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Well everyone, the wait is finally over! EA SPORTS have officially announced that NHL 22 will be with us later this year and that we will be able to participate in a technical test sometime in the coming few weeks. Going off technical tests that EA have released for NHLs past, it would be best to temper everyone’s expectations going into it as it may very well be an ‘alpha’ build fraught with glitches. Furthermore, there is a split in versions that you can sign-up for. PlayStation and Xbox will each receive two builds of the game, one made for PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X, and one for PlayStation 4/Xbox One. Given the distinction made by EA it would be a fair bet to imagine that players will not be able to play on one version, and then play against players on another version. As such, it may be worth signing up with two different EA accounts, so that you can maximise your experience on the technical test, regardless of console. You can find the link to register your account and which console / region you would wish to play on here. Please note that EA SPORTS have indicated that there is a limited number of spots available for the technical test, so don't take any extra time signing up, as it may be closed by the time you get to it next time. Given this restriction however, let us know in the comments below what you are thinking would be best going into this technical test? Should we try to push towards getting as many players as possible on the Playstation 5/Xbox Series X version; or maximise the amount of total players we can have playing together by focussing on the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version?

Severstal Cherepovets is a traditional Russian ice hockey club, that was founded in 1956. The team has been playing in the Russian elite league (KHL) since 2008. In the past, many other KHL teams have announced their transition to virtual hockey and Severstal will be joining them in the near future.  The upcoming Severstal NHL roster consists of players who live in the city and also support the KHL team in real life. In the future, the KHL team will assist their virtual hockey team by, among other things, giving as much visibility as possible to their own social media. "Today, the Severstal hockey club is one of the oldest in Russia. The history of hockey in Cherepovets has been going on for six decades. For more than 20 years, Severstal has consistently played in the" highest light" of Russian hockey, being one of the main old-timers of the national championship." - Denis @The Great Dany Goryachev (zGrtDanny) Twice Severstal hockey players have reached the podium - they have won bronze and silver medals in the Russian Super League. Many students of the Cherepovets hockey school defended the honor of the Russian national team at major international tournaments. A wide array of young players are now candidates for the Russian national team. The Servestal NHL roster also has experience from the real ice in the same uniform, as one of their players has represented the KHL team Servestal for several seasons.  “One of the players, Evgeniy @mons3223 Mons is actually a professional hockey player, who played for Severstal for more than four seasons in the KHL. Last season he spent in Ukraine and his in-game leadership skills have been a massive asset for us, it really helps us to improve. Great leadership from our LD.”  - Juris @JLopatko Lopatko "Almost all players have spent all seasons in the RCL. Everyone has played in RCL Pro, but in different teams. There are a lot of connections there and many players have played together in the past."  - Denis @The Great Dany Goryachev (zGrtDanny) Although there is a great deal of experience on the team, the players of the team admit that it is better to start their journey with small goals and not get too hungry from the get-go. In the future, the team wants to qualify for and succeed in the ECL Lite qualifiers. At a later stage, ECL Pro would be a realistic goal.  

NHLGamers, This weekend, we got to witness a crazy show, mainly put on by your new ECL 12 Champions hREDS! The finals were in general very tight battles with the exception of game two that ended in a 6-0 whooping by hREDS. The big, bad reds suffered defeat by a sweep last season and came back to dish out the same kind of punishment to FILADELPHIA this year, we congratulate the champions and thank FILADELPHIA for their great effort! hREDS have come a long way in a relatively short time and after their devastating loss against FILADELPHIA back in the ECL 11 Finals, their will to win was obvious this time - turning the team into an unstoppable winning machine. Especially their defense was outstanding, conceding only one goal in the four games played. Defenseman Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen answered some questions amidst their celebration: "We didn't really change anything for the Finals, me and Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen are just that good at the moment. It's easy to play together and I guess it shows on the ice. We're definitely a tough team to beat at the moment. Amazing job by Filip @Faze91- Azri. Especially against FILA, allowing just one goal is unheard of, so he's been a backbone for us throughout. Also, when me, Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen and Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen have played together we haven't lost a single tournament, so the connection is definitely special and we're hoping to keep that momentum going." @Beniittto was chosen as the Playoff MVP by his teammates and he truly had a dominant outing throughout the series, with a whopping 4 goals and two assists in game two to really take charge. He commented on his prowess to the NHLGamer studio: "I mean I always try to be at my best level, and I guess in that 2nd game everything just worked out for me. Having Vilu and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen by my side make my game so much easier and it's a big thing for me to get to play with those guys. They definitely elevate me." The day after their amazing feat, social media is filled with posts of former teammates and friends congratulating these guys on their journey towards the top and finally conquering the mighty FILADELPHIA. with that, NHLGamer also took the time to reach out to General Manager Christer Kasurinen for some insight from behind the scenes. "We're really trying to build something more than just a one hit wonder here. There's been talk of "the big three" for quite some time already, but ultimately, we want to be "the big one". This championship is a big thing for hREDS and even though NHL Esports is a small niche in the grand scheme of things, the title is even bigger for us with HIFK being our main owners and all. You could talk about bridging that gap between traditional and virtual hockey." The manager does his best to stay involved with the team and allow them the best chances to succeed. "Behind the scenes, we've tried to do everything we can to help our boys succeed. Whether it's been going through mental stuff over a cup of coffee with some players or setting up some discussions with hockey players, we try to stay involved with the day-to-day of our team. For the Finals, it helped tremendously to get most of our players playing from a LAN location and the chemistry really showed in how comfortable the guys were. We're sad Filip couldn't make it due to travel restrictions, but we tried to set him up with similar conditions in a LAN location in his hometown so that he'd have the best circumstances to succeed." hREDS - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 1 - 25-4-1 (2nd) Quarterfinals: vs POGGERS 4-0 Semifinals: vs HAVU Gaming 4-2 Finals: vs FILADELPHIA 4-0 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #91 Filip @Faze91- Azri #1 Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen DEFENSEMEN #27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen #94 Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen FORWARDS #23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen #89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen Playoff MVP: #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen Congratulations on behalf of the entire community, and see you next season!