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Hey NHLGamers, We've had a great journey together and we couldn't be more excited about where NHLGamer is headed in the new year! While we continue to grow and develop at a fast pace, it's important for us to take some time to reflect on what we've accomplished, to date, and how to improve moving forward. One of our community members is currently writing a thesis and is interested in writing it about NHLGamer, specifically our social media channels. This gives us an opportunity to both help them graduate and educate ourselves with some survey findings. We would love for you to answer an anonymous survey questionnaire. We promise it won't take more than 5 minutes of your time and it will help us understand what you value and where you would like us to improve when it comes to social media and content. The survey is available in English and Finnish and will close after the weekend. Edit: Survey has ended - thank you for all the wonderful replies! Thank you in advance for your time and have a great weekend!

Hey NHLGamers, On the 5th of December EA released the third update for NHL 20. Unlike the content updates before it, this one looks to explicitly tweak gameplay mechanics, with backskating facing the brunt of their ire. Aside from backskating receiving a potentially substantial nerf, EA claim to have updated their physics interactions with goalies, as well as fixing the zone camera. Furthermore, in EASHL it should now properly show a player's position when they're being highlighted in a replay, as opposed to being listed as center regardless of their actual position. In addition to this, players will now have the option to have Snoop Dogg as a guest commentator alongside James Cybulski, replacing Ray Ferraro. For the full changelog, please see below.

NHLGamers, We’re pleased to be bringing you your next eSHL team, which is going to be Leksands IF who have signed the roster of former Synergy Hockey. Kim “DraySWE” Larsson is the man put in place to recruit the team and he will be acting as a manager of sorts for them too. He is an accomplished Dota player and caster, and has also made a name for himself as an event host, which he has transitioned to full time. I had a short chat with the man about their team and their new investment into esports: What did you find so interesting about Synergy in particular? “The routine that they’ve amassed during all their years of play. That and the fact that they’ve managed to maintain a high level of competition throughout their history.” Kim says that they had a vision of what kind of team they wanted to recruit, and Synergy fit that mold very well: “NHL is currently a rather marginal esport, so you’d imagine that the criteria can’t be all too strict. However, after taking a look at the situation around Sweden, we realized the potential and set expectations to recruit experienced players with passion for the game and their club. We wanted a stable team who could put up a fight against most opponents on any given night. On top of that, our guys have a very positive vibe and a good attitude that makes me extra happy.” What does this esports endeavor look like for Leksands IF - do you already have future plans? “I like the attitude that Leksands IF has towards esports in general. They are eagerly diving into new things and aren’t afraid to innovate. I guess we’ll know more after the first eSHL season, so get back to me on that later. The overall feeling is definitely very positive!" Synergy Hockey is one of the most long-lived clubs in the NHL esports scene and have remained a rather successful bunch ever since the team was put together in the fall of 2010 and that surely shows the experience and long-term success that was talked about. Most players have been part of the team for their whole careers with very few exceptions. The team is nowadays known as a strong defensive unit that due to their chemistry built along the years can surprise any team with impressive passing plays. Here is the roster of Leksands IF: We also caught up with captain William @Mumsi- Lindblad and assistant captain Jonas @Supremski Söderlund for some comments about their new colors: @Mumsi-: "Representing an SHL team had been in the talks within the team for quite some time already, of course under the right circumstances. It was a big surprise when Leksand contacted us, however. They told us that they were looking for a team to represent them in the eSHL and that they’ve been keeping tabs on us for a while. They were very clear about the fact that we were the ones they wanted to sign. There was a mutual interest so no we quickly got into negotiating with Dray (Kim Larsson) who came off as a real professional. We clicked very well and things have taken off from there." "Our left winger Calle @Smutto Hjul has a special bond to Leksand in the form that he's a passionate fan of the team. That's been valuable for us as he's been running errands with the club for us.", says captain Mumsi. @Supremski: "I'll add that it was very important for us to sign with a team that really wanted our team to represent them. We weren't going to jump on any offer we got on the table. When Leksand and Kim approached us, they made a very good impression and our discussions revealed that we were very much on the same page. We've been sporting the Synergy colors for so long now, that we wanted to make sure we get it 100% right when we were going to sign." The transition from Synergy Hockey to Leksands IF will be happening immediately and the change will also take effect in the ongoing ECL Elite season. We wish the best of luck to the team and hope to see great things from them in the future!