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The 22-year-old Erno @egoapina Parkkonen is a multitalent, as his selection of competitive games includes both NHL and FIFA. Hockey is a big part of his life, and he's been playing the sport for several years at a reasonably high level. Erno Parkkonen is very well known on virtual football grounds, but not necessarily so well known for virtual hockey.  "As a kid I spent a lot of time with NHL all the way until NHL 15 when the  EASHL-mode disappeared on next gen. Joakim @Joukki Nyholm is one of the guys I played with and really liked 6v6 mainly cause of getting bored with playing HUT alone. After NHL, I've played FIFA and got some success by accident and just stayed on that path. I still buy NHL every year and really enjoy the game as hockey is very close to my heart." Parkkonen has a rather peculiar PSN-ID that stands out from the mass, at least for the Finnish-speaking. When asked about the origin story, he attributes that to his big brother: "I remember creating my user together with my big brother, all the names I suggested were taken so we went back to the drawing board. After a bit of thinking, my brother suggested egoapina - ego monkey. We had some laughs about it, but my brother thought it described me as a person to a tee. I haven't changed it later since people know that name by now." Parkkonen represented FC Honka in the recent eFutisliiga on FIFA together with Grilli Tulille teammate Jesper @jjesu3 Hietarinne. By playing both NHL and FIFA competitively, Parkkonen has grown very familiar with the scenes of both those games. Naturally we asked him for a comparison.  "In FIFA, I'd say everything is bigger, so to speak. Their 1v1 format has gone worldwide and the prize money is bigger with far more tournaments to play in. The 11v11-format is comparable to the 6v6-games in NHL, but it's far more geographically widespread and you'll find more players of various nationalities on your own squad, which I find interesting and fun. At it's current stage, I think FIFA is better than NHL competitively and despite it not being perfect either, it has way less uncontrollable factors than NHL. I think in Finland the 6v6 LAN events have been great steps towards developing the scene and I don't think that'll realistically happen anytime soon in FIFA." It can be said that Parkkonen knows the FIFA scene like the backs of his palms and that there are a few things from that environment that the NHL scene could learn from. "In order to grow, I think we need more competitive tournaments. At the current stage it's not realistic for players to sustain a professional status without added revenue streams such as streaming or other work." During his junior years, Parkkonen has played ice hockey for Kiekko-Espoo, where he also got to play a few mens games. We asked him if he feels that playing hockey has helped with virtual ice hockey, or the other way around. "All the same elements apply to virtual hockey, of course they must be applied according to the meta of the game. Especially in the 6v6 format, communication and the movement of players off the puck is really important if the team wants to succeed. Playing as a unit is emphasized in the defensive, neutral and offensive zones, as no one can carry their team alone. I'd also say that puck control and controlled breakout plays are more prevalent in virtual hockey due to dump-and-chase hockey not being as effective. Set plays and special teams formations are discussed just like in traditional hockey. When it comes to skills I've learned and used in both it's definitely the eye for the game combined with a certain kind of niftiness in scoring situations." "On our trip up North, we had a PlayStation on the bus and as we had our teams NHL-tournament, i ended up going up against the coach at some point. In the heat of the game he told me "Now I know why you're always looking for that extra pass", so I guess that might be something I've taken away from the console game." #11 for Kiekko-Espoo always likes to look for that extra pass. Picture by Riku Eskelinen. Parkkonen has been away from virtual hockey for a while. He notes that virtual hockey is a good change for competitive FIFA. "I'm taking a break from competitive FIFA for the summer Competitive FIFA will now take a break for the summer. I was asked to play ECL Pro, which was my original plan, but that team ended up folding. When I was contacted by Grilli Tulille I immediately knew that was the right decision. The group of guys I know from before and having fun is a guarantee regardless of our results." The Grilli Tulille team includes people familiar to Parkkonen. He feels that the team has a great deal of potential. "I knew I could bring experience and new strategies in order to develop the style of play. As I said, I was really happy to join Grilli since I know the guys from before and having fun is a guarantee with this group. There's a lot of potential, which I hope we'll be able to realize over the course of the season." Parkkonen has been in good form during the early part of the season and we asked how to keep this good vibe in the coming games. "I've always been a pass first player. As long as we play well as a unit and Jesper @jjesu3 Hietarinne is ready on the far post we should be able to keep things going!" You can follow egoapina and Grilli Tulille on their playoff hunt in Group 3 of the Lite division, where the team is currently outside of playoff positions but with some games still left to go, they are looking for a strong finish to their regular season run.

It is yet again time to crown the best of the best - ECL 12 Elite is here! Last season was the triumph of FILADELPHIA, but now winds of change are blowing and we can hear the whispers about a new champion on the rise. Who will it be? We've been waiting for long - but the biggest and baddest are finally here! It's ECL 12 Elite time. So gather round and tell your friends, because this is going to be a season unlike any other. The season will kick off on Monday, 24th of May with a Pre-season show hosted by Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @Cyn Anderson before the puck drop at 20:00 CEST for a wild battle between KOVA Esports and Rusty Blades after which hREDS and IQUE will clash in the second game of the night. We will confirm the start time of the Pre-season show tomorrow morning. The partners for this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, Viaplay & Wilhelm. ECL 12 Elite will feature a prize pool of 15 000€. Due to the pandemic situation, the ECL 12 season is planned to be played entirely online. The playoffs will be played between the 5th of July and the 31st of July on set game dates. More details about the playoffs will be shared as the season progresses towards that point. The division of the ECL 12 Elite prize pool will be as follows: #1. ECL 12 Elite Champion: 10 000 € #2. ECL 12 Elite Runner-Up: 3 000 € #3.-4. ECL 12 Elite Semifinal losers: 1 000 € *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the ECL 12 Finals. Notable dates for the ECL 12 Elite season: Regular season: 24.5-1.7 Transfer deadline: 13.6. 23:59 CEST Quarterfinals: 5.7, 7.7, 8.7 (BO7) Semifinals: 12.7, 14.7, 15.7 (BO7) Finals: 30.7, 31.7 (BO7) Default gamedays for the ECL 12 Elite division will be on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with broadcasts on the NHLGamer Twitch at 19:45 CEST each of those days. Access the rulebook, schedule, standings and statistics from the ECL 12 Elite league page. The ECL 12 Elite broadcast team consists of your beloved duo Cody @Tougie24 Tougas & Paul @Cyn Anderson as the main casters joined by Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen, Oskari Koski and Julius Sorjonen with appearances on Thursdays for Finnish broadcasts. Nick @f5penguin DiMeo and Drew Goldfarb are also on call for playoff time. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerCOM #ECL12 #NHL21 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm #viaplayECL Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerOfficial #ECL12 #NHL21 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm #viaplayECL Meet the ECL 12 Cover Gamer ECL 8 started our tradition of Cover Gamers and so far we've had the pleasure of highlighting true superstars of the game that are great personalities both on and off the ice. We surely have no intention to stop, and for ECL 12, we've picked yet another special player to join the ranks of Erik @Eki Tammenpää, Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen, Casper @ICappeI Lundgren and Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha as the fifth ECL Cover Gamer in history - with that, we introduce Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen. NikkeDangles started his competitive career back in 2018 and took his first strides on ECL ice in ECL 7 Lite with The Next Gen, where at that time 14-year old Nikke immediately made an impact totalling 110 points in his first season that ended in a finals loss at the hands of The Black Jacks - now known as ZSC Esports. Since then, the youngster has taken massive steps forward with his game and is now one of the most dominant offensive forces around. The hREDS right winger is a creative mind, who can generate dangerous chances out of seemingly nothing and make the players around him better. "I've watched hockey since I was a little kid and playing NHL was a natural extension of that. It is a great honor to be featured as the ECL 12 Cover Gamer in great company with the players that have had the title before me. I feel like the competitive scene has taken massive strides forward in recent years and take pride in that and developing it even further." When given the opportunity to send a greeting to all 15 other Elite teams, the youngster responds tongue-in-cheek: "GLHF." It's been an exceptional preseason in more ways than one and an interesting factor has been the multitude of preseason tournaments that have been organized by NHLGamer, but also by various teams and players in our community. The longer lead-up to the regular season has offered the chance for teams to really hone their play but as always, there have been some surprises and some squads have experienced last minute changes that might quite drastically turn the tables. Most interestingly though - there's been a lot of movement on the transfer market, and in negotiating those moves toes have been stepped on, drama has ensued, been resolved and started back up in the endless cycle that is related with the scene. without a doubt the biggest transfer of the offseason was Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen suddenly switching sides from reigning champion FILADELPHIA to their fiercest rival HAVU Gaming. They have an ongoing rivalry that has been brewing in good spirit over the years, but the sudden transfer and underlying reasons behind it could add some spice to that matchup moving forward. The sudden departure of one of the strongest ofensive defensemen in the game left the reigning champion clinching for whatever they could find in the search for a replacement so close to the season. Erik @Eki Tammenpää has admitted that training has been limited in the offseason, but perhaps the departure of jtorro was the nudge they needed to get going. It looked for a while like FILADELPHIA would be placing old trusted allrounder Mika @mikaasi Heikkilä at that open LD spot, but an announcement last night suggests Teemu @Xteemuz (Teemuyy) Polttila will be taking on the challenge after being allowed a transfer from JYP Esports. The expected top of the pack isn't the only place where wild movement has taken place prior to the season - freshly promote Tunnel Vision has had their fair share of turbulence over the offseason, but they look to have turned out fine in the end, whilst leaving a trail of bloodshed in their wake. Since last season, they have lost top scorer Jere @BensaPoju (Jerskayy) Laukka due to suspension and looked to replace him with Juho @RutonMosse (Juigelson) Kinnunen, who suddenly left for SAWO ESPORTS. In the aftermath of that announcement, Tunnel Vision scrambled to find a new player and acquired Kim @Kim_20_00_ Suokas from Supernatural only to drop him a week later due to the sudden availability of Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen from Roots. Both Supernatural and Roots were since sent into a downwards spiral, perhaps due to the player poaches made from them, perhaps not - you be the judge of that. We can also not glance over the fact that this season will feature an array of four freshly promoted teams in the Elite division, as ECL 11 Pro champion IQUE gained direct promotion and GOONS, Tunnel Vision and ZSC Esports managed to win their respective relegation battles against Elite squads on their way down. All of the drama that took place between established teams over the offseason might end up in benefit of the freshly promoted teams, and it remains to be seen which one of them will pounce on those opportunities as they present themselves over the course of the long season. Then, we've also got the middle of the pack, which feels like even more of a free-for-all than we're used to. It's really the mantra we keep repeating season after season, the middle of the pack is tougher than ever. Established teams such as Northern Ascendancy, KOVA Esports or YMCA Esports will have to do everything in their power to keep young and hungry up-and-comers from switching on the turn signal and passing them. Without further ado, let's move on with our prediction for the ECL 12 Elite season: 1. HAVU Gaming (ECL 11 Elite: 3rd) ECL 11 top scorer: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha - 40 GP, 34+53=87 HAVU Gaming is my pick for a champion this season, just to state that right off the bat. They were in a tough spot to start ECL 11 when having to replace their x-factor Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen, well guess what - he's back. This time, HAVU had replace Wille @willekunq Juntunen on the RD position and looked like they were struggling to do so, but found a way to sign jtorro from FILADELPHIA in the biggest move of the offseason. This means Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto moves over to the right side, while torro takes over his LD spot. On offense, HAVU reunites their deadly line FlyerKungen - Risto @Dominointi Järvi - Puantso that is arguably on par with the best line in virtual hockey ever. With that, their starting five is stronger than ever before and with the experience carried from a touch ECL 11, one could make the case for a more resilient HAVU returning to play with the goal of showing their competition what they really are made of. 2. hREDS (ECL 11 Elite: 2nd) ECL 11 top scorer: Joakim @Joukki Nyholm* - 44 GP, 46+55=101 The runner-ups of ECL 11 surprisingly let last seasons top scorer Joakim @Joukki Nyholm walk after their finals push, replacing him with equally offensively prevalent Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen and also changed up their defense by upgrading Teemuyy for Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen. On paper, these are some interesting changes that can be seen as upgrades depending on who you ask, but it is notable that roster changes always switch up chemistry. In this case, the added players are very familiar with the hREDS system and in fact, Vilupoika has combined for a dangerous radar pair with Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen in the past. Youngster NikkeDangles on the right wing might get a bump from being awarded the honor as ECL 12 cover gamer and elevates his game yet another level, which would push hREDS on an ever steeper upwards trajectory this season - championship incoming perhaps? Definitely a strong candidate. 3. FILADELPHIA (ECL 11 Elite: Champions 🏆) ECL 11 top scorer: Erik @Eki Tammenpää - 43 GP, 34+60=94 FILADELPHIA is undisputedly the most successful team in ECL history with their three titles. Their last ECL outing finished in spectacular manner, with several records broken along the way and a dominant 4-0 outing against hREDS in the finals. The team has made the finals in each of their five seasons at the Elite level so far and are surely not going to stop. The offseason has been quiet for the team as the squad mostly has focused on resting up for yet another championship push, but at the final stretch of the preseason, there was some action to say the least. Mainstay LD jtorro suddenly left for HAVU Gaming in a high-profile transfer, but FILADELPHIA managed to find a replacement by waving an undisclosed amount of cash in the face of JYP Esports management as Teemu @Xteemuz (Teemuyy) Polttila joins the black and orange just in time for the new season. FILADELPHIA is not getting a replacement with the experience that they lost, but skill-wise, Teemuyy is right there with the best of them. We'll see how he blends in with the new team as the season progresses but one thing is sure, offensively Paul @PleeMaker Arontie - Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala - Eki will deliver, as will Casper @ICappeI Lundgren in net and Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta at his RD spot. We know that FILADELPHIA is a championship caliber team and that is why all that's on the menu is championship or disappointment. 4. JYP Jyvaskyla (ECL 11 Elite: 4th) ECL 11 top scorer: Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen - 40 GP, 22+46=68 In command of captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin, the JYP Jyvaskyla squad have at this point made ECL Elite playoffs in five consecutive seasons in different formations since beginning their journey as Symphony back in mid-2018. Their greatest feat still remain a finals push that ended in a game 6 defeat at the hands of FILADELPHIA in ECL 7. Now, hurricanes have managed to sign one of the strongest individuals of the last ECL season as Joakim @Joukki Nyholm will play besides the well-established Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and captain indi, forming an offensive trio that should work very well both ways and have that x-factor for a scoring threat that JYP hasn't had before. The team is also glad to have Väinö @vSilenttio (vee_Sile) Pietilä return after a career season with Roots in ECL 11, pairing back up with a matured Ilmari @iilmarii Töyrylä. Having experienced goalie Santeri @Sandr0hh Reijasalo, who is rumored to be joined by a very capable tandem behind them is what makes this seasons JYP roster as strong as they've ever been. 5. Farjestad BK (ECL 11 Elite: 5th) ECL 11 top scorer: Christoffer @I-Maise-I (I-Mallen-I) Berntsson - 36 GP, 20+34=54 The long-standing pride of Swedish virtual hockey have established themselves as a surefire playoff team in the Elite division, but seem to be unable to punch their way into the top 4 in a convincing way. The Swedes are quite famous for their style of play and catch a lot of flack for continuing to ride that train. It is quite apparent that the team will either sink or swim with the performances of Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg, who has established himself as one of the top pure goal scorers in the Elite division by netting a total of 76 goals over the past two seasons spent at the highest level of competition. Center I-Mallen-I loves the puck and is their number one setup artist along with setting the tone for the entire team oftentimes. The defensive pairing Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt and Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann is one of the more balanced ones in the league and definitely Sweden's finest if nothing else, both are very solid with the puck and can handle pressure with relative ease. Also, being backed by Johan @McSavid Rundqvist who is one of the best goaltenders in the league makes FBK's back-end a solid foundation for their team all around. 6. GOONS (ECL 11 Pro: 2nd) ECL 11 top scorer: Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola - 51 GP, 60+71=131 We're in for an exciting season watching GOONS, that is a relatively young team both due to the age of their players, but also due to the team only being founded just ahead of ECL 11 Pro, when they acquired Kriketsi to lead the way for their inexperienced squad. Krike will continue to lead from his center position, flanked by rising star Roope @pikkuroger Bergström and the more experienced Jere @jergelii Jortama, while young stud Viljo @viba2008 Kähkönen and Elite journeyman Ville-Petteri @vviljo (veepee___) Särmä combine for an interesting defensive pairing down low. Viba2008 actually becomes the youngest ECL Elite player in history at only 13 years old and with all that talent, he can be a great fit alongside someone like veepee, who has been around for a long time, but struggled to find a proper home. The team is capped off with a strong goaltender tandem in Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (the winningest goaltender in ECL history) and Santeri @SanteriAK47 Puumalainen, who could very well share the responsibility throughout the season. GOONS have all the skill in the world, but as a young squad they might find themselves drifting off in a bad direction if they can't get things going right away. A playoff push is entirely possible. 7. IQUE (ECL 11 Pro: Champion 🏆) ECL 11 top scorer: Janne @Nieppii Niemelä - 52 GP, 33+69=102 As a team, IQUE (former Enigma) has experienced virtually no changes since their championship campaign back in ECL 11 Pro. They've been a dominant Pro force for quite some time already, but have now found the way to elevate their play to the next level with the lead of captain Nieppii. With an unchanged roster, it can very well be in their favor to keep their good momentum going into their first Elite run. IQUE has a solid offense centered by Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, who is one of the most talented young guns in the game at the moment, but especially wingers Nieppii and Santeri @sannteri Niemi has some history of going on cold streaks and getting stuck in their ways a bit. If they can find a way to keep things creative up front while not sacrificing their defensive responsibilities, IQUE is a squad that could very well make a playoff run. On defense, Markus @Makeaxl Lahti and Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi will be the teams main pairing, Makeaxl is the more experienced part, but both should be able to handle themselves in the Elite pace quite well. Toni @Pirtsa89 Pirttimäki has been their choice in net, this season in a probable tandem with Rami @ramseyy2(Ramsiil) Rissanen - neither one has ever carried the starter role at this level, so that could be considered a minor question mark. 8. Northern Ascendancy (ECL 11 Elite: 6th) ECL 11 top scorer: Juho @RutonMosse (Juigelson) Kinnunen* - 36 GP, 24+29=53 After being one of the consistent performers in the Elite division for quite some time, Norther Ascendancy had their downfall after the team dissolved and key pieces spent some time with Rusty Blades back in ECL 8. After a few seasons under the Lulea Hockey flag, ECL 11 saw the return of Northern Ascendancy in a very different constellation that before, but the team still managed to push their way to the playoffs. This season, NOR returns with one of the most inexperienced rosters they've ever iced, meaning a heavy reliance on captain Connor @MartindalexC Martindale, returning Aleksi @Tehh (TehhAhola) Ahola and André @Foppatofflan Liljegren to lead the way for the likes of 2nd year Elite players V-V @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) Lampela and Fredrik @maharajah2014 (Sparkaronnberg) Mickelsson-Holm, who are taking on big roles in the team this season. It is interesting to see how a playmaking force such as Foppatofflan will fit at the defensive position and if he will stay there throughout the season, after all cTunkeilija played as a defenseman in ECL 11, so we might be in for a switch at some point if the team feels it's warranted. Despite their continued success even in tough times, Northern Ascendancy will be struggling to reach the last playoff spot this season. 9. YMCA Esports (ECL 11 Elite: 12th) ECL 11 top scorer: Tim @Timasy Hess - 30 GP, 19+25=44 Six consecutive ECL Elite seasons have yielded three postseason appearances for the team that still continues without their captain Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru due to military service. YMCA Esports have definitely solidified their spot in the Elite division, but also as a mid-level team at best so far in their careers. After a disappointing ECL 11, the team has seen some changes mostly on the back end, as both defensemen are going to be swapped with Janne @Koppipelaaja (Jamoyy) Viitanen and ECL 5 Elite champion Nico @nylanderi Laitinen will pair for an interesting duo. The team also sees a fresh face in net, as former Nordic Stars netminder Benjamin @benu Rinnet joins the team after three consecutive very solid seasons in the Pro division. There surely are some question marks around the team, mainly due to their reorganized starting lineup and the chemistry issues that might relate to it, but YMCA has both skill and experience to take them to the playoffs. It remains to be seen if they can harness both of those traits to take them that far, or if their season will be yet another disappointment. 10. KOVA Esports (ECL 11 Elite: 10th) ECL 11 top scorer: Valeri @Valluxet Reihel - 30 GP, 27+24=51 KOVA Esports has as tradition seen a lot of player turnover over the offseason. Interestingly, long-time LD trustee Ari @FakiiR1 Palviainen leaves the squad as Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen takes over that position besides Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, who has become the new trusted man on defense for KOVA Esports. The duo on the back end will most likely combine for a rather well-balanced OFD-DFD combination that could work out well for the team. Up front, captain Kimi @Zip player Nordberg has managed to secure an interesting package deal to play beside him as former Nordic Stars dynamic duo Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho and Jere @Jerax13 Hällström will enter as elite rookies. The two have made an impact in Pro together for several seasons already and if they can combine with an offensive force like ZipPlayer, that bodes well for KOVA Esports. Trusted Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck will be sharing responsibilities in net with ECL 1 original Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, as captain Zip has been quoted stating the form of the day will determine who gets the call come gameday. It's not an unusual thing for KOVA to ice an entirely new squad each season and while that begs a multitude of questions, the squad always manages to at least retain their spot in no man's land. That is exactly what will happen also this season for KOVA Esports. 11. Vesa Pompa (ECL 11 Elite: 7th) ECL 11 top scorer: Jere @jergelii Jortama* - 34 GP, 21+21=42 Swedish Vesa Pompa has experienced some major roster turnover in the offseason and in fact will only retain captain Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund in their starting lineup. Their other five starters are joining the team from former Växjö Lakers HC, being Fredrik @Kattenj Jansson on the left wing, Adam @dzouvi Mensik on center, Samuel @EDHOLMEN3 Edholm and Johannes @Hockeyjohannes Hultmark on defense capped off with Erik @MrAllsvenskan Rotsenius in net - all of them Elite rookies with the exception of Kattenj, who has eight combined games in ECL 7 and 8. A positive is that the squad has a lot of experience together even despite a majority of the players being new with Vesa Pompa and their skill is proven at the Pro level. However, this squad without Eken has never went past the quarterfinals in the Pro division, which begs the question - why would they go far in the Elite division? One can hope they'll prove doubters wrong, but Vesa Pompa is looking for big steps forward on every position if they want to reach playoffs this season. 12. POGGERS (ECL 11 Elite: 9th) ECL 11 top scorer: Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi - 26 GP, 26+24=50 The former SJ Gaming ended their org affiliation at the end of ECL 11 Elite and are with that returning to the more casual POGGERS. On the ice, some minor changes have also been made. That means Jan-Mikael @Janski (Jansku23) Aittoniemi replaces Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen on the right flank, and Elie @eliekamel87 Kamel replaces Janne @Janne Hietala (Hiatala_) Hietala in net. Offensively, their most important weapon is still multi-game talent JaKurrii, who will continue netting goals on the virtual ice when he isn't winning trophies on the FIFA pitch. Jiska @jorma2001 Näppä is their choice at center, and after gaining some valuable experience in Elite last season, the talented centerman is expected to take yet another step forward. Captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström pairs with Eemil @Eemil (eKoskii) Koski for a great defensive duo, where eKoskii is expected to carry most of the load with the puck and prove his fabled talent to be true by putting forth a strong season. POGGERS should be able to retain their Elite spot, but they are not a playoff team. 13. Tunnel Vision (ECL 11 Pro: 3rd) ECL 11 top scorer: Jere @BensaPoju (Jerskayy) Laukka* - 46 GP, 50+41=91 It was a turbulent offseason for ECL 11 Pro semifinalist Tunnel Vision, who suffer immensely from losing their top scorer due to suspension. The team is stacked with talent and players who enjoy spending time with the game and finding out the mechanics of it, but they are for the most part players that enjoy playing with intuition and trusting their individual skill in beating opponents. It worked wonders for them at the Pro level, but will it be enough in Elite? The squad had to scramble ahead of the season start, when they suddenly lost Juigelson to SAWO ESPORTS, which started a transfer roulette ultimately finishing with Tunnel Vision acquiring Sadapoika for their center lane. They have also upgraded their defense with Veeti @Wenger (re_wenger) Paloneva, who joins them from YMCA Esports. All in all, we're seeing a very skilled squad that has some Elite experience but have struggled to find success at that level. They will need to add a more structured approach beside their skill to see that next level. A playoff could be a tough ask, but the team should at the very least be able to maintain their Elite spot. 14. ZSC Esports (ECL 11 Pro: 4th) ECL 11 top scorer: Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner* - 46 GP, 48+37=85 The Swiss lions have grown under the reigns of captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi since their first competitive season back in ECL 6 Lite, and goaltender duo Mike @burban26 Mueller, Reto @afc_Tschitsch (eTschitsch) Ulrich and forward Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni have stayed alongside their captain for the entire success story. Now, making their first appearance at the highest level as the first Swiss team in history, ZSC Esports are determined to make an impact. Their task is not easy, as the squad is losing their top scorer Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner and replacing him with an inexperienced Tino @Timotei97 Saksi, who is extremely untested at a higher level of play. The team will be relying on their long-time success factors but also heavily on one of the most solid defensive pairings out there in Max @Toneee9 Tonitz combined with Reto @Haldeem Haldemann, who makes a return to the Elite level after three seasons in the Pro division as the only player from the ZSC squad with Elite experience on his resume. 15. SAWO ESPORTS (ECL 11 Elite: 11th) ECL 11 top scorer: Atte @Akunkku Kuningas - 30 GP, 16+20=36 The Cocks, as the like to call themselves have had an offseason with quite some turnover. They've changed captain by bumping up Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján, while long-time leader Jonne @TackleControl Nikkinen takes a step back as a backup player. They've also added two new starter forwards, a new starter defenseman, and a goaltender to play in a 1A - 1B tandem with Saku @mehukatti Serttilä. Up front, Juigelson and Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen will be flanking Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen while the defense will consist of Niklas @Talonmies69 Tamminen and MrNipsuli-. The goaltender acquisition is Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen, who has been backing up for HAVU Gaming for a few seasons, now returning to competitive games for the first time since ECL 9. It's tough to evaluate SAWO to start the season due to them having changed so much, but it's a fact that they have some good pieces that are proven to work at the ECL Elite level. It is however up to debate if they've made an improvement when comparing to their former roster, which consisted of players that knew each other well but perhaps couldn't find their form last season. I have a tough time seeing SAWO in the playoffs and therefore predict for them to have to fight their way out of the relegation spots. 16. Rusty Blades (ECL 11 Elite: 8th) ECL 11 top scorer: André @Foppatofflan Liljegren* - 34 GP, 21+35=56 Nothing ever comes without a fight in the ECL, and the Elite division for that matter. For Rusty Blades, however, that fight started way before the season. With just a few weeks to go, everything seemed to be in order for the squad playing under the Roots Gaming organization, but in the blink of an eye it all went south. The team captained by Juhani @Tanski87 Tanskanen lost two starting forwards and their long-time starting goaltender Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari just before the season and in the aftermath also lost their affiliation with Roots. Now going back to their true and tested Rusty Blades name, the squad has an all-new roster that has a tough task ahead of them, but it is certain that a true veteran leader like Tanski will not be giving up any time soon, Rusty Blades have come to play. Despite the difficult situation, the team has made some interesting acquisitions. Aleksi @ADETIKKI (Dillynger) Kinnunen and Tanski will be their most experienced members, whereas Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi is the only starter continuing alongside his captain from last season. Santtu @Santtu (santtu333) Malin is joining the team after two seasons for Ringette HC in Neo and Lite - a massive step up for the rookie centerman. Joonas @LE1PAKONE (NordZman) Nordman is joining the team at the LD position after spending last season in Pro with Rookie Mistakes. A lot of unknowns for this squad going forward, they will be in for a massive task and the battle will be about staying in the Elite division this season. That's all for this time, gamers! Remember to tune in for our Pre-season show and season openers tomorrow, on Monday, May 24th at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. (Exact time TBA - estimated start time 18:30 CEST)