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In an effort to boost our editorial coverage outside the realm of division-specific ECL content, we've enlisted NHL.com/sv writer, and long-time ECL player, Hampus Duvefelt (l-Furyan-l) to provide a series of special columns for SportsGamer.GG throughout the NHL 26 cycle. This is the first edition. KEEPING A TEAM TOGETHER If there is one thing I’ve learned during all my years in the NHL community, it is that keeping a team together for any duration of time is hard work. Whether it be due to arguments, fading chemistry, personal reasons or just a need for a fresh voice in the party, teams rarely look the same at the end of a game cycle as they did at the beginning of it. In some ways, change is the one constant in the unpredictable world of NHL gaming. In fact, one could argue an “NHL Year” is not entirely unlike a dog year, where in one game cycle, it can feel like you’ve lived through multiple years’ worth of transfers, roster changes and teams disbanding. Having been a captain or assistant captain for the majority of my soon-to-be decade on this platform, I’ve seen my fair share of exists – good and bad. I’ve been caught blindsided by players leaving at the worst possible times, I’ve had to tell unsuspecting players they were being let go (for various reasons) and I’ve had heartfelt interactions with players where we both agreed it was time for a change. I’ve also had a hand in closing down teams entirely, same as I’ve been a part of starting new projects. I’ve had players “poached” from me, with them agreeing to join other teams when they were still on my roster – sometimes even mid-tournament. And, in the interest of full disclosure as to not try and portray myself as some type of saint; I’ve agreed to join teams – or made plans for new projects – while I was still part of another team. The NHL scene has historically flirted with professional organizations and guaranteed contracts but as it stands that is the exception and not the norm. So, in a business that is... not really a business, but more like a (semi-professional) hobby where a contract is signed through a virtual handshake over Discord and a transfer is never more than a well-timed DM pitch away, how do you go about keeping a team together? Here’s what I’ve learned The main thing is to create an environment where players feel comfortable, enjoy “coming to the rink” and feel like their expectations are being met. Whether those expectations are on-ice success, a high level of activity or just a positive gaming experience, it is important to tailor your approach to the players you have. Are you with a group of IRL friends with no previous EASHL experience who are just starting out together? Perhaps don’t yell at them on a daily basis to get their shit together and to up their playing level (sorry, FCM teammates of ECL 1-3)... Are you with a group of hungry, talented 18-year-olds who want to win a championship and are willing to put in the time to do so? Make sure you keep both activity levels and accountability high. And if you’re with a group of (slightly) older players, with jobs, families and other responsibilities that take up their time, make sure to listen to their feedback and try to tailor your gaming sessions to their availability. But the main thing I wanted to share, and really the reason why I decided to write this whole thing, is some advice I received a few years ago from one of the greatest leaders I ever played with. Advice that I listened to at the time, but didn’t fully understand until more recently. And I’m paraphrasing here because it has been a while. He told me to always try and create a team environment where players want to be. Where they feel like they are achieving something just by being a part of the roster. A team that others scramble to play for. A team whose reputation – at least as spread by the players on it, past and present – is undeniably great. There will always be haters on the outside, but if you can create a team environment where starters, backups and loan players alike all feel like they are having the time of their lives, you’ve set yourself up for success. But his most important lesson was this; learn to accept that players are going to want to move on – and cheer them on when they do. Even in the best team environment humanly possible, you are going to have players move on. And here’s the kicker, it doesn’t matter what their reasons for wanting to leave are. It doesn’t matter if it’s wanting more success, wanting a less ‘tryhard’ environment, wanting to play with IRL friends or just wanting a fresh start. In a world without guaranteed contracts, you can never keep a player from leaving, so don’t get frustrated or judge them for it when they do. Learn to let go Of course, it is never a bad thing to ask a departing player why they are leaving or to ask for their feedback if there is something you or the team could have done differently. Listen, and learn from it. But if they’ve decided to leave, that’s that. And that’s okay. Sure, there are both good and bad ways to exit a team, and no one is immune to having an emotional reaction to a player transfer. I certainly am not. But in the end, if you know in your heart of hearts you’ve done the absolute best you can in trying to create a team environment that people want to be a part of, then there is no point in dwelling on it. Or... you could just, you know, win title after title after title. After title. I hear that’s a neat trick too!

ECL 26’: Winter - Pro l Season Preview Another ECL Winter, another Pro division full of storylines. This year brings a mix of familiar faces and new challengers, each with their own ambitions — promotion, redemption, or simply proving they belong. As always, we’ve gone through the groups, looked at the returning cores, offseason moves, and early-season form to get a sense of who might surprise us and who has the potential to go all the way.   Group 1  Greatest A new team with a few Pro division greats on their roster, former Elite Rookie of the year @xLeikku and his partner in crime @localhefe team up once again in the Pro division looking to wreak havoc on opponents, it’ll be seen who plays what position as they have been active in the offseason. Big expectations always come served with big pressure. Some of the guys on the roster are known to not play great under pressure, we'll see how it goes for them as the games get tough, they'll be a lock for playoffs, but how far can they go?   Player To Watch: @Wpaanane Season Prediction: Title Contenders   Unique Last season for Unique wasn’t the best. Now they’re looking to bounce back to their own level, with a few departures, they shuffle things up, and long-time Elite player @LE1PAKONE (Nordzman) signs for Unique. It remains to be seen where he plays and how he fits in Unique's plans. They have high hopes for this season, no doubt, but putting pen to paper might not be that simple. Unique needs to start gathering points early; if they can’t string together wins, it will be a long season.   Player To Watch: @Jakeexh Season Prediction: No-man’s land    Brynäs IF Esport Brynäs makes a returnto the Pro scene this year, adopting some key players of former Herlev Eagles, with @Vibholm_10 & @el_tacobag leading the offense as usual, with a few additions to round out the squad. Having finished 12th in the group last season, the squad played their way back through the Pro Qualifiers. With a playoff spot just out of Herlev Eagles' reach last season, they’re looking to make it this season, which would require the big boys to show up and get those wins against tough opponents.   Player To Watch: @Henka0009 Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs    Puck Over Glass In a similar situation last season as Herlev Eagles: a few more wins, and they clinch the playoffs, with a few more tweaks, that should be the case this season for Puck Over Glass. With the start of the season, all eyes will be on their star forward @Hydeee_24, with a magnificent pre-season behind him, his team is now looking to him to carry them to the playoffs. Big boots to fill for Hyde, can he do it?   Player To Watch: @Hydeee_24 Season Prediction: No-man’s land   MoDo Hockey After a great season in Lite, where MoDo managed to dominate all aspects of the game, and grab the title, they now enter the Pro division. MoDo will be facing teams with greater skill, tougher defense, and better goalies. One name to remember is their long-time scorer, @Mathiasgamer_07, who has been with MoDo since the beginning and has been top of the pont-scoring leaderboard every year. Look out for him to be their go-to guy on the power play. Player To Watch: @Mathiasgamer_07 Season Prediction: No-man’s land    Reiviluola Reiviluola enters the Pro division as one of the favourites to go the whole nine yards, considering more than half the team played in Elite last season, it’s not far off. But we’ll see how the new guys mesh with the guys who have played on the same team for years. One name to keep an eye out for is former goalie and now center, @Tope0090(mestari_tikku). He has all the ability in the world to succeed, and has the talent surrounding him to succeed. We’ll see how that goes as we’re going to keep a close eye on Reiviluola this season. Player To Watch: @ItzPoro Season Prediction: Title Contenders    Otukset Otukset just can't seem to break that Elite curse they've been having for a while now. They came close this year as well with Elite qualifiers, but totally slumped and couldn't get their game together in time. They finished last (5/5) in the Elite Qualifiers and claim a spot in Pro. Now they try to turn the ship around, and hopefully captain @Miguli36 has revamped his playbook for the season. The same players, but a different story? With all the talent in the world and a defensive pair that can move the puck well, @juhkis96 tops the defensemen's points leaderboards year after year and hopefully next season in Elite. Player To Watch: @Pursuitti Season Prediction: 2nd round of playoffs    SSK Prospects   After a decent season in Pro where they finished in No-man's land, SSK Prospects head to their second season and aim for the playoffs, this could be only a dream for a team that struggled against teams higher up in the standings last season and will fight for every single point this season, if they can shape up defensively they could see the playoffs in the spring.  They can be seen as a development project by their Elite counterpart, and hope to see some start to develop, but it's highly unlikely as this team is destined for the No-man's land or relegation. Player To Watch: @I-Sjogren-I Season Prediction: Relegation   Group 2    F0CUS FOCUS is a squad packed with big names from @jm98II to. This team has all the tools in its belt to take home the Pro division trophy, one of the favourites ahead of the season, as they dominated the qualifiers and advanced with ease. With a star-studded squad always come big expectations, and their captain @jm98II has high expectations for their team and doesn’t shy away from that. In a small interview, he mentioned that he expects their tight-knit group to win the Pro division this year, and that they had originally planned to play in the Neo division; the rest couldn’t be posted in this article. Player To Watch: @Anhel_Kuru Season Prediction: Title Contenders    Deadly Phantoms The Germans were just a few wins away from glory last season in the Lite division finals; they couldn’t quite beat the Swedish team MoDo, who emerged as victors. A team with lots of history will try and make their mark in the Pro division this season, still some great players on their roster, and they will surely have a bone to pick with MoDo from last season. With their quick-tempo play, they will look to catch teams on the break, as their explosive wingers try and make magic happen. If they can get a goal or two ahead, their lockdown defense will handle the rest. Player To Watch: @RPH_31 Season Prediction: No-man’s land   Aspyre Aspyre has now made the playoffs for two seasons in a row, and both times crashed out in the 1st round. They’ve made some changes and hope to break the curse and advance to the second round, their additions @Jondeezz & @koleslaav_ will surely boost their offense, but the big question will be their goalies this season with @priima-namu(feikkinambo) as their starter.   Player To Watch: @koleslaav_ Season Prediction: - (Writer plays for Aspyre)   Including Me Including me has been playing in the Lite division since ECL 22, where they advanced from their inaugural season in Core the year before, and now their time has come to show that their dues have been paid and that they belong in the Pro division. That being said, remaining in the Pro division is no easy task, as the bottom two teams get relegated, Including Me captain @toomanyville needs to get creative with how they approach the season. One long slump and their playoff hopes are over.   Player To Watch: @Jusa Season Prediction: No-man’s land    NOSTREETSPORTS It wasn’t many seasons ago that Nostreetsports took the Pro regular season by storm and shocked everyone with their offensive ability, scoring 142 goals in the regular season. Their fairytale season came to an abrupt end in the first round, falling to eventual finalist SSK. Now they face the expectations from that season, and look to get back to their ways, spearheading that comeback is @Bot_hene, who has always been a thorn in the opposing sides on the ice, he knows what it takes to string wins together, and what it means to win, it’ll remain to be seen how this team will stack up in a tough group. Player To Watch: @1mmu9 Season Prediciton: 1st round of playoffs    vNexs ll The Swedes pair up with their Elite counterpart and take on an “AHL” type of deal, where good performances could potentially lead to a call up next season. By no means is this team an underdog this season, with high-end Pro players and veterans, mixed in with young, exciting talent. With a few additions from Sunne IK, this team immediately throws in their hat for a playoff spot this season. @Putteekiing and @benjamint737 bring experience and a set of cool heads, while youngster @Maaacki brings explosive offensive power and a knack for scoring highlight reel goals. Player To Watch: @Maaacki Season Prediction: 2nd round of playoffs  Nova The former Elite team found themselves in the Elite Qualifiers, losing to Vizio, who advanced to the Elite division after a hard-fought battle. Now Nova is back in the Pro division and eager to prove to everyone and themselves that this is their season. The Russian side has the talent to go far, but they need to sort out their roster and find chemistry before it's too late. With their new roster and new players, a connection to look out for is @xDekko-_- & @vlxddyy, they can form an uncanny duo this season, but if they can't click with the rest of the group, it'll be tough to make the playoffs. Player To Watch: @Baranizer Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs    Finnish Roosters This Finnish Rosters have been around for a long time (ECL 2), played between Pro and Lite for the most part, and now back again in Pro after a short hiatus. Their game plan has always been soli,d and their roster too. Now they aim to be a threat for the playoffs and without a doubt will be firing on all cylinders for this season. With a new season upon us, eyes will turn to ECL icon @J0HTAJA who has a game or two under his belt. He managed to put up 21 points (11+10) in stage 1 of the Pro qualifiers as he led his team to a Pro division spot. Player To Watch: @Ernottii Season Prediction: 1st round of playoffs