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NHLGamers, Both of our biggest regional tournaments are kicking off, so there's lots of action to get excited for! Find out all of the crucial details in this article and have a closer look at the changes made to our eligibility rules. As the summer brings it's heat, it's also time for us to ramp it up when it comes to regional competition! With that, we present to you the third iteration of the SCL! This year sponsored by Svenska Spel and in co-operation with SESF - The Swedish Esports Federation and SIF - The Swedish Ice Hockey Association. We're bringing 100 000 SEK in cash and action in both the 1v1 and 6v6 modes, so gather your friends and register for a blast of a tournament and the chance to win some cash along the way! To cap off the second season of the SCL, Vesa Pompa HC and Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund were able to reproduce back-to-back championships. According to the SCL ruleset, both will receive an invitation to join this years SCL as the #1 seed in the playoffs. Prize Pool The SCL prize pool for 2021 will consist of 100 000 SEK in total, where 65 000 SEK will be allocated to prizes in the 6v6 mode and 35 000 SEK is allocated to prizes in the 1v1 mode. Players and teams can choose to invoice SESF through their organization for earnings in form of prize money. Otherwise prize money will be paid as salary and will be subject to taxation and fees incurred for the "employer" - SESF according to Swedish legislation. An invoice should include the entire amount of earnings including VAT. Schedule SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Registrations for SCL 1v1 are open 28.7-15.8 Group stage: 19.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-20.9 TOP 4 Finals: 24.9 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Registrations for SCL 6v6 are open 28.7-11.8 Regular season 15.-30.8 Playoffs Round 1: 31.8.-3.9 (BO5) Playoffs Round 2: 5.-9.9 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 12.-15.9 (BO7) Semifinals: 19.-22.9 (BO7) Finals 25.9 (BO7) Eligibility With this being the third edition of SCL, many of you have come to expect rule tweaks as we continue to work towards perfecting the tournament formula here at NHLGamer.com. This year is no exception. The main events for our two largest communities, the SCL and the FCL, have grown increasingly entwined in terms of scheduling over the years – and will look to stay that way, e.g. both being played at the same time, for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, we’ve looked at ways of creating a structure that allows both the Swedish and the Finnish communities to shine, while strengthening each tournament’s own unique identity and sense of national pride. In terms of the SCL, what we’ve seen in the past among teams making deep playoff runs in the SCL is a strong reliance on (temporarily) adding players specifically based in the FCL to further their own cause. Therefore, in the interest of solidifying an identity for the SCL that has a stronger native focus while also avoiding scheduling issues for these two concurrently running tournaments, player participation in the SCL (native and foreign) will now exclude that player from participating in the FCL. 'Player participation' is defined as being listed on the roster of a team participating in the SCL. In short, players can not be listed in the roster for teams in both the SCL and the FCL. What this means in practice is that anyone; Swedish, Finnish or otherwise can participate in either the SCL or the FCL - just not both. Otherwise, our eligibility rule will follow the same format as before, only with more nationalities joining the list with "major community" status. For SCL 2021, two non-Swedish players will be allowed per team on ice in a game – under very specific conditions. Here they are: Outside of the Swedish championship (SCL). The German (GCL), Finnish (FCL) Russian (RCL) and Czech and Slovak (CSCL) communities will be defined as the “major communities” for the purposes of this text. Players hailing from nations that currently do not have a region-based championship to sign up for – one where they are allowed to play free of restrictions and are counted as the main target demographic – will be defined as “minor communities” for the purposes of this text. All teams must always feature a minimum of 4 Swedish players in their on-ice lineup Teams may feature a maximum of two non-Swedish players on ice if both players are from a minor community (for example: Danish, Norwegian, Latvian) Teams may feature a maximum of two non-Swedish players on ice if one player is from a major community (German, Finnish, Russian, Czech, Slovak) and the other player from a minor community Teams may NOT feature two non-Swedish players on ice if both those players are from a major community (German, Finnish, Russian, Czech, Slovak) Below you will find an image to help illustrate this rule clarification: The 1vs1 portion of the SCL is available only for Swedish citizens. License All Swedish and Finnish players require a player license from their respective esports federation, acquire your license by following instructions provided in the links below. For players of other nationalities, a license from their respective esports federation is recommended, but not required. Acquire your license here (Swedes) Acquire your license here (Finns) About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners SIF - The Swedish Ice Hockey Association The Swedish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body in Swedish ice hockey and inline hockey. The association is involved in all levels of ice hockey in Sweden and organizes the two Swedish Championship leagues being the men's SHL and women's SDHL. SESF - The Swedish Esports Federation SESF stands for Svenska E-sportföreningen and they are the governing body of esports competition in Sweden at the moment. The objective of the organisation is to develop the Swedish esports scene and shows a constant presence in organising tournaments and events. Currently, SESF provides training for esports referees and licenses for both referees and players. In Swedish esports competition, a SESF license is a quality guarantee. Main sponsor - Svenska Spel Svenska Spel is all of Sweden’s gaming company. We want gaming to be enjoyed by all. Svenska Spel’s operations are divided into three business areas: Sport & Casino with well-known brands such as Stryktipset and Oddset, Tur with Triss and Lotto among other games, and Casino Cosmopol & Vegas with three international casinos and Vegas video lottery terminals in restaurants and bingo halls. Svenska Spel is the largest sponsor of Swedish sports and supports everything from small local sports clubs to some of our most beloved national teams. There are about 1400 employees within the Svenska Spel Group and the main office is in Visby. For more information visit svenskaspel.se

NHLGamers, On Friday and Saturday we'll conclude the ECL 12 season with the Elite division Finals between FILADELPHIA and hREDS, a rematch of their ECL 11 Finals clash. Both teams are eager to show what they've learned and in the end hoist that trophy and leave with a nice chunk of change in their pockets. We reached out to hREDS captain and centerman Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen ahead of the big games for some insight into his teams mindset going into the finals: We're looking at a rematch from the finals last season. Back then, you guys played well but the results weren't quite there. What have you learned since then that's going to change the outcome? "Last season, we made way too many mistakes, which eventually did us in. We made some changes in the offseason and I believe our game is now elevated to the point where we have more variations and make fewer mistakes." About two weeks have passed since you beat HAVU and advanced to the finals, how have you dealt with this unusually long break and do you think it could have an impact on the play of either team? "We took a few days off after our series win against HAVU, but otherwise we've kept on practicing normally. I don't think this break will have an impact either way." Why will hREDS win and by how much? "It'll be a tight series, but i'll say 4-3." Tune in for the ECL 12 Elite Finals this Friday at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer!

NHLGamers, More than two months ago we started into the 12th iteration of the European Championship League. 31 teams competed in ECL Pro to fight for their spot in the playoffs, prevent relegation or gaining promotion into the European Top 16 in Elite. We saw tight matchups, beautiful goals as well as many surprises on our way to the finals of ECL 12 Pro. It is fair to say that two of the most dominant teams of the second half of the regular season and playoffs have paved their way to the finals. 5th seed Djurgarden Hockey will battle 12th seed Team LEISURE on Tuesday and Wednesday to determine who will hoist the cup in the Pro division this season. (5) Djurgarden Hockey - Team LEISURE (12) The Swedish Djurgarden Hockey and German Team LEISURE will combine to host the ECL 12 Pro finals - only one team will gain direct promotion, whereas the other is in for a hard fought battle against KOVA Esports in the upcoming relegation battle. First, however, we'll focus on the finals ahead! Over the past couple of seasons, Stockholm's pride Djurgarden have solidified their position as a true contender in the Pro division, but after a disappointing end to their ECL 11 campaign, they are surely determined to cap this one off a bit better. Captain @Jungledonk has surrounded himself with a tight knit group of players that are equally passionate about developing the team game, and it shows - the Swedes have plowed through opposition with relative ease throughout the season in it's entirety so far, with only Team LEISURE remaining in their way. Djurgarden's strength is their team play and adaptability, which will definitely come in handy in this series, but at times the group can end up on scoring dry spells. That is when goaltender @Sorsa103 bails them out with stellar play. In fact, Sorsa is WAY ahead of the competition statistically with a whopping 89,87 SV% to go with an equally great 1.07 GAA - keep an eye on this guy! @Strumpan87 is their leading scorer, but by no means do they solely ride on his success. While some guys will be hotter than others from time to time, Djurgarden is the definition of a squad with a team first-mentality. Road to finals: Regular Season: 3rd in Group 1 (18-7-5) Playoffs Round 1: 4-0 vs. Hotbox Quarterfinals: 4-2 vs. Kiekko-Espoo Esports Semifinals: 4-1 vs. BoxinElite Playoffs Top scorer: @Strumpan8715GP: 13G + 18A = 31P Team LEISURE is, as stated before, on a mission to regain their position as the strongest German team in the league. That means getting back their spot in the Elite division first and foremost. After a somewhat underwhelming regular season, this team has showed that their style of play is truly suitable for postseason battles and it is their suffocating defense and quick turnover attack that they most likely will live and die by in the end. After all, it is something that they do exceptionally well, an art they've perfected if you will. Especially if you take a look at the matchup of both teams during the regular season with Djurgarden Hockey getting the edge over Team LEISURE by gaining 3 out of 4 possible Points (4-1 Djurgarden & 3-4OT Team LEISURE) we can expect a very tight series. Since the Germans started to find their rhythm in the second half of the season with @Flo_goes_grazy(flgr93) becoming the starter on the left wing and @PlaymakerSJbeing the experienced and world class center the team needed for a long playoff run to return to ECL Elite. Team LEISUREs defense is what made the team go all the way to this seasons final. In their last two playoff rounds against Conquer Gaming (4-0) and HV71 (4-1) the German outfit only conceded 5 goals in 9 games, with @RPH_31 securing four shutouts and recording a whopping 1.5 GAA in this postseason. Just as mentioned in the first Playoffs preview: Offense wins games but defense wins championships. Road to finals: Regular Season: 7th in Group 1 (16-11-3) Playoffs Round 1: 4-3 vs. Sulkavan Sudet Quarterfinals: 4-0 vs. Conquer Gaming Semifinals: 4-1 vs. HV71 Playoffs Top scorer: @PlaymakerSJ 16GP: 14G + 20A = 34P @Keuschemisch's prediction: 4-2 Team LEISURE @Mikka's prediction: 4-2 Team LEISURE Tune in for the finals on Tuesday and Wednesday as broadcasts will be live at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer!

After a gruelling workload through the last three months, Wednesday night saw the two best teams in the Lite division clash for the final games of the season. Reality Check HC and noRex Gaming left it all on the ice and went the distance of seven games to eventually see the experienced and resilient Reality Check HC hoist the trophy after a big performance in the decisive game. We reached out to captain @Pursuitti for some comments on the teams season. Before the season, you were eyeing a Pro spot, but suffered a disappointment in the qualifiers. Talk a bit about how your team handled the issue and how you tackled some struggles over the course of the season. "It was definitely a disappointment to not make it through the Qualifiers. In fact, I feel like we played well in those games, but in the short tournament, one off night sealed the deal for us. Eventually, about a week before the start of the season it was clear that we needed to make some roster changes and managed to quickly find replacements in @ItzPoro and @Mister (linuseliel), who showed up big when called upon. Even though we had to make some hasty changes, which threw our game off a bit, we immediately set our sights on the Championship - and I'm glad we reached that goal." You played a big role for the team throughout the season. Were there any other players that stepped up in a surprising way throughout your campaign? "In my opinion, everyone finned their own role exceptionally well. If we were to take a look at things on an individual level, @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) stepped up for us as the season progressed and found new gears throughout the playoffs. ItzPoro and @jezbaru formed a very good defensive pairing, where Poro handled more of the defensive duties and Jesba served as out fourth man on the rush. Linus found his scoring touch at the start of the playoffs and although he cooled down a bit towards the end, he worked hard in both ends of the ice and secured the eventual championship for us with his 4-1 and 5-2 goals in the seventh game. @Kauppias4 is a guy I'm at a loss for words about. This guy played at an incredible level throughout the season and in the finals especially. Also a shoutout to @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X), who served as our backup netminder and stayed positive, helping the team in that role all season." What does the future hold for Reality Check HC? "As I see it, our future is bright. We've got an excellent spirit within the squad and everyone shares the desire to develop their game as individuals and as a team. I feel like these things have the potential to take us far. I'm not sure if we'll ice a team for the upcoming FCL yet, but you'll definitely see Reality Check HC in the Pro division in ECL 13. Our objective is to maintain the same player core and as a captain, I naturally hope we don't have the need for any changes." Reality Check HC - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 2 - 23-3-2 (1st) Round 1: vs Grilli Tulille 4-1 Round 2: vs BIK Karlskoga Esport 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs Hokurit 4-3 Semifinals: vs Lulea Hockey 4-3 Finals: vs noRex Gaming 4-3 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #33 @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X) #77 @Kauppias4 DEFENSEMEN #19 @jezbaru #53 @ItzPoro FORWARDS #22 @Mister (linuseliel) #26 @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) #88 @Pursuitti Congratulations on behalf of the entire community, and see you next season!