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The time has come – the most thrilling esports hockey competition in Europe is back! 🏒🔥 ECL '25: Spring is officially here, and we’re in for another action-packed season. Whether you're a diehard fan eagerly awaiting the action or a newcomer curious about the excitement, now's the perfect time to get involved. Fire up those systems because the competition is about to reach new heights! 🎮🚨 In this preview, we’ll dive into a few teams and their key players taking center stage in the fierce battle for supremacy in the prestigious ECL. From the experienced veterans to the rising stars looking to make their mark, this season promises to be full of high-stakes matchups and unforgettable moments. Stay tuned as we explore what makes this spring’s ECL so special and what fans can expect as the season unfolds! 🌟🏆 Almost Famous It wasn’t many seasons ago that Almost Famous won the Pro title, with a few different players of course, nonetheless this is a new team with new expectations. @Ikavalko headlines this roster as he usually does, this veteran player takes his age-old team into ECL once again and is now looking to win the Pro title once again, with a revamped squad. Player to watch: @kkostiiii 👀 Season Prediction: Title Contenders 🏆 Carnages With newcomers from qualifiers it’s quite hard to give a good read or estimate, but plowing through the qualifiers in stage 1 and gaining the Pro spot as group winners surely made a statement for other teams in the Pro division. Captain @Fin_S1su has assembled a worthy team for the Pro division that will be fighting for a playoff spot this year and beyond, with great goaltending from their leader and solid offense we might just see that happen. Player to watch: @Bugimir🧤 Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs 📈 Chiubibigle After a few rough seasons in the Pro division (former Devilz), this team continues to stay alive and keep their spot in the second highest division, now after qualifiers they claim their spot once again in Pro, with their main goal to not be playing qualifiers at the end of the season. However, with a completely new look this season, Devilz have gotten some experience in the form of @Haldeem & @Original-SnuS, if the whole team can find some chemistry to begin the season, Devilz might just find them pushing for a playoff spot. Player to watch: @I_Alex28_I 🎯 Season Prediction: Relegation 📉 Falun Coal Miners After a disappointing season in Elite, they had another chance at redemption in the Elite qualifiers but didn’t quite pull through, another top performance is highly likely in the upcoming Pro division for the experienced Swedish team. With a lot of experience comes different ways to play the game, and Falun Coal Miners surely knows how to do that at the Pro level, if they can put up a similar effort as their last Pro season they surely are a favourite. Player to watch: @STRANDMANNEN11 💪 Season Prediction: Title Contender 🏆 F U R Y Fury comes in with one of the most experienced of new teams in Pro. Players from different teams come together and take a Pro spot and immediately become favourites to go far in the playoffs. @LE1PAKONE nordzman headlines the newly founded team and is looking to pave his way back to the Elite division, now as a forward Nordzman has to make it work with some new teammates and big expectations on his shoulder. Player to watch: @Konsuk05 🎮 Season Prediction: 2nd round of playoffs 🚀 Golden Buffalos This one sure is an interesting one, as everyone watches and wonders what this team has done, and is going to do we’ll give a fair evaluation at the mid-season report when it’s clear who plays at what position, with new signings like @Patzlaf , @FlyerKungen & @Eken45jr who have played in Elite for their entire careers, we’ve never seen anything similar in the Pro division, so buckle up and follow this team closely this season. Player to watch: @xSauron_96 👑 Season Prediction: 2nd round of playoffs 🔥 Golden Sticks After a strong playoff performance in ECL 24, the team faced a bit of a setback during the offseason, losing several key players to transfers and other commitments. Despite these challenges, they narrowly avoided relegation to the Pro qualifiers, managing to stay in their current league by the slimmest of margins. With a renewed focus and a few strategic additions to the roster, the team is now looking to bounce back and make a stronger push this season, aiming to build on their playoff experience and overcome the difficulties they faced in the past. Player to watch: @peppenntur 🧊 Season Prediction: Relegation 🚨 HC Lugano eSport After a solid regular season for Lugano, their playoff hopes got squashed by eventual semifinalists and qualifier winners Nova, and are now looking for redemption. This season Lugano needs to prove that last season's regular season finish wasn’t a fluke, and that this is their true level. Now with some more experience under their belt, Lugano are looking to build something great and go deep in the playoffs with the same roster from last season. Player to watch: @CMB-wf- 🧱 Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs 🎯 Kertoimia Vastaan After a difficult Pro qualifier, Kertoimia Vastaan made it to Pro and now want to cement themselves as a playoff team immediately, that’s going to be tough with some new teams and a lot of dark horses. One who can stand out for them this season is @HopeaKypara99, he has that Pro experience and he knows what it takes to succeed at this level. If Kertoimia Vastaan can get a hot start, they can fight for a playoff spot. Player to watch: @HopeaKypara99 🎯 Season Prediction: Relegation 📉 Nurnberg IceTigers eSport Landing in Pro for the season and not seeing a big change from last season for the German team might just be what they need, more time to get their ducks in a row and start progressing as a team. Now they need that little bit of a push to be more competitive, and @Flo_goes_grazy flgr93 has that needed flair any team needs to be a good team in Pro, but can the rest of the team keep up? Player to watch: @Flo_goes_grazy flgr93 ⚡ Season Prediction: No-man's land 🗺️ Otukset Always a team that competes well in the Pro division, again quite close as they made the Elite qualifiers, but they were outclassed and sent packing. Now a new season in Pro and their goal has to be a deep playoff run, a very skilled team with a lot of games played together under their belt, and once again a heavy favourite to win it. Player to watch: @Mikka mikkaah 🎯 Season Prediction: 2nd round of playoffs 🚀 REALISTIC A team that played well in FCL, and took a Pro spot and is eager to show that this is where they belong, now Realistic has everything going for them and need to capitalize on that. @N44TTI_16 naatti__ joins Realistic after a few seasons in Elite with good numbers, and is going to be one of many who might be after the top scorers position in Pro this season, if his team can keep with him, they might just find themselves in a good position at the end of the season. Player to watch: @N44TTI_16 naatti__ 🏹 Season Prediction: 2nd round of playoffs 🔥 Blegi An experienced squad who some have played in the highest level of ECL, now they begin their climb back up with a new squad, with uncertainty in the squad who plays yet it will be interesting to see who starts when the season starts. After an interesting FCL campaign, Blegi sure has a lot of doubters, and wants to prove them wrong, recent Elite standout @koleslaav_ who captains Blegi surely wants to win more games than most now has something to prove once again. Player to watch: @ItzPoro 🎮 Season Prediction: No-man's land 🌫️ Pivto4ka Another newly founded team in Pro with some good experience, this Russian side is spearheaded by veteran @NyambI4. Advancing through the qualifiers and eventually making it, this team had its issues with finding chemistry early on, it’ll be an interesting season for them if they keep having the same issues. Player to watch: @muzhichok39 xbelzzyy 🧩 Season Prediction: No-man’s land 🚧 Sunne IK esport The newly crowned SCL champions are headed to the Pro division! Has a nice ring to it, right? Or maybe ECL 25 Winter champions, either way this team has accumulated a ton of experience and trophies on the way, and now they’re looking for one more. After a few seasons in ECL, Sunne IK really found their groove and leading the way is @forreberra, the talented winger really can put on a show, so Pro defenseman, be ready. Player to watch: @benjamint737 ✨ Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs 💪 Vizio A mainstay now in Pro for a few seasons, this Finnish side seem to have found that groove that it takes to play in the Pro division. Now is the time to build on their upwards trajectory, after a tough ending to the season last ECL where they were held off of making the playoffs in the last regular season game. The team gets some well needed boosts this season, notably experienced defenseman @SirLateksi who has built a resume worthwhile, now helping Vizio hopefully to the playoffs. Player to watch: @Artuzio 🛡️ Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs ⚔️ ECL Pro Format: 2 Groups - 33 Teams Team license required: Yes Player license required: Yes Gamedays: Mon, Tue & Thu Regular season starts: 7.4 Transfer deadline: 25.4 23:59 CEST ⚠️ Regular season ends: 8.5 Playoffs (BO7) Round of 16: Monday 26.5 Tuesday 27.5 Thursday 29.5 Quarterfinals: Monday 2.6 Tuesday 3.6 Thursday 5.6 Semifinals: Monday 9.6 Tuesday 10.6 Thursday 12.6 Finals: 16.6- 17.6* Promotion & Relegation games are to be played shortly after the season, however dates are flexible. * Dates are subject to change as broadcast productions are confirmed. We would recommend everyone to go through the ECL Essentials - A Guide to the ECL. If you face any problems, feel free to contact us through the Support Tool. Welcome to the season. Let the games begin!

Meet the ECL '25: Spring Cover Gamer: Lauri "sopulii_" Enström The ECL '25: Spring season is here, and leading the way as the Cover Gamer is none other than Lauri @sopulii_ Enström of Blackbirds. A Pro division champion, competitive floorball player, content creator, and a driving force behind Blackbirds' esports project, Enström embodies what it means to be an ECL athlete both on and off the ice. We caught up with him to talk about his journey, his team's rise through the divisions, the connection between virtual hockey and floorball, and what it means to represent Blackbirds on two fronts.   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 🇫🇮 ECL '23: Winter: Erik @Eki Tammenpää 🇫🇮 ECL '23: Spring: Tomi @tomboo- Laitinen 🇫🇮 ECL ‘24: Winter: Adam @dzouvi Menšík 🇨🇿 ECL ‘24: Spring: Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 🇫🇮   Interview with Lauri "sopulii_" Enström Congrats on becoming the ECL '25: Spring Cover Gamer! What does this recognition mean to you personally and as part of the Blackbirds organization? Thank you, being named cover gamer is of course a great honour considering the cover gamers in the past. It is very cool to be able to represent the league as a team that was just promoted to Elite for this season. The journey we've had with this team has been unbelievable and finally, after so many seasons in lower divisions, we have our chance to give it all we have at the highest level.   Your journey in the ECL has been steadily rising season by season—how did it all start for you, and what motivated you to keep pushing to this level? I personally started in ECL 11 during NHL 21, but the story of the modern-day Blackbirds really began in the ECL'23 Winter season with xBots. Finally, we were able to build a team around the Xbox community since this was the time cross-play was added to the game. We were also the first and only Xbox team to compete that season, and we managed to push into the Lite division in the qualifiers. Our group has always been pretty close, so I think over the years that has been our strength - being able to really stick together as a group even through the tough times.   Blackbirds had a dominant Winter season and capped it off with the Pro title. What do you think made the difference this time compared to earlier seasons? This is a pretty simple one to answer - we played much more together than any previous season. And we played with this exact roster a lot. Most seasons during our club's existence have seen sometimes even up to 10+ players playing throughout the season. But this past season it was really the first time we were able to play a stable season without a huge amount of roster variance between games. The current roster was mainly 1v1 oriented players in the past meaning the motivation to play a lot of 6s wasn't really there.   You’ve been part of the team’s core through multiple seasons and changes. How has the chemistry evolved, and how important is that off-the-ice connection to your success? I think the off-the-ice chemistry is a huge strength of ours - and has always been. The core of our team has been friends ever since around 2020, so the club was created much after we knew each other. What separates the current lineup from the ones in the past is probably the way we're all more or less on the same page about how we want to play and what our expectations/goals are. It's a young team but I think the past 2 seasons have given us so much growth as a team - both on the ice and off it.   Are there any teams or players in Elite you’re especially looking forward to matching up against? The floorball derby - Blackbirds vs Heimo. Both teams are representatives of Finnish floorball clubs (Blackbirds, Kerava & Westend Indians). Funny enough we have a player playing for Heimo in real life, so this is a matchup I'm looking forward to. SportsGamer was even kind enough to schedule this matchup as a broadcast game.   You’re not just a top-tier NHL player—you also compete in floorball at a high level. How do the two sports complement each other for you, if at all? I've said this for years and I still believe it's true - the virtual hockey gameplay resembles floorball much more than real hockey. So I really think they do complement each other in a lot of ways. The principles of the games are very similar - a good play in one is very likely a good play in the other. The gameplay allows for much more control than real-life hockey does, meaning it's possible to make for example passing plays the same way it can be done on the field in floorball.   What does it mean to represent Blackbirds in both physical and digital arenas? That’s a pretty unique position to be in. Haha, yeah. I've represented Blackbirds in real life for almost 10 years now and it is always a cool feeling to step on the field or virtual ice at "Kurkela Garden". Tune in to the Season Opening Broadcast Tonight! Stay tuned as Lauri and Blackbirds take on their biggest challenge yet in the Elite division. Watch them live this season on twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG and twitch.tv/BlackbirdsUnited follow their journey across both the esports and floorball arenas. Both Blackbirds and ONSE Esports kick off their maiden ECL Elite broadcast matchup together, starting tonight at 19:45 CEST, followed by NOVA taking on Polski Boys - be sure to tune in!