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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. The broadcasts over the weekend will be something special, so let's all come together to cap off this great season with two unforgettable nights of world class virtual hockey! We reached out to FILADELPHIA assistant captain and right winger Erik @Eki Tammenpää for some comments about the upcoming series and their season so far. After a dominant regular season, IQUE proved to be a tough opponent in the quarters, after which you conquered Färjestad BK with relative ease. How does your form look right now and do you think the longer break ahead of the playoffs could have an impact on the series? "IQUE's style of play worked very well against us, and we really needed to put some thought into how we're going to overcome them in that series. Against FBK we were able to utilize our strengths and get in the groove of things a bit more. This week, we've played almost every night, but I think the two week break could impact the start of the series to some extent since there hasn't been a break like this during this season." Your teams defensive ability has at least statistically been at an all time high this season, what are some of the factors that have made such an impact on that front? "On paper it's easy to see that we've made a change on defense and that's one obvious reason. As a secondary reason I'd say the fact that our core has stuck together for such a long time. Chemistry is the most important element in the 6v6 mode." Why will FILADELPHIA win and how will the series end? "The 4-0 result last season didn't really do the series justice and the gameplay was way tighter. I think hREDS are playing a similar style as last season, but the individuals have developed. It's going to come down to the smallest of details, but we'll win 4-2 in the end, based on our experience from big games." Tune in for the ECL 12 Elite Finals this Friday at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer!

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, 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, Yet another action packed year full of virtual hockey has passed, and with that it's been nearly a year since the last FCL was hosted, concluding in a thrilling final series between FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming on the 6v6-side, whereas Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila clashed in the 1v1 finals. This year, we'll be returning for another great season, and like before, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2021) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL). The FCL will be played through August and September and will be completed entirely online (subject to change). The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2021 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2021 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 17.8: Schedule for FCL 1v1: Group stage: 23.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-26.9 TOP 4 Finals: 1.10 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Sign-ups for 6v6 are open now and will be open until 11.8: Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 16.-31.8 Playoffs round 1: 2.-5.9 Playoffs round 2: 6.-9.9 (BO5) Playoffs round 3: 13.-16.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 20.-23.9 (BO5) Semifinals: 27.-29.9 (BO5) Finals: 2.10. (BO5) Prize Pool The total prize pool is 10 000 EUR, split between the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes, as described below: *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 FCL 2021 Finals. Due to the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the PlayStation console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. NHLGamer reserves the right to adjust any details. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion FILADELPHIA will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Arttu @Artuzio Mustila will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules. The NHL GWC European Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL 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 Atria Wilhelm Atria's Wilhelm product range has become a staple in Finnish snack culture throughout the years. Whether you're having a summer night barbeque or need something to go with the big game of the night - Wilhelm has you covered. Check out the full product range here! The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!