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NHLGamers, The year was 2017 and one of the most successful (to that day) Finnish esports organizations announced that they were stepping down for the foreseeable future. RCTIC Esports had been one of the pioneers in Finnish esports since 2008, with over 70 trophies in various games throughout the years, but the time had come to take a step back - at least for a while. In the summer of 2020, RCTIC announced their return by signing rosters for Fortnite and CS:GO together with backup personnel and a couple of streamers. The organization was making a comeback and were here to stay this time. This week, RCTIC also announced the signing of an NHL roster, when GENESIS will be assuming the name and colors of the organization. Jere Alanen, COO of RCTIC Esports talks about the signing as follows: "The interest towards virtual hockey has increased greatly since the summer when we started cooperation around the eFutisliiga. NHL as a game is close to heart for us and we've received lots of inquiries from various clubs in the scene this fall. GENESIS seemed to tick all the boxes and was eventually the only one we got into negotiations with. The guys in GENESIS shared values and ambitions with us, which led us to inking a deal in the end." "It feels great to make the comeback to console esports and more specifically the NHL series with GENESIS. All of us value long-term commitments and developing from the ground up which will allow us to take our own, sustainable path towards the highest level of competitive console gaming", Alanen continues. In various NHLGamer organized tournaments, GENESIS has been making waves for the past year or so, really taking off in the last few months after adding Joona @Hullued Saarinen at the center position, where the former top goaltender has found a suitable spot for himself not only elevating his own game but helping the team do so too in the process. The teams latest placements have been a quarterfinal exit in ECL 10 Lite and a similar outcome at the hands of HAVU in the FCL. Jani @layout Laakkonen is the right defenseman and acting captain of the team, he knows that partnering with RCTIC adds to the pressure, but their objective is still clear: "When it comes to our objectives on the ice, they have remained unchanged. Our aim is to play at the highest level and eventually be one of the best teams. I believe that we are on the right track and can already challenge the best teams in Europe." The captain further iterates that the teams strength lies in unison: "In the FCL our main strength was a tight five man defense and that is something we want to take with us into future tournaments. The biggest improvement areas are in our offensive game and we have strived for faster puck movement and better utilization of all five skaters."

NHLGamers, As always, we look to bring you the most superior competitive gaming experience possible, and we're continuously looking to improve on previous iterations of our leagues. Nothing has changed in regards to that in our ECL, and therefore we assure you that ECL 11 will be run at the premium level you are used to. This time, we wanted to launch the signups as early as possible in order to allow entry for as many teams as possible, also minimizing the risk of someone simply missing the deadline. Without further ado - here you go: Signups will be open until Wednesday, 11.11 at 23:59 CET. Divisions framework The divisions framework for the ECL 11 will follow the same logic as for previous seasons. We will have a total of four divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams, Pro 32 teams, Lite 96-128 teams*, Neo 32+ teams. ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 ECL Lite: 96-128 teams Sign up: Anyone can apply for ECL Lite Teams will be decided by Franchise history, Roster composition, and EASHL record ECL Lite registrants are also allowed to apply for a spot in ECL Pro Teams signing up for ECL Lite that don't make it into ECL Pro or ECL Lite will be automatically placed in ECL Neo Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-7 ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-5 *NHLGamer reserves the right to alter the team allocation to ECL 11 Lite depending on the number of total teams signing up. Preliminary schedule for the ECL 11 season: ECL 11 Neo: Start Wednesday, 18.11 ECL 11 Lite: Start Tuesday, 17.11 ECL 11 Pro: Start Monday, 23.11 ECL 11 Elite: Start Monday, 30.11 Stay tuned for more info dropping over the coming weeks, we'll be releasing more detailed information about the season and announcing the cover gamer for ECL 11! What is the ECL? The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports. The abbreviation stands for the European Championship League and it features NHL 6v6 esports in four divisions aimed at various skill levels. League games are played in the EASHL mode and the platform is PlayStation 4. Basic information/requirements of ECL: Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players. 6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 21. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card. Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. ECL Elite license: Teams in ECL Elite will be required to pay for an ECL Elite license in order to play (more details to follow). Rules: The ECL 11 ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 10. The updated rulebook will be available before the season. Don't have a team yet? Team looking for additions to your roster? If you are a free agent looking to be picked up, please head over here. If you are representing a team looking for players, please head over here.