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Hello, ECL Community! The debate around X-Factors, abilities, and player builds in competitive EASHL continues to be one of the most discussed topics within our community. Over the past month after the NHL 26 release, we’ve followed your conversations closely — in Discord threads, party chats, and private messages — and we want to thank everyone who has contributed to this discussion.   This season, our goal has been twofold: To maintain a fair and consistent competitive environment for all divisions, and To strengthen alignment with our North American counterparts so that competitive 6v6 hockey moves forward together on both sides of the Atlantic. We’ve been in regular contact with our North American counterparts to share experiences, discuss balancing, and explore ways to create a more unified competitive environment. In addition, SportsGamer and other league representatives will take part in an upcoming conversation with EA SPORTS to exchange insights on gameplay balance, abilities, and the overall direction of EASHL. These discussions are part of an ongoing effort to ensure that community feedback from both regions is heard and considered as the game continues to evolve. We believe that sharing unified feedback and experiences from both regions will help shape the next steps for the entire EASHL ecosystem. ECL ’26: Winter Restrictions After extensive discussion and testing, the League Administration has decided to continue restricting several player Abilities and Builds that were found to have a disproportionate impact on gameplay. The following restrictions apply across all ECL divisions for the ECL ’26: Winter season.     🛑 Banned Abilities All tiers (Gold, Blue, and Red) of the following abilities are banned:  Big Rig   Big Tipper   Elite Edges  Hipster  No Contest  Pressure+  Spark Plug  Truculence  Unstoppable  Wheels These abilities have shown to create unbalanced or unintended gameplay advantages, reducing the importance of player skill and positioning. Specifically, as a category, we have wanted to slow down the gameplay by prohibiting abilities that add significant speed boosts. The bans help ensure that all players compete on an even playing field, where awareness and execution matter most.     ⚔️ Position-Based Build Restrictions To further preserve role balance and gameplay authenticity: Forwards cannot use defensive classes: Defensive Defender, Enforcer Defender, Offensive Defender, Two-Way Defender, Puck Moving Defender Defenders cannot use forward classes: Dangler, Enforcer, Grinder, Playmaker, Power Forward, Sniper, Two-Way Forward Additionally, skaters and goalies cannot use special characters or custom character builds.   🧾 Enforcement Violations of the above bans will be handled as follows: 1st Infraction – Team captain warning + player suspended for 2 games + potential WO loss* 2nd Infraction – Second captain warning + full lineup warning + player suspended for 4 games + potential WO loss* 3rd Infraction – Captain suspended for 2 games + player suspended for 4 games + 2-point deduction + potential WO loss* *A Walkover (WO) loss will only apply if the offending team was clearly informed and continued to use banned Abilities or Builds afterward. Clear video evidence is required when reporting violations. You can view the full ECL '26: Winter - Official Rules here. Looking Forward While the overall ability structure remains similar to previous seasons, the addition of position-based build restrictions represents another step toward a stronger global standard. As always, we’ll continue to monitor gameplay trends and community feedback throughout the Winter season and forward your feedback directly to EA SPORTS. Thank you once again for your ongoing passion and input — it’s what continues to drive the ECL forward.   Best regards, League Administration

Hello everyone, We’ve received a number of questions about the private game passwords that have been used in recent years for organizing competitive training games within the community. As we head into the upcoming tournaments, we’d like to share a quick reminder of the current passwords to use when applying for daily competitive training games: ECLPro – for Elite / Pro and Pro / Elite Qualifying teams ECLLite – for Lite / Core teams ECLNeo – for Neo teams While we understand the desire to challenge yourself and want to play tougher teams, please respect the divisions as mentioned above for use with each password. The whole point of the password system is diminished if, for example, Core teams use the Pro password, and so on. Please also remember to use only the currently permitted abilities and builds when playing these training games. This helps ensure fair and consistent gameplay across all divisions. Thank you for your cooperation — and have fun out there!

Hey Gamers, The wait is over — it’s time to kick off the NHL 26 season with the ECL ‘26 Pre-Season Tournament. This friendly event gives teams the chance to warm up for the upcoming ECL season in a relaxed and flexible setting. With three competitive tiers, there’s something for everyone — from top contenders fine-tuning their play to new teams getting their first taste of ECL action. Each tier features its own playoffs, offering every team a chance to compete, improve, and prepare for the season ahead. Get your lineups ready and hit the ice — the ECL ‘26 Pre-Season starts now. The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports. The abbreviation stands for the European Championship League and it features NHL 6v6 esports in five divisions aimed at various skill levels. Every player, including the goalies, is controlled by a human. League games are played in the EASHL mode and the platform is PlayStation and Xbox. ECL has been played since 2015. Basic information/requirements of ECL: The tournament will be played on the NHL 26 (PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X/S) Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude players located in North America or Asia. A European server will always be used. We reserve the right to exclude teams or players in case of severe connection issues. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at SportsGamer.GG and create their personal player card. ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro, ECL Lite, and ECL Core will require their respective ECL ‘26: Winter team licenses in order to play. In addition, every player in the above-mentioned divisions needs to have a valid ECL ‘26: Player License or ECL ‘26: Winter Player License before taking the ice. Players in ECL Neo require only an ECL '26: Winter Neo Player License. The ECL '26 Pre-Season tournament does not require the license, Rules: ECL '26: Winter Official Rules | Also see ECL ’26: Winter - Ability & Build Bans ECL Pre-Season As stated, the tournament will be hosted in three tiers without any major restrictions except for the ones mentioned below. Elite & Pro Only ECL Elite & ECL Pro teams, and by special request wildcard & qualifier teams This is a friendly warmup tournament, no need to argue (=no League Admin cases) The final format is determined by the number of teams Double-header gamedays Regular season 30.10-9.11 Playoffs (BO3) 12-13.11 (RO16) 16.-17.11 (Quarterfinals) 19.-20.11 (Semifinals) 24-25.11 (Finals) 👉 Note: This Pre-Season will overlap with the ECL Winter Qualifiers. If you know or expect to participate in the Elite or Pro Qualifiers, you should skip the Pre-Season to avoid schedule conflicts. Sign-ups are open until 12:00 CET, October 28th. SIGN UP HERE Lite & Core Only ECL Lite & ECL Core teams, and by special request wildcard teams & qualifier teams This is a friendly warmup tournament, no need to argue (=no League Admin cases) Qualifier teams can participate, but the final rounds of the playoffs may coincide with the qualifiers The final format is determined by the number of teams Double-header gamedays Regular season 30.10-9.11 Playoffs (BO3) 12-23.11 (RO32) 16.-27.11 (RO16) 19.-30.11 (Quarterfinals) 24-25.11 (Semifinals) 27.11 (Finals) Sign-ups are open until 12:00 CET, October 28th. SIGN UP HERE Neo & Newcomers Only ECL Neo & Newcomer teams This is a friendly warmup tournament, no need to argue (=no League Admin cases) The final format is determined by the number of teams Double-header gamedays Regular season 30.10-9.11 Playoffs (BO3) 12-13.11 (RO16) 16.-17.11 (Quarterfinals) 19.-20.11 (Semifinals) 24-25.11 (Finals) Sign-ups are open until 12:00 CET, October 28th. SIGN UP HERE Uniform and logo unlocks for organizations This form is intended for organizations associated with SportsGamer to request primarily uniform and logo unlocks in order to represent their team appropriately. Here is a link for the unlocks form: https://forms.gle/3RezYrzCm1yZFFdU9 Rules Although the Pre-Season Tournament will not be under as strict scrutiny as the ECL, we want to remind you to respect your opponents and go about the games just as you would when playing real ECL league matchups. Rules: ECL '26: Winter Official Rules | Also see ECL ’26: Winter - Ability & Build Bans If teams are tied in points after the group stage, we will utilize these usual tie-breakers: Wins (including OT-wins) Head-to-head record (points in mutual games) Goal difference (across all games played) Scored goals (across all games played) We hope you're as excited as we are to get back into the action - build your team, sign up, and have fun!

  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 21st. 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.   Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at SportsGamer.GG and create their personal player card.   ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro, ECL Lite, and ECL Core will require their respective ECL ‘26: Winter team licenses in order to play. In addition, every player in the above-mentioned divisions needs to have a valid ECL ‘26: Player License or ECL ‘26: Winter Player License before taking the ice. Players in ECL Neo require only an ECL '26: Winter Neo Player License. More information about licenses will be available closer to the season start.   Rules: The ECL '26: Winter rulebook will be an updated version of the '25 Spring rulebook and will be shared soon.    The divisions framework for the ECL ‘26 season will follow the same logic as for previous seasons. We will have a total of five divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams Pro 32 teams Lite 64 teams Core (up to) 128 teams and Neo 32+ teams.   Please refer to  this ECL Ranking  in order to understand which teams are eligible to sign up for each division. Generally speaking, teams that are new to the ECL will start in the Neo or Core division. However, it is possible to apply for the ECL Lite qualifications to prove that you can compete at that level.   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 .     Hall of Fame: The ECL Champions so far ECL 6v6: ECL 1: Nordic Blizzard ECL 2: Mukimiehet ECL 3: X Factor ECL 4: Laser HT ECL 5: Aapon Taikasauva ECL 6: Carlsberg HC ECL 7: FILADELPHIA ECL 8: Written In the Stars ECL 9: Linköping HC ECL 10: HAVU Gaming ECL 11: FILADELPHIA ECL 12: hREDS ECL '22: Grand Champion: hREDS ECL '22 Winter: hREDS ECL '22 Spring: hREDS ECL '23: Grand Champion: Tunnel Vision ECL '23 Winter: Tunnel Vision ECL '23 Spring: Tunnel Vision ECL '24: Winter Champion: hREDS ECL '24: Spring Champion: Tunnel Vision ECL '25: Winter Champion: Parasite ECL '26: Spring Champion: Last Dance   ECL 1v1: ECL '23: Winter: Sisu "sisu33_" Nurminen ECL '23: Spring: Väinö "Pikkarii" Pikkarainen ECL '24: Grand Champion: Teemu "Temppanen" Karvonen ECL '24: Winter: Erik "EkiOriginal" Tammenpää ECL '24: Spring: Väinö "Pikkarii" Pikkarainen ECL '25: Spring: Teemu "Teemuyy" Polttila

SportsGamers, This news story is intended to help understand the ECL Ranking for teams at the end of the ECL '25: Spring season. This ranking determines the eligibility for teams entering various divisions this upcoming ECL '26: Winter season.  Below you will find a list of teams that have secured a division spot at the Elite, Pro, or Lite league level. If you didn't find your team on the list, don't worry! You can apply for a wildcard spot for your team in the Pro qualifiers or apply to the Lite, Core or Neo divisions, which are open to everyone. Please note that the Qualifiers will be starting very soon and the registration time will be short, so start mentally and psychologically preparing for them as we look to release the ECL '26: Winter registrations later this week. Elite 1 Elite 🏆 Last Dance 2 Elite 🥈 Mythix 3 Elite 3 Parasite 4 Elite 4 EXEN 5 Elite 5 Mustaa Kultaa 6 Elite 6 Heimo 7 Elite 7 SSK ESPORTS 8 Elite 8 Tohtorit 9 Elite 9 Polski Boys 10 Elite 10 The Black Jacks 11 Elite 11 vNexs 12 Elite 12 GOONS 13 ▶ Elite 15 ONSE Esports 14 ▲ Pro 🥇 ROBE Esports 15 ▲ Pro 3 Golden Buffalos 16 ▲ Pro 4 AFTERLIFE   Elite Qualifiers (if needed) 1 ▼ Elite 13 Blackbirds 2 ▼ Elite 14 NOVA 3 ▼ Elite 16 Vapor 4 Pro 2 Vizio 5 Pro 5 Almost Famous 6 Pro 6 Pirates eSports 7 Pro 7 Otukset 8 Pro 8 Falun Coal Miners   Pro 1 ▼ Elite 13 Blackbirds 2 ▼ Elite 14 NOVA 3 ▼ Elite 16 Vapor 4 Pro 2 Vizio 5 Pro 5 Almost Famous 6 Pro 6 Pirates eSports 7 Pro 7 Otukset 8 Pro 8 Falun Coal Miners 9 Pro 9 Three Stars 10 Pro 10 F U R Y 11 Pro 11 Aspyre 12 Pro 12 Sawolanche 13 Pro 13 POGGERS 14 Pro 14 Carnages 15 Pro 15 REALISTIC 16 Pro 16 Setelikerho 17 Pro 17 HC Lugano eSports 18 Pro 18 Herlev Eagles 19 Pro 19 Sunne IK Esport 20 Pro 20 Puck Over Glass 21 Pro 21 Nurnberg IceTigers eSport 22 Pro 22 SSK Prospects 23 ▲ Lite 🥇 MoDo Hockey 24 ▲ Lite 🥈 Deadly Phantoms 25 ▲ Lite 🥉 Lemmenvelhot   Pro Qualifier Wildcard requirements Three former Elite starters or four former Pro starters A starter is defined as having played 16 or more games in the ECL '25: Spring season, or 16 or more games in the ECL '25: Winter season If there are more players from the same team that were relegated out of the division Pro (in the same season) in the team applying for a wildcard, they may be counted as one player. The League Administration reserves the right to interpretations of this depending on the specific circumstances of the situation.   What if all Pro Qualifier positions are not filled? Teams will not be promoted straight and all open spots will be filled through qualifiers (excluding automatically relegated/promoted teams). If there happens to be more open spots than anticipated (e.g. from teams disbanding which would have been invited to play in the qualifier) spots are filled as follows: Pro relegated teams Wildcard teams Lite #17-32 The League Administration reserves the right to make adjustments to both the promotion process and the final promotions if deemed necessary.   Pro Qualifiers 1 Pro 23 Golden Sticks 2 Pro 24 Brynäs IF Esport 3 Pro 25 Unique 4 Pro 26 BLEGI 5 Pro 27 Pivto4ka 6 Pro 28 The Oldtimers 7 Pro 29 vNexs Academy 8 Lite 4 Turun Gasellit 9 Lite 5 Kikkakirja 10 Lite 6 Six Sticks Misfits 11 Lite 7 Seinäjoki Noms 12 Lite 8 Including Me 13 Lite 9 MISSCLICK 14 Lite 10 Rusty X 15 Lite 11 Jurricanes 16 Lite 12 Silver Sword Griffins 17 Lite 13 DEG eSports 18 Lite 14 Lucky Strikers 19 Lite 15 Carolus Icemen 20 Lite 16 Hokurit 21 Wildcard   22 Wildcard   23 Wildcard   24 Wildcard     Lite 1 ▼ Pro 29 Chiubigigle 2 ▼ Pro 30 Owned Hexa 3 ▼ Pro 31 UnderRated 4 ▼ Pro 32 Kertoimia Vastaan 5 Lite 17 Kokemus Puuttuu 6 Lite 18 Powerhouse Hockey 7 Lite 19 SIX MAN AVALANCHE 8 Lite 20 Red Bull Munich eSports 9 Lite 21 German Ice Gladiators 10 Lite 22 Tikitaka 11 Lite 23 Wida 12 Lite 24 Saucer Hockey 13 Lite 25 HC VADELMA 14 Lite 26 Pata Hellalla 15 Lite 27 TROJANS 16 Lite 28 Macho HC 17 Lite 29 HC Last Resort 18 Lite 30 Iserlohn Roosters eSports 19 Lite 31 Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming 20 Lite 32 Hockeyholics 21 Lite 33 KOST Wolves 22 Lite 34 KohKae Esports 23 Lite 35 Dark Energy HC 24 Lite 36 Toukokuu 25 Lite 37 Woodhands 26 Lite 38 Kiekko Rainers 27 Lite 39 SSK Adepts 28 Lite 40 HC Pustertal eSports 29 Lite 41 Karmadillos 30 Lite 42 HC NAMOTKA 31 Lite 43 SCB eSports 32 Lite 44 Goodvibes Hockey Group 33 Lite 45 Hiljainen Pikkukaupunki 34 Lite 46 KALMARUNIONEN 35 Lite 47 Game Over Esports 36 Lite 48   37 Lite 49   38 Lite 50   39 Lite 51   40 ▲ Core🥇 ARMEIJAN KURI 41 ▲ Core 🥈 Conexion 42 ▲ Core 🥉 Nordic Nosebleed 43 ▲ Core 4 Dynamo Hc 44 ▲ Core 5 VBO STARS 45 ▲ Core 6 Fallen Rangers 46 ▲ Core 7 CapeTown Kings 47 ▲ Core 8 MIESKISSAT All teams without an Elite, Pro, or Lite league spot can participate and choose to apply for ECL Lite without restrictions. There will be no ECL Lite qualifier for ECL '26: Winter, but a maximum of 64 teams can participate in the season, so signing up on time is encouraged. Spots will be filled in the order of registration. As always, League Administration will monitor sign-ups and reserve the right to step in to make sure teams don't sign up too high or low compared to their perceived skill level.

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

News story in Finnish / Uutinen suomeksi: https://ence.gg/article/maailman-suurin-nhl-2v2-turnaus-jarjestetaan-jalleen-lokakuussa/ Last year, the inaugural Voittamattomat Änäris tournament took the NHL community by storm, and now the event is back with a refreshed format. Registration is officially open, and the grand finals will be played on Saturday, October 11th at the stunning Finnkino Tennispalatsi LUXE theater in Helsinki. The qualifiers and finals will be broadcast live on the EkiTammenpaa YouTube channel, and fans will also be able to attend the finals on-site. Seating in the LUXE theater is limited to around 50 spectators. Register for Competitive Division Qualifier #1 (Oct 4) 🇫🇮 Register for Competitive Division Qualifier #2 (Oct 5) 🇫🇮 Register for Amateur Division Qualifier (Oct 4) 🇫🇮 This year’s tournament comes with a few key changes. Unlike last year, where some finalist pairs received direct invitations, every player – including the tournament’s headliner Erik @Eki Tammenpää – will need to battle through the qualifiers to earn their place. Another highly requested addition is the brand-new Amateur Division, offering a lower-barrier path for more casual players to join the action. “After last year’s success, we were excited to team up with ENCE again to take this tournament to the next level. The 2v2 format is truly unique in NHL – you won’t see it anywhere else at this scale. We’ve partnered with amazing sponsors who make this all possible. Nikke and I are ready to defend our title – come challenge us if you dare!” said tournament ambassador and reigning champion, Eki. Tournament Format Open Division Qualifiers: Saturday, Oct 4 & Sunday, Oct 5 Amateur Division Qualifiers: Saturday, Oct 4 Format: Single Elimination, Best-of-1 Advancement: Top 2 pairs from each qualifier move on to the finals Finals Lineup: 4 Open Division pairs + 2 Amateur Division pairs Geographical limitations: This tournament is open to players living in Finland. 🇫🇮 Prize Pool Competitive Division: 5 000 € total – with 3 000 € awarded to the champions Amateur Division: Product prize packages provided by tournament partners Participation Prizes: Just signing up gives you a chance to win! Among all entrants, we’ll raffle out 2x pairs of tickets to a Liiga game of choice and 2x ENCE product packages. You can find the full tournament rules here: Tournament rules (Finnish) Join the tournament Discord The tournament is made possible by Finnkino, Red Bull, foodora, and Logitech G A20x.