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Good day NHLGamers, It is time for NHLGamers second edition of ECL action on the NHL 18 iteration of EA SPORTS hockey games: ECL 6. While I am sure most of you can't wait to get going - I know I am - as usual I'd like to start off the official registration post by taking a quick peek in the rearview mirror to remember what came before this sixth championship on the Playstation 4: ECL 1 Amount of teams registered: 50 Format: Four groups of 12-13 teams, 22-24 regular season games, shared playoffs Winner: Nordic Blizzard ECL 2 Amount of teams registered: 48 Format: Eight groups of 6 teams, 10 regular season games, shared playoffs Winner: MUKIMIEHET ECL 3 Amount of teams registered: 47 Format: Two groups of 23-24 teams, 44-46 regular season games, shared playoffs Winner: X Factor ECL 4 Amount of teams registered: 78 Format: Three separate divisions of 16 (Elite), 32 (Pro) & 32 (Lite) teams, 28-30 regular season games, divisional playoffs Winners: Laser HT (Elite), Carlsberg HC (Pro), J P T J (Lite) ECL 5 Amount of teams registered: 96 Format: Three separate divisions of 16 (Elite), 32 (Pro) & 48 (Lite) teams, 30 regular season games (Elite & Pro) - 16-18 (Lite), divisional playoffs Winners: Aapon Taikasauva (Elite), Evolution (Pro), Red Machine (Lite) Registration - ECL 6 Now that we've taken a trip down memory lane and witnessed the evolution of the European Championship League, it is time to get down to brass tacks in terms of ECL 6. It will be our third straight ECL featuring the divisional system implemented at the start of ECL 4. For ECL 6, the divisions will continue on in the same format as they were for ECL 5. This means all three divisions - Elite, Pro and Lite - are coming back, more competitive than ever. If you are completely new to the ECL and are registering for the first time, I suggest you check out this news story, detailing all the basics of ECL in a sort of "who are we and what to we do around here"-type post. So far we have seen the initiative to introduce divisions pay huge dividends and we are constantly seeing more and more teams around Europe discovering what the ECL is all about and what a fun challenge it can be to join. While it is too soon to make any predictions in terms of team registrations, we hope to match our excellent numbers for ECL 5 and perhaps even surpass the 100-team barrier. Which division to register for For both new and returning players and teams, the matter of registrering for the correct division might become a little confusing. At its core, it is quite simple, but we are of course here to explain what you should do. The following statement is taken from the ECL 5 registrations post but has been slightly edited to match the purposes of ECL 6: Framework Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. North American players are not allowed to host matches / be captain in the lineup, which means all games need to take place on European servers. This also applies to Russian players - please evaluate your previous connection experience against some of the teams participating in the ECL, especially if you live in eastern parts of your country (which likely connects you to US West servers). In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players. 6 vs. 6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL challenge game mode in NHL 18. Individual requirements: Each player needs to create an account at NHLGamer.com and create his personal player card. Roster requirements: Teams need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. Sign-up period: Teams can register from now until February 15th, 23:59 CEST [2018]. ECL 6 Kick-off: ECL 6 is set to start on Februrary 19th. Date may vary between divisions. To be confirmed. Rules: TBA before season start. See ECL 5 rules for reference. Sign-up procedures There will be different ways of signing up to ECL 6 - the procedures are explained in detail in the section below. Generally speaking: New teams that did not participate in ECL 5 at all or teams that were relegated from ECL 5 Pro: Please read the "ECL Lite" paragraph below. Teams that were able to stay in ECL Pro, were relegated from ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Lite during ECL 5: Please read the "ECL Pro" paragraph below. Teams that were able to stay in ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Pro during ECL 5: Please read the "ECL Elite" paragraph below. ECL Lite ECL Lite welcomes any and all teams that did not participate in ECL 5 as well as the teams that were relegated from ECL Pro during ECL 5. As last season, there will be no limit to the amount of registrations! We will flexibly adjust group sizes to accomodate all teams that are looking to participate. To sign up your team for ECL Lite, we ask the main captain (C) only to go to the ECL Lite registration thread: ECL 6 Lite Registration You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes. Due to the fact that a few teams from ECL Pro could potentially be folding and/or not want to claim their spot - we also offer teams the opportunity to apply for ECL Pro during this sign-up process. However, ECL Lite quarter-finalists from ECL 5 will take first priority when filling up spots in the Pro division, which means only a few or no spots at all might be available for completely new teams should they apply. When looking at Pro applications, we will choose applicants depending on their player strength and other factors such as in-game 6 vs. 6 leaderboard results, history of ECL success and others. Below is the list of prioritized teams from ECL 5 Lite should there be spots available in Pro: ECL Pro ECL Pro is our second-tier division and will consist of all the teams that were able to stay in ECL Pro, were relegated from ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Lite during ECL 5. ECL Pro has a fixed size of 32 teams, divided into two groups. All the qualified teams are listed below: To sign up your team for ECL Pro, we ask the team's ECL 6 main captain (C) only to go to the ECL Pro registration thread: ECL 6 Pro Registration You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes. In case ECL Elite teams are folding, we will automatically ask the best ECL Pro qualifiers from ECL 5 to fill these spots, according to their playoffs progress (criteria #1) and regular season PPG average (criteria #2). You are not required to apply for these spots. However, you are required to confirm your attendance for ECL Pro to be considered for selection. ECL Elite ECL Elite is our top division, housing the very best 16 European teams in a single group. It will consist of all the teams that were able to stay in ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Pro during ECL 5. All the qualified teams are listed below: To sign up your team for ECL Elite, we ask the team's ECL 6 main captain (C) only to go to the ECL Elite registration thread: ECL 6 Elite Registration You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes. @The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com Facebook (NHLGamer) Twitter (NHLGamerCOM) YouTube (NHLGamer Official) Instagram (NHLGamerOfficial) Twitch (NHLGamerTwitch)