Leaderboard

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. Which team will be next up to go for ultimate glory? Our Finals weekend schedule will consist of a full best-of-seven ECL '23 Winter Elite Finals series on Friday, the 24th of February. On Saturday, the 25th of February, we'll then host the World Finals on the same stage. While Assembly has already solidified its position as the biggest LAN event in Finland, we are excited about this weekend being the biggest community gathering we've been able to host to date. With that, we've been able to secure a few 4-day tickets to give away to our community and we'll also be able to provide ECL '23 Player License holders with individual discount codes for tickets! Make sure to participate in our giveaways on Instagram and Twitter for your chance to win a free ticket to the prime NHL 23 6v6 event of the year! Here are the discounts available to ECL '23 Player License owners: 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€) In order to receive your discount code, please fill in this form. We'll send your individual discount code by email in the weeks leading up to the event. More information about Assembly Winter 2023 Festival can be found at the Festival website: https://party.assembly.org/en/winter23.

SportsGamers, It is now time to turn to the final stages of this ECL '23 Core Season and we will try here to go through some facts for each series. Schedule RO32: 22.-26.1.2023 RO16: 29.1-2.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 5.-9.2.2023 Semifinals: 12.-16.2.2023 Finals: 19.-23.2.2023 Cheeky Grinders (1) vs Ambri eSports (16) By beating Deggendorfer in his last outing and forcing the German team to a final overtime, the Swiss from Ambri managed to qualify for the playoffs in extremis and despite a chaotic journey during the season. But the fight will be difficult for the Swiss against the best formation of the regular season. Admittedly Ambri managed to extract a point in overtime during their confrontation but the Finns who have lost only four times during the season should advance without too much difficulty. Facts - Cheeky Grinders has three players who exceeded 75 points in the regular season: @Ekifoukka (81), @Yaredhagos (80), @tonninen (78) - Of all the teams qualified in the playoffs, Ambri is the team that has won the fewest faceoffs (40.82%) HC Korobka (2) vs WarHeads (15) What if this confrontation was much more balanced than it might seem? The Russians won the two games that opposed them to the Finns, including one after extra time, but the end of the season for Korobka showed a team that seemed to run out of steam. Winners of their first fourteen games, the Russians then experienced relatively unexpected difficulties. WarHeads is a recent team but seems to have grown in strength over the season. Facts - @lordkomar91, for Korobka, is the best scorer of the entire regular season with 93 points (50+43) - With 81.98% of saves @QzRiiot, the French goalkeeper of WarHeads, had the best of his seven ECL seasons Hannover Indians eSports (3) vs Black Hurricanes (14) Hannover came close to finishing first in their group at the expense of Korobka. The Germans had a few upheavals during their season but never really seemed to be in real danger. Their balanced team has a powerful attack and a solid defense coupled with a very good goalkeeper. For the Finns of Black Hurricanes the start of the season was relatively peaceful but the end was a failure with eight consecutive defeats at the end of the calendar. Let's hope for this team that a breath of fresh air will help them in the playoffs, otherwise their first round may be complicated. Facts - @MMTS, for Hanover, totals 86 points in its first season in ECL. - With 1-7-2, the Black Hurricanes worst L10 record in the playoffs. Predators (4) vs Remparts de Tours Esport (13) The formation of Predators is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous. They score quite a bit but at the same time also concede a few goals. Predators have the best defensive record in the entire league, just behind Olten. They are the only ones, with the Pirates, to have beaten Cheeky Grinders in regular time in the Gr.2. For its part, Tours is a team that has had the experience of the Lite division. The all-French team experienced an irregular championship but has, especially in the net, resources capable of turning this series to its advantage. To do this, he will have to outwit one of the best defenses today. Facts - There are eight different nationalities in the Predators roster. - With 283 games played at SportsGamer, Tours is the most experienced team of all those qualified in the playoffs. North Sawo Lions (5) vs HC Pustertal eSports (12) The North Sawo Lions season has been consistent and even linear. A few missteps but overall a coherent course and efficient statistics in all areas of the game, except perhaps in the net where the goalkeeper is below 78% of saves. On the other hand, the Austrian team of Pustertal had a difficult start with seven defeats in their first eight games before the team finally found their rhythm. If Pustertal manages to stay on their end-of-season trend, they could come and upset the established order and perhaps eliminate an opposing team that has had a better run, but Sawo Lions won't let themselves be defeated easily. Facts - North Sawo Lions had just 111 hits on the season, the lowest total in the entire Core Division. They are also the least penalized in the entire championship. - Pustertal used a total of eleven players during the season, one of the highest numbers in the Core Championship Deggendorfer SC Esports (6) vs Fenris Wolves (11) The remaining three series are fully open and each of the six teams can advance to the next round or stay back and leave to play golf prematurely. However, Deggendorfer's German team showed muscles during the season and their number of goals scored clearly indicates a tendency to hit the scoreboard hard. On the other side of the fence, Sweden's Fenris Wolves scored far less than their opponents but also conceded far fewer goals. However, it is difficult to make this type of comparison between two teams that have not played in the same group. Facts - Deggendorfer won few faceoffs, only 45.37% during the season - On the other hand, Fenris Wolves was one of the good students in this sector, winning 54.69% of its face-offs EHC Olten eSports (7) vs CapeTown Kings (10) This is an incredible matchup. The best defense in the league against one of the best attacks. Olten is the only team to have conceded less than two goals per game. "Attack wins games but defense wins championships", so in this case the Swiss are one to watch. But opposite CapeTown has managed to score four goals in each of its matches. The initial balance weighs in favor of the Swiss but CapeTown are a patient team and build their game intelligently. The fight will be fierce. Facts - With four shutouts and 88.28% saves in twenty games, the Olten goalkeeper, @HousePro99, was undoubtedly the best goalkeeper of the season - Only 67.65% efficiency in shorthanded play for CapeTown, the lowest total of teams qualified in the playoffs Pirates eSports (8) vs MoDo Hockey (9) Traditionally the last series of the playoffs tree is always the most open as the gaps between the two teams are so close. Offensively the favor goes to the Swedes who score more. But defensively the French did slightly better. However, it is a team that scores little and wins few faceoffs, thus having to suffer the rhythm of its opponent. But by beating Cheeky Grinders the Pirates showed solid skills. These are two teams that take few penalties but the superiority game of the Swedes is much better than that of the French. Facts - Formerly Cancun Hockey Club, the Pirates are the oldest French team in activity with a first ECL in 2018 and a total of eight participations in the ECL - @MrXbox79 of MoDo is the player who scored the most powerplay goals during the season, 6, tied with @Mestar93 of Black Hurricanes

SportsGamers, The Playoffs are coming in hot for the Lite division, and we're starting the action today! We've got 32 teams left in the competition and now it's time to start the real grind for that Championship, the biggest part of the prize pool, and a future spot in the bright lights of the Pro division! Schedule RO32: 22.-25.1.2023 RO16: 29.1-1.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 5.-8.2.2023 Semifinals: 12.-15.2.2023 Finals: 19.-22.2.2023 Without further ado, here are all of our matchups: Six Sticks Misfits (1) vs TROJANS (32) Six Sticks Misfits is a high-scoring team with one of the more experienced rosters in the league. They should be able to advance with relative ease against Trojans in this first round matchup. Prediction: 4-0 Six Sticks Misfits Hunters (2) vs Resurrection (31) This could be a cool one to watch. Hunters have managed to stay on top of their game all season long and as a result have deserved their #2 seed. Resurrection can be competitive on a good day, but have been a bit inconsistent. Prediction: 4-1 Hunters Gunners HC (3) vs SCB eSports (30) Gunners HC looked a bit slow to start the season, but really got up to speed towards the end. Can struggle with scoring, but managed to be the divisions best defensive squad. SCB has a massive challenge ahead of them, but they have a deep roster with several variations, so we'll see what they'll be able to pull out of their bag of tricks. Prediction: 4-0 Gunners HC Sodertalje SK (4) vs Lemmenvelhot (29) Sodertalje managed to really shut the doors defensively throughout the season and the team is in excellent form at the moment. They should be able to win this series against Lemmenvelhot, who were just a point away from a significantly higher seed due to the extremely tight situation that Group 4 finished in. Prediction: 4-0 Sodertalje SK Pirati Chomutov Esports (5) vs Armada Hockey (28) The offensive powerhouse Pirati Chomutov Esports can prove to be a problem for many teams in the postseason. The team relies on high-end individual skill and quick puck movement, which could spell trouble for Armada Hockey in this matchup. Armada have the ability to shut down high-end teams at their best, though. Prediction: 4-0 Pirati Chomutov Esports Vizio (6) vs Sawolanche (27) Vizio was one of the teams we expected to see a lot from at the start of the season, and they didn't disappoint. However, they have so much skill in the bank that they should be able to up their scoring numbers. Sawolanche could be in a world of trouble with these guys. Prediction: 4-0 Vizio Project X (7) vs xBOTS (26) Project X is the third highest scoring team in the league, while defense wasn't one of xBOTS' strong suits. If this turns into a shootout, the more experienced Project X will advance with ease. Prediction: 4-0 Project X Prestige (8) vs BIG Mistake (25) We're in for a fun one here. Prestige have high-skill individuals who can score on command and win series by themselves. On the other side, BIG Mistake is a well composed team, who struggled to find their stride at times. BIG Mistake might be better equipped for Playoff hockey. Prediction: 2-4 BIG Mistake Technical Disaster (9) vs DEG eSports (24) Technical Disaster have built a well balanced team with puck moving skill even on the back end. DEG have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net at times, but could be able to keep up in a scoring race. This will come down to which team is ready to defend with more patience. Prediction: 4-1 Technical Disaster RoKi Esports (10) vs EHC Dinamo Riga (23) RoKi played an excellent regular season in a tough group with Six Sticks Misfits and Pirati Chomutov running away with the top two spots. They had Prediction: 4-2 RoKi Esports Neptune Hockey (11) vs Unique (22) This could end up being a highly competitive matchup, between two very similar teams. Both squads have some high skill players in their roster and they've found a way to gel together throughout the season. Neptune Hockey found a way to win more tough matchups in the regular season, so we'll give them the slight edge here. Prediction: 4-3 Neptune Hockey Timrå IK Esport (12) vs Blessed Suedis (21) Timrå IK excels at special teams and that form alone could be enough to decide this series, if they are able to keep it up. Blessed Suedis will not be giving up easily and they have shown in the regular season, that they are able to challenge good teams. Prediction: 4-2 Timrå IK Esport EHC Kloten eSports (13) vs Stone Age (20) EHC Kloten eSports are an offensive minded squad, who were the second highest scoring team in Group 3. This Swiss squad is statistically way ahead of Stone Age at the moment, but the mammoths might be able to utilize their experience to gain an edce in some games. Prediction: 4-3 EHC Kloten eSports Skelleftea AIK (14) vs Herforder Ice Dragons (19) Skelleftea AIK can at best be the perfect Playoff team, who are able to shut down the neutral zone and be opportunistic with their own chances. They'll be a good test for Herforder Ice Dragons in this one, so we'll see which team eventually comes out on top. Prediction: 4-2 Skelleftea AIK Purification (15) vs Lions Academy (18) Despite Purification coming into this series as the higher seed, they have dropped off in form towards the end of the season. Lions, on the other hand have been great and are coming in with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10, which is why we're giving them the edge. Prediction: 3-4 Lions Academy Ultimatum (16) vs NOSTREETSPORTS (17) This is a very tough matchup, that could end up going either way. Both teams have put forth a very balanced campaign, but Ultimatum has been the slightly better team offensively throughout the regular season. If they are able to keep that up, they'll come away with the win. Prediction: 4-2 Ultimatum

SportsGamers, We've arrived at the Playoff stage also in our fifth tier of competition, the Neo division. Let's take a quick look at how these Playoffs will proceed an which teams are still in contention for the title! Schedule RO64: 22.-25.1.2023 RO32: 29.2.-1.2.2023 RO16: 5.-8.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 12.-15.2.2023 Semifinals: 19.-22.2.2023 Finals: 26.2.-1.3.2023 These teams seeded #1 to #8 have already secured a spot in the RO32: #1 Rusty Bulls #2 Pirati Chomutov Academy #3 The Real Rookies #4 Kanukit #5 Belissimo #6 Old Hogs #7 LETTLAND #8 EASHL Russian Their opponents will be coming out of the winning teams in the first round, RO64. For instance, Rusty Bulls will face the team with the lowest seed from RO64 and so on. Please find here the first round matchups for the teams seeded #9 to #24 Jokers Cergy (9) vs Wildcats esport II (24) Nbg Ice Tigers 2 (10) vs SWISS TIGERS (23) Unknown Heroes (11) vs FRONTALIERS ESPORT (22) Atomic Hamsters (12) vs Bulle HC (21) RAUTANE REMMI (13) vs Red Lightning (20) Engerau Pythons (14) vs Russian Lightning (19) Dompa HC (15) vs Progress (18) Kiipelin Kiekko (16) vs HC Northmen (17) The Neo Championship playoffs are always difficult to predict and this ECL '23 Winter is no exception to the rule. Obviously the Top 8 teams are already favorites but honestly the gaps between #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11 and #12 are not huge. It's all the more possible that the teams which have to go through a preliminary round can pull a beneficial effect due to the pace of competitive matches from the outset, while the teams at the top of the table will be resting for a short week. Let's have a look at some stats that might help to predict what will happen next. Individuals Most points : @ReKoJ-12 (Jokers Cergy) : 72 points (46+26) Most goals : @ReKoJ-12 (Jokers Cergy) 46 Most assists : @MrMikkiL (Belissimo) : 35 Most hits : @hapsukka (Hauhtonen) (Belissimo) : 124 Most PIM : @HulluSavolainen (HC Northmen) : 32 Most blocked shots : @xagon (Bulle HC) : 47 Most interceptions : @Nassundeerus (SpadduKeisari) (RAUTANE REMMI) : 99 Best saves % (at least 8 GP) : @Berty (Nbg Ice Tigers 2) : 88.98% Most shutouts (at least 8 GP) : @Patelaine (Lohilokeetto) (Kanukit) : 3 Teams Most goals scored : Belissimo 92 / Jokers Cergy 86 Lowest goals allowed : EASHL Russian 25 / Nbg Ice Tigers 2 27 Most faceoffs won : EASHL Russian 64.84% / Old Hogs 63.29% Most hits : HC Northmen 250 / The Real Rookies – HC MAD ROCKETS 245 Less PIM : Russian Lightning 14 / Glasbanken se 22 Most shots : RAUTANE REMMI 372 / Belissimo 313