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NHLGamers, Today we're pleased to welcome VISU Gaming to a hopefully successful and long-lasting venture into NHL Esports. The Helsinki-based organization had thought about entering the NHL scene for quite some time and finally found the right match when their path crossed with that of Exerceo, ran by Mika @Saviinainen Raivisto, Saku @Sagee95 Björn and Markus @Pettersson12 Pettersson. Despite being a rather new team, these guys have extensive history together. The trio first met back in 2019 while playing for the legendary TIKI TALK, but didn't band together for their new team until late 2020, when Exerceo was founded. Since the inception of their new squad, the roster hasn't seen much turnover, with their only additions being Nico @vVoDee Vottonen after their debut in FCL and Joonas @LE1PAKONE Nordman ahead of the upcoming ECL season. Moving forward as VISU Gaming, the squad hopes to be able to harness the professional attitude and backup they now have from a strong organization in order to reach their goals of one day being a true and tested top team in the scene. "It feels great to be able to represent a large organization alike VISU Gaming! After our initial call i felt, that VISU would handle things professionally and could provide us with the kind of support that we need to take the next step on our careers. I'm satisfies with our deal and can't wait for what the future holds for us", states @Saviinainen. "I'm really excited about our new team! As soon as i met @Saviinainen, I knew that this team has the potential and desire it takes to fight their way to the top in the NHL scene." - Patrik Sulonen, VISU Gaming Chairman of the Board. About VISU Gaming VISU Gaming is a community reaching tens of thousands of young gamers with services like coaching, tournaments and events. Their newest endeavor is their kouluturnaus.fi-league, that currently hosts esports tournaments for schools, with already 100 schools in participation. The organization has a widespread array of teams that have seen great tournament performances in games such as Valorant, Fortnite, Rocket League and CS:GO. In addition to hosting online-events, VISU Gaming allows their signed gamers access to the VISU Gaming House in the Helsinki city center.

NHLGamers, Upon having gauged interest for a warmup tournament ahead of the ECL 12 season, we saw a clear interest from teams of various skill levels to play some more competitive "friendly" games before the puck drops for the real deal. That is why NHLGamer is now bringing you the ECL 12 Warmup Tournament - a friendly tournament with two tiers for teams to get into the competitive mindset, without the heavy structure that comes with the real ECL divisions framework. As stated, the tournament will be hosted in two tiers without any major restrictions expect for the ones mentioned below. Elite & Pro teams - sign up here! Lite & Core teams - sign up here! *Neo teams also welcome, but note that your season starts April 25th. Signups are open until Monday, April 12th at 12:00 CEST. Edit: Sign-ups extended

The first season of the WECL is coming to an end with the finals in focus - those games will be played this week between Grenoble BDL eSports and Silver Sword Griffins. Before getting into the substance of the matter, we would first like to thank and congratulate all the teams for this first edition. All in all, we had some learning experiences along the way but mainly the championship went very well, and without trouble. for that we'd like for all participants to give themselves a pat on the back and extend yet another warm thank you to the competitors beside you! It would be a lie to say that it is a surprise to find Grenoble and the Silver Sword Griffins in the finals. These two teams, although battered at times, kept their ranks of favorites and made it to the finals without too much problems in the end. An observation seemed acquired around the middle of the regular season, as Group 1 seemed to be closer than Group 2. With both the Griffins and Grenoble in this group, added with a strong squad like Latvian Warriors in particular, there was only one playoff spot really up for grabs - a tough situation for all the other clubs fighting over that last spot. Eventually, it was the Spanish formation Hoko Gang that ended up grabbing the last playoff spot in Group 1, just in front of Remparts de Tours eSport 2. In Group 2, we expected Remparts de Tours eSport and Dynamo Dragons at the forefront with, the remaining seven squads going to battle over the final two playoff spots. In the end, it was the Latvians from Latvian eSports and the Frenchmen from Epinal HC Esport who did the best and managed to punch their tickets to the postseason. The Spaniards in Granada Grizzlies have for a long time seemed able to join the playoffs but a tumultuous end of the season did not allow them to do so this time. The final under the microscope It's very difficult to identify the favorite of this final. On one hand, we have the experience of many Griffins players and on the other hand the very good season put forth in ECL 11 Lite by Grenoble which could put the wind in their sails. The two teams are also statistically very close. 109 goals scored against 22 conceded by the french guys and 120 scored and 20 conceded by the Latvians. In terms of goaltending, the two stand together also. @Trollstivegen (Grenoble) has a save percentage of 81% and 1.64 with two shutouts. The Griffins goaltenders are a bit below that level but @Janikka, who played all six playoff games so far has done great in the postseason being below a goal per game in GAA. As often at this level of competition, the difference could be made in special teams. 37.5% efficiency in numerical superiority converted for Grenoble against 26% for the Griffins, and in contrast, 90% penalties killed by the Griffins against 83% for Grenoble - an interesting matchup on that front. Their road to the finals: Grenoble BDL eSports - Group 1 Regular season: 1st / 16-2-0 / 109 GF/29 GA Playoffs: 1st round vs Epinal HC Esport 3-0 / 2nd round vs Latvian Warriors 3-0 Silver Sword Griffins - Group 1 Regular season: 3rd / 15-2-1 / 120 GF/22 GA Playoffs: 1st round vs Remparts de Tours eSport 2 3-0 / 2nd round vs Dynamo Dragons 3-0 Individual trophies (based on regular season) MVP: AdRi1_ScP (BDL) 41+50=91 Best forward(s): AdRi1_ScP (BDL) 41+50=91 and PSchibra (SSG) 31+59=90 Best defenseman: Method4 (RDT) 9+15=24 Best goalkeeper: badsanta35 (DDR) 89.53SV% / 1.23GAA / 4SO On behalf of NHLGamer, we wish a very good finals to both teams. May the best team win.

NHLGamers, The waiting has finally come to an end and the Finals of the German Championship League will be played this week. While ZSC Esports swept PENTA in the semifinals, noRex Gaming challenged Team LEISURE to a six-game-series (4:2) in their respective matchup. LEISURE will try everything to realize their dream of the sixth championship in a row and beat the hottest team of the German community in the finals. Will ZSC be able to beat Team LEISURE after two comfortable sweeps in the quarter and semifinals? Is Team LEISURE hungry enough to secure yet another championship? In the following piece, we want to take a closer look at both teams and the matchups on each positions. The series will be played in a best-of-seven format and will be broadcasted live on Twitch.tv/NHLGamer! #1 ZSC Esports vs Team LEISURE #2 Throughout the history of the GCL, there has never been such a close Final. In ZSC Esports and Team LEISURE, it really comes down to the two best german-speaking teams facing each other. Who will be crowned champion on Thursday? In the Regular Season we saw two close games (3:1 W for Team LEISURE & 3:2 W for ZSC Esports). During their Playoff run, the Swiss team managed to sweep Hyperion and PENTA on their way to the final. Did ZSC draw the right conclusions from last years loss in the finals of GCL6? ZSC scored 29 and only conceded 11 goals in 8 games throughout this run so far. This once again illustrates the individual talent as well as the good chemistry in their roster. Team LEISURE also swept Inter Iceland in the quarterfinals and had to deliver a hard fight in a 4:2 series win over noRex Gaming. 35 goals scored versus 17 conceded show the offensive power of Team LEISURE and how they managed to continue their good form from the regular season. Will the Championship be decided on offense or will defense once again win the championship? Goalies: @afc_Tschitsch & @burban26 for ZSC Esports vs @RPH_31 & @FoxGoalie for Team LEISURE Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich got on track right in time for the start of the playoffs. While his backup Mike @burban26 Müller is delivering as a brilliant commentator, the Swiss team found a clear job division in their netminding department. A strong save percentage of nearly 83% and three shutouts show the individual class that @afc_Tschitsch holds at his best. With 52 shots faced, ZSC's number 22 faces the least shots against throughout the league, which is an indication of ZSC's good defensive play. In the finals, Ulrich will have to show his best performance to make the championship reality for his club. LEISURE's forwards will challenge him more than he was in the semi- or quarterfinal series. On the side of the defending champions, we have a rock solid duo: Patrick @RPH_31 Braun aka "0 Ping RPH" played 8 games while Mark @FoxGoalie Thiel was in net for two games in the quarterfinals against Inter Iceland. Most likely, Braun will be starter in the Finals due to his strong performances so far this season. A GAA of 1.88 and a solid save percentage of 80% makes RPH31 once again one of the best Goalies in the league. Braun faced more shots than his counterpart for ZSC, which could be an advantage in a long series. Considering that Team LEISURE already faced two of Germany's top teams (Inter Iceland & noRex Gaming), the team will be in good form and hard to stop. With his experience and coolness, @RPH_31can be the decisive factor in this series. Predicition: Advantage Team LEISURE Defense: @Toneee9& @Haldeem for ZSC Esports vs @Franky__2768 & @xXPsykoSkillsXx for Team LEISURE What a Matchup! In the Finals of GCL 7 we will arguably see four of the best defenders of the German community. With Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and Reto @Haldeem Haldemann, ZSC Esports has one of the best defensive duos on the central server who are only playing their second season together. During their run in ECL 11 Pro the chemistry between the Austrian and Swiss defensemen improved a lot and was one of the main reasons for Zürichs promotion to ECL Elite. With 12 points in 8 games, Tonitz's amazing form continues and has the third most takeaways in the playoffs after Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz and Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (noRex Gaming). We will see how well the defensive pair will be able to outplay Team LEISUREs forecheck or find solutions to unlock a more defensive minded trap if required. Team LEISURE sports a well-functioning and experienced pair at their back end. Frank @Franky__2768 Münch and @xXPsykoSkillsXx have lead Team LEISURE's defense over the last six seasons and have assisted their teammates throughout this time in brilliant fashion. Especially @Franky__2768 seems to have found great form this season, overtaking his colelague Schmitz as the top scoring defenseman. With six goals and 14 assists, Münch scored the most goals out of any defenseman in the playoffs. On top of that he secures rank 3 overall in scoring in the playoffs too. Any mistake can be decisive in these matches. The experience and routine as well as Münch's brilliant form might be the decisive factor in a long final series! Predicition: Advantage Team LEISURE Offense: @IDangledYouOut, @Freeman7187, @Timasy & @Original-SnuS for ZSC Esports vs @Krinke, @ProfaneKiss & @PlaymakerSJ for Team LEISURE With the offensive power of both teams we are likely to see one of the best duels of the German community to date. While ZSC Esports played their quarter and semifinals series with an unusual lineup it will be interesting to see if captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi will return to the starting six in the finals. Tim @Timasy Hess replaced Julmi as a center and his brilliant performances have made him playoffs top scorer. 22 points in 8 games ranks him as number 1 in the league - this could bethe x-factor in the matchup against his former teammates. With Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni (8+9=17) and Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner (7+8=15), ZSC Esports has arguably the best winger duo in the league. Both can decide any match at any time with a dangerous shot or creative dekes and moves. Many variations are possible and ZSC is able to rotate without any loss of quality. As in the defense, Team LEISURE trusts their well-functioning attacking trio. Stephan @Krinke Krinke and Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss are both strong offensive players who have competed on a high level for a long time. While Kiss is more of a playmaking winger (4+13=17) his counterpart Krinke is more of a prolific goal scorer (10+8=18). Both profit from Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker who has been on fire this season. Normally known for assisting his mates, Junker surprisingly finds the way to tickle twine more often now. 15 goals and 7 assists during LEISUREs playoff run illustrates how well the experienced center performs and is one of the main reasons why the former Phantoms are in their sixth final in a row. Whether he will face Hess or Julmi, we can be expectant of a high level matchup on the center lane. ZSC Esports' advantage could be the rotation with four world class forwards. Many lineups are possible and the transfer of Timasy gives Zürich the possibility to rotate or try new strategies after the first three games on the first evening. If he plays, Hess will be the x-factor against his ex-club. His talent and good form will make the difference in a long series. Prediction: Advantage ZSC Esports Conclusion: 4:3 Team LEISURE Yet, one thing is certain: we will see one of the closest and most anticipated finals of GCL history. With their promotion to ECL Elite, ZSC Esports is on a hot streak right now and will be keen on being crowned as GCL Champions. On the other side the long time torchbearer of the German community will try everything to get their sixth title in a row. The smallest mistakes will make the difference. Every wrong decision will be punished and decide between defeat or victory. The advantage of Team LEISURE could be the unchanged starting six in the regular season as well as during the playoffs. The good chemistry and experience can be what it takes to win in the finals of GCL 7. With two sweeps in their backpack ZSC Esports will go into this series with a lot of confidence. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will be a lot wiser - meanwhile, let's get hyped and look forward to some high quality virtual hockey!

NHLGamers, With the addition of our new ECL Core division comes a transition period, which takes time and to allow for that change we are now launching signups well ahead of the league start. The signups are now open, so tell your friends and get ready for the greatest NHL gaming experience to date! Signups will be open until Wednesday, 7.4 OR Monday, 19.4 at 23:59 CET depending on division. Sign-up period 1: 23.3-7.4, applies to ECL Elite ECL Pro ECL Lite ECL Pro Qualifier ECL Lite Qualifier Sign-up period 2: 23.3-19.4, applies to ECL Core ECL Neo Divisions framework The divisions framework for the ECL 12 will follow the same logic as for previous seasons with the addition of Core in between the Neo and Lite divisions. We will have a total of five divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams, Pro 32 teams, Lite 64 teams, Core 128 teams and Neo 32+ teams. ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Monday Wednesday Thursday Prize pool: TBA ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Open spots will be decided based on Qualifiers Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Monday Tuesday Thursday ECL Lite: 64 teams Sign up: ECL Lite eligible teams Open spots will be decided based on the Qualifiers Regular season: 4 Groups of 16 teams Playoffs: 32 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Tuesday Wednesday Sunday ECL Core: 128 teams Sign up: Without restrictions (but capped at 128) Regular season: 8 groups of 16 Playoffs: TBD Best-of-7 Gamedays: Tuesday Thursday Sunday ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-5 Gamedays: Wednesday Sunday Preliminary schedule for the ECL 12 season: ECL Pro & ECL Lite Qualifiers 12.4-29.4 Regular season kick-off ECL Neo 25.4 ECL Core 2.5 ECL Lite 9.5 ECL Pro 20.5 ECL Elite 24.5 Playoffs ECL Neo 30.5-4.7. ECL Core 6.6-16.7 ECL Lite 13.6-18.7 ECL Pro 28.6-28.7 ECL Elite 5.7-31.7. 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. 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, ECL Core 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 12 ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 11. The updated rulebook will be available before the season. *If you're an existing team that wants to change names, simply sign up with the old name and contact support for the name change. If you're having issues with signing up overall, please contact support. 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. Did your team sign with an organization that is represented in the game and needs in-game unlocks? Fill in this form. (Only if your organization has unlockables available in NHL 21)

Ducks Gaming, the esports organization of NHL franchise The Anaheim Ducks have announced three esports tournaments that will be hosted in partnership with NHLGamer, the Prize pool of said tournaments will total up to $5,000. The Anaheim Ducks have announced that Ducks Gaming will launch three Esports tournaments, presented by McDonald’s of Southern California, with prizing totaling $5,000. Anaheim Ducks Gaming presented by McDonald's of Southern California is the official Gaming arm of the NHL organization. The first two Anaheim Ducks Gaming 1v1 NHL 21 Tournaments presented by McDonald's will both begin on April 14 when players will battle for up to $2,000 worth of combined prizes on both Xbox and PS4. The Ducks will then host a 6v6 Xbox-only tournament that will run on Tuesdays and Sundays from June 1 through mid-July with prizing up to $3,000. Matches throughout all three events will be broadcast on the team's Twitch-channel: Twitch.tv/AnaheimDucks. Registration information and dates are provided below. Registration Information To get more information on Ducks Gaming make sure to follow on Twitter @NHLDucksGaming or visit the webpage AnaheimDucks.com/Gaming. For tournament registration visit NHLGamer.com/Ducks. We at NHLGamer will serve as the platform all games are run through, with our vast experience in hosting esports events across a variety of sports titles and having ran the largest NHL Esports league in the world for several seasons already, we are confident and eager to make the Ducks Gaming 2021 Esports Tournaments presented by McDonald's of Southern California a stellar experience for both participants, fans as well as organizers. "The Anaheim Ducks are looking forward to working with NHLGamer on these upcoming initiatives. Discussions with Kenu and his team have shown their commitment to the growth of esports in the NHL gaming community and together we are hopeful to produce events and content that are at the forefront of the space." - G.M. Ciallella, Digital Marketing & Analytics Manager at the Anaheim Ducks. Both the 1v1 tournaments for Xbox and PlayStation, as well as the 6v6 tournament for Xbox will be hosted here at NHLGamer. See below for details*. 1v1 Xbox and PlayStation Esports Tournaments For Participants 13 years and older who reside in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Registration will run from Mar. 28-Apr. 11 Tournament begins April 14th Finals May 15th Tournament Rules Tournament Registration Tournament Discord 6v6 Xbox Esports Tournaments For Participants 13 years and older who reside in North America Registration will run from May 1 to May 25 Default game days will be Sundays and Tuesdays beginning June 1st Finals July 18th Survey about server selection *Subject to change About Ducks Gaming Anaheim Ducks Gaming is a newly formed entity that focuses on creating relationships, fostering competition and building valuable skill sets through esports all while exposing new audiences to the sport of hockey. Participants in Anaheim Ducks Gaming events learn communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other tools that are beneficial beyond just virtual reality. The Anaheim Ducks were the first Western NHL team actively fielding teams in competitive esports events, they are the first team to use their in-arena DJ in streamed content and the first team to utilize an active-roster player in a 6v6 Competitive Tournament. In addition to the three tournaments, Ducks gaming also hosts a West Coast 6v6 league on PS4 and Xbox that is focused on giving competitors on Western-located servers a fair and competitive place to play for all skill levels. For more information visit AnaheimDucks.com/gaming.