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We're coming full circle by returning to the ECL's first ever cover gamer for the upcoming '23 Winter season! ECL 8 was our first season featuring a Cover Gamer, and since then we've taken a lot of big steps forward as a league and as a community. Over the course of that time, there's one player that has above everyone else managed to maintain a high competitive level and even more importantly, managed to act as an ambassador for the entire sport. That is why we're coming full circle and announcing Erik @Eki (EkiOriginal) Tammenpää as the ECL '23 Winter Cover Gamer. After some experience back in the PlayStation 3 days with good friend Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala in Carlsberg HC, and a few seasons of ECL competition in various teams, in early 2018 the youngster @Eki was recruited to a very strong and experienced MUKIMIEHET side for ECL 4 Elite, the first season in our divisional framework. MUKIMIEHET were set on a championship push with season 1 originals Ville @MuKiMaisteri Luukkonen and Atte @Aze (Atte91) Aho in their roster, combined with throwbacks Lasse @Lage (Lagezickarno) Pennola and Ville @Piri (a_n_t_a) Pirttilä and a fresh influx of talent with Eki joining the already powerful forward core. Despite their campaign not really getting the end that they so had hoped for, this season set into motion an era of competitive success at the very top level that we've yet to see an end to. A list of Eki's biggest wins 🏆: 1v1 NHL GWC European Champion 2018 NHL GWC World Champion 2018 IS Cup 3 Champion 2018 NHL GWC European Champion 2019 IIHF Esports Fan Championship 2020 eLiiga Season 1 Champion 2020 NHL GWC European Champion 2021 NHL GWC European Champion 2022 IIHF eWorld Champion 2022 6v6 IS Cup 3 Champion 2018 ECL 7 Champion 2018 SCL Champion 2019 ECL 9 Champion 2020 eSHL Season 1 Champion 2020 FCL Champion 2020 ECL 11 Champion 2020 eSHL season 2 Champion 2021 FCL Champion 2021 The accolades and trophycase that Eki has managed to build over the past four years is unmatched, and while four years seems like a rather short time in any other sport, in NHL esports, especially with the yearly release cycle of the game and ever changing meta, that is an eternity. Even when Eki hasn't been winning, he's still managed to be right there, breathing down the neck of his toughest competitors. Who are some of the toughest opponents that you've faced through the years? Paul @PleeMaker Arontie is without a doubt the best opponent I've ever faced. He's the only player that I've never had the edge on completely, even when I've been at my very best. Plee is also one of those players who always seem to elevate their game in big tournaments and that's why my respect for him is so high. Internationally, Justin @Regs84 Reguly has to be one of the better players I've faced. We've played each other once on LAN in 2019 and remember that his game was so different from anyone else. He's tough to get a read on. We'll be playing each other in New York next week also! 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? Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala is my #1. We played together for the first time in 2012 when we were neighbors and I was just a kid. I consider him to be one of my best friends and respect him very much both as a player and a human being. We'll definitely be playing together for as long as Joonas will have me in his team. Other guys I've looked up to in terms of streaming and content creation are definitely Risto @Dominointi Järvi and Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen. These are the guys I watched while on the comeup and they really were the first ones to show what that side of the game is all about along with teaching me lost of tips and tricks on the 1v1 game. Your skill and grind are certainly big reasons that have put you in the position you are now, but what other attributes do you think a true professional needs to succeed? Success is definitely a combination of small factors and a tiny bit of luck and chance. I wouldn't even be here without the likes of Patzlaf and Mika @mikaasi Heikkilä, who managed to spark my interest for the game and made it fun for me. With that, came some timely success, which allowed me some of the opportunities I've got to this point. A tip for any player out there looking to go pro is definitely creating content centered around the game. NHL is such a small game that you'll have to generate value outside competition in order to interest sponsors and organisations. Also, keep your head cool. One tournament win will not last or get you anywhere, success will follow those who grind, so put in your hours and practice. 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? The upcoming season is going to be very, very interesting personally. Our own team has seen more changes than ever before and you could almost call this squad something of an old school FILA x Written In The Stars mashup. I'm taking on a defensive role, so it'll be a learning experience at least early on. With all the changes to our own squad, it'll definitely be an exciting experience and we're definitely hungry for success after a failure to win any trophies in NHL 22. It'll be interesting to see how the standings will start to shape up. hREDS has been great as always, Tunnel Vision is right there and we're doing all we can to challenge them. One team I think will surprise is Växjö Lakers, who will be in their first Elite season, look for them to be in the Playoffs. On the 1v1 side the level is higher year by year. The young guns who have been on the comeup for some time already will definitely have success. Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Roope @pikkuroger Bergström represent the young and talented group of players to keep an eye on. Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund is another player I expect to do just as well as before. 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 ECL '23 Spring: Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen You'll be able to see Eki in action in the upcoming ECL '23 Winter season with his Frölunda HC, where he will be playing as a defenseman alongside new recruit Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto, who has recently been recruited from the disbanded HAVU Gaming. The season starts December 11th, so there's still some time to get geared up and prepare for some of the best virtual hockey around. Sign-ups are also still open for our ECL '23 Winter Neo and Core divisions, so here's your chance to get your career started in some competitive action! ECL 1v1 also still has two more qualifiers to go until the top 128 stage, so join that too! Read more about the ECL '23 Winter season here.

The first ever NACL cover gamer is awarded to the current North American GWC Champion. Justin @Regs84 Reguly rose to public fame with his 2018 NHL GWC appearance at only 17 years old at the time. The now 21 year-old hailing from Thunder Bay, Ontario has since gained a lot of success and is now one of the most consistent contenders in any tournament or league that comes around. He started getting into NHL back in NHL 14 and quickly noticed a competitive edge against his fellow gamers. The inaugural NHL GWC in 2018 was his real coming out party as he put his name on the map despite not going all the way yet. In 2020, Regs managed to get yet another step closer to ultimate glory by winning the NHL GWC Canadian Regional Championship against the young prodigy Matthew @YungGren Grenier. The accumulated success pushed Regs to an opportunity with the gaming organization Lazarus Esports in February 2021 and he has since been trying to focus more and more on studying the game and grinding to get better every day. All of his efforts were finally rewarded when he was crowned the 2022 NHL GWC North American Champion in July of 2022. Photo credit: Lazarus Esports On the 6v6 side of things, Regs is currently representing the Gaming squad of NHL franchise the New York Islanders - IslesGT. The squad is currently signed up for their first ever NACL campaign, but have had some time to practice and build chemistry together since the very beginning of NHL 23. In fact, they've already got some wins in other tourneys under their belt. Regs will be seen in the NACL at the RD position, in which his great defensive skill stick and calmness with the puck will come in handy. Through all your success both at the domestic and international stages, who have been some of your toughest opponents and why? "Some of my toughest opponents of the year have included players such as Matthew @YungGren Grenier, Ethan @Polgz Polgar and David @JrPens Roebuck. On the international stages Erik @Eki Tammenpää has been the biggest competition for me." What would you consider being the attributes that best sets you apart from your competition? "I think the biggest attribute contributing to my success has been my vision and how I see the game. I feel like I've been able to make plays that no other person sees but myself. I also think that i have a great calmness and poise about my game that is difficult for my opponents to combat." What is your biggest motivation to continue competing and striving for success? "My biggest motivation has got to be wanting to continue to try and be the best. I've said it before, as I've gotten older my enjoyment for the game has gone away a bit but the motivation and competitiveness to compete at the highest level for championships is stronger than ever, which keeps me coming back to the game." Photo credit: Lazarus Esports 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? "Some people I've looked at as role models have been Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag and Seth "Scump" Abner from an esports perspective. I was 13 years old when I found out about esports and playing video games for money for the best players and I aspired to one day be on a stage like these two were. I was originally going to play Call of Duty but quickly realized I had an exceptional skill for NHL and decided to pursue and perfect this game instead. On the NHL side of things, I think Eki and Gren have really shown the level of commitment it takes to be a professional and the amount of time and dedication it takes to perfect your craft." What are your thoughts on the upcoming NACL season? Any teams especially to be on the lookout for? "I look forward to the NACL tournament. This is the first opportunity for North American players and teams to travel to Europe. I know myself and the team feel very confident and that this is going to be the most important tournament of the year for us but I have no doubt that we will be in a position to fight for the chance of coming to Europe. I think Caps Gaming and Entourage have very competitive rosters and will give us great difficulty at achieving our goal. However, I believe in our roster and lineup and know what we are capable of and that’s achieving not just a North American 6s title, but a world 6s title." Watch Regs and the IslesGT team in action this NACL '23 Winter season, starting already on December 11th! You can also challenge them for the throne by signing up a 6v6 club of your own, since the sign-ups are still open until December 8th! The NACL this season is played as a crossplay division with a prize pool of 6 000€, on top of which the winning team gets the chance to play for some more cash in the World Finals in Helsinki, Finland on February 25th, 2023. Read more about the NACL and sign up here.

SportsGamer will be attending Assembly Winter 2023 with not one, but two great events this February! Assembly Winter 2023 will once again be one of the biggest gaming and LAN-events in Finland and while fans around the country will be gearing up to meet some of their favorite streamers and game with their friends, we are looking to bring some international color to the big stage in the form of the ECL '23 Winter Finals and the World Finals on the same weekend! The event will be hosted in the legendary Messukeskus in Helsinki, where some of the greatest teams in European NHL esports have hoisted trophies, such as the IS Cup 3 trophy by FILADELPHIA and the FCL 2019 trophy by HAVU Gaming. Will your team be next up to go for ultimate glory? Lassi Nummi, CEO of Assembly states: “We are happy to welcome all NHL esports players to Assembly Winter 2023 to enjoy the unique atmosphere of Assembly Festival and compete in front of a LIVE audience. The tournament will add great value and diversity to the esports program of the Festival. Assembly is the biggest gaming event in Finland and we are expecting around 15 000 visitors to attend our Winter 2023 Event.” This upcoming February, the greatest European teams will clash on Friday, the 24th in a head-to-head battle for the ECL '23 Winter Championship. Out of these two, the winner will advance to meet the future NACL Champion at the World Finals played on Saturday, February 25th, 2023. This is the first time in NHL esports history an American team faces off against a European team in a live setting, and we're expecting fireworks right from the get-go in this series that has been brewing for a long time already. On top of the ECL '23 Winter Finals and the World Finals, Assembly Winter 2023 has a lot more to offer. The massive LAN festival features the biggest LAN area in Finland, two event stages, several esports tournaments, an open play area, an EXPO area and so much more! The event spans over the course of four days from the 23rd of February to the 26th of February. Assembly features some of the biggest esports and streaming personalities in Finland, many of them with an international following, so this is an event you surely won't want to miss! Interested in seeing the Finals live in Helsinki? So are we! That's why we are extremely happy to be able to provide all ECL Player License holders with the following exclusive discounts for Assembly Winter 2023 tickets: 50% discount for single day ticket (normal price from 20€ / discounted 10€) 50% discount for four day ticket (includes usage of sleeping area) (normal price from 40€ / discounted 20€) 50% discount for four day LAN ticket (BYOC, includes usage of sleeping area) (normal price from 89€ / discounted 44,5€) If you are planning on attending the event, please let us know by filling in this form, we'll try our best to provide you with some more exclusive deals related to travel and accommodation to and at the venue. Information about Assembly Winter 2023 Festival can be found at the Festival website: https://party.assembly.org/en/winter23.