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NHLGamers, Ak Bars Kazan is a traditional ice hockey club that has been competing at the highest level of the Russian KHL since the leagues inception in 2008, when a total of 20 teams moved over from the former Russian Superleague. The word Ak Bars means comes from the Tatar language, spoken in the Tatarstan region in the southwest of Russia and means snow leopard, a vicious creature that is showcased on the logo of the club. It is the swift movement and vicious attack that the club also looks to emulate on the ice. It's a joy for us to report that AK Bars is among the first KHL clubs to officially announce their esports involvement by signing the roster of EHC Tatneft Ak Bars, formed out of former Arctic Lightning players. The team consists of a rather inexperienced group of players that have earned their stripes in the Russian competitive gaming scene and are now looking to take their success into the European ice by moving up in the ECL ranks. "We had a long discussion about the forming of an esports team for Ak Bars, and the club was fully on board with our ideas, so there weren't really any difficulties in that regard. Our goal is to be competitive at the European level and at the highest Russian level. We're going to start working our way up from ECL Neo and hopefully will qualify for Lite after our first season under the AK Bars colors." - Captain Ivan @Ivanjunior34 Schetina The roster has come together over a longer period of time, when captain Schetina brought together the most skilled players from his former team Arctic Lightning that saw a second round exit in the most recent Russian RCL Cup. "Ehc Tatneft Ak Bars will be fully operating under the Ak Bars organization, the club will be backing us and helping us on our way to hopeful success even on the European ice. We are really happy to be working with such a professional organization." - Schetina on their cooperation with Ak Bars Interestingly enough, Ak Bars will be one of the first clubs to issue a cooperation between two teams at the ECL and RCL level, when EHC Tatneft Ak Bars will be serving as the KHL clubs first team in the esports scene and their second team will be EHC Tatneft Bars. NHLGamer leagues do not allow back and forth transfers between teams during leagues, but according to the club, the objective of their second team is allowing fans of Ak Bars Kazan to get acquainted with esports hockey in a low-pressure environment.

NHLGamers, EHC Amur is one of the newer clubs to be put on the esports map and they're doing so with a bang in representing the famous KHL club Amur Khabarovsk. Located in the city of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, the team takes their name from the Amur River. The logo of Amur is a Siberian tiger, sometimes also referred to as the Amur tiger. Due to their geographic isolation from competitors in the KHL, it's been hard for Amur to get proper rivalries going, but that's going to change, since they are together with EHC Tatneft Ak Bars now the two new KHL clubs joining esports competition. The two Russian powerhouses will now be able to fight for the throne of best KHL club on the virtual ice, hopefully with lots of other competition following close behind. The esports roster of EHC Amur has in fact already participated in a few leagues under the KHL clubs name, but their entry to the european ice will be when they really look to come into their own. Captain Taras @Taras Nosulko informs NHLGamer that their roster has been heavily overhauled, with the possibility to still recruit some additional strength if required: "We have quite heavily renewed our team. Several guys were unhappy with their role in the team and we wished them well in future endeavors. Me, Stepan @SteBastian Belyakov and Semyon @Sokollito Sokol are the remaining original members of the club. In net this season I think we have one of the most underestimated and talented goalkeepers in Russia - Vadim @Vadim87 Losev. We're still on the lookout for a strong defenseman to help our journey in the Neo division and in the RCL. Of course I would like to sign one of the talented Finnish or Swedish defenders on the market and we'll be trying our best to accomplish that." "We have to understand that representing HC Amur in the ECL is a privilege and we simply cannot afford to perform poorly. We've already established ourselves in the Russian scene over the summer by conceding minimally to a top team like Exen and imposing a fight on Nova. We always prefer training against high level opponents from the Lite and Pro divisions in order to ready up for the ECL season." Nosulko believes that their cooperation with the KHL club allows their team to up their level on social media and increase visibility also on other channels. The objective is translating this into recruiting better players for the team.

NHLGamers, Västerås IK is a Swedish ice hockey club with a very long history. At the moment, it is playing at the second highest tier of competition in Sweden. In their past also lies a 12-season stretch in the national top league between 1988 and 2000. With a long history in hockey, moving to console hockey was their great next step. Jimmy Gerdin, media officer at Västerås IK, commented on the club's decision to join console hockey. "From the club side, we thought it was time to try to get the team into esports. We have received a lot of requests in recent years to start a team, so we put the ball in the hands of our own fans, who had the opportunity to form a team that would represent Västerås IK." The pandemic situation around the world also affected the club's willingness to build a new console hockey team alongside their hockey team. Gerdin highlights the locality of the players and their passion for the club. "First of all, we see it as a fun initiative because it is a team made up of local players who are passionate about the club. When it comes to the situation with the pandemic and the economy, this is not a burden on the association either financially or in terms of workload. This is run entirely voluntarily by the dedicated supporters and players who are passionate about both VIK and esports. Moreover, this is a sport that is not affected by either crowd restrictions or the spread of infection among the players." Daniel @Gunde021 Gunstedt, who's the acting netminder of the Västerås IK console hockey team, commented on his interest in console hockey and his association with the club's colours: "We are all very passionate about console hockey and the fact that we will then get the chance to represent our favourite team Västerås IK setting up a team for esports is an absolutely amazing feeling. Hockey is a great sport and playing alongside teammates and competing is probably the best thing." Västerås IK is heading into the upcoming ECL 11 season with an experienced team, as there are several players who have previous experience in the ECL, among other leagues. "We are part of a team with previous experience competing in esports such as the ECL but we also have some players that are brand new to the competitive scene as well. Many have previously played club games and such, but simply haven't taken their game to the next level yet, so it's a little new for some." Expectations for the team are high, as several players are looking to up their level or get back to their prime: "The goal of the team is to get as far in the divisions framework as possible. Me and a few more of the team have previously played in the Pro and that's where you want to be again, preferably higher than that of course!" The players took initiative in starting up the esports club for Västerås IK in the offseason. Gunstedt opens up about the steps in building their squad. "It started with the gang deciding to leave the Xbox for Playstation and talking to some of the Swedish community on Facebook. In the recruitment process when we got to know each other I realized they were also supporters of Västerås, which made the selection rather smooth. The idea really took off and when connecting with the club we learned that also they were extremely interested in setting up an esports team." "As a team, we try to be hard to play against, focusing a lot on team play, where everyone has to do their part to succeed. As a goalkeeper, I want to say that I have a pretty good idea of the game, but there is still a lot of work to be done." - Gunstedt on their team strengths and his own play in net.