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Let's not tiptoe around it, these art the teams that are here to challenge for the throne and with that, a golden ticket to the Grand Finals in mid-June. We've already gone over most of the division and you know who we'll be previewing here, but let's try to dig a bit below the surface, so join us for the journey! Season information To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article. Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Elite season: Regular season: 10.4-25.5. Playoffs: Quarterfinals: 30.5-2.6. Semifinals: 5.-8.6. Live Finals: 17.-18.6. Grand finals (if needed): 19.6. Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Elite division will be on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday with feature broadcasts on every gameday at the SportsGamer Twitch at 17:45 CEST on Sundays and 19:45 CEST on Mondays and Wednesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 10.4. You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Elite league page. The best of the best - Championship caliber The countdown is over and it's time for us to reveal the final order of our championship caliber teams. To no one's surprise, we're expecting both hREDS and Frölunda HC to top the tables and go the full length to determine who will come out on top in the ECL's new El Clásico. For all teams at the top but hREDS, the offseason was certainly one for the ages and it'll remain to be seen if that ended up strengthening these squads or not. On paper, all of them look stronger than ever and we are privileged to watch these teams clash for the title, starting on Sunday, April 10th at 17:45 CEST! 1. hREDS (Written by @ose16) ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Champions We're really at a lack of words at this point for how you could describe the domination of hREDS over the past two seasons as they became the first back-to-back Champions in the ECL Elite history. This season, the Reds will continue with the same lineup of course. Maybe the biggest question for these guys next season is, can they have that much needed hunger for the third title in a row because if that doesn’t exist, the likes of Frölunda HC are itching for a chance to pass them by. Captain Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen has a massive role on that front together with his assistants, as they need to make sure to pull everything they can out of this well oiled machine. With the new format you have to remember that making it a three-peat this season, would simultaneously crown them the ECL '22 Grand Champions, but if not, they still have that golden ticket to fight for the title. Player to watch: Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen It's really hard to pull just one guy above the others from this lineup but if we had to, it'd be this guy. It's no coincidence that after @xDoumi came to hREDS they have started winning titles. Last season, he dominated all the stats and was crowned as the top defender in the league. Can he repeat that this season and control games with his team throughout the spring too? 2. Frölunda HC ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Runner-ups Frölunda HC made the transfer that couldn't be missed this offseason by acquiring long-time HAVU Gaming captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha to boost their offense and add even more of that winning mentality to their roster. How it's going to look for their lineup is that Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala will take the LD spot, whereas Erik @Eki Tammenpää will move from the wing to center, a move that was previewed already in the ECL '22 Winter Elite finals. This means that if they didn't have enough experience from before, now they definitely do, as they could very well be the team with the most combined LAN and finals appearances under their belt. The thing that's plagued Frölunda for some time was their evident dislike of the game meta and the difficulty to find joy in improving themselves, something that should probably have seen a change with their big acquisition this spring. We're privileged to be able to watch first hand how this experiment will turn out, as arguably one of the greatest offensive trios ever gets separated and is being infused with a new, equally great player. There's a high likelihood of this season going down to the wire between Frölunda and hREDS once again, and if these guys can get as excited about the game as their competition, the race will be tighter than ever. Player to watch: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha The former HAVU Gaming captain possesses second to none leadership qualities, a winning mentality and all the skill you could wish for, a perfect package. Without a doubt the most exciting transfer in recent memory and everyone will be watching to see how he will slot into the Frölunda lineup. 3. SAWO ESPORTS (Written by @ose16) ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals Last season, SAWO ESPORTS came in with a bang with the new lineup. Former Tunnel Vision's changes turned out to work wonders for them as the young team was 2nd in the regular season standings. The Playoffs were different story and with the disappointment, it could be good that spring came quickly for these guys, they must be eager to show that they can perform in the postseason too. This season, their offense stays the same and we will see if dynamic duo Jere @jxrska Laukka and Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen can continue on their productive paths. Center Aleksi @MozjaTG(Mozjayh) Kähkönen doesn’t maybe score that many goals but brings a great balance to this offensive trio with his abilities to make plays in the offensive zone but at the same time being a huge factor on defense. Down low, we'll see some changes as captain Tomi @tombo_02(tomboo-_-) Laitinen will get Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila by his side from Frölunda HC. They should have no problem with goaltending as cover gamer Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen will continue saving pucks between the goal posts. Player to watch: Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila It'll be interesting to see how big of a role the former Frölunda HC and hREDS defenseman will take this season. Despite the fact that he's played on two championship caliber teams, he is still looking for his first title. Still brings a lot of experience and winning culture to the squad. 4. Färjestad BK ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Semifinals There's been a number of players moving in and out of the Färjestad BK roster over the past few seasons, but captain Christoffer @I-Maise-I (I-Mallen-I) Berntsson, goalie Johan @McSavid Rundqvist, winger Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg and their standings position have been somewhat consistent. This season, the team from Karlstad will be icing a fully Swedish lineup again, by bringing back Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann and having him take superstar Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund with him from the ashes of Granit Gaming. There's some history between several members of the team in having represented Vesa Pompa HC back in the day, where Affe, Lehmann and Eken actually won the very first SCL title at Birdie in Uppsala back in 2019. The new Färjestad is definitely more individually skilled than ever before and now has a tremendous amount of young talent in their ranks, but the biggest question is will the one puck be enough for them to share on the ice? Centerman Maise, defenseman Lehmannens and winger Eken all love quarterbacking plays and being in control, but can they find a suitable balance between the three of them? Player to watch: Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann His latest outing with Färjestad BK back in ECL 12 was a success story and truly brought him into the discussion of the very best defensemen in the league, in fact, he was crowned best defenseman and best offseason transfer to end the season, maybe we'll see a redo? To recap it all, here's our full ranking ahead of the ECL '22 Spring Elite season: 1. hREDS 2. Frölunda HC 3. SAWO ESPORTS 4. Färjestad BK 5. HAVU Gaming 6. IQUE 7. GOONS 8. JYP Jyväskylä 9. Roots Gaming 10. ZSC Esports 11. Stargazing 12. Falun Coal Miners 13. HV71 14. Örebro Hockey 15. Conquer Gaming 16. YMCA Esports Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.

We're finally inching closer towards the start of the new Elite season and excitement is in the air! We'll get our season previews started by looking over teams that we expect to finish outside of the playoff race first. Season information To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article. Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Elite season: Regular season: 10.4-25.5. Playoffs: Quarterfinals: 30.5-2.6. Semifinals: 5.-8.6. Live Finals: 17.-18.6. Grand finals (if needed): 19.6. Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Elite division will be on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday with feature broadcasts on every gameday at the SportsGamer Twitch at 17:45 CEST on Sundays and 19:45 CEST on Mondays and Wednesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 10.4. You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Elite league page. Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue. Teams out of the playoff picture - on the outside looking in After an unusually short break between ECL season, we're back already, continuing into the Spring on our intense virtual hockey fiesta that is the ECL '22 Spring season. Our other divisions have already seen their start, but we'll still have to wait for one week to get the action started in the crown jewel, the pinnacle of European virtual hockey - the ECL Elite. In the winter season, hREDS were crowned the Champions and they punched their ticket to the first ever Grand Finals, while simultaneously making history as the first ever squad to secure consecutive ECL titles. Now it's time to shift our sights towards the future and take a look at what the Spring season and an influx of fresh talent could bring us. Will a new challenger emerge or are we in for another duel between Frölunda HC and the reigning Champions? Can a team like YMCA Esports snap out of their downward spiral and gain back the form of their glory days? What about the welcome comeback of Falun Coal Miners - how will they fare in their first strides on ECL ice since 2018? In this first part of our season preview, we'll be taking a look at teams that are expected to be out of the playoff picture - on the outside looking in. These rankings are made based on an average score from a number of panelists and doesn't exactly represent the individual views of the writers. 11. Stargazing (Written by @jahajaha93) ECL '22 Winter Pro season: Semifinals (promoted through Qualifiers) Stargazing is one of those squads that have climbed the divisional ranks in quick pace, after first emerging in Core back in ECL 12, and taking the Pro division by storm in ECL '22 Winter, they are now in the European top 16. Already that is a success story unlike any other in the ECL history books to this date, but they also look to be in somewhat of a decent position to challenge for a potential playoff spot this season. The starting lineup will see no changes, which should serve the newcomers well despite the lack of Elite experience in their ranks. The forward trio Miro @Flopper71 Heikkinen - Oskari @ose16 Juntunen - Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen is lethal and should have no issue whatsoever translating their game to a higher level, whereas Toni @Pirtsa89 Pirttimäki's ability as an Elite netminder has already been questioned and proven back in ECL 12 with IQUE. Defense is the biggest question mark for this squad, Niklas @Bobiraataja (nikhaa27) Haataja is a highly touted prospect with an excellent stick on defense, while Kalle @James (Jamechkin) Riihelä possesses great puck skills acquired while playing on offense, but can they manage to gel together for a defensive unit that is sufficient at this level? Player to watch: Miro @Flopper71 Heikkinen The left winger has a knack for scoring big goals and coming in clutch at the most important moments. The chemistry up front for these guys is great, so realistically any one of their forwards could be their finisher, but the 200-foot play and clutch ability of Flopperii- earns him this spot over his linemates. 12. Falun Coal Miners ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Semifinals Falun came to replace Granit Gaming in Elite and are now making their return after a long absence. The only skater left from the Granit lineup is 1/2 of last season's cover player duo Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt. Three players came from Northern Ascendancy, who were relegated to Pro after last season. Last but not least, the Swedish group managed to get Andrè @Foppatofflan Liljegren, reuniting with several of his old friends after a season with Färjestad BK. He will pla a huge role in how this team is going to play next season and has a lot of responsibility with he puck. It will be also interesting to see foppatofflan and Connor @MartindalexC Martindale playing together after a short break. Captain l-Furyan-l is definitely one of the best defensemen in the division at supporting offense. We can expect Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström to share goaltending responsibilities with Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen and Pontus @LastMandalorian Duvefelt, so there's lots of room for rotation down low. Player to watch: Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen Last season definitely wasn’t what he expected even though individially, Sada had a good season as he was 9th in the league when it comes to goals scoring. Has a lot of experience and is looking to finally elevate himself to the discussion of the very best in the league with this team. 13. HV71 ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 14th HV71 avoided relegation to Pro by winning their relegation series against RCTIC in game 7. The Swedish team hailing from Jönköping had changes in their defense because both defensemen from last season transferred to Rögle BK. An interesting addition to the HV71 roster is talented Anton @antoniomannen004(antoniomannen_) Svensander ,who played last season with Granit Gaming and got a taste of the ECL Elite semifinals there. Their reaction with defensive changes could very well have been warranted because HV71 surrendered 96 goals in 30 games last season, which was the most in the league by a clear margin. There could be potential for better season but also goaltending has to get better. Player to watch: Tuukka @Tukexi(MATILAISKA_) Matilainen Had a great Elite debut last season individually and scored 20 goals in 30 games and produced most points in his team. Was on fire especially in the relegation series by scoring eight goals in seven games including one hat-trick. Like the entire team, is looking to take the next step this season. 14. Örebro Hockey ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 11th Last season wasn't good for Örebro. After being one of favourites to have a breakout season, they were not able to get to the playoffs. For this season Örebro got Väinö @Pikkardz(pikkarii) Pikkarainen from Dynastia, and he is definitely a very mechanically skilled forward who will suit their system well. This team has many dangerous individuals especially in the offensive zone and Örebro is one the best counterattacking teams in the league. I think the key point for these guys next season will be how they can shut their doors in the defensive zone. Last season this team allowed three goals per game, which was second most in the league and is too much. You can find a lot of experience from Örebro's defense as captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström is a season 1 ECL veteran. Player to watch: Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen The skilled forward is back at the highest level. @Pikkardz already has some Elite experience split between KOVA Esports, Almost Famous and Tunnel Vision. Last season he spent in Pro with Dynastia and was a massive offensive producer there. Their season ended in the quarterfinals and now this young gun is looking for a new chance to shine among the best players. 15. Conquer Gaming ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 15th Last season, conquer had acquired a trio from Otukset and their expectations were set high. In the end, their season didn’t go how Conquer wanted and they ended up battling for their Elite spot in the relegation series, which they managed to win. Now, there's a wind of change blowing as the entire Otukset trio has left and the team has replacements coming in. An interesting new face on offense is Jere @Jerax13 Hellström who came from GHETTO FIREBIRDS and has some extnesive previous history with several other Conquer players. The question mark for Conquer is their defense and Eren @Kucherov86(jalkkin-) Yalcin needs to take some big leadership there. In the offense once again team captain Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho needs to take big role on point producing without forgetting to tighten up the middle defensively. It's hard to see that this season would be any easier for Conquer, but we'll have to wait and see. Player to watch: Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck A solid Elite goalie that made some big saves for his team in the relegation series. Has a lot of experience and even though he is a goalie, could bring some ideas to the skaters as well. Once again, has to be on fire throughout to keep Conquer away from the relegation spots. 16. YMCA Esports ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 12th Last season ended luckily for YMCA as they ended up having same amount of points that Northern Ascendancy and HV71 but didn’t have to play relegation series as they already secured spot in the Elite for this season by being 12th by tiebreakers. A very positive thing for YMCA is that they will get to play this season with the exact same roster as the last one. That wasn’t guaranteed for any Elite team because especially this offseason was a wild one. It's interesting to see how the chemistry has developed during the offseason, but practice has shown some shaky form. Their start needs to be way better than that of last season, when they only got three points out of their first eight games. YMCA's weakness is that they feel a bit dull at the moment and are missing that last piece of the puzzle that would elevate the game and make them a serious threat. Las season, their scoring was atrocious at 1.5 goals per game, so they need new ways to finish. Especially getting the defensemen Jukka @Jugeh_ Salokoski and Julius @Exel56(julius97_) Rissanen more involved with the offensive game. Player to watch: Ben @benu(benuh_) Rinnet Saved over 300 shots last season and had the best saving percentage out of the goalies whose teams didn’t make it to the playoffs. Has to make big saves this season again if YMCA wants to keep their Elite spot. You can expect the next part of our three part season preview to drop already this evening! In the meantime, please let us know what you thought about this one and if our ranking looks similar to yours, we'd love to hear from you regardless!

After his dominant showing in the ECL '22 Winter Elite season, it is only right that the selection for the Spring season cover gamer would be Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen. In his first season as a bona fide Elite starter, he outclassed the competition and helped his team reach a #2 seed into the playoffs, which eventually ended up in a disappointment. after having started his competitive gaming career back in early 2018 with a team called Hokidogit, things have progressed quite fast for uhNikke. The 20 year old born and raised in Lohja, Finland took to the goaltender position due to necessity and has stayed on that path ever since. What really calls to him in playing the position is the fact that every game, you have a chance to either make or break it for your team. Things really took off in the fall of 2018, when the then very inexperienced netminder was picked up Delusion (now hREDS) to be their sole goaltender for their inaugural campaign in ECL 9 Pro - a season that ended in a Championship and promotion to the Elite division. Eventually, his tenure with hREDS ended up extending all the way until the fall of 2021 with one short sting with Tunnel Vision in between, but due to completing his military service, the goaltender didn't play too much and actually considered calling it quits at that point of his career. Now, six months and one ECL campaign with SAWO ESPORTS later, we are looking at a player at the top of his game, very eager to strap on the pads and to get the new season going. We reached out to Nikke for a short chat about the honor of being named ECL '22 Cover player alongside the prestigious group. List of previous ECL cover gamers: ECL 8: Erik @Eki Tammenpää ECL 9: Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen ECL 10: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren ECL 11: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha ECL 12: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen ECL '22 Winter: Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann & Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt First of all, congrats on the selection! You're entering great company, what does it mean for you to be the Spring season cover gamer? "Thanks! I'm very grateful to be in this position at this point of my career. I was close to calling it quits when I got our of the military but decided to give it one last shot with Tunnel Vision (now SAWO ESPORTS), and the result ended up being something great. Back in ECL 12 when my then teammate Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen was the cover gamer I dared to dream of one day being at the top myself, and it's amazing how that's been manifested." You are now representing the entire league as a role model for other players, but also as the archetype of what the current top level gamer is, what do you think are some of the most important qualities a person in that position should possess? "Definitely a certain level of humility, but at the same time an immense hunger to succeed. With that I think you need to have a constant will to better yourself and take advice in order to do that. What separates a good player from a great player is often calmness, communication, and the ability to read the game." You've been a part of several different teams over the course of your career, barring your current one, what has been the most fun time of your career and why? "Probably the biggest step for my career has been when I joined Nordic Stars in 2019, which kind of put my name out there. Things progressed rather quick and when I joined Delusion for their first season in Pro, I was in for the biggest learning experience of my career. The atmosphere in that team is something else and it was evident from day one how much they really want to be the best out there." When you joined Delusion for ECL 9 Pro, you were filling the shoes of legendary @ICappeI as a rookie goaltender at the level, how did that feel? "Obviously I knew the stature of my predecessor, but I'm not the type to put too much pressure on myself and honestly didn't think about it too much. The boys put a lot of faith in me and I just did my thing." Who are some of the players you've looked up to over the course of your gaming career, not only because of their skills but perhaps their personalities? "Well, for my personal success a big thank you would go to Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen and the entire hREDS team, I looked up to them then and still respect them a lot for their desire to improve on a daily level. One player I've never played with but have followed closely throughout in Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos, who I hold in high regard and have tried to emulate my own game after. Last season I felt I was in the zone and haven't really followed others that much." Last but not least, a couple of thoughts on the upcoming season, who do you think will be contenders? Any interesting new outfits to look out for? "Firstly, I'm very excited for our own team. After the season we had in our last outing and with the addition of Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila from Frölunda HC I feel we're stronger than ever and are destined for success. The return of Falun Coal Miners is interesting and they've got a decent chance at the playoffs due to the history they've got together and their experience level. Some of the teams that are going to elevate their level should be YMCA Esports and Örebro Hockey. YMCA has one of the best goalies in the league (Ben @benu Rinnet) and a roster that's been together for a long time, whereas Örebro is getting an influx of talent through Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen, who I can see helping them out a lot. Besides ourselves, the biggest contenders are hREDS and Frölunda HC." Sunday, 10th of April marks the start for our ECL '22 Spring Elite season and you'll see uhNikke take the ice with SAWO ESPORTS right away in their featured matchup against ECL '22 Winter runner-ups Frölunda HC. We expect to have a thriller on our hands, so make sure to join us at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG on Sunday at 17:45 CEST!

It's time to get underway with he second part of our ECL '22 Spring Elite Season Preview, consisting out of teams predicted to finish in the middle of the pack. Find out who we've put outside of the playoff picture, and who will grab the last available postseason spots. Season information To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article. Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Elite season: Regular season: 10.4-25.5. Playoffs: Quarterfinals: 30.5-2.6. Semifinals: 5.-8.6. Live Finals: 17.-18.6. Grand finals (if needed): 19.6. Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Elite division will be on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday with feature broadcasts on every gameday at the SportsGamer Twitch at 17:45 CEST on Sundays and 19:45 CEST on Mondays and Wednesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 10.4. You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Elite league page. Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue. Teams battling for playoff position - Throwing down the gauntlet It's time to introduce the middle of the pack, the positions where we expect the fiercest battles to go down, where all teams will be throwing down the collective gauntlet so to speak. As usual, we should see quite the fight go down all season long and into the very final rounds of the regular season. In the winter season, a rather unusually large gap was formed between the 9th and 8th spot, but with all teams seeing exponential growth over the offseason, we're expecting a tough grind to the finish line. Some of these squads are still young and possess the tools to go all they way if they end up clicking, but they have fallen short in previous seasons. This is the time to do all they can and see if all of their potential and hard work will come to fruition. 5. HAVU Gaming (Written by @ose16) ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals The long-time contenders have seen a steady decline over the past few seasons and with the transfer of former captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha to rival Frölunda HC, it appears that the glory days of HAVU Gaming would be over, at least for now. As a result, it's seemed that the team has rotated their lineup wildly over the course of the offseason, and they still might not have a final answer for which ensemble they're going to go with come opening night. Regardless of what they will choose, we are certain that the sheer routine level in their roster will be enough to earn them at least a playoff position. Player to watch: Ilmari @Buantso(Puantso) Lehkonen A massive comeback to ECL Elite and the familiar HAVU. After many championships in the black and green, played one season with JYP Jyväskylä in the Pro division. Like you could predict, he was on a completely different level among the Pro players and was the biggest factor for JYP winning the championship. Looking to help HAVU climb back toward the top. 6. IQUE (Written by @ose16) ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals IQUE was one of the most pleasant surprises last season, as they managed to gain fifth place finish for a rather favorable postseason push, but didn't quite find their game against the notoriously difficult opponent Färjestad BK. Like almost all the teams also IQUE had some movement happening in the offseason as Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila already came to IQUE from Frölunda HC but before the start of the season moved on to SAWO ESPORTS. Now it's expected that IQUE will continue with exact same lineup. Goalie Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen had his breakout last season and if not earlier at least now has proven to be a solid Elite netminder. It's interesting to see could last season's biggest dark horse renew their playoff spot and maybe get to the next round. Player to watch: Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko After a couple of Pro and Lite seasons, he made the comeback to Elite last season and did so in successful fashion as he was the best goal scorer and point producer for his team. If IQUE was the surprise team last season, Ikavalko was the surprise individual. 7. GOONS ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals Whereas IQUE were a pleasant surprise last season, GOONS definitely disappointed and there's no tip-toeing around that fact. The team led by Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola has all the tools to be a true contender, but is yet to fully come out of their shell. They have the experience in goaltender Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu and defenseman Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen, whereas forwards Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen and Roope @pikkuroger Bergström represent some of the most highly touted prospects in the game. Now, if ever, is the time for this team to start improving and inching towards performing at their own level, there is lots of room to improve and if these guys manage to hit a home run, they're championship caliber. Player to watch: Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen After surprising with IQUE back in ECL 12, the young center decided that a move to GOONS would benefit his career. While his individual numbers were slightly better due to the higher production of the team, his overall play didn't progress as much as expected. Now is the season he should make the step to the top player discussion. 8. JYP Jyväskylä ECL '22 Winter Pro season: Champions After one season away from ECL Elite action, JYP Jyväskylä is back at the top where they arguably belong. The team has had an intensive offseason with a hard grind, mainly in order to facilitate the arrival of new left winger Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala, who has some big boots to fill as the replacement of Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen, without any competitive experience above ECL Lite for that matter. The rest of the team more than makes up for that experience and the fact that the other forwards Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and Santeri @indi969 Pendolin have played side by side since late 2018 will certainly make the adjustment process much easier. As no other major changes happened for the squad, we are expecting them to be a fringe playoff team that could end up taking off big time if they are able to utilize their full potential. Player to watch: Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala It's highly unusual to see such a green player entering Elite competition. The potential of the young man is undeniable and it's not like we haven't seen similar tricks from JYP in the past, this signing has some striking similarity to that of Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen back before ECL 11. It's easy to predict a breakout season incoming. 9. Roots Gaming ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 9th Roots Gaming took the Elite division by storm last season, as they managed to pave their way into the division through additional Qualifiers and immediately made an impact, falling just short of the playoffs. Since then, the team hasn't made any changes and frankly, why should they? They have everything going for them with their young roster and the generous amounts of untapped potential. We'd be surprised if this team hasn't only gotten better with the time they've spent together and they should definitely be able to challenge for a spot in the playoffs. Look for the great puck movement and individual skill between forwards Linus @Limu95 Christiansson, Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen and Samuli @ssampee37 Mäntylä. Player to watch: Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen The captain is arguably his teams most important player. After being the most productive forward last season, now is a good time to build on that accolade and rise to the discussion of the top players in the division. 10. ZSC Esports ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 10th The Swiss lions hailing from Zürich have successfully claimed their place in Elite. A 10th place finish in the winter season can be seen as a moderate success for them and they are definitely starting to get more comfortable competing against the big boys, despite still being in an underdog position in most of their matchups. Zürich have made only one change in the offseason, bringing in former noRex Gaming forward Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg, who is going to man the left wing besides captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi and Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner. This entails that offensively, the team looks to be their most balanced ensemble yet, with the wingers having scoring responsibility and center supporting as the complete player he is. On defense, these guys continue going with Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and Reto @Haldeem Haldemann, which has worked for them in the past and in net Reto @afc_Tschitsch (eTschitsch) Ulrich hopes to continue building on a great last season. Player to watch: Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner The winger is notorious for being very aggressive off the puck and plays a hard hitting game. Possesses a lot of mechanical skill and would definitely be eager to improve on the personal level after not really getting the scoring going in the winter season. Now we've only got one more to go! On Friday evening, we'll return for the final part of our ECL '22 Spring Elite season preview and with that, finish off our prediction rankings. Who do you think will be the call for Champion?

Strap up and get ready for some exciting ehockey action coming up, it is already time for the Spring season! Getting up to speed with the league is key, so stay with us and read this piece to gain an insight on what to expect. Season information To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article. Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Pro season: Regular season: 4.4-5.5. Transfer deadline: 18.4. 23:59 CEST Playoffs (Best-of-7) Round of 16: 8.-12.5. Quarterfinals: 15.-25.5. Semifinals: 30.5.-2.6. Finals: 5.-6.6. (TBC) Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Pro division will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with a weekly broadcast on the SportsGamer Twitch at 19:45 CEST primarily on Tuesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 12.4. You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Pro league page. Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue. Season preview Whereas there has usually been quite a lengthy break in between two ECL seasons, this time around the sojourn was rather brief. The short offseason did not make teams stand pat though, and, similarly to the other divisions, Pro squads have had their fair bit of roster roulette going on. We will dive more into those in the following team previews, but first let us quickly recap the qualifier process. The Pro Qualifier was played during the past few weeks, as usual. A number of Pro-eligible teams disbanded after last season, boosting the total of spots up for grabs to ten. The teams that succeeded in making it through include newly founded wildcard Be a Bro, ECL '22: Winter Core Champion Almtuna eSport, as well as teams who played Lite last season in Golden Nights, Powerhouse HC and Pasilan SKA. This actually marks an immediate return to Europe's second-highest level for Golden Nights, whose ECL 12 Pro campaign resulted in relegation. In the inaugural Pro Qualifier, ahead of ECL 12, none of the participating earlier Pro teams were able to retain their divisional spots. That changed last season with PENTA and RCTIC clawing their way through, though the majority (three) previous Pro teams still failed back then. The trend upwards has continued, and this time the majority in Joukkue (ex-AfroDunk), Company of Geeks, Fiasko, Hawaii Hockey and Nemesis did in fact get the job done, meanwhile Pata Hellalla and Luleå Hockey were the only ones to fail and will be playing in Lite for the foreseeable future. One thing to note is the change of power balances between represented areas: with noRex Gaming disbanding and PENTA and SPARTIATES X MCES relegated, Deadly Phantoms and Geekz Energy eSports are now the only Central European teams remaining in Pro. There is also one less Finnish and one more Swedish team this season, but the Finns are still at the forefront by a wide margin, 21 of the 32 teams being majority-Finnish. There are nine teams that did not play in Pro last season, most of them being more or less new to this level. The rest have seen some personnel changes as well, so let us take a closer look at the teams. Group 1 Written by @jahajaha93 Almtuna eSport ECL '22: Winter result: Core Champion The ECL '22 Winter Core Champion managed to pave their way to the Pro division through the Qualifiers and are now in for a massive challenge. The core for this team has stayed intact and the main addition will be @eSwahn joining them in net from Södertälje SK. Some other interesting additions are @gtasir and @albin tinglert on offense, both of whom are yet to take their first strides on the Pro ice. Despite them seeing moderate success in the Qualifiers, a very tough season could be expected for Almtuna this spring. Player to watch: @BeastBenn14 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 13-16th place @Mikka: 12-16th place Djurgården Hockey ECL '22: Winter result: 16th place in Elite Djurgården Hockey were crowned Champions during their last Pro stint back in ECL 12, but their Elite journey was quite short lived. As expected, they had a tough time adapting to the speed and skill level, and at the end of the season they were relegated. In the offseason, the team has made some changes, mainly losing @Strumpan87 and former captain @Jungledonk. They've brought in four new guys, in the form of @SPB_AlexZver_22, @Mistertyppo95, @Nampa77 and @lidman1. We'll have to wait and see what kind of lineup they ice on opening night, but if they end up clicking, there is a decent amount of skill in their ranks. Player to watch: @Sorsa103 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 6-12th place @Mikka: 8-14th place, extremely new team Geekz Energy eSports ECL '22: Winter result: 10th place in Pro Group 2 Geekz Energy eSports is one of those teams that are quite tough to get a read on. They have quite a wide roster with some scoring power, and a great goaltender in @PLA77NER. Some of these guys have player cards as long as my annual Christmas shopping list with all the competitive games they've played, so it definitely won't be about experience for Geekz. The team has also had time to perfect their craft in a competitive environment in the CSCL Relax Cup 5 over the past few weeks. Player to watch: @Stefan_397 (ViSi0nZ97_) Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 6-12th place @Mikka: 8-12th place GIFU Hockey ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Another team that shouldn't have too much pressure to perform, but could very well end up surprising some good teams if they have a great night. @Baranizer has grown into a solid Pro level goalie with GIFU, and their skaters are all very mechanically skilled. New defenseman @Frompa- will have to take on a big role on breakouts and puck possession play, while @OzziX35 is the more defensive of the two. @Timotei97, who spent last season in Lite with Bellizzi could end up being an important piece for GIFU's scoring. Player to watch: @Timotei97 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 8-12th place @Mikka: 8-12th place Golden Nights ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Lite Quarterfinals Golden Nights already made a Pro appearance back in ECL 12, but their stint was short lived that time. Now, after some success in the Qualifiers, they are back for more, with some more experience and individual growth under their belts. Especially @xSaski_ and @JJimbo- are very skilled individually and know how to handle the puck, but the biggest downfall of Golden Nights could be insufficient puck movement. Player to watch: @xSaski_ Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 8-14th place @Mikka: 8-14th place, boom or bust HanaaHC ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Hanaa has one of the longest streaks competing in the Pro division and they seem to be a lock for playoffs each year. Forward trio @Mikka - @Hazard-laser - @xLeikku is a very strong ensemble for pro and the team has strengthened their defense with @juhkis96, joining them from Conquer Gaming, so you should expect yet another playoff push. The one question mark lies in net, as the team currently has three netminders signed out of which @jg697000 (Gresu__) will most likely not play. @Simbanho could end up being their go-to-guy with zero experience above the Lite level. Player to watch: @xLeikku Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka plays for HanaaHC Hawaii Hockey ECL '22: Winter result: 12th place in Pro Group 2 Hawaii Hockey placed 12th in their group last season and had to partake in Qualifier action prior to the Spring season, which could've been a good thing for the team, as they passed with relative ease and got their competitive mindset going early. They've retained their core and acquired mainly @jiibada_ to boost their offense. This team really needs to dig deep in order to stay with the competition this season, and need big performances in net both from @JaxonRules93 and @vokial2 (SolidElli). Player to watch: @jiibada_ Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 12-16th place @Mikka: 10-14th place Hokurit ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 The ECL ‘22 Winter campaign for Hokurit was an interesting one. Defenseman @MCH_98 had a sensational season, outscoring several forwards and slotting in second for all defensemen. The routine level of the team managed to earn them a playoff spot, but their berth was short lived, as they were eliminated in the first round. They lost the aforementioned @MCH_98 to Be a Bro, but have brought in very capable replacements in the form of @jamal-_- and @Frans-Fin, who should elevate the base level of the team a bit. Could end up in no man’s land. Player to watch: @Jondeezz Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 8-12th place @Mikka: 8-12th place Mora IK ECL '22: Winter result: Lite Champion The ECL ‘22 Winter Lite Champions step up to the next level and these are always interesting situations to see how they’ll adapt their game. Some changes have been made, but mainly the roster has been condensed. A notable absence is their top scorer from ECL ‘22 Winter @Robban kaudern (Kaudomovic), who joined Frolunda HC Academy in the offseason. On paper, it looks like Mora IK could be in a world of trouble this season, but their most important player, goaltender @Jeqque44 can salvage some big points for them on any given night. Player to watch: @Jeqque44 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 13-16th place @Mikka: 12-16th place Nemesis ECL '22: Winter result: 12th place in Pro Group 1 Nemesis is another squad consisting of very skilled individuals, that need time together in order to find that perfect balance and perform at their very best, and that is exactly what they've done. After a tough ECL '22 Winter, they dug deep and decided to double down on their familiar core, only adding @profiilipakki on offense to take the center position, in which he has slotted in nicely for them based on the Qualifiers. On defense, however, they acquired @N44TTI_16, who is a great addition and will elevate their game significantly. Player to watch: @N44TTI_16 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 5-10th place @Mikka: 5-10th place Pasilan SKA ECL '22: Winter result: Failed to make the playoffs in Lite After competing in the Core division and being eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Resurrection, it might be a bit confusing to see this team Pro this season, but in fact we’ll be seeing an entirely overhauled team, consisting of a Hotbox - Pasilan-fusion. The only previous Pasilan SKA players continuing are @Macentoitunu and @musta_surma1, who definitely were key players for them. Of course, a former Core team joining forces with a team that was relegated at the end of last season wouldn’t indicate a lot of success being on the horizon, but we’re not opposed to seeing these guys surprise big time. Player to watch: @Macentoitunu Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 12-16th place @Mikka: 12-16th place RCTIC ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Semifinals The icy boys had a surprisingly solid winter season showing and are looking to continue on that path in the emerging spring sunlight. The roster is virtually unchanged with the exception of the very solid signing of @MrNipsuli, who joins the team from Färjestad BK and an excellent season in Elite. The new recruit will match up with veteran @Aze down low, and the trio @Naikou88 - @yrjoo - @Limbe65 will continue potting goals up front. If the team can stay as solid defensively, while improving their firepower, they should be a lock for at least the quarterfinals. Player to watch: @MrNipsuli Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka: 1-4th place Reality Check ECL '22: Winter result: Pro runner-up Last season, Reality Check paved their way all the way to the Finals, where they came up short against JYP Jyväskylä. Postseason success is a thing these guys are no strangers to, but they do have an extensive record of never really coming through all the way. Since their last on ice appearance, they’ve replaced center @TheArska with @JesseL2002 and defenseman @jezbaru with @Mikax222, who both should be decent additions and the success of it all should come down to how their chemistry turns out. Player to watch: @Mikax222 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka: 1-4th place Sinister ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Sinister is a team with tremendous offensive potential and several young, hungry players with tons of upside. Most notably, they’ve exchanged @topikeranen with @Vale16, who obviously doesn’t have the experience, but has that scoring talent that seems to be a theme for this squad. Offensively, there’s no doubt that Sinister couldn’t hang with the big boys, but their biggest downfall could be their goaltending, as they don’t seem to have that bona fide top Pro level starter in their ranks. Player to watch: @OsquuG Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-8th place @Mikka: 4-8th place Sulkavan Sudet ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Long-time Pro division dwellers had a solid winter regular season but fell short in a round 1 seven game series at the hands of Tohtorit. Captain @Oxdoggi has managed to strengthen his squad for the upcoming season by acquiring former HAVU Gaming backup @vviljo and winger @apettaja, who bounced around a bit last season but has a decent track record of succeeding in a scoring role in the Pro division. The wolves have quite a wide roster with several options, so it’ll be an interesting thing to see what kind of setup they will be going with and if they will make changes moving forward. Sulkavan Sudet should without a doubt be a playoff team. Player to watch: @Oxdoggi Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 6-8th place @Mikka: 6-10th place Tohtorit ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals Tohtorit made a splash last season by pushing all the way to the Quarterfinals against all expectations, and the team definitely has the capability to accomplish a similar feat this time around, only now we'll be able to see it coming. Whereas they've held on to their starting lineup from last season, they've built on that and added depth and several options in acquiring players like @ADETIKKI (Dillynger) and @jezbaru to star in supporting roles. Player to watch: @Wpaanane Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka: 1-4th place Group 2 Written by @Mikka AHJO Previously Dynastia ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals The former Dynastia lineup got recently picked up by esports organization AHJO, and are looking to keep on the same constantly improving trajectory as thus far. After ending their rookie Pro campaign with a first round exit in ECL 12, they had already by last season improved enough to make the second round. Can they reach the semis this time around? Losing your by far top scorer in @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) is always going to hurt, but getting experienced @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) from the runner-ups Reality Check may have made them more well rounded. AHJO should comfortably be in the playoffs and can easily challenge for the higher seeds. Player to watch: @xHatsi Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 4-8th place @jahajaha93: 4-10th place Be a Bro ECL '22: Winter result: Did not participate Even though Be a Bro is a completely new team, their players have plenty of shared history. The core of the roster in @Vaporik, @Janikka, @imosi and @Niskalaukaus all played for the hugely disappointing VISU Gaming last season, and captain @MCH_98 knows the NHL scene's longtimers @Janikka and @imosi from SIKA of seasons past. This is a chance for all of them to prove they belong back among Pro's top end. It will also be exciting to see what @rakkauspakkaus- can accomplish with another team than his old Björklöven Esport. Player to watch: @MCH_98 Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 4-8th place @jahajaha93: 5-10th place Björklöven Esport ECL '22: Winter result: 9th place in Pro Group 1 There have been some sizable changes with Björklöven, most notable being the acquisition of dynamic duo @Pappen (pappeen-) and @LukasGudinge (Gudinge) from Core's Carlstad Kings Esports. Björklöven's offense seems to be fully redone and jumping from Core to Pro is a challenge, so it remains to be seen if they start clicking. However, Tohtorit proved last season that you can jump straight from Core and do some damage, even though they had a longer offseason. Player to watch: @Pappen(pappeen-) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-12th place @jahajaha93: 6-12th place Company of Geeks ECL '22: Winter result: 14th place in Pro Group 1 The team that first started in 2008(!) has been on a downward trajectory for the past few years, going from 6th to 10th to 14th place in the regular season in their past three campaigns. They escaped relegation by showing up big time in the Pro Qualifier, winning all but two games. What they need the most is some consistency in their roster composition, as in being able to retain more players between seasons. That is going to come with solidifying a spot as a playoff challenger, so the sights should really be in the long term even though another fight for survival seems probable for now. They have reportedly already lost @Mikax222 to Reality Check, so finding an ample replacement for a key player in their dominating qualifier performance is of utmost importance. Player to watch: @PyroNiko Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 10-16th place @jahajaha93: 12-16th place Deadly Phantoms ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 The German outfit has had two quite weird campaigns at this level since getting relegated from Elite. In both ECL 12 and ECL '22: Winter, they had some troubles during the first half of the regular season, but finished off strong with a 9-1-0 L10. They lost in the finals in ECL 12, but were eliminated already in the first round last season. They have steadily, no matter what, been a playoff team, and getting @Timasy and @PlaymakerSJ back in the playing lineup, at least in some capacity, is going to be a huge help on their quest back to Europe's top. Even though they will not be playing a 100% of the games, they can alleviate some pressure off the Phantoms' high-scoring defensemen. Player to watch: @xXPsykoSkillsXx Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 4-8th place @jahajaha93: 4-8th place Fiasko ECL '22: Winter result: 14th place in Pro Group 2 Avoiding instant relegation by just a tiebreaker is something that these guys would probably call a... Alright, now that that is out of the way, a season considerably better than their last one does not seem too likely for Fiasko. Their roster has remained largely the same, adding @StuPittman, @Jammelson and @Toimitusjohtaja3 from Lite's Its a nice city. @Jammelson and @Toimitusjohtaja3 had decent statistics for their old team, but they do not appear to have the kind of skill that would mask the squad's collective troubles. Unless they can make their game a lot more organized, another season of Survivor seems to await. Looking at the bright side, they may have taken lessons from last season and now be readier to do more than surviving. Player to watch: @Xkeineri Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 12-16th place @jahajaha93: 13-16th place FILADELPHIA ACADEMY ECL '22: Winter result: Lite runner-up As previously stated, losing your top scorer is never going to be easy, let alone after you get promoted to a higher division. Even though @xAaro89x moving on to last season's Pro champion JYP Jyväskylä is a tough blow, it tells that they have been doing things right. While their new starting six has not been confirmed, the talk around town is former standout defenseman @samza96 will be making a comeback at the center position. Whoever the replacement is, the Academy should be good enough and have the resources and support behind them to make the playoffs. Worst case scenario, they barely miss. Player to watch: @TEST0-RYTZE (Rytze_) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 5-10th place @jahajaha93: 5-8th place GHETTO FIREBIRDS ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Thus far there has been quite a lot of talk about losing players, and GHETTO was not spared from that either: their captain since the beginning in ECL 4, @KepakkoFIN, decided to step away from competing. Getting @Talonmies69 (TaIonm1es) back after a year away should be more than ample replacement on the ice at least, and he is not even the only old friend making a return: ECL '22: Winter Pro top scorer @Valluxet is back as well! The last time he was here they ended up getting promoted, is it finally time for FIREBIRDS to make the return to Elite? They do have the strongest squad they have had during their current Pro stint. Player to watch: @Valluxet Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 1-4th place @jahajaha93 plays for GHETTO FIREBIRDS Herlev Eagles ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals The Eagles are entering their fifth Pro season, seemingly continuing with the same lineup that got them to the quarterfinals the last time out. They are perceived as one of the favorites now, and should be one of the higher seeds come playoff time. Retaining the same starting six could be a huge advantage, with most other teams making multiple impactful changes during such a short offseason. Their forwards had way more Time with Puck than their defensemen did in ECL '22: Winter, so perhaps they should get the back end involved a bit more in the future. Player to watch: @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 1-4th place @jahajaha93: 1-4th place Joukkue Previously AfroDunk ECL '22: Winter result: 13th place in Pro Group 1 Half of their lineup has changed, and the ride through the qualifier was far from smooth. Looking at their roster though, with the additions of RW @Sluibaaja_88 and LD @kungenkurwa (Kungenkirwa), they *should* at least on paper mount a good challenge for the playoffs. A tremendous addition with those ambitions in mind is @theMaddias from Elite's Conquer Gaming, joining his former Otukset teammates @obivop (HaaganHamilton) and @Empuuz_24. They have the potential to be playoff bound, just need to start executing like it. Player to watch: @theMaddias Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-14th place @jahajaha93: 8-14th place Powerhouse HC ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Lite Quarterfinals After five seasons in Lite, Powerhouse HC has finally made it to Pro. They do not look the strongest, but could they be another Hokurit and impress everyone right away with the sheer experience of seasons played together? Would not really bet on it, but certainly possible. While Hokurit had some players with earlier Pro experience leading the team, @suitsukemestari is the only one in Powerhouse. He only has six games from last season and two in ECL 10, so it is not exactly like he is some extremely experienced veteran either. The chemistry built up from playing together for a long time is going to come in handy, and it is their main resource for hoping to cause some upsets. Player to watch: @Burritokuningas Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 12-16th place @jahajaha93: 13-16th place Prima eSport ECL '22: Winter result: Lite Bronze Game Winner Third place in Lite last season, Prima does not exactly have a lot of experience aside from captain @iSvamp (Svampbot). Their forwards do have a previous Pro season each though, and especially @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) and @Daniel Asplund (Dasplund_) scored quite nicely ECL 12 Pro. As is always the case with their captain's teams, they have a strong identity. That identity is the factor that can bring them to the playoffs already in their debut season, if things go right. The competition for the last playoff spots is going to be fierce, but Prima has a decent chance to take one of those. Breakout seasons from the forwards would go a long way. Player to watch: @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-12th place @jahajaha93: 8-12th place Renascor ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Not much remains of the old Renascor, with most of their big pieces now gone. New additions @Winci (Winci-_o) and @TuomoP83 have huge shoes to fill, having played last season in Core and Lite respectively. Both have performed at a decent level in Pro in the past, but time has passed since then and the competition has gotten better. Forwards @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) and @Virusactive, along with veteran defenseman @MAYZIIX, need to step up and take a big role if they want to achieve anything. Player to watch: @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 10-16th place @jahajaha93: 13-16th place Växjö Lakers ECL '22: Winter result: 9th place in Pro Group 2 If any team has a wide range of possible outcomes this season, it is Växjö Lakers. They had an uninspiring Winter season, but since then they have already gained some silverware by winning the eSHL. Granted, they did have some extremely important loanees and should not be expected to be at that high of a level moving forward. But to get to the point, they signed forwards @dzouvi and @Birkedal96 from Elite teams, and are now looking like one of the strongest sides in Pro. There is practically zero data on their play though, and the uncertainty comes from that. If they can get their game rolling, they should be one of the top contenders. If not, the regular season is quite short... Player to watch: @dzouvi Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 1-6th place @jahajaha93: 1-4th place VISU Gaming ECL '22: Winter result: 11th place in Pro Group 1 Last season's result was a straight up farce for VISU, who were not too far off from getting promoted in the Elite qualifier ahead of the contest. Changes were made, and now is the time to prove it was a one off incident. They had a tough time finding new players, but got them in the end with @IKarkkiI and @Pontinho (I-CLAUGHTON-I) joining the organization. @jubex0r (jubeex0r) should also be a nice addition in between the pipes. VISU's strength has always been tight defense and collective play, we will see how well gelled the squad is without much practice under their belts. Should constantly improve as the season goes on. Player to watch: @hpkfani (MuKiMaisteri) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 6-12th place @jahajaha93: 4-8th place WannaCry ECL '22: Winter result: 11th place in Pro Group 2 A newly formed team ahead of ECL '22: Winter, WannaCry did not have an easy time during their first campaign. They managed to avoid the qualifier only by a tiebreaker after a tumultuous season. There has been some time to reset though, and are now looking to get into the playoffs for a taste. Captain @Okke40 (hifk_FANI) moves down to defenseman after being the center last season, with @selänne8 (BiggestEight) and @Jjomppa joining the forward group from now-disbanded Boomers. A lot of things need to go right for WannaCry to make it, but there is a chance. Player to watch: @kkostiiii Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-14th place @jahajaha93: 5-12th place With that, it has come time to wrap up the season preview. Stay tuned for the first Pro broadcast on 12.4. and we will be right back at you with the midseason report in a few weeks! PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter