect a fair amount of special teams play in this series, which again gives a slight advantage in the favor of AHJO both on the powerplay and penalty kill. Prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-2 AHJO @Wpaanane: Plays for AHJO Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.

SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! This time, we decided to head on a Central-European trip, and that's why we're venturing into the promised land of cheese, chocolate and quality watchmaking to get to know Lausanne HC captain Mirco @Tron1x90 Salvi, the country I'm referring to is Switzerland of course. The Italian Citizen has grown up in the city of Biel/Bienne and now calls it his home, and he's grown to love the local hockey club, who have played at the Swiss top level since 2008. 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I've played EASHL since the beginning on Xbox 360, I think it was in 2008 with NHL09. I started to play with one of my best friends @JuuMzz just for fun, we started by creating a club, but sometimes we played in the same lobby and selected the goalie on both sides, it was really fun. Then we played for five years with three other friends, but when the next generation consoles were released, some of our friends stopped playing. After winning a 1vs1 tournament in Zurich in 2018, an old friend @Freeman7187 asked me if I wanted to play with them, and that’s how my journey at SportsGamer started. The club was called The Black Jacks back then, but they're now known as ZSC Esports. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club Lausanne HC Esports? I've had a lot of support from the fans since the club of Lausanne HC started with this project in 2020. I also think covid helped with it to some extent, since the Swiss leagues were shut down, so the fans had more time to follow the esports games and they were maybe also in need of hockey, regardless if that was virtual or the traditional form. Sadly we won't be continuing our partnership alongside Lausanne HC after this season. 3. What is your greatest NHL gaming memory? In 1vs1 for sure my two Swiss national titles from 2021 vs @Original-SnuS and 2022 which I’ve won with Lausanne HC and also reaching the round of 16 of the IIHF fan tournament with Italy in 2020. In 6vs6 the win of ECL 7 Lite with The Black Jacks even if I didn't play a lot but a title is still a title. Personally, my most successful season was in ECL 11 with Grenoble when we lost the Bronze game but still managed to gain promotion to Pro. It was also a very good personal season as I ended in the top 5 of the highest scoring defensemen, both in the regular season (5th) and in the playoffs (2nd). Then in ECL 12 we managed to reach the playoffs for our first season in Pro with the new renamed team Spartiates x MCES after a very bad first half of season. I think I was the only one who was still believing for a spot in the playoffs. That was amazing because we could reach the spot on the last gameday. We then had a very tight and intense series against the team that would later be promoted, BoxinElite, where we pushed on to a huge game 7 and finally lost in OT. 4. Describe your perfect breakfast! A capuccino, fresh pressed orange juice and a French croissant. 5. You're GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team but none of your current teammates. Who's in your starting six and why? I will change a bit and not chose the top players in the ECL, but I think this lineup could be the best with only Swiss players, like a national team: @Romy88 @Original-SnuS @Freeman7187 @Haldeem "Joker" @afc_Tschitsch 6. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? As a kid, I always dreamed to become a professional football player. But I soon realized it wasn't possible because of my weak skills. I now work for the authorities, more specifically in tax collection. 7.  Do you play or have you played hockey? No, my skating skills are too bad. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? In 2008 when my hometown hockey team, EHC Biel/Bienne, was promoted to the Swiss elite division. The following two seasons, the team finished last in the ranking and had to play the promotion/relegation series against Lausanne HC, they could always save themselves and win the series in a close game 7, that is something I will never forget. 9. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I like to watch some football, hockey and NBA games, chilling out with friends and travel with my girlfriend. I also like to spend some time with family or friends at restaurant or having a beer. I watch series or play less competitive video games to unwind. 10. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? Nice question for an Italian guy! Tomato, raw ham and mozzarella cheese. 11. You're the locker room DJ and get one song to hype up your team. What do you play? Europe - The Final Countdown 12. How did you come up with your PSN ID? My name is Mirco, but some friends call me Komir, and I was born in 1990, so that’s how I chose that PSN ID. 13. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? Who else than @Eki? We don't even have to describe him anymore! And as a D-man @xDoumi, the way he has improved in the last years is amazing. I use him as a reference to improve my gameplay. If we compare our stats, we have a bit of a similar playing style, we use to have a lot of puck possession and a lot of assists instead of goals, we like to play as a playmaker from behind and find the right key passes. Of course, this comparison is made on a smaller scale given the skill difference! 14. Describe your ideal holiday! I haven't traveled much, but I've had the chance to discover beautiful places in Mexico, Florida, Greece and Italy. For me my ideal holidays are on the beach with a lot of sun, beautiful clear water and we also have to eat very well. So I think my best place was Sardinia at the moment, I can only recommend it. 15. Now it's up to you to suggest who we should interview next. Who do you want to hear from and why? The daddy cool @Hansulinho. I used to play against him in 1vs1 online versus in 2008-2009 and we were already competing for the top spots in the ranking. I was then surprised he was still playing on SG when I arrived on this website back in 2018. Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series - let us know in the comments below!