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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! You asked for it, so we'll provide! This time we had a chat with Santeri @Sanezh Maanselkä, who has spent all of his virtual hockey career with Hokurit. The defenseman hailing from Mikkeli in southeastern Finland has come a long way together with his team, with their sights set on consistent improvement, one step at a time. 1.    What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I think it was back in NHL 13 when I first played EASHL with a couple of friends, quite casually. The fire for playing competitively was ignited somewhere around NHL 16, when Hokurit was founded. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club Hokurit? I've played for Hokurit for my entire career and several of my teammates have become great friends for me even outside of the virtual rinks. The best part though is the way the core players have been committed to our long project that started already in 2015. Naturally we've had some roster turnover over the years, but it's been great to see how each player has grown through the years and with each iteration of the game. 3. What is your greatest NHL gaming memory? There's so many and it's tough to pick just one. I think one of the most memorable moments was our ECL 8 debut when every player was so nervous and some shaky hands were evident! Another more recent memory was our promotion to ECL '22 Winter Pro through the qualifiers. The five season grind finally paid off and the feeling was incredible when we managed to secure our spot at the second highest tier in the final matchup of the qualifiers. 4. Describe your perfect breakfast! I'm not a big breakfast person and often tend to skip it, but a true and tested combo I've stuck with is a few slices of rye bread with ham and cheese, washed down with a couple glasses of cold milk. 5. You're GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team but none of your current teammates. Who's in your starting six and why? I could easily pick a player each from the top 3 teams, but I'll go with players I've played with over the years and that have made an impression on me: @jouni29 - @MozjaTG (Mozjayh) - @vepdsssss (Werppi) @Maestroffi - @ripKeisari @burban26 I started my career playing with Mozja so he is an easy pick for center. He is a very skilled player and I'd say he is one of the best centermen in Elite right now. Flanking him I've got Jouni, who I've played with for several years. He's a guy who handles his defensive duties with care and backs his teammates regardless of the situation. On the right flank I've picked a rather unknown name, Werppi. Be on the lookout for his skill. On defense I've picked my former defensive partners. Maestroffi is a very good player in his own zone and also handles scoring when some backup is needed on that front. ripKeisari is a guy I've known for over ten years and he is a high-skill defenseman who is great with the puck.  In net, I've got the Swiss beard king, Burban. I had the honor of playing an FCL tournament with him and he made an impression as a very nice person with a passion and fire for the game. 6. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? As a kid I always wanted to be a police officer, but later on I've dreamt about a job in sports. A marketing job for a hockey team could be very cool. Right now I'm working at the fresh meat counter of a supermarket. 7. Do you play or have you played hockey? I've never played for a team although I wanted to do so as a kid. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? The best memory is from 2015 and it's not even close. That's when my hometown team Mikkelin Jukurit secured the Mestis championship, which sealed the deal for them to advance to playing at the highest level in Liiga. 9. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I like playing other games too, especially FIFA and Call of Duty. I'm also an avid sports fan and I can be found in the stands cheering on local football and hockey teams throughout the winter and summer. Nothing beats having a few beers in a group of friends after a tough week of work, though. 10. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? Pepperoni, blue cheese and paprika mayonnaise to top it off. 11. You're the locker room DJ and get one song to hype up your team. What do you play? Motörhead – The Game. 12. How did you come up with your PSN ID? My name is Santeri, and most of my friends call me Sane, which eventually transformed into Sanezh, when all other options for my PSN ID were taken. 13. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? @Beniittto. He's the captain and centerman for the best team in Europe. If anyone, he makes the game look easy. 14. Describe your ideal holiday! On a beach somewhere warm with good friends. 15. Now it's up to you to suggest who we should interview next. Who do you want to hear from and why? I'm gonna call out @Rytze_. I think this gentleman could provide a great interview for you! 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!

Hey Gamers, The wait is over — it’s time to kick off the NHL 26 season with the ECL ‘26 Pre-Season Tournament. This friendly event gives teams the chance to warm up for the upcoming ECL season in a relaxed and flexible setting. With three competitive tiers, there’s something for everyone — from top contenders fine-tuning their play to new teams getting their first taste of ECL action. Each tier features its own playoffs, offering every team a chance to compete, improve, and prepare for the season ahead. Get your lineups ready and hit the ice — the ECL ‘26 Pre-Season starts now. The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports. The abbreviation stands for the European Championship League and it features NHL 6v6 esports in five divisions aimed at various skill levels. Every player, including the goalies, is controlled by a human. League games are played in the EASHL mode and the platform is PlayStation and Xbox. ECL has been played since 2015. Basic information/requirements of ECL: The tournament will be played on the NHL 26 (PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X/S) Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude players located in North America or Asia. A European server will always be used. We reserve the right to exclude teams or players in case of severe connection issues. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at SportsGamer.GG and create their personal player card. ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro, ECL Lite, and ECL Core will require their respective ECL ‘26: Winter team licenses in order to play. In addition, every player in the above-mentioned divisions needs to have a valid ECL ‘26: Player License or ECL ‘26: Winter Player License before taking the ice. Players in ECL Neo require only an ECL '26: Winter Neo Player License. The ECL '26 Pre-Season tournament does not require the license, Rules: ECL '26: Winter Official Rules | Also see ECL ’26: Winter - Ability & Build Bans ECL Pre-Season As stated, the tournament will be hosted in three tiers without any major restrictions except for the ones mentioned below. Elite & Pro See schedule here Only ECL Elite & ECL Pro teams, and by special request wildcard & qualifier teams This is a friendly warmup tournament, no need to argue (=no League Admin cases) Regular season 30.10-10.11 Teams are divided into two groups Top 4 from each group makes it into the playoffs Playoffs (BO5) 13.-16.11 (Quarterfinals) 17.-20.11 (Semifinals) 23-25.11 (Finals) 👉 Note: This Pre-Season will overlap with the ECL Winter Qualifiers. If you know or expect to participate in the Elite or Pro Qualifiers, you should skip the Pre-Season to avoid schedule conflicts. Sign-ups are open until 12:00 CET, October 28th. SIGN UP HERE Lite & Core See schedule here Only ECL Lite & ECL Core teams, and by special request wildcard teams & qualifier teams This is a friendly warmup tournament, no need to argue (=no League Admin cases) Regular season 30.10-10.11 Teams are divided into ten groups Top 3 from each group, plus the best two #4 teams make it into the playoffs Playoffs (BO3) 12-13.11 (RO32) 16.-17.11 (RO16) 19.-20.11 (Quarterfinals) 23-25.11 (Semifinals) 27.11 (Finals) Sign-ups are open until 12:00 CET, October 28th. SIGN UP HERE Neo & Newcomers See schedule here Only ECL Neo & Newcomer teams This is a friendly warmup tournament, no need to argue (=no League Admin cases) Regular season 30.10-12.11 Teams are divided into six groups Top 2 from each group, plus the best four #3 teams make it into the playoffs. Playoffs (BO3) 13-14.11 (RO16) 16.-17.11 (Quarterfinals) 19.-20.11 (Semifinals) 23-24.11 (Finals) Sign-ups are open until 12:00 CET, October 28th. SIGN UP HERE Uniform and logo unlocks for organizations This form is intended for organizations associated with SportsGamer to request primarily uniform and logo unlocks in order to represent their team appropriately. Here is a link for the unlocks form: https://forms.gle/3RezYrzCm1yZFFdU9 Rules Although the Pre-Season Tournament will not be under as strict scrutiny as the ECL, we want to remind you to respect your opponents and go about the games just as you would when playing real ECL league matchups. Rules: ECL '26: Winter Official Rules | Also see ECL ’26: Winter - Ability & Build Bans If teams are tied in points after the group stage, we will utilize these usual tie-breakers: Wins (including OT-wins) Head-to-head record (points in mutual games) Goal difference (across all games played) Scored goals (across all games played) We hope you're as excited as we are to get back into the action - build your team, sign up, and have fun!