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SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! Right in time we are back with yet another Player Spotlight! The first week in the 8th season of the German Championship League is on its way - so it's the perfect time to take a closer look at Reto "eTschitsch" (@afc_Tschitsch) Ulrich. Goalie of the reigning GCL champion ZSC Esports from Switzerland!   1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I started playing in NHL09 with Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni. We started playing 2v2 where all remaining positions were played by the AI. After a few years I stopped playing until Claudio contacted me in 2018 again. They were in need of a Goalie for the former "The Black Jacks". That's when I started grinding again.   2. What do you value most in playing for ZSC Esports? It makes me extremely proud to be part of this team and represent one of the biggest clubs in the country. Furthermore ZSC is my childhood club. So it's even more special to me.   3. Describe your perfect day! Sleeping until 11am. Have a good workout in the gym and spending the rest of the day in Zürich, enjoying the sun and having good dinner.   4. You are GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team. Who is in your perfect ECL lineup and GCL lineup (only DACH-players)? ECL Lineup: LW: @NikkeDangles C : @Eki RW: @FlyerKungen         LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_)                         G: @uhNikke   GCL Lineup: LW: @IDangledYouOut C : @PlaymakerSJ RW: @Freeman7187                              LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Haldeem                                          G: @PLA77NER     5. Do you play hockey in real life? I played 14 years for ZSC Lions Youth teams. When I was 18 years old I had to end my career due to an injury.   6. What's your best hockey memory? There are several moments I like to remember. I was able to play with great players who paved their way to the NHL. Such as Kevin Fiala, Jonas Siegenthaler, Denis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto and many more. But apart from that my biggest highlight was winning the Swiss Youth Championship back in 2012 and finishing as the top scorer of the league.   7. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I love doing sports and having a good time with my friends. Spending time with my family is really important to me as well as travelling as much as possible.   8. Pizza with Pineapples. Yes or No? NO!   9. What song do you listen to while playing an intense match in ECL? Currently my favourite tune is "Good Vibe" by R.I.O. & Kyanu.   10. What's the background story to your PSN ID? As a kid I fell in love with the Croatia kit at the World Cup 1998. My father bought me one and due to the fact that most of Croatias players name ended on "-cic" he told me that 'Cic" has to be my new name. A few friends started calling me that nickname and so it started its course until it eventually became "Tschitsch" instead of "Cic".   11. Who is the best player in the ECL? This is a really tough question to answer. There are many great players and talents out there. But if I had to choose one I would pick @Eki. He is almost always able to make a difference and give his team the edge over the opponents.   12. What's your favourite dish? As a Swiss there can be only one answer: cheese fondue.   13. What are your goals for this GCL and next ECL in NHL23? For this GCL I will take the role as a backup goalie to have Mike @burban26 Müller and Christian  @Fightlocke3 Schubert's back. But our only goal for this season has to be to defend the title. In the next ECL I would love to participate in the playoffs. In the past seasons we improved steadily and making the playoffs has to be the next step.   14. High scoring game or OT drama? Since I'm a Goalie I will obviously take the OT drama. And personally I feel like I perform best when being under pressure.   15. What are your NHL career highlights so far? My biggest highlight has to be winning the GCL7 title in the finals against Team LEISURE (now Deadly Phantoms again). After falling short in four finals it was a big relief to finally beat them. On top of that we were able to secure the title with three sweeps in a row and personally securing five shutouts in the postseason felt really good! The ECL 7 Lite title was also really special to me aswell as making it to the top of the ECL and playing there now for the 4th consecutive season.   16. Who should be featured next in "Player Spotlight"? In the next spotlight I would love to see my Swiss fellowman Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi!     Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series. Also, if there are any questions you'd like us to add to the arsenal, let us know!  

For the first time since the inaugural IIHF Fan Challenge back in 2020, the IIHF is back with the all new 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship, where hockey fans all around the world will get the chance to qualify for their national team and go for gold in the final tournament between the best 22 teams in the world! In the 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship, the amount of participating nations has been expanded from 16 to 22, with even more to come in the future. The new championship is part of a new IIHF initiative to bring more opportunities for games to represent their country at the world stage in smaller and bigger competitions. “With the launch of the IIHF eWorld Championship, we are aiming for this to be the start of a new program of esports offerings in the future,“ comments IIHF President Luc Tardif. The 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship is played in three stages, out of which the first is the National Qualifiers. All participating nations will first host National Qualifiers, where both a PlayStation and Xbox champion will be determined, these 44 champions in total will make up the national teams for each country. After this, the final tournament starts with the Group Stage in early July, followed by the playoffs, that will finish with the Grand Final in mid-July. List of Qualifiers: Thursday, 16th of June Norway  Switzerland  Friday 17th of June Hungary  France  Saturday 18th of June Slovenia  Poland  Sunday 19th of June Korea  Germany  Monday 20th of June Ukraine  Slovakia  Tuesday 21st of June Kazakhstan  Czech Republic  Wednesday 22nd of June Japan  Austria  Thursday 23rd of June Denmark  Friday 24th of June USA  Italy  Saturday 25th of June Canada  Great Britain  Sunday 26th of June Latvia  Sweden Tuesday & Wednesday 28th & 29th of June Finland  Click your country in order to advance to the registration site, Finnish players are able to qualify right here at SportsGamer.GG. The signups are already open and anyone over 16 years of age from a participating country is available to sign up! To compete a player is required to have a stable internet connection and a console that is able to play the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version of NHL 22, so sign up now in order to help your country go for glory in the 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship!

SportsGamers, This season, our ECL Elite Player Awards will feature an open vote, where all of you will have the opportunity to impact who will receive the individual awards at the end of the season. We have six categories in total with five nominees in each category. While some nominees have been selected due to their statistically superior performance, there has been space for a slightly more subjective approach too. We've had a jury pick out two of the five nominees in all five categories based on their votes. Voting will open effective immediately and we're asking you to cast your votes by Wednesday, June 15th at 23:59 CEST. The awards will be presented in the ECL '22 Spring Finals broadcasts on Friday, June 17th and Saturday, June 18th. Make sure to cast your vote in order to support your favorite player! Here's a list of all the nominees in all the different award categories. You'll find a link to the vote at the end of each category, so make sure to click through and cast your votes!   Top Forward The Top Forward award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their forward position. Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, Frölunda HC  The long-time Frölunda HC left winger has been a terror for defensemen around the league since he was just a small kid. He's a guaranteed 20-goal scorer every season and when not scoring, he is always a dangerous option, making space for his linemates to succeed. The ECL '22 Spring Top Scorer. Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen, hREDS  Perhaps the best centerman in the game is able to elevate players flanking him while simultaneously being very reliable defensively. An unusually high scoring centerman, who finished #2 in the scoring race this season. Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen, SAWO ESPORTS  A newly emerged talent, who has lead SAWO ESPORTS to the brink of greatness together with his partner Jere @jxrska Laukka. A "shoot first, ask later"-kind of player who tends to convert at a very high percentage.  Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha, Frölunda HC  The former HAVU Gaming captain found an offseason transfer in looks to spark his career into new heights, which seemed to work well. Despite not quite reaching career high numbers, the right winger was a factor for his team all season long and managed to continue where he left off with his old team.  Jere @jxrska Laukka, SAWO ESPORTS  Another young and exciting talent for SAWO ESPORTS, who as mentioned together as a dynamic duo with Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen are able to dismantle just about any defense in the league. High skill player with a propensity to also play the body at an unusually high rate. Vote for the Top Forward of ECL '22 Spring here! Top Defender The Top Defender award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their defenseman position. Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen, hREDS  Has developed into arguably the best defenseman around since his first season with hREDS back in ECL 12 and now managed to become the Top Scorer (T-1) among defensemen for the second season in a row. Very patient and skilled with the puck. Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila, SAWO ESPORTS  Really blossomed after completing his transfer to SAWO ESPORTS and managed to stand out from the competition especially early on in the season. Tied for highest scoring defenseman. Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen, hREDS  One of the success stories in terms of forwards turning defensemen and it's evident in his confidence with the puck that KingOfApes has played up front before. In a class of his own when it comes to confidence and scored the most goals (10) among defensemen in the regular season. Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala, Frölunda HC  Switched to a defensive position from his centerman role and did that extremely well. Slotted in nicely alongside long-time teammate Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta and helped his team in both ends of the ice consistently. Tero @Terodee Dahlström, Örebro Hockey  Örebro Hockey emerged as one of the bigger dark horses of the season and while captain Terodee has always been a great offensive defenseman, the team has struggled with the actual defensive duties at times. This season, they seemed to be firing on all cylinders and the captain had an excellent campaign. Vote for the Top Defender of ECL '22 Spring here! Top Goalie The Top Goalie award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their goaltender position. Filip @Faze91- Azri, hREDS  Statistically pulled ahead of everyone by quite a margin over the course of the regular season. Accomplished a career high in both SV% with 87.86 and shutouts with 10. Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen, SAWO ESPORTS  The cover gamer continued where he had left off in the winter season, putting forth a very consistent campaign throughout, and while not quite reaching the highs he did last season, this season had no lows either. Cemented his status as one of the best in the league. Casper @ICappeI Lundgren, Frölunda HC  Has been reigning supreme at the top for a long time and is such a consistent performer. That being said, he had no off nights this season either and was right up there with the best of them statistically too.  Johan @McSavid Rundqvist, Färjestad BK  McSavid has grown into one of the best goalies in the division along with the great performances throughout the years by his team. Has a bit of an unconventional more aggressive style of play, which divides opinions.  Christoffer @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen) Eriksson, HV71​​​​​​​  As last season's newcomer HV71 has been trying to gain a foothold in the Elite division, their goaltender Coffelainen has been a great cornerstone for them. Could have been flying a bit under the radar for some, but this season's solid performances have elevated his stock. Vote for the Top Goalie of ECL '22 Spring here! Rookie Of The Season The Rookie Of The Season award is awarded to a player in their rookie ECL Elite season, who has excelled above the competition regardless of position. Miikka @xColeslaww (Koleslaav) Kolehmainen, Stargazing  After spending several seasons in various top Pro outfits in very productive roles, the talented winger finally took the step up together with the almost full rookie squad of Stargazing. Koleslaav didn't slow down production and despite his team not performing as well as they would've wanted, he stood out as their best performer. Niklas @Bobiraataja (Nikhaa27) Haataja, Stargazing  A highly talented defenseman that has been on the radar of several Elite teams before. Especially known for an excellent defensive stick, but showed in his rookie Elite season that points production is something he can also do. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg, ZSC Esports  The former noRex Gaming winger signed with the Swiss outfit in the offseason and has really exhibited a fast rise to the top, as he has made a step up in each of the past two seasons and done so in successful fashion. Slotted in very well with ZSC and should continue improving from there.  Miro @Flopper71 Heikkinen, Stargazing  Another Stargazing forward, who made the step up to Elite after spending a some time in Pro in very productive roles. Didn't quite reach the production levels of linemate Koleslaav, but is notorious for coming up clutch and scoring those much needed goals when the team is in a tough spot.  Kalle @James (Jamechkin) Riihelä, Stargazing  An extremely skilled defenseman with great puck possession, had a decent entry into the Elite division despite a non-favorable outcome for his team.  Vote for the Rookie Of The Season of ECL '22 Spring here! Comeback Player Of The Season The Comeback Player Of The Season award is awarded to a player that after one or more seasons away from ECL Elite competition, makes an impactful comeback to the highest level. Väinö @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) Pikkarainen, Örebro Hockey  Spent last season in Pro with the former Dynastia and was one of that teams most important forces. Decided to take on the Elite challenge with Örebro this season and while there were many doubters, Örebro proved to be one of the big dark horses this season. Played a very mature two-way game at the center position. Väinö @vSilenttio (vee_SILE) Pietilä, JYP Jyväskylä  As the Winter Pro season Champions, JYP Jyväskylä gained promotion back to the European top 16 and vee_SILE together with his teammates proved that they belong there. Took on a big leading role in the team together with his more experienced squadmates Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and Santeri @indi969 Pendolin. Toni @Pirtsa89 Pirttimäki, Stargazing  Having formerly represented IQUE at the Elite level, Pirtsa decided to join Stargazing for their Pro Championship push last season. You're always in for a tough challenge when in net for an underdog like that in their first Elite season, but Pirtsa handled his job and seemed comfortable in net. Samu @xKeskitalo Keskitalo, GOONS  The long-time GOONS player completely skipped the Winter season and played his last competitive games back in late 2021 as a right defenseman. Now, returning for GOONS at the centerman position, xKeskitalo put forth a great effort certainly earning him some prestige as a bona fide centerman at the Elite level. Rony @rGinnu Kinnunen, Conquer Gaming  Another player that hadn't played since FCL in late 2021 and in fact only had one season as a starter in Elite under his belt prior to this one, back then as a right defenseman, and that was in early 2019! Who would've guessed rGinnu will slot right in at center for Conquer and carry the team to the playoffs with excellent performances throughout.  Vote for the Comeback Player Of The Season of ECL '22 Spring here! Transfer Of The Season The Transfer Of The Season award is awarded to a player who after a transfer is deemed to have been the most impactful player for their new team. Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha, Frölunda HC  Perhaps one of the biggest transfers in ECL history. The long-time captain and founder of HAVU Gaming switched sides to their main rival Frölunda HC in the offseason and didn't miss a beat, continuing his dominant play on the virtual ice.  Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila, SAWO ESPORTS  After a disappointing loss in the ECL '22 Winter Finals, Teemuyy made a controversial departure from Frölunda HC and for some time it seemed like we weren't sure where he would end up. Having finally signed with SAWO, the youngster really elevated his level of play and was cornerstone for their success. Ville @Supreex Korhonen, GOONS  Has been one of the most highly sought after goaltenders in the scene for a long time, but has remained loyal to his guys back in Northern Ascendancy until the start of this season. Shared responsibilities with the experienced Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu and seemed to be a great addition for GOONS. André @Foppatofflan Liljegren, Falun Coal Miners  Known as one of the better playmakers around, and always seems to have an ace or two up his sleeve. Made the transfer from Färjestad BK to Falun Coal Miners and despite his team struggling a bit, he still managed to better his point totals with a whopping 14 points from last season.  Connor @MartindalexC Martindale, Falun Coal Miners​​​​​​​  Made the move from Northern Ascendancy to Falun Coal Miners in the offseason and alike his teammate Foppatofflan, while his team struggled a bit from time to time, he still managed to improve on his own production, besting his last seasons totals by 16 points. Vote for the Transfer Of The Season of ECL '22 Spring here! As stated, the voting will be open until Wednesday, June 15th at 23:59 CEST, so make sure to cast your votes before that and tune in to the finals broadcasts on Friday & Saturday June 17th and 18th for all the action and the voting results!