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SportsGamers, It's time to take a look at how we have fared in the ECL '23 Spring Pro division as the season has passed it's alfway mark. Some teams have already played a majority of their games and will have to wait for others to catch up, so it makes for an interesting rest of the season for them to say the least. Please note that this article reflects the situation of the league prior to games played on Monday, May 15th. Group 1 Written by @OGjahajaha In group 1 it's looking like Luleå Hockey will run away with the top seed, while surprising newcomers Purification are in good position to at least shock the writer! Also, perhaps this finally is Valco's season!? HOT 🔥 Purification Personally, I counted Purification out of the Playoff race before the season, but they've shown that they can definitely compete at the Pro season and do what quite few newly promoted teams can do. @eBasstian has elevated the team with the experience he's bringing on board and @LaxenHD is taking big steps forward in his development. Luleå Hockey Having had a chance at Elite Qualification before the season, Luleå Hockey were one of the teams we knew to keep a look out for in Pro. This outfit has played together for quite some time already, switching between various organizations and their very familiar POGGERS brand. As a matter of fact, all of their players hold Elite experience from past seasons too, so it is definitely no surprise to see these guys fighting for the top spots in their group. At this level, Luleå is an offensive powerhouse that will be very hard to stop, and they've claimed the place of highest scoring team to show for it. @Janski (Jansku23) is by far their most productive player and is on pace to win the league scoring race by a wide margin. Project X Another newly promoted team that has managed to establish their game early on at the next level. Project X are a very well balanced team that are now looking to keep pushing with a solid core of individually talented players. Their number one star at the moment is definitely recent IIHF eWorld Champion @JesseL2002, who is also the teams most productive player on the left flank. Project X is in position to take a top 3 seed in their group, but several strong units are chasing them! NOT ❄️ Red Bull Munich eSports We didn't give Red Bull Munich much of a chance to begin with, and unfortunately their campaign in the Pro division has been a disastrous one. Despite finding ways to score and keeping up with mid-level teams in that regard, their defensive game hasn't been even close to on par for what they would need to display. I would have expected forwards @Pathen-21- and @Flo_goes_grazy to be able to help the team more and instill confidence into their team throughout, but that has not been the case this season. Neptune Hockey Neptune Hockey have put themselves in a tough situation. The team has played almost all of their games already and at the moment it looks like they'll have to wait for other teams to catch up before we can tell how it's all going to end up for them. However, the prospects of avoiding relegation is looking slim. The Neptunes have struggled mightily with scoring and they can't seem to buy a goal for the life of them at times. They'll need all they can get in their remaining few games. Bastu A team that probably were looking to compete for a Playoff spot in their second season at the Pro level, but have been tremendously disappointing. Bastu added lots of experience in the form of @Iltapeli (apetttaja) before the season, but he hasn't seemed to help them succeed in the way they wanted to. While Bastu have been able to stay effective on offense, they've struggled to tighten things up in their own end, which will be their downfall this season. They're in a pickle with 26 games already played and at this pace they could end up being relegated without help from others. Group 2 Written by @ripKeisari In the second group of Pro, everything is still wide open. Polski Boys, Golden Nights and Sika are currently fighting for the first seed, but Renascor or Gunners HC can still challenge for top spots. Below I have included the teams that are hot and cold in my books. HOT 🔥 Golden Nights Golden Nights has started the season strongly and, in my eyes, even a bit surprisingly, is leading the group at the moment. Golden Nights’ new acquisitions @jm98II, @Sagee95 and @Mikka have clearly found a common chemistry. Another positive side is @kkostiiii's good save percentage. I'm already putting some pressure on the team for the upcoming playoff summer and I say that with these showings they should do well in the playoffs and if the season doesn't end with a top 4 ranking, it's disappointment. SIKA SIKA has also started the season well and the acquisitions @jezbaru and @Jondeezz have scored a good amount of points. There is room for improvement, as their power play is only at 15%. Let's see how @vSilenttio gets the most out of his team, maybe he should pass the puck more? Since his time with puck is way above that of the next guy on the team. Polski Boys Polski Boys had some banter going on Twitter before the start of the season about how the team will win Pro. Perhaps this tactic has worked, as at the time of writing this article, the team is third in the group. We feel like the move of @Brockela22 going to center has made great impact for them. When you follow the team's points and puck losses, you get the impression that Polski likes to attack from the left side of the ice. Indicators that suggest this are @kungenkurwa's points compared to @vote_10's and @punt1la98's time with puck + shocking numbers of puck losses. These puck losses can be decisive in tight playoff games, so there might be something to improve. NOT ❄️ Arkham Asylum Arkham is such a likeable team that it pains me to trash them like this. But we must be truthful and say that although @ReDMisTi and @Juigelson have a lot of elite experience, it just doesn't seem enough at the pro level anymore. And if the team doesn't start winning, you can say goodbye to pro and drop back to Lite. As an interesting statistic fact, Juigelsson's passing percentage is 56%, so about half of his passes will go to his teammates. (Shoutout also to @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) and @Zupancic_King424 (Zuppe_23) for similar passing percentage) Otukset @juhkis96 and his downfall can be seen in Otukset’s performance this season. He played in the Elite division for a few seasons, but always got dropped out. Maybe for a reason? Otukset could be described as a sinking ship that no one is coming to save and people are watching from the coast to see when the ship will be seen for the last time before it sinks completely. NOVA Nobody expected anything from this team, and they really didn’t deliver anything, but I guess they must be brought up here as a cold team. Anyways, they have good penalty kill numbers, so that’s something. It's looking like NOVA will need to find a new direction for their story in the Lite division next season. RANDOM FACTS, PREDICTIONS AND OPINIONS Otukset has had 8 players on the lineup and now 3 of them are gone. What went wrong? Djurgården have an average record although on paper they should be a good team. The new acquisition @sannteri can bring a boost to the team's game. Gunners HC has played surprisingly well and can challenge Pro's top teams. However, power play and penalty kill need something new, because the percentages are horrendously bad. Shoutout for @LaxenHD and @eBasstian for being 2nd and 3rd in points, a bit surprising. What happened to Dehliiin? Last season he came second in points and now just little bit over point per game. Otukset and Vizio are the only teams in the division who still haven't been able to score on the powerplay. Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming has had _10_ different players on the ice during 20 games. @Burtsi980H has the most penalties drawn in the league with 11. @Tappu still playing goalie part-time? He has the most blocked shots in the league, 39 in 18 games.

Let me help you improve your game in net. During this fall and winter, I will take on three goalies (1 ECL Core, 1 ECL Lite, and 1 ECL Pro) and work closely together with each one to try and help them improve their game. We will have one-on-one meetings, analyze gameplay, select the appropriate goalie build, and talk about match situations. Does this sound like something that's for you? If it does, I hope you meet the below requirements and I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Requirements for applying: PlayStation 5 Microphone English or Swedish-speaking At least one ECL season played as a goalie If you meet the requirements and want to try and take your game to the next level, please contact me on Discord explaining your reasoning why you should be one of these three goalies and you just might be one of the selected goalies. I will make the selection of which goalies I'll work with within a week, so apply now! Good luck. You can find me on Discord with the username McSavid on the SportsGamer Discord server.

SportsGamers, We're in for an unusually tight season in the Lite division and a quick look at the groups show that very few teams manage to really stand out from the pack this time. As the season progresses, there will naturally be some outliers but this time around, that will mainly come from finding form along they way and running with it. It's truly going to be anyone's game this Spring season. This season preview will aim to highlight three interesting teams and three interesting players from each of the four groups in the division. We'll be revisiting the preview in our mid-season report, where we'll be able to see if any of our predictions have held up to the test of time. ECL '23 Spring Lite Schedule Regular Season: 25.4.-24.5. RO32: 30.5.-4.6. RO16: 6.-11.6. Quarterfinals: 13.-18.6. Semifinals: 20.-25.6. Finals: 27.-29.6. Group 1 Written by @OGjahajaha Duesseldorfer EG eSports The former DEG eSports are entering their eighth straight season in the Lite division and while they’ve been grinding away for such a long time already, success has managed to avoid them. Last season, they were eliminated by the top seed Six Sticks Misfits in the second round of the Playoffs, but things are looking on the up for DEG, and this might be the season they thrive. NOSTREETSPORTS This highly experienced team holds lots of individual talent and looks very balanced on every position. They should be able to dominate competition in possession, which will most likely translate to scoring if they are able to convert on their opportunities. Should be right up there with the best of them in terms of title contention. Dark Wild This is a roster that took the ice for the first time in the eHockey Finnish Championships and had some struggles early on, but could be an interesting story to follow if they’re able to develop along the season. Dark Wild also has a very deep roster with some ability to rotate positions and players in the starting lineup if required. Players to watch: @Fire_019, Duesseldorfer EG eSports @Kaapo13, Technical Disaster @lordkomar91, HC KOROBKA Group 2 Written by @OGjahajaha Lions Academy After making the Lite Playoffs last season and being a dangerous squad to be on the lookout for, Lions Academy lost their top scorer SnipeLVCelly among quite a few other players in the offseason and are now entering their next campaign with yet another deep roster with several possibilities. Quite notably, they’ve added Burban and FightLocke3 from the Elite squad ZSC Lions to mind the net, which certainly gives the entire team a big boost. Could be a sneaky squad that makes it really hard for their opponents to score. Sodertalje SK An experienced squad that could be a fringe Pro team when they’re on their game. Sodertalje SK have had tremendous difficulty scoring in the SCL, and they’ll definitely be hoping that those troubles would be in the rearview heading into the ECL. The leadership group needs to get the team going and forwards need to produce. Cheeky Grinders A sneaky Championship contender, maybe? Cheeky Grinders finished ECL ‘23 Winter by claiming the ECL Core title and are coming into the Lite division off of an eHSM campaign they’ll definitely want to improve on. The Grinders struggled greatly on special teams on both ends of the ice and were a bit too undisciplined for their own good. This team has the potential to be great if they put their minds to it and get down to the grind, as their name would suggest. Players to watch: @Fightlocke3, Lions Academy @Hockeyulle, Sodertalje SK @vepdsssss (Werppi), Ultimatum Group 3 Supernatural Definitely one of the favorites coming up for this season. Team with a lot of experience from the higher divisions and the expectations are high for this team to make it far in the playoffs. Team is well balanced on all fronts and the experience of players should be a weapon for this team moving forward. They should be able to control the play in most of their matchups and if they can perform they should win the group. Strong contender. Mustaa Kultaa Dark horse of this division. Team with lots of individual skill and potential that needs to perform well as a team to succeed. Young and hungry would be the best words to describe this team. A lack of experience could be the thing that haunts this team moving forward. If they can get their teamplay going and find the right playstyle for them, they could be a solid contender. This could be a story to follow this season. Ghost After not making the playoffs last season, the team has made some new exciting additions to their roster on the attacking front. This team has potential to do good in this division, but if the new additions do not perform the team could easily do the same as last season and miss the playoffs. These things will make this team interesting to watch next season. Players to watch: @Eiteam, Supernatural @Valosaari92, Rahinage @Velttola, Mustaa Kultaa Group 4 Skelleftea AIK After an unfortunate end to last season losing in the first round against Herforder Ice Dragons they have a chance to redeem themselves this season and go far. Since last season they have lost some key players so we will have to see if the new players can perform on the level needed for the team to make it to the playoffs once again. Skelleftea is known for their fast counterattacks and have been effective on the scoring chances they get. If they get their game going with the new lineup they could be a solid contender PunaKala Punakala has been a solid team in Lite for quite many seasons in a row and this season could be their chance to finally make it far in the playoffs. They have a solid defense, but the offense has to really step it up this season if they wish to be successful. If the team is able to develop during the season this could prove to be a great season for the team. xBOTS This team has a lot of individual talent and after a successful eHockey Finnish Championships, the team looks to be very balanced and well built together. This is definitely a puck possession team, but they have to be more efficient with their scoring chances. Especially the addition of IOLL1 could be a factor that makes the offence more efficient and therefore could make the team a force to be reckoned with. This team has a quite passive play style and has struggled against teams that play a solid trap. If they can improve on their zone entries they truly have potential to be great. Solid defense and having a lot of possession are keys for this team to succeed. A solid contender. Players to watch: @I0LL1, xBOTS @Clumpyindiana79, Armada Hockey @andreaskakan, Mora IK

SportsGamers, The new competitive season has been a long time coming and we're definitely excited to get things going across the board. With all five divisions kicking off either tonight or tomorrow evening, this is set to be a season for the record books. We're extremely proud to be the longest running NHL esports league around with an implemented divisional framework, which is why this season's kick-off story will focus on the storylines across the entire league. We're hoping to see several interesting stories unfold as the season progresses, and hopefully many newcomers will get to experience their first taste of competitive NHL esports and perhaps even see some success and development along the way! An influx of new talent across the board, and the return of some familiar faces As we've seen happen on a regular basis each season, the divisional framework allows for teams to take leaps in development through promotions and relegations. With this, we'll have several interesting names entering their first seasons at a higher level also in the ECL '24 Winter season. In the Top 16, the turnover is naturally lower than in our other divisions, but we're going to keep an eye on the ECL '23 Spring Champions Polski Boys, who will enter their rookie season in Elite. The Polski Boys have been talking a hard game on their social media channels ever since the foundation of the team, and while they were able to back up their talk in the Pro division, we'll see if the same goes for their campaign among Elite company. This squad has been on a real villain arc throughout their short history and continued establishing themselves as true heels in the ECL scene by poaching Golden Nights winger Joona @jm98II Muona mere weeks before the start of the season, leading to the demise of their rival club.  In regards to the Pro division, there's been quite heavy criticism of the Qualifier process watering down the skill level of the division by allowing too many new squads into the 32-team division. While there's a point to be made there, the new teams are always an exciting watch and a step up in competition allows them an opportunity to develop their game at a fast pace. Among these new teams, Gotham Knights have an extremely strong roster and will be sure to compete with the top teams in the division right away, whereas the likes of Athletic Bulls and PunaKala will be forced to elevate their level in order to survive in this tough division. PunaKala is an interesting team in the sense that they've been grinding away in the Lite division since ECL 11, without any bigger success until last season where they barely missed out on a promotion by losing in a seven game Bronze series against Boost HC - one could thus make a case for them having paid their dues at the level below.  While several new teams have been stepping up to the next level of competition, there's especially one returning player we can't ignore, and that's ECL legend Risto @Dominointi Järvi, who is seemingly gearing up for a comeback among good friends in Straikers, formerly FILADELPHIA. It's been over a year since the exceptional centerman took his last strides with HAVU Gaming, and while the man hinted a comeback when attending the ECL '23 Spring Finals in support of his friends, it'll remain to be seen how much ice time the naturally gifted player will see this upcoming season. Dominointi has been spotted on the ice for practice and is surely an excellent option to fill out the depth in the Straikers roster. Welcome back! At the Lite level, we'll be seeing the return of Almost Famous, a team seen on the Elite ice back in the day and one of the first squads to rise through the ranks of the divisional ladder together with GHETTO FIREBIRDS and Butterfly Effect. Led by former Nordic Stars forward Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko, who is returning to command the club in navy blue, the roster comprised of an eclectic mixture of players already participated in the ECL Pro Qualifier, without success. While the roster holds several experienced players such as Jere @Jerax13 Hällström, Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen and Lucas @lycki10 Lindqvist, a large portion of their team only started playing EASHL at the end of NHL 23. Here's captain Ikavalko with a few notions about the roster: "We're a mix of experience and totally new players, a large part of the team are players I've played with over the course of my career, while the new faces will be friends joining me from work. I doubt many other ECL squads will have five guys from the same workplace in their roster! Our one and only goal is winning the Lite division and while we realize it's no easy task, we feel like our strength is the great atmosphere we've built within the team. We're trying to get games for our newcomers and I'm doing my best to mentor them and helping them develop." Next generation of Swedish superstars emerging in Pro Community member @ripKeisari highlighted two highly talented Swedish youngsters on the verge of breakout seasons in the Pro division. We're talking about Purification centerman Elvis @bystrom_37 Byström and Björklöven winger Anton @antonlule Lund, who are in their fifth and third ECL seasons respectively. While Byström already has a Pro season under his belt and 49 points to his name during that campaign, good performances in the preseason tournament and Elite Qualifiers give promise of a career season incoming. Antonlxnd, on the other hand, scored two thirds of all Björklöven goals in the preseason tournament and has showcased an excellent understanding of game mechanics leading up to the start of the season. The upcoming season should be a true breakout year for both of these talents and perhaps they'll be the next ones to take the step up to Elite, following in the footsteps of other Swedish superstars like Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund or the ECL '23 Spring sensation Robban @Robban kaudern Kaudern. Both Björklöven and Purification are placed into Group 2 of the Pro division and are scheduled to clash in week 2 of the regular season, so keep an eye out for that matchup! Preseason sensations eager to keep form going We'll be following closely if preseason form is any indication of team success early on in the season. Especially on the Lite & Core side, we ended up seeing an interesting Finals matchup, where Lite team Pasilan SKA ended up besting Core squad NAM3L3SS. While Pasilan is certain to be a contender in the Lite division, a strong preseason showing will surely give confidence to the NAM3L3SS roster entering a Core campaign.  The Pro & Elite preseason featured lots of talent but also lacked a large portion of top teams, who prioritized rest ahead of the long season to come. ECL '23 Spring Lite Champions Mustaa Kultaa surprised everyone with an excellent regular season and a #1 seed into the Playoffs, while eventual Finalists GOONS and The Black Jacks were consistent and showed glimpses of why they're Elite teams.  Another shot at success For some, success takes a lot more work than for others. A testament of this is Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli, winger for Roots Gaming. While his #41 might be a nod to hardnosed Playoff extraordinaire Jari Sailio, unlike this legendary grinder, Sokkelo has in fact never seen a second of Playoff action in the Elite division. Having spent nine seasons among the European Top 16 already, this great all-round player has established himself as one of the nicest guys around, but might not be out to make friends on the ice this season in the hunt for his first ever Playoff appearance. I reached out to the man for some comments on his lack of postseason success, and on his objectives for the Winter season: "I think it's pretty funny at this point, at the moment I have 228 regular season games in Elite and 0 in the Playoffs, so there's a stat. It's not a thing I spend that much thought on and it's been a joke that I like to pull out of the bag from time to time, but this season is another chance to put that to rest. As for my goals this season, we'll just try to stay consistent on a nightly basis and trust the process. For the past eight seasons I've always said we'll be making the Playoffs, so maybe now it's time for the reverse jinx and I'll say we'll finish 9th!" I guess we'll know in a few months' time, whether the upcoming season will be Roots Gaming suffering from the "Sokkelo Effect", or if this is finally "Sokkelo Season". While there are more storylines across the league for one man to keep an eye out for, here are some of the intriguing journeys I'll personally be on the lookout for early this season! Make sure to let us know your favorite picks for the season in the comments, and for all participating teams and players, we wish you a successful Winter season!

SportsGamers, It’s playoff time in the ECL season! Finally after the regular season, the real games are about to begin. I interviewed all the team captains to dig deeper into the preliminary round of the playoffs. I needed to shorten some of the answers to make it easier to read, thanks everyone who took time to answer! To allow teams to share screenshots on Twitter, I’ve added my own predictions (cold takes) for the series outcomes below. For future articles more random facts, opinions and questions that I have will be included, but for now the author ran out of time. Have a nice Playoff summer everyone who made it there! Luleå Hockey (1) – IK Oskarshamn (8) Luleå Hockey played a very good regular season with a 25-3-2 record and secured the first seed for the rest of the playoffs. The team is stacked with former Elite players and the brightest star among them, @Janski (Jansku23), did not disappoint this season either. He fell short of 100 points by six points. Also worth noting is the team's general GF/GP, which is 4.23, showcasing their potent offense. An intriguing aspect to highlight is the performance of goalkeeper @Janne Hietala (Hiatala_), who made 4 out of 7 breakaway saves. This fact is particularly interesting considering that not all breakaways are officially registered by EA. It raises the possibility that Luleå's defenders might occasionally prefer offensive plays, leading to breakaway opportunities for the opposition. IK Oskarshamn played a weaker regular season this season (1.13) according to the Points/Games estimate than last season (1.39). The departure of Nukutttaja/Nagyttaja/Hikoilija_ and its replacement in @Dehliiindidn't work out as one might have expected on paper at first. Team captain @Petter Wennerström emerged as the top scorer and spent the most time with the puck. Notably, @Discokryckan made a remarkable comeback on the ECL ice, boasting an impressive 82.93% save percentage in the regular season. 1. What do you know about your opponent? @Petter Wennerström: Luleå is a skilled team with good players in every position. They like to use their defenders in the offensive zone and get a lot of shots and deflections. @JaKurrii: We have played maybe couple of practise games against, and last time split the points in eSHL if I remember it correct. But they got to the playoffs so at least they are in decent form. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @Petter Wennerström: This season they haven’t had a lot of weakness so I can’t answer that right now, let’s see if we can find their weakness. @JaKurrii: I don't think we are not that much focussing on their game, we just try to play with our own strengths and with that I mean scoring a lot of goals. 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @JaKurrii: We have to focus more to play like the whole 60 minutes, if we get for example great start to the game and get two or three goals lead, we got to finish the game and not let the opponent back in it. Besides that we just try to keep the same form from regular season and have fun on the ice. @Petter Wennerström: We want to get a good defensive and a lot of patience in our game plan. Get the puck going fast and do quick decisions in every situation. 4. How many games will the series take? @Petter Wennerström: 7 games. @JaKurrii: 5 games. @ripKeisari: Luleå in 4. @OGjahajaha: Luleå in 5. SIKA (1) - RCTIC (8) Sika had a consistent performance throughout the regular season. @Jondeezz and @Valluxet emerged as the team's top point-scorers. Despite @vSilenttio's lack of goals, their assist stats reflect their Elite experience. While examining the team's statistics, the only noteworthy aspect was a slightly low power play percentage of 13.33%. However, if the team can secure victories even without power play goals, then it's not a major concern. Personally, I've always viewed RCTIC as a team that excels in the playoffs rather than during the regular season. Even if they enter the playoffs with a low seed, they shouldn't be underestimated by any Pro team. The team's attackers have comparable points, and we're yet to witness @Limbe65's usual dominant performance. Will Limbe start carrying in the playoffs? We will see. This series also carries a rematch from the eHockey SM 2023 playoffs, where SIKA and RCTIC met earlier. Below are the questions for both teams. 1. What do you know about your opponent? @vSilenttio: Rctic is a gritty and experienced team, and SIKA wants to prove in this rematch that they are a better version of themselves than back then. @layout: Good team with experienced players. We have good memories playing against SIKA as we were able to eliminate them in FCL but they have made a few changes since then. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @vSilenttio: RCTIC's weakness is their need for good luck and dirty bounces. So, the theme is having more puck and being more active team. @layout: Left Defender. Seriously speaking we should probably focus more on our own game. 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @vSilenttio: Need more consistency and balance as a team, also reduce unlucky moments. @layout: We were one of the least scoring teams in the regular season so it would not hurt to be a bit more efficient. Even though we did not concede that many goals, we still gave a lot of cheap goals to our opponents so lets try to minimize those. 4. How many games will the series take? @vSilenttio: SIKA in 7 @layout: Most likely somewhere between four and seven games. @ripKeisari: SIKA in 6. @OGjahajaha: SIKA in 6. Deadly Phantoms (2) - Otukset (7) Deadly Phantoms had an impressive regular season performance that we haven't seen in a while. @ProfaneKiss and @xXPsykoSkillsXx were the driving forces behind the team's success, leading in internal points and propelling DPH to the playoffs with a favorable seed. Additionally, the team boasts two highly reliable goaltenders, @RPH_31 and @xEispiratx . It remains to be seen which goalie will start in the playoffs. Following my previous article, Otukset managed to find their rhythm and secure a spot in the playoffs. It's safe to say that my encouraging and hope-inspiring text played a part in their success. @Valee__, the team's shining star, emerged as the team’s leading scorer in the regular season, raising the questions of a potential entry into the Elite league :D. Also the return of @theMaddias provided a much-needed boost to the team, saving @juhkis96 from a potentially embarrassing situation. This pair of matches is one of the most interesting in my papers, because the Otukset can surprise almost any team in Pro with their experience. Deadly Phantoms' two-man duo, Profanekiss and PsykoSkills can be scouted, however the Central European servers will be a factor. 1. What do you know about your opponent? @ProfaneKiss: Not many matchups in normal games, they have elite experience but so do we. @juhkis96: DPH relies on profanekiss to score goals and win games for them. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @ProfaneKiss: Their bad faceoff percentage, also if it goes to G7 we will have Central Servers. @juhkis96: RD is their weakest player so we are probably going to abuse that and get easy zone entries there. 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @ProfaneKiss: Since the ability bans we have found a good system that we can be confident in - now it is all about execution. @juhkis96: We will try to focus more on the social media game @ripKeisari: Otukset in 6. @OGjahajaha: Phantoms in 7. Golden Nights (2) – Project X (7) Golden Nights seems to be one of the most consistent teams in all of Pro if you follow the team's power points and TWP times. Notably, they excel in both powerplay (36.36%) and penalty kill (93.75%), showcasing their effectiveness in special teams situations. Additionally, @kkostiiii stands out with an impressive save percentage of 85.71%, ranking among the top three goaltenders in the league. These achievements suggest that the team's success is not mere coincidence but rather a result of a well-balanced synergy. Project X is an interesting team because every player has at least -10 plus/minus in statistics. @JesseL2002, who holds the puck the most, is the team's brightest star, who, at least in the eHockey SM 2023 tournament, did not have any obligations in terms of defense, but was on the opposite blue line for almost the entire game. I am waiting with interest to see if the TikTok star @Easygame20 (Torvelajr__) will be the team's first goalkeeper in the playoffs or if the responsibility will go to the experienced @Hullued. 1. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @Timez: Opponent’s weakness is their defensive play. Project: - 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @Timez: More patience in the offensive zone and we will score more goals. Project: - 4. How many games will the series take? @Timez: 4-1 for Golden Nights Project: - @ripKeisari: Golden Nights in 6. @OGjahajaha: Golden Nights in 6. Purification (3) – Pirati Chomutov Esports (6) Purification was a small surprise for the writer to see so high, but at the same time a positive surprise to see new successful teams in the Pro league. Perhaps the focus that will set off alarm bells is the team's final 10 games before the playoffs. They have gone with a record of 4-5-1. We'll see if Pro Rookie @LaxenHD can maintain his point production at the same level as in the regular season. On the other hand, @eBasstian may be just what Purification needs to turn this series around, as he is a true ECL veteran and has been playing since ECL 1 season. Pirati Chomutov Esports is a team whose offense consists of skilled players @Adri1_SCP, @Winci and @Kumbik. Their average goal rating per game is a staggering 3.8. But as we all know in the playoffs there are usually not a lot of goals, but the games are a tight one-goal trap games, so if I were the captain of the team, I would quickly pay attention to the high average of goals conceded, 3.03. Questions: 1. What do you know about your opponent? @Kumbik: Not much, they are from Sweden. @wickmanwOw: Pirati is an offensive powerhouse who scores a lot of goals and likes to turn the play fast. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @Kumbik: Their weakness could be our home games, because we are playing on central server. @wickmanwOw: Their fast paced turnovers suits us well and will probably give some high scoring games, hopefully in our favour. 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @Kumbik: No changes, we will keep playing the same. @wickmanwOw: - 4. How many games will the series take? @Kumbik: It can be very close. But I dont have idea. I hope that we will win. (Prediction 4-3 for us) @wickmanwOw: probably a even series, but we take it in game 7 @ripKeisari: Purification in 7. @OGjahajaha: Pirati in 6. Polski Boys (3) – Prestige (6) (Written by @OGjahajaha) Polski have been one of the most vocal ECL Pro teams on Twitter, throwing shade at their opponents right and left. Now the time has come to deliver on their promises and back up all of their talk. Lots of their game goes through left winger @punt1la98, who we can expect to push with pace up the wing and look to force the puck to the netfront from the left post. It's a trademark that Polski have set to employ with a high percentage from a majority of their zone entries this season, and that is expected to continue. If Prestige can take away that weapon in an effective manner, they will force Polski to adapt in this series. Polski has two good options to choose from in net, and most likely it could come down to availability on that front. One of the teams that were thrown in the NOT-category in the season Preview was Prestige, but they have proven us wrong with an excellent group stage performance highlighted by stellar netminding by @karlsson_adam11 and an impressive rookie season effort by winger @Jmaisema. The rookie winger, who had previously flaunted some of his scoring ability in the Lite division, slotted nicely into the top 50 scorers in the Pro division and led his team along the way. Prestige has a very balanced forward core and lots of their play is cycled thorugh their defenders, so they'll have to be weary of the quick feet and aggressive sticks of Polski's forwards. 1. What do you know about your opponent? @vote_10: We know almost nothing about the opponent (except in the Hockey Ultimate Team), but we don't think it will hurt. Jmaisema has ragged against one of our players in HUT. @karlsson_adam11: We know they are a tough team but if we play our best hockey I think we can beat them. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @vote_10: We think the opponent's weaknesses are especially the defenders and inexperience. @karlsson_adam11: We have not seen them play so we have no idea we will just play our game and make the best out of it 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @vote_10: We need to improve the net front presence on the defensive side. Also, we could attack more from the left side. Our center could tie up less. @karlsson_adam11: We will just play our game and have focus. Predictions: @ripKeisari: Polski Boys in 4. @OGjahajaha: Polski Boys in 5. HV71 (4) – Gunners HC (5) HV71 is again one of those Pro teams where consistency can be seen in the statistics. @Demski_ and @Rubituss both have exactly 58 points and @Zupancic_King424 (Zuppe_29) has 53. Since my last post, Zuppe's assist percentage has increased significantly, so the improvement can be seen. According to my own experience, HV71's game often runs through Demski, and Demski doesn't give up the puck easily even to his own teammates. Coincidentally, he is also the winner of the internal TWP time. In addition to Demski, @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen) experience is represented in the net, who almost always plays calmly and can win games for HV with his own performance. Gunners HC moves the puck from player to player and the players have almost same amount of puck possession, resulting in a balanced time with puck distribution across the team. @OGjahajaha, @Tuulimylly91 and @Jobeyz represent the team's more experienced section and you can expect calmer solutions from them (if OGjahajaha finds the right stick soon), while the younger @Aarons and @Lotiseva are the skill packages in the team that play riskier and flashier. The team is built in an interesting way and the writer expects the series to be even. 1. What do you know about your opponent? @Aarons: We haven’t ever faced them in competitive games, but we know that they like to counter attack and have fast-paced style all around. @Rubituss: Well to be honest we dont know so much about them. But we know that they have experienced defenders that have played at a higher level before. Their forwards are pretty new names for us but they have proven themselves during their rookie season in PRO. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @Aarons: They’re biggest weakness is probably they’re team defense. We will try to take advantage of it and be efficient on our scoring chances. @Demski_: Their weakness might be that they dont have the same experience as us, we have been in PRO playoffs before and the last time we were, we gained promotion to elite. 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @Aarons: As a team we will improve on our offense and try to be more efficient on the chances we get. We will also improve our already solid team defense. @Demski_: As a team we need to come together as we played during our winning streaks in the regular season, we cant cheat on the simple things and we cant underestimate these guys, by finishing 5th they belong in the playoffs even if they have inexperienced forwards. 4. How many games will the series take? @Aarons: The series will take 5 games. @Demski_: @ripKeisari: HV in 5. @OGjahajaha: Plays for Gunners HC Renascor (4) - Be a Bro (5) (Written by @OGjahajaha) Russian outfit Renascor were intent on making the Playoffs in their fourth consecutive Pro season, and while they have been a mainstay in the postseason action, success has managed to avoid this team. Centerman @Virusactive has developed into a bona fide top Pro player and plays a massive part in the success of his team as lots of their passing play cycles through him. Defenseman @Motov is very skilled with the puck and likes to show it - sometimes a bit too much for his own good. Renascor needs to play better as a unit in order to find success against Be a Bro. It is noteworthy that Renascor are one of the more aggressive teams in the Pro division and could put their opposing defenders under some pressure. After a difficult start to their season, Be a Bro were able to regroup and eventually settle their players in the right spots on their roster. They are still far off from the form we've seen this team in at their best, and we're doubtful this roster even has that in them, but they aren't to be discounted despite of that. @Pursuitti is a massive asset for Be a Bro, not only as their top scorer, but also as a player with extensive experience of disappointment and success in the Pro Playoffs, and now also a taste of the Elite postseason. @MCH_98 is their breakout man and will shoulder much of the responsibility to kickstart their rush and counter attacking play. 1. What do you know about your opponent? @Serg1vratar: we count them as strong and rough opponents, they have very good skilled and matured players who can turn game on their side @MCH_98: Renascor has always been in the playoffs even if their lineup has seen changes almost every season so we are expecting a tough series. 2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? @Serg1vratar: We Will try to win to outscore them pretty much @MCH_98: Fire_cats88 inexperience could be a factor the longer this series goes. 3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs? @Serg1vratar: In worst case scenario we will turn in our secret weapon. @MCH_98: Regular season was our preseason as our lineup changed on the transfer deadline. So we hope to improve on all aspects of our game. 4. How many games will the series take? @Serg1vratar: Renascor in 6. @MCH_98: Bros in 6. @ripKeisari: Bros in 5. @OGjahajaha: Be a Bro advances in 6.

SportsGamers, The first round of the ECL '23 Spring Pro Playoffs is now in the books, and we're quickly pushing on to the Quarterfinals already! After some hard fought battles, we're now left with eight of the best teams left, and they're quite a healthy mix of squads from both regular season groups. At this point, all teams have secured a part of the prize pool, but now it's time to go for the title and increasing that cash prize! Luleå Hockey (1) vs RCTIC (15) The match between Luleå Hockey and Oskarshamn ended with Luleå winning 4-2. Luleå had already been leading the series 3-0, but faced difficulties when Oskarshamn fought back and won a couple of low-scoring games. @Janski (Jansku23) was the highest scorer in the series, while @Janne Hietala (Hiatala_) maintained an impressive 85% save percentage. Luleå is typically considered the favorite in every playoff series, but the added pressure can sometimes work against them if the game doesn't go as planned. In addition, @Migo_boo has been impressive aswell and is tied for the first place in defenders top points. RCTIC surprised everyone by defeating SIKA with a score of 4-0. SIKA failed to dominate in the offensive zone, as none of their forwards scored more than a point per game. RCTIC starts as the clear underdog in the preliminary settings, but they shouldn't be completely underestimated. Their strong defensive play can make things difficult for Luleå. @Okke40 (hifk_FANI), playing as a right wing has been particularly effective with 13 puck steals in 4 games. This allows players like @Limbe65 and @yrjoo to focus more on the attack. @Hokiboi18 has taken over as the number one goalkeeper for the team and has an impressive 92.86% save percentage, the best in the Pro league from the first round. In the upcoming match, we can expect to see a clash between individual skill and a tightly-knit team defense. The author had a casual conversation with the RCTIC right wing, @Okke40 (hifk_FANI) and here are some of their responses: How come SIKA was so bad? They weren’t bad at all, just had a hard time scoring. Luleå’s weakest link? I don’t know much about Luleå. I know that their goalie is talented. Deadly Phantoms (2) vs HV71 (8) (Written by @OGjahajaha) This is going to be a hard fought series to say the least. Both teams are highly experienced, like to play a tough defensive game and slow down the pace when beneficial for them. In a Playoff series, that's just about the recipe for success and it gets me beyond excited to watch this clash unfold. Both of their regular season games were extremely tight and saw the Phantoms come away with two wins 4-2 and 3-2. @Rayman was on his game with 3+2=5 in the double header. The Phantoms are sporting a rather deep roster with options for rotation, @xXPsykoSkillsXx and @ProfaneKiss are locks for the starting lineup, supposedly together with the experienced @gzell60. Goaltender @RPH_31 is arguably one of the best in the division and has the stats to back that up. In their first round matchup against Otukset, the Phantoms were in for an interesting battle against a highly skilled offensive minded group, which played right into their basket as a strong unit dependent on good counter attack and efficient finishing. The upcoming series against a very different style of play is going to pose a fresh challenge for the Germans. HV71 are a rather similar squad who benefit greatly off the puck possession skill of captain @Demski_, evident by the possession numbers. This team doesn't move the puck that much, but likes to wait for their opponents to overcommit and strike when they spot an opening. Much alike their German opponents, HV71 are backed up by elite goaltending in the form of @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen), who managed to record two shutouts in their six game series against Gunners HC in the first round. In general, this is going to be a battle in which both goalies will have important roles. Ahead of the next round we reached out to @ProfaneKiss for a few comments on the series: How do you think your style of play will match up against HV71? We’ve faced these guys numerous times over the years in Pro. I think we have pretty similar styles and both teams like playing within their structure. Usually the games are tight and low scoring. What did you learn from facing them in the regular season? That we have to start on time! They scored two goals early in the 1st period in both games, but luckily we managed to come back and win both. Series prediction? I expect close games and probably a tight series as well. DPH in 7. Golden Nights (3) vs Purification (7) The Golden Nights performed impressively and exploited Project X's weaknesses, winning the series 4-1. While I don't want to solely focus on @kkostiiii in every article, his outstanding 91.8% save percentage cannot be ignored. He might possibly be the best goaltender in the Pro league. @Mikka, my writer daddy, worked diligently and showcased his skills both defensively and offensively, contributing 1 goal and 7 assists in 5 games. The team's cooperation in their own end was effective, as Project X was only able to score an average of one goal per game. As suspected by the writer, the series between Purification and Pirati Chomutov was filled with goals and fast-paced attacking play. The lowest number of goals scored in a game was 4, while all other games had 5 or more goals. This is evident in the point standings of the playoffs, with all of Purification's attackers occupying the top 5 positions. The team demonstrated that despite the beginning of the playoffs, the players maintained their composure, although they now face tougher opponents. I can confidently say that the Golden Nights do not allow Purification to enter the offensive zone as easily as Pirati Chomutov does. One of Purification's greatest strengths lies in their ability to quickly turn the game around. However, if the Golden Nights become aware of this strategy, it may pose a challenge for the Purification team. There are rumors suggesting that Mikkaah always performs exceptionally well in the quarterfinals. Similarly, Purification's players have reportedly expressed their reluctance to face the Golden Nights. I had little chat with the Golden Nights Left Wing, @jm98II: How did @kkostiiii have such a good save percentage? Opponent shot from everywhere & prayed for lucky bounces. Opponent’s forwards are in top 5 positions in points. Will they continue the scoring or what do you have in mind? The “makuupaikat” are already reserved. Polski Boys (5) vs Renascor (6) Polski had a tough time in the first round against Prestige. Parked bus in the front of the net, combined with the outstanding saves by @karlsson_adam11 and quick counter-attacks, clearly exposed Polski Boys' weaknesses. While they dominated in terms of puck possession in every match, they struggled to convert their chances into goals. It will be exciting to see also what kind of tweets we will be seeing from Polski’s funniest guy, @kungenkurwa before and after the games. The author wonders why @vote_10 has had the most puck possession in the team. It's possible that there may be an error in the statistics. Renascor delivered a decisive blow to Be a Bro and won the series 4-1. Three out of the 5 games went into overtime, indicating a closely contested battle. However, Renascor managed to come out on top most of the time. Russia's Top Center, also known as @Virusactive, led by example and scored an impressive 6 goals and 10 assists in 5 games. This performance currently places him in third position in the points. @TeikDaun, the goalkeeper for Renascor, deserves recognition with an 86% save percentage. However, his level of play can vary from day to day. @maximkrinitsyn88 (fire_cats88), who played in the previous season in Neo and now in the Pro quarterfinals, might be considered Russia's most promising talent at the moment. The upcoming series is expected to be an exciting battle. Russia's two highly skilled players, @Motov and Virusactive, can pose a significant challenge for Polski’s defenders. However, Polski also has their own weapons in the form of @Brockela22 and @xSaski_. The series could go either way, and the author is interested to see if Polski’s Winchester will make an appearance in the games. If so, it would mean that the Russian team has a Finnish goalkeeper and the Finnish team has a Russian goalkeeper. Random facts/opinions/notes/questions section from round 1: @Jondeezz last FIVE playoff appearances have been first round exists (ECL 10 (Lite SOPPAJENGI) lost to HC Skull Town, ECL 22 Winter (Hokurit) lost to reality check, ECL 22 Spring (Hokurit) lost to AHJO, ECL 23 Winter (HanaaHC) lost to Nemesis, ECL 23 Spring (SIKA) lost to RCTIC), this might be some kind of record? Be a Bro, what is happening? Change your name and bring back @rakkauspakkaus- and @Janikka with his +200e controller, don’t recruit these washed up players. Gunners lead the G6 2-0, but @Zupancic_King424 (Zuppe_29) scored 2 goals 59:00 and 59:52 (on penalty kill) so I think it’s the choke of the playoffs this far. @wickmanwOw leads the penalty minutes section, 16 pim 7gp, his teammate @eBasstian close second with 13 pim. These Central Server players always reply back to you after the games, come on boys lets get some pre-game hype going, not this weak stuff. @Keuschemisch @ProfaneKiss Stay-at-home defender @vote_10 with most interceptions, 44. @Adri1_SCP with an impressive total of 8 penalties drawn. @Deathstrokeris (DeathcoreFace) wouldn’t even catch a beach ball, 67% save percentage. RCTIC has been playing better ever since SupremeJay started to cast their games. I kinda miss MANAGERI tho.

It's been a rather young but highly successful ECL career for Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen thus far, as he's spent all but his rookie season with Tunnel Vision, claiming his first Elite title last season and representing Europe in the World Finals against the NACL Champions, Entourage.  The ECL '23 Winter season was a big one and it brought a lot of changes and marked a milestone with the first ever NHL Esports World Finals hosted at Assembly Winter 2023. Tunnel Vision and Entourage went head-to-head in a clash that eventually, the North American Champions ran away with in convincing fashion. Despite the disappointment, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen and his team have picked up the pieces and are determined to return stronger than before for a title defense. The young captain of Tunnel Vision has seen a lot of success in his career both on the 1v1 and 6v6 sides of the game, but his only Championship title is the one won with Tunnel Vision in ECL '23 Winter. On the 1v1 side, Tomboo has managed to compete at the top for quite some time already, but success has avoided him. He has represented Tampereen Ilves in both seasons of eLiiga and is intent of focusing more also on the 1v1 side in the future. 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 First off, how did you get into competitive NHL gaming? I've always played and enjoyed different sports and been interested in video games. Getting into NHL was a natural outcome of that. I started out playing mostly HUT and 1v1 modes ever since NHL 13, but it took until the end of NHL 19 until I really got into competitive action.  Your ECL career took off real quick and you actually started off as a winger, can you go through those experiences a bit? The start of my ECL career was a sum of several random events. I had been playing HUT and gotten to know Tapani @Tappu Anttila through that, which landed me a spot with Rookie Mistakes in ECL 10 Pro. I think the team was somewhere around a mid-tier Pro squad at that time, and I started off playing on the right wing, sharing responsibilities with Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen in my first season. I think the main reason for my quick development has been playing the game so much and doing that with likeminded experienced players. A lot of my early development could be attributed to the early times with Tunnel Vision alongside players like Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli, Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen and Aki @Frilander Frilander who already had some Elite experience under their belts. We played a lot and discussed the game which really helped me take a big leap in the development on a personal level.  What would you say are some of the attributes that sets top players apart from the rest and what makes the best stay at the top? It might be quite obvious, but you just have to play the game and put in the hours consistently. As an example, many top players have fallen off in the past when they haven't had the fire to grind the game enough anymore. At the very top, the margins are small and you have to gain the competitive edge in any way possible, our team spends time watching our past games and learning from them through discussing development points. An individual ability I think is exceptionally important is just being able to keep your cool and being level-headed. After all, we're playing a video game and there's several aspects in any game you just can't control, so not letting those things rattle you is a massive factor in making you a better player. Lately there's been some discussion about various leadership types and team dynamics, how do you see yourself as a leader and what does the dynamic in Tunnel Vision look like? Well when we started Tunnel Vision, I didn't have a leadership role, but since then I've continued on the same path that we started and kept it going for about two years now. All decisions are made within the entire team and a big part of the recruitment process is making sure our new players fit the vibe of our team and are able to weigh in with valuable input in team discussion. For me, an open dialogue is very important within the entire team.  How is Tunnel Vision looking heading into the ECL '23 Spring season? Honestly, I'd say we were in better overall form during the Winter season. I feel like our game has been fluctuating a lot since the ECL & World Finals, which is a bit uncharacteristic for us. An obvious reason is that we've played less, but we'll pick things back up as the ECL kicks off again. At our best, I think we've been way better than ever before lately. We've also enjoyed playing without the banned abilities and I think it's also made the game more fun to watch.  What are some of the opponents you'll be on the lookout for in the upcoming season? I think there's more good teams than before. hREDS are the strongest team on paper, I think they have the best players on each position and they are the ones to beat. Frölunda is another team I expect to continue their good run and Erik @Eki Tammenpää & Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha switching places could be a good thing for them, they've looked good. JYP Jyväskylä has taken back their position as a solid top team and they should be a consistent Playoff contender as long as they keep things going. The most interesting teams to follow, though are GOONS and Nordic Stars. GOONS have a highly skilled roster and their offense especially is one of the toughest to guard when they are on their game. They've got golden one tees on both flanks and know how to use them. Nordic Stars took a big leap forward by getting Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) in the offseason and have some success to show for that in the eHSM 2023. They'll surely continue improving.  ECL '23 Spring Elite starts on Monday, April 24th and Tunnel Vision is entering their title defense in confident manner. You can follow the league on all of the social media channels of the teams and in weekly broadcasts at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

SportsGamers, It's the season opener day for the ECL '23 Spring Pro season and we've got several interesting storylines to follow throughout the season. There's been a lot of turnover within the division and while some teams stand out as favorites to take it all, we have several black horses that could take the division by storm. It'll be a fierce battle for mid-table positions and with most bottom half teams going to Qualifiers, all games will be very important. In traditional ECL Pro Preview manner, we'll be taking a look at a few of the teams in each group, which of these squads are HOT, and which, perhaps, NOT? We can't wait to get things started! ECL '23 Spring Pro Schedule Regular Season: 24.4.-25.5. RO16: 29.5.-1.6. Quarterfinals: 5.-8.6. Semifinals: 12.-15.6. Finals: 19.-22.6. Group 1 HOT 🔥  Be a Bro Be a Bro is one of those teams that have been grinding away in the Pro division for a while now, and they seem to always be in contention with the top teams, still somehow avoiding bigger success at the moment. They've had a somewhat turbulent offseason and found themselves struggling in the recent Elite Qualifiers as a result. It seems like Be a Bro will have a lot of figuring out to do in terms of how they'll line up their starting five, with lots of high-profile players in their ranks, but still not a definitive number one constellation that has clicked.  Player to watch: @MCH_98  Björklöven Esport We've been predicting success for Björklöven for quite some time already, and now could very well be the time for the squad hailing from Umeå, Sweden. They have brought in an all new defensive pairing from the ashes of Memento in the form of @Janzuh and @Jonetzky (Zayzei), which has seemed to work well for them early on in SCL competition and most likely will continue on that path in the Pro division. On offense, Brörklöven is stacked with talent and especially @Pappen has big expectations to live up to, with @Johansson__224 entering his first full ECL Pro season on the Björklöven flank.  Player to watch: @Pappen  HV71 HV71 have gathered one of the more experienced rosters in the Pro division and more importantly, a lot of that experience is gathered in various formations with the same players these guys have alongside them right now. The three brightest stars of this roster are captain @Demski_, @Rubituss and goalie @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen), who very well could be one of the best on his position in the division. Playoffs need to be a lock for HV71, and their experience should be able to carry them far in the postseason. Player to watch: @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen)    RCTIC RCTIC is a team that has consistently been able to claw their way into the Playoffs of the Pro division, and they are able to challenge top teams when they are on their game, but bigger success seems to always avoid this team. @Limbe65 and @yrjoo are their biggest weapons up front and their very experienced defense consisting of @FakiiR1 and @Aze is a tough one to get past, especially if they are able to find chemistry, where we all know Fakiir1 will be the aggressive, highly physical party and Aze will need to stay back in more of a sweeper role. @Ricco is expected to continue developing in net.  Player to watch: @Limbe65   NOT ❄️  Purification A rather inexperienced team with some potential players in their ranks. They will need to improve playing as a unit and moving the puck in order to be competitive at the Pro level when facing defensively solid opponents, and there will most likely be an adjustment period for them in doing so. The team did very well in the Pro Qualifiers and scored a lot, with their most experienced player @eBasstian leading from the front. Keep an eye on him and @LaxenHD especially. Player to watch @LaxenHD  Red Bull Munich eSports A team that have slowly built their way up all the way from ECL Neo back in ECL 11 and managed to put up a fight against most of their opponents in the Pro Qualifiers, despite not coming away with wins in most games. At their best, Red Bull Munich can be a touch team to play against and @Lamsa is a weapon on the flank that everyone in the division has made a note to be weary of.  Player to watch: @Flo_goes_grazy (flgr93)  Prestige Prestige is a team with a rather short history, who battled hard during the ECL '23 Winter Lite season and eventually faltered int he Quarterfinals at the hands of the Champions, Pirati Chomutov Esports. This team hosts lots of individual skill, but they suffer from a lack of organization and solid team defense. They will be in for a rough awakening in the Pro division and will need to grow into more of a unit in order to see some success. Player to watch: @I_Saarinen_I  Neptune Hockey A very similar story to that of Prestige's in terms of how they made the Pro division from Lite, Neptune Hockey played their first season back in ECL '22 Winter Core, though. The team still holds several day one members, such as captain @JakkeJynkky, @wiibeni and @Zamiboii and the development they've had together is admirable. Neptune Hockey completed the ECL Pro Qualifiers with a .500 record and while they managed to keep games close against all opponents, they didn't manage to stand out in any way. We're expecting a tough season for Neptune Hockey, where they'll have to fight tooth-and-nail for a spot in no-man's-land. Player to watch: @egetelli_ Group 2 HOT 🔥  Renascor Now entering their fifth consecutive ECL Pro season as Renascor, the entire squad is aching to finally see some substantial success. All of their campaigns thus far have led to Playoff berths, but only one has taken them past the first round. The Russian based outfit have strengthened their ranks in the offseason with @Oxdoggi and @TeikDaun of Sulkavan Sudet fame. Renascor could be in for a successful season if they are able to gel together and find chemistry. They have a rather deep roster with some options for rotation if things don't work out.  Player to watch: @Virusactive    Polski Boys One of the biggest eHSM success stories, and now the team is getting ready to take the Pro division by storm. Already self proclaimed Champions, the only thing that remains is to deliver on their promises. Polski Boys is something of a fusion of the former Hunters and a portion of Golden Nights, and with that in mind we can expect a team heavily reliant on fast-paced offense and going hard to the net. They dominated their ECL Pro Qualifier group and really flexed their offensive muscles, but were picked apart by OTUKSET in their eHSM Round 3 Playoffs matchup.  Player to watch: @xSaski_    SIKA An interesting comeback to say the least. SIKA is known on the ECL as something of a top Pro contender team from years past, and after a short hiatus they've reappeared at the second highest level of ECL competition. This is a very different SIKA from what we've seen before, though, and you could argue we've got a more skilled SIKA roster on the ice than ever before. The roster was built just in time for the eHSM 2023 season and while it was the first true test for the squad, SIKA could have hoped for better results. A tough group put them at a lower seed than hoped for and they eventually faced elimination at the hands of fellow Pro squad RCTIC in round 2 of the Playoffs. @Valluxet is one of the division's most prolific scorers.  Player to watch: @Valluxet    OTUKSET The former ISO ESPORTS are the definition of a fringe Elite team. They had a taste of Elite action last season, but struggled getting a foothold in the European top 16, with scoring being their main issue. Otukset have since made a lot of moves on the transfer market and there's plenty of fresh faces on every position. We've even been hearing there might be some last minute transactions coming up right at the brink of the season. On defense, @juhkis96 and @Tumpp1A should be a lock, but their forward trio is still unclear. @Tukexi(MATILAISKA_) will take the right flank, but for the other positions they'll have lots of figuring out to do, with @OsquuG, @tkantola, @Valee__ and potentially even @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) being possible choices for the spot. As mentioned, some of these players might also be on the move at the brink of the season opener.  Player to watch: @Tumpp1A NOT ❄️  Venom This team played their rookie Pro campaign in the Winter season and against all odds, managed to make it to no-man's-land. Now with some more experience under their belts, we could possibly see some improvement. Venom made a few acquisitions on the forward front in the offseason but they'll heavily rely on performances from the veteran winger @Jusa (JusaSoLow) in the offensive end. They will need to find a way to slow down some of the faster teams in their group in order to see some success. Player to watch: @Jusa (JusaSoLow)    Hawaii Hockey This is an interesting team that's seen a fair amount of player turnover over the past few seasons. For the ECL '23 Winter season, Hawaii Hockey shocked the division by acquiring superstar @jxrska, but unfortunately that ended up being a shorter stint than hoped for, and he has now been replaced by bringing in @ItzPoro from the former Memento. Hawaii Hockey played an excellent Pro Qualifier and flexed their offensive muscles with @Burtsi980H being their main man up front. Player to watch: @Macentoitunu    Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming have been grinding away in the Neo-Lite region for a few seasons at this point, and their rookie campaign in Lite in the Winter season wasn't what they had hoped for, with a 14th place in their group and no postseason action. However, this is a team that has taken over the history of Inter Iceland with an influx of new talent into the roster and mainly, new captain @Hasek-39-- who represents the more experienced playerbase in the entire division. The completed the ECL Pro Qualifiers with a .500 record and put up good fights against all of their opponents, including SIKA. We're doubtful about Eisbaeren's chances, but hope that they can prove us wrong along the way! Player to watch: @Hasek-39--    IK Oskarshamn IKO played a successful ECL '23 Winter season in the Pro division, but unfortunately lost their top scorer @Chevikov in the offseason. They also lost @snippystatue and are now entering the season with an all Swedish lineup, having brought in @Dehliiin from Ace Hockey and @Discokryckan as a free agent after several seasons on the sidelines. While we believe that a smaller and an all Swedish lineup will definitely help IK Oskarshamn tighten things up in their own end and play a game that is tougher on their opponents, it seems like they could be lacking an X-Factor that really gets the team going and wins them those close games. We'll gladly be in the wrong, and only time will tell. Player to watch: @Dehliiin The season for these clubs kicks off already today, but tomorrow you'll be able to watch some of them in our weekly ECL Pro broadcast at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! Stay tuned for the broadcast announcement on our social media channels. 

SportsGamers, At the end of an impressive Playoffs run and a hard fought Finals series against big brother Golden Nights, we are able to crown Polski Boys the ECL '23 Spring Pro Champions! Polski Boys took the community by storm earlier in the year and were self-proclaimed Champions before the season had even started - rarely do we see teams actually deliver on their promises like that! With their Championship, not only does Polski Boys secure the largest share of the 5500€ prize pool, but also manage to gain promotion to the European Top 16 for their ECL '24 Winter campaign. Polski Boys' road to the championship: #3 seed from Group 2 with the record 22-7-1 Round 1: vs Prestige (6) 4-2 Quarterfinals: vs Renascor (6) 4-0 Semifinals: vs Luleå Hockey (1) 4-3 Finals: vs Golden Nights (4) 4-1 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #35 @Miettinen14 #62 @Kирилл (W1nchester_62) DEFENSEMEN #13 @kungenkurwa #44 @vote_10 (A) FORWARDS #4 @punt1la98 #22 @Brockela22 (C) #97 @h3rmu__ #98 @xSaski_ (A) On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamer introduces a new community sponsorship program in order to unite hard-working players and teams of all levels with mutually beneficial partnerships. Since the inception of SportsGamer, besides the obvious objective of creating high-quality leagues and tournaments for our players, one of our main objectives has been growing the community. The way we want to do that is by highlighting the great players and teams that are playing on our platform and giving them an environment and tools needed to succeed. This is why we are glad to announce that we are launching the SportsGamer Community Sponsorship Program, an application-based program with the purpose of helping players of all skill levels through SportsGamer sponsorship. The objective of the program is to unite hard-working players and teams with partners to form a long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnership, allowing both parties opportunities to grow and develop. The program is intended for all members of our community, but naturally the selection process will be strict and favor players and teams with clear future objectives, good action plans, notable reach and some previous body of work in their rearview as a portfolio.  The application is open to the entire community and we are looking forward to learning as much as possible about you and your future plans in your application. In order to apply and find out more about the program, head over to sportsgamer.gg/sponsorship. Applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis by the SportsGamer team and all applicants will receive replies, whether chosen for the program or not. As the program is developed further, we are hoping to be able to increase the amount of sponsored teams and players in the future.

Gamers, As the ECL '24: Winter - Pro season comes to an end, we got to see some incredible storylines and some fierce newcomers. We saw an epic championship series with Gotham Knights taking Renascor to 7 games, and to make an incredible final series even more incredible, we got to enjoy a Game 7 overtime where both teams had their chances to win it all. In the end, @Borjendahlen scored a backdoor goal from a good setup. With their Championship, not only does Gotham Knights secure the largest share of the 5500€ prize pool, but also manage to gain promotion to the European Top 16 for their ECL '24 Winter campaign. The Gotham Knights displayed exceptional skill and teamwork throughout the season, securing their championship victory, their strategic plays and individual performances were commendable, showcasing their dominance in the second-best tier of ECL, now taking them to the highest level. The team’s dedication and coordination were key factors in their success, solidifying their position as a force to be reckoned with even next season in Elite. Hopefully, all other teams can take a look at how Gotham Knights got to where they are and take notes for next season! We asked the captain of the newly crowned champions, @ReDMisTi, a few questions - check out what he had to say! What was the feeling like in the party when you scored that G7 overtime goal? “The group absolutely blew up! We had a feeling we were going to win the game so when we finally did score we all had a lot to cheer for” How are you going to prepare for next season in Elite? “By the looks of it, we’ll play FCL (=eHockey SM 2024) and a few planned friendlies against some Elite teams, but before we start anything we’ll take a hard-earned break from playing” How can other teams prepare for their season to have a shot at gaining promotion to Elite like you did? “Well you must have good team spirit and build from that, play against similar skilled and better opponents, play casual games, and see what works and what doesn’t, a good example is Gifu, who made it to the semifinals.” Who surprised you the most during the season? “This is an easy one, @Sundstroom from GIFU Hockey and @Nester4343 from Nova, Sundstrom stood on his head against us and stole some wins for them in the playoffs, Elite talent no doubt. Nester was really difficult to contain, they took 2 wins from us in the regular season, and almost upset Purification in the playoffs. Special mention goes to @riegel29 from GIFU Hockey and @antonlule from Björklöven.” Gotham Knights road to the championship: #1 seed from Group 2 with the record 21-3-2-4 Round 1: vs VALCO (16) 4-0 Quarterfinals: vs Herlev Eagles (11) 4-0 Semifinals: vs GIFU Hockey (7) 4-2 Finals: vs Renascor (4) 4-3 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS 🇫🇮 #22 Juha @jubex0r Kettunen 🇸🇪 #27 Philip @Discokryckan Johansson DEFENSEMEN 🇫🇮 #63 Ilmari @iilmarii Töyrylä 🇫🇮 #85 Toni @Borjendahlen Karjaluoto FORWARDS 🇫🇮 #15 Joni @ReDMisTi Kaikkonen (C) 🇫🇮 #37 Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen (A) 🇫🇮 #64 Mikko @Ristimaki12 Ristimäki 🇫🇮 #88 Jere @keranee Keränen (A) On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

As the first week of ECL 24 Spring is coming to an end, it's time to take a look at some teams that have put up performances that have convinced us to be serious cup contenders this ECL Lite season. Keep in mind that it is impossible to include everyone, and there will definitely be teams who will see loads of success this season and are not mentioned here! For every group, there will be three cup contenders and one dark horse. Group 1 Cup Contenders Belissimo Last season's Core champion, a team that did a reverse sweep in the final, has shown many promising performances in the current and past seasons. The ability to thrive in the playoffs is often overlooked, but these guys have shown they have what it takes to also succeed in the playoffs. It will also be interesting to see how last season's Core team will succeed against teams that have been on the Lite level for a lengthy period. They certainly will not want to fall any short of another title now that they know what winning feels like. Player to watch @MrMikkiL Zenegeim Zenegeim is a team with loads of Pro experience and skill. The team consists of players who have not had too much success in Pro but have now decided to come to Lite to gain some momentum for their careers. The players in their team have played in many different teams in their careers, and it will be interesting to see how the team's chemistry will form. Skill and potential are there, and if they manage to play accordingly, they will be a good contender for the title. Player to watch: @Juhaniz- Carpe Diem Carpe Diem is a team who was not in the Lite playoffs last season but has improved loads. If they keep improving, they will be a possible title contender. They have a lot of strong personalities in their team and if they manage to channel those the right way, I can see them going far this season. Player to watch @TorvelaJR__ Dark Horse Aspyre Dragons Aspyre Dragons is a Pittsburgh based multilateral gaming organization that has expanded onto NHL esports. The team has put up a few convincing performances and could be a top team in Lite this season. Last season in core they had trouble keeping their level steady, but we will have to see if they manage to keep up the top level all season long. In this team highs are high, and lows are low, sometimes a team with a decent but steady performance will outperform teams who have a tough time being consistent. But if they manage to keep their level high and consistent, they go from dark horse to serious cup contenders in my books. Player to watch: @letsgoat67 Group 2 Cup Contenders Neloskenttä Neloskenttä is a team that has started the season extremely well, letting in very few goals and solid attack to seal the deal. This team is one that I think went under everyone's radar but has now shown that everyone should keep the team's name in mind. Their tight defense and goaltending have been amazing so far and I cannot wait to see more of this team. Is this team going to start with 1. seed in the playoffs? Player to watch @Kalju-Makke The Oldtimers (previously Ultimatum) The Oldtimers are a team with lots of pro experience and great individual players. For example, two of their forwards are currently in the top 2 of regular season points in all of Lite. The Oldtimers also reached the top 16 in eHockey SM ‘24, which is a great achievement for a Lite team. Player to watch: @Werppi Sack Brothers Sack Brothers is a team who is looking to turn last year's painful final loss in Core into a Lite title. Last year's painful final loss must still be in recent memory after choking a 3-0 lead to Belissimo, and will for sure motivate the team to win it all this season. The team consists of many old Pro players, and they are looking to make some noise! Player to watch: @IKarkkiI Dark horse Toxic City Toxic city is a team who was the fifth seed in last season of lite but failed to keep good form from the regular season up in the playoffs. This team has shown they can be a top team in Lite, but their game still has some question marks, hence they are the dark horse for this group. Player to watch @norskeli Group 3 Cup Contenders Vitosvitja The team with the greatest logo of all time on the ECL ice. They have put up decent performances so far and having a good run in eHockey SM ‘24 they have convinced us to be able to play on a prominent level. Player to watch @SilakanTimo Technical Disaster Technical Disaster is a team with roots all the way in ECL ‘22. They have shown promising performances in the off-season and eHockey SM ‘24. I am looking forward to seeing this team play as they have many tricks up their sleeves with skillful players like @wrlster . Player to watch @wrlster Nordic Stars Nordic Stars is probably the biggest favorite to win Lite. This team has had so many convincing performances in the past seasons it is impossible to overlook them. In eHockey SM ‘23 they were in the finals which proves they are a talented team but also that they are capable of playing good playoff hockey. Player to watch: @SakkeTheEngiueer Dark horse: XBOTS After playing their first ECL Pro season at '24 Winter this club which has been considered as "top Xbox team" for long time by many players got disappointed this time in Pro qualifier. However, this could be seen as a good opportunity for them to gain some confidence from Lite this season. They may sometimes have issues with consistency and also the lineup has been a question mark at least earlier. But everybody who is familiar with players in their roster knows that there are loads of skills and experience. For example, @Kibeeex who battled his way to NHL 24 WC European top 8 lan-event in Copenhagen and captain @OGxN72ege "Maybe the most stick-skilled player who I have ever played against" said Eki after their WC games so that says something. In nutshell, they have pure skill and experience to have a great playoff run but the question is: can they get their consistent quality routine going on? Player to watch: @OGxN72ege Group 4 Cup Contenders Hirvikolari No games played yet this season but this team still caught our attention. One of few if not only team in Lite with Elite experience after making big signing J--Jamaltheman. A big part of their roster has been playing together earlier in lower divisions of ECL. These two things together could be huge resources for them in future. Hopefully 0 games played doesn't mean availability problems because their grinding and developing as team would be remarkably interesting to follow during this season Player to watch: @J-_-Jamaltheman Sawolanche Sawolanche is a team who did not find much success in Pro but are now trying to win Lite. This team has stuck together for a long time. They have shown the capability to play at a high level on multiple occasions. I am looking forward to seeing them make some noise this season! Player to watch: @I_LaiTi_I Ruuti Ruuti is a team with an annoying but working playstyle, loads of waiting on the offensive blueline can be hard to defend against. I think most teams won't be ready for it and Ruuti has the ability to surprise opponents right at the start of the match. They proved the ability to play on a prominent level in the eHockey SM ‘24 where they were in the top 3 in their group. Dark Horse: Mights Last season Mights were highly successful in Core playoffs, they barely squeaked out of the top 3 losing in game 7 in the bronze match. Although Mights had to go through Lite qualifiers they were superb and secured a spot in Lite. The reason this team is a Dark Horse is that it still holds many question marks, they faced many changes only a few days before the season started. Player to watch: @Madladcas Do you agree with the predictions, or did the writer miss the net? What are your predictions for how the season will go? Let us know in the comments!

Welcome to the ECL ‘24 season and the NHL 24 competitive year! The ‘23 season was certainly one for the history books as most notably, we managed to pull off the first-ever 6v6 eHockey World Finals in a successful manner. With the continuous growth of the community supporting us, we are confident in our ability to make similar moves in the future and focus on the development of the sport from the ground up. This post marks the starting point of a new, great season with new, great Champions - will this be your time to shine? The prize pool for the ECL ‘24 Winter season will be 23 420 EUR! Before we go any further, if you’re reading this and find yourself wondering “What is the ECL?”, or you're looking for a blast from the past listing of all ECL Champions so far you can find an article about that here. One of the more frequent requests from our community through the years has been transparency in terms of upcoming plans. The benefits are clear, as it will help teams with preparation, strategizing, and assembling rosters, and of course, help players plan their holidays, trips, or other activities without sacrificing the opportunity to partake in the eHockey season to the fullest. So, without further ado, here is what the NHL 24 competitive year looks like for Europe. Please keep in mind there are still lots of details being put into place, but we want to provide as good of an overview on the timing of the ECL ‘24 Winter and Spring seasons, as well as the National Championships, that are played in between the ECL seasons. ECL '24 Competitive Year The ECL ‘24 Pre-season tournament will kick off on October 16th, giving teams the ability to get right into action, get familiar with NHL 24, and test their line-ups against teams of equal skill levels. The Pre-season will consist of the following groups: Elite & Pro Lite & Core Neo & Newcomers The ECL ‘24: Winter - Lite & Pro Qualifiers will kick off on November 1st. For this reason, we suggest that teams participating in the qualifiers skip the Pre-season tournament. The ECL ‘24: Winter - Regular Season will start on November 19th and be completed just in time to wind down for Christmas and the New Year. The last round of games before the holiday break will be played on December 21st. The ECL ‘24: Winter - Playoffs will start after the holidays, on January 3rd. Most of the ECL ‘24: Winter divisions will be completed by the end of January, whereas the date for the Elite Finals is still TBA at this stage, and could be as late as the last week of February. After the end of the ECL ‘24: Winter season, it’s time to battle in the National Leagues, such as the CSCL, eHockey SM, GCL, SCL & WECL. Many of the details are still work-in-process, but rest assured weeks 6-14 are reserved for National League play. The ECL ‘24: Spring season will commence with the Lite and Pro Qualifiers in weeks 13-15. The regular season will be played weeks 16-20, and the playoffs will be played weeks 22-26, with most divisions done before midsummer and the Lite Champions being decided just after. Early Bird Offer on Player and Team Licenses Below you’ll find the pricing of the team and player licenses for ECL ‘24. Starting today and for the next two weeks (until September 14th), you can pick up the ECL ‘24 Winter Team license and the ECL ‘24 Player License (Winter + Spring) for the Early Bird pricing listed below. After that, standard pricing will be in effect. PURCHASE YOUR ECL '24 LICENSES HERE For those of you participating in the qualifiers and unsure which division your team will play in for the ECL ‘24: Winter season, you can still take advantage of this offer; Purchase the Early Bird license for the division you are qualifying for and if your team is unsuccessful in the mission, we will refund you the difference to the Early Bird price for the division your team ends up in. For example, if you enter the qualifiers for the Lite division, purchase the Early Bird Lite license. If your team doesn’t qualify for the Lite division, you will play in the Core division and we will refund you the difference - in this example: 100 EUR. The ECL Neo division will remain free of cost. Please refer to this ECL Ranking in order to understand which teams are eligible to sign up for each division. New and refreshed ECL 1v1 With ECL ‘23 we launched the first-ever ECL 1v1 seasons and while they were a blast and we saw some great games and worthy champions (1, 2) crowned, we have gathered the feedback and data and aim to improve the experience for players of all levels for the ECL ‘24 season. We’ll save some details for later, but what we can tell you is that there will be a TOP 4 selected from both the Winter and Spring seasons, that will then face each other at the end of the ECL ‘24 year to crown one ECL ‘24: 1v1 Champion. Rule Changes & Community Opinion We would like to raise two items up for a community vote and open up the floor for discussion. The 3-point system vs 2-point system For the longest time, the ECL has used the 2-point system, where the winner gets 2 points, whether in regular time or overtime, and 1 point for a loss in overtime. We’ve heard some wishes for a change and the time has come to re-evaluate whether we should instead opt for the 3-point system instead. In the past, the polls have been pretty close to 50/50 on this topic, but it’s time to discuss this topic properly and if the discussion suggests a need for a poll, that can be implemented. You can already discuss the point-system here. Zone & Superstar Abilities - Yay or nay? For the ECL ‘23: Spring season we made the decision to ban a selection of Zone & Superstar Abilities. As NHL 24 is a new release, our initial instinct is to start with a clean slate and not ban any abilities until the community gets to know the new game and has a chance to make up its mind about whether the abilities are working or not. While we have preliminarily set our minds on not banning any abilities for the first season, we welcome the discussion and would love to hear your opinion. You can discuss player abilities here. Are there some rule-related changes we’ve missed? Now is your chance to discuss and suggest what type of changes you would like to see in the rulebook. Stay tuned for the official kick-off of the ECL ’24 Winter Signups, launching mid-September.

Hailing from the picturesque landscapes of Czechia, Adam @dzouvi Menšík has etched his name into the competitive esports scene as a formidable force in the world of NHL gaming. With a career spanning back to 2018, this skilled gamer embarked on his journey with the Blackdawgs, marking the commencement of what has thus far been a remarkable competitive career. Dzouvi's rise in the ranks among fellow top centermen can be attributed to his excellent technical understanding of the game's intricacies. As a centerman, he has consistently been able to prove himself as not only a prolific scorer, but also as a player with an excellent 200-foot game. The pinnacle of Adam's career thus far unfolded during the ECL '23: Spring - Elite season with Färjestad BK. This season proved to be a defining moment for the Czech sensation, as he notched a career-high 45 points, steering his team through a captivating playoff journey. Although the dream of championship glory was halted in the semifinals by Frölunda HC, Dzouvi's resilience and skill on the virtual ice left promises for an even greater ECL '24 Winter Campaign. In addition to the success he saw on the 6v6 ice, he was also one of four gamers present at the ECL '23: Spring 1v1 Finals at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo and put up a valiant fight against the eventual Champion Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen. Now, making history as the first player from outside of Finland or Sweden to be honored as the Cover Gamer for the upcoming ECL '24 Winter season, @dzouvi takes center stage together with Vesa Pompa HC, in an attempt to recreate another successful season. 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 @tombo_02 Laitinen You're joining some top tier company is a list of previous Cover Gamers. What does it mean to you to be the poster boy for the top NHL Esports league in the world? I really appreciate it and it's a big pleasure for me. Never thought that I would end up being the Cover Gamer. I think it's the first time having somebody outside of Finland or Sweden right? I'm looking forward to another ECL Elite season. What are the factors that contribute to your success, and what tips could you give to players who want to develop their game? I was always learning from the best ones. Spent a lot of time watching streams of the top players in the scene. Then it was just about grinding. Also I need to mention my former teammate Tony @Mistertyppo95 Laine here. Thanks to him I started playing ECL and also became decent in 1v1. NHL 21 was the best year for me, where I reached the Top 8 in the GWC. I don’t have any special tips, it is always the same in my opinion - just play the game, success will come one day. Who would you name as your toughest competition over the course of your career, both on the 1v1 and 6v6 ice? For sure I need to say Erik @Eki Tammenpää. And I think it's the same in both 1v1 and 6v6. What's your greatest memory in competitive NHL gaming, why is that? NHL 21 GWC, where I was with another Czech guy Josef @pepcastachurcik Stachura in the Top 8. In 6v6 side it was winning SCL title with Granit. In terms of the upcoming ECL '24 Winter Elite season, what teams do you think viewers should keep an eye on especially? You should keep an eye on the same teams as always. Straikers (formerly FILADELPHIA), hREDS, Tunnel Vision, and of course on us! What is your personal goal of the NHL 24 competitive year? I will try my best to qualify for the GWC and also to have the best results in all other 1v1 tournaments. Same for 6v6, top 4 in ECL Elite is the goal again. We are wishing all teams an enjoyable ECL '24: Winter season full of tight games and hard competition! Make sure to tune in for our broadcasts at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

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! After lots of eHockey action we are back with yet another highly requested episode of our "Player Spotlight" series! This time we are back with Josh @Hasek-39-- Plattner. Austrian Goalie, Inter Iceland legend and current captain of Eisbären Lauf Gaming! 1. When did you start playing EASHL? I started playing EASHL back in NHL13. I started to play with Stephan @Krinke Krinke and Alexander @Fire_019 Eder. We are still very good friends and we have played several ECL and GCL seasons together! 2. You have played your first ECL back in Season 4. What are your highlights of your EASHL career so far? The time with the legendary Silver Sword Griffins back in ECL 6, 7 and 8. A very skilled team full of loyal and friendly characters. I am glad that I met people such as Rihards @xLVxRitchey Bartuševičs, P @PSchibra Schibra and Ak @ProMinx24 Kungs. I will never forget ECL 6 Elite - defensivewise the best team I ever played for. 3. After serving several seasons as Captain of the legendary "Inter Iceland", what do you enjoy most about playing for Eisbären Lauf Gaming now? I really started to enjoy the game again. No drama, less stress, just focussing on the game itself. I am really impressed by the team spirit within the squad and it is really fun to see how every individual player manages to improve steadily. On top of that I am very happy to help the team with my experience and try to give them the edge in tough situations. 4. What is your favourite dish? I have to go with Calamari fritti! 5. You're GM for a day and have to pick your favourite GCL (only DACH-players) and ECL lineup. Who would you pick and why? GCL: @Keuschemisch - @Original-SnuS - @IDangledYouOut @Toneee9 - @xXPsykoSkillsXx @afc_Tschitsch I have to go with Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi at Center. Several consecutive seasons on the highest level and matured in his defensive game a lot. On the left wing I would pick Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg who is currently probably the best player in the DACH-area. Incredible skillset and good two-way-game. Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner gets my spot on the right wing. Every team would be glad to have a player like him in their team. My two defensemen have to be Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz. Great decisionmaking, solid defense but also a threat in the offensive end on the ice. Both are the best on their positions for years now! Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich is my favourite Goalie in the GCL. Developed to one of the best between the pipes and his stats during the last seasons underline that! Honorable Mentions: Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker, Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle & Patrick @RPH_31 Braun ECL: @Vilupoika - @ADETIKKI - @Eki @l-Furyan-l - @xLVxRitchey @ICappeI 6. Would you rather be an average hockeyplayer or the best EA Sports NHL player? I would rather be an average hockeyplayer. As a kid I always dreamed of becoming a professional hockey goalie but unfortunately it was not possible due to financial reasons. 7. How do you spend you freetime besides playing EA Sports NHL? In the summertime you will find me at the lakeside here in Kärnten, Austria. This really helps me to relax after a stressful day at work. Besides that I really like to grind Rainbow Six Siege with my friends! 8. What’s the most memorable NHL gaming moment of your career so far? Actually I have to pick the promotion with Eisbären Lauf Gaming into ECL '23 Spring Pro! After my retirement as Inter Iceland captain I still kept the Pro Qualifier spot. Nobody really believed in us before we started into the season but it makes me proud to see how the team develops and how we manage to win games and gain important points to try to stay in the league. It is an honour to play with such great teammates! 9. Pizza with or without pineapple? Definitely without. I am an oldschool-guy and always go for pepperoni on my Pizza! 10. High-scoring game or OT drama? As a Goalie I have to go for OT drama. Those are the games why I'm playing EASHL! 11. Which hockey team do you support in real life? I am a big fan of the New York Rangers. Back then I always admired Hendrik Lundqvist! 12. Do you have any certain rituals before league games? I listen to music, try to calm down, relax and think of good moments from earlier seasons in my career! 13. Who is the best player in the ECL and GCL (only-DACH)? Casper @ICappeI Lundgren & Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg. 14. What kind of holiday is your favorite and why? I am a simple man. Mallorca! Good weather, party all night and enjoying some cold beverages. 15. Who would you like to see featured next in “Player Spotlight”? I would love to see my former teammate Stephan @Krinke Krinke. He has been in the EASHL community since day 1! 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!

From the very early age of three, Perttu “Beniittto” Kemppainen was interested in the NHL video game. He grew fond of the game and later on as the game's competitive side started developing, he began to take the game more seriously. Like many of us, @Beniittto grew up with the game and has been a fan of the series for almost two decades. He is a proud owner of every version since NHL 08. Beniittto first hopped on the ECL ice in the very first season when he was only 13 years old. You could say he has grown up alongside the 6v6 scene and been a part of our story at SportsGamer from the very beginning. Beniittto is a player who has truly won it all during his career. NHL 24 has been no exception, to name a few of Beniitttos achievements during NHL 24: ECL ‘24: Elite winner as the captain of hREDS Forward of The Season in ECL ‘24: Winter eHockey SM 2024 winner as the captain of Parasite As one of the OGs in the 6v6 scene, Beniittto also leads all-time points on our platform. In 615 games he has gathered a combined points total of 1874, which means he has managed to keep up a 3,05 point per game pace now for multiple years. What makes this achievement so great is that he has been playing against the best defenders and goalies for the majority of his career and has still managed to score so many points. This season Beniittto continues as the captain of his team, a team he started originally as long ago as 2019. The team has for the most part been known as hREDS, but started as Delusion. After the hREDS organization shut down its operations, the team was briefly renamed Parasite and is now known as Valokuitunen Esports. How does it feel to be chosen as the cover gamer of the top NHL Esports league? “It feels great, there have been a lot of great players chosen as the cover gamer and it is an honor to be among them.” 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 What has been the best moment in your career so far? “It has to be winning ECL 12 on LAN since it was the first LAN I won.” Since you have been phenomenally successful in big matches, what is the key to a superior performance when preparing for a game? “I don't do anything special, I just focus on the fact that I want to win and try to play my best game.” What do you enjoy most about competing at the highest level? “I just enjoy competing, I have always wanted to be good at the games I play and there is always room for improvement.” You have played this game on a high level for so many years, what direction do you see the competitive side of the game taking? “I think the scene has seen better days, but I am hoping the scene will bounce back and reach new heights.” What are some of your personal goals for the current ECL season? “I always want to win the championship and maybe break some records!” Lastly, as a player who has won it all do you ever see yourself retiring? “I have played NHL games my whole life and can't see myself not doing that, there are always more things to win and more things to achieve and that is what keeps me going.” We are wishing all teams an enjoyable ECL '24: Spring season full of exciting games and hard competition! Make sure to tune in for our broadcasts at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

In the previous Elite '24: Winter season, we witnessed a mix of triumphs, setbacks, and surprises. Ultimately, the deserving champion was hREDS (now known as Valokuitunen Esports). Tunnel Vision pushed hREDS to the limit, extending the series to a thrilling game seven. One of the most unexpected developments was Goons maintaining their status in "no man's land," avoiding relegation matches against Pro teams and thus securing their Elite spot. Now, let's shift our focus from the past to the upcoming season. Here are some notable highlights and predictions: EXEN (formerly JYP) has made strategic replacements, recruiting @xAaro89x from Heimo and @Mozjayh from the hREDS bench. This season marks Mozjayh's debut as a right defenseman, an interesting transition for a player from a triple back-to-back ECL-winning background. xAaro89x has long been hailed as a potential star capable of carrying his team deep into the playoffs, though previous seasons have fallen short of expectations. This season, EXEN must advance further than the first round, which will require significantly more impact from team captain @indi969 than last season's six playoff games of no points. Tunnel Vision faces what might be their 'last dance' as rumors suggest the team might disband with a player joining the military. They enter ECL '24 Spring with a slightly altered lineup, featuring attackers @Vattuyy, @Laiitinen, and @Pikkardz. The trio is undoubtedly talented, yet concerns linger about their defensive dedication, particularly with the introduction of a new center. However, defensemen @tomboo- and @Wengeri are exceptionally solid in their own end, perhaps compensating for any lapses up front. Valokuitunen Esports (ex-hREDS) are the favorites to win the ECL again, with star players @Beniittto and @NikkeDangles ready to dazzle. Newcomer @pikkuroger might fill @Vilupoika's shoes or possibly end up alongside @KingOfApes_ on the bench. Straikers have consistently ranked high but have yet to claim the ECL title since their last win under the FILADELPHIA banner in 2021.. New addition @temppanen, proven in 1vs1 battles but untested in 6vs6, could be the final piece they need. He joins from Mayhems, bringing a new dynamic to the team that includes strong defense and excellent goaltenders @Hansulinho and @uhNikke. Vesa Pompa – often overlooked despite consecutive semifinal appearances in the ECL. Why aren't they considered a top-four team? The issue seems to be a lack of standout individual skill, with exceptions like @antoniomannen004, who blends skill with game intelligence. Questions also surround the defense, though rookie standout @pappeen- made an impressive debut last season. Despite occasional lapses, goalie @kkostiiii remains one of the best at stopping breakaways. Having just covered my expectations for the top teams in Elite, let's now quickly explore some other intriguing teams and their acquisitions. First up, Björklöven, where @Kallmanius has really invested in building a highly competitive team. This season, the squad includes @x-_-BoBi-_-x, @vilppijoona, and @koleslaav_, with @zMikkeez and @WeDuX_ anchoring the defense. On paper, this is a skilled team. The big question mark will be how vilppijoona and @WeDuX_ manage defensively against the top teams. As a member of Unwanted, I can report that @xLeikku will not be playing next season, with @Launonexx stepping in to fill his role. Leikku has left big shoes to fill, but impressive performances are expected from the former Mustaa Kultaa captain in his standout rookie Elite season. The same goes for @karlssonadam_, who has been recruited from Purification and is gearing up for his first season in the Elite. Polski Boys’ lineup has remained unchanged. The team is counting on significant contributions from last season's Comeback Player of the Year, @jm98II, who is a key offensive force. It would be a major disappointment if they didn’t make the playoffs. Russian player @W1nchester_62 has stepped up as the first-choice goalkeeper. Purification is filled with young, hungry Swedish players, brimming with skill and the drive to grind. There have been some positional shifts from last season, with @bystrom___ moving from center to defense. The team plays fearlessly and on their best days, can challenge many of the Elite teams. This season promises intense competition and potential new champions in the Elite '24: Spring season. Keep an eye on these teams and players as they battle for supremacy in the ECL. What are your predictions for how the season will go? Let us know in the comments!

This week we've launched the newest season of the biggest eHockey tournament in all of Europe. A lot of you (and us!) have been waiting for the season to start and now the wait is over, so fire up those smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles and start playing and watching the action! In this preview we’ll take a look at a few teams and of course, a few individuals who will be playing in the second-highest tier of the European Championship League ladder, which is the highly coveted ECL Pro. Group 1 Teams to challenge for the title: Herlev Eagles This team has taken large strides from a few years back when they scraped to make the playoffs in the Pro division, after playing Elite qualifiers just a few days ago and not quite making it must be a bitter feeling, but the Eagles are back and ready to challenge for the title with Danish superstar Vibholm leading the way in offense! Player to watch: @vibholm10 Mustaa Kultaa Another team that almost made it to Elite. This should come as no surprise as former Lite Champions are making a push for the title. With a good mix of young talent and long-time Pro veterans in their team, this squad can make some noise this season. Player to watch: @LatveX Team to make the playoffs: RYHTIC With a change in scenery for this team it parts ways with its long-time sponsor RCTIC, the team stays together for another year, always seems to make the playoffs, and challenges those top teams in Pro and Elite. Player to watch: @Limbe65 Team on the line: NOVA This Russian lead team made some noise last season with the number 8 seed and playing well in the 1st round of the playoffs. With big praise from last year's winning team Gotham, this team needs this push to get a better seed than last year. Player to watch: @Nester4343 Relegation battle: Neptune Hockey This team seems to find a new division from time to time, hopefully they can stick it to this washed up writer, and make a push for the playoffs. Neptune has struggled in the Pro division most years and this year is no exception, this team can not seem to string together enough wins to push for playoffs. Player to watch: @Zeikmaar Dark Horse: Vizio With a good-looking run in the eHockey SM (Finnish Championships) this year, Vizio has made some noise with beating some good teams this offseason and not solely relying on their captain to win them some games, but if they can't find that eHockey SM form, it can be a long season for them. Player to watch: @Jetsu28 Group 2 Teams to challenge for the title: POGGERS With a few seasons surviving in Elite, they couldnt battle Björklöven for a spot this year, former Pro champions can make a lot of teams unhappy with their veteran players still shining. Look for this team to want to make it back next season. Player to watch: @JaKurrii Södertälje SK With a new roster formed, they have that something, that flair you look for in teams that go far in the playoffs, with captain @svetidaje getting busy in the offseason and recruiting far and wide, this could be their year if they can find chemistry on the ice. Player to watch: @amadee21 Team to make the playoffs: Supernatural A team with an interesting past, saying this team has had its ups and downs is an understatement. But now they seem to have found a nice-looking roster with good players in all positions, they can surprise a lot of teams with how they approach this new season. Player to watch: @MrNipsuli Team on the line: TikiTalk With a team as legendary as this, it’s going to be a coin toss if this team makes the playoffs this season. A difficult group with a lot of experience, and their reliance on a guy that everyone knows, can make it difficult to get those important wins they need. Player to watch: @NuariJamal Relegation battle: Ice Scream While looking at a lot of talent in group 2, this team will find it very difficult to scrap together points this season, with not a lot of experience in the Pro division they will be looking to make some magic happen to avoid relegation. Player to watch: @TeemuUnderdawg Dark Horse: Otukset One might say this team has all the talent in the world to make it to the playoffs, even make a run for the title, some might say this team has a tendency to choke when games get tough, this experienced team will have to avoid a rollercoaster season, but look for them to steal some points from the top teams. Player to watch: @Roisto999 Do you agree with the predictions, or did the writer miss the net? What are your predictions for how the season will go? Let us know in the comments!

SportsGamers, the 10th iteration of the German Championship League is about to start. To celebrate our Anniversary Season we wanted to look back on the past nine seasons. Who was involved in the GCL, which players dominated the scene and who finally crowned themselves Champions of the "DACH-region". Many players and teams joined and left the virtual hockey stage during the years as it all started back in NHL18 - when it all began as the GEL in the inaugural season. We especially want to thank @Hennisch and @Franky__2768 who paved the way for German NHL Esports and made all those seasons possible, with all their effort they put in as the years and NHL titles passed by! In Season 2 the newly named GCL joined NHLGamer (now SportsGamer) where the DACH-Championship is still played to this day. Let's not waste any further time and jump straight into the past nine GCL Seasons - feel free to share your memories with us in the comments down below! GEL: Inter Iceland vs. Clowns On Ice Back in autumn of 2017 is where it all started. The inaugural season of DACH eHockey action was organized on a separate platform. A big thank you to @Hennisch, @LosTypos, @GreatOne139 and @Franky__2768 who were indispensable with all their enthusiasm to build a competetive platform for NHL18 6v6 hockey in Germany, Austria and Switzerland! The GEL kicked off on October 27th 2017 as 11 teams participated in Season 1. Many of those teams are still active nowadays, with the well-known juggernauts Deadly Phantoms, Clowns on Ice, EV Duisburg and the legendary Inter Iceland. After various tournaments in the past it was safe to say that all of those four teams were the favourites on the GEL title. Inter Iceland, who should spend several seasons in ECL Pro led by their Captain Joshua @Hasek-39-- Plattner, paved their way to the final against the Clowns On Ice. Two highly skilled teams matched up in the finals as Inter crowned themselves champions with a 4:2 serieswin around ECL Season 1 veteran Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner. Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle was one of the dominating players in that year as he gained the topscoring title in the regular season and playoffs. Hämmerle is still to this date one of the most skilled Forwards the German community has to offer. A place among the Top-10-All-time-Scorers on SportsGamer.gg underlines the skillset of the Bavarian Left wing! GCL2: Deadly Phantoms HC vs. The Black Jacks Over the course of NHL18 the German EASHL League was implemented on NHLGamer. Rebranded as the GCL the second season kicked off in March 2018. 15 Teams joined the league as the dominating era of the Deadly Phantoms started. Winning 26 out of the 28 regular season games brought them #1 overall seed, only falling short against EV Duisburg and the Puck Panthers, led by Reto @Swiss Moger Dubacher. Swiss outfit The Black Jacks joined the German powerhouse at the top of the table with 22 wins. The Swiss managed to build a very dominant squad around Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi who led his team with 65 points in 18 Games! Trinidad Tobago joined the two dominant forces in the semifinals - a squad full of non-DACH players which was later prohibited as the licenseplayer rule was implemented just one season later. A dominating finals performance by the Deadly Phantoms was crowned with a 4:3OT Win in Game 5 against The Black Jacks. Stefan @Rayman Mieth was the leagues MVP as he scored stunning 90 points in 22 regular season games and superthroned his performance in the postseason with 40 points in just 13 games! GCL3: Deadly Phantoms HC vs. Silver Sword Griffins Right after the release of NHL19 the third GCL season started! 14 Teams in one group. Top 8 made it to the playoffs. Just as in the previous season the Deadly Phantoms should sit on top - a picture that the DACH community had to get used to for several seasons in a row! 25-1-0 and a whopping 187 goals scored underlines the dominance of DPH! A great squad formed by Frank @Franky__2768 Münch as he got Tim @Timasy Heß from their competitors Clowns On Ice into the team. Among the dominating teams in the league the well-known faces were joined by a new squad: The Silver Sword Griffins. A team consisting out of a big core that later formed back to Inter Iceland such as Stefan @Charly Braun and Much @Much1979 Ramu! The Griffins added some Latvian Skillset to their roster which is still known nowadays especially from their performances in the RCL and WECL! Steffen @Seibertus94 Leuchtenberger and Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Göpfert joined the GCL as DEG eSports. The first official eSports Team from the DEL which is still competing in today's ECL and GCL! Especially @DangerBrooklyn was and still is feared for his dangerous deflections in front of the net. In the finals DPH clashed with the German-Latvian Silver Sword Griffins which is one of the most intense and tight finals in GCL history. Game 7 was needed to crown the new DACH-Champion as Superstar @Timasy scored the OT GWG to clinch the second straight title after a cheeky assist by his Center Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker. GCL4: Deadly Phantoms HC vs. The Black Jacks In the 4th iteration of the GCL we have seen 18 teams participating. Divided in two groups, Top 5 of each group made the playoffs including a Best-Of-3 Preplayoff Round for the first time! With EV Füssen Esports a second official Esports Team from Germany joined the competetive eHockey scene in the GCL and what a start it should be for the Bavarian boys. Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle continued his dominating individual performances with 88 points in 16 games which guaranteed Füssen rank 1, right in front of their Swiss counterpart The Black Jacks! The Deadly Phantoms repeated their perfect regular season and grabbed overall seed #1 with a record of 16-0. Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss joined DPH after many succesful seasons with Clowns on Ice and had immediate impact on their game. Nowadays the Austrian playmaker still belongs to the most skilled players in the community and highlights his skillset with many impressive seasons on ECL Elite and Pro Level! One of the biggest newcomers in that season were the Eisbären Regensburg who improved from a 2-24-0 record in the previous season to 9-7-0 and a spot in the Preplayoffs against the Niederrhein Canucks. Stefan @Toews19 Schoierer led the squad on and off the ice. 48 points in 16 games meant a spot among the best scores of the league and simultaneously the best scorer who did not play for one of the Top 4 Teams in GCL4! The Polarbears swept the Canucks in Round 1 but eventually fell short to DPH in the Quarterfinals. With Werewolves HC a new hot team on the block made their way to the Playoffs. Bastian @ali-kn Wolf, Waldemar @Wowa_1995 Kern and Max @Toneee9 Tonitz built an impressive and highly skilled trio. Unfortunately their rather succesful debutseason ended with a Game 7 Loss to The Black Jacks in the Quarterfinals. For the second time in GCL history we should see a finals clash between the "Eidgenossen" and the Deadly Phantoms. In contrast to GCL2 the series was very tight and the Swiss squad seemed to close the gap towards DPH more and more with each season. But just as last season the Phantoms kept the upper hand as the series went to 7 games yet again. Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker decided the Championship in Overtime as he scored the 2:1 OT GWG. Cornerstone for this seasons success was Patrick @RPH_31 Braun with an impressive 89.01% Savepercentage during the Regular Season and Playoffs! GCL5: BRAYCE Phantoms vs. Shooting Stars In GCL5 we have seen quite a few changes and exciting developments in the DACH-Community. The Black Jacks signed a contract with the NLA powerhouse from Zürich and became the official Esports Team of ZSC Lions! The Eisbären Regensburg rebranded as EBR Esports Official and signed a contract with the Oberliga Team from Regensburg, Bavaria. Aswell as the Deadly Phantoms HC signing with BRAYCE and joining the league as the BRAYCE Phantoms! At the same time the German Championship League was divided into two divisions. While eleven Teams participated in Division 1, fourteen squads competed in Division 2 to gain promotion to the highest tier. The legendary Clowns On Ice eventually gained promotion, thanks to an exciting 4:3 final against UKnighted HC, a team consisting of many ECL1 veterans such as Dave @Asche Schäfer and Marko @Nr-0847 Reza. As already teasered in the previous paragraphs the new BRAYCE Phantoms continued their phenomenal dominance and secured seed #1 with a record of 18-1-1. The Shooting Stars (previously EV Füssen Esports), ZSC Lions and EBR Esports Official formed the Top 4 in this season. EV Duisburg could not compensate the departure of Defenseman Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz who joined the Phantoms right at the start of NHL20 - a record of 2-15-3 was not enough to secure a spot for Division 1 in GCL6, meaning they were the first team to get relegated into Division 2. Stephan @Krinke Krinke, a player who is competing in NHL since day one, was able to carry the Augsburg Panther to the Playoffs. Unfortunately the Bavarians fell short to ZSC Lions and got swept in the Quarterfinals in GCL5. While the BRAYCE Phantoms secured their 4th consecutive finals appearance, the Lions got steamtrained by the Shooting Stars in the Semifinals. A 4-0 sweep was a very surprising result back then considering the ECL Pro performances by the Swiss outfit. Tim @Timasy Heß was the MVP in the regular season and the playoffs as he led the Phantoms to a dominant and well deserved 4:0 Finals victory against the underdogs of the Shooting Stars. Four consecutive GCL Championships for the Phantoms already. Is there any possibility to stop their dominance? GCL6: BRAYCE Phantoms vs. ZSC Esports The 6th GCL took yet another all-time-high as 37 teams competed in two Divisions. We have not seen any changes in Division 1 as 12 teams participated and the Top 8 once again made the postseason. The number of Division 2 teams increased to 25 teams where the Red Light Jokers grabbed the title and promotion to the highest tier in GCL hockey as they beat the KSE Teutons in five games. Herzog @HerzogMagnus Magnus put one of the most impressive Division 2 performances on the virtual ice as he scored 181 points in 40 games (Regular Season + Playoffs) - unfortunately for him it was not enough to win the Championship but their finals appearance still meant promotion to Division 1 in the following GCL7! For the first time the GCL Cup was played, too. A format well-known from real life sports, especially Football such as the DFB-Pokal or FA Cup, all teams across both Divisions participated in a Best-Of 1 Knockout Tournament. Inter Iceland crowned themselves first GCL Cup Champs with a 5:2 victory against ZSC Esports in the Final. The previously mentioned Werewolves HC signed a deal with the Oberliga Team ECDC Memmingen Indians and paved their way to their second semifinals appearance. But again they fell short in 6 games - this time to the dominant BRAYCE Phantoms. The regular season was a wild ride as we have seen many new players mix the league up. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg scored 49 points in 22 games and helped his team EBR Esports Official to grab overall seed #2 with a record of 18-4-0. The squad around captain Jonas @kandykills Fleischmann continued their strong form as they beat the Central Hockey Canucks in the Quarterfinals in 6 games. Patrick @Pathen-21- Hendrix and Matteo @DiMatteo70 Guenther played an impressive season for the Canucks from the lower Rhine Valley but the Polarbears from Bavaria seemed to be too strong in the postseason. Another squad worth mentioning was EIS FORCE Hockey. Shooting stars Nico @Nicoli2311 Schubert and Patrick @Paddyy1903 Steinmüller helped the young rookies to sneak on overall seed #6 and forced game 7 in the Quarterfinals against ZSC Esports. In the end the Swiss outfit maintained their role as the favourites on another GCL Finals appearance but the young guns from EIS FORCE Hockey mixed Division 1 up as no team ever before! In the end we should see a final between the Phantoms and the virtual Lions from Zürich for a third time in six seasons. After the first night it seemed that the momentum has shifted as ZSC Esports got a 2-0 serieslead against titleholders from BRAYCE. But on night two the Phantoms striked back. A few tactical adjustments changed the whole gameplay as they won four straight to secure their 5th consecutive GCL Championship! GCL7: ZSC Esports vs. Team LEISURE Due to the pandemic GCL7 set another record as 49 teams registered to play in the DACH Championship. To prevent bigger skillgaps in the divisions the League Adminstration decided to divide the league into three Divisions! AM United won the first Championship in Division 3 as they beat the DEL2 Squad of EC Bad Nauheim Esports with a stunning sweep. The Division 2 Finals went to seven games as Deggendorfer SC Esports managed to beat Swiss counterpart SCB Esports as the lowest seed in the playoff bracket. An impressive run by the Bavarians around Assistant-Captain Johannes @Johannes.Helmbrecht Helmbrecht who later that year won the Silvermedal in the German 1v1 Championship eDEL! At the start of NHL21 many changes took place as ECDC Memmingen Esports signed a deal with the German Esports Organization PENTA. Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle and Dominik @Domi_PENTA Rühl led the squad on and off the ice which unfortunately ended in yet another semifinal loss to ZSC Esports. Good comfort should follow later as they won the GCL Cup in a thrilling Overtime Win against Team LEISURE (previously BRAYCE Phantoms) as Akin @DaMan Isik scored a cheeky shortside snipe to win their first title! The Swiss Lions managed to kick the Phantoms off the "regular season" throne as they secured #1 seed with a record of 24-1-1. Max @Toneee9 Tonitz joined the team from Memmingen and had a massive impact on their game which eventually led to the promotion to ECL Elite, too! Captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi grabbed the virtual Hart Trophy scoring 79 points in 24 games. Especially the chemistry with his wingers Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner and Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni is what made ZSC so dangerous in that season! But was it enough to finally get their hands on that GCL Trophy? We will find out later! The BRAYCE Phantoms signed a deal with Team LEISURE. Instead of Black-Red-White the record champs swapped their colours to a more conservative Blue-Gold and had to compensate the departure of Tim @Timasy Heß who joined YMCA Esports in ECL Elite and later that season ZSC Esports - which is still to date one of the most surprising transfers in GCL History! EBR Esports Official changed their colours, too, as they rebranded as noRex Gaming. Overall seed #4 and another Quarterfinals win against the Central Hockey Canucks meant their second consecutive semifinals appearance. But it should not be enough to beat Team LEISURE as they fell short in 6 games. Worth mentioning is the performance of their Finnish Licenseplayer Mikka @Stigi Heinonkoski who scored 33 goals in 24 regular season games - the most goals of all GCL Players in that season. So, for the second straight year we should see another Finals clash between ZSC Esports and Team LEISURE. But this time the outcome was different to what we have seen in the previous seasons. The virtual Lions swept the 5-time defending Champion in icecold fashion and secured their first GCL Championship in their 4th final! Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich had an incredible postseason run as he recorded 6 shutouts in 12 games. One of the most dominating Playoffruns we have seen so far! GCL8: ZSC Esports vs. Deadly Phantoms In the 8th iteration of the GCL we have seen a remodelling of the league structure due to the fact that only one DACH Championship was played in NHL22. On top the GCL 1v1 was played for the first time, too! 80 players took part in the first Online VS DACH Championship on SportsGamer! In the end the Austrian Max @Toneee9 Tonitz became the inaugural champ as he beat Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle in a tight final. But back to 6s action! 47 teams competed in one division which was split into four groups. Back to the roots the Deadly Phantoms once again secured seed #1 in the postseason with a record of 22-0-0 in their group. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg joined the ECL Elite juggernaut ZSC Esports from noRex Gaming together with his teammate Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert. Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer who developed to one of the best Defenseman in the German scene followed his two former noRex members after spending one season with the Phantoms in ECL'22 Spring Pro! noRex Gaming reset their roster as the young and very talented winger Damien @xCocii Baynes brought in Roope @pikkuroger Bergström who eventually scored 95 points in 14 games and secured a spot among the Top 10 scorers of GCL8! Another very young and ambitious Esports Team joined the league as the formerly Nürnberg Niddhoggr signed a deal with the DEL squad Nürnberg Ice Tigers. Especially Luca @cpt_dirtyDangler Knoll and Lennart @Lennart Hansen Hansen are two players who should be on everyones mind for the near future! The Franconian Ice Tigers paved their way straight to the quarterfinals but fell short to Team NGU (previously named PENTA) in five games. Team NGU, Deadly Phantoms and ZSC Esports were joined by a new highly effective team named Hyperion (previously named KSE Teutons). Veteran Stefan @Rayman Mieth had more than impressive numbers in GCL8 and always seemed to be in the right spot especially in the combination with young gun Paul @Pauner08 Weingart. In the semifinals Hyperion was defeated by ZSC Esports in five games who claimed their third consecutive GCL final. On the other hand the Deadly Phantoms swept Team NGU - Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkonen joined on loan from ECL Elite Squad Tunnel Vision and had big impact on DPHs success. They left the underdogs no chance as we should see the same two teams clashing in the final round for the 5th time in eight seasons. Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann casted the finals and it was more exciting than ever. After session one the Lions took the 2:1 serieslead against the Phantoms with two clear victories and finished the job on the second night as they secured the title in six games. Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi decided game 6 in Overtime and became the hero to bring the title to Zürich, Switzerland for the second straight year. To top things off ZSC Esports secured the first GCL double that night, too, as they beat Hyperion in the GCL Cup Final 3:2. Was this the final end of the Phantoms dominance? GCL9: ZSC Esports vs. Deadly Phantoms Last season started right after ECL'23 Winter was finished! Just as in GCL8 the 1v1 Championship was played, too. In the end Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg crowned himself GCL9 1v1 Champ with a 3:1 Finals win against his ZSC teammate Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi! The League Administration decided to reset the league structure into two divisions as 16 teams, split into two groups, competed in Division 1 as the Top 4 of each group made the playoffs. 32 Squads participated and fought for promotion in Division 2. We witnessed the first Swiss Final between Ambri eSports and EHC Olten eSports as Ambri grabbed the Division 2 crown and secured the Division 2 Championship in five games. Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano had an incredible season with 111 points in 32 games (Regular Season + Playoffs). Worth mentioning that the Swiss outfit managed to gain promotion as the lowest seed just as Deggendorfer SC Esports a few seasons ago, too. In the GCL Cup ZSC Esports defended their title in Overtime against - who else - than the Deadly Phantoms. Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer decided the Final in Overtime after being down by one goal in the last minute in regular time. Worth mentioning is the performance of Division 2 Squad Old Dirty Primates. The Primates advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Cup and were beaten by the Schlittschuhclub Bern but showed their qualities in this competition. The best finish by a Division 2 team in the GCL Cup to date! The Deadly Phantoms melted with former squad Hyperion to form a new strong roster as longterm Captain Frank @Franky__2768 Münch took a step back and players like Maximilian @gzell60 Käsmaier and Dominik @CashAllGreen Bellersheim stepped into the Starting Six. The Phantoms grabbed Overall seed #2 right behind their eternal rivals of ZSC Esports and were followed by a quite surprising new team on the block. The Predators finished on rank two of Group 2! Slovakian Licenseplayer Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec carried the newcomers with his impressive skillset and underlined his ambitions with 31 points in 12 games. With Hannover Indians Esports, HC Lugano Esports and EHC Kloten Esports, who started as Gleumes Hockey Krefeld in the season before, three new official Esports teams joined the German Championship League. Unfortunately non of these teams were able to hold on to their ambitions and their run was finished after 16 games in the regular season. With Eisbären Lauf Gaming a new exciting and very ambitious squad joined the stage of Division 1 eHockey! Max @theburner18 Spachmüller and Thomas @newman_2909 Neumann were able to create a talented roster with a good mixture of experience by adding the legendary Josh @Hasek-39-- Plattner to their team. Unfortunately it should not be enough for a first playoff appearance in GCL9 but that did not stop them by spending their first season on Pro Level in ECL'23 Spring! In the Playoff bracket we have seen a similar image as in the previous GCLs. ZSC Esports, Deadly Phantoms and Team NGU paved their way to the Top 4 and were joined by Tobias @Hohner Hohner's Esports squad from RB Munich who beat the Predators in Round 1 of the postseason. Unfortunately for them they were not able to keep up with the speed of the ZSC Lions as they got swept despite a top notch performance by their Goalie Marcel @Capitano_82 Houdelet. So, for a fourth straight season the two juggernauts of the DACH Community clashed in the GCL Finals! As we saw Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann in the Commentator Box one more time the virtual Lions took a 3:0 serieslead after night one. Thanks to a clutch performance by licenseplayer Lenne @kemppainen39 Kemppainen who took over the position in the right Defense. In the second session the Phantoms striked back as they claimed victory in Games 4 and 5 and it seemed like the momentum has shifted as their confidence rised and they aimed for that reverse sweep. Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner, who rotated from Goaltender back into the right offensive position, decided Game 6 early on and ZSC Esports secured their back-to-back-to-back title with a 5:1 win! GCL10: After a title for Inter Iceland in the inaugural GCL Season 1, the Deadly Phantoms were able to secure five(!) titles in a row! After their relegation from ECL Elite the momentum shifted towards their Swiss competitors as they secured three GCL Championships in a row now. In GCL10 both squads are heavy favourites on the title in the anniversary season yet again. Especially in a Best-Of-7 Playoffseries it is tough for any team in the league to kick ZSC or DPH from their throne. With RB Munich Esports and Eisbären Lauf Esports two more teams gained Pro Experience in ECL'23 Spring. It will be interesting to see if the experience on higher level will help them in the German Championship League, too. HC Lugano Esports had an incredible ECL Lite campaign, only falling short to the later champions of Mustaa Kultaa in the Quarterfinals. We can be excited to see if the Swiss outfit is able to compensate the departure of Jürgen @DangledYouOut Kloster into Division 2 and getting in Slovakian Forward Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec instead. Nürnberg Ice Tigers Esports also took steps into the right directions as they transferred two-time eNLA Champ Mirco @Tron1x90 Komir before last ECL'23 Spring Lite campaign who helped them to advance to the second round of the postseason. Especially in a season with big rotations expected due to holidays and vacation anything might happen. Once again a big thank you to @wobfighter, @adu83, @ManU287, @Drobele, @Myiama and @Justmaniac for organizing the jubilee Season for competetive 6s in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Will ZSC Esports get their hands on their 4th title in a row? Will the Deadly Phantoms be back on top? Or are we seeing an underdog paving their way to the finals and managing to surprise every player in a scene? Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann will be back in the booth again and joined by @RPH_31, @kandykills and @theburner18 live on twitch.tv/sportsgamerdach as we will present you a weeekly Broadcast! We wish everyone an exciting GCL10 season. Play hard and smart and we will see you again in the Playoffs! Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

SportsGamers, It's time to get the Playoff summer started also in the Lite division and a total of 32 teams have made the cut for the most important games of the season! We've still got lots of virtual hockey left to play before a Champion is crowned and at this point, none of the previous performances mean a thing - only the form on any given gameday will decide. In this Playoff preview we'll be taking a look at a few interesting series that we expect could end up being quite close, and highlight a lot of interesting statistical anomalies and facts from the regular season, join us for the ride! To see all of the RO32 series, head over to the League page!   Dark Wild  (4) vs HC Lugano eSports  (19) Dark Wild have earned their #4 seed by playing a very well balanced game throughout the regular season and winning tight games at a high rate. They don't play a flashy game, but are able to do what it takes to close out any game. Quite interestingly, they are the worst powerplay team in the Playoffs with a low 12,9% success rate on the man advantage. Most of Dark Wild's play runs through winger @Juhaniz-, who is also the teams leading scorer. He likes to backskate. Don't discount HC Lugano despite their lower seed, the fact is that they have one of the stronger forward cores in the division, consisting of former Elite players @Krinke & @Freeman7187 and the very skilled @DangledYouOut (TIUINIA). Krinke is the teams most important player as the play driver, but in general Lugano is expected to play a bit more of a fast paced game in comparison to their opponents. Lugano aren't quite as sound defensively, which could end up being their demise.  Prediction: Dark Wild in 6.    Ultimatum  (7) vs Lions Academy  (26) We can expect a surprisingly tight battle here between the 7th seed and the 26th seed. While Ultimatum are one of the strongest offensive teams in the league and will rely heavily on @vepdsssss (Werppi) and @tirbbi to continue their explosive production in the Playoffs, they can’t expect to be running through Lions Academy all that easily. The Academy team of the Swiss Elite squad ZSC Esports have several experienced players in their ranks and they excel at keeping games tight, which is evidenced by the fact that a third of their games in the regular season required overtime to be decided. In the regular season these teams clashed in a double-header in which ultimatum came away with four points and left Lions Academy with only one.  Prediction: Ultimatum in 6.    Cheeky Grinders  (10) vs Chiefzz HC  (23) The ECL ‘23 Spring Winter Champions Cheeky Grinders were expected to be able to make an impact in the Lite division right away, and that’s exactly what they did. They are an exciting squad to follow and if they can keep on grinding - according to their name - they could end up making another jump to the Pro division sooner rather than later. Before even thinking about that, they’ll need to go through Chiefzz HC, who very well could have the most experienced roster in the division, both in terms of ECL seasons under their belts and in terms of average age in their team - perhaps an advantage in those decisive Playoff moments?  Prediction: Cheeky Grinders in 7.    Nurnberg IceTigers eSport  (13) vs Armada Hockey  (20) The IceTigers are a team that has emerged seemingly out of nowhere and really put themselves on the map as a solid contender in the Lite division this season. Some high profile offseason acquisitions in the form of Akin and Komir90 bolstered the core that has played together for a long time already and the team seems to have grown nicely over the course of the season. The IceTigers are excellent offensively, but need to tighten up on defense in the Playoffs. Armada Hockey, on the other hand have made a habit out of making the Playoffs as a lower seed and taking down a few strong teams from an underdog position. This squad is highly experienced and very tough to beat in tight scoring games. Armada has a deep roster with a very balanced playstyle, they pose a threat from all areas of the ice at their very best.  Prediction: IceTigers in 6.    xBOTS  (15) vs Sodertalje SK  (18) We’ve hyped up the exciting roster of xBOTS already in the season preview, and as you’d have it, we get to do that again in this Playoff piece. As expected, young talent IOLL1 led the team in scoring in the regular season and received excellent backup from ONN1231853 and Kibeeex on his flanks. In addition, xBOTS also established themselves as an excellent defensive team, who are able to hang in there with the best in the division in tight battles, which is exactly what they’re in for against Södertälje SK. SSK is a team we’re used to seeing in the Playoffs and they’ve even managed to be a fringe Pro team at their best. Based on both teams’ defensive stats, we’re expecting to see a low scoring series in which goaltending could end up being the decisive factor. Statistically, both DanDan919413 and Kussan82 have played very similar seasons, so that’s going to be an interesting battle to follow! Prediction: Sodertalje SK in 6. Interesting stats or anomalies from the regular season: Mustaa Kultaa is miles ahead of their competition in terms of firepower up front, evidence in the form of a stunning 4,4 GF/GP and winger @Allupekkaz winning the scoring title with 95 points Skelleftea AIK are the best defensive team in the Playoffs. Goaltender @Jonte05_ had a stunning regular season, but he is inexperienced - can he keep it together when the games get sweaty? Hc Replay has the best special teams number with an impressive 124,02% @Zaedon led the league in shorthanded goals with 4! for Chiefzz HC  The biggest puck hog in the Lite division is @sir_sniper for PunaKala with 175:31 TwP, a staggering 60 minutes more than his teammate @Unknownlehtis Most breakaways allowed - Dragons Gaming with 16 recorded defensive lapses thru 30 games in total @I_Manu93_I was a honey badger for Sawolanche with 224 interceptions in the regular season @wrlster for Technical Disaster is the most likely to shoot, with 157 shots in the regular season, that’s over 6 shots per game Group 1 ended up being the tightest in terms of deciding the last Playoff spot - RoKi Esports and Stadin Kingit had to go to tiebreakers in order to split the difference, and eventually RoKi earned the last spot by goal differential.

The first McSavid Goalie School is over and I would like to thank everyone that applied to it. There were applications ranging from ECL Elite to Neo and some North American applicants as well, but in order to not overwhelm myself, I set the first school to focus on only three goalies - one from ECL Pro, one from ECL Lite, and one from ECL Core. That leads me to congratulate @TheSpeedo, @Bystrom_33, and @wobfighter and also thank them for trying out this adventure. Also, a big thank you to @MyLittleRevvy for volunteering to assist me in this - he has been a big help! Our main focus in our communication was to try and raise the bar, individually, for the participants. Since they were experienced already we didn't need to go into the basics, we could focus on how to make a play in certain situations instead. Whether that may be 1v1, 2v1, or what to focus on, in a faceoff. We created some video tutorials that the guys could watch and ask about the thought process. We had them clip goals that they conceded and had a discussion on how that situation could have been handled differently. In the end, all three goalies contributed to taking their respective teams to the playoffs with Speedo ending up being one of the best goalies in all of the ECL Pro division. All three goalies felt an improvement in their game and it will be interesting to see their stats (hopefully) improve even more from ECL '24: Winter to ECL '24: Spring season. Here's what the goalies themself had to say about their experience and how their stats measured up vs the previous season: TheSpeedo: "From my own experience at the goalie school. From the first day, I felt welcome and also felt how McDavid really wanted to help goalies develop, learn new things, and take that famous next step. I have gained a lot of new tools and a new perspective in my own game. The experience was unique and I recommend it to every goalie if you are open to new information and training. A very big thank you to McDavid and Revv who made this possible." Bystrom_33: "I feel very lucky to be one of the 3 goalies that were given this opportunity. The things that I learned most and will take with me in the future are that you need to have a big portion of patience, and also learned much from McSavid in 1vs1 situations on breakaways, and don't trust too much on your own defensive players which I did a little too much before resulting that I was a little too aggressive on the puck holder " shooter". This was a great experience and I want to give big thanks to you all guys, and also I want to send big luck to the other goalkeepers from the school to and I wish you all the best in the future with your career as a goalie. wobfighter: "After a 2-year break coming back to a different NHL title, I applied for the goalie school and got accepted. McSavid and Reev both worked individually with you and your goalie play, sharing their experiences and how they dealt with certain situations on the ice. With small adjustments, my play improved a lot over a short time. All participants and coaches are supportive throughout the process. I can recommend the goalie school to everyone - here you get a lot of experience from a competitive standpoint: you can work on the fundamentals, how to improve your game, how to set a good routine and practice habits. Thank you Mcsavid and Reev for the opportunity to work with you, you guys are awesome." For the ECL '24: Spring season I have joined The Black Jacks in ECL Elite, but the goalie school will hopefully return during the summer break if any more goalies are interested. I would also like to thank SportsGamer for letting me host this goalie school, it has been a fun and educating experience!

16 became eight. Eight has become four. Four is about to become two. Ahead of the ECL ’24: Winter – Elite Semifinals, SportsGamer Guest Writer Hampus “l-Furyan-l” Duvefelt goes in-depth with each of the Final Four teams in their Quest for the Cup. NOT YOUR AVERAGE UNDERDOGS It is a tale as old as time. That of the underdog, the unlikely winner, staring down an overwhelming opponent, yet refusing to bow down or go quietly into the night. Most underdogs fall short. Rarely do you hear those stories told. But is precisely that fact, that slim chance of success, that makes the underdog so appealing. It is why we cheer when Tony Stark fulfills the 1-in-14-million-chance of snapping Thanos out of existence, or when Han Solo successfully navigates an asteroid field even though the odds of doing so are 3270-to-1. The underdog is not expected to triumph. But boy is it spectacular when they do. You’d be excused for thinking that’s how the players of classic ECL franchise Vesa Pompa are hyping themselves up going into the Elite semifinals vs. #1 seed and reigning ECL champions Tunnel Vision. But this is not your average underdog story and Vesa Pompa is not your average underdog team. This is a team brimming with confidence that is playing in its second straight Elite semifinal. A team that grabbed a point in 23 of 30 games this past regular season, scored the sixth most goals in the league, allowed the fifth fewest goals among all teams – and still considered it a “so-so” regular season. Between the six skaters expected to take the ice for Vesa in the series against Tunnel Vision, they boast several national championship titles, plenty of high-level international experience, multiple LAN appearances and, lest we forget, the ECL 24 Winter cover athlete. “Both teams in this series are really skilled”, says Adam @dzouvi Menšík, who is playing in his fifth Elite season and recently tied his career-high in the ECL top division with 45 points in 30 games. “Tunnel Vision might be the favorites, but we are playing in our second straight semifinal, so we kind of know what to expect.” Menšík, playing the right flank in a potent Vesa forward line that features 30-goal scorer Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander to the left and two-way monster Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund in the middle, is the most decorated Czech player in the SportsGamer era – both 1v1 and 6v6 – and the first non-Scandinavian player to ever feature as the cover athlete. “Back when I first began playing here at SportsGamer, it was my dream to one day be in Elite and to play with and against the best players on the European scene. I hope that in the future we’ll see more Czech players make the same journey as I have. At one point I had hoped to be a part of a sort of “national team” of Czech and Slovak players, similar to what the Black Jacks represent for the DACH area, but those plans have been shelved.” “For now, at least.” Even though he seems to finally have taken the step from underrated talent to established top-level Elite performer, even securing a spot as the cover athlete, 22-year-old Menšík says he has not felt any additional pressure to perform this past season. “No, no additional pressure for me”, says Menšík. “If anything, (the cover) increased my motivation to play even better than before. It is a huge honor.” But even if Menšík, Svensander, Eklund and defenseman Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen – a fan-favorite around the league due to his signature end-to-end rushes – are all established Elite performers with various title wins to their names, the team still features two rookies on its roster; defenseman Oliver @Pappen Papmehl and goaltender Santeri @kkostiiii Kostiainen. Menšík made a point to shoutout Kostiainen after Vesa managed to defeat #3 seed JYP Jyväskylä in the first round of the Elite playoffs. The series ended 4-2 in Vesas favour, with Kostiainen allowing a total of eight goals through six games. Papmehl, having scored 30 points (4+26) in 30 games, and Kostiainen, with 18 wins, 4 shutouts, an 82,8 save percentage and a 2,17 goals against average in his first taste of Elite action, have both made strong cases to be considered for the Rookie of the Year crown this season. Team captain Eklund, at 23 already an Elite veteran and almost four years removed from his own rookie season in the top division, couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen from the duo this season. “The way they’ve stepped up this season has been huge for us”, says Eklund. “Initially, we weren’t entirely sure what we were going to get, but we hit it off with both players – we already knew pappen quite well – and it’s been a joy watching them both grow as players over the last couple of months. They both deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve handled themselves during their rookie seasons in Elite.” Image: The Vesa Pompa roster, from left to right: @EDHOLMEN3, pappeen, eken45jr, antoniomannen_, Dzouvi_, kkostiiii & Sebbelarsen86 Still, making the playoffs is one thing, winning the quarterfinals is another. And facing the reigning champions in a semifinal? Well... let's just say Vesa Pompa are up against a tough opponent. Tunnel Vision notched two decisive victories over Vesa Pompa by scores of 5-0 and 5-1 during the regular season – the most lopsided defeats all season for the mostly Swedish side. But Eklund, who himself has found another gear in the playoffs – going from being the third forward on the team in terms of goals (19) and points (43) during the regular season to leading the squad in goals (6) and points (9) in the postseason – says the Vesa of today is different than the one who lost to Tunnel all the way back in November. “We struggled a lot in the first 10-15 games, we couldn’t get our game going”, says Eklund. “It probably comes back to us not playing enough together as a unit during the pre-season. About halfway through the regular season, we decided to have me and Dzouvi switch positions, him going to right-wing and me taking center.” “Once we made that adjustment, we really took off.” In the end, despite all their experience, their previous success, and their confidence in their own (considerable) abilities, Vesa Pompa will still be considered the underdogs going into the ECL Elite Semifinals. At least by those on the outside looking in. But perhaps that is not such a bad thing. Because after all, who among us doesn’t love to root for the underdog? In the words of a famous space smuggler and scoundrel: “Never tell me the odds!” Watch the ECL Elite Semifinals at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG

SportsGamers, Tonight we'll be treated to the first three games in a highly anticipated Lite division Finals between Mustaa Kultaa and Supernatural. Both of these teams could take the Cup, so strap in, and expect a long series! (2) Mustaa Kultaa vs (5) Supernatural TOP SCORER (Playoffs) @Launonexx 22 GP, 24+24=48 vs @selänne8 (BiggestEight) 22 GP, 25+20=45 GOALTENDER (Playoffs) @Simbanho 17 GP, 12 W, 82,11 SV%, 2 GAA, 0 SO vs @Jugi9 22 GP, 16 W, 86,21 SV%, 1.45 GAA, 4 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 25-5-0 vs 22-3-5 REGULAR SEASON MATCHUP 5-4 OT, 3-2 We're in for an interesting battle in the ECL '23 Spring Lite Finals, which will be starting tonight at 19:45 CEST with the first three games of the series. As you'd have it, both Finalists have paved their way to this stage from Group 3 in the regular season, and they clashed for some very hard fought battles back in the group stage. Back then, Mustaa Kultaa managed to come away with both wins and @Launonexx lead the way for his team with 7 points to his name in the two games. Since then, both squads have solidified their starting goaltenders in the Playoffs and that'll be one to keep an eye on. Supernatural's @Jugi9 is experienced in these situations as he's now reached the Lite Finals for a third consecutive time with different teams - with a win still avoiding him. Both teams at this point are highly deserving Finalists and without a doubt the most skilled in the division at the moment. We could end up seeing a bit of a battle between styles, where Mustaa Kultaa could benefit from keeping the tempo up more, while Supernatural and their more experienced core would want to control the game more. I'd give the benefit to Supernatural due to their extensive experience. Prediction: Supernatural in 7.

SportsGamers, After a long season consisting of an initial group stage, two initial Playoff rounds, a top 16 group stage and finally some incredibly tight Playoffs from the Quarterfinals onwards, we have crowned a new Champion. The weather has been great for us in Tampere and both the staff and players have enjoyed the facilities here at Keskustori. In cooperation with The Finnish Ice Hockey Association, we've been able to put on a great show, and at the end of the first day, Teemu @temppanen Karvonen hoisted the trophy as the new Finnish Champion! Temppanen's road to the Championship: Group stage: 5-0-1 (#5 seed into the Playoffs) Round 1: vs @Black1Eagle1 3-0 Round 2: vs @ITemeI 3-0 Top 16 Group stage: 3-2-1 (#8 seed into the Playoffs) Quarterfinals: vs @NikkeDangles 3-2 Semifinals: vs @sisu33_ 2-0 Finals: vs @J-_-Jamaltheman 2-1 SportsGamer congratulates the new Champion and extends a warm thank you to all participants! 

SportsGamers, A dominant showing throughout the season by a rather unexperienced squad with several rookies in their roster has awarded Mustaa Kultaa the ECL '23 Spring Lite Championship, and with that direct promotion to the Pro division. The team were in several tight positions throughout their Playoff run especially in the Semifinals and Finals, but as a well-oiled machine, they were able to work together to find their way to victory each time. Mustaa Kultaa's road to the championship: #2 seed from Group 3 with the record 25-5-0 Round 1: vs RoKi Esports (31) 4-0 Round 2: vs Golden Sticks (25) 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs HC Lugano eSports (29) 4-2 Semifinals: vs Boost HC (9) 4-3 Finals: vs Supernatural (5) 4-3 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #69 @ANIMALpak82 #82 @Simbanho #88 @PerfectGorilla DEFENSEMEN #3 @Velttola #97 @xray65x FORWARDS #12 @jaageri_ (A) #13 @Launonexx (C) #61 @Allupekkaz (A) #89 @Tumuttaja (xxHise) On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

Dear SportsGamers, another GCL Season is about to kick off. In GCL 10 we have seen the record champions of The Deadly Phantoms finishing on Top of the DACH area after an exciting final against HC Lugano Esports. Their Swiss counterpart managed to crown themselves GCL Cup Champion earlier that season after a quite surprising win against The Black Jacks (formerly ZSC Esports). While the Luganesi were quite a newcomer among the juggernauts in the German Community, DPH and TBJ battled for that top spot in the German Championship League almost since Day 1. An important part for their longevity and success are their respective Captains. Frank @Franky__2768 Münch and Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi who are our Cover Athletes for GCL 11! Both played many seasons on the highest level of virtual European Hockey and decided to take a step back from competitive Gaming. While Münch took a step back as a backup player two seasons ago, Julmi announced his retirement from competing on the highest level in ECL just after the season ended. Two Eras are ending but new beginnings are about to breakout this season. It is time to take a look back with two virtual legends of GCL Hockey and talk about their biggest victories, disappointments and surprises during their careers. If you have any questions or any interesting stories you made along the way with these two, make sure to drop a comment down below 👇 Dear Frank & Sven, thank you for finding some time to take a look back at your biggest accomplishments, regrets and sweetest moments in your respective SportsGamer careers in EASPORTS NHL! Obviously everybody wants to know what is your best memory from all those years on the virtual ice? Frank: Obviously in the ECL we had many great memories. Fighting all the way from ECL Lite up into the Elite Division and especially winning the Championship in ECL Pro was something I will never forget. If I had to pick a special memory I would had to pick our 4th Place and securing a spot in the Playoffs in our first season on Elite Level. Back then many players did not think that teams from Central Server were capable of doing so. That made it even sweeter! Sven: Our first GCL Title with ZSC Esports and Promotion to ECL Elite. After many losses in the GCL Finals it was such a relief to finally finish on top and exorcise our demons. After winning the Lite Championship in ECL 7 we paved our way to the Pro Division and just as Frank said many Teams did not put Central European teams on the map of virtual 6s hockey. That made it even better to beat Gotham Knights in the Elite relegation and arrive in the Top 16 of our continent. Which NHL title of the past years was your favourite? Frank: If I'm totally honest there has not been a title in the recent years that I really fell in love with. The main factor of grinding was the friendships you made over all those years and practicing for reaching the same goals as a team. Spending all these hours with my mates has made all of this very special and is worth more than playing the game itself. Sven: While I totally agree with what Frank said I have to pick NHL 18. The Gameplay overall was really smooth and nice especially for 6s. On top of that we secured our first title in ECL 7 that year. So that will obviously always stay in my mind. What has been your biggest motivation to lead a team on and off the virtual ice over all those years? Frank: Becoming a captain was actually some kind of coincidence. Back then when we gathered the band back together, Stefan @Rayman Mieth, Fynn @willywonkaaa Willer and me built the captains trio. Basically due to the fact that I was most fluent in English I got the "C" on my chest. Over all that time it just became natural and the most important factor of being a Captain is to always be honest. You need to find the right mixture for the chemistry on and off the ice. Some players might be better individually but if there is no personal chemistry it can become tough within the collective. The biggest goal was to put together a good group of guys and be as successful as we can in EASHL. Sven: In the beginning of my career I played for the PSHL Roadrunners and Coyotes. After some time I disagreed with certain decisions made by their former Captains and I thought to myself that I am able to be a better Captain and leader for my team. That's where it all started and I founded my own squad. What are the biggest difficulties to overcome when being a Captain? Frank: As mentioned earlier personally there are two important factors. First: Be honest. You need to be aware of yourself on what level you are playing on and may be able to reach someday. Also considering playing time for certain players it is important to communicate. In the end no one will be happy if someone is promised to play 80% of the games but ends up sitting on the bench. And secondly and even more important to me, build a team full of characters that fit to each other. Chemistry off the ice can be more clutch than the individual skill of certain teams. You will spend so much time together it is vital to build an environment that you like to be around. Sven: There are lots of problems you could face during your time as a Captain! To me it was always important to be proactive, talk to every player because even backup players are an important part of any squad in the league. Developing some kind of understanding to certain situations is also pretty important to keep the whole group confident. In the end we are spending a lot of time in the game and do not make - and if so not much - money with it. So sometimes family and job is obviously priority number one. What was the biggest disappointment in your 6s career? Frank: Probably when we did not reach our goal. If I had to pick one certain point of time in my career it was probably ending up losing Game 7 in the Quarterfinals of our first ECL Season against Dynastia. The disappointment was huge shortly after the game. But after some time you started to realize how big the accomplishment actually was. Sven: Definitely underperforming in ECL'23 Spring Elite. We started off very strong into the season but couldn't keep up with our own pace and ended up losing most of the games in the second half of the season. After managing to qualify for the Playoffs in the prior season it was a big disappointment to play the Relegation series. Luckily we remained focused and stayed up after winning the series in six games against Lulea Hockey. Have there been any funny stories stuck in your mind after all these years? Frank: There were A LOT of memories during that time. But one thing that always comes to my mind was a Matchday in ECL Elite. We should have played in the early slot of the SportsGamer Broadcast. But unfortunately our former Forward Tim @Timasy Hess was lost without trace. After some wrangling and organizing we managed to swap the Broadcast games so we were able to play in the later slot. 15 Minutes after our actual Gametime Tim joined the PS Party after a relaxing nap. Still to that point he did not realize that he was actually too late. But luckily we managed to turn that around and play our Games later that night. Sven: One of the best times we had as a team was actually off the virtual ice. We organized many events in Switzerland which ended up at Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamonis house. Apart from The Black Jacks and ZSC band a few members from former EHC Biel-Bienne Esports also joined. Just a lot of fun, good food and obviously some fresh beers! Are there any certain hopes and wishes you have for the EA NHL series aswell as the DACH-Community? Frank: The Game should go back to the basics. But do them right. Nobody in the competitive scene is interested in playing passes while falling down or scoring the 50th Michigan Goal by just pressing one button. Defenders should be able to pick up passes and make it more consistent. That's actually all that matters. To the community I hope that everyone works towards the same goal. Make the community bigger and improve the "product" GCL with its presentation, broadcasts as well as being respectful to each other! Sven: I really hope that the activity of players, organizations and also viewers on Twitch rise back to the Level that it was during the COVID pandemic. The number of players, teams and the general interest on the streaming platforms steadily declines. Obviously an important factor for that is the quality of the game itself. The game and its scene has a lot of potential and it would be great to see the community becoming bigger in the future! Once again thank you for your time! Are there any special words you would like to leave before the start of GCL 11? Frank: To my Deadly Phantoms. To almost every player who ever wore our virtual jersey I wanna say Thank you. You will always have a special place in my heart and with all the joy and disappointments we witnessed during the last couple of years I have to admit that I enjoyed every second of it. To the DACH-Community: I am leaving with a smile on my face and I hope that during my time in the LA I did more positive than negative things. To @Kenu: Thank you for being the person that you are. Thank you for trusting me, thank you for teaching me, thank you for all the time we spent together. Living legend. Sven: I want to thank all my companions and players. All the Guys who spend a lot of time with me in the last couple of seasons and spend many hours grinding this Game. Even though I probably was not the easiest person at all times I am glad that you took me as I am. Especially Mike @burban26 Müller and Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich who made the project of ZSC Esports a big success for several seasons. The last one goes out to my current team The Black Jacks. I enjoyed every second of our successful ECL '24 Winter Elite campaign and I hope we can end on a good note in my last GCL. Last but not least to my fellow DACH-companions: I often got asked what to do to improve? Just keep it basic. Just play clean, quick and simple. Always try to play a quick pass, find the open man and go into the open spaces. Playing after this motto has brought us from Lite into ECL Elite. On behalf of SportsGamer and the whole Community we want to thank Frank @Franky__2768 Münch and Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi for all their effort over the last couple of years. As players as well as an important part of the ECL and GCL League administration. Both players finish on rank 3 among - respectively all skaters or defensemen -the SportsGamers All Time Stats (Julmi 672GP: 631G + 981A; Münch 479GP: 143G +505A). We are looking forward to another exciting GCL Season and will see you soon with the next episode of Player's Diary!

SportsGamers, Today it's time to get the action going also in the Core division, the fourth tier of European NHL esports competition. We've got 32 teams divided into two groups all eager to  push for the next level in their competitive careers. Several returning teams have strengthened their ranks in the offseason either through new recruits or simply grinding hard at their game and trusting that one more season of experience could be the difference maker for them.  ECL '23 Spring Core Schedule Registration period: 18.3.-20.4.2023 Regular Season: 25.4.- 24.5. RO32: 30.5.-4.6. RO16: 6.-11.6. Quarterfinals: 13.-18.6. Semifinals: 20.-25.6. Finals: 27.-29.6.* Group 1  Nordic Nosebleed No doubt about the fact that Nordic Nosebleed is one of the more experienced squads in the ECL Core division, with several players including captains @Cherry and @Lidaas79 having started their careers already before the divisional framework was included into the ECL. Nordic Nosebleed have established themselves first and foremost as a strong devensive team, which should do them lots of good this season. A tough team to beat.   North Sawo Lions A returning team that did extremely well in the group stage of the Winter season, but didn't get their game going against HC Pustertal eSports in the first round of the Playoffs. One more season of experience should have done these guys good and captain @Liimatainenn is expected to lead the team from the front once again.   Ambri eSports Another returning squad, who struggled a bit last Core season, barely making the Playoffs out of the Group stage. However, they've done lots of great work in the offseason and managed to claim the GCL Division 2 Championship just a few weeks ago. Ambri eSports could end up being one of those sneaky good teams that flies under the radar.   HC Palosaari After some time away from the ECL ice sheet, HC Palosaari makes a return in a fusion with the former Karmadillos. In that fusion, they receive a fair amount of experience into their roster in the form of @JanEerikBanan and @Moneygunx along with several other HC Palosaari alumni, who had been with Karmadillos for some time. We're expecting this squad to challenge for the top spots in their group. Group 2  Lutunilkat The beloved Lutunilkat brand have had a tough few seasons in the Lite division and are now droppong down a level in order to find their game again. Lutunilkat is a team that likes to have fun on the ice and might just need to see some success in order to find joy in what they do.   EV Duisburg EV Duisburg is one of those brands that has been around for countless years at various levels of ECL competition, at their best, they had a stint of two seasons in ECL Pro but have since dropped down a few levels. Captain @GreatOne139 has been with the team through thick and thin and is a true heart-and-soul player for this squad.   Pirates eSports This mainly French outfit is very familiar from previous ECL seasons and while they haven't seen substantial success, they should be a tough team to crack in any game this upcoming season. We're expecting the pirates to Yarr hard, and maybe we'll see a pirate rivalry between these guys and HC Palosaari in the Playoffs?    KohKae Esports A few seasons of Lite experience and a decent eHSM performance in the rearview makes us expect that KohKae Esports could be on the brink of a good Playoff push this season. Who will take over the top scoring role, as @Ylijumala96 has made the move to Nelos Kentta?

SportsGamers, We're at the brink of the 16th ECL season, and yet again, 16 of the best European NHL esports teams will be taking a crack at the European Championship title. Last season was one for the ages and as the stakes were higher than ever, the competition was also tougher than before. In terms of competition at the top, it feels like it's only getting tougher, as teams like Nordic Stars and JYP Jyväskylä are slowly creeping into the discussion of title contenders. Maybe there's also some trouble at the top, who knows? What we do know, though is that as always, before a single game has been played, it's a blank slate - carte blanche. ECL '23 Spring: Elite Schedule Regular Season: 24.4.-24.5. Quarterfinals: 29.5.-1.6. Semifinals: 4.-7.6. Finals: 16.-17.6.* Relegation: 26.-29.6. ** * TBC ** Series can be started as soon as pairs are known 1. Tunnel Vision The defending Champions are looking good leading up to the season opener. After their tough loss to Entourage in the World Finals, it would have been easy to start questioning yourself and changing things up, but according to captain Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen, Tunnel Vision have overcome the disappointment and moved forward as a team. The squad haven't made any changes to their roster, or their game and they're intent on dominating the ECL just as they have done in all of their preseason games thus far. More competition has usually brought out the fighting spirit in these guys, and we're just expecting them to get better as the season rolls on. 2. hREDS One of the more talked-about teams of the offseason, as usual. hREDS are expected to remain right there among the top teams and could very well run away with the Championship in a comeback effort after faltering to Frölunda HC in the Semifinals last season. Although on paper this team looks unstoppable, their preparation for the new ECL season hasn't gone without hiccups, though. Just this week, hREDS had a big matchup to test their level against fellow title contender Tunnel Vision in the Quarterfinals of the eHockey Finnish Championships, and quite surprisingly they were bested in three games and swept. The only other Elite squad hREDS played in the eHSM was Reality Check HC, against whom they went to overtime in both games and ended up splitting points. Will there be trouble in paradise if they can't pick up the pace? 3. Frölunda HC Slowly working their way back to the absolute top of NHL esports, nicknamed the "NHL 19 Allstars", Frölunda HC and their star-powered roster are looking set for yet another Championship push this season. This time, it's Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha's turn to take a crack at playing defense alongside mainstay Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto, and thus far it seems like their efforts to rotate the squad in hopes of better results has yielded some success. The greatest asset for this team is how much fun they seem to have while playing the game, and to be fair, it must be easy to have fun when you're this good, right? Contender team. 4. Nordic Stars After an impressive ECL '23 Winter campaign that took many by surprise, Nordic Stars have went all out in the offseason, making a very interesting overhaul to their defensive end. One of the most talked-about transfers of the ECL era could be Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) getting the boot from hREDS and joining Nordic Stars in a surprising turn of events developing over the course of a few months. In addition, the up-and-coming squad have now went out and acquired one of the most interesting talents on the market, young prodigy Sisu @sisu33_ Nurminen of ECL 1v1 Championship fame. Together, KingOfApes_ and Sisu33_ will form one of the most exciting defensive pairs to date and we'll follow how their dynamic will develop over the course of the season. 5. JYP Jyvaskyla For a long, long time, JYP Jyväskylä were trending downwards and it even looked like the team was past their prime in all ways. We doubted them heavily heading into last season with a very inexperienced squad, but were gladly surprised when their rookie defensemen Jimi @J-_-Jamaltheman Rönkkönen and Aapeli @Frans-Fin Landström performed above all expectations. On top of that, young goalie Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt has grown into a very solid elite level netminder, who is able to steal games for his team on any given day. JYP's preseason ended in a third round eHSM Playoffs exit at the hands of Reality Check HC, which is less than they would have hoped for, but if the Winter season is any indication of what's to come, we expect JYP to be back in the Playoffs this season. 6. Reality Check One of the biggest sensations of the Winter season, Reality Check are in for a big campaign and it's an even bigger ask for the team to repeat another successful Playoff berth. Maybe they could pull it off, though? In an interesting offseason transaction, long-time captain Harri @Pursuitti Haaksiala has left the team in favor of Be a Bro and he will be replaced by Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen on the right flank alongside Jesper @Niskalaukaus Aho and V-V @vvlampela Lampela (cTunkeilija). Somehow, this team is oozing Stargazing rookie season vibes, but with lots of more experience, some success in their future shouldn't be entirely out of the question. 7. GOONS Ever since their eHSM 2022 Championship title, it's seemed like GOONS just haven't been able to catch a break. They entered the ECL '23 Winter season with a roster compiled just in time for the season to start, a campaign, which put them outside Playoff contention for the first time since entering the European top 16 in ECL 12. In the eHockey Finnish Championships, GOONS have entered the second round of Playoffs by invitation, and have now been eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Reality Check HC in a full five game series. GOONS seemed to struggle to find their game throughout their short campaign and games ended up being tighter than they would have wished for. Not the results GOONS have been looking for, but there's still time, and plenty of room to improve. Offensively, GOONS are one of the most versatile outfits out there. 8. Heimo Formerly with JANO, this squad switched organizations in the offseason, but that is all that's changed, as they are heading into their second consecutive ECL Elite season with the exact same roster as in the Winter season. What worked so well for them previously hasn't been changed. While Heimo suffered a disappointing third round exit in the eHSM Playoffs against Tunnel Vision, they are looking in decent shape heading into the Elite season. They have had some extra time to develop on their pre-existing chemistry and prolific scorer Wade @Wpaanane Paananen seems to have stayed hot throughout the offseason. Success won't be a surprise for this team anymore. 9. Färjestad BK Consistently missing the Playoffs is something that isn't in the DNA for Färjestad BK and their roster certainly holds the quality and skill to do better than that. They squad hailing from Karlstad, Sweden haven't quite found their game over the past few seasons despite having some of the most skilled individuals around in their ranks. They were able to remedy their inability to convert on the ECL ice by hoisting the eSHL season 4 trophy at the end of the Winter season and are looking to ride that wave into the SCL and now also the ECL Spring season. A notable absence will be Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson (I-Mallen-I), who has been replaced by former Växjö Lakers centerman Adam @dzouvi Mensik, arguably bringing even more skill to an already abundantly skilled lineup. 10. ZSC Esports Last season was the first time ever we saw the Swiss outfit in the Playoffs, and while they can be proud of their accomplishments, the work doesn't stop there. This time, the team is in for an interesting challenge with former successful forward Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner taking a step back to his original position in net, while Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer will most likely be taking over duties on the right flank. We can't help the doubt creeping in about whether these are moves that will strengthen the squad that greatly benefitted from the aggressive play Wagner displayed on the wing before, but we'll gladly be in the wrong! 11. Roots Gaming Roots Gaming entered the Elite division back in ECL '22 Winter as one of the most exciting young outfits we'd seen in a while. They managed to make the Playoffs in their first two seasons, but have been on a downwards trend ever since. This offseason, the squad acquired Mr. positivity Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli from the ashes of Unlucky Boys in an attempt to perhaps not only bolster their offense, but also to do good for their team chemistry. The new recruit has immediately made an impact and together with @zMikkeez, he could form an offensive force to be reckoned with. 12. Mayhems The ECL '23 Winter Pro Semifinalists enter the Elite division for the first time in team history after winning their relegation battle against Unlucky Boys in a thrilling game seven finish. The team was the topic of a lot of discussion over the course of the weekend and we ended up seeing a change of leadership, where the former captain and team owner @Miska (Zundeh) was forced out in favor of other players taking over. Their roster will remain largely unchanged, and quite interestingly, with the exception of goaltender Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen and a fresh new signing in Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen, they are entering their campaign with an all-rookie lineup. After a few seasons in the mid-tier trenches of the Pro division, Mayhems really seemed to up their level last season and established themselves as a great defensive squad with the ability to win tight scoring games. More recently, they made the Quarterfinals of the eHockey Finnish Championships and overcame fellow Elite rookie team Tohtorit in Round 3 in a relatively convincing 3-0 series. 13. Redhawks Esport Having played the ECL '23 Winter season under the legendary Falun Coal Miners name and making it to no-man's-land after a disastrous start to their season, Redhawks Esport are making a comeback to ECL action, intent on paving their way back into the Playoffs. The team relies on the veteran presence of captain Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt with his trusted men André @Foppatofflan Liljegren and Connor @MartindalexC Martindale to lead the way, and the great part about these players are their versatility and the possibilities for them to play up and down the lineup in various positions. Based on some preseason scouting, we might be seeing Furyan and Martindale taking on defensive roles, while Foppatofflan might be seen at the center spot. Redhawks have acquired Fredrik @Kattenj Jansson of Växjö Lakers fame to step in on offense alongside Foppatofflan and Arttu @TheArska Aarnio, but we might see different variations in the final form of their lineup once the action gets underway. 14. Örebro Hockey Having made the Elite division after a Semifinals push in ECL '23 Winter Pro and winning their Qualification series against ISO ESPORTS, Örebro Hockey are getting ready to make an impact in their rookie season at the Elite level. The challenge will be massive, and to help them on their way, they have acquired some Elite experience in the form of Jere @keranee Keränen in the offseason. Most likely, they will be opening with the familiar offensive trio of Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen - Steffen @Suth98_ Sutherland - Anton @Henka0009 Henriksson, where Rimpe will continue holding an important role as their top scorer and the most experienced player. Many players in this roster grind the game a lot and as a result, theres an abundance of mechanical skill, but it remains to be seen if they can translate that into results when the games matter the most. 15. Leksands IF Having secured their Elite spot in a thrilling Qualifier series against Lulea Hockey no later than on Sunday evening, Leksands IF are coming in hot into their first ever Elite season. The team might benefit from having played such important games right at the end of their preseason and we'll follow closely if they look to be in better form than their competition early on. In Leksands IF, we're looking at a team that likes to play a fast-paced north-south game. They are very individually skilled and also have the ability to shut down opponents when needed. The issue for them will be inexperience at the top level, which they have looked to mend by acquiring Bajram @Katunarski Xhafa from Nordic Stars in the offseason. Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen has been able to shine in net at all levels and seems to be ready to take the next step on his career, his performances will be crucial for Leksand this season. 16. Tohtorit This ECL Elite Rookie team is entering the top division after a highly turbulent season in ECL '23 Pro Winter. Tohtorit had a disastrous start to the season and some rumours were floated about a large portion of the team quitting when they were in their darkest times. Some movement within the roster sparked their game, though, and the second part of the season really skyrocketed Tohtorit to a postseason unlike anything we've seen before. Tohtorit is a team that plays a very straight-forward breakout game, which could end up being their demise at the Elite level, but if they can adapt in time, they certainly have the skill to make things happen. Tune in to the ECL '23 Spring Elite season opener tonight at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! The broadcast starts at 19:45 and we've got some really high profile matchups lined up right from the get-go! First Nordic Stars will challenge Frölunda HC, after which GOONS and Tunnel Vision will go at it. This is also the return of your favorite booth talent Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @Cyn Anderson for the first time since the World Finals in February!

SportsGamers, Early into the new week, we'll be bringing you the ECL '23 Spring Pro Finals with broadcasted matchups today and tomorrow. The two finalists are Golden Nights and Polski Boys, who will be going at it in a heated rivalry battle, which was already extensively previewed by Polski's social media admin in a highly biased Twitter thread. Tune in for all the action on the SportsGamer Twitch channel!   Golden Nights  (4) vs Polski Boys  (5) A highly anticipated rivalry. These two already clashed in the last matchup of the regular season in what can now be seen as a prelude to this Finals series. Back then, the wins were split, but Golden Nights walked away with a point more, eventually awarding them the higher seed and the home advantage in this Finals series. It's been about a month since those clashed, but we are still expecting to see very similar games - a hard fought battle where both teams should have the opportunity to employ their respective gameplans.  On Golden Nights' side, we know they'll rely heavily on defenseman @Mikka to kickstart their offense. Together with @jm98II, he forms the link on the left flank that will be key for the success of their team in the Finals. Both players are in great form and are among the leagues top scorers on their positions, Mikka in fact leads all defensemen. Golden Nights have been outstanding on the powerplay in the Playoffs thus far and are miles ahead of Polski Boys in terms of special teams, so that's one factor to definitely keep an eye on. In terms of playing style, Polski Boys have employed one of the more simple playbooks all season long, but the way they manage to do it in an incredibly effective manner. In the Semifinals, they took down #1 seed Luleå Hockey in a testament of their strength and once again, the opponents weren't able to stop @punt1la98 from forcing a few pucks to the netfront for some easy tap-ins. Polski Boys would benefit more than their opposition from a fast-paced game and could try to take advantage of that. In net, they have the choice to make between two great options. Prediction: Golden Nights in 7.

SportsGamers, As we approach the end of the ECL '24: Winter season, we still have the best of the ECL Pro division remaining. Four teams, two of whom will make it to the coveted final, but only one of them can be crowned champion of the Pro division. As always, the playoffs are the most exciting time of the year, and this season is no exception; underdogs prevail, and new names come up clutch for their team when they need them the most. Goalies, carrying their team. In this preview, we’ll take a look at both matchups, some of the players, and everything in between. Schedule Playoffs (BO7) Semifinals: 18.-23.1. Finals: 25.-29.1. * Promotion Battles: 1.-7.2. * Dates are subject to change as broadcast productions are confirmed. Semifinal Previews: Matchup 1 Gotham Knights (1) vs GIFU Hockey (7) In this highly anticipated semifinal matchup, GIFU Hockey and Gotham Knights are set to clash on the ice in a battle that promises to be a thrilling showcase of skill and determination. Both have worked hard enough to earn a spot in the finals, but only one of these teams can make it. Both teams have been at it for a long time. Knights under a few different names and different players. GIFU have grinded their way in Pro for a long time, and when I say long, I mean a very long time. From ECL 11 in Lite to playing Pro qualifiers not that many months ago. With a strong quarterfinal showdown by GIFU, they will take this momentum to the regular season winners and hope to ride this wave to a championship. It’s been a pleasure watching them for a long time now and seeing their success. With a little mix of that Swedish talent, they have now taken their club to a spot where they will end up with some prize money - now it’s up to them to grow the amount of the winnings. With their goalie @Sundstroom absolutely standing on his head in these playoffs for GIFU, there are not a lot of teams that can break him. An 87.84 save percentage and 1.61 goals against average is something not many can achieve in the Pro regular season, yet somehow he managed to up his game in the playoffs, with an astounding 90.23 save percentage and 1.3 goals against average so far. Don't, however, take anything away from GIFU Hockey's magnificent team defense in front of their star goalie who right now looks like a lock for playoffs MVP for GIFU Hockey. 21 points so far for all of Gifu Hockey forwards - this should come in handy when the game is on the line, as it's tough to defend a team where everybody puts up points. Let us not forget the best team in the regular season, Gotham Knights, impressive all around for this team. Most of their team have at some point in their career played at the highest level of European virtual hockey - ECL Elite. That should tell us all we need to know: they are all extremely skilled and GIFU Hockey will be walking into their toughest matchup yet so far this season. When these two teams met in the regular season both teams took home 3 points, with both games being 1 goal games. If this does not excite you, I don’t know what will! This is ECL at its best. With Gotham Knights boasting the best offense in ECL Pro this season with 107 goals, if they can break GIFU Hockey's defense, this will be a short series. With the likes of @Rimpe (Rimpe37) leading the team, and @keranee not far behind, this team is also stacked on defense with a guy most of us NHLers know, @iilmarii, 8 games, 5+17. Not only does he lead the playoffs among defencemen in points, but he is 5th in points for all skaters, yes 5th! So be sure to tune in for some great hockey between these two teams! Keys to the matchups: 1. Offense, offense, offense: Can GIFU match the offense of Gotham Knights? Most likely not, but will that stop them? Don't count on that. If they can, GIFU will take the series and advance. 2. Goalies: Specifically, the one this writer has been following these playoffs. Can he be the star we’ve seen he can be, or will the highest-scoring offense in ECL Pro finally get to him? 3. Nerves: Whose hands are shaking when it matters the most? With a tie game in game 7, who has the nerves to make that final play that takes their team to the final? Prediction: Hifk_fani: 4-2 Gotham Knights @ripKeisari: 4-1 Gotham Knights Interviews We had a chance to talk to both teams before the matchup - here's what they had to say. What are the biggest changes in your team from last season? Gotham: "We are a completely new roster coming up to this season, but we already were familiar faces and friends with each other so it was easy to start grinding together this fall." GIFU: "The team has changed quite a lot, there were a lot of twists and turns in the offseason. Three new guys were brought in over the summer, and since then we've been working together. Playing-wise, maybe the biggest change has been that we've been better with the puck and much better both on defense and offense. Overall, a pretty big change." How are you preparing for this upcoming semifinal against your opponent? Gotham: "We have a good flow going on right now so we just try to play as much as possible to keep that going." GIFU: "Gotham is by far the toughest team we played against in the regular season and we know that this is not going to be easy. It's pretty well known how they play and we'll try to hit them. But in the big picture, we will try to play with our strengths and see where it is enough." How do you feel your game compares to that of your opponent? Gotham: "GIFU plays really solid team defense with amazing goaltending. Also, they rely a lot on punishing opponents on counter attacks. We more or less like to control the puck and play as much as possible in the offensive zone. So it's gonna be an interesting series." GIFU: "Gotham likes to play a lot with the puck and they are very good at rubbing the pressure on the puck, while we play pretty straightforward. We managed to win the second game of the regular season, but it wasn't easy. Quite a lot of squatting on the defensive end. The guy plays with good composure, we could learn from it sometimes, even though it's good to be straightforward." Series predictions: Gotham: "The better team wins." GIFU: "Let's hope it will be a steady and entertaining series, it would be boring if Gotham didn't lose any games in the playoffs. G7 OT ordered! Can @ReDMisTi keep his head calm in the faceoff circle when I tie him up, and all of a sudden make a stick lift?" How to follow the series The series kicks off tonight at 19:30 CET. Gotham Knights feed: https://www.twitch.tv/redmisti GIFU Hockey feed: https://www.twitch.tv/Azzez_88 Semifinal Previews: Matchup 2 Purification (2) vs Renascor (4) One of the more defensive-minded matchups in these playoffs between Purification and Renascor will be as exciting as a masters chess match, which will be defined by the stalwart defense and special teams' play. These two teams have a lot to play for and hopefully, we’ll get a series that goes beyond 6 games. With a good regular season by Purification, they set themselves up well for the playoffs with the number 2 seed and 2.32 points per game in the regular season. Only Gotham Knights was able to beat that by a slim margin of .05 points per game and taking the number one seed. @LaxenHD is paving the way for Purification in the playoffs with a strong performance so far in these playoffs with 19 goals in only 14 games. As such he will definitely throw his hat in the ring for MVP of these playoffs if Purification can take themselves to the finals. Another impressive postseason performance should be mentioned: the guy between the pipes - @karlssonadam_ - this season for Purification. He has been stealing games and with an impressive 1.50 GAA in the regular season, it can be said if he keeps this up, it won't be long before the Elite teams come knocking. Can Purification keep up their defensive prowess? Will Laxenhd score even more goals? Renascor on the other hand has had the same core of players for a while now with talented centerman @Virusactive leading the way in the regular season. We’ll see if the rest of Renascor can step up and help out their captain. With 117 penalty minutes (3rd most of all playoff teams) in the regular season, if you in the playoffs let a team like Purification on the powerplay too often, you make winning games an awful lot harder. Hopefully, with the trusty combination of defenceman for Renascor in @Motov (motzzyy) and @Serg1vratar (nyambl4) they will take on a defense-first Purification. Can the captain of Renascor contain the sometimes overeager on offense motzzyy? Can the boys in red white and blue overcome the hard defence of Purification? Will Renascor have enough firepower to reach the final? Key to the Matchup: 1. Goalies: In my very faded memory of these two teams, whoever comes out with the better goalie in this series takes the win and advances. Cold hard nerves of the young Swede vs the older goalie for the Russians 2. Left-wingers: @Oxdoggi vs Laxenhd, both are extremely talented, both are 200-foot players with a good eye for the goal 3. Special teams: If Renascor can’t stay out of the box, this series will end fast. Predictions: hifk_fani: 4-1 Purification @ripKeisari 4-1 Purification Interviews We had a chance to talk to both teams before the matchup - here's what they had to say. What are the biggest changes in your team from last season? Purification: "We have two new players in the starting lineup, Johansson with a big push for our offense game, and Adam, one of the best goalies in the Pro League." Renascor: "We haven’t changed much, we only got another goalie, who performs as great as most goalies who play with us." How are you preparing for this upcoming semifinal against your opponent? Purification: "Just try to focus on our game and stick to our game plan." Renascor: "Some vod watching, applying the tasks." How do you feel your game compares to that of your opponent? Purification: "They play with forces and with speed and the big tipper ability. We try to play cycle hockey and controlled hockey." Renascor: "Both teams like to fast-attack opponents" Prediction? Purification: "Tight series, 4-3, game 7 and we take the W" Renascor: "Series: 4:2 Renascor" How to follow the series The series continues tonight at 21:00 CET. Purification leads 2-0. Purification feed: http://twitch.tv/PurificationNHL Renascor feed: https://www.twitch.tv/Renascor_NHL ECL '24: Winter - Pro Prize Pool: Social media: Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi We wish all teams the best of luck! PS: We are looking for writers: If you are interested in contributing to making the ECL coverage better, please get in touch with @Kenu.

SportsGamers, With the new iteration of EA Sports NHL having dropped a couple weeks back, the time is right for us to launch registrations for the biggest and best league around. Another massive competitive season will kick off with the ECL '24 Winter season, starting officially on November 1st with the Lite & Pro Qualifiers. Whether you are an experienced gamer looking to take the next step, or are just starting out your career, one of our five divisions will be sure to offer you a challenge suitable for your skill level. After the intense fights we saw go down at the finish lines of all five divisions last season, the ECL '24 Winter season will have lots to live up to, but with the skill level constantly increasing and the superstar talent across the league intent on bringing their top game on a nightly basis, we're confident that this will be an even better year! The total prize pool of the ECL '24 Winter season will be 23 420 EUR. If you're itching to get things started already, remember to sign up for the ECL '24 Pre-season tournament here! Signups will close at 12:00 CEST, on October 19th, 2023. <- TOMORROW! ⚠️ 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, so the upcoming season is already the 17th. The latest addition to the ECL product family is a 1v1 tournament, where Europe's best solo players fight for the championship. ECL 1v1 has been played since the ECL '23 Winter season. Basic information/requirements of ECL: 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. Platform: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S 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 ‘24 Winter team licenses in order to play. In addition, every player in the above-mentioned divisions needs to have a valid ECL ‘24 Winter Player License before taking the ice. Purchase your license in the Store. Rules: The ECL '24 rulebook will be published closer to the season, but you can check out last season's rules here. For a more extensive overview of the ECL as a whole, check out our “What is the ECL?” news story released a few weeks back. For a thorough look at the entire competitive year and event calendar, please refer to our ECL '24 Season Presentation. Wildcard teams: 18.-30.10.2023 ECL Lite Qualifier: 18.-30.10.2023 ECL Pro Qualifier: 18.-30.10.2023 ECL Neo: 18.10.-15.11.2023 ⚠️ ECL Core: 18.10.-15.11.2023 ⚠️ ECL Lite: 18.10.-6.11.2023 ECL Pro: 18.10.-6.11.2023 ECL Elite: 18.10.-6.11.2023 *Signups will close at 23:59 CET on the last day mentioned unless otherwise specified. Schedule Pre-season tournament: 23.10.-6.11.2023 Qualifiers: 1.11-> (Pro, Lite) 7.11-> (Elite) Regular Season duration: 19.11.-21.12.2023 (Neo, Core, Lite) 20.11.-21.12.2023 (Pro, Elite) PLEASE NOTE: ECL '24 WINTER 1V1 SIGNUPS WILL LAUNCH LATER THIS YEAR Rule Changes & Community Opinion Reminder: We would like to raise two items up for a community vote and open up the floor for discussion. So far the topics have not attracted a lot of conversation, but there's still time to make your voices heard. The 3-point system vs 2-point system For the longest time, the ECL has used the 2-point system, where the winner gets 2 points, whether in regular time or overtime, and 1 point for a loss in overtime. We’ve heard some wishes for a change and the time has come to re-evaluate whether we should instead opt for the 3-point system instead. In the past, the polls have been pretty close to 50/50 on this topic, but it’s time to discuss this topic properly and if the discussion suggests a need for a poll, that can be implemented. You can already discuss the point-system here. Zone & Superstar Abilities - Yay or nay? For the ECL ‘23: Spring season we made the decision to ban a selection of Zone & Superstar Abilities. As NHL 24 is a new release, our initial instinct is to start with a clean slate and not ban any abilities until the community gets to know the new game and has a chance to make up its mind about whether the abilities are working or not. While we have preliminarily set our minds on not banning any abilities for the first season, we welcome the discussion and would love to hear your opinion. You can discuss player abilities here. Are there some rule-related changes we’ve missed? Now is your chance to discuss and suggest what type of changes you would like to see in the rulebook. Don't have a team yet? Team looking for additions to your roster? If you are a free agent looking to be picked up, please head over here. If you are representing a team looking for players, please head over here.

SportsGamers, As the month of June is rolling on and the sun is slowly starting to find even us up North, the time has come to start with the Semifinals of the Pro division already! We're down to the top four teams in the division, and to be fair any one of these contenders could end up taking the title. At this point, the games will be decided by the smallest of margins, so keep your eyes peeled throughout the round not to miss a second of the action! Luleå Hockey (1) vs Polski Boys (5) This could be an interesting battle between the former ECL Twitter meme princes and the new annoying little brothers, who want to play with the big boys now! While Luleå Hockey (the former POGGERS) have cleaned up their social media game, it seems like their farm team Masin Maansiirto eSports had their account hijacked by some Polish farmers. Polski Boys obviously didn't let this slide and called the big squad out to play, but it seems like we'll have to wait until the action gets going tonight to watch any of it unfold. In terms of what will happen on the ice, Luleå Hockey definitely are the more well versed team that can pose a threat from a variety of situations in comparison to Polski Boys, who have been a bit of a one-trick pony this season. @Migo_boo and @vote_10 respectively will be the guys carrying the puck and being responsible for the breakouts, and @JaKurrii & @xSaski_ will be at the other end, potting pucks in from the back post. As stated, Luleå's offense will consist more of a cycle game when given the opportunity, while Polski poys have been exploiting @punt1la98's cross-crease force to Saski all season long with evidently tremendous success. Luleå Hockey also like to throw pucks at the net more, evident by the 15 deflections for JaKurrii thus far in the Playoffs. These two teams have never played each other in a competitive setting before, so it'll definitely be an exciting series to watch and the first games should set the tones for what's to come in the rest of the series. The experience and chemistry Luleå has built over years of playing together shouldn't be understated in a situation like this, but on the other hand, this team has a history of fluctuating in form - let's hope it doesn't happen in this one! Luleå Hockey and Polski Boys will be starting action tonight at 20:00 CEST - http://twitch.tv/YleTV_Polski Prediction: Luleå Hockey in 6. Deadly Phantoms (2) vs Golden Nights (4) The Deadly Phantoms have really caught fire these Playoffs and look highly intent to keep on going. The German outfit was called out by @ripKeisari last week for a weak social media game and they've since upped their banter, highlighting an impressive snippet of ECL Pro Playoffs info - Ever since ECL 7, the Phantoms have always made the Finals if they've gotten past the first round in the Playoffs. Were not entirely sure that'll mean anything in this series, but nice to know nevertheless! What is actually very interesting to me is the fact that the Phantoms have been able to advance to the Semifinals while playing rotating nine players in their roster in the Playoffs - take that, everyone whose opposed to playing their backups. @gzell60, @xXPsykoSkillsXx and @ProfaneKiss have been locks in the starting six, while everyone else has been in rotation for one reason or another. Regardless of who they end up putting on the ice, the Phantoms with their four forward formation will be a tough team to crack for Golden Nights. While the Golden Nights have been considerably more quiet than their annoying little brother Polski Boys on social media, they found a way to fire back at Deadly Phantoms right off the bat. None of their current players have ever been on the losing side in a Playoff series against the Phantoms, which should make for an interesting story in this one, as their left defenseman @Mikka has never won a game in the ECL Pro Semifinals despite being a top player in the division on highly rated teams for years already. This season, the kid reigns supreme as an offensive defenseman and his squad is looking as strong as ever, but can they break that curse? We're expecting Golden Nights to come out of the gates as the team looking to control the pace of the game, sticking with possession against the Germans. @Sagee95 will be the main man responsible for slowing down the counter attack spearheaded by @ProfaneKiss and his boys. In net, the statistical advantage goes to @RPH_31 and the Phantoms, but both goalies have been outstanding throughout the season and aren't known for letting soft ones slip through, so you can expect this one to go down to the wire as a battle of two different playstyles. Prediction: DPH in 7.

SportsGamers, Yesterday marked the end of Round 1 in the Lite division Playoffs and the action was interesting to say the least! Two big favorites in Dark Wild and Technical disaster are out as the result of massive upsets and we've got plenty of exciting action coming up in Round 2, starting already today. In this Round 2 preview we'll be taking a look at a few interesting series that we expect could end up being quite close, and highlight a lot of interesting statistical anomalies and facts from the first round of Playoff action, join us for the ride! To see all of the RO16 series, head over to the League page! Mustaa Kultaa  (2) vs Golden Sticks  (25) Based on their offensive production, it's tough to discount Mustaa Kultaa from the Championship fight, but the highly talented team didn't quite pop off as dominantly as expected in Round 1 against RoKi Esports. A 4-0 sweep tells the tale of a one-sided series, but in reality, RoKi were in the fight for many of those wins and ultimately struggled with too many individual errors that cost them the series. Mustaa Kultaa will have to gradually rev up their engines again against Golden Sticks, who are coming off a full seven game thriller against Techical Disaster. This squad, consisting of mostly Russian and Latvian players is one to keep an eye on, but they'll certainly need a big effort from either @Romanych13 or @Fuflogon81 in net in order to have a chance. Prediction: Mustaa Kultaa in 5.  Supernatural  (5) vs Sodertalje SK  (18) Supernatural are sporting some of the biggest names in the division and were expected to be true contenders for those top spots - thus far they've definitely delivered, but they could be in for a tough fight against Sodertalje SK in this one. Both clubs have lots of experience, but the more skilled side should be Supernatural in this one - they haven't spent all that much time together which could end up showing in a tight scoring battle against the very disciplined Sodertalje. Keep an eye on @HambergD (David_ovic), who likes to lay the body and is the most physical player left in the competition. He'll pose a forechecking threat to supernatural defensemen @Vilisopanen15 (Ruandalaine) and @Black1Eagle1, who are no strangers to moving the puck.  Prediction: Supernatural in 7.  PunaKala  (6) vs Frolunda HC Academy  (17) PunaKala have been one of those sneaky good teams for some time already. They might be suffering a bit from their reputation as a lower tier club, but have made some impressive development over the course of their career and are now ready to challenge as real contenders in this division. Captain @Mttjs (JMattjus) plays any position his team needs him on and leads the squad from the front. Expect @Unknownlehtis and @sir_sniper to take care of most of the production. Frölunda HC Academy even made a Pro appearance but struggled to find their footing at the higher level. Despite some roster turnover, they are a capable team that could take down any competition in this division. @antonlule (Antonlund_08) is a new talent and has been highly effective for Frölunda this season.  Prediction: Frölunda HC Academy in 7.  Editors' picks from Round 1: Major upsets by both HC Lugano eSports and Golden Sticks, who took down #4 seed Dark Wild and #8 seed Technical Disaster respectively. Hc Replay with a valiant effort against Sunne IK Esport in the first round, their great special teams play continued, but Sunne IK's excellent discipline only allowed one powerplay opportunity in seven games.  Armada Hockey with the choke of the season thus far - the team dropped a 3-0 series lead to Nurnberg IceTigers eSport and are now out after a devastating game 7 OT loss. @Chara 33 (Bugimir68) was in a class of his own throughout the first round with 10+10=20 for Predators. They're up against a defensively sound Nappula in the second round. @sonny - We see you! Four wins and a 90.12 SV% posted in the first round earns an honorable mention for the Boost HC goaltender. Equally impressive goalie heroics by @Samilandia for Ultimatum with 3 shutouts in 6 games.

SportsGamers, The battles have been hard in the Lite division this season, and with the stakes being as high as they are, some massive games still remain in the last few days of the regular season. The last games will be played by the end of Wednesday, May 24th and Playoffs will kick off on Tuesday, May 30th. Group 1 Dark Wild have secured the #1 spot in this group in a tremendously close battle with Technical Disaster. Tupsukorvat and RoKi are chasing Stadin Kingit for the last available Playoff spot and it looks like one of those teams will be the odd one out. RoKi and Tupsukorvat will be playing each other in a massive matchup that could decide either teams fate. Stadin Kingit will be facing Timrå IK in their last games of the season and have surely budgeted a full 4 points from that double-header. Quite surprisingly both HC Korobka and EHC Olten eSports, who had sensational seasons in ECL '23 Winter Core have stuggled massively to translate their game to the Lite level.  Group 2 Nappula are looking like a lock for 1st place and they are strong candidates to take the #1 seed spot into the playoffs, mainly fighting against Supernatural & Mustaa Kultaa from Group 3 and Skellefteå AIK from Group 4 for that advantageous position. Below the Playoff line, Lions Academy, EHC Dinamo Riga and Ducktales BK all have theoretical possibilities of making the Playoffs with some games in hand on the teams above, but they'll need to be at their sharpest in order to make that happen. A big matchup between Lions Academy and Fiilis Hockey will most likely determine the fate of the latter team and also set the bar to make the Playoffs at a minimum of 32 points if Fiilis fail to come away with any in those bouts. Södertälje SK will make a climb towards the middle of the pack to cap off their season. Group 3 This is the only group in which the Playoff teams seem to be solidified already, only some minor movement within the top eight might occur and the most interesting fight leading down to the wire will be had between the top teams Supernatural and Mustaa Kultaa. Both of these teams have four games in hand on the top team Boost HC. Supernatural will have some sweaty games to cap off the regular season against Frölunda HC Academy and Nurnberg IceTigers Esport, whereas Mustaa Kultaa have more favorable matchups against non-Playoff teams Woodhands and Rahinage left in ther schedule. Mustaa Kultaa is also by far the highest scoring team in the division, chased only by Group 2's Ultimatum, and winger @Allupekkaz is topping the scoring charts with @vepdsssss (werppi) in pursuit as a result. Group 4 Skellefteå AIK looks like strong candidates to take home that #1 seed for the Playoffs and as stated, they are fighting for that spot with Group 2's Nappula and Group 3's Supernatural and Mustaa Kultaa.  A new promising goaltender in the form of @Jonte05_ has emerged in their crease this season as he currently leads all goalies with over 10 games played in SV% and has an impressive 6 shutouts to his name this season. He could be an interesting name for several higher level teams in the offseason if Skellefteå can't hold on to him. Close to the Playoff line we could see Chiefzz HC or Deggendorfer SC Esports drop out if they are unable to close out points in their last few games. Mora IK are in hot pursuit of that last available spot with 16 points still up for grabs.  

SportsGamers, A full weekend in Tampere has yielded two new Finnish Champions, as on Friday evening we crowned Teemu @temppanen Karvonen the new 1v1 Champion and tonight on Saturday evening, NHL 19 Allstars hoisted the trophy at Keskustori to cement their 6v6 Championship. Nordic Stars put up an impressive effort in their first ever LAN Finals appearance, but the valiant effort wasn't enough at the hands of their highly experienced opponents. For Nordic Stars, the Finals appearance is a monumental step on their way towards the top, this team has been grinding away for a long time and have recently been on a great upwards trajectory. Keep improving, boys! NHL 19 Allstars really proved the depth of their roster by having all nine players lace up the skates over the course of the tournament, and quite impressively, defenseman Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta made his first appearance of the tournament in the finals - without missing a stride, of course. NHL 19 Allstars' road to the championship: #4 seed from with the record 20-0-0 Round 1: bye Round 2: vs Arkham Asylum (30) 3-0 Round 3: vs POGGERSNHL (16) 3-1 Quarterfinals: vs Nemesis (8) 3-0 Semifinals: vs Tunnel Vision (6) 4-2 Finals: vs Nordic Stars (2) 3-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #72 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren #88 Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen DEFENSEMEN #7 Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta #78 Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto #91 Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (A) FORWARDS #6 Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen #10 Mika @mikaasi Heikkilä #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää (A) #86 Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala (C)   SportsGamer congratulates the new Champions and extends a warm thank you to all participants. 

SportsGamers, GCL 11 is on its finishing straight and besides 6v6 action in Division I and II the 1v1 Finals were played in the first week of April! Seed #1 Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg clashed with newcomer and seed #2 Dominik @no-man-ger Claus! While the defending Champion Keuschemisch finished his regular season with a perfect record of 12-0-0-0, NoManGer who played his first 1v1 Tournament on SportsGamer.gg surprisingly finished right behind him with a 9-1-1-1 record. Claus played a quite succesful 6v6 Division II campaign with Huskies eSports and only fell short to veteran Tim @Timasy Hess and the Finals opponent in his first 12 games. No-Man-Ger who went with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the whole tournament, managed to sweep @HousePro99 in the Quarterfinals and beat @maqareal in three games on his way to the GCL 11 Final. The Black Jacks Forward Berg started with the Toronto Maple Leafs and changed to the Carolina Hurricanes after the Trade Deadline in the NHL which later became clear to be the right choice with his Gameplay. Two Sweeps against @LookandLearn1 and @TacoLaBonita secured back-to-back Finals for the 27 year old Cologne native.  All games were a good back and forth, but the defending Champion really utilized his scoring chances very effectively - especially in Game 1 as he secured a 6-1 victory. The newcomer reacted well and came back from a two-goal-deficit twice in the second game as he turned the game around and forced the deciding game 3 with a 5-4 win over Berg - which was his first loss during the whole GCL 11 season. As experienced as Keuschemisch is he adjusted his gameplay in the deciding matchup and claimed his second GCL 1v1 title with a convincing 5-1 win! SportsGamer thanks all participating players and @Keuschemisch on his back-to-back title in the German Championship League. Also a big shoutout to @no-man-ger who played an amazing first season in competetive NHL gaming in the DACH area!   Keuschemisch's road to the Championship: Regular season record: 12-0-0-0 (#1 seed) Quarterfinals: vs @LookandLearn1 2-0 (3-2 & 8-2) Semifinals: vs @TacoLaBonita 2-0 (7-0 & 9-3) Finals: vs @no-man-ger 2-1 (6-1, 4-5 & 5-1)   Once again a big thank you to all participating players and see you next season in GCL 12!

SportsGamers, We're excited to be closing in on the final games of the ECL '23 Spring Lite season as we are already in the Quarterfinals! All remaining teams certainly have what it takes in terms of skill to claim that ultimate prize, but at this point of the competition, it often comes down to intangibles. Look for experienced teams to thrive, teams that know what it takes to win in the Playoffs. Most of these series have already started yesterday, so make sure to check in to see how these thrilling matchups finish!   Mustaa Kultaa  (2) vs HC Lugano eSports  (29) If you think one of these teams look out of place at this point of the competition, it's because they really do! HC Lugano eSports had a weak regular season campaign, barely finding their way into the Playoffs, where they've finally turned on the jets, so to speak. As one of the lowest seeded teams in the competition, they've been able to take down two very highly ranked squads in Dark Wild & Skelleftea AIK already. Now they'll try to crush the championship dreams of Mustaa Kultaa, who are on what looks like an unstoppable trajectory towards the cup. Spearheaded by what looks like one of the best offensive trios in the division this season, they will wreak havoc on the defense of HC Lugano in this series unless the Swiss team finds a way to counter that, perhaps with a supercharged offensive of their own? Prediction: HC Lugano eSports in 7. Supernatural  (5) vs Predators  (21) As previously mentioned, Supernatural is one of the strongest squads in the division on paper, and they've got plenty of experience to get them out of tough situations, should they need it. @selänne8 (BiggestEight) has been an invaluable asset for the team, who hardly played in the regular season but really shines when the games are at their toughest. Predators are another one of those lower seeds, who are living off of their strong offense, but really need to tighten up in their own end against stronger competition. They had a tough time in round 1 against Hannover Indians eSports, but easily defeated Nappula in round 2.  Prediction: Supernatural in 7. PunaKala  (6) vs Cheeky Grinders  (10) PunaKala is looking like they're in prime form just in time for the biggest games of the season, with an 8-2 record in the Playoffs, this team haven't been tested at all by their previous opponents. @Joniner is also sporting a good 87,44 SV% with two shutouts between the pipes. We've got Cheeky Grinders in equally good form though and since the first games of the round have already been played, the former Core Champions are already up in the series by 2-1. The Grinders have been able to keep more possession and generate slightly more chances in the three games played, so that bodes well for them moving forward. Prediction: Cheeky Grinders in 6.  Ultimatum  (7) vs Boost HC  (9) Ultimatum is another squad that relies on high-octane offense to carry them in breaking down the opposing defense, but it might get tougher to do that when effective defensive squads start shutting down the netfront and best scoring positions up the middle. Boost HC have managed to do that very well early on in this series, and are already up by three after the first night of competition.  Prediction: Boost HC in 4.  

SportsGamers, It is now time to turn to the final stages of this ECL '23 Spring Core Season and in this preview we'll try to highlight some key factors in each series to come.   French Eagles  (1) vs WarHeads  (16) Both teams are absolutely horrendous on the powerplay- don't expect special teams to be the decisive factor. As one of the highest scoring outfits in the league, French Eagles have a big advantage up front. Keep an eye on @Coco on the right wing. @Trollstivegen is an experienced goalie who is miles above the competition in this division. Tampere Taisto  (2) vs Ambri eSports  (15) If the French Eagles or WarHeads struggle with powerplay, there's no words to describe the performance of Tampere Taisto on the man advantage. Their efficiency is a measly 6%. Ambri eSports have struggled defensively and a 3.46 GAA won't cut it in the Playoffs.  Ambri eSports are also highly undisciplined, with a total of 128 penalty minutes in the regular season. KohKae Esports  (3) vs Nelos kentta  (14) @Joona41 was the #2 scorer in the regular season, a big weapon for KohKae. KohKae are also the hottest team heading into the Playoffs with a 9-1-0 record in their last ten games. @Ylijumala96 for Nelos kentta has the most puck possession in the entire division, expect him to control the pace for his team. Black Sharks  (4) vs Latvian Warriors  (13) Black Sharks cycle most of their play through RD @MSK-89-91 and LW @Brazone91. The Latvian Warriors have put on a clinic on the special teams - a combined number of 128,07%. @Kekava is a force on the man advantage with 6 tucks. Dompa HC  (5) vs Nordic Nosebleed  (12) Dompa are an offensively skilled unit with @STRANDMANNEN11 as their top gun. The experienced Nordic Nosebleed are the lowest scoring team to make the Playoffs, expect them to employ a shutdown game.  Nordic Nosebleed have been in tough Playoff situations many times before and can utilize that experience to gain an advantage. Ismon Valinta  (6) vs Koskenlaskijat  (11) Ismon Valinta have a deep roster and have rotated positions a bit over the course of the season, defenseman @rpxjoona can be seen jumping up to the winger spot at times. @Puosu_ has an impressive 45,6% shooting percentage for Ismon Valinta. Koskenlaskijat like to shoot the puck a lot and centerman @laketson (RHM_Lake) is a deflection machine in front of the net. Taskubilis  (7) vs EV Duisburg  (10) EV Duisburg were by far the most physical team to make the Playoffs - 500 hits in 28 games played. Taskubilis can hang with the best in the division in terms of scoring, thay could run away with a few games if they find their groove. Lutunilkat  (8) vs North Sawo Lions  (9) Lutunilkat are in poor form, with a bad 4-5-1 record in their last ten. @Medu14 will be the key for North Sawo Lions to succees, as he is the catalyst for their play.  

SportsGamers, The first week of ECL '23 Spring Elite action is in the books and at the moment, most teams have got their first three matchups in the books. Tohtorit, ZSC Esports and Roots Gaming are the few exceptions, with only one matchup in their rearview, so they'll surely be looking to pick up the pace and play more intensively in the coming weeks. We had several very interesting clashes early on in the season already, as we got to enjoy matchups between four of the contender favorites already in the season opener!  Nordic Stars were one of the most exciting teams to watch out for heading into the season, and interestingly enough they had a very tough start to their season, facing off against all of the preview's top three teams in the first week. While the Stars managed to challenge the top contenders in every game, they didn't quite come away with as many points as they would have wanted, and the result was only one win against hREDS and no points gathered against Tunnel Vision or Frölunda HC. It's clear as day that it is the Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes) show in Nordic Stars now, as the right defenseman leads the team in both possession time and points after the first eight games of the season. The team also made an interesting acquisition at the end of the first week, when they picked up Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen from GOONS to shuffle their offensive arsenal a bit.  Heimo is the team topping the tables after the first week of action, and deservedly so. The outfit seems to have picked up right where they left off in the Winter season and are intent on making another great Playoff push. Their first three matchups have been against teams that they should definitely be able to compete against, and with five wins out of those three games, they'll be happy to move on in good form. At the moment, Heimo is statistically the most solid squad in the division. Wade @Wpaanane Paananen seems to be on a hot streak and slots in at third in scoring throughout the league.  Now, a team we can't ignore are the rookies in Leksands IF. Their forward core of Robert @Robban kaudern Kaudern (I-Kaudo-I), Linus @Bror1326 Nidalen (I-Bror-I) and Philip @Philip Deemus Deemus (PHDeemus) have been picking their opponents apart early on in the season and as a result of scoring explosions against both Örebro Hockey and Reality Check HC, they've been able to push their way into #1, #2 and #4 in the scoring standings at the moment. This team scores a lot and have been able to win games as a result, but they'll certainly be looking to tighten up their defense moving forward. It is doubtful they'll keep up the pace of four goals for per game, but they'll do their best! The Swedish outfit Färjestad BK had a difficult Winter season and made some changes to their roster in the offseason due to long-time center Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson retiring and while they do look good on paper, their changes haven't yielded results on the ice yet. Tough losses against both hREDS and Heimo will definitely spur the team to push even harder in week two. Wingers Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander and Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund have been cold to start the season. Transfers It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, but some transfers have come to knowledge in the past week or so, we'll also be recapping possible movement in these reports. Here are the transfers that have come to light since last week: Teemu @tkantola Kantola -  Otukset (ECL Pro) -->  GOONS Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen -  Otukset (ECL Pro) -->  GOONS Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen -  GOONS -->  Nordic Stars Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen - Free Agent -->  Mayhems Standings - Week 1 1. Heimo +7 2. hREDS - 3. Leksands IF +12 4. Frölunda HC -1 5. Redhawks Esport +8 6. Reality Check HC - 7. JYP Jyväskylä -2 8. Tunnel Vision -7 9. Mayhems +3 10. Nordic Stars -6 11. Örebro Hockey +3 12. ZSC Esports -2 13. Tohtorit +3 14. GOONS -7 15. Roots Gaming -4 16. Färjestad BK -7    

As of the mid-point of the ECL '24 Spring season, this milestone has been reached. This article is written on May 5, 2024 In the middle of the day. Due to variations in the number of games played between teams, I am using Points per Game (P/G) results when discussing regular season rankings. The teams leading the pack include Valokuitunen Esports, Straikers, Unwanted, and Tohtorit. I won't cover all teams, as time does not permit and frankly, there isn't much to say about many teams. Here are a few highlights that I find either unusual or particularly interesting from the season so far: Purification is doing well, and their 1.81 P/G is somewhat surprising to me. In reviewing the stats, @Skumboo's impressive save percentage in his rookie season stands out. If the team can improve slightly, we might see them in the playoffs in their first season, which would be an impressive feat for this young Swedish squad. Vesa Pompa – what's going on with your team? The team's stats are as follows: 5 wins and 9 losses. Vesa Pompa, having recently won the Swedish championship, should not be counted out of the playoffs yet; I believe the team will improve once they've played more games. It seems they might be missing @SebbeLarsen86, as the team’s goalkeeper has faced the most breakaways according to EA's stats. The team is also among the top four for goals allowed, with a statistic of 2.86 GA/GP. Nearly 3 goals per game is not a great performance for a top Elite team. EXEN has struggled to perform consistently at the top of the rankings, which could be attributed to their challenging schedule, facing top teams like Valokuitunen and Tunnel Vision. Additionally, they have experienced unexpected losses to teams like Goons and Heimo. These struggles might be explained by the team's adaptation period or "growing pains," especially considering that V-V @cTunkeilija Lampela is potentially playing his first season as a center, and Aleksi @Mozjayh Kähkönen is on defense. Triple-champion Mozjayh has not yet shown the same impact as seen from his time as a center, with a stats of 16gp 4+10. High on the team's internal points leaderboard is Aapeli @Lxndstrom Landström, who also won last season's Defender of the Season award. This skilled defenseman has often been high up in the points during the regular season, but personal errors cost them in the last playoffs when Vesa Pompa capitalized on these mistakes. We will soon see if lessons have been learned from last season or if similar errors continue at the same scale. Heimo – excuses or improvements? I hope this veteran squad gets their game going, and we see them in the playoffs after a long absence. @Akunkku has made a successful comeback to the scene with a performance of 16gp 14+9p, 23 points. Roots is close to making the playoffs after a long time. The return of Santeri @xleksa_ Levänen has clearly made the team more cohesive and victorious. Perhaps this is the famous Sokkelo SZN, as Mr. Eemil @sokkelo__ Soikkeli scores goals and carries the team to higher standings. Polski Boys' early season has been terrible, with 18 games and 7 wins. Star player @jm98II promised me before the season that Polski would be seen in the playoffs. If so, the team needs to step up soon. Last season showed promise, so it would be a disappointment if they regressed. Goons, I'm not even sure what to say about you. Well, you got Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola back, and 7 different guys have been rotating on the ice. Their positions have also varied. The interesting part was when we, Unwanted, played against Goons, and Teemu @tkantola Kantola only passed to Krike. It was incredibly easy to defend this, and Goons had trouble keeping the mid of the ice closed. Even though last season's top defenseman in the points leaderboard, Tuukka @KingOfApes_ Ropelinen, has been acquired, the team’s gameplay hasn't improved. Maybe it's time for Goons to call it quits and for the players to seek fortune in other teams—or leagues? Gotham Knights got Joni @ReDMisTi Kaikkonen back on the field, and the team has started to improve a bit from this. However, everyone following Elite surely expects Gotham and Renascor to be facing relegation at the end of the season. Renascor found @riegeez in Free Agents as a starter. In my view (which might be a bit biased towards Unwanted), the top Rookie of the Season candidates are Adam @karlssonadam_ Karlsson, who despite his young age has performed excellently in goal, leading in save percentage across the entire Elite at 87.69%. It would be a significant achievement to win Rookie as well as Goalie of the Season. Another Unwanted player worth mentioning in this context is Eetu @Launonexx Launonen with a stats of 18gp and 14+33, 36 points. He is also currently fifth in the points leaderboard. @R1cco, who is also not old, is part of the discussion with a save percentage of 84%. From Purification, previously mentioned Marcus @Skumboo Erevik or Max @LaxenHD Söderström could also emerge. I am not entirely sure if Oskar @x-_-BoBi-_-x Hautala can be classified as a Rookie, since he previously played 8 games in the Elite with Reality Check. Keep your eyes on the field as strategies evolve and teams battle it out for a spot in the playoffs. Stay tuned for more action, unexpected turns, and stellar performances as we continue to bring you all the developments from the ECL '24 Spring season.

16 became eight. Eight has become four. Four is about to become two. Ahead of the ECL ’24: Winter – Elite Semifinals, SportsGamer Guest Writer Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt goes in-depth with each of the Final Four teams in their Quest for the Cup… CLIMBING EVEREST AGAIN To climb Mount Everest, you need commitment. You need passion, but also patience. Hunger, but also poise. An iron will, but also an ability to be flexible. Don’t take my word for it, I’ve never ventured up a tall mountain – much less the world’s highest peak. But those who have climbed it and lived to tell the tale speak of the burning desire to reach the top, but also the unrelenting struggle to do so as every element around you – the cold, the ice, the altitude, the very air you breathe – is working around the clock to try and stop you. But what happens when you’ve already climbed Everest once? Once you’ve already felt that sense of accomplishment; that feeling of absolute pride in completing a task that many might deem impossible. Once you’ve been at the top of the mountain… are you still willing to put absolutely everything you have into doing it all over again, knowing you can never recapture that sense of first-time accomplishment? Now, let’s get a few things out of the way. Winning the ECL Elite title is not the same thing as climbing Mount Everest. There are no elements out to kill you while progressing through the Elite playoffs – at least none that I am aware of – nor will there be a mention of ECL winners in the history books 100 years from now. But winning the ECL Elite title, the Cup if you will, is in fact the absolute highest peak of EASHL competition in Europe. Almost a decade into the SportsGamer era, the number of players that can claim they’ve stood at the very peak of this particular mountain still only numbers in the dozens – even with over 20,000 users registered at the website today. So, when you have a team full of players that have reached the top not just once or twice, but whose combined Elite “summits” number in the dozens, how do you go about motivating yourself to once again make the climb? Turns out, 27-year-old Straikers RD Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha has asked himself that very question on a number of occasions: “To be honest, I've had to look at myself in the mirror a few times in the last couple of years”, Kuha admits. “Just to ask myself why I still play, you know? With the players we have on this team… I think our legacy has already been established, in a way, and we don't need to prove anything to anyone.” Don’t mistake Kuha's doubts and musings for weakness, though. He still demands the very best of himself – and his teammates, for that matter. “I guess it just comes back to the competitive mindset most, if not all, of us have had since childhood. It is simply a part of you. To me, seeing and hearing the passion in our party chat and the joy that winning brings… that’s what drives me. Never, ever would I fail my team because I lacked motivation or focus. I want to win with, and for, the boys.” “Give 100 percent, or step aside. I don’t accept anything less.” Kuha, now in his second season as a defenseman after an illustrious career as a center and right winger, finished top-10 in defensive scoring for a second straight ECL, notching 36 points (5+31) in 30 games. It’s fair to say the transition from forward to defender has been a smooth one for Kuha. “I felt horrible at right-wing back in ECL '23: Winter. It was the first time in my playing career I’ve felt uncomfortable at forward. The idea to change back to defense was definitely there during that season, but it took a push from @Eki (Erik Tammenpää) for me to actually do it.” “The idea was to get the old ‘Eki’-‘ @Patzlaf (Joonas Paatiala) combo back and it’s been working better this way. Playing with a new group of players and at a new position has given me a fresh perspective on the game.” After helping to lead his team Straikers – the roster previously represented Frölunda HC but was signed by the Finnish esport organization going into NHL 24 – to a second place-finish in the regular season, Kuha has continued to perform well for the team in the postseason, posting seven points (0+7) in six playoff games. The Elite Quarterfinals series, which saw Straikers eliminate unexpected success story Unwanted by way of six hard-fought games, offered the team some unexpected adversity. Four of the games took overtime to decide and all but one ended by a one-goal margin. The series featured a new-look Straikers, as the team decided to enlist another high-profile forward in Ilmari @Puantso Lehkonen to serve as left defenseman towards the end of the regular season. “Well, we agreed before the season that @pikkuroger (Roope Bergström) would assume the left-wing spot when he finished his military service. At the same time, @Nassustelija (Kristian-Mikael Katajisto) wasn’t sure if he’d be available for all playoff dates”, Kuha explains. “We decided to try and add some versatility to our blueline.” “‘Puantso’ is one of the greatest players in this game, he has excellent hockey-IQ, and we believe he can find his own style as a defenseman. It might take some time, but we’ve been liking his game.” Image: The Straikers roster, from left to right: pikkuroger, Patzlaf, puantso, @Hansulinho,FlyerKungen, @uhNikke, EkiOriginal & Nassustelija It remains to be seen how quickly the Straikers can get their game firing on all cylinders, as their semifinal matchup will see them go up against a familiar opponent; equally experienced – yet slightly younger – former Elite champions hREDS. And while age is just a number and experience helps to make up for any loss in reaction time or thumb dexterity, Kuha says getting older has changed his outlook on things. After all, the Finnish native has been at, or near, the absolute top of the league for almost a decade at this point. Near the peak of ECL's own Mount Everest. “Honestly, I’m having more fun these days. I don’t take everything as seriously as I used to. I am calmer and I think twice before acting on my emotions. When I first started out, I was almost looking for conflict as I wanted to show everyone what I could do. I don't know if that was some mental tactic to boost myself to reach my goals, or something. These days I still want to win just as badly, but I handle losing better.” And if he could do it all over again? “If I could talk to my younger self, I’d tell him to respect every player out there, especially your teammates, and to just calm down. Being humble and working hard will get you what you deserve in the end.” Watch the ECL Elite Semifinals at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG

NHL 24 has its release date set for October 6th, around a week earlier than what the latest titles have gotten gamers used to, and there’s lots to talk about with this years iteration! With the new cover athlete Cale Makar being revealed earlier this week, fans of the franchise were expecting a game highlighting speed, skill and creativity - much alike what we saw last year with Trevor Zegras and Sarah Nurse being on the cover and really setting the tone for how the game would play. While there’s speed, skill and creativity in abundance in this years iteration too, NHL 24 brings a multitude of other new features to the table. NHL 24 really aims to bring the nuances of hockey right into your living room with an all new Exhaust Engine powered by Frostbite. The Exhaust Engine includes a Sustained Pressure and Goalie Fatigue system rewarding hits in the offensive zone, cycling the puck and peppering the goalie with shots. Simultaneously, this brings a new element to being on the receiving end of such an offensive onslaught, as making simple plays to relieve pressure becomes a more viable and rewarding option. Overhauled physics and animations will bring over 75 new ways for goaltenders to react to plays, whereas the new Physics-Based Contact will revolutionize physical play in all areas of the rink. In NHL 24, physical contact will be more realistic than ever before and while a massive body check will be more rewarding than ever, the risk will also be great. Players will now also be able to break the glass with thundering checks or send their opponents for a change over the boards. Goaltenders will also be pleased to know that the new game introduces an Instinct System, allowing a human goalie to guess shot placement for a bonus on the save attempt. Mike Inglehart, Creative Director at EA Vancouver states that NHL 24 is a game made by hockey fans, for hockey fans. “With the new Exhaust Engine system and gameplay features that really capture the physical nature of hockey, NHL 24 delivers realistic body checks and a deeper defensive toolbox full of more choice and tactics that bring a whole new level of immersion to the franchise.” Now delivering on their promise to make NHL 24 the most connected hockey experience thus far, this years iteration brings true cross-play to HUT and World of Chel game modes, meaning that same-generation Microsoft and Sony consoles can now seamlessly play together with or against each other. A big addition in terms of gameplay will also be new Total Control Skill Moves, making dekes and skill moves more accessible and allowing players to perform these moves out of any position. Combined with the Vision Passing System that assigns buttons for passing to certain teammates and the addition of a new one-touch pass mechanic, creativity and quick wits will be prevalent when generating highlight reel plays in NHL 24. Preorder your copy of NHL 24 now - Deluxe edition preorders get double entitlement and a number of preorder perks the get their HUT and WoC careers started!

SportsGamers, Another ECL Elite season was wrapped up at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo over the weekend and at the end of a hard fought Finals series, Tunnel Vision emerged as the winners, claiming their second consecutive Championship in their third consecutive Finals appearance. The team is in unstoppable form and finished the clean sweep for the ECL '23 season. Tunnel Vision's road to the championship: #2 seed from with the record 24-3-3 Quarterfinals: vs JYP Jyväskylä (7) 4-3 Semifinals: vs hREDS (3) 4-3 Finals: vs Frölunda HC (1) 4-1 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #7 Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen #86 Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos DEFENSEMEN #24 Veeti @Wenger Paloneva #65 Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen FORWARDS #9 Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen #37 Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen #67 Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen

SportsGamers, After a dominant season to say the least, Färjestad BK are crowned your SCL 2023 6v6 Champions! The highly experienced roster really clicked and found a way to go nearly undefeated through their campaign, with only one overtime loss in the regular season and one loss in their Finals matchup against Örebro Hockey. Färjestad really set the tone early in the Finals and never looked back! Färjestad BK's road to the championship: #1 seed from Group 2 with the record 15-0-1 Round 1: vs Company of Geeks (16) 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs Sunne IK Esport (10) 3-0 Semifinals: vs Björklöven Esport (6) 3-0 Finals: vs Örebro Hockey (2) 3-1 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #50 Johan @McSavid Rundqvist #87 Adam @karlsson_adam11 Karlsson DEFENSEMEN #26 Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen (A) #27 Samuel @EDHOLMEN3 Edholm FORWARDS #19 Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund (C) #21 Adam @dzouvi Mensik #62 Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander (A) SportsGamer congratulates the new Champions and extends a warm thank you to all participants.

Get ready to dive into the exciting world of the European Championship League (ECL) as we bring you the highly anticipated ECL Wraparound, hosted by the one and only Cody @Tougie24 Tougas! From ECL Neo to Elite, witness the fierce competition as teams battled it out for supremacy on the virtual ice. Who emerged as the dominant force in each division? Which players stood out with their exceptional skills and game-changing performances? Find out all the answers and more in the ECL Wraparound.  

SportsGamers, Last week the GCL 9 season had it's final games in the form of the GCL 9 1v1 Finals between #2 seed Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg and #3 seed Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi. These are two highly skilled players, and what adds so much to the matchup is their great friendship off the ice too. Both represent the ZSC Esports organization, and with substantial domestic success already in their back pockets, both certainly wanted to clinch the 1v1 Championship too. Eventually, the best-of-five series required four games to be finished, as Keuschemisch managed to best his good friend with a 3-1 series score. All games were a good back and forth, but the Champion really utilized his scoring chances very effectively.  Keuschemisch's road to the Championship: Regular Season record: 14-0-0 (#2 seed) Round 1: vs @schmiedli_68 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs @ProfaneKiss 3-2 Semifinals: vs @riegel29 3-0 Finals: vs @Original-SnuS 3-1 SportsGamer congratulates Kevin on his Championship and extends a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers, Get ready for an electrifying showdown in the ECL Pro final series as the Gotham Knights clash with Renascor. The two powerhouse teams bring unmatched skill and strategy to the rink, promising a nail-biting battle for supremacy. With star players on both sides, this series is bound to have fans on the edge of their seats the whole series! With high expectations from both sides to win the PRO division, who will claim the coveted championship trophy of the second highest level of European eHockey, we’ll try and take a small peek into this series beforehand and see what all the buzz is about! (1) Gotham Knights vs (4) Renascor TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Jere @keranee Keränen 14 GP, 20+18=38 vs Evgeny @Virusactive Popov 17 GP, 10+15=25 GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Philip @Discokryckan Johansson 11 GP, 9 W, 87,57 SV%, 1.91 GAA, 2 SO vs Joona @Hullued Saarinen 17 GP, 12 W, 83,43 SV%, 1.76 GAA, 4 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 21-3-2-4 vs 19-3-2-6 This upcoming week we’ll see who will play in Elite next season, and who will play another series in the upcoming weeks to take that last and final step towards the highest tier of European eHockey. With all predictions this writer has seen, heard, and asked about from different tiers of ECL, every single one had the same response, “Gotham takes it”, this should serve as nothing else but hard motivation for Renascor to take the win here and show everybody they’re wrong. With an astounding 38 points (20+18) in 14 games, all eyes will be on Jere @keranee Keränen to step up and take this team back to Elite where they once upon a time had their opponent on their knees, he’ll get some much-needed help with all forwards putting up decent points this postseason. Assuming we’ll see Philip @Discokryckan Johansson in net for the final series, the goalie matchup will be fierce as outfielder-turned-goalie Joona @Hullued Saarinen, will start for Renascor and make sure his team has a fighting chance in this series. With Renascor battling it out in the semis, and proving this writer wrong with taking out Purification, they seem to have nothing to lose, other than a spot in Elite of course, this will be the ultimate test for Evgeny @Virusactive Popov who will finally have a chance to take his team the whole nine yards. If Renascor can keep the games low scoring, they will have a chance of beating the heavily favoured Gotham Knights with a few goals here and there, if Gotham gets their flow going, this will be a quick series ending in the favour of Gotham, tight defence and finishing your chances is the name of the game, whoever executes in these areas will take home that trophy. Prediction: Gotham 4-1

Get ready to dive into the exciting world of the European Championship League (ECL) as we bring you the highly anticipated ECL Wraparound, hosted by the one and only Cody @Tougie24 Tougas! From ECL Neo to Elite, witness the fierce competition as teams battled it out for supremacy on the virtual ice. Who emerged as the dominant force in each division? Which players stood out with their exceptional skills and game-changing performances? Find out all the answers and more in the ECL Wraparound.

SportGamers, Our community is growing with new members every year. From time to time we are asked for tips on how to find a team or how to find players for your team. In this post, we have put together a few links to our forum where you can either search for a team or sign up as a free agent. You'll also find some tips at the end, that might be just what you need to connect with that new group of potential teammates. This post is mainly intended for the European audience that is interested in playing in the European Championship League. Free Agents EU - PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S In this section of the forum, you can register as a free agent or search for new players for your team. You will find a "reply to topic" section under the last message on the page where you can post your own free agent message. In this message you can briefly tell us about yourself, what position you are looking to play, and how to best reach you. Please note that a login to the forum is required in order to post a message. Please also note that this section of the forum is only for free agent messages. EU Clubs looking for players - PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S In this section of the forum, you can let everyone know when your team is looking for players, which means free agents can find teams by browsing this thread. You will find a "reply to topic" section under the last message on the page. Here you can write your "club looking for players" post where you tell us about the club and what kind of player you are looking for. You can look for good tips for your post in the numerous posts written by other clubs. Please note that both of these above-mentioned forum threads are meant only for writing the "ads". When you see something you're interested in, please use private messaging (e.g. SportGamer, Discord, or PSN) to contact them. Usually, the writer of the post will let you know how to best get in touch. So here is your reminder: whenever you post, remember to mention how to best get in touch with you. Useful tips In addition to these previous tools, we recommend you to be active and try to play as much as possible. On our Discord channel, you will find a section called "free for tonight" In this section, you can sign up for free play and of course, if you're lucky you might find some people that want to play with you in the future. One good tip that works is to add "FA" or "Free Agent" to your player's name in the game so that your players can see during the game that you are looking for a team. There you have it! We hope you find these tips useful. Feel free to share your advice in the comments. Good luck finding the perfect match!

SportsGamers, not only Division 1 hockey was played in the DACH area! The Swiss NLA team of Ambri eSports secured the Division 2 title in the German Championship League and secured promotion to the top 16 of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Despite starting into the playoffs as the lowest seed, the Swiss outfit managed to cruise through the postseason including two sweeps and a breathtaking game 7 drama in the semifinals. Ambri Forward Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano secured the topscoring title in the regular season (26G + 35A in 16GP) aswell as the playoffs (24G + 25A in 15 GP). On behalf of the whole SportsGamer community we would like to congratulate Ambri eSports and a warm thank you to all other participants in Division 2! Ambri eSports' road to the Championship: #8 overall seed from group 2 with the record 8-6-2 Quarterfinals: vs EV Duisburg (1) 4-0 Semifinals: vs Old Primates (2) 4-3 Finals: vs EHC Olten eSports (3) 4-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #39 Roman @FrenchGoalie Lefebrve DEFENSEMEN #85 Samuele @Bergente85 Del Curto (A) #89 Brendan @JPBROO Laroux (C) FORWARDS #9 Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano #10 John @x-bluewhite-x Leclair #21 Sakari @Sekotettu Kaulaote #24 Giulio @Giulio2497 Costa #69 Hector @flamingo81403 Savage (A) #70 Crazy @Barclay11 Machete We wish all DACH teams good luck in the upcoming ECL'23 Spring!