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Today, we've got an interesting interview with a young champion, who has quickly taken his place among the very best of talent in both the 6v6 and 1v1 game modes. Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund has won a lot, but is still on the hunt for his first European Championship. Despite his young age, Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund is a very experienced player in competitive NHL esports. Over the years, he has won a combined six Swedish Championships in the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes. In fact, he's won every SCL tournament organized thus far by NHLGamer. He was also the inaugural champion of the Bolts Chel Challenge in the 1v1-mode.  The way Eklund tells it, hockey has been close to his heart ever since he was a child. He thinks back to getting his first ever NHL game as a Christmas present at a very early age, after which there's been no looking back.  "I’ve been a massive hockey fan for as long as I can remember. I believe I got my first NHL game as a Christmas gift and since then it’s been a no-brainer to get the game every year. NHL has always been my main game but I really enjoyed FIFA back in the days as well."   Even though Eklund has been playing the NHL series games for a very long time, it was only a few years ago that he switched into a more competitive mindset and started practicing harder. "I think my first NHL was NHL 06, so I was 6 years old. I’ve owned every game since then. I started to play competitively at the start of NHL 19 so I’d have to say that the Capitals Esports Faceoff is one of my first and best memories from playing among the best in the world, it was really cool earning that trip there." "At the start of NHL 19 I was starting to figure out that I was pretty good at the game and, well, I’ve always loved to compete. So after the first tournament I felt like this is something I really want to continue doing", Eklund states.  Eklund is very successful in both the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes. We asked the Swedish winger which of the game modes he thinks is more exciting to play. "I enjoy both game modes but I would say that 6v6 is my favourite. The feeling of team play and winning together with others is amazing and something you don’t really get when playing 1v1. I would say that my main strength in both game modes is my hockey IQ." Earlier this year, the youngster won the Bolts Chel Challenge tournament in the 1v1 game mode. He also mentions the first SCL championship back in the spring of 2019 when we asked for his best memory in competitive NHL. "My best memories while playing competitively is either winning the Bolts Chel Challenge earlier this year, or the first Swedish Championship we won with Vesa Pompa at the LAN-event in Uppsala a few years back." When preparing for a big matchup the theme of calming yourself with a walk and some good music, that we've seen with other players in the communty, continues with Eken. When looking back at his first appearances in the 6v6-scene, it brings to mind a special journey with a squad all new to the format. "Our first Swedish Championship with Vesa Pompa holds a special place in my memory. The players were all new to the 6v6 scene and had created a team with all the top 1v1 guys from Sweden. We were just playing ECL for fun on the side of 1v1 before the SCL got announced and when it did, we decided to go for it. We brought in Erik @Eki Tammenpää, who was a big help and taught our team the basics of playing 6s. We started to grind the game a lot and eventually we managed to win the whole thing". As is customary with our interviewees, Eken got to name his top 6 - and the squad sure has some talent:   Left wing: Paul @PleeMaker Arontie - One of, if not the best goal scorers in the scene. When he’s on his game he’s unstoppable.   Center: Erik @Eki Tammenpää - In my opinion the most complete player there is. Can play any position, very good on both ends of the ice and has great hockey IQ.    Right wing: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha - A very smart player who is very reliable on both ends of the ice. Also has that offensive upside and can decide games on his own.   Left defenseman: Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen - One of the premiere defenders in the game. Especially in the ECL 12 finals, that was the best performance by a defender that I’ve ever seen.   Right defenseman: Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta - Unmatched at the RD position. Outstanding two-way defender who rarely makes any mistakes.   Goaltender: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren - His experience and tournament success speaks for itself and also having the ability to always play his best game when it matters the most. That'll be it for this time - let us know in the comments section who you'd like to hear from in the future!

NHLGamers, We're happy to have had a good amount of teams register for the ECL Warmup Tournament, which starts today! The exact number of teams registered were 27 for the Elite & Pro-tournament, 112 for the Lite & Core tournament and 54 for the Neo & Newcomers tournament. Here's how it's all going to unfold: Elite & Pro Groups Schedule Three groups holding 9 teams each Double-header gamedays Regular season 18.11 - 8.12 Default gamedays on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday Five teams from each group make playoffs + best 6th ranked team (BO3) Playoff dates: 9-12.12 (RO16) 13-14.12 (Quarterfinals) 15-16.12 (Semifinals) 19-20.12 (Finals) Lite & Core Groups Schedule Please note that some changes have been made to the format due to the amount of teams signed up. Mainly one playoff round has been added. Ten groups holding 11-12 teams each Double-header gamedays Regular season 18.11 - 6.12 Default gamedays on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday Six teams from each group make playoffs + four best 7th ranked teams (BO3) Playoff dates: 8-9.12 (RO64) 12-13.12 (RO32) 14-15.12 (RO16) 16-19.12 (Quarterfinals) 20.12 (Semifinals) 21.12 (Finals) Neo & Newcomers Groups Schedule Six groups holding 9 teams each Double-header gamedays Regular season 18.11 - 6.12 Default gamedays on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday Five teams from each group make playoffs + two best 6th ranked teams (BO3) Playoff dates: 8-9.12 (RO32) 12-13.12 (RO16) 14-15.12 (Quarterfinals) 16-19.12 (Semifinals) 20-21.12 (Finals) Rules We hope you all enjoy and remember to play by the rules! Although the Warmup Tournament will not be under as strict scrutiny as the ECL, we want to remind you to respect your opponents and go about the games just as you would when playing real ECL league matchups. Tiebreakers If teams are tied in points after the group stage, we will utilize these usual tiebreakers * Wins (including OT-wins) Head-to-head record (points in mutual games) Goal difference (across all games played) Scored goals (across all games played) *In the event of the tiebreakers being applied to teams from differing group sizes, ‘wins’ will be represented as a percentage, head-to-head will naturally be disregarded, goal difference will be made into an ‘average per game’ amount, goals scored will (like goal difference before it) be converted into an ‘average per game’, then finally, if all else fails to break the tie between two teams, a coin flip will decide. Playoffs Playoff teams will be seeded against all playoff-bound teams from best to worst according to the system detailed below, as well as with the general tiebreakers mentioned above Group winners Group runners-up Teams that finished 3rd Teams that finished 4th Teams that finished 5th Teams that finished 6th We hope you're as excited as we are to get back into the action - have fun!

This time, we had the chance to discuss the beginnings, highlights and future of NikkeDangles' career so far. Despite his young age, the hREDS winger has become one of the brightest stars in the scene. Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen has at a very young age risen among the brightest of stars in competitive NHL. Success has also been achieved, most recently the Finnish Championship bronze medal in 1v1 and the Finnish Championship silver medal in 6v6. Tukiainen admits that although NHL has always been his number one game, he has still enjoyed quite a lot of Fortnite and considers himself decent at it: "The first NHL was NHL 09 and since then I've played all the NHL games. Gaming became a bit more serious when I switched over from Xbox to PS4 at the start of NHL 18. In addition to NHL, I also play a lot of Fortnite, where I'm also good. However, NHL will always be my number one game. I live with my mom, and she's very supportive of my gaming, and I'm lucky to have her. She always watches the streams of all my important games." The young star also says that he has always looked up at superstar Erik @Eki Tammenpää, especially when he himself was unable to participate in international tournaments. "When I couldn't participate in international tournaments myself, I looked up to Eki, especially after his World Championship title. I still look up to him, he makes very good content while streaming and his Youtube content is great too. Also his consistent tournament success is something to admire. He really knows what he's doing." Tukiainen says his best memory of the game is the first LAN event where he was able to play against top players in the qualifiers. "One of my fondest memories from the beginning of my competitive career is when I got through to the LAN event and got to play the best players in Finland. From the beginning of NHL 19, I realized that I could play at the top level, but it took me a while to get the tournament success. I also remember that helpless feeling of not being able to take the next steps towards success, but you just have to be able to grind, things are going to go your way at some point as long as you don't give up." He says that the 1v1 game mode is comfortable to play, since you're able to control every position and the flow of the game better, while in 6v6 you can only do so much from your own spot. Tukiainen says that on important gamedays he makes sure that he has slept enough, eaten well and taken a little walk before getting games started. Listening to good music also helps to prepare for important moments. "When it's an important gameday, I make sure to have a good nights sleep, eat well, and stay hydrated. I also like to go for a walk before the games and listen to a lot of music to get in a good vibe." Most recently, hREDS surprised the reigning Champion FILADELPHIA on the European grand stage when they swept the finals 3-0. "The best memory I have so far is definitely out ECL 12 victory. After our loss some time ago in the FCL Finals, i really began to understand the trick we pulled back then and began to appreciate the championship more." No team has ever managed to win consecutive ECL titles. hREDS will set out for the coming season to snap that streak. "The goal is just to win the ECL and be the first team to win the ECL back to back. If we want to do that we have to train a lot more than during the last ECL, because all teams are going to play a lot more at the beginning of the new version (of the game) than during the last ECL because many teams had little motivation to train due to the summertime." The youngster is already a role model for many players of the future. We asked him to give some tips to those players who may be dreaming of a competitive gaming career in virtual hockey. "You have to train a lot, especially every time a new game comes out because you need to get caught up with the new stuff. Regularity is always really important to me because since I feel like even a 1-2 day break can impact your gameplay negatively, that's why i try to play at least a little bit every day. Then if you really want to do well in tournaments, I recommend looking over your own game afterwards and trying to figure out what went wrong and what you could develop in the future." Finally, we asked who he'd like to switch places with if give the opportunity to do so: "If I had to switch places with someone, it would probably be with Tuukka @Tuukka.R(KingOfApes) Röpelinen because I'm used to playing forward and personally I'd like to play on defense at some point in my 6vs6 career."

Frölunda HC is one of the most prestigious Swedish hockey clubs especially since the turn of the century, and the club hailing from Gothenburg in southwestern Sweden is now entering the esports scene with a similarly ambitious initiative. That entails that NHL gaming powerhouse FILADELPHIA will in the future dress in red, green and white for the Indians. In addition to signing the most accomplished roster in the history of the sport, Frölunda also launches an academy team for upcoming talents and a regional team comprised of local players, both receiving coaching and advice from first team captain Casper @ICappeI Lundgren. "For me, personally, this is a dream come true since childhood. I've grown up with Frölunda and watching hockey at their home arena Scandinavium", says @ICappeI, who is the starting goaltender for the team and also recently joined the Frölunda HC organization in the role of esports manager. Naturally the club also starts their esports journey with the game Cappe is most familiar with, EA Sports NHL. "I feel like we (FILA) have wanted to be very patient in regards to finding the right fit with an organization. We've had several opportunities but chosen not to pursue any of them in favor of finding the perfect fit, where we have similar long term goals that align. When Frölunda made it known to us that there was interest, the entire team got an incredible boost of energy. They have a vision of pushing the entire NHL gaming scene forward and are showing that initiative by having three full squads join the upcoming season of ECL", the captain continues. Most recently, FILADELPHIA were crowned FCL champions, to end another successful season of NHL gaming, capping off their NHL 21 campaign. Now they're excited to start their NHL 22 journey in their fresh new jerseys and are doing so with a virtually unchanged roster, only adding experienced Mattias @Tacterz Hjelm as a utility player to help them out in tight situations. The initiative of having three rosters represent the club right from the get-go is unheard of in the NHL gaming scene and the idea came from Cappe as he got to work in his new role at Frölunda. "I believe that this is the way to do it and it's totally in line with what Frölunda are working towards with their hockey operations. I also think that other clubs will pick up on this and follow our lead, focusing more on the depth in their organization. It's very important to focus on the youth and younger players, there are lots of players out there with the ambition of one day representing Frölunda but perhaps don't have the physical capabilities to do so." Christian Lechtaler, club president for Frölunda HC expresses his excitement about the clubs new branch: "Esports is a new challenge for Frölunda. I'm excited to follow Caspers initiative to combine an elite squad with two local teams. The set up is totally in line with what we're working on on the hockey side - youth, academy and first team." In addition to playing for the regional team, Robin @Robin Barbosa Barbosa will be putting his skills to the test as a content creator for the organization. He has already built a following with his NHL videos on Youtube and is now connected with the competitive gaming scene in order to horizontally integrate. "I'm very happy to have Robin on board working on content related to his Youtube channel. He is a very devoted local guy from Gothenburg who I'm glad to have connected with the competitive gaming scene.", Cappe finishes.