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With the ECL '23 Winter Elite season moving into the last full week of competition in the Regular season, some of the predicted top teams are in excellent form. We've also got some surprising appearances around the top of the standings, and things are starting to look dire towards the bottom. Join us for this overview into the action over the past week! There's no doubt about hREDS being one the hottest teams in the league at the moment, with losses only to main rivals Frölunda HC and Tunnel Vision along their campaign thus far. In their last few matchups, JANO was seemingly able to mount some opposition against the reigning Champions, but in their usual way, hREDS were able to clear the minor obstacle with an overtime win. It's looking like Tunnel Vision is the only team to compare in terms of form at the moment, with a similar record in their latest matches, but their offense seems to be clicking slightly better and they've been able to clear opponents with relative ease.  Roots Gaming had an absolute disaster of a week after previously managing to climb the ranks, the four losses against JYP and ISO, who can be considered their main competition in the fight for the last playoff spots this season, will definitely leave a mark moving forward. Next in line for Roots should be Växjö, ZSC and Luleå, which should be a great opportunity for this squad to get back on track and pick up some much needed points. Unlucky Boys haven't had the best start top the new year, with only one regulation win in their three full matchups. JANO and JYP Jyväskylä are fighting for similar positioning with them, so those lost points will definitely sting in that tight mid-table race. The burger boys will be going up against Reality Check HC in our featured broadcast matches tonight with massive points up for grabs. Reality Check are currently sitting in a surprising second place in the standings, but with 24 games already played. The team is easily slotting into the Playoffs based on point average in their first Elite season, though. V-V @vvlampela Lampela (cTunkeilija) is in great form for the black and yellow with a 25 goals and 48 points, earning him second position in the scoring race at the moment. Reality Check HC have also been helped greatly by goaltender Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, who is second to only Frölunda's Casper @ICappeI Lundgren with an impressive 85.99 SV% on a much bigger sample size. The experienced goaltender is also topping the tables in terms of shutouts with three of those to his name thus far.  Things are looking dire for several established Swedish teams that have fallen towards the bottom of the pack. Falun especially, who have only 10 games remaining in their regular season, suffered recent tough losses against GOONS, who they are in direct competition with. They've now got big games against Luleå and Växjö coming up, and this experienced roster will definitely be throwing all they've got at these matchups. Adding Tim @Timasy Hess before the new year has helped them slightly and eight points collected in their five latest matchups is a step forward for the Coal Miners, clinging to their Elite spot at this point.    Standings - Week 4 1.  Frölunda HC (-) 15-2-3 2.  Reality Check (+4) 13-7-4 3.  hREDS (-1) 14-1-1 4.  Tunnel Vision (-1) 12-0-2 5.  JANO (+5) 9-6-5 6.  JYP Jyvaskyla (+3) 11-5-0 7.  ZSC Esports (+4) 11-9-0 8.  Nordic Stars (+3) 9-5-2 9.  ISO Esports (-1) 7-7-6 10.  Unlucky Boys HC (-3) 8-7-3 11.  Roots Gaming (-7) 7-6-3 12.  GOONS (-) 7-8-3 13.  Falun Coal Miners (+2) 5-11-4 14.  Luleå Hockey (-1) 4-5-3 15.  Växjö Lakers (-1) 4-9-3 16.  Färjestad BK (-3) 4-7-3 Tonight, ECL '23 Winter Elite returns for some important matchups with big points on the line. Reality Check HC takes on Unlucky Boys, whereas GOONS are taken on by the league leading Frölunda HC in the later matchup. Join us for all the action at 19:45 CET as usual. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

This report is written based on the status before the games on Sunday, January 8th. The ECL '23 Winter Pro season is already leading towards it's end, but we're still coming at you with a slightly delayed Mid-season report! Let's check in on how these teams have progressed throughout the season, and which one's have surprised us the most, whether it is for the good or the bad. Both groups are looking very evenly matched, with a couple of teams pulling away with the lead in group 1, but in group 2 it's looking like an all out free-for-all between five or six teams for the top seed. At this point, not that many teams have mathematically secured their spots in the Playoffs, and neither have any of them been mathematically eliminated. For some, that is looking like a long shot though. Quite surprisingly, HanaaHC and RCTIC who participated in the Elite Qualifier ahead of the season haven't managed to own up to the level of play expected. While both are currently in Playoff position, our season preview forecasted these two together with Renascor to top their respective groups. At the moment, though, only Renascor has managed to perform. Group 1 In this group, the fight for the top spot will most likely come down to three teams, as Örebro Hockey, Be a Bro and Luleå Hockey are all looking like they're on good pace to grab that crown. Most of the games between these three top dogs have already been played, so it'll now come down to how they can stack up against the rest of the competition in the group. Örebro are currently topping the tables with a few games in hand on the other two, which means Be a Bro and Luleå hold the advantage in that sense, and could end up making an overtake down the main stretch. Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen has once again made a successful comeback to the ECL ice after one season of absence. Last time we've seen the experienced allrounder, he spent the ECL '22 Winter season on defense for YMCA Esports in Elite, and now he's leading the league in scoring from his familiar left winger spot for Örebro Hockey. Leksand IF's Linus @Bror1326 Nidalen is closest in pursuit, but still eight points behind. In addition to a strong leading scorer, Leksand IF have also managed to string together a great campaign this season. They've got great offense, but also one of the best in the league in net with Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen in net. The young goaltender has kept his head cool throughout the season with an impressive 88,08 SV% and 9/12 breakaways saved. He's also currently in the 4 shutout club alongside only Djurgården's Matthias @Tizjeflen Johansson, Arkham's Juuso @TheSpeedo Sirkola and Nemesis' Joel @JaxonRules93 Jackson. A pleasant surprise in Group 1 has definitely been Ace Hockey and their highly efficient offensive play with Wiktor @Dehliiin Dehlin as their top dog as usual. The Swedish team is also boasting an impressive 45,5% powerplay percentage, which is contrasted by a lackluster penalty kill at only 63,64%. Currently, this squad is sitting just outside the Playoff picture and their form does not indicate good things. If they'll find a way to turn things around down the main stretch, they could be one of the last teams squeaking in. In somewhat similar position we've got Tohtorit, who have established themselves as rather consistent performers at the Pro level. They had a catastrophic start to their season, but have definitely managed to course-correct, now running with a five win streak, hoping to continue on that past and push them into the Playoffs.  The most obvious letdowns in the first group are Mora IK and Frölunda HC Academy, without a doubt. These teams have struggled in almost every department and especially Mora IK can't seem to even buy a goal with a measly 1.3 goals for average. Frölunda HC Adademy, on the other hand are also struggling heavily with their defense, being the worst in the league at 4.94 goals against per game. Group 2 At the moment, it's looking like things might come down to the wire between five or six different teams to clutch up for that top spot. Nemesis are the provisional holders of that #1 seed at the moment, but with teams like VISU Gaming, IK Oskarshamn, Memento and Renascor chasing them down, it'll remain to be seen how long lived that joy will be. For Nemesis, the good thing is that they are seemingly all set for the Playoffs already with several highly competitive matchups in their back pocket already. They're not a team that will outgun their opponents, but they have honed their skills and evolved into a group that can win those low-scoring battles and turn games in their favor with the little things they do. IK Oskarshamn were one of the teams that caught some flack in our season preview, but they've definitely shown us wrong. Henri @Chevikov (Hikoilija_) Heikkilä is a rookie winger, who has taken the step to being their heart-and-soul player and is currently leading the team from the front on an impressive run with the league's best special teams number at 133,91. Oskarshamn is currently fighting for the top spot, but should end up in a favorable spot for the Playoffs at the minimum. Some of the more experienced squads including Central European juggernauts Deadly Phantoms and Inter Iceland, have surprisingly found themselves performing below expectations. DPH have several GCL championships and plenty of Elite experience in their back pockets, but they haven't managed to find their way back into the European top 16 just yet, and lost superstar winger Tim @Timasy Hess in a transfer to Elite squad Falun Coal Miners earlier this season, which will trip up their campaign a bit. The Phantoms will be looking to fight their way into the Playoffs, where they'll be able to employ their tough style of play and wear down their opponents in long seven game series. Inter Iceland, on the other hand, also feature some high scoring skill in the form of both Stef(ph)ans @Stefan_397(ViSiOnZ97_) Hämmerle and @Krinke Krinke, who for one reason or another just haven't hit their stride this season. The team is in a tough spot and look like they'll be in a relegation spot with high probability.  Björklöven Esport is another team who have managed to establish themselves in the Pro division, but are struggling to find a footing this season. They had some heavy roster turnover in the offseason and seemingly haven't found a way to click just yet. With 10 games still left in the season, there's time for this roster to find a way into the Playoffs, but they'll need to start improving drastically if they wish to do so.  There's still plenty of virtual hockey left to play in the last week of the regular season, and a lot is on the line for all teams involved. This Tuesday, you'll be able to follow along once again in our weekly ECL '23 Winter Pro broadcast with some big games in the showcase!