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Prima eSport, an ambitious esports organization hailing from Stockholm is the next big name to join NHL esports and they will be doing so by acquiring an experienced lineup hungry for success in the near future. As we know, ice hockey is one of the most dominant sports in Sweden and with that sentiment in mind together with the recent growth and progress made in NHL gaming over the past few years, we've seen a surge of Swedish organizations and traditional hockey clubs into esports. That has also been the thought in the back of the head for Prima eSport CEO Martin Mårtensson since the first discussions with their newly acquired team: "As someone that has been within the hockey industry for many years this recruitment feels great in so many ways. With the team and with Mattias (@iSvamp), we instantly felt that this was a great match both ways and we couldn’t be happier with the result. Our goal right now is to make this team even tighter and making ourselves a force to be reckon with in the future." Robert Ribba, who is the organizations Esports Manager is quick to chime in: "Raised on the rink and as someone that to this day holds the game of hockey close to his heart, when presented this fantastic opportunity of recruiting this team I couldn't hesitate for a second. We are proud to enter this scene with the roster we now attained and are very excited for what the future brings." The roster itself has most recently completed an SCL campaign that ended in the Quarterfinals under their former name AiKnown and leader Mattias @iSvamp Björk feels that the team is in a very good place moving forward, with bigger and better things in sight: "It's extremely fun an exciting to start this new journey with Prima eSport. Since the first contact with the organization, I've had a good feeling about this and everything has worked out perfectly throughout the conversations and meetings we've had. The entire team is very eager to get this thing started!" After their recent proof of strength in the SCL, the newly signed Prima eSports squad is heading into future leagues with a very similar roster, that is now condensed to the very core. On offense, they consist of experienced offensive powerhouse Sebastian @eBasstian Nagel and dynamic duo Daniel @Daniel Asplund (dasplund_) Asplund & Philip @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) Deemus, while the defensive corps holding down the fort will be Mattias @iSvamp Björk and Alexander @snusetskonung Arvidsson. In net, Dennis @denkaan_ Stendal and Viktor @Klangen Klang will be their tandem. Especially with the fact in mind that the squad only had a few days of play in hand together before the SCL, things are looking good moving forward. "We're definitely ambitious and have set goals for both ECL and SCL campaigns in the future. On the ECL side, like any other team, out ultimate goal is to one day play among the best in the Elite division. However, in the near future we hope to be able to establish ourselves as a solid ECL Pro level team and set new goals from there on out. We are humbled before our mission and realize that there are 40-50 teams out there with similar objectives and capacity, meaning that our journey won't be a walk in the park. We'll be giving it all we've got from the time the puck drops this fall." - Mattias @iSvamp Björk  

Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä is a 28-year old stone builder hailing from Lahti, Finland, but he is also one of the most prolific goaltenders in the NHL Gaming scene and has represented KalPa in the first ever season of eLiiga, the virtual Finnish hockey league. When not hard at work or in front of the screen, Serttilä plays rink bandy and is actively involved in the football hobby of his godson. Originally, Serttilä spent some time as a skater before the final call was made to head between the goalposts. He says that becoming a goalkeeper was the sum of many coincidences, as he was still playing as a forward back in ECL 10. Now his teammates describe him as a very conscientious player that takes care of duties as agreed and is on time for practice. He's an easy going guy and a fun person to talk to.  "At the time, I really enjoyed playing as a goalie whenever my own team didn't have games, and spent evenings netminding in various squads. It sparked the idea that a change of position could be possible. The final decision to make the move happened at the end of ECL 10, when we made some offensive changes and I felt that the chemistry just didn't click." "I myself have a huge desire to develop as a player and I like facing tough challenges, so in the end the decision to join the Checkmate/SAWO ESPORTS team was easy. The captains of the team at that time, the Nikkinen brothers (@TackleControl and @Juizki) decided to take a gamble on me, for which I can extend a heartfelt thank you to them", Serttilä continues. Serttilä has played both the 1v1 and 6v6 formats of the game, but he finds playing without AI in the equation much more enjoyable. "6v6 is definitely more meaningful due to the fact that there are no AI-driven players on the ice. One of the best things about 6v6 is that there are more opportunities for creativity and surprising outcomes to situations. However, the biggest and most important factor is team spirit and chemistry in things that happen on the ice." "On the contrary, the 1v1 mode is much more schematic and especially more one-sided. It is difficult to say directly what is the best side of it, but in principle you are always the one responsible for the end result, so there's that", says Serttilä. Just like your childhood idols and traditional hockey players, several gamers like to stick to certain routines before heading to the virtual ice for a big game. Some are more set on these than others, and we asked Mehukatti about his tendencies. "I don't really have any big routines, but there are definitely a few small things I do to get ready. One thing I'm particularly set on is having two cups of coffee before the games. When playing 1v1, I always listen to music in order to get in the perfect flow and state of relaxation. Perhaps my most interesting routine would be a trigger check I do when the games intro animations are playing. It's as interesting as going through R3, L3, L1, R1, R2 and L2. Originally, I used it to test, especially for older controllers, that nothing is stuck and it's become a habit over time."  What about all those hours spent around the game? Those countless tight games and long night spent with the boys must surely have made for some fun memories along the way? "There are plenty of good game memories, but perhaps the best is the first eLiiga in history at the end of last year, which I was perhaps a little unexpectedly able to participate in. The first LAN games and, on top of that, getting to the finals weekend was an amazing experience. For that, a big thank you goes to teammate Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján. When thinking about individual games, I'd pick the bronze game from the eLiiga, which I eventually lost against Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola. We played a full 60 minutes of all out coast-to-coast hockey and have laughed about it several times later." As usual for our guests, we asked about Serttilä's dream lineup, excluding any of his current teammates. Center: Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala - The most important piece of the team is the center, so we'll start with that. Patzlaf is an easy choice. A very complete player and big leader, also on weekends Right wing: Erik @Eki Tammenpää - A gentleman who has won everything and experienced, from whom many could learn how a true professional carries himself on and off the ice. Left wing: Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen - A truly versatile and intelligent, puck-moving player. Right defenseman: Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen - Has an exceptional ability to carry a rush by himself and is a tremendous help on offense, but never sacrifices his defensive responsibilities despite that. Left defenseman: Viljo @viba2008 Kähkönen - It's been a pleasure to watch a former teammate develop into a top defenseman at such a young age and only the sky is the limit for this guy. Goaltender: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren - A real showman and an ignition switch for his team. The stats and merit are such that you can't really hope for more from a goalkeeper. Cappe was also one of the first so-called big names to allow me to train regularly with Elite level players when I switched from fielder to goalkeeper. I'm really grateful for that. What if you could switch places with one of your teammates, who would you choose? Mehukatti would trade places with teammate Juho @RutonMosse Kinnunen (Juigelson). "If I could switch places with someone, it would be our own Jupi who would have to give way to me, we'd be able to start games/training on time for once." How about the future - where does Saku Serttilä see himself in say, five years time? "That's a very good question. Hopefully, by then I might have started a family of my own and I'm possibly still involved the NHLGamer community, at least in some way."

NHLGamers, Many - including our writing crew in our Finals Preview - doubted FILADEPHIA’s chances tonight after witnessing hREDS’s dominating performance in the ECL 12 Elite Finals a couple months ago. But FILADELPHIA would not budge, and successfully defended their Finnish Championship title with an overwhelming performance.    Despite the finals ending in a sweep, the games were very even with game 1 being decided in overtime and the decisive game 3 seeing a game winning goal in the dying minutes of the game.  Game 1: hREDS - FILADELPHIA 1-2 OT Game 2: FILADELPHIA - hREDS 4-1 Game 3: hREDS - FILADELPHIA 1-2 FILADELPHIA's s road to the championship: Invited straight to the Playoffs as the reigning champion Round 1: vs Bruise Brothers (64) 3-0 Round 2: vs Shameful Knights (47) 3-0 Round 3: vs Conquer Gaming (23) 3-1 Quarterfinals: vs Otukset eSports (16) 3-0 Semifinals: vs KOVA Esports (10) 3-0 Finals: vs hREDS (2) 3-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #72 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren DEFENSEMEN #3 Teemu @Xteemuz Polttila #27 Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta FORWARDS #25 Erik @EkiTammenpää #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie #86 Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala   Photo credit: Topias Uusiheimo / SEUL The top 3 teams of FCL 6v6 are: 🥇 FILADELPHIA 🥈 hREDS 🥉 GOONS   Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants!