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NHLGamers, This weekend, we got to witness a crazy show, mainly put on by your new ECL 12 Champions hREDS! The finals were in general very tight battles with the exception of game two that ended in a 6-0 whooping by hREDS. The big, bad reds suffered defeat by a sweep last season and came back to dish out the same kind of punishment to FILADELPHIA this year, we congratulate the champions and thank FILADELPHIA for their great effort! hREDS have come a long way in a relatively short time and after their devastating loss against FILADELPHIA back in the ECL 11 Finals, their will to win was obvious this time - turning the team into an unstoppable winning machine. Especially their defense was outstanding, conceding only one goal in the four games played. Defenseman Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen answered some questions amidst their celebration: "We didn't really change anything for the Finals, me and Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen are just that good at the moment. It's easy to play together and I guess it shows on the ice. We're definitely a tough team to beat at the moment. Amazing job by Filip @Faze91- Azri. Especially against FILA, allowing just one goal is unheard of, so he's been a backbone for us throughout. Also, when me, Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen and Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen have played together we haven't lost a single tournament, so the connection is definitely special and we're hoping to keep that momentum going." @Beniittto was chosen as the Playoff MVP by his teammates and he truly had a dominant outing throughout the series, with a whopping 4 goals and two assists in game two to really take charge. He commented on his prowess to the NHLGamer studio: "I mean I always try to be at my best level, and I guess in that 2nd game everything just worked out for me. Having Vilu and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen by my side make my game so much easier and it's a big thing for me to get to play with those guys. They definitely elevate me." The day after their amazing feat, social media is filled with posts of former teammates and friends congratulating these guys on their journey towards the top and finally conquering the mighty FILADELPHIA. with that, NHLGamer also took the time to reach out to General Manager Christer Kasurinen for some insight from behind the scenes. "We're really trying to build something more than just a one hit wonder here. There's been talk of "the big three" for quite some time already, but ultimately, we want to be "the big one". This championship is a big thing for hREDS and even though NHL Esports is a small niche in the grand scheme of things, the title is even bigger for us with HIFK being our main owners and all. You could talk about bridging that gap between traditional and virtual hockey." The manager does his best to stay involved with the team and allow them the best chances to succeed. "Behind the scenes, we've tried to do everything we can to help our boys succeed. Whether it's been going through mental stuff over a cup of coffee with some players or setting up some discussions with hockey players, we try to stay involved with the day-to-day of our team. For the Finals, it helped tremendously to get most of our players playing from a LAN location and the chemistry really showed in how comfortable the guys were. We're sad Filip couldn't make it due to travel restrictions, but we tried to set him up with similar conditions in a LAN location in his hometown so that he'd have the best circumstances to succeed." hREDS - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 1 - 25-4-1 (2nd) Quarterfinals: vs POGGERS 4-0 Semifinals: vs HAVU Gaming 4-2 Finals: vs FILADELPHIA 4-0 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #91 Filip @Faze91- Azri #1 Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen DEFENSEMEN #27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen #94 Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen FORWARDS #23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen #89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen Playoff MVP: #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen Congratulations on behalf of the entire community, and see you next season!

It was a hard fought battle as predicted, but in the end, the better team prevailed! The ECL 12 Pro Finals went down at the start of the week and Djurgarden Hockey was seen hoisting that trophy, claiming their spot in the ECL 13 Elite division. The Swedish ensemble have worked hard to achieve this goal, and now several of their players will have the chance to take their first strides in the brightest of lights when it comes to NHL Esports. We reached out to captain Björn @Jungledonk Lindberg for some comments about their journey. The captain himself had an impressive season, breaking the ECL Pro record for most goals by a defenseman in the playoffs - now at 10 goals by the man himself. Congratulations! It must feel extra special to accomplish the championship and promotion with guys that you have worked alongside for such a long time. What are some of the factors that have led your to this point, looking back at past seasons? "As you said, we've been working extremely hard and for a long time. We've worked both on our game as a team as well as the mental aspects of the game. Our players have grown as people, individuals and team players along that way. There truly is no 'I' in this team and it's harder to accomplish that than you'd think when we're composed of such individually skilled players. The fact that everyone fights for each other is the biggest factor to our great run." Next up for you guys is the step up to the European Top 16. What will DIF look like moving forward and what are your thoughts on what to develop? "Actually, we haven't given that too much thought just yet. Obviously it's in the back of your head, but our full focus has been solely on claiming the Pro title, the promotion is a welcome bonus. When it comes to our composition next season, we won't be shuffling things around too much. I'll reveal that we've picked up William @Mumsi- Lindblad from Leksand, but overall I'm very hapy with what we've got. We know it's going to be a tough job in Elite and our primary focus lies on retaining our spot in our first season. From there we'll learn and develop into coming campaigns."  Djurgarden Hockey - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 1 - 18-7-5 (3rd) Round 1: vs  4-0 Hotbox Quarterfinals: vs  4-2 Kiekko-Espoo Esports Semifinals: vs BoxinElite 4-1 Finals: vs Team LEISURE 4-2 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #26 Valtteri @Sorsa103 Mulari DEFENSEMEN #1 Andreas @Clumpyindiana79 Storbacka #81 Björn @Jungledonk Lindberg #92 Tobias @svetidaje Karlsson FORWARDS #46 Joacim @LordStanley46_ Wilhelmsson #71 Philip @Strumpan87 Ström #91 Amadeus @amadee21 Carlsson Congratulations on behalf of the entire community, and see you next season!