Leaderboard

Erik "@Eki" Tammenpää of FILADELPHIA is the cover gamer for ECL 8. The toughest, most prestigious EASHL 6v6 league in Europe is back – bigger than ever. Founder and owner Kenneth Lehtinen and the NHLGamer organization is proud to present, in association with Elisa, the 8th edition of the European Championship League – ECL 8, presented by Dr. Oetker Rustica. NHLGamer, Elisa Viihde and Dr. Oetker partner up to produce the 8th instalment in the popular and successful ECL franchise, expanding and enhancing the tournament in a number of ways. The collaboration between NHLGamer and Elisa Viihde will bring increased visibility to the tournament as it enables ECL games to be broadcast on the multimedia platform Elisa Viihde. This development will see the quality of our already-beloved ECL broadcasts make a tremendous leap forward. Starting the second week of January, Elisa Viihde will broadcast three games from the ECL top division, Elite, every week nationally in Finland. These broadcasts will feature Arttu Hämäläinen (of IS Cup fame) and NHLGamer’s very own Jani Hetta in the booth, calling the play and guiding the viewers through the most high-skill, high-pressure situations virtual ice hockey has to offer. ECL 8 Elite will be broadcasted in Finnish starting Wednesday, 9th of January through Elisa Viihde Sport or through the Elisa Viihde Twitch-channel. Broadcasts will also be available in English or without commentary at the NHLGamer Twitch-channel. Our new sponsorship agreement with German-based international food corporation Dr. Oetker will allow ECL 8 Elite to feature an unprecedented price pool of 10 000 EUR as it makes its grand return on January 7th. The prize pool of ECL 8 Elite will be divided as follows: #1. ECL 8 Elite Champion: 7 000 € #2. ECL 8 Elite Runner-up: 2 000 € #3.-4. ECL 8 Elite Semifinal losers: 500 € The ECL 8 Elite Finals will be played on Friday 1st of March at the LanTrek event in Tampere, Finland and can be enjoyed live at the venue or through the above mentioned broadcasts. We are proud to also announce that our cover gamer for ECL 8 is the multi-champion Erik "@Eki" Tammenpää. During 2018 Eki has won the NHL Gaming World Championship in 1vs1 NHL 18, the 2018 Finnish Championship in 6vs6 NHL 19, the 2018 Finnish Championship in 1vs1 NHL 19 and the 2018 European Championship in 6vs6 NHL 19 in the ECL 7 season. As such, we believe nothing to be as fitting as Eki and his team FILADELPHIA being featured in our ECL 8 art. NHLGamer For those of you who don't know us all that well, NHLGamer continuously strives to offer the best experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA SPORTS series of NHL games. Our greatest accomplishment, The European Championship League is a league where all the best European NHL gamers create teams and compete against each other in the game mode EASHL (EA SPORTS Hockey League - 6vs6) for the title of Best EASHL Team in Europe. Today, over 5000 website members also visit NHLGamer for all the latest NHL and gaming related news and exclusive content such as developer interviews and early gameplay impressions of upcoming titles. While proud of our achievements and the success we‘ve had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we're only getting started. Our long-term goals include growing the community to host even larger leagues with larger prize pools and working together with EA SPORTS and gaming-focused organizations, to ultimately establish a platform for professional players at the cutting edge of Esports. Ultimately, we believe that if you want to be one of the best players in the world - you practice, chat and play with the pros. Elisa Viihde Elisa Viihde is the leading online entertainment service in Finland. On Elisa Viihde you can find a wide selection of series, movies and a whole lot of exclusive sports for your viewing pleasure. The service also includes a range of TV-channels and a movie rental library. Dr. Oetker The massive international food corporation has been operating on the Finnish market for over 20 years now, being one of the major players in their business. Their most known products include the Rustica pizza, a wide variety of baking products and breakfast cereals.

NHLGamers, As always, we look to bring you the most superior competitive gaming experience possible, and we're continuously looking to improve on previous iterations of our leagues. Nothing has changed in regards to that in our ECL, and therefore we assure you that ECL 11 will be run at the premium level you are used to. This time, we wanted to launch the signups as early as possible in order to allow entry for as many teams as possible, also minimizing the risk of someone simply missing the deadline. Without further ado - here you go: Signups will be open until Wednesday, 11.11 at 23:59 CET. Divisions framework The divisions framework for the ECL 11 will follow the same logic as for previous seasons. We will have a total of four divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams, Pro 32 teams, Lite 96-128 teams*, Neo 32+ teams. ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 ECL Lite: 96-128 teams Sign up: Anyone can apply for ECL Lite Teams will be decided by Franchise history, Roster composition, and EASHL record ECL Lite registrants are also allowed to apply for a spot in ECL Pro Teams signing up for ECL Lite that don't make it into ECL Pro or ECL Lite will be automatically placed in ECL Neo Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-7 ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-5 *NHLGamer reserves the right to alter the team allocation to ECL 11 Lite depending on the number of total teams signing up. Preliminary schedule for the ECL 11 season: ECL 11 Neo: Start Wednesday, 18.11 ECL 11 Lite: Start Tuesday, 17.11 ECL 11 Pro: Start Monday, 23.11 ECL 11 Elite: Start Monday, 30.11 Stay tuned for more info dropping over the coming weeks, we'll be releasing more detailed information about the season and announcing the cover gamer for ECL 11! What is the ECL? The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports. The abbreviation stands for the European Championship League and it features NHL 6v6 esports in four divisions aimed at various skill levels. League games are played in the EASHL mode and the platform is PlayStation 4. Basic information/requirements of ECL: Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players. 6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 21. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card. Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. ECL Elite license: Teams in ECL Elite will be required to pay for an ECL Elite license in order to play (more details to follow). Rules: The ECL 11 ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 10. The updated rulebook will be available before the season. 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.

We suppose it's safe to say no one has been able to escape the harsh reality we live in today, a world at war and very divided, truly difficult times. Our platform has always aimed to serve as a place to escape all that, and to focus on the games we all love together. However, today the need has come to take a stand and do what we can to help our brothers and sisters in need. Due to the hostile actions of the Russian government towards Ukraine and their people, and the entire Western world, SportsGamer has decided to hold all operations around the RCL effective immediately. This entails that the RCL 9 season will be terminated. In addition, SportsGamer has decided to prohibit the participation of Russian-owned organizations in upcoming tournaments and leagues indefinitely. The ban affects organizations, meaning that Russian players and their private created teams will be able to participate, but cannot be affiliated to a Russian-owned organization. Simultaneously, we must recognize that this is not a war of the Russian people, but its government. We appreciate and support all of our players of all nationalities and hope to see you join us in our continued journey. Let's come together wishing for peace.   If you're looking to help Ukraine, there are many organizations collecting donations right now. Here is one for Unicef: https://help.unicef.org/ukraine-emergency

What’s up NHLGamers, We’re in the last days of downtime before a new season and teams are gearing up for battle come January 7th and the first puckdrop of ECL 8. One team that has certainly been busy in the last months is Sjukstugan, who has decided to join forces with AIK Hockey to create a new NHL gaming franchise. "It is with great pleasure we welcome the prestigious AIK Hockey organisation to NHLGamer and ECL Elite.” -NHLGamer founder Kenneth Lehtinen on AIK Hockey joining ECL AIK Hockey will be obtaining the ECL 8 Elite spot of the long-lived Swedish juggernaut Sjukstugan, as the traditional sports club is making a grand exploration into the esports world. The Swedish club is one of the most followed European sports franchises and is certainly eager to take on this new challenge. Their hockey club is the second club worldwide to venture into NHL gaming. - The growth of such esports as basketball, football or F1 hasn’t gone unnoticed. The NHL has already made indications that clubs are going to invest in NHL esports in the near future. We view this as an opportunity to step into an uncharted territory with massive potential. It’s nice to be the first Swedish player in this field but it’ll be important to have this step on our competition, states Sevve Saberi from AIK Hockey. - AIK as an organisation is the epitome of passion, professionality and innovativity and we’re convinced that these exact traits will also be the trademark of their team in ECL Elite. I was welcomed to visit the AIK offices during the negotiation phase and was struck by their attitude and drive for this project, says NHLGamer founder @Kenu. The eighth iteration of ECL kicks off in just a few days and the addition of AIK Hockey to our NHLGamer ranks is definitely a welcomed boost to start the season. Competition in all our division is expected to be ramping up as the stakes will only be increasing from now on. Last season, Sjukstugan finished in 5th place after being eliminated in the quarter finals against Dynasty. Now rebranded as AIK Hockey, captain @Bjono says the team is more motivated than ever: - As soon as we heard about their interest, it was full throttle from there! We have an outstanding opportunity in a growing esports environment like NHL gaming. Our entire team is extremely thrilled about this. We’re all even happier about the team being AIK, as they’re one of the biggest clubs in Sweden. Both Kenu and Bjono are praising the level of involvement and drive from AIK’s side, which really tells a lot about the organisation. When asked if the players were AIK fans prior to the acquisition, the team captain has a humble response: - Our goaltender @Pippo is a hardcore fan! We were all extremely happy to have caught the attention of one of the biggest clubs in Sweden. Hopefully this is only the start and many more will follow. What’s the outlook for AIK Hockey like in ECL 8? - With the involvement of AIK, we’re more motivated than ever! The team has been working relentlessly and even focusing more on the tactical aspects of the game. We’ll be entering the new season well prepared and ready to put forth the best effort possible. Our long-term goal is obviously to bring the title to our side of the Baltic Sea, says captain Bjono. AIK will enter ECL 8 with a very similar roster as their one for last season. The only change is in the goaltending department, where they have dropped the extremely skilled @Hullued, but added an equally competent @ICappeI. The main purpose of the move seems to have been going for an all-Swedish team identity. AIK AIK is a Swedish sports club based in Solna. The club was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Sweden. AIK is also known by the nickname Gnaget - Rodents. The nickname rumours to have been given in the 1920s, when the teams black jerseys were so worn out that they resembled a grey rat colour. The ice hockey department of AIK has seen tremendous success during their long history. Currently the club competes at the second highest tier HockeyAllsvenskan, where they are in 2nd place a bit past the halfway point of the season. You can read AIK's own story here: https://www.aikhockey.se/artikel/nwziajqhw-1bbi1/aik-blir-forst-i-sverige-att-starta-ett-e-hockeylag

Strap up and get ready for some exciting ehockey action coming up, it is already time for the Spring season! Getting up to speed with the league is key, so stay with us and read this piece to gain an insight on what to expect. Season information To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article. Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Pro season: Regular season: 4.4-5.5. Transfer deadline: 18.4. 23:59 CEST Playoffs (Best-of-7) Round of 16: 8.-12.5. Quarterfinals: 15.-25.5. Semifinals: 30.5.-2.6. Finals: 5.-6.6. (TBC) Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Pro division will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with a weekly broadcast on the SportsGamer Twitch at 19:45 CEST primarily on Tuesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 12.4. You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Pro league page. Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. 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 hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue. Season preview Whereas there has usually been quite a lengthy break in between two ECL seasons, this time around the sojourn was rather brief. The short offseason did not make teams stand pat though, and, similarly to the other divisions, Pro squads have had their fair bit of roster roulette going on. We will dive more into those in the following team previews, but first let us quickly recap the qualifier process. The Pro Qualifier was played during the past few weeks, as usual. A number of Pro-eligible teams disbanded after last season, boosting the total of spots up for grabs to ten. The teams that succeeded in making it through include newly founded wildcard Be a Bro, ECL '22: Winter Core Champion Almtuna eSport, as well as teams who played Lite last season in Golden Nights, Powerhouse HC and Pasilan SKA. This actually marks an immediate return to Europe's second-highest level for Golden Nights, whose ECL 12 Pro campaign resulted in relegation. In the inaugural Pro Qualifier, ahead of ECL 12, none of the participating earlier Pro teams were able to retain their divisional spots. That changed last season with PENTA and RCTIC clawing their way through, though the majority (three) previous Pro teams still failed back then. The trend upwards has continued, and this time the majority in Joukkue (ex-AfroDunk), Company of Geeks, Fiasko, Hawaii Hockey and Nemesis did in fact get the job done, meanwhile Pata Hellalla and Luleå Hockey were the only ones to fail and will be playing in Lite for the foreseeable future. One thing to note is the change of power balances between represented areas: with noRex Gaming disbanding and PENTA and SPARTIATES X MCES relegated, Deadly Phantoms and Geekz Energy eSports are now the only Central European teams remaining in Pro. There is also one less Finnish and one more Swedish team this season, but the Finns are still at the forefront by a wide margin, 21 of the 32 teams being majority-Finnish. There are nine teams that did not play in Pro last season, most of them being more or less new to this level. The rest have seen some personnel changes as well, so let us take a closer look at the teams. Group 1 Written by @jahajaha93 Almtuna eSport ECL '22: Winter result: Core Champion The ECL '22 Winter Core Champion managed to pave their way to the Pro division through the Qualifiers and are now in for a massive challenge. The core for this team has stayed intact and the main addition will be @eSwahn joining them in net from Södertälje SK. Some other interesting additions are @gtasir and @albin tinglert on offense, both of whom are yet to take their first strides on the Pro ice. Despite them seeing moderate success in the Qualifiers, a very tough season could be expected for Almtuna this spring. Player to watch: @BeastBenn14 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 13-16th place @Mikka: 12-16th place Djurgården Hockey ECL '22: Winter result: 16th place in Elite Djurgården Hockey were crowned Champions during their last Pro stint back in ECL 12, but their Elite journey was quite short lived. As expected, they had a tough time adapting to the speed and skill level, and at the end of the season they were relegated. In the offseason, the team has made some changes, mainly losing @Strumpan87 and former captain @Jungledonk. They've brought in four new guys, in the form of @SPB_AlexZver_22, @Mistertyppo95, @Nampa77 and @lidman1. We'll have to wait and see what kind of lineup they ice on opening night, but if they end up clicking, there is a decent amount of skill in their ranks. Player to watch: @Sorsa103 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 6-12th place @Mikka: 8-14th place, extremely new team Geekz Energy eSports ECL '22: Winter result: 10th place in Pro Group 2 Geekz Energy eSports is one of those teams that are quite tough to get a read on. They have quite a wide roster with some scoring power, and a great goaltender in @PLA77NER. Some of these guys have player cards as long as my annual Christmas shopping list with all the competitive games they've played, so it definitely won't be about experience for Geekz. The team has also had time to perfect their craft in a competitive environment in the CSCL Relax Cup 5 over the past few weeks. Player to watch: @Stefan_397 (ViSi0nZ97_) Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 6-12th place @Mikka: 8-12th place GIFU Hockey ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Another team that shouldn't have too much pressure to perform, but could very well end up surprising some good teams if they have a great night. @Baranizer has grown into a solid Pro level goalie with GIFU, and their skaters are all very mechanically skilled. New defenseman @Frompa- will have to take on a big role on breakouts and puck possession play, while @OzziX35 is the more defensive of the two. @Timotei97, who spent last season in Lite with Bellizzi could end up being an important piece for GIFU's scoring. Player to watch: @Timotei97 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 8-12th place @Mikka: 8-12th place Golden Nights ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Lite Quarterfinals Golden Nights already made a Pro appearance back in ECL 12, but their stint was short lived that time. Now, after some success in the Qualifiers, they are back for more, with some more experience and individual growth under their belts. Especially @xSaski_ and @JJimbo- are very skilled individually and know how to handle the puck, but the biggest downfall of Golden Nights could be insufficient puck movement. Player to watch: @xSaski_ Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 8-14th place @Mikka: 8-14th place, boom or bust HanaaHC ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Hanaa has one of the longest streaks competing in the Pro division and they seem to be a lock for playoffs each year. Forward trio @Mikka - @Hazard-laser - @xLeikku is a very strong ensemble for pro and the team has strengthened their defense with @juhkis96, joining them from Conquer Gaming, so you should expect yet another playoff push. The one question mark lies in net, as the team currently has three netminders signed out of which @jg697000 (Gresu__) will most likely not play. @Simbanho could end up being their go-to-guy with zero experience above the Lite level. Player to watch: @xLeikku Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka plays for HanaaHC Hawaii Hockey ECL '22: Winter result: 12th place in Pro Group 2 Hawaii Hockey placed 12th in their group last season and had to partake in Qualifier action prior to the Spring season, which could've been a good thing for the team, as they passed with relative ease and got their competitive mindset going early. They've retained their core and acquired mainly @jiibada_ to boost their offense. This team really needs to dig deep in order to stay with the competition this season, and need big performances in net both from @JaxonRules93 and @vokial2 (SolidElli). Player to watch: @jiibada_ Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 12-16th place @Mikka: 10-14th place Hokurit ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 The ECL ‘22 Winter campaign for Hokurit was an interesting one. Defenseman @MCH_98 had a sensational season, outscoring several forwards and slotting in second for all defensemen. The routine level of the team managed to earn them a playoff spot, but their berth was short lived, as they were eliminated in the first round. They lost the aforementioned @MCH_98 to Be a Bro, but have brought in very capable replacements in the form of @jamal-_- and @Frans-Fin, who should elevate the base level of the team a bit. Could end up in no man’s land. Player to watch: @Jondeezz Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 8-12th place @Mikka: 8-12th place Mora IK ECL '22: Winter result: Lite Champion The ECL ‘22 Winter Lite Champions step up to the next level and these are always interesting situations to see how they’ll adapt their game. Some changes have been made, but mainly the roster has been condensed. A notable absence is their top scorer from ECL ‘22 Winter @Robban kaudern (Kaudomovic), who joined Frolunda HC Academy in the offseason. On paper, it looks like Mora IK could be in a world of trouble this season, but their most important player, goaltender @Jeqque44 can salvage some big points for them on any given night. Player to watch: @Jeqque44 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 13-16th place @Mikka: 12-16th place Nemesis ECL '22: Winter result: 12th place in Pro Group 1 Nemesis is another squad consisting of very skilled individuals, that need time together in order to find that perfect balance and perform at their very best, and that is exactly what they've done. After a tough ECL '22 Winter, they dug deep and decided to double down on their familiar core, only adding @profiilipakki on offense to take the center position, in which he has slotted in nicely for them based on the Qualifiers. On defense, however, they acquired @N44TTI_16, who is a great addition and will elevate their game significantly. Player to watch: @N44TTI_16 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 5-10th place @Mikka: 5-10th place Pasilan SKA ECL '22: Winter result: Failed to make the playoffs in Lite After competing in the Core division and being eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Resurrection, it might be a bit confusing to see this team Pro this season, but in fact we’ll be seeing an entirely overhauled team, consisting of a Hotbox - Pasilan-fusion. The only previous Pasilan SKA players continuing are @Macentoitunu and @musta_surma1, who definitely were key players for them. Of course, a former Core team joining forces with a team that was relegated at the end of last season wouldn’t indicate a lot of success being on the horizon, but we’re not opposed to seeing these guys surprise big time. Player to watch: @Macentoitunu Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 12-16th place @Mikka: 12-16th place RCTIC ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Semifinals The icy boys had a surprisingly solid winter season showing and are looking to continue on that path in the emerging spring sunlight. The roster is virtually unchanged with the exception of the very solid signing of @MrNipsuli, who joins the team from Färjestad BK and an excellent season in Elite. The new recruit will match up with veteran @Aze down low, and the trio @Naikou88 - @yrjoo - @Limbe65 will continue potting goals up front. If the team can stay as solid defensively, while improving their firepower, they should be a lock for at least the quarterfinals. Player to watch: @MrNipsuli Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka: 1-4th place Reality Check ECL '22: Winter result: Pro runner-up Last season, Reality Check paved their way all the way to the Finals, where they came up short against JYP Jyväskylä. Postseason success is a thing these guys are no strangers to, but they do have an extensive record of never really coming through all the way. Since their last on ice appearance, they’ve replaced center @TheArska with @JesseL2002 and defenseman @jezbaru with @Mikax222, who both should be decent additions and the success of it all should come down to how their chemistry turns out. Player to watch: @Mikax222 Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka: 1-4th place Sinister ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Sinister is a team with tremendous offensive potential and several young, hungry players with tons of upside. Most notably, they’ve exchanged @topikeranen with @Vale16, who obviously doesn’t have the experience, but has that scoring talent that seems to be a theme for this squad. Offensively, there’s no doubt that Sinister couldn’t hang with the big boys, but their biggest downfall could be their goaltending, as they don’t seem to have that bona fide top Pro level starter in their ranks. Player to watch: @OsquuG Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 4-8th place @Mikka: 4-8th place Sulkavan Sudet ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Long-time Pro division dwellers had a solid winter regular season but fell short in a round 1 seven game series at the hands of Tohtorit. Captain @Oxdoggi has managed to strengthen his squad for the upcoming season by acquiring former HAVU Gaming backup @vviljo and winger @apettaja, who bounced around a bit last season but has a decent track record of succeeding in a scoring role in the Pro division. The wolves have quite a wide roster with several options, so it’ll be an interesting thing to see what kind of setup they will be going with and if they will make changes moving forward. Sulkavan Sudet should without a doubt be a playoff team. Player to watch: @Oxdoggi Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 6-8th place @Mikka: 6-10th place Tohtorit ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals Tohtorit made a splash last season by pushing all the way to the Quarterfinals against all expectations, and the team definitely has the capability to accomplish a similar feat this time around, only now we'll be able to see it coming. Whereas they've held on to their starting lineup from last season, they've built on that and added depth and several options in acquiring players like @ADETIKKI (Dillynger) and @jezbaru to star in supporting roles. Player to watch: @Wpaanane Regular season prediction: @jahajaha93: 1-4th place @Mikka: 1-4th place Group 2 Written by @Mikka AHJO Previously Dynastia ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals The former Dynastia lineup got recently picked up by esports organization AHJO, and are looking to keep on the same constantly improving trajectory as thus far. After ending their rookie Pro campaign with a first round exit in ECL 12, they had already by last season improved enough to make the second round. Can they reach the semis this time around? Losing your by far top scorer in @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) is always going to hurt, but getting experienced @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) from the runner-ups Reality Check may have made them more well rounded. AHJO should comfortably be in the playoffs and can easily challenge for the higher seeds. Player to watch: @xHatsi Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 4-8th place @jahajaha93: 4-10th place Be a Bro ECL '22: Winter result: Did not participate Even though Be a Bro is a completely new team, their players have plenty of shared history. The core of the roster in @Vaporik, @Janikka, @imosi and @Niskalaukaus all played for the hugely disappointing VISU Gaming last season, and captain @MCH_98 knows the NHL scene's longtimers @Janikka and @imosi from SIKA of seasons past. This is a chance for all of them to prove they belong back among Pro's top end. It will also be exciting to see what @rakkauspakkaus- can accomplish with another team than his old Björklöven Esport. Player to watch: @MCH_98 Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 4-8th place @jahajaha93: 5-10th place Björklöven Esport ECL '22: Winter result: 9th place in Pro Group 1 There have been some sizable changes with Björklöven, most notable being the acquisition of dynamic duo @Pappen (pappeen-) and @LukasGudinge (Gudinge) from Core's Carlstad Kings Esports. Björklöven's offense seems to be fully redone and jumping from Core to Pro is a challenge, so it remains to be seen if they start clicking. However, Tohtorit proved last season that you can jump straight from Core and do some damage, even though they had a longer offseason. Player to watch: @Pappen(pappeen-) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-12th place @jahajaha93: 6-12th place Company of Geeks ECL '22: Winter result: 14th place in Pro Group 1 The team that first started in 2008(!) has been on a downward trajectory for the past few years, going from 6th to 10th to 14th place in the regular season in their past three campaigns. They escaped relegation by showing up big time in the Pro Qualifier, winning all but two games. What they need the most is some consistency in their roster composition, as in being able to retain more players between seasons. That is going to come with solidifying a spot as a playoff challenger, so the sights should really be in the long term even though another fight for survival seems probable for now. They have reportedly already lost @Mikax222 to Reality Check, so finding an ample replacement for a key player in their dominating qualifier performance is of utmost importance. Player to watch: @PyroNiko Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 10-16th place @jahajaha93: 12-16th place Deadly Phantoms ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 The German outfit has had two quite weird campaigns at this level since getting relegated from Elite. In both ECL 12 and ECL '22: Winter, they had some troubles during the first half of the regular season, but finished off strong with a 9-1-0 L10. They lost in the finals in ECL 12, but were eliminated already in the first round last season. They have steadily, no matter what, been a playoff team, and getting @Timasy and @PlaymakerSJ back in the playing lineup, at least in some capacity, is going to be a huge help on their quest back to Europe's top. Even though they will not be playing a 100% of the games, they can alleviate some pressure off the Phantoms' high-scoring defensemen. Player to watch: @xXPsykoSkillsXx Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 4-8th place @jahajaha93: 4-8th place Fiasko ECL '22: Winter result: 14th place in Pro Group 2 Avoiding instant relegation by just a tiebreaker is something that these guys would probably call a... Alright, now that that is out of the way, a season considerably better than their last one does not seem too likely for Fiasko. Their roster has remained largely the same, adding @StuPittman, @Jammelson and @Toimitusjohtaja3 from Lite's Its a nice city. @Jammelson and @Toimitusjohtaja3 had decent statistics for their old team, but they do not appear to have the kind of skill that would mask the squad's collective troubles. Unless they can make their game a lot more organized, another season of Survivor seems to await. Looking at the bright side, they may have taken lessons from last season and now be readier to do more than surviving. Player to watch: @Xkeineri Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 12-16th place @jahajaha93: 13-16th place FILADELPHIA ACADEMY ECL '22: Winter result: Lite runner-up As previously stated, losing your top scorer is never going to be easy, let alone after you get promoted to a higher division. Even though @xAaro89x moving on to last season's Pro champion JYP Jyväskylä is a tough blow, it tells that they have been doing things right. While their new starting six has not been confirmed, the talk around town is former standout defenseman @samza96 will be making a comeback at the center position. Whoever the replacement is, the Academy should be good enough and have the resources and support behind them to make the playoffs. Worst case scenario, they barely miss. Player to watch: @TEST0-RYTZE (Rytze_) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 5-10th place @jahajaha93: 5-8th place GHETTO FIREBIRDS ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Thus far there has been quite a lot of talk about losing players, and GHETTO was not spared from that either: their captain since the beginning in ECL 4, @KepakkoFIN, decided to step away from competing. Getting @Talonmies69 (TaIonm1es) back after a year away should be more than ample replacement on the ice at least, and he is not even the only old friend making a return: ECL '22: Winter Pro top scorer @Valluxet is back as well! The last time he was here they ended up getting promoted, is it finally time for FIREBIRDS to make the return to Elite? They do have the strongest squad they have had during their current Pro stint. Player to watch: @Valluxet Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 1-4th place @jahajaha93 plays for GHETTO FIREBIRDS Herlev Eagles ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals The Eagles are entering their fifth Pro season, seemingly continuing with the same lineup that got them to the quarterfinals the last time out. They are perceived as one of the favorites now, and should be one of the higher seeds come playoff time. Retaining the same starting six could be a huge advantage, with most other teams making multiple impactful changes during such a short offseason. Their forwards had way more Time with Puck than their defensemen did in ECL '22: Winter, so perhaps they should get the back end involved a bit more in the future. Player to watch: @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 1-4th place @jahajaha93: 1-4th place Joukkue Previously AfroDunk ECL '22: Winter result: 13th place in Pro Group 1 Half of their lineup has changed, and the ride through the qualifier was far from smooth. Looking at their roster though, with the additions of RW @Sluibaaja_88 and LD @kungenkurwa (Kungenkirwa), they *should* at least on paper mount a good challenge for the playoffs. A tremendous addition with those ambitions in mind is @theMaddias from Elite's Conquer Gaming, joining his former Otukset teammates @obivop (HaaganHamilton) and @Empuuz_24. They have the potential to be playoff bound, just need to start executing like it. Player to watch: @theMaddias Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-14th place @jahajaha93: 8-14th place Powerhouse HC ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Lite Quarterfinals After five seasons in Lite, Powerhouse HC has finally made it to Pro. They do not look the strongest, but could they be another Hokurit and impress everyone right away with the sheer experience of seasons played together? Would not really bet on it, but certainly possible. While Hokurit had some players with earlier Pro experience leading the team, @suitsukemestari is the only one in Powerhouse. He only has six games from last season and two in ECL 10, so it is not exactly like he is some extremely experienced veteran either. The chemistry built up from playing together for a long time is going to come in handy, and it is their main resource for hoping to cause some upsets. Player to watch: @Burritokuningas Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 12-16th place @jahajaha93: 13-16th place Prima eSport ECL '22: Winter result: Lite Bronze Game Winner Third place in Lite last season, Prima does not exactly have a lot of experience aside from captain @iSvamp (Svampbot). Their forwards do have a previous Pro season each though, and especially @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) and @Daniel Asplund (Dasplund_) scored quite nicely ECL 12 Pro. As is always the case with their captain's teams, they have a strong identity. That identity is the factor that can bring them to the playoffs already in their debut season, if things go right. The competition for the last playoff spots is going to be fierce, but Prima has a decent chance to take one of those. Breakout seasons from the forwards would go a long way. Player to watch: @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-12th place @jahajaha93: 8-12th place Renascor ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16 Not much remains of the old Renascor, with most of their big pieces now gone. New additions @Winci (Winci-_o) and @TuomoP83 have huge shoes to fill, having played last season in Core and Lite respectively. Both have performed at a decent level in Pro in the past, but time has passed since then and the competition has gotten better. Forwards @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) and @Virusactive, along with veteran defenseman @MAYZIIX, need to step up and take a big role if they want to achieve anything. Player to watch: @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 10-16th place @jahajaha93: 13-16th place Växjö Lakers ECL '22: Winter result: 9th place in Pro Group 2 If any team has a wide range of possible outcomes this season, it is Växjö Lakers. They had an uninspiring Winter season, but since then they have already gained some silverware by winning the eSHL. Granted, they did have some extremely important loanees and should not be expected to be at that high of a level moving forward. But to get to the point, they signed forwards @dzouvi and @Birkedal96 from Elite teams, and are now looking like one of the strongest sides in Pro. There is practically zero data on their play though, and the uncertainty comes from that. If they can get their game rolling, they should be one of the top contenders. If not, the regular season is quite short... Player to watch: @dzouvi Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 1-6th place @jahajaha93: 1-4th place VISU Gaming ECL '22: Winter result: 11th place in Pro Group 1 Last season's result was a straight up farce for VISU, who were not too far off from getting promoted in the Elite qualifier ahead of the contest. Changes were made, and now is the time to prove it was a one off incident. They had a tough time finding new players, but got them in the end with @IKarkkiI and @Pontinho (I-CLAUGHTON-I) joining the organization. @jubex0r (jubeex0r) should also be a nice addition in between the pipes. VISU's strength has always been tight defense and collective play, we will see how well gelled the squad is without much practice under their belts. Should constantly improve as the season goes on. Player to watch: @hpkfani (MuKiMaisteri) Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 6-12th place @jahajaha93: 4-8th place WannaCry ECL '22: Winter result: 11th place in Pro Group 2 A newly formed team ahead of ECL '22: Winter, WannaCry did not have an easy time during their first campaign. They managed to avoid the qualifier only by a tiebreaker after a tumultuous season. There has been some time to reset though, and are now looking to get into the playoffs for a taste. Captain @Okke40 (hifk_FANI) moves down to defenseman after being the center last season, with @selänne8 (BiggestEight) and @Jjomppa joining the forward group from now-disbanded Boomers. A lot of things need to go right for WannaCry to make it, but there is a chance. Player to watch: @kkostiiii Regular season prediction: @Mikka: 8-14th place @jahajaha93: 5-12th place With that, it has come time to wrap up the season preview. Stay tuned for the first Pro broadcast on 12.4. and we will be right back at you with the midseason report in a few weeks! PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter

NHLGamers, We're just a few days away from puck drop in the ECL 11 season! With the record-breaking amount of 264 teams signed up, we continue to raise the bar and can be considered the biggest NHL esports league in the world. Due to the amazing quantity of teams this season, our staff has been hard at work over the weekend and will be finalizing group divisions by the evening of Monday, November 16th. However, we decided it was best to confirm the full list of teams in each division accompanied by some crucial scheduling information. Without further ado, here are your ECL 11 divisions: ECL 11 Neo - Starts Wednesday, 18.11. Default game days and times are: Wednesday 20:00 CET Sunday 20:00 CET Schedule for ECL 11 Neo: Group stage: 18.11 - 13.12 Playoffs Round 1: 14. - 20.12 (BO5) Playoffs Round 2: 28.12 - 3.1(BO5) Playoffs Round 3: 4. - 10.1 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 11. - 17.1 (BO5) Semifinals: 18. - 24.1 (BO5) Finals: 25. - 27.1 (BO5) Brief season description of ECL 11 Neo: The regular season consists of 104 teams split into 10 groups. The regular season lasts 4 weeks and the playoffs will feature 64 teams. The playoffs will be played in best-of-five manner. ECL 11 Lite - Start Tuesday, 17.11. Default game days and times are: Tuesday 20:00 CET Wednesday 20:00 CET Sunday 20:00 CET Schedule for ECL 11 Lite: Group stage: 17.11 - 20.12 Playoffs Round 1: 28.12 - 3.1 (BO7) Playoffs Round 2: 4. - 10.1 (BO7) Playoffs Round 3: 11. - 17.1 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 18. - 24.1 (BO7) Semifinals: 25. - 31.1 (BO7) Finals: 4. - 7.2 (BO7) Brief season description of ECL 11 Lite: Due to popular demand the division size has been expanded to 112 teams. The group size remains at 16 teams per group. The regular season lasts 5 weeks and 64 teams will be making the playoffs that are played in best-of-seven manner. ECL 11 Pro - Starts Monday, 23.11. Default game days and times are: Monday 20:00 CET Tuesday 20:00 CET Thursday 20:00 CET Schedule for ECL 11 Pro: Group stage: 23.11 - 10.1 Playoffs Round 1: 11. - 17.1 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 18. - 24.1 (BO7) Semifinals: 25. - 31.1 (BO7) Finals: 8. - 10.2 (BO7) Brief season description of ECL 11 Pro: ECL Pro consists of 32 teams. The regular season lasts 5 weeks. The top eight teams from each group (16 in total) will make playoffs, where they will be cross-seeded and play best-of-seven series. ECL 11 Elite - Start Monday, 30.11. Default game days and times are: Monday 20:00 CET Wednesday 20:00 CET Thursday 20:00 CET Schedule for ECL 11 Elite: Group stage: 30.11 - 21.1 Quarterfinals: 24. - 27.1 (BO7) Semifinals: 1. - 4.2 (BO7) Finals: 12. - 13.2 (BO7) Brief season description of ECL 11 Elite: ECL Elite is the highest tier of the ECL, consisting of the best 16 teams in Europe. The top eight teams in the six week regular season will advance to the playoffs that are played in a best-of-seven manner, while the bottom four will be in for relegation. The ECL Elite season will be closely followed on our broadcasts. Prize pool will be announced closer to the Elite season start. *Note: The divisions are still a work-in-progress and NHLGamer reserves the right to adjust the divisions as necessary. More information about the ECL and the groups will follow tomorrow (Monday November 16th). On behalf of NHLGamer, I want to thank the community for positively surprising us season after season and the constant big growth of ECL continuing steadily! As we are blessed with a lot of new members and teams, let's be helpful towards each other and help everyone find their place in our community.

Gamers, the time has come to step into the future. Today, we invite you to join us for “A Song of Winter and Spring” as we introduce the next step in the evolution of ECL. We’ll also walk you through some incoming improvements to the website and the overall EASHL team experience here at NHLGamer. You’ll find all the details below but before we get to the grand reveal, I’d like to take a moment to address the community directly. Introducing something new in the world of gaming comes with a certain responsibility. Especially when presenting it to a group of loyal, passionate consumers. Like you, our 14,000+ members here at NHLGamer.com. How the invention itself is received can be difficult to predict, but for better or for worse the launch itself is often memorable. Who can forget the celebrated Cyberpunk 2077 presentation at E3 2019 when Keanu Reeves set the internet ablaze by shouting “You’re breathtaking!” to the crowd? Memorable, for the right reasons. But like Cyberpunk proved, the introduction itself is nothing without a solid product launch. Today, we aim to deliver on both fronts as we write yet another new chapter in the already storied history of the European Championship League. And, just like when we introduced our Divisional system in ECL 4 or when we hosted our first LAN event in ECL 8 or even when we re-imagined the divisional framework for ECL 12, we welcome your thoughts, opinions and above all – your passion. After all, that is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Now, let’s get to it. INTRODUCING… ECL WINTER & ECL SPRING Moving forward, our ECL leagues will no longer carry the numerical distinctions next to them as before. Instead, NHLGamer will be hosting two annual ECL seasons: ECL Winter and ECL Spring. What’s more, we’ll be crowning an annual ECL Grand Champion – exclusive to the Elite division. The combined prize pools for ECL Winter, ECL Spring and the ECL Grand Finals will be larger than anything seen before here at NHLGamer. Furthermore, the divisional framework as presented in ECL 12 will remain, but we are happy to announce we’ll be adding a license and prize pool for our second-tier division; ECL Pro – and voluntary licenses and prize pools for ECL Lite and Core. Here’s how it will work. ECL Winter ECL Winter takes the place of ECL 13, as it were, and will be played from January through March 2022. This will be the tentatively scheduled slot for ECL Winter in the future as well, but we are open to starting the Winter edition even as early as November – depending on feedback from the community. Knowing ahead of time when the seasons are set to start allows our players and teams to plan ahead in a way that was previously difficult. ECL Spring ECL Spring replaces ECL 14 and will be played from April through June 2022. Just like ECL Winter, Spring will be tentatively scheduled for the same slot next year. Having ECL Spring finish before midsummer allows our players and teams to take the summer off from playing ECL games, as per requests from the community. Annual ECL Champion Come June, we’ll be hosting an ECL Grand Final – with an additional prize pool – to crown the annual ECL Champion. This much-anticipated best-of-seven event will feature the ECL Elite teams who won ECL Winter and ECL Spring, respectively. Should the same team win both seasons, that team will be crowned the ECL Grand Champion in conjunction with the ECL Spring Finals. INTRODUCING… PRIZE POOLS FOR ECL PRO, LITE AND CORE ECL Elite remains the pinnacle of virtual hockey gaming in Europe and will feature our biggest prize pool yet - a total of 33 000 EUR! As our community continues to grow and the competition becomes increasingly tougher, playing in ECL Pro, Lite and Core is more prestigious than ever before. Now, for the first time ever, we are set to further elevate the status of these divisions by introducing the concept of prize pools. ECL Pro will feature a mandatory license fee and prize pool. All the money from the team licenses goes into the prize pool. The top sixteen (16) out of the divisions’ 32 teams will be awarded a share of the prize pool. ECL Lite and Core will feature a voluntary license fee and a prize pool for the teams who choose to acquire a license. The top 16 teams that choose to acquire a license in ECL Lite (64 teams) will be awarded a share of the prize pool. The top 32 teams that choose to acquire a license in ECL Core (128 teams) will be awarded a share of the prize pool. ECL Neo will continue as our division for new teams who want to get accustomed to league play on a relaxed schedule. There will be no license or prizing for ECL Neo. INTRODUCING… NEW WEBSITE FEATURES As a community, you’ve been asking us for upgrades to the website infrastructure. You’ve given us feedback; you’ve outlined what you want to see in terms of a competitive esports platform. And we thank you for it. We continue to listen – and ask for – your thoughts and feedback when it comes to the long-term development of the platform. Here’s an outline of what we’re doing to improve the website experience in the short term. We’ll be improving and expanding the admin tools with a singular focus on streamlining the support process. As the community grows, the need for a quick and efficient support system has never been greater – and this is something we’ve put a lot of work into. We’ll be improving and expanding the amount of stats from the EA SPORTS NHL game we’re able to track. As you might have seen in the Player Summary screen, several new statistical columns have been introduced and we’ll be introducing them to our website. The stats in question will be available retroactively for the previous ECL seasons where they were available in-game. We’ll be introducing a social sharing tool for the teams and organizations that make up our user base. No longer will teams need to grab a screenshot of a game report on NHLGamer or an in-game screen grab of a result for posting on social media. Instead, you’ll be able to share results and stats conveniently to social platforms directly from our website. We’ll be eradicating the website bugs that exist today, while also improving our general response time when it comes to fixing them. Above all, we introduce a pledge that this is just the opening salvo in what will be a renewed focus to further develop the platform thousands of you choose to visit on a daily basis. INTRODUCING… SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS AND ADDED TEAM VISIBILITY More and more esport organizations continue to join the ECL ecosystem and here at NHLGamer, that is something we take great pride in. In order to take further steps towards professionalism and allow all our teams – not just the ones signed to an organization – to attract sponsors and develop their franchise in terms of visibility and competitive efforts, we are introducing the concept of sponsorship programs. We will build and share free of charge sponsorship packages which will include high-class sales presentations, best practices, and other supporting materials for teams to elevate their commercial efforts. We will also set up a sponsorship pool for the community which will be allocated by competition rankings and other community incentives. We will continue to broadcast Elite games with the same passion and intensity as before, while also adding a weekly broadcast dedicated to our second-tier division, Pro. We’ll be introducing the opportunity for added sponsorship visibility during our broadcasts. As an example, an Elite team could be given the chance to have one sponsor visible at a designated area during our wide-reaching league broadcasts. I want to take this moment to thank you all for being on this journey together, we are very excited for the upcoming year and looking forward to share more with you in the near future. So without futher ado, welcome to ECL '22! READ MORE ABOUT THE ECL '22 WINTER SEASON HERE PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter

Hello NHLGamers, This article will be a bit detail-heavy and if you're new to the ECL this article will most likely not answer all of your questions. The intention of this article is to bring clarity to the upcoming ECL 12 season; When will it be played? When can I sign up? Who is qualified for what level? Due to the introduction of our new Core division and the restructuring of other divisions coming with that this season, we are now launching signups exceptionally early in order to ensure proper time for qualifiers that need to take place before the regular season starts. That is also why the signups will be concluded in two various groups, as instructed below: Sign-up period 1: 23.3-7.4, applies to ECL Elite ECL Pro ECL Lite ECL Pro Qualifier ECL Lite Qualifier Sign-up period 2: 23.3-19.4, applies to ECL Core ECL Neo When the signup window for ECL Elite, Pro, Lite and the Qualifiers has shut, we will be ready to start the preseason qualifiers in order to determine who will land at which level and to ensure the maximum competitiveness of each division. Here's a layout of the season schedule starting with the Qualifiers: ECL Pro & ECL Lite Qualifiers 14.4-29.4 Regular Season Kick-Off Dates: ECL Neo 25.4 ECL Core 2.5 ECL Lite 9.5 ECL Pro 20.5 ECL Elite 24.5 Playoff Dates: ECL Neo 30.5-4.7. ECL Core 6.6-16.7 ECL Lite 13.6-18.7 ECL Pro 28.6-28.7 ECL Elite 5.7-31.7. All dates are preliminary, but according to current plans. We realize that a lot of the season will be played during the beautiful summer months, so we ask that teams take this into account and make sure there are enough players on the roster to complete the season successfully. There will be a midsummer break from June 24th to the 27th during which no games will be scheduled. In ECL 12, Neo will continue acting as the entry level into competitive virtual hockey and with that, will continue at the pace of two gamedays each week. Our other divisions will run at the pace of three weekly gamedays with Elite also hosting three broadcasts weekly. Gamedays: ECL Neo Wednesday Sunday ECL Core Tuesday Thursday Sunday ECL Lite Tuesday Wednesday Sunday ECL Pro Monday Tuesday Thursday ECL Elite Monday Wednesday Thursday ECL 12 divisions framework: ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Monday Wednesday Thursday Prize pool: TBA ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Open spots will be decided based on Qualifiers Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Monday Tuesday Thursday ECL Lite: 64 teams Sign up: ECL Lite eligible teams Open spots will be decided based on the Qualifiers Regular season: 4 Groups of 16 teams Playoffs: 32 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Tuesday Wednesday Sunday ECL Core: 128 teams Sign up: Without restrictions (but capped at 128) Regular season: 8 groups of 16 Playoffs: TBD Best-of-7 Gamedays: Tuesday Thursday Sunday ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-5 Gamedays: Wednesday Sunday Then, the information you've all been eagerly waiting for - here are the teams that will be eligible for the ECL 12 Pro and Lite Qualifiers: Pro Qualifier teams: Lite Qualifier teams: Note about the ECL 12 Lite Qualification Tournament: During the preparation of the new ECL 12 season, we noticed that the transition qualifier that we previously introduced for the ECL 12 Lite season had a small error. We failed to take the Wildcard teams into consideration in our math for the qualifiers which would have lead to an 68 team Lite division. We will still use the previously announced system we mentioned in our structure article, but we will be making a small adjustment: The playoff line will be moved from above the 7th seed to above the 6th seed. This means that the top 5 teams out of each qualifying group has a chance to continue to play for the ECL Lite promotion, while the 6th-8th ranked teams in each group will solidify their spot in the Core division. We apologize for the miscalculation while creating the new system, but we still believe that having a chance to fight for the ECL Lite promotion as a 5th ranked team in your individual group still gives you a very fair chance to make it. Below you'll find an updated image of the ECL 12 Lite Qualification tournament. We have also updated the original news story with the corrected information. Gauging interest for an ECL Warm-up tournament Due to the combination of sign-ups, qualifiers and the staggered start of the different divisions, some teams might find themselves waiting for the season start longer than they would want. This is why we are gauging the interest towards a short ECL Warm-up tournament where teams get their chance to get some games in as they prepare for the upcoming season. If you think this would be something your team would be interested in - please leave a comment below! Edit: Due to technical reasons, the sign-up start has been moved to March 23rd. Edit 2: The order of the Pro Qualifier teams has been fixed for clarity on the seeding order, as per the original Division and Promotion Structure documentation.

NHLGamers, Yet another action packed year full of virtual hockey has passed, and with that it's been nearly a year since the last FCL was hosted, concluding in a thrilling final series between FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming on the 6v6-side, whereas Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila clashed in the 1v1 finals. This year, we'll be returning for another great season, and like before, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2021) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL). The FCL will be played through August and September and will be completed entirely online (subject to change). The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2021 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2021 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 17.8: Schedule for FCL 1v1: Group stage: 23.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-26.9 TOP 4 Finals: 1.10 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Sign-ups for 6v6 are open now and will be open until 11.8: Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 16.-31.8 Playoffs round 1: 2.-5.9 Playoffs round 2: 6.-9.9 (BO5) Playoffs round 3: 13.-16.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 20.-23.9 (BO5) Semifinals: 27.-29.9 (BO5) Finals: 2.10. (BO5) Prize Pool The total prize pool is 10 000 EUR, split between the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes, as described below: *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the FCL 2021 Finals. Due to the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the PlayStation console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. NHLGamer reserves the right to adjust any details. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion FILADELPHIA will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Arttu @Artuzio Mustila will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules. The NHL GWC European Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners Atria Wilhelm Atria's Wilhelm product range has become a staple in Finnish snack culture throughout the years. Whether you're having a summer night barbeque or need something to go with the big game of the night - Wilhelm has you covered. Check out the full product range here! The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!

NHLGamers, Today we’re extremely happy in announcing that Written In The Stars - our reigning ECL Champions and one of the most successful teams in the NHLGamer era has commenced a partnership together with HAVU Gaming - one of the most exciting organisations in Finnish esports. HAVU is one of the most well-established and active organisations in the Finnish esports scene and they have been announcing lots of convincing partnerships as of late. With the start of FCL today the timing is great to commence yet another tale of success. “HAVU has been looking for different options to expand into more games in competitive esports. Both the growth in popularity in different sporting games & the strong community and history around ice-hockey really made sense to go strongly into NHL esports. We had a great open discussion with the the team and our goals in the future were really similar. We want to show the world that Finnish NHL esports is going to stay in the absolute top also in the future. We are here to stay and to win titles.” - Lasse Salminen, CEO of HAVU Gaming "It is a great honor to welcome HAVU Gaming into NHL esports. HAVU has in only a couple years been able to make themselves an impressive powerhouse within esports and we know that anything they decide to dive into, they do it with focus and effort. NHL esports has taken some massive strides recently and a lot of the credit goes to organisations such as HAVU that possess the vision and courage to jump into uncharted territory, providing support to a very potential competitive NHL Gaming scene and bringing it to the eyes of an even bigger audience. Written In The Stars is the reigning ECL Champion and one of the most consistent performers in the NHLGamer era, I am confident these guys representing HAVU are destined to do great things in the future." -NHLGamer founder Kenneth @Kenu Lehtinen HAVU will from today onwards take the spot of Written In The Stars in ECL Elite. All team history will also be assumed by the new organisation. We had a short talk with the team captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha: HAVU has formed several interesting partnerships as of late and is making a convincing surge for the top of Finnish esports. What does it mean for you guys to represent HAVU? - We’re very excited and privileged to have this opportunity. HAVU has a great drive, an exciting brand and an organisation full of amazing people. We really got the feeling that HAVU wants to make a big push and invest in us, which surely adds to our excitement. How does it feel to turn a new page in the history of Written In The Stars? After all, you were one of the most consistent top-level performers in recent years at NHLGamer. - Personally I feel a bit sad, but all things must end someday and this new chapter will certainly be an interesting one. We’ve always wanted to lead the way and you’ll be seeing an even bigger push from us in the future tournaments. In the end, there’s nothing else but excitement about this new venture! Do you think the new organisation will effect your team in some way? What can we expect from HAVU’s NHL team going forward? - That’s a question you’ll have to ask again in a few months, but obviously the organisation having our backs will be a massive help to our team. We’ll have to take this chance in absorbing the positive energy and turning it into our asset moving forward. After all, we’re still playing the same game with the same guys, now only with more style! HAVU NHL Roster: Risto @Dominointi Järvi Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen Topi @topikeranen Keränen Wille @willekunq Juntunen Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen Vesa @VesKuLiNe Voutilainen Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto (In order of appearence in photo, from left to right) About HAVU Gaming Having been established in April of 2017, HAVU Gaming has just over 2 years worth of history in the rearview. Despite a rather young age, the organisation has been making waves in the esports world and is currently one of the most followed Finnish organisations. The organisations most notable accomplishments include a Finnish Esports League Counter Strike-championship in 2018 and a second place finish in 2019. In addition to this, HAVU has an impressive variety of streamers on their roster. Partnerships with the wildly popular lifestyle clothing brand Billebeino, Finnish hypermarket giant Prisma and multinational tech company Lenovo in the last month speaks volumes about the impressive surge for the top HAVU is starting to make. About NHLGamer Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. We made our biggest stride forward yet when we in late 2015 introduced the first ever European Championship League (ECL) - a league where all the best European NHL gamers create teams and compete against each other in the game mode EASHL (6vs6) for the title of best EASHL Team in Europe. Since then, NHLGamer has hosted a wide variety of leagues worldwide and live-events in both Finland and Sweden.

NHLGamers, YMCA Esports is an organization hailing from Tampere, Finland priding themselves in developing Finnish esports and has been a force in the field since being established, also receiving recognition in the Häme area sports gala 2019 as an actor of a new era. Previously, YMCA has been affiliated with GHETTO FIREBIRDS in the NHL scene, but the two parties went separate ways in March. Now YMCA is ready to make another push with the newly signed roster of Unlucky Boys HC. The team will continue under the name YMCA Esports. "I'm extremely excited about our cooperation with YMCA. The organisation has seemed really professional right from the get go and our ambitions seemed to line up nicely. I believe that this partnership will help us take that last step that we've been longing for. We're going to go into the upcoming FCL and ECL seasons with the goal to win, and we're ready to compete whenever the puck drops." - Captain Antti @Anhel Kuru about the future with YMCA Esports Kuru has captained the team since Unlucky Boys was first founded in ECL 4. The team started their journey in ECL Pro, but quickly claimed a spot at the top level and hasn't let up since. Last season was close to being their first showing in the semifinals, as the quarterfinals against hREDS ended in a heartbreaking game seven loss that none of the UB players will want to look back on. Determined to take the last step, the team is pushing forward with the same roster that worked for them in ECL 10. Follow YMCA Esports NHL and YMCA Esports on social media here: https://twitter.com/Ymca_NHL https://twitter.com/EsportsYmca https://www.instagram.com/ymcaesports

NHLGamers, We’ve started the NHL 20 season strong but it’s time to ramp up the heat. We’ve been plotting behind the scenes for quite some time now and so, without further ado, we are extremely proud to announce that, in cooperation with the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Aftonbladet and Area Academy, we will be launching the eSHL starting January 13th, 2020. “This is truly an exciting venture for both us and our clubs as we’ll be expanding our product range while having the opportunity to reach a completely new audience”, says Michael Marchal, CEO of SHL. The official broadcasting partner for the eSHL will be Aftonbladet, the biggest daily newspaper in Sweden with close to 4 million daily readers/viewers. A live studio broadcast will be hosted twice a week by Aftonbladet and all other games will be streamed on the Twitch channels of the respective teams, with the occasional matchup featured in an NHLGamer Twitch broadcast. Aftonbladet will also serve as one of the main news outlets for the eSHL for the duration of the season. The eSHL will act as a virtual counterpart to the current SHL, where teams will play each other in a league format of 6v6 EASHL. The regular season will start on January 13th and end in February. While other major professional hockey leagues around the world have slowly begun turning their eyes towards esports, the eSHL stands out in that it is a sanctioned, organized league played in the 6v6 format - something completely unparalleled in NHL esports up until this point. “The most successful esports worldwide are already team-based, not to mention the strong synergy that exists between real hockey and the EASHL mode where all six players on the ice need to work as a unit in order to win”, says Linus @KAWAIIII Eklund, Project manager at SHL. To Eklund, partnering with NHLGamer for eSHL was the obvious choice: “With their many years of experience hosting leagues within the EA SPORTS NHL series, NHLGamer made for a perfect fit as our league partner as we set out to create the eSHL. I have plenty of experience when it comes to competitive gaming, including the NHL series, and could tell NHLGamer had built things the right way, developing a community and a professional environment within an esport that didn’t really exist a few years ago.“ “Kenneth (Lehtinen - @Kenu ) has been an incredible resource for us when setting up this league and we look forward to working with him and NHLGamer to make this league reach its full potential.” As NHLGamer members have surely noticed, a number of SHL teams like Växjö Lakers, Färjestad BK and Luleå Hockey already announced their EA Sports NHL rosters in recent months - announcements that have all been leading up to this project. As things currently stand, a vast majority of the 14 current SHL clubs will be participating in the eSHL. Rögle BK and HV71 are currently openly recruiting teams and players, others have not spoken out about their situation yet. This is what the list of teams looks like currently: Färjestad BK HV71 IK Oskarshamn Leksands IF Linköping HC Luleå Hockey Malmö Redhawks Rögle BK Skellefteå AIK Växjö Lakers Örebro Hockey All of the league action and standings can be followed at e.shl.se which will be going live in mid-December. Follow eSHL on their social media channels Twitter - eSHLse Instagram - eSHL_se About SHL Svenska Hockeyligan or the Swedish Hockey League is the highest tier of professional hockey in Sweden and also regarded as one of the best European hockey leagues. It was formerly known as Elitserien but renamed in 2013. The league consists of 14 teams who are competing for the Le Mat Trophy. Read SHL’s story in Swedish here

It is yet again time to crown the best of the best - ECL 12 Elite is here! Last season was the triumph of FILADELPHIA, but now winds of change are blowing and we can hear the whispers about a new champion on the rise. Who will it be? We've been waiting for long - but the biggest and baddest are finally here! It's ECL 12 Elite time. So gather round and tell your friends, because this is going to be a season unlike any other. The season will kick off on Monday, 24th of May with a Pre-season show hosted by Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @Cyn Anderson before the puck drop at 20:00 CEST for a wild battle between KOVA Esports and Rusty Blades after which hREDS and IQUE will clash in the second game of the night. We will confirm the start time of the Pre-season show tomorrow morning. The partners for this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, Viaplay & Wilhelm. ECL 12 Elite will feature a prize pool of 15 000€. Due to the pandemic situation, the ECL 12 season is planned to be played entirely online. The playoffs will be played between the 5th of July and the 31st of July on set game dates. More details about the playoffs will be shared as the season progresses towards that point. The division of the ECL 12 Elite prize pool will be as follows: #1. ECL 12 Elite Champion: 10 000 € #2. ECL 12 Elite Runner-Up: 3 000 € #3.-4. ECL 12 Elite Semifinal losers: 1 000 € *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the ECL 12 Finals. Notable dates for the ECL 12 Elite season: Regular season: 24.5-1.7 Transfer deadline: 13.6. 23:59 CEST Quarterfinals: 5.7, 7.7, 8.7 (BO7) Semifinals: 12.7, 14.7, 15.7 (BO7) Finals: 30.7, 31.7 (BO7) Default gamedays for the ECL 12 Elite division will be on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with broadcasts on the NHLGamer Twitch at 19:45 CEST each of those days. Access the rulebook, schedule, standings and statistics from the ECL 12 Elite league page. The ECL 12 Elite broadcast team consists of your beloved duo Cody @Tougie24 Tougas & Paul @Cyn Anderson as the main casters joined by Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen, Oskari Koski and Julius Sorjonen with appearances on Thursdays for Finnish broadcasts. Nick @f5penguin DiMeo and Drew Goldfarb are also on call for playoff time. 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 hashtag: @NHLGamerCOM #ECL12 #NHL21 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm #viaplayECL Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerOfficial #ECL12 #NHL21 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm #viaplayECL Meet the ECL 12 Cover Gamer ECL 8 started our tradition of Cover Gamers and so far we've had the pleasure of highlighting true superstars of the game that are great personalities both on and off the ice. We surely have no intention to stop, and for ECL 12, we've picked yet another special player to join the ranks of Erik @Eki Tammenpää, Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen, Casper @ICappeI Lundgren and Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha as the fifth ECL Cover Gamer in history - with that, we introduce Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen. NikkeDangles started his competitive career back in 2018 and took his first strides on ECL ice in ECL 7 Lite with The Next Gen, where at that time 14-year old Nikke immediately made an impact totalling 110 points in his first season that ended in a finals loss at the hands of The Black Jacks - now known as ZSC Esports. Since then, the youngster has taken massive steps forward with his game and is now one of the most dominant offensive forces around. The hREDS right winger is a creative mind, who can generate dangerous chances out of seemingly nothing and make the players around him better. "I've watched hockey since I was a little kid and playing NHL was a natural extension of that. It is a great honor to be featured as the ECL 12 Cover Gamer in great company with the players that have had the title before me. I feel like the competitive scene has taken massive strides forward in recent years and take pride in that and developing it even further." When given the opportunity to send a greeting to all 15 other Elite teams, the youngster responds tongue-in-cheek: "GLHF." It's been an exceptional preseason in more ways than one and an interesting factor has been the multitude of preseason tournaments that have been organized by NHLGamer, but also by various teams and players in our community. The longer lead-up to the regular season has offered the chance for teams to really hone their play but as always, there have been some surprises and some squads have experienced last minute changes that might quite drastically turn the tables. Most interestingly though - there's been a lot of movement on the transfer market, and in negotiating those moves toes have been stepped on, drama has ensued, been resolved and started back up in the endless cycle that is related with the scene. without a doubt the biggest transfer of the offseason was Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen suddenly switching sides from reigning champion FILADELPHIA to their fiercest rival HAVU Gaming. They have an ongoing rivalry that has been brewing in good spirit over the years, but the sudden transfer and underlying reasons behind it could add some spice to that matchup moving forward. The sudden departure of one of the strongest ofensive defensemen in the game left the reigning champion clinching for whatever they could find in the search for a replacement so close to the season. Erik @Eki Tammenpää has admitted that training has been limited in the offseason, but perhaps the departure of jtorro was the nudge they needed to get going. It looked for a while like FILADELPHIA would be placing old trusted allrounder Mika @mikaasi Heikkilä at that open LD spot, but an announcement last night suggests Teemu @Xteemuz (Teemuyy) Polttila will be taking on the challenge after being allowed a transfer from JYP Esports. The expected top of the pack isn't the only place where wild movement has taken place prior to the season - freshly promote Tunnel Vision has had their fair share of turbulence over the offseason, but they look to have turned out fine in the end, whilst leaving a trail of bloodshed in their wake. Since last season, they have lost top scorer Jere @BensaPoju (Jerskayy) Laukka due to suspension and looked to replace him with Juho @RutonMosse (Juigelson) Kinnunen, who suddenly left for SAWO ESPORTS. In the aftermath of that announcement, Tunnel Vision scrambled to find a new player and acquired Kim @Kim_20_00_ Suokas from Supernatural only to drop him a week later due to the sudden availability of Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen from Roots. Both Supernatural and Roots were since sent into a downwards spiral, perhaps due to the player poaches made from them, perhaps not - you be the judge of that. We can also not glance over the fact that this season will feature an array of four freshly promoted teams in the Elite division, as ECL 11 Pro champion IQUE gained direct promotion and GOONS, Tunnel Vision and ZSC Esports managed to win their respective relegation battles against Elite squads on their way down. All of the drama that took place between established teams over the offseason might end up in benefit of the freshly promoted teams, and it remains to be seen which one of them will pounce on those opportunities as they present themselves over the course of the long season. Then, we've also got the middle of the pack, which feels like even more of a free-for-all than we're used to. It's really the mantra we keep repeating season after season, the middle of the pack is tougher than ever. Established teams such as Northern Ascendancy, KOVA Esports or YMCA Esports will have to do everything in their power to keep young and hungry up-and-comers from switching on the turn signal and passing them. Without further ado, let's move on with our prediction for the ECL 12 Elite season: 1. HAVU Gaming (ECL 11 Elite: 3rd) ECL 11 top scorer: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha - 40 GP, 34+53=87 HAVU Gaming is my pick for a champion this season, just to state that right off the bat. They were in a tough spot to start ECL 11 when having to replace their x-factor Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen, well guess what - he's back. This time, HAVU had replace Wille @willekunq Juntunen on the RD position and looked like they were struggling to do so, but found a way to sign jtorro from FILADELPHIA in the biggest move of the offseason. This means Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto moves over to the right side, while torro takes over his LD spot. On offense, HAVU reunites their deadly line FlyerKungen - Risto @Dominointi Järvi - Puantso that is arguably on par with the best line in virtual hockey ever. With that, their starting five is stronger than ever before and with the experience carried from a touch ECL 11, one could make the case for a more resilient HAVU returning to play with the goal of showing their competition what they really are made of. 2. hREDS (ECL 11 Elite: 2nd) ECL 11 top scorer: Joakim @Joukki Nyholm* - 44 GP, 46+55=101 The runner-ups of ECL 11 surprisingly let last seasons top scorer Joakim @Joukki Nyholm walk after their finals push, replacing him with equally offensively prevalent Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen and also changed up their defense by upgrading Teemuyy for Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen. On paper, these are some interesting changes that can be seen as upgrades depending on who you ask, but it is notable that roster changes always switch up chemistry. In this case, the added players are very familiar with the hREDS system and in fact, Vilupoika has combined for a dangerous radar pair with Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen in the past. Youngster NikkeDangles on the right wing might get a bump from being awarded the honor as ECL 12 cover gamer and elevates his game yet another level, which would push hREDS on an ever steeper upwards trajectory this season - championship incoming perhaps? Definitely a strong candidate. 3. FILADELPHIA (ECL 11 Elite: Champions 🏆) ECL 11 top scorer: Erik @Eki Tammenpää - 43 GP, 34+60=94 FILADELPHIA is undisputedly the most successful team in ECL history with their three titles. Their last ECL outing finished in spectacular manner, with several records broken along the way and a dominant 4-0 outing against hREDS in the finals. The team has made the finals in each of their five seasons at the Elite level so far and are surely not going to stop. The offseason has been quiet for the team as the squad mostly has focused on resting up for yet another championship push, but at the final stretch of the preseason, there was some action to say the least. Mainstay LD jtorro suddenly left for HAVU Gaming in a high-profile transfer, but FILADELPHIA managed to find a replacement by waving an undisclosed amount of cash in the face of JYP Esports management as Teemu @Xteemuz (Teemuyy) Polttila joins the black and orange just in time for the new season. FILADELPHIA is not getting a replacement with the experience that they lost, but skill-wise, Teemuyy is right there with the best of them. We'll see how he blends in with the new team as the season progresses but one thing is sure, offensively Paul @PleeMaker Arontie - Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala - Eki will deliver, as will Casper @ICappeI Lundgren in net and Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta at his RD spot. We know that FILADELPHIA is a championship caliber team and that is why all that's on the menu is championship or disappointment. 4. JYP Jyvaskyla (ECL 11 Elite: 4th) ECL 11 top scorer: Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen - 40 GP, 22+46=68 In command of captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin, the JYP Jyvaskyla squad have at this point made ECL Elite playoffs in five consecutive seasons in different formations since beginning their journey as Symphony back in mid-2018. Their greatest feat still remain a finals push that ended in a game 6 defeat at the hands of FILADELPHIA in ECL 7. Now, hurricanes have managed to sign one of the strongest individuals of the last ECL season as Joakim @Joukki Nyholm will play besides the well-established Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and captain indi, forming an offensive trio that should work very well both ways and have that x-factor for a scoring threat that JYP hasn't had before. The team is also glad to have Väinö @vSilenttio (vee_Sile) Pietilä return after a career season with Roots in ECL 11, pairing back up with a matured Ilmari @iilmarii Töyrylä. Having experienced goalie Santeri @Sandr0hh Reijasalo, who is rumored to be joined by a very capable tandem behind them is what makes this seasons JYP roster as strong as they've ever been. 5. Farjestad BK (ECL 11 Elite: 5th) ECL 11 top scorer: Christoffer @I-Maise-I (I-Mallen-I) Berntsson - 36 GP, 20+34=54 The long-standing pride of Swedish virtual hockey have established themselves as a surefire playoff team in the Elite division, but seem to be unable to punch their way into the top 4 in a convincing way. The Swedes are quite famous for their style of play and catch a lot of flack for continuing to ride that train. It is quite apparent that the team will either sink or swim with the performances of Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg, who has established himself as one of the top pure goal scorers in the Elite division by netting a total of 76 goals over the past two seasons spent at the highest level of competition. Center I-Mallen-I loves the puck and is their number one setup artist along with setting the tone for the entire team oftentimes. The defensive pairing Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt and Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann is one of the more balanced ones in the league and definitely Sweden's finest if nothing else, both are very solid with the puck and can handle pressure with relative ease. Also, being backed by Johan @McSavid Rundqvist who is one of the best goaltenders in the league makes FBK's back-end a solid foundation for their team all around. 6. GOONS (ECL 11 Pro: 2nd) ECL 11 top scorer: Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola - 51 GP, 60+71=131 We're in for an exciting season watching GOONS, that is a relatively young team both due to the age of their players, but also due to the team only being founded just ahead of ECL 11 Pro, when they acquired Kriketsi to lead the way for their inexperienced squad. Krike will continue to lead from his center position, flanked by rising star Roope @pikkuroger Bergström and the more experienced Jere @jergelii Jortama, while young stud Viljo @viba2008 Kähkönen and Elite journeyman Ville-Petteri @vviljo (veepee___) Särmä combine for an interesting defensive pairing down low. Viba2008 actually becomes the youngest ECL Elite player in history at only 13 years old and with all that talent, he can be a great fit alongside someone like veepee, who has been around for a long time, but struggled to find a proper home. The team is capped off with a strong goaltender tandem in Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (the winningest goaltender in ECL history) and Santeri @SanteriAK47 Puumalainen, who could very well share the responsibility throughout the season. GOONS have all the skill in the world, but as a young squad they might find themselves drifting off in a bad direction if they can't get things going right away. A playoff push is entirely possible. 7. IQUE (ECL 11 Pro: Champion 🏆) ECL 11 top scorer: Janne @Nieppii Niemelä - 52 GP, 33+69=102 As a team, IQUE (former Enigma) has experienced virtually no changes since their championship campaign back in ECL 11 Pro. They've been a dominant Pro force for quite some time already, but have now found the way to elevate their play to the next level with the lead of captain Nieppii. With an unchanged roster, it can very well be in their favor to keep their good momentum going into their first Elite run. IQUE has a solid offense centered by Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, who is one of the most talented young guns in the game at the moment, but especially wingers Nieppii and Santeri @sannteri Niemi has some history of going on cold streaks and getting stuck in their ways a bit. If they can find a way to keep things creative up front while not sacrificing their defensive responsibilities, IQUE is a squad that could very well make a playoff run. On defense, Markus @Makeaxl Lahti and Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi will be the teams main pairing, Makeaxl is the more experienced part, but both should be able to handle themselves in the Elite pace quite well. Toni @Pirtsa89 Pirttimäki has been their choice in net, this season in a probable tandem with Rami @ramseyy2(Ramsiil) Rissanen - neither one has ever carried the starter role at this level, so that could be considered a minor question mark. 8. Northern Ascendancy (ECL 11 Elite: 6th) ECL 11 top scorer: Juho @RutonMosse (Juigelson) Kinnunen* - 36 GP, 24+29=53 After being one of the consistent performers in the Elite division for quite some time, Norther Ascendancy had their downfall after the team dissolved and key pieces spent some time with Rusty Blades back in ECL 8. After a few seasons under the Lulea Hockey flag, ECL 11 saw the return of Northern Ascendancy in a very different constellation that before, but the team still managed to push their way to the playoffs. This season, NOR returns with one of the most inexperienced rosters they've ever iced, meaning a heavy reliance on captain Connor @MartindalexC Martindale, returning Aleksi @Tehh (TehhAhola) Ahola and André @Foppatofflan Liljegren to lead the way for the likes of 2nd year Elite players V-V @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) Lampela and Fredrik @maharajah2014 (Sparkaronnberg) Mickelsson-Holm, who are taking on big roles in the team this season. It is interesting to see how a playmaking force such as Foppatofflan will fit at the defensive position and if he will stay there throughout the season, after all cTunkeilija played as a defenseman in ECL 11, so we might be in for a switch at some point if the team feels it's warranted. Despite their continued success even in tough times, Northern Ascendancy will be struggling to reach the last playoff spot this season. 9. YMCA Esports (ECL 11 Elite: 12th) ECL 11 top scorer: Tim @Timasy Hess - 30 GP, 19+25=44 Six consecutive ECL Elite seasons have yielded three postseason appearances for the team that still continues without their captain Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru due to military service. YMCA Esports have definitely solidified their spot in the Elite division, but also as a mid-level team at best so far in their careers. After a disappointing ECL 11, the team has seen some changes mostly on the back end, as both defensemen are going to be swapped with Janne @Koppipelaaja (Jamoyy) Viitanen and ECL 5 Elite champion Nico @nylanderi Laitinen will pair for an interesting duo. The team also sees a fresh face in net, as former Nordic Stars netminder Benjamin @benu Rinnet joins the team after three consecutive very solid seasons in the Pro division. There surely are some question marks around the team, mainly due to their reorganized starting lineup and the chemistry issues that might relate to it, but YMCA has both skill and experience to take them to the playoffs. It remains to be seen if they can harness both of those traits to take them that far, or if their season will be yet another disappointment. 10. KOVA Esports (ECL 11 Elite: 10th) ECL 11 top scorer: Valeri @Valluxet Reihel - 30 GP, 27+24=51 KOVA Esports has as tradition seen a lot of player turnover over the offseason. Interestingly, long-time LD trustee Ari @FakiiR1 Palviainen leaves the squad as Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen takes over that position besides Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, who has become the new trusted man on defense for KOVA Esports. The duo on the back end will most likely combine for a rather well-balanced OFD-DFD combination that could work out well for the team. Up front, captain Kimi @Zip player Nordberg has managed to secure an interesting package deal to play beside him as former Nordic Stars dynamic duo Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho and Jere @Jerax13 Hällström will enter as elite rookies. The two have made an impact in Pro together for several seasons already and if they can combine with an offensive force like ZipPlayer, that bodes well for KOVA Esports. Trusted Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck will be sharing responsibilities in net with ECL 1 original Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, as captain Zip has been quoted stating the form of the day will determine who gets the call come gameday. It's not an unusual thing for KOVA to ice an entirely new squad each season and while that begs a multitude of questions, the squad always manages to at least retain their spot in no man's land. That is exactly what will happen also this season for KOVA Esports. 11. Vesa Pompa (ECL 11 Elite: 7th) ECL 11 top scorer: Jere @jergelii Jortama* - 34 GP, 21+21=42 Swedish Vesa Pompa has experienced some major roster turnover in the offseason and in fact will only retain captain Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund in their starting lineup. Their other five starters are joining the team from former Växjö Lakers HC, being Fredrik @Kattenj Jansson on the left wing, Adam @dzouvi Mensik on center, Samuel @EDHOLMEN3 Edholm and Johannes @Hockeyjohannes Hultmark on defense capped off with Erik @MrAllsvenskan Rotsenius in net - all of them Elite rookies with the exception of Kattenj, who has eight combined games in ECL 7 and 8. A positive is that the squad has a lot of experience together even despite a majority of the players being new with Vesa Pompa and their skill is proven at the Pro level. However, this squad without Eken has never went past the quarterfinals in the Pro division, which begs the question - why would they go far in the Elite division? One can hope they'll prove doubters wrong, but Vesa Pompa is looking for big steps forward on every position if they want to reach playoffs this season. 12. POGGERS (ECL 11 Elite: 9th) ECL 11 top scorer: Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi - 26 GP, 26+24=50 The former SJ Gaming ended their org affiliation at the end of ECL 11 Elite and are with that returning to the more casual POGGERS. On the ice, some minor changes have also been made. That means Jan-Mikael @Janski (Jansku23) Aittoniemi replaces Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen on the right flank, and Elie @eliekamel87 Kamel replaces Janne @Janne Hietala (Hiatala_) Hietala in net. Offensively, their most important weapon is still multi-game talent JaKurrii, who will continue netting goals on the virtual ice when he isn't winning trophies on the FIFA pitch. Jiska @jorma2001 Näppä is their choice at center, and after gaining some valuable experience in Elite last season, the talented centerman is expected to take yet another step forward. Captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström pairs with Eemil @Eemil (eKoskii) Koski for a great defensive duo, where eKoskii is expected to carry most of the load with the puck and prove his fabled talent to be true by putting forth a strong season. POGGERS should be able to retain their Elite spot, but they are not a playoff team. 13. Tunnel Vision (ECL 11 Pro: 3rd) ECL 11 top scorer: Jere @BensaPoju (Jerskayy) Laukka* - 46 GP, 50+41=91 It was a turbulent offseason for ECL 11 Pro semifinalist Tunnel Vision, who suffer immensely from losing their top scorer due to suspension. The team is stacked with talent and players who enjoy spending time with the game and finding out the mechanics of it, but they are for the most part players that enjoy playing with intuition and trusting their individual skill in beating opponents. It worked wonders for them at the Pro level, but will it be enough in Elite? The squad had to scramble ahead of the season start, when they suddenly lost Juigelson to SAWO ESPORTS, which started a transfer roulette ultimately finishing with Tunnel Vision acquiring Sadapoika for their center lane. They have also upgraded their defense with Veeti @Wenger (re_wenger) Paloneva, who joins them from YMCA Esports. All in all, we're seeing a very skilled squad that has some Elite experience but have struggled to find success at that level. They will need to add a more structured approach beside their skill to see that next level. A playoff could be a tough ask, but the team should at the very least be able to maintain their Elite spot. 14. ZSC Esports (ECL 11 Pro: 4th) ECL 11 top scorer: Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner* - 46 GP, 48+37=85 The Swiss lions have grown under the reigns of captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi since their first competitive season back in ECL 6 Lite, and goaltender duo Mike @burban26 Mueller, Reto @afc_Tschitsch (eTschitsch) Ulrich and forward Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni have stayed alongside their captain for the entire success story. Now, making their first appearance at the highest level as the first Swiss team in history, ZSC Esports are determined to make an impact. Their task is not easy, as the squad is losing their top scorer Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner and replacing him with an inexperienced Tino @Timotei97 Saksi, who is extremely untested at a higher level of play. The team will be relying on their long-time success factors but also heavily on one of the most solid defensive pairings out there in Max @Toneee9 Tonitz combined with Reto @Haldeem Haldemann, who makes a return to the Elite level after three seasons in the Pro division as the only player from the ZSC squad with Elite experience on his resume. 15. SAWO ESPORTS (ECL 11 Elite: 11th) ECL 11 top scorer: Atte @Akunkku Kuningas - 30 GP, 16+20=36 The Cocks, as the like to call themselves have had an offseason with quite some turnover. They've changed captain by bumping up Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján, while long-time leader Jonne @TackleControl Nikkinen takes a step back as a backup player. They've also added two new starter forwards, a new starter defenseman, and a goaltender to play in a 1A - 1B tandem with Saku @mehukatti Serttilä. Up front, Juigelson and Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen will be flanking Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen while the defense will consist of Niklas @Talonmies69 Tamminen and MrNipsuli-. The goaltender acquisition is Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen, who has been backing up for HAVU Gaming for a few seasons, now returning to competitive games for the first time since ECL 9. It's tough to evaluate SAWO to start the season due to them having changed so much, but it's a fact that they have some good pieces that are proven to work at the ECL Elite level. It is however up to debate if they've made an improvement when comparing to their former roster, which consisted of players that knew each other well but perhaps couldn't find their form last season. I have a tough time seeing SAWO in the playoffs and therefore predict for them to have to fight their way out of the relegation spots. 16. Rusty Blades (ECL 11 Elite: 8th) ECL 11 top scorer: André @Foppatofflan Liljegren* - 34 GP, 21+35=56 Nothing ever comes without a fight in the ECL, and the Elite division for that matter. For Rusty Blades, however, that fight started way before the season. With just a few weeks to go, everything seemed to be in order for the squad playing under the Roots Gaming organization, but in the blink of an eye it all went south. The team captained by Juhani @Tanski87 Tanskanen lost two starting forwards and their long-time starting goaltender Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari just before the season and in the aftermath also lost their affiliation with Roots. Now going back to their true and tested Rusty Blades name, the squad has an all-new roster that has a tough task ahead of them, but it is certain that a true veteran leader like Tanski will not be giving up any time soon, Rusty Blades have come to play. Despite the difficult situation, the team has made some interesting acquisitions. Aleksi @ADETIKKI (Dillynger) Kinnunen and Tanski will be their most experienced members, whereas Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi is the only starter continuing alongside his captain from last season. Santtu @Santtu (santtu333) Malin is joining the team after two seasons for Ringette HC in Neo and Lite - a massive step up for the rookie centerman. Joonas @LE1PAKONE (NordZman) Nordman is joining the team at the LD position after spending last season in Pro with Rookie Mistakes. A lot of unknowns for this squad going forward, they will be in for a massive task and the battle will be about staying in the Elite division this season. That's all for this time, gamers! Remember to tune in for our Pre-season show and season openers tomorrow, on Monday, May 24th at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. (Exact time TBA - estimated start time 18:30 CEST)

Almost three and a half months have passed since Enigma was crowned the ECL 11 Pro Champion, but it’s getting close to showtime again! The upcoming season has seen the new qualifier system being implemented and has resulted in a big team turnover, which is sure to stir the pot we’ve come to know. While the Pro division only saw six new squads last season compared to the previous one, this time is different: compared to ECL 11, there are a total of 16 teams that either played in a lower division or simply didn’t exist at the time. The ECL 12 Pro Qualifier didn’t see a single prior Pro outfit being able to retain their spot at the second highest tier of competition in Europe, with multiple mainstays such as Södertälje SK and TIKI TALK facing relegation to Lite. With the exception of the newly assembled Hawaii Hockey, all of the teams finding their way through the qualifiers played in Lite last season, meanwhile Ducktales BK and noRex Gaming end up back there following only a season of Pro competition. With star-studded powerhouses like Enigma getting promoted after last season, some may say that Pro lacks in true top team talent that is already close to or even at the Elite level of play. That might be what it seems like on paper, though it leaves the path open for new contenders to emerge from the shadows. We’ll see by the end of the season how the teams that finish at the top perform against Elite competition in the battle of promotion to - or relegation from - Elite. It’s harder than ever to accurately predict the standings due to the sheer amount of new teams that are still unproven at this level, but we’ll take a look at the groups overall and highlight a couple of teams from both ends of the table: ones expected to put up a challenge for the title and the ones that could be facing relegation unless they manage to right their course. Without further ado, here are the groups along with some analysis: Written by @Keuschemisch As stated before, we find many new teams in Group 1, who now have the chance to prove themselves on the Pro level for the first time. ECL 11 Lite Champion Bjorkloven Esport will be keen to establish themselves in Pro after beating VISU Gaming (former Exerceo) in a thrilling 7 game series to cap off their most recent campaign. With the likes of the Russian squad Nearbird Fighters as well as Rogle BK and the freshly founded Hawaii Hockey we find three teams that made it all the way through the Pro Qualifier and even the Wildcard Battle to secure their place in the second highest tier. Will players like @Kumbik or @Hair be able to perform up to the standards they've set at the Lite level? How big will the influence of experienced players like @cHIIMEERa and @Lamsa be for Rogle BK? For those teams it will be even more important to perform as a good unit to avoid relegation or even pave the way for a possible playoff appearance and it can't be stressed enough how important it is for freshly promoted teams like BoxinElite or Sinister to play good defensive hockey to lay a good foundation for their future. Teams like Herlev Eagles with their top scorer @vibholm10 or HV71 with their well established unit surely want to take advantage of that situation and have the quality in their roster to secure one of the top spots of their group. Experienced teams such as Djurgarden Hockey, Finnish Roosters, RCTIC and Kiekko-Espoo Esports are favorites for yet another postseason appearance. DIF winger duo @Birkedal96 and @amadee21 can be the difference makers for the 16-time Swedish National League champions from Stockholm. Kiekko-Espoo’s defenseman @Raikkoneeh as well as Blackdawgs’ fresh forward acquisition @Valluxet have shown their quality and value in the past seasons and will play important roles in ECL 12 to lead their teams. Without a doubt it will be a hard battle - whether to secure home ice advantage in the playoffs or to avoid relegation back to ECL Lite. Especially at the Pro level nearly any mistake will be punished right away and in Group 1 of ECL 12 Pro there is no leeway - no stone will be left unturned in the look for success. Championship contenders: HV71 The Swedish ensemble captained and built by @Demski13 has grown stronger by the season and is now looking at peak form after making arguably one of the biggest additions of the offseason by signing @Rubituss from Farjestad BK and adding @Putteekiing on top of that. The two will definitely boost the offense of the blue and yellow, while hopefully maintaining the defensive strength that the team has built their reputation on. Herlev Eagles After being one of the success stories in the regular season of ECL 11 Pro, Herlev Eagles faltered at the hands of Rookie Mistakes in the first round of the playoffs. Now, a largely unchanged roster of Eagles look to return to action with that experience in mind and nothing but an even better result in sight! Team LEISURE What goes up, must eventually fall down - that has been the story of German powerhouse Team LEISURE, who proudly carried the German flag with the very best of them in European virtual hockey for four entire seasons. Furthermore it will be interesting to see how @Flo_goes_grazy(flgr93) or @xDurchf4ll_- will be able to replace @Krinke on the left wing. @PlaymakerSJ remains a big piece of their puzzle and he needs to connect the defense with offense and set up his teammates for open looks, as they are used to. With the experience and individual class within Team LEISURE’s squad they might have the recipe for success at the tip of their fingers. Under relegation threat: Nearbird Fighters The Russian squad has pushed their way through a long and bumpy road ever since ECL 5 Lite in the steady charge of captain @Hair. After a successful run in the ECL 12 Pro Qualifiers, they will now see Pro contention for the first time and look to solidify their place at the second highest level. They are very inexperienced at this level, so a tough season is to expect. Sinister Sinister is a new team at the Pro level, consisting of several experienced gamers that now combine for an ensemble that like a fast paced game and know how to score when given the chance, but lack experience of success at higher levels of competition. They will need to mature their game if they want to see another season at the Pro level. BoxinElite BoxinElite is a team of young players with tremendous potential that like spending time with the game and know the ins and outs of the mechanics related to it. As a young squad, their season can be a hit or a total miss, widely depending on how they are able to combine and gel together as a team. We know they have offensive firepower - but the pro level requires strong team defence, which we hope they can develop! Written by @Mikka This group only has 15 teams after Supernatural (previously RPEAT ESPORTS) ceased to exist just prior to the season start, though there’s still as many (eight) newly promoted teams as in Group 1. After the ECL 11 Elite season, Conquer Gaming got relegated following three seasons at the highest level, and are now joined in the same group by two other teams with prior Elite experience in Pata Hellalla and Sjukstugan. Sjukstugan and Conquer Gaming have forayed into the transfer market in search of a stronger squad to boost them back to the top sooner than later, meanwhile Pata Hellalla have seemingly only shuffled around the positions without making any new signings after left winger @vizka13 departed to play in the Core division. They’re always an interesting team to follow in their search for consistency, sometimes beating top teams with ease but other times struggling to get points from weaker opponents. Some of the other teams promoted from Lite alongside Sjukstugan include the teams that finished 3rd and 4th in Hotbox and SPARTIATES X MCES, the regular season 2nd seed PENTA and the Russian outfit METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK. The two Central European squads PENTA and SPARTIATES X MCES trust their respective processes and have only had minimal new signings, meanwhile the Russians and the Finnish Hotbox have had a bigger roster turnover. PENTA’s wingers @Wowa_1995 (Wowa_PENTA) and @DaMan (Akin_PENTA) will have a tough time replicating the kind of scoring they had in Lite with the stabilizing force @domii_ecn (Domi_PENTA) in the middle, but the prior Pro experience from within their squad especially with Akin’s success will help with the jump in level of play. Even if it remains to be seen how much they play, METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK’s new signings @ilikkaa, @CMB-wf- and @mons3223 all have high level experience as well. Company of Geeks, Sack Brothers and Rookie Mistakes have all been in Pro for some seasons now, and will be looking to continue their journeys on that path. Company of Geeks will most likely have a hard time after changing big parts of their roster, meanwhile Sack Brothers and Rookie Mistakes seem to only have gotten stronger in the offseason with bolstered defense and goaltending departments. We’ll see if a familiar lineup or some bigger name acquisitions at the cost of chemistry end up being more effective in the end, but last minute roster changes have rarely been a sign of anything good. Although Lekstugan HC did actually find their way through the ECL 12 Pro Qualifier with only two players remaining from their ECL 11 roster playing a part, similarly to Patience who, along with their name, changed everything except the captain @N44TTI_16 ahead of this season. Both outfits consist of largely unproven players, so they have a lot of work ahead to establish themselves in Pro. Patience will get a ton of help from the former Elite goaltender and ECL 10 Pro champion @PCJP (Pelkoneen), who can surely steal them some tight games between the pipes and keep them out of the bottom places. Time will tell who will rise and who will fall, so be sure to catch up on the games and see for yourself! The only newly promoted team still left unmentioned is Dynastia, who are a tough one to predict after facing the last minute departures of @Wpaanane (wpaananen) & @valta15. They were convincing in the qualifier, but we’ll see if the team will be able to rebound quickly enough with the lead of captain @Majuri20 (Diktaattori62) and veteran @FakiiR1 (TheFakiiR1) to avoid relegation or even aim for the playoffs. Another team that has its level of play up in the air is Inter Iceland, who have struggled in the domestic GCL and the ECL Warmup after losing to lower ranked RCTIC in the ECL 11 Playoffs as the 2nd seed following a promising regular season. The Germans haven’t made much changes to their roster despite losing assistant captain @x Holtbeast (Reutsch_PENTA) to PENTA, so it will be up to the long time goalie @PLA77NER (Hasek-39--) and forward @Stefan_397 to try to carry their team back and beyond where they finished earlier on in the year. Sulkavan Sudet lost their best scorers in @Stiffenhoand @Janski (jansku23) to Dynastia and Elite team POGGERS, respectively, but still got decent results in the Warmup and so seem to be right on track for another fight around the final playoff spots. Championship contenders: Rookie Mistakes Coming into their 3rd ECL Pro season, Rookie Mistakes have always been an offensive minded team, but have now gotten significantly stronger on the other side of the puck with the signings of defensemen @bot_dole and @tominointi, who played against each other in the Pro finals just a few seasons ago. They will also be adding the skilled allrounder @James (Jamechkin) to their defense from Lite after his roster lock in Reality Check HC ends on May 27th, which gives them three good options there. The playing time in net will be shared 50-50 by @Ilezki_ and newly added, Elite-experienced @Jonitski, meanwhile the forward core sees an original player at the LW position in @Flopper71 being replaced by @Jondeezz and leaving for Conquer Gaming. As previously stated, Rookie Mistakes have only gotten stronger and the path to the top appears to be open for them, they’re most likely the strongest team in Group 2. Sack Brothers Similar to Rookie Mistakes, the strength of Sack Brothers has always been offense. Also similarly, their forward core stays the same meanwhile they acquire two new goalie options in @Randomjanne and @Tuhmakalastaja91 in addition to some newly signed experienced defensemen. @IKarkkiI comes back to Pro after a season of Elite competition with Dark Horse, meanwhile @Katunarski looks to achieve what he couldn’t in his previous team Nordic Stars: turn regular season prowess into playoff success and eventually advance to Elite. If Sack Brothers manage to gel together well enough, they’ll be one of the stronger challengers to Rookie Mistakes in Group 2. Conquer Gaming Although they didn’t perform up to expectations in the ECL 12 Warmup, there’s still hope for a bounceback. Their best players @Jeresti and @Jertsicc are still in the squad and the longtime captain @KepakkoFIN has managed to sign experienced @jahajaha93 to be his defensive partner, in addition to @Flopper71 coming over from Rookie Mistakes to provide offense in the traditionally defensive minded roster. Losing @Sakkem and @Valluxet prior to ECL 11 was a tough blow and resulted in Conquer Gaming being relegated to Pro, but could jahajaha93 and Flopper71_ be their new Sakke & Vallu? It remains to be seen, but what we know is that KepakkoFIN already led this team to Elite once after getting first relegated from Pro to Lite, so never count on them giving up after a lackluster season. Their track record still indicates them being one of the top teams this season, five out of six players in their starting lineup have Elite experience as well. Sjukstugan An original ECL 1 team, Sjukstugan played four consecutive Elite seasons before going on a hiatus and restarting from the bottom in ECL 10. After two Lite seasons they’re now back in Pro, adding goaltender @poliskontroll, defenseman @Sluibaaja_88 and forward @Tzon93 in the offseason. Poliskontroll is a great goalie who keeps the games close and is able to steal some, meanwhile tzon93 is one of the most effective counter attacking goal scorers in Pro history. They’re an annoying team to play against with their stellar net front turtle defence, and while they may not dominate in time on attack, they will punish on breakaways and odd-man rushes with a high percentage. There’s plenty of examples of similar teams thriving in Pro, especially during the regular season, but we’ll see how far they get in the playoffs. Under relegation threat: Company of Geeks They got into the playoffs pretty comfortably last season, but the high roster turnover and rumours about their level of off-season preparations cast a suspecting light on the longstanding team’s future. Higher prestige recruits could have given a different impression, but the new signings aren’t ones to rock the media sphere: @pinppikeisari and @Eric Perdjaks (Taskig) come from Lite and @Okke40 (hifk_FANI) from Neo, although he does have Pro experience. The last piece of their renewed roster, @xLeikku, only got his first taste of ECL hockey this season in the new Core division. Maybe they’re hidden gems that will instantly produce, but captain @Jesus (eJezuz) along with his long-serving assistant @Varabajare (eCeleste31) will have to put their knowledge to the table to ensure the relatively unknown signings end up adjusting to the Pro level quick enough, otherwise they’ll find themselves in the relegation spots. Hotbox Hotbox hasn’t been that impressive during the offseason and is facing sudden roster changes just before the season. They went on an amazing run in ECL 11 Lite playoffs after a mid table finish to end the regular season, but a lot has changed since then and they will have to prove themselves again at the higher level. @Jann3_67_’s prior Pro experience will be handy, but what will their roster come puck drop look like? Lekstugan HC Another team with a largely different roster compared to last season, the only returnees when looking at the Pro Qualifier were @Daniel Asplund (Dasplund_) and @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus). The now-captain and assistant captain suited up as winger partners instead of a d-pairing like they did last season in Lite. They also appear to have lost their top scorer and probably best player in @Pappen to Lite team Unwanted after the qualifiers, so it remains to be seen how they plug that hole on their quest to establish themselves in Pro. All in all, even with the addition of @denkaan_from HV71, Lekstugan HC seems to be a prime candidate to go straight back down if they don’t quickly find a replacement center and get a hold of the Pro game from the get go. A bad start could spiral into something worse for an inexperienced and unproven squad. SPARTIATES X MCES The French outfit switched organizations during the offseason, but what they didn’t switch was their roster. The only new signings are presumed backup player @julien-meudon (Julien-peltier) who played in Neo last season, and goalie @Darcam (Darsivo) who played last season with PENTA’s squad. Their starting lineup is still intact, but it remains to be seen if the already built up chemistry and stellar team play is enough to retain their long chased Pro spot. It’s refreshing to see a French squad in ECL Pro once again three and a half years since Hawks Hockey Club disbanded, but that sighting may only last for this season unless the ex-Hawks HC goalie @Trollstivegen (Trollstivegen28) can reach the level he was at a few years ago and steal some serious points. Left winger @Adri1_SCP (AdriF_23) seems to be their best bet on scoring, which they will need. With that, we wish all participating ECL 12 Pro teams good luck in their respective campaigns! Remember to post about your games on various social media platforms using the tags #NHLGamer, #NHL21 and #ECL12 in order to get noticed and for other community members to find your posts.

NHLGamers, With puck drop for ECL 11 Elite just some days away, today is the day for some big news! We're happy to announce our partnership with Atria Wilhelm, who will be joining the ECL as presenting partner. Together with Atria Wilhelm we are able to produce an awesome league that meets both the standards of our own and those of our passionate gamers. We're also bringing high stakes to the table with a prize pool of 15 000€ in ECL 11 Elite! Atria's Wilhelm product range will keep gamers and fans fed throughout the ECL season - find your favourite game night snacks, such as the Wilhelm Flaming hot snacks or the spicy Carolina Reaper sausage in stores all around Finland. Alike last season we're happy to have an increasing number of organizations both from the esports scene and from the traditional sports side joining in on the ECL action. The highest tier of ECL competition will host 12 teams represented by an organization this season. It's a season we're more excited for than ever and with some changes going on at the top of the pack this might be the chance for just about anyone to steal the crown, bring it on we say! Say hello to our new ECL cover gamer We're also continuing the tradition started in ECL 8 and introducing this seasons cover gamer. As usual, our cover gamers have been players of ultimate prestige and joining the club together with Erik @Eki Tammenpää, Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen and Casper @ICappeI Lundgren is something we want to be considered as one of the greatest recognitions in the sport. "There's no understating how great it is to join Eki, Hansu and Cappe as the fourth ECL cover gamer" -Tuukka "FlyerKungen" Kuha With that being said, the time is right to announce that Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha will be the cover gamer of ECL 11. The HAVU Gaming captain has taken the long road to success, leading his team to several runs coming just short in the Written In The Stars-era, culminating in the multitude of championships clinched first with Written In The Stars and lately with HAVU Gaming. @FlyerKungen is one of the great players in the game and handles himself accordingly, being a true role model for his peers. Photo credit: Tuomas Kujansuu, HAVU Gaming "Being the cover gamer is a title I appreciate a lot. There's no understating how great it is to join Eki, Hansu and Cappe as the fourth ECL cover gamer in history and it's a huge honor for me. I've got a tremendous amount of respect for each of the previous cover gamers as they are truly guys who will go all out for victory. I've played together with all of them and can vouch for each one as good players and even better people. There's a lot of similarities to them and me, so I didn't think twice about accepting the offer to be the face of ECL 11. It's also a great show of respect to the success we've had with Written In The Stars, HAVU Gaming, FILADELPHIA and Linköping HC. It's great to see that it doesn't go unnoticed and credit is given where it is due. I feel like we've all been pioneers in paving the way for teams and players around the scene and we've tried to realize that in the way we conduct ourselves. There's a lot of young players in the scene and us experienced players need to think about the way we act both representing ourselves and our teams. It's crucial to act professionally, respecting your opponent and the end result. Among all the victories it is also important to learn how to lose." ECL Elite Finals and prize pool Due to the COVID-19 situation, the ECL 11 season is currently planned to be played entirely online. The semifinals are played between the 1st and 4th of February and the finals the 12th and 13th of February. More details about the playoffs will be shared as the season progresses towards that point. The Elite division of the prize pool will be as follows: #1. ECL 11 Elite Champion: 10 000 € #2. ECL 11 Elite Runner-Up: 3 000 € #3.-4. ECL 11 Elite Semifinal losers: 1 000 € *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the ECL 11 Finals. When? ECL 11 Elite kicks off on Monday, November 30th at 20:00 CET. Our broadcast of the night features heated battles between the previous season finalist FILADELPHIA and challenger hREDS, followed by JYP Jyvaskyla and Farjestad BK going head-to-head. Where/how to follow? You saw the effort we put into our broadcast production during ECL 10 and we'll be continuing on that path during ECL 11. We've secured your favorite casters to continue with us on three nights weekly as broadcasts will be airing on Twitch.tv/NHLGamer each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The broadcasts will feature three various caster duos, as Cody @Tougie24 Tougas & Paul @Cyn Anderson, Drew "Farbsy" Goldfarb & Nick @f5penguin DiMeo and Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen & Julius Sorjonen will be in the booth this upcoming ECL season. Broadcasts on Thursdays will be in Finnish. 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 hashtag: @NHLGamerCOM #ECL11 #mukanaWilhelm #NHL21 #esports Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @NHLGamerOfficial @atria_wilhelm #ECL11 #MukanaWilhelm #NHL21 #esports About our main partner Atria Wilhelm Atria's Wilhelm product range has become a staple in Finnish snack culture throughout the years. Whether you're having a summer night barbeque or need something to go with the big game of the night - Wilhelm has you covered. Check out the full product range here! About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with growing prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports.

Hello All, NHLGamer has had many requests to provide a league for our fellow North Americans and we are very excited to announce our newest league, the North American Championship League (NACL)! We will be modeling a majority of the NACL after our very successful European Championship League (ECL), which is now in its 8th season. Our main objective with adding the NACL is to be able to attract competitive 6s players from around the world and have them interact all on one site, creating the biggest competitive 6s scene in the world! We are very excited about this new opportunity and happy to have @Scheckel29 (USA), along with @TheCreasePolice (USA), leading the way for the NACL. They have experience in running other 6s leagues and will bring a wealth of knowledge to NHLGamer, using their experience combined with ours to help the NACL in the right direction. NHLGamer’s goal for the first season is to provide an Elite and Pro division for the North American players on the Xbox console. The Elite division will have the best NA teams competing for a monetary prize consisting of buy-ins ($200) from the teams, while our Pro division will be a free division, where teams will have the chance to compete for promotion spots to play in the Elite division. There will be promotions and relegations between the two divisions. The sizes of both divisions will be determined by the total amount of teams that sign up. The NACL Elite prize pool will amount to a total of $3000. NHLGamer will be withholding 8% of each buy-in as a handling fee. This 8% will be used for the development and running of the site directly. The prize pool of $3000 will be divided as follows:* 1. $1,800 2. $800 3-4. $200 NACL will begin its first season on March 11th and registrations kick off effective immediately, so please head over to: NACL Elite registrations - Xbox One NACL Pro registrations - Xbox One We are also looking at how much interest there is for a PS4 NACL. Please head to the below link for us to gauge if a PS4 NACL is viable. Thank you! NACL registrations - Playstation 4 Last but not least, welcome to the community! About NHLGamer NHLGamer.com first saw the light of day over a decade ago, somewhere around 2004. What started out as a website platform for friends to arrange NHL leagues against each other has since grown exponentially into what is today the largest community for NHL gamers in Europe. Currently, the member count of our site is nearing 6000 strong! Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. We made our biggest stride forward yet when we in late 2015 introduced the first ever European Championship League (ECL) - a league where all the best European NHL gamers create teams and compete against each other in the game mode EASHL (6v6) for the title of Best EASHL Team in Europe. Our new found venture into the North American NHL gaming scene is looking to follow in the footsteps of what we have done with the ECL. We've learned some important lessons from our success in Europe and feel that now is the time to also expand across the pond. The ECL has taken massive steps forward and now that we have that action plan in place, we will be able to kick off the NACL and improve it step by step in rapid succession. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with larger prize pools and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and eSports. Remember to stay up to speed with all our leagues by following our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. *The calculation is based on a 16 team NACL 1 Elite. NHLGamer withholds the right to alter the ruleset regarding the prize pool if the need should arise to change the size of the NACL 1 Elite division. Edit: Here's a couple useful links that will answer some of your questions: Link to rules NACL Fast Facts On behalf of NHLGamer, Kenneth

The new year has come, and with that a new season as competitive as ever is once again set to begin. Among the improvements there will even be a weekly Pro division broadcast on our Twitch channel, so join us in taking a look at how the contest stacks up this time around! Season information To find out about everything that's new with ECL '22, check out our earlier season information article. Notable dates for the ECL '22: Winter Pro season: Regular season: 3.1.-3.2. Transfer deadline: 16.1. 23:59 CET Playoffs (BO7) 7.2.-1.3. Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Winter Pro division will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with a weekly broadcast on the SportsGamer Twitch at 19:45 CET primarily on Tuesdays. You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Winter Pro league page. The exact prize pool for the Pro Winter season will be confirmed in the upcoming days, but it is expected to be around 5600 EUR and will be split as visualized in the below image (see the leftmost box for Pro). Social media Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, Wilhelm & Xbil. 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 hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Winter #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Winter #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Winter in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue. Season preview We are once again on the brink of an exciting season, with ECL ‘22: Winter bringing on a new era of virtual hockey. The addition of a new qualifier system prior to ECL 12 already brought the Pro teams some added pressure to raise the bar, but now with the introduction of prize money the competition is sure to become even fiercer, hopefully elevating the hunger further up a notch and on to another level. The long and hard fought qualifiers have concluded, and with that comes a fresh set of teams joining the ones whose Pro status were already secured based on last season’s merit. Along with new squads WannaCry and Fiasko, we also find some familiar returnees from seasons past in Reality Check, Nemesis, noRex Gaming and Vaxjo Lakers. After gaining qualifier eligibility from the lower divisions last season, AfroDunk, GIFU Hockey, Hokurit and Tohtorit were also able to successfully match the challenge. In the Pro qualifier preceding last season, not a single earlier Pro team wounding up there got through. This time, two of the participating ECL 12 Pro outfits, PENTA and RCTIC, were able to fight through the battle and regain their spots. At the same time Golden Nights, Sjukstugan and EHC TATNEFT AK BARS (previously METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK) were not as fortunate and now find themselves down in Lite for the Winter season. An extra Elite qualifier had to take place over the holidays as well, after the last second disbandment of SAWO ESPORTS left a spot open among the continent’s best. Last season’s Pro quarterfinal teams and Elite relegate JYP Jyvaskyla took part, with Pro semifinalist BoxinElite (now Roots Gaming) emerging at the top. They may not have Elite in their name anymore, but in the end they proved to be just that by gaining the promotion to join Europe’s top 16. Their departure decreases the total number of teams returning from last season down to 20, while increasing the amount of new ones up to twelve. Not only is there a good amount of possibly unfamiliar teams, a lot of the returning ones have seen big changes too. It has also been quite a long time since we have seen any ECL Pro action, so taking a brief look into every team taking part could be relatively nice. If anything, just to help refresh memories, right? Keep on reading to get familiar with the teams just in time before the new campaign gets going! Björklöven Esport, Group 1 Björklöven barely squeezed through to the playoffs last season and were instantly eliminated by GHETTO FIREBIRDS (then known as Conquer Gaming) in five games. Other than losing defenseman @vVoDee to newly Elite bound Roots Gaming, they seem to have retained largely the same group and can keep building on that foundation. Player to Watch: @rakkauspakkaus- @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs BOOMERS (previously Sack Brothers), Group 1 None of the original Sack Brothers remain, thus the name change. On the offensive side they have lost two important forwards in @snippystatue and @Tukexi (MATILAISKA_), but have strengthened a bit in net with the addition of @jubex0r. Despite the decent outing in FCL during the fall, the Boomers haven’t found the same touch yet in NHL 22. If they can start off good and build on the momentum, there’s a chance they can barely sneak into the postseason. Player to Watch: @kemppainen39 @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot Company of Geeks, Group 1 The Geeks got quite close to the playoffs with good under the radar signings last season, and it looks like they are trying to do the same thing for the second season in a row. Losing top scorer @xLeikku and defenseman @ripKeisari to HanaaHC only a few weeks ago could hurt, so they need to hit on the unknowns again to make it happen. Captain @Jesus (JezuzKristuz) will be making the switch to defense to make some room in the offense for ECL 9 Neo Champion @Hagerstrom_99, meanwhile @Chevikov (Hikoilija__) is hoping to have as good of a debut ECL season as xLeikku did. We will see where they end up but at the moment playoffs are not looking likely. Player to Watch: @Chevikov (Hikoilija__) @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot Dynastia, Group 1 The roster of Dynastia keeps on changing seemingly after every competition and even in between them, but they have a good foundation in place. The two young and hungry offensive guns @xHatsi and @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) should be good additions along with new starting goalie @Vamoux. They should not have too much trouble reaching the postseason if they can play on their own level. Player to Watch: @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs GHETTO FIREBIRDS (previously Conquer Gaming), Group 2 Even though they fell short of the playoffs in the Elite qualifier, the Firebirds still got two points in a way or another against every opponent they faced. They proved to be able to win against anyone in Pro, just need to find a way to consistently reach that level. It will be interesting to see how they will be affected after parting ways with forward @Iltapeli (apetttaja) mere days ago, as it remains to be seen what kind of value they can find by foraying into the transfer market this late. @Santtu (santtu3333) gets a good chance to step back a bit and focus on the lessons learned after a hard last season in Elite with Rusty Blades, jumping there straight from Lite and then getting instantly relegated. Player to Watch: @Jertsicc @Mikka's prediction: Contender @Keuschemisch's prediction: Contender Hotbox, Group 2 After winning bronze (and promotion to Pro) with Hotbox in ECL 11 Lite, assistant captain @ItzPoro stayed back there with Reality Check for one more season, adding a championship to his trophy case. Now he is back in Hotbox, though in turn they have lost @James (Jamechkin) to Stargazing. An important piece, Jamechkin joined a 1-7-1 Hotbox from Reality Check last season and helped them turn that into an eight game win streak on their way to a playoff berth. Hotbox has also signed the former Elite goalie @s_w1ld_rus (someth1ng_w1ld) and a high scorer from Core in @Macentoitunu. Reaching the postseason would not be some huge shock, but there are too many teams looking better right now. Player to Watch: @ItzPoro @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs Luleå Hockey, Group 2 In the footsteps of Hotbox, Luleå Hockey will try to follow up their ECL 12 Lite bronze with a trip to the playoffs in their Pro debut. @Buffy (Duh-ha) brings in a ton of high-level experience to complete a fairly promising looking forward trio with @Tkautto98 (Kautto_) and @Jarvinder. Their defensive end and goaltending remains to be tested though, with only the fresh signing of @Toobbiiee (Vesterberg89) having experience higher than Lite. Luleå’s focus should mostly be on trying to learn and gain experience during the season, with the hope of avoiding the qualifier. They only managed a win and an overtime loss in ECL Warmup. Player to Watch: @Tkautto98 (Kautto_) @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot Nemesis, Group 1 Having made the last appearance with this name in ECL 5 Pro during a season that resulted in relegation, Nemesis is finally back! In fairness, most of their roster did play on the Pro level in ECL 9, 10 and 11 under the We Kings banner. Even though they should be able to cause some trouble to unsuspecting opponents, in the end they are not going to get into postseason play without a rather sizable hot streak. Player to Watch: @Viltzup @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot noRex Gaming, Group 2 An ECL 11 Pro team, noRex failed to gain back their spot in last season’s Pro qualifier, but then went all the way on to a finals game 7 against Reality Check in Lite. They are now back stronger after having had a season to grow and reflect on what went wrong the last time. Bringing in @DiMatteo70 adds years of experience between the pipes, and @Tiltsson should be hungry to push the team far after already getting a good taste of Pro playoffs last season with Blackdawgs. @Melguss, while inexperienced, adds on another hungry Swede to the roster. Making the postseason should be a realistic goal for the German organization. Player to Watch: @Tiltsson @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch plays for noRex Gaming Pata Hellalla, Group 2 Pata had a bad showing in the Warmup, wounding up at the bottom of the table. Though as it has previously been stated over and over again, never count out Pata Hellalla. On a good day they play like a good Pro team should, meanwhile on others… Not quite. Finding consistency is key for them, and having good goaltending plays a massive part in that. It remains to be seen what the inexperienced @XAPPN is capable of doing inside the crease with a winning team in front. Player to Watch: @kungenkurwa @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs RCTIC, Group 1 Despite having had a tough stretch during ECL 12, RCTIC managed to claw their way back to Pro through the qualifier. They have added two former VISU players in goalie @Jjmakkeli (JussinSisko) and LW @Limbe65, who should be a nice upgrade after @meicci retired. They have also managed to upgrade at the LD spot with the tremendously experienced @Aze (AzeStiNe), so they are looking a lot better on paper. Player to Watch: @Aze (AzeStiNE) @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot Reality Check, Group 2 The ECL 12 Lite Champion managed to lure some big fish, adding first time Pro players @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) and @kim_johan from Elite team Northern Ascendancy, although the latter acted only as a backup last season. They have also strengthened in net with the addition of @FINSeRe, who was a part of the inaugural Reality Check in ECL 8. Winning back to back championships will be tough, but they will have a chance if they can keep on getting better throughout the whole season. Player to Watch: @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) @Mikka's prediction: Contender @Keuschemisch's prediction: Contender Sinister, Group 1 Having lost their former captain @Jimisebastian to WannaCry, Sinister went on to add quite a few new names to their roster. Former HAVU backup @topikeranen has been playing in Lite for the past few seasons, but he has a lot of experience, including the title of ECL 5 Pro Champion from the last time he played in the division. They have also added ECL 2 Champion @Hoosii (Hoo-Sii), who was the ECL 6 Pro runner up with FILADELPHIA. The final new addition is the inexperienced yet promising forward @JerePaloranta (Harlowi-), making his ECL debut. Player to Watch: @PuukAesi (rransu) @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot Tohtorit, Group 1 A team that took the scene by storm in the FCL this past fall, Tohtorit made Pro through the qualifier, having clinched eligibility by finishing 4th in ECL 12 Core. Jumping from Core straight to Pro is a big challenge, but they are going to be just fine if they can play at the level they showed at their best in FCL. They have not done much to tinker with their roster after that, other than adding @Wpaanane who already made a successful run through the Pro qualifier last season with Dynastia. After the qualifier he decided to step back to Lite for one more season though, so he will be finally taking his first strides in this division alongside the other Tohtorit players. Bringing in the only Pro experience in their squad, @Kkarkass also joins them from the now-disbanded Patience. Player to Watch: @Wpaanane @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs Växjö Lakers, Group 2 Making a return after a season’s absence is Växjö Lakers, who paved their way all the way from a Pro Wildcard Battle to make it back. They have retained almost half of their old roster, so there is some chemistry already built. The positions have been changed a bit though, with former defensemen @EDHOLMEN3 and @Hockeyjohannes seemingly stepping up to forward positions alongside @Kattenj. Their defensemen are a bit inexperienced, though they will be receiving a good amount of help from their goaltenders, especially after managing to snag ex-SAWO goalie @Mehukatti10. The Lakers need to keep their heads cool and execute on a steady level to fulfill their talent and make the postseason. Player to Watch: @Kattenj @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs WannaCry, Group 2 Built on the ashes of a decent FCL run by Reign, WannaCry is another Wildcard team that made their way to Pro. All of their three defensemen played together in the ECL 11 Lite BoxinElite, so there is already some common chemistry within the backline. They played the qualifier with @zMikkeez, who has already departed onwards to Roots, knowing that they would have to replace him due to his conscription service beginning right at season start. Finding the replacement took some time, so it remains to be seen how well the late addition @Jimisebastian can gel together with the team, and how it may affect their game. Player to Watch: @kkostiiii @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot The rest of the team previews were written by @Keuschemisch AfroDunk, Group 1 Another team that managed to pave their way through the qualifier into ECL Pro. AfroDunk squeezed themselves into Europe's second highest division by a small margin in the second stage of the qualification tournament. After being eliminated by Project X in the second round of ECL 12 Lite, the Finnish outfit added goalie@Empuuz_24 who played a decisive role in Otukset’s FCL run, as well as announcing a huge move right before the start of the season: @apettaja will reinforce AfroDunks offensive power. The team needs their perfect game in every matchup to make a postseason appearance possible. Player to Watch: @apettaja @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot Deadly Phantoms (previously Team LEISURE), Group 1 Under their old and new name the famous German powerhouse Deadly Phantoms are back! After falling short in last season’s ECL Pro finals against Djurgarden Hockey and losing the relegation series against KOVA Esports, the team around captain @Franky__2768 is keen on bouncing back. After the return of their lost son @Timasy from YMCA Esports, the Germans added @Pathen-21- to their roster. Taking a look at their lineups during the warmup tournament as well as the Elite Qualification Tournament it seems like Timasy and center veteran @PlaymakerSJ are going to take the spots as backup players in the coming season. It will be crucial if Pathen-21- will be able to follow in PlaymakerSJ's footsteps. Player to Watch: @Pathen-21- @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs Fiasko, Group 2 The freshly built squad around @tkantola fought their way throughout the Pro Wildcard Battle and both Qualification stages into Europe’s top 48. Finishing on a strong third place behind WannaCry and RCTIC, Fiasko has to prove consistency in the regular season to prevail in ECL Pro. @Xkeineri and @Tzon93 have been their top scorers in all competitions so far and they will need their scoring touch to fight their way through ECL Winter. Player to Watch: @Tzon93 @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot Geekz Energy eSports (previously Inter Iceland), Group 2 The former side of Inter Iceland has been part of ECL Pro for the 5th consecutive season now. Only adding @rene hackberger (NoFun4U_96) in the offseason we are seeing familiar faces in the German-speaking outfit. After falling short to, later on promoted HV71 in the first round of last season's playoffs, the squad around @PLA77NER (Hasek-39—) is always a bit of a surprise box. Winger veteran @Stefan_397 (VISIONZ97_) will be once again their key player. If he maintains his scoring abilities Geekz Energy Esports will surely find themselves in the playoffs. But will they have the ability to persist in a best-of-seven series? Player to Watch: @Stefan_397 (VISIONZ97_) @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot GIFU Hockey, Group 2 Seed #3 of last ECL 12 Lite. GIFU Hockey found a quite early exit in round 2 with a heartbreaking game 7 loss against Hokurit. Participating in the offseason transfer carousel, the Finnish side managed to gain their Pro spot throughout the Qualifier. ECL Season 1 veteran @Sluibaaja_88 will be a key player to GIFU's success as well as captain @seegasormi who has been on a long ride with the team since FCL 2020 and ECL 11. Player to Watch: @Sluibaaja_88 @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot HanaaHC (previously Kiekko-Espoo Esports), Group 1 The former Kiekko-Espoo Esports made a big comeback under their old and new name. The Finns who started back in ECL 9 Lite played a big role in the Elite Qualification tournament, right before the start of the season. After finishing on rank 1 HanaaHC found an early exit against later on promoted Roots Gaming, though they were forced to play goalie @jg697000 (Gresu__) at the LW spot with @xLeikku absent during the playoffs. Adding xLeikku from Company of Geeks to their roster gives the experienced squad a big offensive boost. Player to Watch: @xLeikku @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka plays for HanaaHC Hawaii Hockey, Group 2 Paving their way through last season’s Wildcard battle and qualification tournaments, Hawaii Hockey finished on rank 11 of last ECL Pro. With the departure of their two strong forwards @Kumbik and @theMaddias, Hawaii Hockey had a rough time in the Warmup Tournament. It will be crucial for captain @MaciPapi to find adequate replacements to get their game going in the regular season. Will Hawaii Hockey turn things around and find their level in time? Player to Watch: @MaciPapi @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot Herlev Eagles, Group 2 Herlev Eagles will be one of the biggest contenders in the upcoming season. Reinforcing the whole team around their core of @oSandello, @Dreamickie and Danish dynamite @vibholm10, the Eagles added huge offensive power to their side. Norwegian center @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) and Finnish veteran @keranee will give them the edge in tight matchups and are well known for creative plays all over the ice. If Herlev maintain their consistency they will have a long season ahead of them. Player to Watch: @vibholm10 @Keuschemisch's prediction: Contender @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs Hokurit, Group 1 After being among the top teams in the last ECL Lite seasons Hokurit have finally found their way to ECL Pro! Reaching the Lite quarterfinals gave them the crucial spot in the Pro Qualifier where they made nearly no mistakes. Adding @Oliverigood gives them the needed depth in their roster. It will be interesting to see if Hokurit can prevail in a very tight league. Player to Watch: @Jondeezz @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs JYP Jyväskylä, Group 1 Yet another big contender for ECL ‘22: Winter Pro. JYP Jyväskylä got relegated after spending 6 consecutive seasons among Europe’s best teams in competitive virtual hockey and surprisingly fell short in the Elite Qualification. This will surely incite JYP even more to fight their way back into ECL Elite. Former HAVU winger @Buantso (Puantso) joined the SM Liiga side in the offseason and is one of the most exciting forwards to watch in the upcoming season. If JYP finds their consistency the Finnish outfit is the top contender on this season's ECL Pro title. Player to Watch: @Buantso (Puantso) @Keuschemisch's prediction: Contender @Mikka's prediction: Contender PENTA, Group 1 The third German Esports organization in the upcoming season. After winning their first title in the GCL 7 Cup, PENTA added two experienced players to their roster. Former Elite players @Krinke and @gzell60 found themselves in the starting six, after joining from the German Lite participant Central Hockey Canucks. By a very small margin the German outfit defended their Pro spot in the Qualifier and seem to be in search of more consistency. After rotating @Domi_PENTA back to the right Defense it will be very interesting to see how their offensive game will develop throughout the season. Player to Watch: @Krinke @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs Renascor (previously Blackdawgs), Group 2 The RCL powerhouse Renascor, formerly known as Blackdawgs, will be a very exciting squad to watch. The squad around Ukrainian winger @Valluxet smashed their opponents in RCL 2 Cup during last summer but could not find their way into the Elite Qualification playoffs, even though beating many strong teams. Renascor had a strong preseason and is keen on continuing their offensive striking power in ECL Pro as well. The key to success will be consistency and improving on defense. Player to Watch: @Valluxet @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs SPARTIATES X MCES, Group 1 For the first time in NHLGamer history we will see five teams from the central server in ECL Pro. SPARTIATES X MCES will play their second consecutive season among Europe’s top 48 but are expected to have a rather tough time next season. After losing their top forward @Winci (Winci16) to Toceny Salamy in ECL Core, and the eNLA 1v1 champion, Defenseman @Tron1x90 (Komir_90) to HC Lausanne Esports, the French side is in desperate need of adequate replacements. Captain @Tromi13 rotated from center to left defense after adding Finnish Center @vizka13 (Vizka-) to their squad. The Spartiates will be underdogs in most matchups in upcoming ECL Winter Pro. Player to Watch: @Tromi13 @Keuschemisch's prediction: Outside shot @Mikka's prediction: Outside shot Stargazing (previously Rookie Mistakes), Group 2 Stargazing, taking the spot of Rookie Mistakes, is a new team on the horizon of ECL Pro. After combining players from ECL Core semifinalist Stargazing and Pro veterans Rookie Mistakes, the Finnish side decided to attack under a new name. With an exciting combination of talented and experienced forwards and an important allrounder like @James (Jamechkin), the new club on the block will be one of the favorites to qualify for the postseason in ECL '22: Winter Pro. When might their journey end next season? Player to Watch: @Flopper71 @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka's prediction: Contender Sulkavan Sudet, Group 2 The experienced roster around @Oxdoggi is set for their 4th season on Pro level. Last season the Wolves finished in an astonishing second place but fell victim to Team LEISURE (now Deadly Phantoms) who just found their excellent form which led them to the finals of ECL 12 Pro. After a few changes in their lineup and a solid FCL performance during autumn, Sulkavan Sudet is once again another team which should be on everyone's playoffs participant list. How far their journey will go will depend massively on their chemistry within the team. Player to Watch: @Koppipelaaja (jamoyy) @Keuschemisch's prediction: Battling for playoffs @Mikka's prediction: Battling for playoffs VISU Gaming, Group 1 After falling short in the finals of ECL 11 Lite as Exerceo, the squad around captain @Saviinainen has arrived among the top teams in ECL Pro and is one of the few big contenders on the Pro Title – or at least promotion to ECL Elite. Being beaten by Roots Gaming in the finals of the Elite Qualification the Finns will be keen on taking the next step this year. Drawing the right consequences from the preseason will strengthen the mentality and consistency of VISUs game and might lead them to Europe’s Elite. Player to Watch: @hpkfani (MuKiMaisteri) @Keuschemisch's prediction: Contender @Mikka's prediction: Contender And with that it is time to wrap up our Pro season preview. Predictions are never perfect and the more the merrier, so if you think you know better or have some interesting nuggets of info, please let us know in the comments down below We will be back with the midseason report in a couple of weeks, good luck everyone & see you then! PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter

Roots Gaming returns to competitive virtual hockey after a short break. The goal of the organization is to provide its players with great opportunities to focus on gaming and things around it that make the gaming itself a better experience. After a break of around half a year, Roots Gaming makes a comeback to the virtual ice. Their first time around, they played in Elite with no changes in their core roster. Back then Roots had three top 8 placements at the highest level of NHL 6v6 gaming.   The new team that’s going to compete under the Roots Gaming organization is former BoxinElite. Next ECL season they will play in the Pro division. We asked from the team captain Santeri @xleksa35(xleksa_) Levänen how it all got started with this lineup: “The dea of an own team got started in May 2020 when we used to play the 1v1 game mode on Xbox. In spring 2020 we decided to move to Playstation with Linus @Limu95 Christiansson, Samuli @ssampee37 Mäntylä and a couple other of our friends. In that year’s autumn we participated in our first tournament and after that we have had quite favorable results in tournaments with small roster moves. Last Pro season we proved that we belong among the top teams but now it’s time to take the next step.”   The captain says that the biggest strengths in their team consists of team spirit and the fact that every player has a big role: “Our team has a couple experienced guys and the rest of the group are hungry young talents. Every team member has an important role on achieving our future goals as a team."    Roots Gaming ry is from Kerava and was founded in 2019. They are a non-profit esport organization with a goal to develop the Finnish esports and culture in Kerava. They also want to provide a safe and modern environment for children to practice and improve themselves in esports. Roots Gaming also offers coaching activities. Their objective is to change certain attitudes towards esports and that’s why physical activity, healthy eating habits and understanding rest are important things for them along with the core operation of gaming.   Esports director of Roots Gaming Väinö @vSilenttioPietilä was playing for Roots Gaming when they made their first appearance in the scene. We asked him to share some thoughts about the past and what things he’s excited about in future with BoxinElite: “Our first one and a half years in NHL taught us a lot of good things on and off the ice. We realized during that time as an organization that like many other esports games also NHL 6v6 playing consists of many other things besides just individual skills on the ice. That’s why we think that NHL as a team sport is made for us.” ”When we stepped aside from the scene in May 2021, we already knew that we would come back and now after we have looked into different teams, NHLGamer and the whole scene, we are ready to come back to our beloved esport. BoxinElite was one of the first teams that were under our radar for a long time and was actually the first team who we were in touch with about a possible cooperation. The team has done some good long-term work in all silence, even though they have only played a couple of tournaments together where they have got some good results. I see a lot of great things with the team and their team play, and with those things it’s easy to get started with our mutual journey”, Pietilä continues. Boxinelite is also really excited about their future with Roots Gaming: ”A little while ago, Väinö contacted us and told that Roots would be coming back to NHL esports and they would want us to join the project. We were humbled by that and realized in a short time that Boxinelite and Roots had similar ambitions and the desire to push things forward. Our cooperation with Roots Gaming is kind of a reward to us for our hard work but also it is a good motivator for the future!", states captain @xleksa35. Sonja Ahtiainen, Vice Chairman of Roots Gaming wants to emphasize some major points from their organization’s values and their future objectives: “We have experienced with our CS:GO team as also with our former NHL team that participating in everyday life with them has a comprehensive effect. Improvement of performance and team skills in a team sport and at the individual level are clearly noticeable. As an organization we want to be a part of our team’s actions and we want to improve it as a whole instead of only bringing basic things to them and after that leaving responsibility to the players. Our player’s wellbeing is at the center of our actions and our main target is to reform people’s thoughts about esports. The fact that Finnish esports culture has grown little by little in past years doesn’t mean that we could sit there and watch what happens next. It’s time to talk less and really turn the work mode on!”

NHLGamers, It's been a while since the ECL action came to an end and we've all surely been itching for some competitive hockey for quite a while now! The SCL is now underway and the first week of competition has shown a lot of promise - with that being said, we know that the SCL doesn't cater to the needs of all of our community and that's why we're bringing you the Spring League. The NHLGamer Spring League is a free-to-play tournament meant to cater to the competitive gamers in our community. This tournament is a great opportunity for teams to keep up their skill level while some teams will have the chance to face off and test their quality against some of the very top teams - something that wouldn't happen with the ECL format. The Spring League will not feature a divisions framework. The start date for the league is set at Monday, the 6th of May, 2019. Signups start immediately, please head over to the registrations thread in order to sign your team up. The deadline for signing up is Friday 3rd of May 23:59 CEST. Background vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com Further details about the league will be communicated once we have an approximate evaluation of how many teams will sign up, but expect the league to run with a similar ruleset to the ECL, without the divisions framework however. For those wondering, the Spring League and Summer Cup 4 will very likely be running simultaneously for part of the summer. This in no way means that you can't participate in both, but will force players to prioritise a bit for that time period. We look forward to seeing you all on the ice!

NHLGamers, We are excited to announce our expansion of both our offering and our community to other sports gaming titles and will communicate more details in the near future. At this point we updated all of our socials to SportsGamerGG and with that would ask you to please make sure to update your social tags and bookmarks to @SportsGamerGG. See below for the full list of links: facebook.com/SportsGamerGG instagram.com/SportsGamerGG twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG twitter.com/SportsGamerGG youtube.com/c/SportsGamerGG

NHLGamers, Hockey in the southern parts of Finland has long roots and fans are used to seeing success with the big clubs such as HIFK and Jokerit, but the teams in the surrounding areas such as Vantaa and Espoo have been doing tremendous work growing the sport and expanding into new areas which can be proven by Kiekko-Vantaa getting into esports now being followed by Kiekko-Espoo partnering with ECL Pro powerhouse HanaaHC. Game Cave Espoo will be providing the esports team with top-of-the-line facilities and equipment to realize their full potential. Kiekko-Espoo is especially known for promoting growth in Finnish junior hockey and being the club where hockey legends such as Jere Lehtinen and Juha Ylönen among others took their first strides at the professional level. Since then, the history of the club has been somewhat turbulent as they spent several years with the name Espoon Blues, but the teams was eventually defunct in 2016 due to financial issues. 2018 saw the return of Kiekko-Espoo to fill the void at the mens level of hockey in the Espoo area and the teams secured a spot in the Mestis (second tier of hockey) for the 2020-2021 season. "We'll be taking this one step at a time but believe that a sustainable partnership could develop into great things for both parties. Together with the esports team, we'll generate added value to the entire Kiekko-Espoo organization. We believe in the growth of esports and want to be a part of it." - Antti Manninen, COO of Kiekko-Espoo Oy. After good efforts in ECL 10 Pro, but a tough FCL stint, the Kiekko-Espoo esports roster is now set on seeing the success that they believe they are capable of achieving. NHLGamer reached out to captain Jere @Hazard-laser Korte for some insight: ECL 10 Pro was a good run, but you struggled at times too - what are some things you've changed or put time into during the offseason? "Firstly, we were forced to make some changes to the LW position since Mikael @Mikka Alaheikka started his military service, but Toni @Borjendahlen Karjaluoto has been a great addition to our squad. We also acquired Tomi @tominointi Mäkelä from Enigma. Last season was our first run in the Pro division and I believe the experience has made us a better team. We've practiced hard and believe in ourselves." What's the story behind partnering with Kiekko-Espoo in particular? "When looking for organizations to partner with, we wanted to find a partner that shared our ambition and values. Kiekko-Espoo is an organization with heavy focus on development and we're really happy with how they handle their business." What are your goals in your first season representing Kiekko-Espoo? "I can't say enough how glad we are to represent Kiekko-Espoo. It will give us a great boost going forward that we hope we can turn into momentum this season. Our roster has seen some changes and we believe that we have to keep working hard in order to reach our final goal - a promotion spot." Kiekko-Espoo Esports can be seen in action in group 1 of the ECL 11 Pro, that starts already tonight! Follow the team on social media in order to stay up to date with their schedule. Twitter Twitch.tv Instagram

SportsGamers, Based on several community polls and careful deliberation over the course of the past few months, League Administration has decided to enforce a ban on a number of player Abilities in the upcoming eHockey SM, SCL and ECL seasons. The upcoming seasons will serve as pilots for these bans and we will review the situation in the offseason based on feedback received. Here is the list of abilities that will be banned: Bans will apply to both Zone (Gold) and Superstar (Silver) abilities listed below. Big Tipper Advanced speed, accuracy, and range when deflecting shots. Close Quarters Advanced power and accuracy when taking wrist/snap shots in close proximity to the net. Truculence Exceptional stability and assist on hits. Greatly increases the chance of knocking over the opponent and sapping their energy. Unstoppable Force Exceptional strength with the puck and a greatly increased ability to hold onto the puck when off balance. These bans will be enforced in the eHockey SM and the SCL, as well as the four highest divisions (Core, Lite, Pro and Elite) of ECL '23 Spring. ECL '23 Spring Neo will have no Ability bans in effect. If a player is found to have used a banned Ability in competitive games, the first infraction will result in a warning. Two warnings will result in a suspension. UPDATE: Based on feedback the penalty for infractions will be revised and released in the rulebooks of each upcoming league.

NHLGamers, ‘Tis the season... the season for world class NHL gaming once again! After an unusually long break for the ECL franchise, we return with a bang as we kick off FOUR divisions this season. Yes, you read that right, this season we’re introducing ECL Neo into our framework. The newcomer will be exactly that - a division for new NHL gamers to get adjusted to playing in a league and the requirements that it has on a team and its players. See it as an incubator for future potential. ECL Neo will also be suitable for players who want to play games at a less stressful pace as this division only has two suggested weekly game days. Alongside Neo, we will run Lite, Pro and Elite as usual. If you don't know what I'm talking about by now, here's a briefing of what ECL is; ECL is a competitive EA Sports NHL League. Games are played in the EASHL game mode in a 6vs6 manner. Since ECL 4, we have implemented a divisions framework with Lite (and now also Neo) being entry level, Pro being our mid-level and Elite holding the best 16 teams in Europe. A season in each division consists of a group stage/regular season and playoffs. Here is the planned divisions structure for ECL 9: ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Gamedays: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 7 days per round ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Gamedays: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 8 days per round ECL Lite: 48-64 teams (TBC) Sign up: Anyone can apply for ECL Lite Teams will be decided by Franchise history, Roster composition and EASHL record ECL Lite registrants are also allowed to apply for a spot in ECL Pro Teams signing up for ECL Lite that don't make it into ECL Pro or ECL Lite will be automatically placed in ECL Neo Gamedays: Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday Regular season: Four groups Playoffs: 32 teams Best-of-7 8 days per round ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Gamedays: Wednesday & Sunday Regular season: Four groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-5 7 days per round Basic information/requirements of ECL: Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. North American players are not allowed to host matches / be captain in the lineup, which means all games need to take place on European servers. This also applies to Russian players - please evaluate your previous connection experience against some of the teams participating in the ECL, especially if you live in eastern parts of your country (which likely connects you to US West servers). In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players. 6 vs. 6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 20. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card. Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. ECL Elite license: Teams in ECL Elite will be required to pay for an ECL Elite license in order to play (more details to follow). Rules: The ECL 9 ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 8. We will fine-tune the rules a little bit, but more information is to follow. Meanwhile, you can find the ECL 8 rules here. Meet the Cover Gamer of ECL 9: Hannes "Hansulinho" Kettunen Hansulinho is well-known for his all-round abilities and success in the NHL-series. In the 6vs6 mode, he's stopping pucks. Photo credit: SEUL ry / Arttu Kokkonen Having started a tradition of featuring cover gamers last season with Erik @Eki Tammenpää, we needed to bring equal heat this season. With that being said, we are extremely happy to announce that the second ever ECL cover gamer is one of the pioneers in this community. We are happy to have multiple Finnish 1vs1 champion, FCL Champion, ECL Champion, NHL GWC Finalist and overall nice guy Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen serving as the ECL 9 cover gamer. His team HAVU Gaming managed to win the ECL 8 title at LanTrek under their old name Written In The Stars, after which the veteran gamer went on to make an appearance in the NHL GWC Finals in Las Vegas together with friend and occasional rival Eki and finally capping off NHL 19 with a Finnish FCL title in the crease for his HAVU Gaming. Hansu is a true veteran of the sport and rightfully so has been selected to be featured as our cover gamer. “It’s an honor, I guess it means I’ve done things right and I’ll continue trying to set an example in the future too.” says the man himself about the selection. Broadcasts ECL 9 Elite will be regularly broadcasted on the NHLGamer Twitch channel. Broadcasts will feature miscellaneous talent, such as fan favourite caster Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen along with other familiar faces, such as Adam @esdor Ericson, Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta and Jani @Janikka Tuominen. Be sure to follow our channel at twitch.tv/NHLGamer. ECL Elite Finals and prize pool The ECL 9 season is planned to culminate in a final event in Finland in early January (currently penciled in on Saturday the 11th - to be confirmed). All the details of this event are not finalized and will have to be confirmed at a later stage. At this event the two best ECL Elite teams will clash for the most respected title in 6vs6 NHL gaming and a share of the total prize pool of 5000€. The Elite division of the prize pool will be as follows: #1. ECL 9 Elite Champion: 3500€ #2. ECL 9 Elite Runner-Up: 1000€ #3.-4. ECL 9 Elite Semifinal losers: 250€ *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the ECL 9 Finals. When? ECL Elite will kick off already next week, while the other divisions will have some more time to sign up for this season: ECL 9 Elite will kick off on Wednesday, 13th of November, signups end on Saturday 9th of November 23:59 CET ECL 9 Pro will kick off on Monday, 18th of November, signups end on Friday 15th of November 23:59 CET ECL 9 Lite will kick off on Tuesday, 19th of November, signups end on Friday 15th of November 23:59 CET ECL 9 Neo will kick off on Wednesday, 20th of November, signups end on Friday 15th of November 23:59 CET Where to sign up? Sign up for ECL 9 Elite here Sign up for ECL 9 Pro here Sign up for ECL 9 Lite here Sign up for ECL 9 Neo here Please note: If you are currently in negotiations with an organization and have plans to change your team name, but are uncertain if you will make it until the start of the season, please contact @Kenu with this information as soon as possible. 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. What can I do to help out? If you feel like you want to do more for the project, head over to this article for some examples on what sort of staff we are looking for and where to get in touch. As for the small things everyone can do, follow our different channels and spread the positive word of our community and your fellow players and teams - together we can make a difference! NHLGamer on Facebook NHLGamer on Twitch NHLGamer on Instagram NHLGamer on Twitter Hopefully that covers most of the questions you might have. Without further ado: Welcome to the ECL!

The NHL esports winter season brings some exciting times for our community. This winter, SportsGamer will host the first-ever 6v6 NHL Esports World Finals, where the reigning ECL '23 Winter Champion will be taking on the reigning North American Champion! Both the ECL '23 Winter season and the next NACL season will be played leading up to the World Finals, so the stakes are now higher than ever before. The first-ever 6v6 World Finals will take place on February 25th at Assembly Winter 2023 in Helsinki. This will be the first time in NHL esports history a European team faces off against a North American team in a live setting. History will be made and one team will gain the right to call themselves the 2023 NHL 6v6 World Champions. What is the ECL? The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports - a league where all the best European NHL gamers compete against each other in both EASHL (6v6) and Online Versus (1v1) for European Championship League titles. ECL v6 currently features five divisions, so enjoyable games are guaranteed for everyone regardless of skill level and experience! Sign-ups are open until December 8, 2022 - read more What is the NACL? The NACL is our North American counterpart to our longest running league - the ECL. With two seasons of experience in the North American market in the rearview, we have taken a step back and evaluated our successes and shortcomings for a new and improved approach. NACL offers 6v6 competition for both Xbox and PlayStation teams in order to secure a possibility for everyone to participate. Sign-ups are open until December 8, 2022 - read more About SportsGamer SportsGamer is deeply rooted in the EA Sports NHL series and has built a strong community around the game. In recent years, the platform has branched out into other sports gaming titles, all the while staying true to its roots. Some of SportsGamer's most notable products include the European Championship League, and several national leagues revolving around the NHL game series. Stay tuned for announcements regarding our upcoming events in the next few weeks.

After a gruelling workload through the last three months, Wednesday night saw the two best teams in the Lite division clash for the final games of the season. Reality Check HC and noRex Gaming left it all on the ice and went the distance of seven games to eventually see the experienced and resilient Reality Check HC hoist the trophy after a big performance in the decisive game. We reached out to captain @Pursuitti for some comments on the teams season. Before the season, you were eyeing a Pro spot, but suffered a disappointment in the qualifiers. Talk a bit about how your team handled the issue and how you tackled some struggles over the course of the season. "It was definitely a disappointment to not make it through the Qualifiers. In fact, I feel like we played well in those games, but in the short tournament, one off night sealed the deal for us. Eventually, about a week before the start of the season it was clear that we needed to make some roster changes and managed to quickly find replacements in @ItzPoro and @Mister (linuseliel), who showed up big when called upon. Even though we had to make some hasty changes, which threw our game off a bit, we immediately set our sights on the Championship - and I'm glad we reached that goal." You played a big role for the team throughout the season. Were there any other players that stepped up in a surprising way throughout your campaign? "In my opinion, everyone finned their own role exceptionally well. If we were to take a look at things on an individual level, @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) stepped up for us as the season progressed and found new gears throughout the playoffs. ItzPoro and @jezbaru formed a very good defensive pairing, where Poro handled more of the defensive duties and Jesba served as out fourth man on the rush. Linus found his scoring touch at the start of the playoffs and although he cooled down a bit towards the end, he worked hard in both ends of the ice and secured the eventual championship for us with his 4-1 and 5-2 goals in the seventh game. @Kauppias4 is a guy I'm at a loss for words about. This guy played at an incredible level throughout the season and in the finals especially. Also a shoutout to @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X), who served as our backup netminder and stayed positive, helping the team in that role all season." What does the future hold for Reality Check HC? "As I see it, our future is bright. We've got an excellent spirit within the squad and everyone shares the desire to develop their game as individuals and as a team. I feel like these things have the potential to take us far. I'm not sure if we'll ice a team for the upcoming FCL yet, but you'll definitely see Reality Check HC in the Pro division in ECL 13. Our objective is to maintain the same player core and as a captain, I naturally hope we don't have the need for any changes." Reality Check HC - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 2 - 23-3-2 (1st) Round 1: vs Grilli Tulille 4-1 Round 2: vs BIK Karlskoga Esport 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs Hokurit 4-3 Semifinals: vs Lulea Hockey 4-3 Finals: vs noRex Gaming 4-3 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #33 @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X) #77 @Kauppias4 DEFENSEMEN #19 @jezbaru #53 @ItzPoro FORWARDS #22 @Mister (linuseliel) #26 @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) #88 @Pursuitti Congratulations on behalf of the entire community, and see you next season!

Despite his young age, Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta has been playing virtual hockey for several years. During his career, he has represented not only his current team FILADELPHIA in various constellations and under various names, but also Farjestad BK and teams like Victorious Secret HC and Laser HT back in the day. Recent years have been very rewarding for the solid defenseman, filling up his trophy case nicely, most recently with the FCL title together with FILADELPHIA. A lot of different memories have been seized along the long virtual hockey career. However, one memory is above all others, namely playing for the first time in a live event, which also turned out being a success. "The best memory for me is definitely the first live event, which was the IS Cup 3/eSM, where we managed to grab our first Finnish Championship title. It was amazing to be able to put faces to all the gamertags and to get to know people better in general." Beginning of FILADELPHIA Loimmu has been a part of FILA's defense corps for several years already. He talks about how the team started in the first place and how it has become one of the long-term success stories of the scene. "FILA was built from the start with the mentality of being a team coming to challenge for the title of best team in Europe. Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala then put together one of the most skilled teams in the scene, but at the same time the team also had the best team spirit, at least in my own opinion. Out of these two factors I'd consider the latter as being the x-factor for us, although the importance of raw skill cannot be understated. Often we'd be trailing but catch up and eventually win due to maintaining a level of humor in the game despite our playing not being that good at the moment. I think we've always been on the same track and kept spirits high." When asked, he admits to being a very big fan of the Philadelphia Flyers and being especially fond of Kimmo Timonen besides legend Jaromir Jagr as a kid. In addition to playing NHL, Loimmu's selection of favorite games also includes CS:GO, which he often spends his free time playing. He admits that playing CS:GO is a very good change of pace from the regular NHL grind. "If I wouldn't spend so much time on NHL, CS would definitely be my game of choice. Currently it works as a great tandem for me alongside NHL. The most intriguing aspect of CS is the importance of skill, perhaps a NHL could also take inspiration from this, taking into account the growing popularity of competitive." Gaining experience on the right wing Loimmu is a very familiar sight in the defensive zone, but over the course of his virtual hockey career he has also played as a right winger. Even though his career began as a forward, the defenders role gradually became his favorite. "Yes, the RD spot is the most comfortable place for me to play, and RW comes in as a good number two. I started my career on the right wing, and then moved over to the middle lane before establishing myself as a defenseman. I'm ready to play as a forward if the team would need me to. In the off season, Erik @EkiTammenpää wanted to test out defense and we ended up switching spots for a couple of weeks. The team quickly realized their mistake and moved Eki back up front." Playing as a defender has its own challenges and aspects to it. Loimmu admits that possessing some forward experience has been very useful. He notes that often mistakes made by a defender are more clearly visible, as they often lead to goal-scoring situations for the opponent. Nor do defenders often get the credit they deserve for their success. "I'd say pacing the game is one of my strengths and as a forward I clearly noticed how much it would help you out when the defensemen would also handle joining the rush well. On the other hand, there are downsides to playing as a defender too, mainly that your mistakes are usually regarded as graver when compared to making similar mistakes on offense. I think defenders also rarely get credit for a good game. If a team wins 7-2 then the attackers have been great, and if you win 2-0 the goalkeeper has been a brick wall." When asked if Loimmu has any favorite way of scoring a goal, he grins and says that he enjoys deflecting the puck in via opposing players shin guards. Starting off with Joukki Loimuvirta has always liked hockey, and he admits that's the biggest reason he's still seen on the virtual ice. He notes that the console scene has grown very much over the past few years, which is only a positive thing. "I've always liked hockey, that's the biggest reason I'm still playing NHL. Back in the day when I started out, the scene wasn't as big as it is now (thanks to @Kenu) so I didn't really look up to any specific top players. On the other hand, Joakim @Joukki Nyholm introduced me to 6s at the beginning of my career, and back then he was way better than me. Despite this, we got along well and I think Joukki must have seen some potential in me since we kept playing together. At the time, I looked up to him and I'm happy to say we're still good friends to this day." Starting 6 - Loimmu's picks We asked the defender if he could put together the starting lineup of his dreams - then what would it look like. The only condition was that he can't pick his own team's players. "In my opinion, there are too few absolute top players in the scene, so this is what I'd call a 'project team' consisting of some veterans and prospects. C Risto @Dominointi Järvi: ''Seppo'' is one of the longest serving top-of-the-line forwards in the entire scene, and would certainly be a good mentor in this team with his great hockey sense. LW Roope @pikkuroger Bergström: Scouted by Patzlaf, pigguroger is (at least according to Joonas) a big name for the future, and would surely have a good time scoring with the next guy besides him. RW Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen: Perhaps the scene's most skilled forward, ''NikkeDee" guarantees jaw-dropping plays perfected on the practice ice. LD Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto: Lempäälä's gift to the world, Nassustelija would be the backbone of this team, supporting with surefire defensive play day in and day out. RD Viljo @viba2008 Kähkönen: Despite his very young age, Viba has caught the attention of several teams. There are rumours that he also has potential in hockey on the actual ice and I'm sure he'll do great in whichever sport he chooses to be his number one. G Ville @Supreex Korhonen: Supreex has been around the game for a long time, and it would be interesting to see him play for a top team in the league. Right now, one of the best goalkeepers around." We asked the experienced defender what kind of greetings he would send to those young people who might dream of playing competitively at the top of the virtual hockey world one day. "As I said before, there aren't too many top players in the scene after all, so if you're interested in NHL, I suggest you pick up the controller and try to take some influence from the streams of top players. After that you should be ready to get into some 6v6 action!" "Most of the top players have a background in either hockey, floorball or football, so I suppose that won't hurt you. I don't think it's a coincidence, because you need that sense for the game. Secondly I'd like to pinpoint that even this game requires some grinding and hours put into it, and above all a passion for hockey. Of course to succeed in a team sport you also need to be able to take others into account, no one likes playing with grumpy gamers", Loimmu continues.

NHLGamers, The regular season of ECL 12 Pro is finished and now crunch time begins! The race for the playoff spots and battles in the relegation zone were as tight as ever before. We have seen some surprises as well as favorites defending the top spots in their groups. In the following preview we want to take a closer look at the upcoming eight matchups in the first round. It is extremely hard to predict which teams will advance but we will give you our best try. We also appreciate your opinion: Which of these 16 teams will be able to pave their way into ECL Elite? Be sure to post your predictions in the comment section! (1) HV71 – Inter Iceland (8) With an important 4-2 victory over Rookie Mistakes on the last gameday, German side Inter Iceland managed to secure the last playoff spot in Group 2. The squad around goalie @PLA77NER(Hasek-39--) was not able to repeat their stunning regular season from ECL 11 Pro where they managed to secure a strong rank 2 behind Tunnel Vision but found an early exit in playoff round 1 against RCTIC (2-4). Forward @Stefan_397 once again leads the team in terms of scoring and will be one of their most decisive factors during this budding playoff run. On the flipside we find the Swedish side of HV71 who won Group 1 with a strong record of 22-8-0. The club from Jönköping manages to qualify for their first postseason on Pro level and will be one of the top contenders if they are able to continue their form. One of the best offenses combined with the third best defense in the whole league will be a tough nut to crack. While HV71 was the only team in the whole league to not lose a single match in overtime, Inter Iceland fell short four times. Keeping their calmness and staying cool in the right moments will be one of the most decisive factors in a tight series. Both goalies can play an important role. While Hasek-39-- is surely one of the most experienced goalies in the community, @Tiipponenii(coffelainen) finds himself among the top goalies in ECL 12 Pro and records 8 shutouts - the most of any goalie during the regular season. The offense around captain @Demski13has found the right balance between playmaking and goal scoring abilities. While Elite experienced @Rubituss finds himself on rank 3 with 64 points, while his winger partner @Zupancic_King424 (Zuppe_29) contributed with 24 goals for his team. It is worth mentioning that 11 out of his 24 goals were GWGs! While HV71's dominant playing style could suit Inter Iceland’s dangerous counter attacks it will be hard to beat the squad in blue and yellow. @Keuschemisch’s prediction: HV71 4-2 @Mikka's prediction: HV71 4-0 (2) BoxinElite – SPARTIATES X MCES (7) The promoted squad from BoxinElite managed to play a stunning regular season and finished on a more than convincing rank 2. They only fell one point short to group winners HV71 due to losing one game in OT against Sinister. Team captain @xleksa35leads by example. Being one of the top scorers in ECL 11 Lite the, right winger showed his individual class once again - 68 points in 30 games makes him the second best scorer in the league. SPARTIATES X MCES had a tough start to the season. With only two wins out of their first 13 games the French side was surely not paving their way to a possible playoff appearance but had an amazing second half of the season. Winning 13 out of their last 15 games secured them rank 7 and their first postseason in their first season at the Pro level. The French are the third team from the central server to qualify for the playoffs beside Team LEISURE and Inter Iceland from Germany. The Finnish BoxinElite is in clear favour of winning this series. Having one of the strongest offenses as well as a solid defense the stage is set for a long playoff run. While special teams could always make a difference – especially in a tight playoff series – both teams are lacking in efficiency while being on the powerplay. BoxinElite had the best penalty kill in their group (94,44%) and will be very hard to break down even while being one man short. It will be interesting to see if SPARTIATES X MCES are able to maintain their strong form and continue their five game winning streak. The winger duo of @Winciand @Adri1_SCP needs to produce and convert any chance given into a goal. High efficiency will be the most important factor. Will the French side be able to perform in the underdog role? @Keuschemisch’s prediction: BoxinElite 4-1 @Mikka's prediction: BoxinElite 4-1 (3) Djurgarden Hockey – Hotbox (6) The team from Sweden's capital found themselves among the top teams of Group 1 for the whole season. With a record of 18-7-5 Djurgarden Hockey secured rank 3 and home ice advantage in the first round. The Swedish side added @Strumpan87 from SSK Esports to their roster who immediately became their top scorer and contributed with 57 points in 30 games. While Danish Winger @Birkedal96 left the team after 6 games to ZSC Esports in ECL Elite, @amadee21 started every game on the right wing and found himself on a strong scoring streak. Lower seeded Hotbox started with a 5 game losing streak into this ECL 12 campaign. After getting acclimated to the Pro level, the Finnish squad started to collect their first points and especially being superior in winning tight matches by only one goal. Captain @Frans-Fin, who played every game in the regular season is also the teams best scorer with 44 points in 28 games followed by his winger colleague @James(Jamechkin) who contributed 35 points to the teams success. While Hotbox records the league's best powerplay with 34,21%, Djurgarden Hockey records the league's best defense by only conceding 45 goals in 30 games. Like in every series, special teams may be a decisive reason to win or lose games. It will be interesting to see if the Swedish side manages to stay away from the penalty box or if Hotbox will be able to break down Djurgardens solid defense. While the Finnish outfit of Hotbox is quite new to ECL Pro playoffs territory, the Swedish squad is well experienced on that ground. Finishing on rank 2 last season and beating Blackdawgs (4-2) in round 1 but falling short to later promoted ZSC Esports (0-4) the squad around captain @Jungledonk will be keen on taking the next step. Right according to the mantra: Offense wins games but defense wins championships? @Keuschemisch’s prediction: Djurgarden Hockey 4-1 @Mikka's prediction: Djurgarden Hockey 4-2 (4) Kiekko-Espoo Esports – Dynastia (5) Will it be one of the tightest series in this year's first round? Kiekko-Espoo Esports find themselves on rank 4 while recording 18 wins and being one point ahead of VISU Gaming. After falling short of a playoff qualification in ECL 11 by only 2 points, the Finnish outfit around captain @Hazard-laser is set to take the next step in the postseason. After bringing in @Frilander to strengthen the defensive force beside @Raikkoneeh, Kiekko-Espoo seemed to have found their starting six that we can also expect to play in this series. Dynastia fought their way through the Pro Qualification tournament right into their first postseason appearance on Pro level. Right from the start, Dynastia was able to collect points. The only team the freshly promoted side was not able to get points from was Hotbox who eventually finished one rank behind them in their group. Captain @Majuri20 (Diktaattori62) and winger @Vilze (Vilze92) are leading their team in points. Strong performances will be needed to beat Kiekko-Espoo in the first round. With 64 goals in 30 games, Kiekko-Espoo is the weakest offensive team of the top 8 in Group 1. On the other hand they record a strong defense by conceding only 1,93 goals per game. With their starting goalie @jg697000(Gresu__) reportedly being absent in the first round it will be interesting to see if backup @sMiika will be able to follow in his footsteps and carry the team to the second round. While Dynastia is one of three teams who managed to secure a spot for the playoffs with a negative goal difference it will be exciting to see how the offensive and defensive abilities of both teams will develop in this series. If Kiekko-Espoo maintains their calmness, they should be able to make use of their efficiency. @Timez(Timoccio), @Mikka and Hazard-laser played all 30 regular season games and scored many powerplay goals which could give them the edge over Dynastia. @Keuschemisch’s prediction: 4-2 Kiekko-Espoo Esports @Mikka's prediction: Mikka plays for Kiekko-Espoo Esports and stays neutral (1) Conquer Gaming - Bjorkloven Esport (8) Bjorkloven ended up staying above the playoff line after some walkover drama made sure to keep Sinister below them, but it does not in any way mean that they would not be worthy of playoff hockey. That being said though, the tight knit Conquer Gaming is the strong favorite here after steadily plowing through a Group 2 where it felt like almost every single team got into either losing or winning streaks of eight plus games. A testament to their consistency, Conquer had the best goal differential in the whole Pro division by a wide margin: a whopping +49 compared to the next-best +34 of Sulkavan Sudet and Djurgarden Hockey. Their leading offensive force centerman @Jertsicc was on fire too, finishing with a division leading 26+46=72 points in 28 games. At the other end, netminder @Jeresti (28 GP, 82.94%, 1.54 GAA, 2 SO) finished with the best save percentage amongst goalies who played the majority of games. While Conquer ended up as the second best in both most goals scored and the fewest conceded, Bjorkloven did not really shine in any stat category. Bjorkloven’s roster also had more variation, with seven skaters seeing playing time and only @Janzuh and @vVoDee featuring in every game, meanwhile Conquer played the whole regular season with the same starting six. Conquer should be able to keep their train back to Elite steadily on the tracks, but the ECL 11 Lite champions could cause the well oiled machine some problems by starting on the right foot from the get go, with the help of their high level names like @EDHOLMINHO and Janzuh stepping up and carrying them through. Out of all playoff teams they were the most penalized one in the regular season, so they will need to stay out of the box too if they want to have a chance to cause an upset. @Mikka's prediction: Conquer Gaming 4-1 @Keuschemisch’s prediction: Conquer Gaming 4-0 (2) Sulkavan Sudet - Team LEISURE (7) Another tight-knit former Elite roster, Team LEISURE have not had an amazing fairytale campaign back to the top this far this season. They struggled in the beginning to find their footing in the tighter Group 1, falling to a nine game losing streak after winning their three first, but have seemed to finally find it with 10 wins in their last 12, many of them with wide margins. Compared to the German outfit’s lackluster start resulting in them barely making the playoffs, Sulkavan Sudet on the other hand have been a positive surprise by managing to snatch the #2 seed from Group 2. The division’s top scoring squad (98 goals for) ended their regular season on a high note too, with winning streaks of four and eight games in their last 14. Their last opponents consisted of mainly the group’s bottom teams though, meanwhile Team LEISURE’s schedule had a bit of a wider mix of both bottom and playoff bubble opponents. This could be one of the more interesting matchups in the first round, with Sulkavan Sudet always having been an offensive minded, strong counter attacking squad that now are facing the highly experienced Team LEISURE, who have traditionally been known for their strong defense and team play. That is not to say that they cannot score though, as they ended up scoring the second most goals in Group 1, with their tally of 88 falling just one shy of the well known offensive dynamo BoxinElite’s 89. They got a lot of help on that front from their back end, with @Franky__2768 (6+28=34) and @xXPsykoSkillsXx (5+29=34) finishing as the number one and two in points among all defensemen in the division. Now that the Germans seem to have finally found their stride, I do not see many reasons why they would not be able to upset the much higher seeded Sudet. LEISURE’s playing style seems like it will match well against them as long as they keep an eye out for the Finns’ counter attacks. They have only made a six-game playoff appearance during their two prior Pro seasons, meanwhile Team LEISURE has always been a playoff performer and got some more experience from tighter games in the lower scoring Group 1. Even though Sulkavan Sudet racked up the most goals in Pro, they also let in a lot and that is why in my eyes Team Leisure have the advantage despite their low seed. @Mikka's prediction: 1-4 Team LEISURE @Keuschemisch’s prediction: 1-4 Team LEISURE (3) Patience - Blackdawgs (6) At around the midseason mark, Patience had some kind of internal falling out with their clear starter and only listed goalie, @PCJP(Pelkoneen), and he has not played a game for them since. After that the post between the pipes has been shared by ECL rookie @SirRaittinen and ECL 1 original @Miska (Zundeh), who has a few seasons worth of games under his belt at that position. The former seems to have been performing better though and looks slated to be the starting netminder come playoff time, with the latter most likely taking the center spot and @Karkkyjaa moving to SirRaittinen’s prior LW spot. Patience’s results have taken a bit of a dip after the goaltending change, but we will see if the uncertainty is now behind as they get ready to take on Blackdawgs. As expected prior to the season, the mostly Russian outfit was led by the clear internal top scorer @Valluxet with 27+26=53, 15 more points than their next best @Tiltsson. Other than that, they did not cause major feelings in any way, ending up with streaky results both ways. Every time they lost a game after a win, they also lost at least the next one. As in, all of their losses were part of at least a two game losing streak. The same kind of trend can be observed with their wins too, with only one of them being neither followed or preceded by another one. Expect this series to be a tight battle that can be won by either team that ends up having the hot streak during next week. Can Patience smother the guy on whose shoulders the Blackdawgs' offense lies on, or can Valluxet execute his scoring prowess and take advantage of the opponent’s goaltender situation? @Mikka's prediction: Patience 4-3 @Keuschemisch’s prediction: Blackdawgs 3-4 (4) Pata Hellalla - VISU Gaming (5) Last but definitely not least, Pata Hellalla and VISU Gaming are going to be facing off against each other. VISU looked very strong to start the season with only two losses in their first 16 games, but then something happened and what at the time looked like an easy ride to the top seed changed to a nine game losing streak. They managed to somewhat gather their form back when it started to look like they could even fall out of the playoffs, dropping only three points in their last five with a record of 3-1-1. In their second last regular season game, the former ECL 11 Lite runner ups got a huge confidence boost from a 6-2 win over BoxinElite that also kept the fellow Pro rookies from overtaking HV71 as the Group 1 number one seed. Similarly to VISU Gaming, Pata Hellalla had a very strong start too with 11 wins in a row, and after a one goal loss to Inter Iceland they once again got three wins in a row. After that though, in the remaining 13 games they only managed to gain a total of three wins, two of which in overtime, and one overtime loss along with seven of them in regulation, on top of the two walkover losses handed to them against Patience over their last matchup. This series is a battle of two teams with plenty of experienced players, which is once again going to be decided through who has the best form coming into the matchup. Although both outfits started out looking like their respective groups’ number one squads, VISU seems to have the slightly better form right now, giving them the edge over Pata Hellalla. Even then, this series is a toss up and could really go either way so do not be surprised about how it ends, unless it is a clear 4-0 sweep for either one. @Mikka's prediction: 3-4 VISU Gaming @Keuschemisch’s prediction: 2-4 VISU Gaming

ECL 11 Lite ended with some huge drama in the final series between Björklöven Esports and Exerceo that quite epically concluded in a game 7. Björklöven Esports won the series 4-3 after a phenomenal comeback from being 1-3 down. Both squads now compete in the Pro division, opening the place in the spotlight for new contenders and all new hero tales to be written. In addition to the finalists, the other two ECL 11 Lite semifinalists Grenoble BDL Esport and Hotbox are playing in Pro so quite extraordinarily the top 4 teams will be completely new in ECL 12 Lite this season. There are several teams relegated from Pro and also players in rosters with experience from upper levels so we can expect to see a season unlike any other in ECL Lite. The team cap is now 64 so the margins between the teams is smaller than ever before which makes battles from playoffs positions and also the regular season title way tougher. Hokurit reached Round 2 in the playoffs last season and is expected to play well again this time. Teams like TIKI TALK, Ducktales BK, NoRex Gaming and Södertälje SK played in Pro last season and with that experience are favorites bounce back and perform well in Lite. Royal HT has managed to gather an impressive roster that for some reason underperformed in their qualifier run, but they should find their form in the regular season. I think it is safe to predict that the top 8 includes at least a few of these teams I have mentioned. We're happy to also expect several dark horses to emerge and gladly welcome those squads to prove everyone wrong! Season information The default gamedays for ECL 12 Lite will be Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 20:00 CEST and teams are required to contact each other prior to the scheduled date as per ECL rules. Please get acquainted with the rulebook and refer to it in case of any problems over the course of the season. If any questions arise, please contact support. Notable dates for the ECL 12 Lite season: Regular season: 9.5 – 9.6 Transfer deadline: 25.5. 23:59 CEST Playoffs Round 1: 15.6 – 20.6 (BO7) Playoffs Round 2: 22.6 – 1.7 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 4.7 – 8.7 (BO7) Semifinals: 11.7 – 15.7 (BO7) Finals: 19.7 – 21.7 (BO7) In the first of four groups, we have several contenders for the group title and playoffs spots. Murohoki and TuTo Esports were eliminated early last season after a promising regular season, so they surely have something to prove this time. TIKI TALK were relegated from Pro and are one of the favorites due to their experience from Pro and their resilience and willingness to bounce back. Royal HT has as stated gathered an impressive roster that should be able to use their individual skill to find wins and contend. Ducktales BK also played in Pro last season. On Sunday evening - the very first matchday - they are scheduled play against TIKI TALK which could serve as a measuring of power between these two squads. That is also one of the highlights of the first matchday. In Group 2, Syndrome reached playoffs Round 2 last season which was kind of a disappointment for them, so they are expected to perform better this season. Reality Check HC has played even in the Elite qualifiers in past seasons and participated in the Pro qualifiers, which did not go their way. With that experience however, they are one of the teams to follow this season in Lite. Södertälje SK played in Pro last season and are one of the big favorites in this group and also one of the squads that could be taking the division title. This is a relatively even group and no big favorites stand out of the pack. I expect to see many tight games and fierce battle for the playoff spots. Nordic Nosebleed knocked out a strong Armada Hockey last season in Round 1 of the playoffs, proving that they are a team that could win any given matchup. FILADELPHIA Academy is a team to follow already because of their affiliation, but it is a delight to see how their reserves are performing in their first competitive season together. If the players in this academy team are anywhere near as talented as the players in the first team I expect FILADELPHIA Academy to finish high in the regular season and in a top 8 overall at least. Probably the tightest group in advance. There are 4-5 teams who performed well last season or have exceptional potential for succeeding such as Hokurit, Armada Hockey, NoRex Gaming, The Last Line and RoKi Esports to mention a few. RoKi Esports have increased their potential with experience and is one of the teams to watch this season. Tic Tac Toes is also a tremendously skilled ensemble that I expect to finish high. Barys eSports is a new team in ECL that has done well in the RCL. They are scheduled to go up against RoKi Esports on Sunday which is one of the highlights of the first matchday. The Barys eSports roster also includes some players with experience from Elite and Pro so the team is going to be a serious contender in their first ECL outing. Notable players to watch Across all 64 teams this season in Lite, there are dozens of interesting players you might want to follow during the season. It's impossible for us to include everyone and when picking some of them, some will be left out. On the following list are just few of the players that are expected to stand out this season. @L4nnisto ( Tic Tac Toes) ECL 11 Regular season 26 GP 6+33=39 Playoffs 11 GP 4+3=7 @Artuzio ( Tic Tac Toes) ECL 11 Regular season 26 GP 35+44=79 Playoffs 11 GP 5+15=20 @jubex0r ( Spirit) ECL 11 Regular season 28 GP 80,74 SV % 2,04 GAA 3 SO Playoffs 5 GP 73,44 SV % 3,4 GAA 0 SO @Rosvo_Joel (Zei_Tsei) ( Saucer Hockey) ECL 11 Regular season (Night Shift Hockey) 30 GP 5+35=40 Playoffs 4 GP 2+4=6 @Crisu_rottis ( Royal HT) ECL 11 Regular season (Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa) 30 GP 5+31=36 Playoffs 5 GP 1+1=2 @JanneK. (JANURI98) ( Royal HT) ECL 11 Regular season (Dark Horse) 24 GP 75,88 SV % 3,42 GAA 1 SO (Tunnel Vision) 12 GP 76,27 SV% 2,33 GAA 1 SO @topikeranen ( Royal HT) ECL 11 Regular season (TuTo Esports) 18 GP 19+28=47 Playoffs 6 7+4=11 @keranee ( Royal HT) ECL 11 Regular season (Gotham Knights) 30 GP 18+23=41 Playoffs 5 GP 2+1=3 @rize1988 ( Södertälje SK) ECL 11 Regular season (Almtuna Esports) 24 GP 15+41=56 Playoffs 7 GP 4+4=7 @Ollizhki ( Barys eSports) ECL 11 Regular season (Dark Horse) 24 GP 10+5=15 @Awptim ( Barys eSports) ECL 11 Regular season (Alliance HT) 28 GP 15+17=32 @itspardytime ( TIKI TALK) ECL 11 Regular season 30 GP 26+22=48 With that, we wish all participating ECL 12 Lite teams good luck in their respective campaigns! Remember to post about your games on various social media platforms using the tags #NHLGamer, #NHL21 and #ECL12 in order to get noticed and for other community members to find your posts.

NHLGamers, JYP Jyvaskyla is a traditional hockey club hailing from Central Finland and with their announcement today, the club is becoming the first Finnish Liiga-club to venture into NHL esports. “We’ve been planning our entry into esports for a long time already, it was really a matter of opportunity and Symphony struck us as a very potential team that wanted to work with us. We wanted to spice up our marketing with something new and an own esports team in the NHL scene is the perfect way to go in the current state of things. This allows us to present new opportunities in cooperation for our partners and serve our customers in a multitude of new ways.” - Taneli Maasalo, JYP Jyvaskyla about entering the NHL esports scene. “JYP is a prestigious club that has created a great brand. When they showed interest in us, we quickly found a similar note and decided to go ahead with the partnership. It’s also great to represent the first Liiga-team in NHL Esports.” - Team captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin The roster that will be representing JYP is that of former Symphony, which received a major overhaul since ECL 9, which wasn’t up to standards for the team that usually pushes far into the postseason. Most notably, the team boosted their left flank by adding left defenseman Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and left wing Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola to their lineup. “Our NHL roster has a lot of likeness to our Liiga squad, where we have a bunch of veteran expertise combined with youthful talent. Symphony has established themselves as a playoff contender in ECL Elite and we want to be there in helping them take the next step. There’s a lot of potential, which is proven by earlier performances like the 2nd place in ECL 7 for example.”, says Maasalo. Follow JYP Jyvaskyla on social media: Twitter / Team Twitter Facebook Instagram

Hey NHLGamers, Written In The Stars have been crowned as this season's Elite champion by beating FILADELPHIA 4 games to 1. As such, NHLGamer would like to congratulate each and every player from SKY for putting on a masterclass en route to their title. Additionally, we would also like to thank everyone that participated across all divisions this ECL for making each game as memorable as the last. If you missed out on any of the games from the finals then you can check out our Twitch channel or Elisa Viihde's where all games will be available to watch. The game by game results for the series are as follows: Game 1: FILADELPHIA - Written in the Stars 2:0 Game 2: Written in the Stars - FILADELPHIA 4:0 Game 3: FILADELPHIA - Written in the Stars 0:1 Game 4: Written in the Stars - FILADELPHIA 2:0 Game 5: FILADELPHIA - Written in the Stars 0:1 OT Written in the Stars' championship roster: GOALTENDERS #40 J. Lindström @poliskontroll #88 -. Hansuljevski @Hansulinho DEFENSEMEN #16 K. V @VesKuLiNe #43 Y. Wilhelm @willekunq #78 N. Tahtonen @Nassustelija FORWARDS #6 M. Sami @Buantso #13 I. SK @Dominointi #66 T. Keranen @topikeranen #91 U. SK @FlyerKungen Written In The Stars' road to the trophy: Regular season: 26-3-1 (1st) Quarterfinals: 4:0 vs. Northern Stars Semifinals: 4:0 vs. Rusty Blades Finals: 4:1 vs. FILADELPHIA Once again, NHLGamer would like to extend a warm thank you to all participants, every single member of this great community, Elisa Viihde and Dr. Oetker Rustica! Another entertaining season has passed us by and another new winner has been crowned. Enjoy your break and get ready to step on the virtual ice again very soon! Your NHLGamer Staff

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

NHLGamers, Last year, the FCL concluded at the Summer Assembly event and we finished by crowning Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola (1v1) and HAVU Gaming (6v6) champions. This time we’re proud to announce our recurring partnership with Gigantti to bring you another immensely exciting season of FCL action. Like last year, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2020) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) and the league will feature both the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes. The FCL will be played through August and September and is planned to finish on the 10th of October with a live event* in the capital area of Finland. The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2020 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2020 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 27.8. Preliminary schedule for 1v1: Group stage: 31.8-20.9 Playoffs: 21.9-1.10 TOP 4 Finals: 10.10 (BO3) Sign-ups for 6v6 are now closed. Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 24.8-11.9 Playoffs round 1: 14.-18.9. (BO5) Playoffs round 2: 21.-25.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 28.9-1.10 (BO5) Semifinals: 3.10-5.10 (BO5) Finals: 10.10 (BO5) *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the FCL 2020 Finals. Due to the majority of the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the Playstation 4 console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion HAVU Gaming will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2020 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2020 rules. The Finnish player who finishes highest in the NHL GWC 2020 European Finals will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. *Note: NHLGamer and Gigantti reserve the right to alter or cancel the live portion of the FCL in accordance with regulations and restrictions that may apply, or based on the judgement of the event organizer. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners Gigantti is the largest consumer electronics retailer in Finland, with 41 stores and 1200 employees. Gigantti has been an active player in the esports scene for a few years already. Their Overwatch-squad Team Gigantti bears the flag of Europe's most successful team, whereas the Gigantti CS:GO Cup and last year's FCL finals have proven to be great examples of what the tech retail giant can do in the field. Gigantti will continue on the path of developing Finnish esports and a key factor of that is partnerships with the industry-leading players. The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!

NHLGamers, We know you've got that competitive itch and it's time to get the action started! The total of 196 teams signed up shows that we are growing at a rapid pace. The tenth iteration of our longest-running league will be bringing you that high-level competition you've been longing for, but this time we wanted to up the ante - in bringing you a historical 6s prize pool of 15 000 €! This is made possible because of the several steps forward that we've taken in the past few months, but first and foremost due to our cherished partners Ilta-Sanomat Esports & Prisma Gaming. We'll also be seeing an unprecedented number of professional teams present in our league, with the Elite division alone featuring a total of ten teams representing esports organizations as well as traditional sporting associations. Among the newest additions, we have recently welcomed JYP Jyväskylä, SJ Gaming, hREDS, and KOVA Esports, whereas teams such as HAVU Gaming and Farjestad BK have already been sporting their colors for an extended period of time (and done so in successful fashion!). These organizations joining in brings an added level of interest and some existing rivalries to the scene, where for example the Finnish organizations are battling between themselves and our Swedish eSHL teams surely want to be able to call themselves kings of the hill in their own neighborhood. Continuing the tradition that began in ECL 8 when NHLGamer introduced NHL 18 World Champion Erik "I_Eki_I" Tammenpää as the first-ever cover gamer in the NHL 6v6 scene, a torch that was carried further by HAVU Gaming's star goaltender Hannes "Hansulinho" Kettunen in ECL 9, we are proud to present our ECL 10 cover gamer. None other than two-time ECL Elite champion and Linköping HC goaltender, Casper "ICappeI" Lundgren! Meet the ECL 10 cover gamer - Casper @ICappeI Lundgren You're the third ECL cover gamer and in good company at that, what are your thoughts about your selection? I'm proud to have been selected obviously and it's even more special to be the first Swede having the honor. I have tremendous respect for both @Eki and @Hansulinho and think they are the embodiment of sportsmanship, being in this club with those guys feels humbling. Your team Linkoping HC had a rather perfect run over the winter months and you walked away with two trophies to stack your shelf with. How motivated are you to defend that top spot and how does it feel to be the team everyone is gunning for? Yeah, it seemed like everything clicked and we really got our game going so there definitely was no stopping us. We're all competitive people and having established that winning culture makes us want to keep that momentum going, rest assured we will do everything in our power to keep that top spot. I know a lot of teams are out to get us and especially HAVU Gaming must be looking for a rematch after last season's finals. I also see hREDS as a prime candidate in the championship battle and Symphony has looked stronger than ever during the preseason. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the world on halt, but with the absence of traditional sports, that has opened up the opportunity for esports to shine. What are your thoughts on that and what do you think we can do to best utilize that opportunity? It's a shame to not have traditional sports, especially in a time where a majority of leagues would have been in the decisive times and the biggest games of the season would have been starting. With all of these esports orgs and traditional sports clubs joining, this is our chance to develop the NHL gaming scene and the interest around our league. I think the best we as players can do is to stay active on social media, get your Twitter, Twitch or Instagram going and support all the teams and people putting content out there! Check in on each other's broadcasts to get those viewer numbers up. It is up to us as a community to take care of this opportunity and growing the scene. Now is our chance to show all other sports fans how exciting esports really is! ECL Elite Finals and prize pool Due to the COVID-19 situation, the ECL 10 season is currently planned to be played online. The semifinals are played May 25th-28th and the finals on June 4th-5th. More details about the playoffs will be shared closer to the playoffs. The Elite division of the prize pool will be as follows: #1. ECL 10 Elite Champion: 10 000 € #2. ECL 10 Elite Runner-Up: 3 000 € #3.-4. ECL 10 Elite Semifinal losers: 1 000 € *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the ECL 10 Finals. When? ECL 10 Elite kicks off on Wednesday, April 8th at 20:00 CEST. Our broadcast of the night features heated battles between Unlucky Boys vs JYP Jyväskylä, followed by JYP Jyväskylä and GHETTO FIREBIRDS. Where/how to follow? ECL 10 Elite will see a whole new level of coverage and with traditional sports out of the picture for the time being this is our time to shine. The top division will feature two weekly broadcasts on Mondays and Thursdays at 20:00 CEST with our very own Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @CynAnderson being the prevalent voices over the course of the season and for those of you that have tuned in for some of our NACL broadcasts, you know that we've been working on the production a lot over the last few months, so you can expect us to have a few tricks up our sleeve. All broadcasts can be seen live at our Twitch-channel, but due to our fresh partnership also now on IS TV and Ruutu.fi. To clarify - while our regular scheduled broadcasts are on Mondays and Thursdays, the season will kick off with a Wednesday broadcast tomorrow, on April 8th at 20:00 CEST! About our main partners Ilta-Sanomat Ilta-Sanomat is Finland's largest digital media measured by unique daily readers. The tabloid is distributed in traditional form, but thrives online, prevailing as one of the main daily news outlets for Finns alike. Prisma Gaming Prisma Gaming is a carefully picked assortment of consoles, computers, and other gaming gear. The selection has been built together with the professionals at HAVU Gaming and can be found in all Prisma locations and online at Prisma.fi. Prisma Gaming wants to support Finnish esports and through the ECL, now also supports esports internationally. About our partners HockeySverige.se Hockeysverige.se is the biggest independent hockey site in Sweden, covering everything from the NHL to women's hockey and E-sport

Art by Efraim Larsson. Photos courtesy of Tölzer Löwen. You might think the life of a pro hockey player (any pro athlete for that matter) is awesome and all glamour. The reality can be quite different. Ben says he’s just a regular guy who happens to have some talent in hockey. It hasn’t always been that way though. There’s been a massive change in mentality and thought process to get to the point he is at today. Most of you have probably never heard of Ben Meisner and frankly it’s no surprise. The now 28-year old German-Canadian goaltender spent most of his junior career in smaller minor teams in his home province of Nova Scotia before moving away from home as a teenager to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a professional hockey player. The first years of his professional career was spent around the ECHL after which he headed over to Europe for a change of scenery. Name: Ben Meisner Date of birth: June 20th, 1990 Place of birth: Halifax, NS, CAN Nationality: Canada/Germany When talking to Ben he seems like a really down-to-earth guy who is really outspoken and passionate about what he has to say. A first impression wouldn’t give away his troubled past and deep scars. In an article Ben wrote for The Players Tribune, he states that his story is “about a kid who loved hockey so much that he forgot to love himself”. Those might be some confusing words to hear for an average Joe, but it was a gruesome reality for Ben and what ultimately almost led to the end of his life. Let us backtrack a little bit to get you guys up to speed. To kick off the interview with Ben, the very first question I asked was about his gaming habits and to my surprise I learned that he had never even touched a video game. That’s refreshing, right? Ben grew up on a farm in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada spending most if not all of his free time as a kid shooting pucks alone in their driveway or out fishing. His main aspiration in life was to be a pro hockey player. Quite early on, Ben was signed up for a local hockey team and he progressed rather quickly - he was obsessed with becoming the best player he could possibly be. Ben’s words really paint the picture of a generic happy Canadian upbringing: “Growing up, I had both my parents at all my games pretty much always so that was awesome.” It isn’t all that unusual for young players in Canada and the US to move around looking for development opportunities in their junior careers, and Ben was no different. Before kicking off his college career he played at two different boarding schools in Ontario, Canada and just outside of Boston, Massachusetts in the US. It’s a competitive environment where thousands of kids chase the best opportunities and try to make their dreams come true. “It’s definitely a tough choice to make and you’ve got to be ready for it and go into it with your eyes open.”- Ben about moving away from home to pursue a hockey career at a young age. Playing team sports in a competitive environment is tough as it is, but being a teenager trying to figure yourself out far away from home surely adds its own spice to the mix. While the experience can be a valuable life lesson, it is also extremely scary and a difficult situation to be in as the youngins are pretty much left to their own devices. It was at a rather young age that Ben realised he might have some issues. He struggled fitting in with the team, having a hard time communicating and finding friends in a new environment. At first, the issues were chalked up to “goalie weirdness”, but as years went by and Ben moved around to different teams, the severity of the problem started coming to light. Social awkwardness led to bullying, which in turn led to anxiety, depression and OCD, the effects were many. Being anxious, tired, depressed and scared all at the same time while being a pro hockey goaltender in a league like the ECHL, in which teams can pretty much release a player at a moments notice is certainly leading down a destructive path. Especially when all you’ve done for your whole life was play hockey and nothing else. “I grew up playing hockey outside. Every day I was out shooting pucks, I was skating…I lived and breathed hockey. It’s all I ever knew and all I ever wanted to do. There was a fear of losing that. If one day hockey wasn’t there, I wouldn’t know who I was. I didn’t think I had any other skills and I didn’t think I brought anything to the table as a person.” The OCD kicked in and the anxiety levels skyrocketed, Ben as quoted from The Players Tribune: “I knew that there were 98 professional teams in North America … so there were exactly 196 jobs for goalies. I’d always come back to the fact that in North America alone there are usually around 320 free agent goalies from D-I, D-III, Canadian colleges, SPHL, AHL, ECHL and the NHL, fighting for what amounts to only a few open spots at any one time. I had nothing against any of those guys, but in my mind they became my enemies. And lots of times it seemed like I could actually feel them breathing down my neck. All 320 of them.” Ultimately, things got very bad. Ben was stuck in a vicious cycle where he couldn’t speak up of the fear of being released from his contract and not receiving proper help due to constantly relocating and being occupied by doing the thing that he loved - playing hockey. Doing so in a severely compromised mental state made his numbers drop, while also inflicting even more damage on his already bad psyche. All of this culminated in Ben almost taking his own life. (For this story, please ready Bens article at The Players Tribune.) Step by step, things got better. Ben reached out for help and found out it wasn’t the end of his career, but in fact the start of something new and better - a healthier life and a new found passion for helping others. The extremely important factor with mental issues is time. These issues have to be handled with urgency and professional sports organisations are now also starting to realise that. For example, several NHL teams have hired personnel to help their players deal with potential issues. With the stigma around mental health in sports slowly being lifted, more athletes have also come forth about some issues they have had or are still having, among some of those former NHL players Daniel Carcillo and Nick Boynton. Taking off with the release of his Players Tribune article, Ben has also started advocating for mental health awareness and is actively pursuing that opportunity to give back and get the word out there. Now Ben is working together with a whole bunch of different people (for example the aforementioned Carcillo) and organisations in order to further mental health awareness. Mental health issues are a widespread, although a not widely talked about problem worldwide. Just about anyone can find themselves in a tough situation where they will have to handle some type of mental problems, it could be just one traumatic life event or concussion away. Preemptive care is one of the best tools to tackle mental issues and Ben together with a whole company of other people strongly advocate for it. For young athletes out there that feel something might be wrong, Ben has an important pointer that cannot be stressed enough: “The number one thing is don’t wait. If you’re having an issue at a young age and parents or you yourself recognise it, please reach out. I knew I had these issues early on and I let it go until I was in my twenties so we’re talking over a decade. That really put me in a big hole and made my issues harder to handle and harder to hide - when you dig yourself a hole that deep, it takes a long time to fill back in.” Esports are no different from traditional sports in the sense that the environment is high-pressure. The straight-up physical requirements of the athletes might not meet the traditional standards but what is often talked about is the mental aspects of players. Quite often a player or a team is analysed based on their mental strength - "they don't have the winning mentality" is a cliché we're all familiar with. De-stressing activities or taking time off are often overlooked in pro sports, perhaps even more so in esports. The pace and player turnover is at such a high level that even a short vacation could set a top player back, and believe me - there are kids out there trying to take that spot! The result of this equation is players spending very close to all of their waking time at their screens - the very same screens that are the portal to Reddit and various other forums where their every single move, play and game is being scrutinised. Having an outlet and de-stressing is tremendously important, the physical capabilities of an athlete are also tremendously important in esports. Healthy bodies often promote healthy minds and the other way around, so remember to take care of yourselves out there! If you happen to find yourself out and about, here are some events that Ben will be attending as a speaker: The Global Goaltending Retreat - May 27th - 31st, Breckenridge, Colorado, US The Worth Living Conference - May 31st, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Make sure to follow Ben on Twitter for more info about upcoming events he will be attending. “My legacy may not be left hanging in the rafters or written on trophies, but I want to people to recognize me as a guy who tried to make the game we all love more enjoyable for the people playing it.” If you or someone you know are going through a tough time, please don't hesitate to reach out for help. Here's some contact info to get you started: Finland: Suomen Mielenterveysseura - Kriisipuhelin 010 195 202 Sweden: 1177 Vårdguiden - Hjälplinjen 0771-22 00 60 Germany: Telefonseelsorge 0800 111 0 111 UK: Samaritans 116 123 France: Suicide Écoute 01 45 39 40 00 Russia: sravni.ru 8 (800) 333-44-34 Take care and keep on playing! Your NHLGamer Editor, Janne @jahajaha93 Tarvonen

I_Eki_I is the winner of the 2018 NHL Gaming World Championship and $50 000 (twitch.tv/nhl) Our very own @Eki has won the first ever NHL Gaming World Championship! Eki, who was unbeaten through the European qualifiers and the European regional finals, showed that he really is the best 1vs1 NHL 18 player in the world at the moment, as he beat every single one of his opponents in the World Finals in Las Vegas. In the finals he met JrPens91 and he won the best-of-3 series 2-0 with the scores of 2-1 and 7-3. Huge congratulations to Eki and coach @plee999 for the success in the tournament. Also congratulations to @Artuzio for his great effort of making it into the top 6. A longer article will be published later. The results of the group stage in the World Finals (twitch.tv/nhl) The final results of the tournament (twitch.tv/nhl)

Hey NHL Gamers! Today marks one of those very special days in the short history of the website we have all been waiting for. In the past few weeks - alongside the ECL 4 Playoffs and our coverage of the IS Cup - interesting and highly promising connections have come together. Thanks to our Staff member Hampus (@The_Alpha_Furyan), who acted as the leading negotiator throughout this process, we are finally able to reveal the first official sponsorship for NHLGamer.com: Summer Cup Season 2, Presented by Webhallen! We could not be more proud of this partnership with one of the leading retailers for consumer electronics, hardware and software in Sweden - running a total of 26 stores scattered across the country. We believe this partner is a perfect match for a populated and innovative eSports platform like NHLGamer. Webhallen can be found here: Online Shop Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Twitch THE DEAL Webhallen will be accompanying us throughout the duration of Summer Cup Season 2, leading up to the announcement of NHL 18 during E3 in Los Angeles which takes place on June 13-15. While everyone is going to be excited about EA SPORTS NHL 18 feature announcements, trailers and other types of content; Webhallen will act as NHLGamer's recommended retail source for purchasing the game, due to release in September 2017 (estimate). Finally, to honor the best Summer Cup Season 2 teams, Webhallen will be offering the following prizes for Summer Cup Season 2: Summer Cup winners receive one physical copy of NHL 18 (PS4) per player, arriving at launch Members of the 2nd place team receive runner-up prizes, which are to be announced in due time OUTLOOK Last year around 150 players took part in this draft-type league, which was aimed at experienced players as well as community greenhorns. The stated goal of the tournament was to improve networking between our players and to open up ways for prospects to make their way into EASHL's best teams out there. This is the same promise we are going to deliver on with Season 2, only even better. Based on this, there will be a few tweaks to the following aspects of Summer Cup: Team building: No more than 2 players from a single ECL 4 team are allowed to play in the same Summer Cup team. This rule applies to the final rosters, after transfers and free agents. Team names: Due to our new API reporting tool, the Summer Cup will be played in dedicated EASHL teams which will have "NG" as a prefix - for example "NG Golden Knights". Sign-ups: To rule out unfortunate circumstances when it comes to player positioning, holidays and other aspects, the sign-ups will follow a clearer structure, allowing captains to recognize fitting players more easily. Draft procedure: We are working on improving our draft pick tool and simplifying communication towards and between team captains to reduce idling, allowing us to increase the speed in which draft picks are made. LEAGUE DETAILS Summer Cup Season 2 will take place on PS4 - if you are looking for Xbox action, we would love to see your team sign up for Xbox ECL! Last day to sign up is Wednesday, May 24th. Players instead of teams sign up using the registration tool linked at the bottom of the post. All signed up players are aimed to be seeded into teams with a size of 10 players (may vary). Out of all registrations, NHL Gamer Staff will elect an according number of team captains from the players that offered to take on a captaincy rule in their sign-up post - anyone is allowed to apply for it. Team captains will receive a draft sheet on May 26th, containing all signed up players and relevant information in a structured form. Team captains will be taking part in a live draft event on May 28th, picking their roster until all players are seeded. All games are played 6vs6 using dedicated EASHL teams. The leagues are set to start on the week of May 29th and aimed to be finished in July. Full rules will be released after registration is over. HOW TO PARTICIPATE To participate, make sure you are logged in or create an account first, visit the sign-up page and fill in all fields of the registration form like below - make sure the player positions in your Player Card are up-to-date so captains know who they are drafting! You can update your Player Card on the "Edit Player" page. Sign-up page: Click here! That's all you need to do... sounds easy eh? Let's take this opportunity - together with our new partner Webhallen - to finish NHL 17 with a bang: Sending shockwaves through the community and setting up NHLGamer.com's ambitious goals for NHL 18. @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

NHLGamers, Once again we are heading towards an exciting ECL Pro season. We've got a new game with new features and mechanics that will make predicting the upcoming season really challenging and the first weeks will truly tell us which teams and players have mastered the new meta of NHL 21. Because of the current server system, it’s also the first time for most of the teams, that teams from Northern Europe will be facing some teams on the Middle European server in NHL 21, which will make the season even more unpredictable. It feels like an eternity ago that Black Horse were crowned champions after beating Enigma in a tight final series. Last season we saw that winning the competition won’t be easy and even getting to the playoffs will require a great amount of work and commitment from the whole team. As the Elite division is getting even more competitive after every season, winning the promotion gets harder and harder each time for teams currently at the Pro level. None of the Pro clubs that played in the Elite relegation battle after last season managed to beat their opponent and this has been addressed in many teams: It’s not enough to be only a good Pro team, you have to be at the level of Elite teams. This has also shown on the transfer market. To summarize: This time there will not be teams in the Pro division that were relegated from ECL 10 Elite since Almost Famous disbanded and SJ Gaming, Northern Ascendancy (Luleå Hockey) and Gotham Knights were able to beat their opponents in the relegation battle. Teams that earned the direct promotion (top 4) from ECL 10 Lite to ECL 11 Pro are the champions Sack Brothers, runner-up Ducktales BK and semifinalists GOONS (HUIPPUPASSI). The fourth team in the top 4 was Angry Cats but unfortunately the team disbanded before the new season. After the registration period ended, there were three spots to fill in the Pro division. NHLGamer staff accepted applications from noRex Gaming, HV71 and RCTIC for the open spots in ECL 11 Pro. All of these three teams were in the top 8 of ECL 10 Lite. Team name changes from ECL 10: Team Frosty -> Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa Riven Johdolla -> Tunnel Vision Children of Ice -> Finnish Roosters The Syndicate -> Södertälje SK (SSK Esports) MOCKBA -> Perttilän Kommandot Cheers Hockey -> UNI Gaming (UNI) Exen esports -> Alliance HT Shooting Stars -> Inter Iceland EBR eSports Official -> noRex Gaming GENESIS -> RCTIC HV71 eSHL -> HV71 Here are the groups of ECL 11 Pro. Like in the previous tournaments we decided to take a look at the groups, some of the teams and players and give the basic information and predictions to keep an eye on when the season starts and during it. Group 1 Blackdawgs Company of Geeks Ducktales BK HanaaHC Herlev Eagles HV71 Inter Iceland Leksands IF Perttilan Kommandot Sack Brothers SSK Esports TIKI TALK Tunnel Vision Vaxjo Lakers We Kings ZSC Lions Tunnel Vision Enigma is maybe considered as the favourites at the start of the season but Tunnel Vision is a team with the greatest potential to cause an upset for them. Compared to last season's roster when Tunnel Vision was still called Riven Johdolla, the team has seen many changes in its lineup. However Tunnel Vision played with the current roster in FCL where they enjoyed an excellent campaign. Team went all the way to the quarterfinals where they were beaten by future champions FILADELPHIA in a tight series 3-1. Individual talent in this roster is outstanding and the former HAVU Gaming defender @Eemil (eKoskii) is a massive boost to their already strong defense. @Pikkardz and @Sokkelo__ will also bring the Elite experience to the lineup that could become really valuable especially in the playoffs. Tunnel Vision had a little setback before the season when @Vattu__ moved to Elite team JYP Jyväskylä and recently recruited goalie @ITemeIto go with him. There is no doubt that @BensaPoju (Jerskayy) can fill the forward spot just fine, but the goalie situation remains more of a mystery. Confidence must be high in this team after a successful FCL campaign, which will carry the whole team to another great season. Tunnel Vision can end the regular season topping group 1 and stats tables as well. Placement after regular season: 1-2 Player to watch: Even though every individual is worth following in this team this season, eyes will be on @BensaPoju (Jerskayy). He will fill the boots of Vattu__ in an attacking trio that had already found the perfect chemistry during FCL and his fitting to this lineup will play a key role for the teams success in the offensive zone. Leksands IF When you hear people talking about excellent chemistry on ice, Leksands IF always works their way into the conversation. Something that has become a staple for most of the top Swedish teams is the disciplined teamplay especially in the defense and Leksands IF is mastering this style. This added to the fact that Leksands IF is alway dangerous when they get the puck to the offensive zone is a scary combination for their opponents. In ECL 10 Pro this team was on top of their group after the regular season ended but faced fast elimination against HanaaHC in the first round of the playoffs. Leksands IF also had a good SCL season where they were beaten by future champions Vesa Pompa HC in the semifinals. @Supremski and @berbaboon17 will once again form the defensive pair that can stop even the most slippery individuals on the ice. However it's notable that this time Leksands IF will start the season without the long time serving goaltender @DUNZA. It’s really interesting to see how goalkeepers @relikab and @Mesimaki will cover the spot though it’s believed that playing behind Leksands IF defense isn’t the worst place to start your Pro career. This season Leksands IF will continue from where they left off and fight for the top spot of group 1. I believe last season's early exit has motivated the team and this will show in the playoffs as well. Placement after regular season: 1-3 Player to watch: @fearfulnasu (RAKKAUSPAKKAUS-) had a really good first season with Leksands IF in SCL and it seems he’s settling in really well in the squad. With the help from @Mumsi- and @Isindar he will improve his game even more this season and become one of the top forwards in the league. Södertälje SK - SSK Esports I want to say it before everyone notices: This team will be one of the biggest surprises this season. SSK esports, or Södertälje SK played with the name The Syndicate in ECL 10 Pro where they were left just under the playoff line. After the season ended, Södertälje SK did the opposite compared to other mid table teams who became more passive during the summer. Södertälje SK sharpened their style of play and is now ready to become a playoff team and even more if everything goes well. Also signings center @el_tacobag and forward/defender @svetidaje made the team more complete and dangerous. Södertälje SK advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of SCL where they lost to bronze medalists Växjö Lakers in a series ending 4-1. Compared to other teams that were close but under the playoff line last season, Södertälje SK has improved the most during the summer and will clinch the playoff spot and maybe even challenge for the top of the table at the end of the regular season. Fast paced hockey with accurate passes in the offensive zone is the deadly combination that this team excels in. Södertälje SK is definitely the team that is currently flying under the radar and will surprise many teams during the season. Placement after regular season: 4-7 Player to watch: You can’t leave any room for @Strumpan87 at the left wing since his hockey IQ is one of the best in the league and will give a massive boost to SSK esports attacks. It will actually get a lot harder for SSK esports if this guy is kept in the shadows by the opponent, but good luck with that everyone! Herlev Eagles Last time in ECL 10 Pro, Herlev Eagles were left out of the playoffs by some margin. Since then everyone who has faced them during the off-season have noticed clear improvements in their playing. Herlev Eagles roster played under the name Kouvola Screaming Eagles in the FCL and did a brilliant job finding their way to the playoffs, leaving teams like HanaaHC and ECL 10 Lite champions Sack Brothers behind them. In the first round of the FCL Playoffs Kouvola Screaming Eagles faced Elite team KOVA Esports and were very close making a surprise when the series was taken all the way to game five (BO5) where eventually KOVA Esports was relieved when they saw the puck going in to the Eagles net in overtime. This was definitely a massive confidence boost for Herlev Eagles and it will show in ECL 11 Pro as well. The core of the team hasn’t changed much during the years and if you watch through the player cards, you will notice that most of these guys have been in the team from the very beginning. This means they are really enjoying playing together and have been able to improve season after season and individuals have taken big steps forward along the way. One of the new signings that should keep an eye on is former Vesa Pompa HC winger @Spearzz_ who played his first games with this group in FCL and will bring more firepower to the team's offense. In ECL 11 Pro Herlev Eagles will take the next big step and become a strong playoff candidate. Placement after regular season: 5-8 Player to watch: Since his arrival to Herlev Eagles in ECL 10 Pro, @vibholm10 has been the best offensive player for his team. Especially in the FCL regular season he was in the top 10 of points stats with an outstanding 73 points in 20 games. We might very well see this player doing the same thing again in ECL 11 Pro. Perttilän Kommandot Team that was called MOCKBA in ECL 9 and ECL 10 decided to go back to their old name for this season. Perttilän Kommandot was unfortunate to be just of the playoffs by three points in ECL 10 Pro. In FCL they faced another setback when they were left out of the playoffs there as well. After FCL their beloved goalkeeper @sumskoy26 decided to join his countrymen in Alliance HT and the team was left without a goalie. Former Almost Famous goalkeeper @Jonitski was signed to the team to cover the net and help in the defender position as well when it’s needed. Other than that the team has remained the same as before. Several sources have been saying that the team hasn’t yet been able to climb to the level they once were. As we know the race for the playoff spots will be more fierce than ever before this season and if Perttilän Kommandot can’t find the confidence and balance they had in ECL 9 Lite and ECL 10 Pro, this season could very well become one to forget for them. However underdog status could fit for the team and they should not be underestimated. Experienced defender @riihimaenharski and their best goal scorer @ROUHEEE will play the key role for the team this season. If these two guys can play at their limits, the playoff dream isn’t buried completely just yet for Perttilän Kommandot. Placement after regular season: 9-13 Player to watch: Captain @Jarmonen will have to motivate his troops after a difficult preseason and show an example on and off the ice. The experienced center will balance the team both up and down the ice since it’s known that Perttilän Kommandot’s defenders like to play physical game that will sometimes open dangerous attacks in their own half and that’s when @Jarmonen is needed. Sack Brothers Lite champions will always be interesting to follow when they start their first season in Pro. Sack Brothers had an unforgettable ECL 10 Lite season where they were clearly the best team of the season and were crowned as the champions. Right after the successful season Sack Brothers lost two of their best players @luosttin to HanaaHC and @Kucherov86 (Jalkkin-) to Blackdawgs. These losses hit the team pretty hard. In FCL Sack Brothers were given a tough group and couldn’t challenge for the playoff spot. To cover the spot that Jalkkin- left behind at the defence Sack Brothers signed @Tuulimylly91 who has the Pro experience with God Tier in ECL 8 and Freddie Mercury Institute in ECL 9. One of the biggest questions is can he and @Jjomppa who was clearly too good for ECL 10 Neo fill the big boots of luosttin and Jalkkin- . It’s expected that it will be a hard first season for Sack Brothers compared to other teams that were able to earn the promotion this season and they could very well be one of the teams that will have to fight for their Pro spot at the end of the season. However it’s a long season and a couple of big wins at the start of the campaign could turn the wind completely. Getting to the playoffs is maybe a bit too big of a task for a team with not much previous Pro experience but not impossible. Placement after regular season: 13-16 Player to watch: @snippystatue played a big part in his teams success in ECL 10 Lite and got even better the as the season progressed. He was also the best player for Sack Brothers in FCL and every point that he will make this season will be vital for his team. Every counter attack will be important this season and snippystatue has the individual talent to convert them into goals. Group 2 Alliance HT Djurgarden Hockey Enigma Finnish Roosters Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa GOONS Kaupallinen Yhteistyo Nordic Stars NoRex Gaming Orebro eHockey Pata Hellalla RCTIC Rookie Mistakes RPEAT ESPORTS Sulkavan Sudet UNI Gaming Enigma I think it’s fair to say that on paper this team looks absolutely terrifying. Last season's runner-up Enigma has again gone through lots of changes during the off-season. Former captain and center @MozjaTG moved up to Elite team YMCA Esports and both starting defenders are out of the roster. To cover these major spots Enigma signed former Almost Famous center @Ojamoska, JYP Jyväskylä defender @Makeaxl and Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa defender @zNico. With these new signings Enigma has all the potential to do even better than last season. Despite the slow start in ECL 10 Pro Enigma was able to find the right balance on ice which led them all the way to the finals where they were eventually beaten by Black Horse in game seven. Another setback came against Gotham Knights in the Elite relegation series where they faced another game seven defeat. With the experience from last season and hunger that has been building up from last season's setbacks, Enigma will start the ECL 11 Pro as the favourites and should see themselves on the top of the league table after the regular season. Placement after regular season: 1-2 Player to watch: Aside from the new signings, like in the previous season @Nieppii will be on the spotlight in this season as well. Left winger who will now carry the ‘’C’’ on his chest was the points leader in ECL 10 Pro playoffs and is expected to have another great season. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa If Leksands IF is the Swedish masters of disciplined teamplay then Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa is the Finnish version of it. Formerly known as Team Frosty had an excellent first season in ECL 10 Pro where they were really close to topping their group after the regular season and moved all the way to the semifinals in the playoffs. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa also had a really good run in the FCL. They were able to advance to round 2 of the playoffs after beating Elite team SAWO ESPORTS in the series 3-1 but eventually lost against future champions FILADELPHIA. Despite the positive run in FCL, the team lost defenders @zNico to Enigma and @Patsberg_ to Rookie Mistakes. Also captain @imosi announced before the season that he’s moving to free agent. Dark clouds were on the horizon but the new signings turned this team really interesting to follow this season. Forwards @Ikavalko and @JesseL2002 brought a great amount of individual talent to the team's attack and experienced defender @MrNiceguyEddie was brought to pair with captain @MCH_98 at the back. Watching through the roster I would say that the balance in this team is at great level right now. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa is ready to take the next step and become one of the best teams in the Pro division. Placement after regular season: 1-3 Player to watch: @Naikou88 is the leader on the forward for this team. As the center he’s maintaining the balance of the formation on ice, which is one of the main strengths of Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa. It’s also interesting to see what is Naikou88’s role when @Ikavalko is playing since both are natural centers. GOONS I don’t think many people expected much success in Pro for former HUIPPUPASSI after last season's ECL or FCL but then things started happening. Team that might had been considered as the fourth best team of ECL 10 Lite suddenly turned out to be maybe the fourth best team of ECL 11 Pro. Signings such as @xKeskitalo , @Tzon93 , @Miika (MiiQu81-), @SanteriAK47 (santerichristian) and most recently @kriketski17 gave this team a massive boost at least on paper and many sources are telling that things are working out pretty well on ice as well. Yet still the new signings won’t be the only thing that makes this team one of the top teams and interesting to follow. Young fellows winger @bergsti (pikkuroger) and defender @viba2008 will most likely make their breakthrough this season to be considered as one of the most promising rising stars in the Pro division and in the whole community. There won’t be any room for underestimating when playing against this team. If GOONS can get their motors running and defence stable they will be one of the top teams after the regular season. Placement after regular season: 4-7 Player to watch: @bergsti (pikkuroger) played his first competitive 6vs6 games in ECL 10 Lite and was one of the best players of the whole season. Since then he has shown great progress through the year and it’s really interesting to see how he will do at the Pro level. He is already doing very well in the versus scene and could do the same in EASHL as well. Pata Hellalla This team has been in the scene for a long time, they deserve the title: Legendary. Team that has been playing at the Pro level since ECL 4 had a really difficult season in ECL 10 Pro. They finished the season in 14th place and were forced to play in the relegation series. Pata Hellalla was able to keep their Pro spot by beating Bellizzi with a score of 4-1 and since then good things started happening. In the FCL Pata Hellalla played really good hockey and with the record 13-4-1 advanced to the playoffs. Along the way they took some big victories against teams like KOVA Esports, Gotham Knights and one of the Pro favourites this season: Enigma. From ECL 10 Pro the teams roster has become more compact which can really help with the chemistry and the new addition from ECL 10 Pro champions Black Horse @PasiPuukäsi (bot_dole) will make a fine addition to their team. Fast paced hockey is expected when playing against Pata Hellalla and the team will start the season well and advance to the playoffs. Placement after regular season: 5-8 Player to watch: This time Pata Hellalla has a clear number one goalkeeper when @Nixa_da_fck will be the final lock for his team. This guy showed real character in the beginning of the FCL tournament against Gotham Knights where he saw the puck ten times behind his net in the first match but gathered himself and allowed only one goal in the second match while recording a 90.91 save percent to help his team split the points. The same good form continued to the end of the tournament and will probably continue in ECL 11 Pro as well. NoRex Gaming The team that was previously named EBR eSports Official in ECL 10 Lite and in GCL 6 is now called NoRex Gaming. German ehockey is on the rise and NoRex Gaming is showing the way to other teams dreaming of playing in Pro and even Elite someday. In ECL 10 Lite NoRex Gaming had an excellent season and went all the way to the quarterfinals where they were beaten by GOONS (HUIPPUPASSI) in a tight 3-4 series. They will now have the chance for revenge as both teams will play in the same group in ECL 11 Pro. In GCL 6 NoRex Gaming was the second team on the table after regular season only a couple of points behind the German giants BRAYCE Phantoms. However ZSC Lions, who were actually beaten twice by NoRex Gaming in the regular season, turned out to be too strong for the team at the semifinals of GCL 6 and NoRex Gaming was sent home with a score of 4-0. None of the players in the current roster have Pro experience, so it’s expected that this first season will be a learning process for them. This will also have a positive effect as the excitement of playing on the higher level will help the team avoid relegation this season. Placement after regular season: 9-13 Player to watch: @Keuschemisch has been the top points man for his team since joining the club in GCL 4 and ECL 9 Lite and now we will see how well he can do at the Pro level. In ECL 10 Lite he was among the best attackers in the league and has the individual talent to put the puck in the net if given the chance. Definitely a player that none of the defenders playing in the league should underestimate. UNI Gaming In ECL 10 Pro UNI Gaming, or formerly known as Cheers Hockey was able to avoid the relegation series by two points after the regular season. Despite the disappointing season UNI Gaming was able to gather themselves and put up a fight in FCL where they found their way to the playoffs. UNI Gaming faced HAVU Gaming in the first round and couldn’t do the ‘’impossible’’ losing the series 3-0. After FCL things started happening. The team faced a little crisis when both alternative captains @Borjendahlen and @Vilisopanen15 (Ruandalaine) announced that they will leave the club for new challenges. They also lost both of their goalies and every defender. The team was ay a crossroads and captain @Black1Eagle1 had to make a big decision whether to rebuild and continue in Pro or just give up. Players who remained in the team decided to stick together and keep fighting. Numerous new signings found their way to the roster and especially former Symphony keeper @Lauri (Laurilion) is a great addition to the team. To cover the spot that Borjendahlen left in the offense, UNI Gaming recruited @juusto18 who played a major role in Angry Cats success in ECL 10 Lite. The UNI Gaming defence is covered with many new faces with only a little Pro experience and this might raise questions before the season starts. UNI Gaming has the chance to write the best fairytale of the whole season if they manage to take big wins and even challenge for the playoff spots. However these roster changes might have hurt the team a bit too much and UNI Gaming will be one of the teams that are potentially playing in the relegation series after the regular season. Placement after regular season: 13-16 Player to watch: Team captain @Black1Eagle1, who will most likely also play the center role for his team is going to play a big role on and off the ice with the new roster and choosing the lineups for each game. He’s also the player that is expected to put up most of the points for his team during the season and help his teammates to get used to Pro level hockey. As always, we hope you enjoy the new season. Feel free to comment about these predictions or other interesting points that should be watched when the season begins. Don’t forget to follow our Pro teams on social media to get to know when the games are being played and where you can watch them. There will also be match lineups, game results and other useful info directly from the teams. Play hard and fair, let the season begin!

Pictures courtesy of ENCE. NHLGamers, We've all heard about ENCE on the CS:GO ans Starcraft II-side of things, but what about NHL? The powerhouse organization that has solidified their position as the pinnacle of Finnish esports currently actually ventured into NHL esports quite some time ago as Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen signed to ENCE back in early 2017 when the Brent Burns lookalike was at the top of his 1v1 game. The contract only lasted for eight months and came to a surprising stop, likely due to a lack of action in the community at that time and the organization wanting to move in another direction - which has seemed to work wonders for them. Now the time is right for the successful organization to dive back into NHL esports and what better way to do that than by signing recent free agent and former multi-champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää. ENCE General Manager Niklas "Willkey" Ojalainen talks about their recent signing as follows: "We are very happy to have another World Champion join our ranks. When the opportunity to sign Eki became a possibility and after we sat down a few times, he felt like a natural fit not only as a player but as a great ambassador in the console gaming community. This also marks ENCE's return to sports games after quite a few years and we are excited to see what the future holds." Eki had a world class year in 2018 when he really put his name on the map by in fact winning everything he set out to do in the NHL scene. Within a span of a few months, the young star then conquered championships in both IS Cup 1v1 and 6v6, the NHLGWC and in the ECL. He would then go on to win the inaugural SCL title with Vesa Pompa HC in the spring of 2019, after which Eki has consistently competed at a high level. "It feels amazing to be a part of ENCE. I've followed them grow for a long time and I can't wait to get started. I'm eager to see what we can accomplish together. The bar is now set very high." - Eki on signing with ENCE. Eki will represent ENCE in all upcoming 1v1 competitions in the NHL series.

Teams like Tohtorit and GIFU Hockey managed to exceed expectations over the hard-fought regular season, meanwhile perhaps the biggest upset was Elite Qualifier runner up VISU Gaming completely failing to make the playoffs. The competition is only starting to ramp up, so join us in taking a closer look at the playoffs! Structure & Prize Pool Schedule Broadcasts As you have grown accustomed to during the regular season, there will be at least one Pro broadcast per week on Tuesdays, with a 19.45 CET start time. You can access that and our other live content on the SportsGamer Twitch, where you can also find our up-to-date stream schedule. Preview (1) Reality Check - Hokurit (8) Reality Check had a powerful showing in the regular season, amassing 50 points en route to the Group 2 top spot. They had the best penalty kill (90.91%) in the whole Pro division, along with a 3rd best 36.17% powerplay. They have been plowing through the opposition quite steadily without dropping too many points, especially with Geekz Energy eSports being the only team outside the playoff picture that managed to beat them. Hokurit on the other hand have been more streaky: they started out hot off the gates with only three losses in their first 12 games, but fell soon after into a six game losing streak against tough opposition. They rebounded a bit in the end though, winning five of their last eight. Hokurit’s story of the season so far has been their left side of the ice, with LW @Jondeezz (30 GP, 29+22=51) and LD @MCH_98 (30 GP, 12+35=47) combining for a total of 98 points, more than twice what their right side amassed (45). The dynamic duo leads the team in almost every stat category, including Time with Puck (TwP) by a significant amount. Looking at the TwP stat for Reality Check, we can notice the same trend: the puck spends the most time with their LW @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) (30 GP, 35+32=67) and LD @jezbaru (30 GP, 4+30=34). Individual points within the team are more even by a lot though, which would suggest that Reality Check’s production is not as reliant on their leading puck possession players. The general opinion seems to be that deflections have been nerfed in the latest patch, even if that was not announced in the patch notes. It will be interesting to see how that affects Reality Check’s play, as their center @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) (30 GP, 30+25=55) likes to operate the netfront, especially on the powerplay. He finished top of the division with 42 deflections during the regular season, with the next closest tally being only 32. Hokurit have been rotating both of their goalies evenly, and with them having roughly equal stats it remains to be seen which one they will trust to carry them through. Reality Check have two goalies on their roster as well, but @FINSeRe (30 GP, 83.83 SV%, 1.43 GAA, 4 SO) has played every single one of their games thus far. He boasts the division’s second best save percentage, so definitely watch out for him. These teams faced each other last season in the Lite Quarterfinals, with Reality Check taking the edge with a 4-3 series score on their way to the title. Hokurit have only swapped @Oicteppotulppu for Jondeezz since then, meanwhile Reality Check has changed half of their lineup and gotten some sweet additions in those players. Hokurit got 24 out of their 37 points in the regular season against teams that failed to make the playoffs, so they still have a lot to prove against top competition. What better way to do that than to take down the #1 seed? Honestly though, they may very well take at least a game or two but winning the whole series does not seem too likely right now. Prediction: @Mikka: Reality Check 4-1 @Franky__2768: Reality Check 4-0 (2) GHETTO FIREBIRDS - Dynastia (7) Runner up in Group 2, the former Elite side embarks once again on a quest back to the top. Last season they were upset in the quarterfinals, as the #1 seed, by the now-Deadly Phantoms. Looking to build from that disappointment, they made some changes in their offense which propelled them to another nice regular season finish (22-5-3). Dynastia is another team that was clicking right away with only two losses in their first 12 games, and their season has been eerily similar to that of Hokurit: they fell into a seven game losing streak a bit after the midpoint, but bounced back to win five of their last six. @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) has been clicking with 30 GP, 29+30=59 points, 17 more than offensive partners @Majuri20 (Diktaattori62) (30 GP, 20+22=42) and @xHatsi (30 GP, 24+18=42), though he does have the worst passing percentage in the division (59.7%). Either way they need to find a way to work as a tight unit to be able to compete against the FIREBIRDS’ strong game identity. Similarly to Dynastia, and apparently countless other teams, GHETTO FIREBIRDS has been running a lot of their offense through LW @Jertsicc (30 GP, 33+33=66). Their play seems to revolve a bit more around that side, as all of their RWs and RD @jahajaha93 (30 GP, 4+20=24) had significantly lower TwP than the other players. Center @Santtu (santtu3333) has respectable stats as well, 30 GP, 21+31=52. They had some turmoil on the RW spot early on, though deadline-day addition @Jerax13 (20 GP, 22+9=31) has since put those question marks to rest. While Jertsicc and santtu3333 only hit around once per game, Jerax13 had 78 hits in 20 games to go along with the 244 hits their defensive pairing dealt out. Dynastia does not hit nearly as much, with @FakiiR1 (TheFakiiR1)’s 114 hits accounting for 42,6% of their team total. That seems to only be a difference in playing styles, as a difference cannot really be found between the teams’ amount of takeaways or interceptions. @Jeresti (30 GP, 85.11 SV%, 1.53 GAA, 9 SO) takes the goaltending battle over the less-experienced @Vamoux (24 GP, 76.92 SV%, 2.13 GAA, 2 SO) by quite a margin on paper, being the Pro division leader on most statistics this season and showing stellar play throughout the years. A lot of this matchup will be decided by the form of Dynastia. They could make this tight and even run away with it, if they can do what they did at the beginning of the season. Should they fail to do that though, they could even be facing a sweep. One of the more exciting matchups to look out for if both perform true to their level. Prediction: @Mikka: GHETTO FIREBIRDS 4-1 @Franky__2768: GHETTO FIREBIRDS 4-2 (3) Herlev Eagles - Deadly Phantoms (6) Finishing 3rd in Group 2, the mixed nationality roster repping the Danish hockey club Herlev Eagles delivered as they were expected to, perhaps even a bit better. It must feel good to have a strong regular season after missing postseason play the last time, but surely they will not be complacent with just that. Looking to march on to Elite, they face an extremely tough opponent immediately. Deadly Phantoms are a team with long traditions going back years and years, and it remains reflected in their play even if the roster sees some changes. They had an almost identical regular season as last summer, struggling during the first half before going on a tear towards the end. They went all the way to the finals that time, leaving them full of hunger after losing the series. They have won 12 of their last 14 games, ten of which were in a row, so there should definitely be some good momentum carrying over. Herlev on the other hand has fainted a bit, losing their last three games. RW @keranee (30 GP, 22+42=64) and C @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) (30 GP, 31+31=62) carry the Eagles up front points-wise, though LW @vibholm10 (Vibholm_10) is no slouch either (30 GP, 28+22=50). On the contrary to most other teams, they seem to run the game a lot more through the right side: RD @Dreamickie (30 GP, 6+19=25) has the team’s highest TwP, 136:53, meanwhile LD @oSandello (30 GP, 1+15=16) has the lowest: only 85:47. This is reflected in their points as well with Dreamickie clearly taking the edge. While Herlev gets most of their offense from forwards, Deadly Phantoms has two of the division’s top three scoring defensemen: @xXPsykoSkillsXx (30 GP, 6+44=50) and @Franky__2768 (30 GP, 5+39=44). The pairing does not score a lot of goals, but they clearly have the puck on their sticks the most and dish out some sweet assists. Both teams had the best FOW% in their respective groups, so stay on alert for the battle on the dot between DPH’s @Pathen-21- (30 GP, 28+24=52) and Herlev’s Suth98_. The edge goes to Suth98_’s 56.9% on paper, though Pathen-21-’s 54.8% is really good as well. Also, faceoffs are always a one-on-one mind game. Even though the clash between the pipes does not initially look as close as the faceoff one, @RPH_31 (30 GP, 74.75 SV%, 2.53 GAA, 3 SO) can still steal games for the Phantoms on his own. Granted, Herlev’s @TeikDaun (26 GP, 82.03%, 1.77, 7 SO) clearly has the edge on consistency at the moment. Deadly Phantoms loves to throw the puck to the net, which is reflected on their stats as well: only JYP Jyväskylä and Sulkavan Sudet had more shots on goal during the regular season, in addition to the the Germans’ center Pathen-21- having the 2nd most deflections by an individual player. As was previously mentioned, the latest patch could affect teams with a playstyle reliant on redirects and tip ins, so it will be interesting to see how they adapt. They have scored the most goals out of any team thus far though, and it must also be noted they have won five out of their six ECL games since the patch went live. The server aspect plays into this matchup as well, with Deadly Phantoms playing their home games on the Central server as opposed to the currently dominant Northern one. Herlev Eagles took three out of four possible points from the two higher-ping Central games they played during the regular season, so based on that minimal sample size it does not look like too big of a problem for them. If there is one series to watch in the first round, this is it. Prediction: @Mikka: Herlev Eagles 4-3 @Franky__2768 plays for Deadly Phantoms (4) Renascor - RCTIC (5) Renascor were a slight surprise last season, taking since promoted HV71 to a game seven in the quarterfinals before falling short. They are now back where they left off with some more shared experience, only replacing @Tiltsson with @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) (30 GP, 41+35) at the LW spot. They had a bit of an up and down regular season, taking full points from top teams like Reality Check and Herlev Eagles, but on the other hand also dropping way too many points to weaker teams. After last season’s letdown performance, RCTIC came into the season with the task of making it through the Pro Qualifier. They did just that, and then clawed their way to a decent #5 finish in Group 1. The last time they were in Pro playoffs was ECL 11, where they actually managed to upset a higher seed Inter Iceland in the first round. Time has passed since then though, and captain & RD @layout (JxLayout) (30 GP, 1+32=33) is the only one still left from the lineup that got swept by current Elite top team GOONS in the quarterfinals. Even though Renascor’s play has been streaky thus far, at least they have gotten their offense clicking at a high level. As expected, the Elite-experienced captain RW @Valluxet (30 GP, 40+40=80) leads the pack and even won the division’s scoring title. If the team has in the past perhaps been too reliant on Valluxet’s scoring, that does not seem to be the case anymore: tendeerly finished second in points, as well as assist machine @Virusactive (30 GP, 14+60=74) joint-third, making them the only team to have three players in the top ten in scoring, let alone top five. Even though TwP is distributed almost evenly between everyone in the Renascor squad, except RD @Serg1vratar (Nyabml4) (24 GP, 4+10=14), the goals appear to be mainly coming through the forward trio’s play with LD @Motov (zMotzz) (30 GP, 6+19=25) being under a point per game as well. RCTIC have a lot of experience on starting lineup with leading scorer RW @Naikou88 (30 GP, 37+26=63), C @yrjoo (30 GP, 22+25=47) and LD @Aze (AzeStiNe) (30 GP, 4+18=22) all being ECL 1 originals. JxLayout and LW @Limbe65 (30 GP, 31+26=57) are not exactly rookies either, so the Finns should have a good routine level and knowledge around what to do when the games get tight. They clearly build attacks from out back with AzeStiNe and JxLayout having the lion’s share of puck possession. Neither of the matchup’s projected goalies have eye-popping stats, 30 GP, 76.07 SV%, 2.23 GAA, 2 SO for Renascor’s @sumskoy26 (sumkaX) and 26 GP, 74.52 SV%, 2.54 GAA, 0 SO for RCTIC’s @Jjmakkeli (JussinSisko). Looking at the GA/GP and GF/GP stats, both teams seem to have had a bigger focus on offense while getting by with rather mediocre defending. Could high scoring matches be the name of the game, or will the focus switch more towards defending as it usually does in the playoffs? RCTIC’s offense is not at the level of Renascor, but they should be able to compete if they can tighten up a strong team defense and be clinical in counter attacks. Prediction: @Mikka: Renascor 4-2 @Franky__2768: Renascor 4-3 The rest of the matchup previews were written by @Franky__2768 (1) JYP Jyväskylä - GIFU Hockey (8) The former Elite division team JYP Jyväskylä is trying to fulfill their ambition to climb up again directly. They topped their group with an impressive 23-5-2 campaign - they have a strong offense (3.2 GF/GP) and strong defense (1.77 GA/GP) with good special team numbers (29.27% PP, 73.17% PK). In the offense JYP lost @Joukki, but replaced him with who? Well, @Buantso (puantso). I do not know if you can even call that a “replacement”, he can be considered one of the scene’s best players. The former Elite champion delivered with 30 GP, 29+38=67 points (8th in scoring), while center @tbnantti is their finisher (30 GP, 35+30=65, 10 GWGs) which is quite atypical. Captain @indi969 contributed offensively as well (30 GP, 21+36=57 points), but JYP’s clear strong side is on the left: Well known @vSilenttio (vee_SILE) (30 GP, 5+37=42) had another strong season and is the engine in this team. He scores as well and finished 4th with his 42 points, while dishing out nearly 1 000 passes over 30 games. His counterpart @Sakkem (Sakkem95) (26 GP, 6+18=24) backs him up pretty good and even had three more takeaways in four less games, but he also has an awesome 84.7% passing percentage as well. @Kaz_zu, their addition in net, played pretty good as well - 19 wins with five shutouts in 26 games. His 77.78% save percentage might not look THAT good, but I guess that is the curse of being the goalie of a top team: facing high percentage shots more likely than anything else. GIFU Hockey gained their Pro Ticket via the qualifier, and they are pretty happy to qualify straight for the playoffs especially after starting the season with four losses. What comes now is a bonus for the team. GIFU’s defenders @N44TTI_16 (Naatti__) (30 GP, 2+24=26) and @OzziX35 (30 GP, 1+12=13) are driving the plays while the left side from Naatti__ and LW @Sluibaaja_88 (30 GP, 22+28=50) seems to be the dominating one. Nevertheless it is @krospi (krosspi) on the right wing who finishes the plays and got himself a nice 35+20=55 points in 30 games. Captain @seegasormi (30 GP, 14+26=40) contributes besides his points in the defense as well, as he has 30 blocked shots. Goalie @Baranizer’s season so far has been decent: winning 14 of his 24 starts with a 77.08% save percentage and even a shutout, posting a 2.42 GAA. This series is probably one of the clearest ones, as GIFU is the only playoff team with a negative goal differential. They might be able to steal a game or two if they can keep the scores close, but JYP is probably too strong both defensively and offensively. Prediction: @Franky__2768: JYP Jyväskylä 4-0 @Mikka: JYP Jyväskylä 4-0 (2) HanaaHC - noRex Gaming (7) HanaaHC, the runner-up from Group 1, hopes to make a deeper playoff run than last season. Back then they fell short in six games to the eventual Pro champion Djurgården Hockey in the quarterfinals. The Finns revamped their defensive core with @ripKeisari (30 GP, 6+24=30) and @kongi- (30 GP, 3+23=26) joining, and got them a new offensive idea in LW @xLeikku (30 GP, 33+36=69) who directly fulfilled all of their hopes by finishing 6th in the division in points. ripKeisari’s and kongi-’s TwP indicates that they have had an immediate impact as well. They both also finished in the top three in pass attempts and passes completed. Captain @Hazard-laser (30 GP, 29+28=57) on the other wing still has a high scoring value (9 GWGs), while @Mikka (Mikkaah) (30 GP, 19+32=51) can dish out some apples. HanaaHC’s special teams should scare every playoff team out there – while they scored on 32.08% of their PP chances, they also have a 86.84% PK while xLeikku even scored 4 shorthanded goals, most in the division. After a slow start with a 3-3-0 record after six games, they found their footing with a seven game winning streak and they never took their foot off the pedal. @jg697000 (Gresu__) in net had a decent regular season as well, as he recorded 19 wins in 24 games with a 82.05 SV%, 1.75GAA and five shutouts. HanaaHC has a rock solid defense (1.83 GAA) while not playing that physical (190 hits), and one of the better offenses with 90 goals in 30 games. On the other side is noRex Gaming, the ECL 12 Lite runner-up whose goal was to stay in the Pro division – that goal has been achieved, with some playoff sprinkles added in. They lost their two top scoring forwards and replaced them with two Swedes, @Tiltsson (30 GP, 32+21=53) and @Melguss (26 GP, 22+19=41). They knew pretty quickly in the offseason that this offensive combination could click and it did. Well, except for the start of the season when they went 4-8-0 in the first 12 games. @DiMatteo70 (10 GP, 65.98 SV%, 3.3 GAA, 1 SO) started in net over @Fightlocke3 but was not able to replace him, going 3-7-0 in the process. At the same time @Nagneigel (10 GP, 0+6=6) had a tough time doing the same thing with @Paddyy1903’s RD spot. After Paddyy1903 (20 GP, 2+15=17) and Fightlocke3 (20 GP, 83.59 SV%, 1.6 GAA, 5 SO) rejoined the squad, the team went on to one of the most impressive regular season comebacks in quite a while: a 14-2-2 record to turn around the season while beating or splitting against Renascor, GHETTO FIREBIRDS, Stargazing and Herlev Eagles. Assistant Captain and RW @Keuschemisch is their go-to-guy - topscorer with 22+38=60 points and 130 minutes TwP in 30 games, while Tiltsson does the finishing (32 goals, 8 GWGs). While Paddyy1903 and Keuschemisch are their dominant duo on the right side, @GERxVillain should not be forgotten either. He is a physical defensive partner, while still doing his job on the first pass and contributing to the offensive side with nearly a point per game. The special T-rex teams are well rounded – 28.57% PP and 77.08% PK – but sometimes they find themselves in penalty trouble (97 PIM). The big question is: can noRex keep their brilliant form and turn the regular season hype into a deep playoff run? Or does the more experienced HanaaHC cool their heads immediately in the first round? Prediction: @Franky__2768: HanaaHC 4-2 @Mikka plays for HanaaHC (3) Tohtorit - Sulkavan Sudet (6) Tohtorit’s way to the top is quite impressive – after gaining a chance for the ECL ‘22: Winter Pro Qualification due to their semifinal performance in the ECL 12 Core division, they had a nearly perfect record there (18 Games, 15 Wins, 3 OTL). After a “slow” start with a 6-3-1 record in the first ten games the squad around @Ojala16 stood its ground and won nearly all of their remaining games to finish the regular season with a 22-6-2 record. The captain at left wing led the internal scoring race with 30 GP, 28+46=74 points, which makes him a top 3 scorer in the division. RW @Wpaanane was directly behind him with 30 GP, 39+34=73 points (3rd highest goal scorer, 5th highest point total). Between those two high danger weapons, @Ristimaki12 (Ristimaeki) stands a little bit behind in the point department with 30 GP, 22+31=53, but still has quite a portion of their game winning goals (6). On the defensive side @Kkarkass (30 GP, 8+17=25) is the more physical one (88 to 36 hits), while @johtaja_lebi (28 GP, 5+23=28) is crucial for their passing game. What stands out the most is that Tohtorit do not have any dominant go-to-guy, they all have around the same puck possession time so you cannot focus on only one player, you have to neutralize the whole team to be able to beat them. Tohtorit had a pretty impressive offensive output and achieved the third highest goal total (103) all around the league while not disregarding their defense (53 GAA) doing that. Their special teams (PP: 34.15%, PK: 77.27%) can give them an advantage in tight battles. @Stammer70 in net has had himself a season as well: 22 GP, 79,13 SV%, 1.77 GAA, 7 SO and 58 shutout periods, he is definitely one of those guys you can rely on. Sulkavan Sudet had nearly the same record as last season: while finishing second last time, they “only” got to the 6th place in Group 2 this time. Their season was embossed with ups and downs, no real winning or losing streak was going on. Both RW @jjokke19 (28 GP, 24+30=54) and C @Oxdoggi (30 GP, 19+35=54) had team-leading 54 points, while jjokke19 wins the goal-tie-breaker (24G, 7 GWG). The biggest question for Sulkavan Sudet will be: where does @Koppipelaaja (jamoyy) (28 GP, 14+29=43) play? He played 20 games as LD, but mainly switched to LW after the deadline day acquisition of @Prom99 (Svetsjenko) (10 GP, 6+11=17). @Luokkala_ (18 GP, 18+15=33) was their LW at the start of the season, while @Kemppane_ (4 GP, 6+2=8) played the position in the last few games. @Pirkkalope (30 GP, 4+22=26) is the other incisive defensive player who loves to throw some bodies around (111 hits). Sudet’s lineup rotation does not stop between the pipes either: a total of three goalies laced up their skates this season: @Jaakkomusta won five out of his 14 games with a 72.9 SV%, 3 GAA, 0 SO statline, while @eissi83 put up the more impressive numbers in ten games (8 W, 80.46 SV%, 1.7 GAA, 2 SO). @TheSpeedo also played 6 games before transferring to Arkham Asylum. Will the rotation stop in the playoffs or will Sudet change throughout the series to gain advantages for special matchups? That will be exciting to see! In general the wolves can put some numbers on the scoreboard (3.03 GF/GP) but concede a little bit much as well (2.4 GA/GP). They do also shoot quite a lot (406 shots, 2nd most in the league) while their special teams are not that effective (PP: 21.31%, PK: 75.56%). Which philosophy comes out on top? Steady line up vs rotation? Prediction: @Franky__2768: Tohtorit 4-1 @Mikka: Tohtorit 4-1 (4) Sinister - Stargazing (5) Sinister improved from last season, where they fell two points short of the postseason. In this campaign they managed to gain home-ice advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs with a 19-7-4 record. They are known for their well-controlled game and outstanding defense, which has actually been one of the league's best (only 47 GA). They had quite a good start with ten wins in their first 12 games, followed by a small losing streak (3L, 2 OTL) and ending the season with a little bit of ups and downs. RW @JerePaloranta (Harlowi-) leads the team with 30+16=46 points in 28 games (they had two WO wins), while LW @OsquuG and C @topikeranen finished with 20+24=44 and 11+24=35 points respectively in their 28 games. Their faceoff percentage of 42.56% can be quite alarming, and they tend to get themselves into penalty trouble (92 PIM), which could be a disadvantage with a 69.57 PK%. SInister clearly has the “weakest” offense among both groups' top four teams, with 78 GF, and their PP is not that strong either (22,73%). As stated in the beginning, Sinister’s strength is the defense anyways: @Thewix93 (thewix_1) (28 GP, 6+17=23) is the architect for the team's success, while @PuukAesi (rransu) had a strong season between the pipes: 17-7-4 record in 28 GP, with a 82.46 SV%, 1.68 GAA and division-leading 9 SO (tied with Jeresti). On the other side, Stargazing is a “new” team which had an impressive start for their new mix of players, finishing 5th in Group 2. Captain and RW @xColeslaww (koleslaav_) leads the team with 30 GP, 26+23=49 points, and LW @Flopper71 (Flopperii_) is right behind with 30 GP, 23+24=47 points. The biggest factor in their game might be @Bobiraataja (nikhaa27) (30 GP, 7+31=38) on the right defensive side though. In general, Stargazing’s defense draws up the game (141 and 124 minutes Time with Puck). nikhaa27 is joint-third in team-scoring and 6th among defensemen in the division, while both he and LD @James (Jamechkin) (30 GP, 7+23=30) contributed 7 goals each. In net for Stargazing @Nisse142 (I-Nisse-I) (16 GP, 76.32 SV%, 2.25 GAA, 0 SO) and @Pirtsa89 (Pirtsa-) (12 GP, 78.41 SV%, 1.58 GAA, 5 SO) shared playing time. Will they continue that in the playoffs, or will they choose a starting netminder? Special teams are in general a big factor, and they need to get better (19.05% PP) in the first round to beat their opponent who leans towards drawing some penalties. Furthermore Stargazing need to shake off their sloppy finish of the regular season (5-5-0 record) that they had after a pretty promising start. Prediction: @Franky__2768: Sinister 4-3 @Mikka: 2-4 Stargazing That wraps it up for now. Good luck in the first round everyone, and remember to tune in tomorrow for our Pro broadcast at 19.45 CET. Drop your flaming hot takes and predictions in the comments as well, if you have any! PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter

Around two and a half weeks of competition have passed. Now it has come time for us to take a look at the teams exceeding expectations, and on the other hand the ones who have been underperforming. This time for the Pro mid-season report I have decided to mainly highlight teams that have either played better or worse than they were expected to prior to the season. To see how even the as-expected teams have done, along with a few milder surprises like Geekz Energy eSports, please take a look at the standings. On the league page behind that link you can also find out all the individual statistics you would possibly want to. Now without any further delay, let’s take a look at who has been flaming hot and who, in turn, icy cold during this ongoing regular season. NOTE: This article was written based on the standings and statistics after the games played on Monday 17 January, and further updated after Tuesday 18 January with honorable mentions and up to date info. Any further results are not reflected. Group 1 HOT Hokurit This is a team that definitely took their time to reach the Pro division, having played in Lite for five seasons prior to finally gaining the promotion through the qualifier. Even though their lineup has obviously changed over the years, all that chemistry building seems to have led to an instant adjustment to the higher level. Based on points per game Hokurit currently sit tied at first place with Dynastia, JYP Jyväskylä, Tohtorit and HanaaHC. Elite-experienced @MCH_98 in his second Hokurit-season is having an otherworldly one for a defenseman, 7+24=31 points in 16 games and leading his team in scoring by a clear margin. We will see if the team can keep up on a similar pace during the second half, as thus far they have not really faced any of the fellow top-table teams. They even lost one game against each of the teams currently in the bottom three. Sinister With a 1.44 ppg (points per game), just below that of the top5's 1.5, Sinister is another team that were expected to be in the playoff battle but perhaps not by such a margin, the next highest ppgs being 1.14 by AfroDunk and 1.13 by Björklöven. ECL rookie @JerePaloranta (Harlowi-) (14 GP, 16+8=22) has been firing goals at around a 1.14 per game pace and is leading the team in scoring, meanwhile our season preview’s player to watch @PuukAesi (rransu) has been backstopping the team with decent enough stats as well: 14 GP, 79.34 SV%, 1.79 GAA, 5 SO. Whether or not Sinister will cool off during the remainder of the regular season remains to be seen, though it seems likely with most of their opponents being below the playoff line, similarly to Hokurit. A cooling of some sorts has already started happening with them losing their last four games. To change that trajectory they will have to try to feed off of the strong start, as well as the upset of narrowly missing the playoffs last season. It should also be noted that two of their wins were walkovers from SPARTIATES X MCES. Tohtorit Tohtorit sit firmly at a playoff spot amongst the five-way tie for first place, which in itself is a surprise. Although they only got one point against JYP Jyväskylä, they have not dropped more than two to anyone else while taking down some strong names. Granted, both VISU Gaming and Deadly Phantoms have had rough starts, but getting full points against projected top teams is not a small feat for an inexperienced team that only has one Core season under their belt. After making the team miss the first week of play due to his beach vacation, @Wpaanane (14 GP, 17+15=32) has more than made up for it with his scoring. The break of a couple weeks does not seem to have done any harm to Tohtorit, and it will be exciting to see how their second half will fare. Dynastia Top of the table, Dynastia went on a solid nine game winning streak soon after the season started. Most of their opponents have been around the mid-table, but they also showed up against top competition by stomping JYP Jyväskylä with a convincing 6-2 result, even if they lost the first game 1-4. In their last two matchups they lost one game against both RCTIC and PENTA, which is a trend they need to stop on its tracks immediately if they want to stay in the tight battle for the top seed. @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) (16 GP, 17+21=38) has been truly on fire, scoring 1.46 times the points his fellow forwards @xHatsi and @Majuri20 (Diktaattori62) have. Honorable mention: AfroDunk took another three points on Tuesday and have thus clawed their way to seventh place in points per game. Initially predicted to only have an outside shot at the playoffs, it will be interesting to find out if they can keep this up. COLD VISU Gaming Widely seen as a title contender prior to the season, the Finns have performed nowhere near to the expected level. After losing their season opener against Deadly Phantoms they went on to win the next four, losing the next five before snapping the streak with an overtime win against Hokurit on Monday. With their routine and amount of time logged practicing, it seems only a matter of time when they will return to what they can be. On the other hand, Rookie Mistakes showed last season how those title dreams can evaporate in no time unless they start executing on a proper level. They lost their last game 7-1 against RCTIC on the NHLGamer broadcast on Tuesday night. Deadly Phantoms Another team that was expected to be surefire playoff caliber, this former Elite side has not had a dream start either. Even though there have been way too many losses, some of their wins have been quite convincing. There is another beacon of hope for the Germans though: their current record after 14 games is 6-6-2, meanwhile last season they went all the way to the finals after only having managed 4-7-3 at the same point. Repeating that feat may be quite a task to ask, but they have only lost one player from their starting six since then. PENTA PENTA is currently sitting at third last, which is not an ideal position to be at near the midway point for a team that was predicted to be battling for the playoffs. They have some extremely experienced names on their roster, so perhaps that is the way they will have to look at to help turn the ship around. They only have two wins if the walk overs against SPARTIATES X MCES are left out of the equation, though those came against top table teams Hokurit and Dynastia. Maybe there is something to be implemented from those wins, or otherwise the Germans will be looking at another trip to the qualifier for the second consecutive season. SPARTIATES X MCES The third Central European side on our list of underperformers, the French outfit has been in big trouble thus far. Having to give out four walk over losses is not doing them any favors either. The ten game losing streak (including the WOs) needs to be snapped as soon as possible if they want to even avoid immediate relegation, meanwhile a playoff spot is looking practically impossible at this point. Even if they were not expected to repeat their playoff berth from last season, this kind of start has been a sizable letdown. Trailing the second-to-last place Company of Geeks by only 0.07 points per game, they both need to do something if they want to keep on playing in Pro next season. Honorable mention: Company of Geeks. While somewhat expected, with a 3-10-1 record and 15th place there is not much that needs to be said here. Group 2 HOT Hawaii Hockey For a team that did not even have a forward trio locked up just days before the season begun, Hawaii Hockey has been doing extremely well. They have played a bit more games than most of the others, so their position in the standings drops from third to seventh when sorting by points per game. That is still above the playoff line though, and if they can continue at a pace around their 1.25 ppg they will make the playoffs quite comfortably. Fiasko is the only team Hawaii Hockey managed to win in both games, but they have still been able to get at least one win against everyone except GHETTO FIREBIRDS. Not many full point nights are needed if they can keep on getting 2-3 points steadily from every team they face. Herlev Eagles After finishing 3rd in their group in ECL 11 Pro, the Eagles missed the playoffs last season. That led to some changes, and now with a revamped roster led by the whole division's top two scorers, @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) (16 GP, 21+22=43) and @keranee (16 GP, 13+29=42), they are second in their group by ppg. Backed up with @TeikDaun's unreal 12 GP, 90.65%, 0.83 GAA, 6 SO statline, a playoff spot seems inevitable at this point. That should lead to their focus being shifted towards making it past the first round this time, something they failed to do in ECL 11. GHETTO FIREBIRDS We predicted GHETTO to be a contender, though with the uncertainty regarding their roster this kind of a start has been a slight surprise. Their first try for a new RW in @Chevikov (Hikoilija__) did not work out, but bringing in @Jerax13 just before the transfer deadline will be a tremendous addition, if he can play often enough. Aside from Reality Check they have not really faced any top table opponents, so it remains to be seen if they cool down as the challenge ramps up. @Jeresti (12 GP, 85.71%, 1.42 GAA, 5 SO) has been great as usual, sitting in second place among starting goalies' SV% in the league. Reality Check The Finns' return to Pro level after a few seasons' absence has been quite successful thus far, with them sitting firmly at the top of the table. @kim_johan (18 GP, 3+21=24) and @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) (18 GP, 17+20=37) have been able to fit in to the ECL 12 Lite Champion right away, along with netminder @FINSeRe (18 GP, 85.35%, 1.28 GAA, 2 SO). Reality Check has been able to rack up wins left and right no matter who they have played against, even going on a nine game winning streak. The playoff spot is practically clinched at this point with only a few more wins needed, so there is only one question: can they become back to back champions? Honorable mention: GIFU Hockey fought their way through the qualifier and are currently in the last playoff spot with an 8-6-2 record. COLD noRex Gaming With one more Central European team entering the cold category, one has to start thinking how much of an effect the current matchmaking system has on these teams' seasons. Last season we saw most of the Central teams starting to heat up towards the end, so maybe noRex is another team that just needs some high level games to get used to the competition again. Sitting near the bottom in both points and points per game at the midway mark is definitely not what they wanted, nor what was expected. There is still time to turn the course though, with the German organization still having 16 games left to play. Getting RD @Paddyy1903 back from an absence and immediately beating top team Renascor twice in regulation could corral them on that path. Pata Hellalla Pata's lack of practice seems to finally have an effect on them now that the game changed so much compared to the last version. This friend group is near the bottom of the table, so a quick u-turn is needed to keep the race on. They have been scoring at a decent enough rate, but a GA/GP of 3.5, the worst in Group 2, is dragging them down. After only winning two of their first six, they were on a better path with three wins out of the last four games before losing twice to top table Stargazing. Avoiding relegation should be the priority at this point. Hotbox Another ECL 12 Pro playoff team, Hotbox was not predicted to repeat that feat either. Currently tied with Fiasko for last in their group by points per game, they better start getting some wins on the board to avoid instant relegation and hopefully the qualifier as well. Defense should be their main focus for improvement with them having the group's second highest goals allowed per game (3.31), though a 1.69 GF/GP, worst in the group, is not looking great either. A huge step up all over the ice is needed right away. Fiasko A team with an unfortunate name, Fiasko has already played almost all of their games without much success. Avoiding instant relegation is not going to be easy, with all of their remaining opponents being near or clearly above the playoff line. Many of their players were part of ECL 12 Core Champion Resurrection, and the huge difference in competition level between the divisions has been thrown to their face quite hard. Honorable mention: WannaCry. After the addition of @Crisu_rottis they seemed to have picked up the pace a little, but they fell further under the playoff line again after having to throw in defenseman @Nikiiz_89 as an emergency backup LW against Reality Check, resulting in two losses on our Tuesday broadcast. There are still a lot of points left up for grabs as the ECL ‘22: Winter Pro season is set to end on 3 February, so good luck and have fun as you look to clinch that coveted playoff berth. We will be right back at you come playoff time with the Round 1 preview, see you then! And as always, feel free to comment with any interesting tidbits you might have PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter

NHLGamers, The regular season of ECL 11 Pro is now finished and the ‘’big games’’ will begin. It didn’t come as a surprise that the race for the playoff spots and better positions in the standings extended all the way to the last rounds of the season. Both groups were extremely tight and there were some surprises along the way but I think it’s fair to say that the best 16 teams will decide the winner of ECL 11 Pro. As brutal as it is, the season is now over for half of the teams in the Pro division. Many feel disappointed, others may have found courage when they noticed they have what it takes to compete at the Pro level. It’s now time for these teams to start preparing for the upcoming season with a brand new league structure which will make the competition even harder. On behalf of NHLGamer we want to thank you for another successful season. See you next time, come back stronger! Here is the full schedule for the ECL 11 Pro Playoffs: Now it’s time to focus on our gladiators on stage. Ladies and gentlemen, here are the matchups of the ECL 11 Pro playoff round 1: (1) GOONS vs Sack Brothers (8) When the season started it was clear that the reinforced GOONS were going to challenge for the top spots in group 2 and they surely didn’t disappoint. GOONS won the group and were the best team of the entire division with most points and only five losses in the regular season. Former JYP Jyvaskyla player @kriketski17, who joined the team right before the season started has made a massive impact for his team: 69 points and an unbelievable 296 hits in 30 games! However the success hasn’t been only on Kriketsi’s shoulders. After a bad start and confusion on the transfer market, pretty much everything has gone right for GOONS. Goalkeeper @SanteriAK47 (santerichristian) was the best keeper of the regular season with most wins and an 83.33% save percentage in 30 games. This is also thanks to both of the defenders, experienced @Miika(MiiQu81-) and rising star @viba2008 who have found the perfect chemistry at the back end. Also other attackers @xKeskitalo and @pikkuroger scored over 60 points this season so it was a very complete display from the whole team. I like to believe that I wasn’t the only one who underestimated Sack Brothers at the start of the season. The former Lite champions didn’t have the easiest preseason after losing two of their leading players before the season started. Sack Brothers proved everyone wrong right from the beginning of the season, winning seven out of their first ten games. After the midpoint of the season it seemed that the course had shifted when the team had a seven game losing streak but they managed to end the regular season in style and took the last playoff spot in group 1. @snippystatue was the second player in the regular season who managed to score 40 goals and new signing @Jjomppa who was playing in the Neo division last season has made an impressive leap to the higher stages. Captain @Datupeijooni(Datzonee) continues to be the player that brings the balance between attack and defense and at the back end defenders @Tuulimylly91 and @Persusta95 / @urkk1 have done convincing work and helped their team to gather some crucial points along the way. @mikeruud who was the best goalkeeper in ECL 10 Lite has been sharing the time in net with @Esko-etikka and it will be interesting to see who will be the starting goalie when the series begins. Prediction: GOONS will start the series as firm favorites. They’ve had the best offense, best defense and best goaltender. However Sack Brothers have already achieved something that only a few could have known and this will put all the pressure on GOONS side. Both teams have an excellent powerplay (>30% powerplay efficiency) which means every penalty could be decisive. Sack Brothers have also proved in the last season that it doesn’t matter if it’s a regular season or playoff game, they can keep their own level. This is a question mark on GOONS side, since the team is heading to the first playoffs with the current roster. Despite all of this it’s really hard to see GOONS losing the series. Both of these teams want to play free flowing attacking hockey and that is where higher division experience of GOONS players will give the team an upper hand. Whatever the result is, this is going to be a fun series to watch. And if Sack Brothers could cause the upset, boy, that would be something to be marked in history books with big markings. GOONS will win the series against Sack Brothers 4-1. (1) Tunnel Vision vs Nordic Stars (8) Tunnel Vision had a rough start to the season. When we were closing in on the midpoint of the season it’s fair to say that the team was heavily underachieving. Then something clicked and the team started to fulfill the high expectations set to them. The last half of the regular season was a complete Tunnel Vision show in group 1 and in the final round they were able to secure the top spot of the standings. Left winger @BensaPoju(Jerskayy) who was marked as the player to watch at season preview had a successful regular season and he has been the most lethal player for his team with 36 goals and 69 points in 30 games. In the end also his linemates on attack @Pikkardz and @Sokkelo__ were able to reach their own level and finish the regular season with +60 points. Defender @tombo_02 has played very well and his defensive partner @Frilander has filled the spot that was left behind by @Eemil with great success. The goalies of the team have been splitting the playing time quite equally for now, but I believe it’s the team captain @Erholtzi who will be the starting goalie to the series. It took some time to reach the full team potential that these great individuals have, but now they look unstoppable. Here we are again, it’s another playoff season for Nordic Stars. In recent seasons, the playoffs have been very unfortunate for the Nordic Stars as the team’s season has always ended in the first round despite the excellent playing in the regular season. This time Nordic Stars struggled a bit as they had to go all the way to the last round of the regular season to win the spot in the playoffs. Could this be a good sign? It’s not a surprise that Captain @Vire30 has been the best attacker for his team this season with 54 points in 30 games. Other attackers @Iltapeli(apetttaja) and @Jerax13 aren’t that far in the stats table but it will be about much more than just finding goals for Nordic Stars this time. If the team wishes to cause a major surprise in the first round, defenders @Katunarski and @kikiukko will need all the help they get from the attackers. Also goalkeeper @Konu(xBenuu) will have to put forth his best performances so far to help his team to get rid of the playoff curse. The potential is surely there and the individual talent in this team is really high as well. Especially the last ten games of the regular season went really well for the team so the confidence is high and the winning form has been found. Prediction: The pressure of winning will of course be on Tunnel Vision’s side but the team managed to overcome some serious troubles already during the regular season and this should have prepared their mental side for the playoffs as well. If Nordic Stars want to win the series, they will have to focus on disciplined defending and effective counter-attacking. However I can’t see Nordic Stars playing full trap-turtle kind of hockey so the players with the more defensive duties in the team will play a huge role for the team's success. Tunnel Vision has lots of playoff experience and they are a really complete team in every sector of the game. Only point that could be seen as a weakness for Tunnel Vision is their faceoff winning percentage (45.62%). If Nordic Stars could take advantage of this and gather a couple of goals with offensive faceoff tactics, things could get interesting. Nordic Stars have also taken quite many penalties in the regular season and this is what both teams should focus on. This is probably the hardest series for Nordic Stars in their near ECL history. Tunnel Vision is one of the clearest favourites for the cup and they are in excellent form. That's why: Tunnel Vision will win the series against Nordic Stars 4-0 (2) Djurgarden Hockey vs Blackdawgs (7) Djurgarden Hockey was one of the teams that took the biggest steps forward compared to their last season In ECL 10 Pro where the team was left out of the playoffs by five points margin. Balance is the word to describe the reason behind the success. Team has been great in every part of the game this season and their playing style is going to be really suitable for playoff hockey as well. Former Almost Famous and KOVA Esports defender @jahajaha93 has brought the experience and confidence to Djurgarden Hockey’s back end which has helped his team to become one of the best defensive teams in the league. Stability at the back has also given his defensive pair and team captain @Jungledonk more freedom in offense, which has led him being one of the most effective defensemen in the league with 37 points in 30 games. One of the players in the attacking trio that deserves a special mention is the center @LordStanley46_, who started his career in ECL 10 Neo with champions Jarnkaminerna and is now heading to the ECL 11 Pro playoffs in his second ECL season! He surely has lots to thank for in wingers @Birkedal96 and @amadee21, who both are also playing their best season right now. Goalkeeper @Sorsa103 has been at his own consistent level the whole season and must be enjoying playing behind the current lineup. Blackdawgs have had a pretty similar season so far as last time in ECL 10 Pro where the team finished 6th after the regular season. Last time they were able to beat TIKI TALK in the first round of the playoffs but this time they will face a team with a really different style of playing. The team roster has changed a lot from last season and the lineup seems to still be finding it's final form. @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) who was the team's leading point scorer last season hasn’t been included in the playing squad lately. Winger @Kucherov86 (Jalkkin-) has moved to defense and defender @Mistertyppo95 is now a center. @James(Jamechkin) has moved from his center position to right winger. These kinds of changes always raises questions - is the team confident and ready for the upcoming games, but when you watch the results from the last part of the regular season it has clearly had a positive effect on the teams playing. @dzouvi has been their star on offense with 53 points in 30 games and former HUIPPUPASSI defender @Mikax222 is having the best season of his career. Captain and goalkeeper @Serg1vratar has made some brave changes during the season. At Least it is clear now that if the lineup changes are the way to turn the series into Blackdawgs' favour, they have the courage and ability to do so. Prediction: This will be the first time for Djurgarden Hockey in the playoffs. However, as said before the team is already playing with a style that could lead Djurgarden Hockey go far this season. Blackdawgs have gathered twice the amount of penalty minutes compared to their opponent and this is something that should be noted in both camps. As both teams are a real threat in powerplay it’s clear that there won’t be room for stupid penalties. If Djurgarden Hockey can continue playing with the stability they have been playing all season, it’s going to be a long series for Blackdawgs finding their way through their defense. On the other hand I see no major reasons why Blackdawgs couldn’t repeat the same outcome as in the last season, if they can find the balance and chemistry in the lineup after some shaking up. This series will not be an easy one for neither of these teams but I believe that Djurgarden Hockey has more quality as a team and more confidence after an outstanding regular season, therefore: Djurgarden Hockey will advance to the next round with a 4-2 score. (2) Inter Iceland vs RCTIC (7) The biggest surprise of the season so far - Inter Iceland has been phenomenal. The team that was called Shooting Stars in ECL 10 Pro finished in 12th place back then and was left out of the playoffs by a large margin. This time Inter Iceland finished 2nd in group 1 and without the bad period at the end of the season they would have won the group. Left winger @Stefan_397 has been in flames this season with 71 points in 30 games and his fellow attackers @Fire_019 and @x Holtbeast (xReuTschNer98x) have also enjoyed +50 points each in the regular season. Inter Iceland’s playbook relies on fast attack playing which sometimes may leave defenders a bit vulnerable. It seems that the arrival of experienced defender @xLVxRitchey has had a positive effect on the whole team and with his defensive partners @Drew-LeBlanc19 and @Charly Inter Iceland has been able to attack without a fear of deadly counter attacks. Team captain and goaltender @PLA77NER (Hasek-39--) has been among the best goalkeepers this season with a 80.23% save percentage in 30 games. If the team can improve their powerplay and penalty killing stats in the playoffs, Inter Iceland can continue surprising teams and make this season one to remember for them. RCTIC was promoted from the Lite division before the season started and they have truly shown that NHLGamer staff made the correct decision. There was no doubt that this team could challenge for the playoff spot this season and they didn’t disappoint. @Hullued has been their most effective player so far with 60 points in 30 games. RCTIC made some changes in the last part of the regular season where center Hullued and left winger @meicci switched places and the team ended the season with a six game winning streak. Right winger @Pursuitti has also had a good season and his experience from Pro playoffs will be valuable for the team. Something that is certain is that you don’t want to let the defender @layout get shots on net. The captain has buried the puck with an incredible 44.4% shot efficiency from the point. I believe that @Mameluck88 who is currently playing his best season so far will be the starting LD for his team but @Zoueli will be ready to jump in if changes are needed. Experienced @Vaporik will most likely be the starting goalie for RCTIC. He has the past experience of successful playoff run with Almost Famous in ECL 6 Pro and he’s been great this season with his 82,7% save percentage in 22 games. Prediction: This will be a tricky one. Inter Iceland has been excellent but their last rounds of the regular season were pretty bad. RCTIC was able to finish the season with a winning streak but their opponents were from the bottom of the table. Inter Iceland masters the fast counter attacking hockey and they have been able to win against teams that have really disciplined defence such as RCTIC. On the other hand RCTIC has shown especially in the FCL playoffs that they can be an excellent playoff team. It will also be a battle between two excellent goalies so I won’t expect many goals scored in this series. One thing that must be pointed out is that RCTIC has played only one ECL matchup in the Middle European server this season while Inter Iceland has got used to the ping difference between two matches. I’m pretty sure this will only have a minor effect on the results and it will be a tight series regardless of the circumstances. I believe this series will go all the way to a game seven where RCTIC will continue their good playoff form and be crowned as the ‘’Kings of Ice’’. RCTIC will win the series 4-3. (3) Herlev Eagles vs Rookie Mistakes (6) At the start of the season it was known that Herlev Eagles were going to be way better than they were back in ECL 10 Pro. The team took the league by storm, including a 13 game winning streak in their campaign and at the end of the season their player to watch @vibholm10 was crowned as the best goal scorer with an astonishing 44 goals in 30 games. He and their other winger @Spearzz_ been fed all season by center @Dreamickie who was the best playmaker of the season with 51 assists in 30 games. Goalkeeper @jubens_ has also played a good season with an around 80% save percentage in 30 games but the questions lies in their defense. It’s really interesting to see how the RD position will be filled in the playoffs. @oSandello has been the clear first choice for the LD position but the RD spot is shared with three different players. The last part of the regular season was honestly quite poor from the team and Herlev Eagles still have work to do returning to their earlier form. Despite the bad ending for the season, Herlev Eagles is still one of the best attacking teams in the whole league and at least they won’t become overconfident before the playoffs. Rookie Mistakes were really close to getting to the playoffs already in their first season in ECL 10 Pro and this time they did it with style. It’s really impressive that all five skaters have had over 30 points this season. It means that it’s not enough to shut down only the attackers when playing against Rookie Mistakes when the defenders @Patsberg_ and @LE1PAKONE (NordZman_) have the skill to finish on the rush as well. Attacking trio @Flopper71, @xColeslaww and @Niskalaukaus have been playing together since the beginning of Rookie Mistakes and they have found that chemistry on ice that every team is after. Their point totals this season might not be as good as those of their opponents but it’s also because Rookie Mistakes defenders are often involved in their offensive play. Goalkeeper @Ilezki_‘s numbers in net aren’t the best in the league but this is due to the fact the team focuses heavily on attacking which can cause some difficult counter attacks for their goalie. However the numbers have been good enough to lead the team to the playoffs. Rookie Mistakes' powerplay has also been excellent this season and they are currently in good form. Prediction: I believe that this series will be one to watch for people that like to see attacking hockey at its best and lots of goals. Two very similar teams go head to head in their first Pro playoffs and neither of these teams want to park the bus. Both teams rely heavily on attack so we will see coast to coast action from the very beginning to the final buzzer. Both teams want to avoid time in the penalty box since neither of the teams have been that great on penalty killing. That's why I believe that powerplay will play a major role in this series and the team that is able to figure out how to keep their own net clean during it, will have the upper hand. Both of these teams can be happy how their season has gone so far and there won’t be any extra pressure on either side. It will be all about adapting to your opponents game and the team that has more quality on finishing will win the series. I believe this time it’s @vibholm10 and his friends in Herlev Eagles, who will win the series 4-2. (3) Enigma vs Company of Geeks (6) Enigma’s season has been pretty similar to that of Tunnel Vision. Although Enigma had an even worse start and from the first ten games the team was able to win only three. Enigma made some adjustments to their roster as ECL 10 Pro champion @laitineen64 joined the team as starting centerman and @Ojamoska transferred to Elite team SJ Gaming. Since then the team's game has been reaching the potential that was expected before the season. Captain @Nieppii has continued where he left off last season being the best point scorer for his team. @laitineen64‘s arrival has been excellent as he has gathered 55 points in only 24 games. Right winger @sannteri might be a couple of points behind his linemates at the moment but his influence will be important in the playoffs as the last seasons have proved. After a rough start also defender @Makeaxl has reached his own level and with his, @Tappu‘s and @zNico‘s help Enigma has been able to bring back the balance in defense that will help them win games night after night. @Pirtsa89, who is playing his first season in Pro seems to be the starting goalie for now, but I bet @Jaakkomusta is ready for duty if he’s called upon. Company of Geeks are playing their best season in a long time. They were among the teams that were able to improve their game significantly between the Pro seasons. Last time in ECL 10 Pro, the team had to fight for a Pro spot in the relegation series so compared to that, this season has been a massive success for them. Right winger @oggezed has been a playmaking machine this season with 50 assists and center @Jesus is the best goal scorer for his team. Adding the young and gifted winger @BlazEm0de-- (xDomin-) to their lineup has given the team a needed boost in the offensive zone and the team was one of the best goal scoring teams in the whole league. On the downside this hasn’t been the easiest season for defenders @Viktorhall, @Kingen_86and goalkeeper @Varabajare (eCeleste31) as the team has conceded the most goals compared to other teams in the playoffs. Team stats say that Company of Geeks hasn’t been able to score on powerplay but this seems to be because the captains haven’t added the results correctly on the website. The same reason is behind the excellent penalty killing percent as well. Therefore the opposing team shouldn’t focus on these numbers too much. Prediction: Company of Geeks needs to figure out their defensive game if they want to challenge talented Enigma. On the other side, Enigma needs to make sure that they won’t start a scoring contest with Company of Geeks since the team is really dangerous if the game starts flowing from coast to coast. Last season Enigma started playing their best game when the playoffs started and the same is expected to happen again. The playoff experience and current good form should be enough for Enigma to take the series. However Company of Geeks have already made a great run this season which will give them a massive confidence boost for the start of the series. If Company of Geeks could start the series strong, continue punishing their opponents with dangerous counter attacks from takeaways and find the balance to keep their own net clean, it could become a very challenging series for Enigma. I still believe that individual talent and the way those individuals have blended to a team during the season will result in Enigma winning the series comfortably. Enigma will advance to the next round with the score 4-1. (4) Vaxjo Lakers vs Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa (5) Vaxjo Lakers has had a solid season so far. They have been the better team in most of the games and many of the defeats they have faced have come as a surprise in matchups where the team has been clearly the better side either in the first or in the second game. I like to believe that Vaxjo Lakers haven’t shown their full potential just yet and their opponents should be prepared for this. Right winger @Kattenj has been the MVP of the season so far with 74 points in 30 games. He has found the perfect chemistry with @EDHOLMINHO and former Farjestad BK player @eBasstian on attack and especially on the powerplay this trio has been extremely lethal with a triangle setup around the net. Vaxjo Lakers have a stunning 46,34 % success rate on powerplay so the opponents must avoid penalties at all costs. @Hockeyjohannes has been the backbone of the defence and goalkeeper @MrAllsvenskan serves as the final lock in the net. We will see who will play the RD position as @Samuel edholm (EDHOLMEN3) and @Gustafsson7 have been splitting the game time so far. This shouldn’t affect too much on the teams playing since both guys are having a good season. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa’s season has been a mixed one. The first half of the season was mostly victorious but the team faced some troubles at the end of the season. Still they were able to secure the playoff spot comfortably at the end of the regular season. All three attackers @Ikavalko, @JesseL2002 and @Naikou88 have had a solid +40 points season and also both defenders @Crisu_rottisand @MCH_98 have been able to gather a good amount of points during the season. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa relies on good team performance, there won’t be a goal scoring festival on ice when this team is playing and that can also be seen in the stats table. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa’s style of hockey will serve them well in the playoffs and at times it can get really frustrating for the opposing team to find holes in FKV’s disciplined defense and that is when the Wolves will strike back. Despite the relatively low individual stats on attack, Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa has the quality to punish their opponent if they lose their focus and I believe that is what the team is aiming for. The team has two excellent goalies @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X) and @SpiderRoyal and my guess is that X_KABA_X , who is currently playing his best season in net, will be the starting goalie for the series. Prediction: Here we have two teams that are in completely different forms at the moment. Vaxjo Lakers had a great run in the last part of the season while Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa was struggling a bit. However both teams ended their season comfortably in the middle of playoff seeding and the margins will be extremely small in this matchup. Both teams are really balanced and stacked with individual talent. Vaxjo Lakers powerplay will definitely be one of the deciding factors and points to follow in this series. If Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa can succeed in penalty killing they can take away one of the biggest weapons Vaxjo Lakers have had this season although this alone won’t be enough to turn the series as neither of the teams have had problems staying out of the penalty box. Both teams desperately want to win the series as both teams have a pretty equal chance for winning the cup this season. Predicting this series is extremely difficult so I have to trust that Vaxjo Lakers will benefit from their current form and start the series with a couple of tight wins which will give them a mental edge over their opponents and carry them through to the second round. Therefore Vaxjo Lakers will win the series 4-2. (4) Pata Hellalla vs ZSC Esports (5) Pata Hellalla did what was expected already in the season preview. Last season they managed to stay in the league by winning the relegation series and since then the team has been able to constantly improve their game and now it has rewarded them with a 4th place in the regular season and a place in the playoffs. Fast straight forward hockey has suited the team and it’s players very well and with the right mindset this team can be a really tricky opponent. From the players of the team, defender @JOHTAJAVIRTANEN deserves to be singled out with an incredible 39 points in 30 games which gave him a second place in defenders stats in regular season. Center @Tetrejev is the scoring leader for his team with 51 points in 30 games and both wingers @siiderihai and @vizka13 have had a solid +40 points season as well. Captain @kungenkurwa also has 30 points in the bag so it has been an excellent season not only for the team but for every player personally as well. Goalkeeper @Nixa_da_fck has had another good season with a 80.18% save percentage as he continues taking steps forward in his career. It is great to see how much a team can improve between seasons without any major changes in the roster. Pata Hellalla should serve as an example for many teams in the community. Since getting the promotion to Pro division ZSC Esports has been a familiar team in the playoffs. In the previous seasons the journey has ended in the first round, but the opponent has always been almost the hardest possible for them. This time they won’t be facing Vesa Pompa or Enigma but winning won’t be any easier despite that as they will face another heavily offensive-oriented team. @Alex28 (I__LX__I) has played the best season of his career with 68 points in 30 games and he should be marked with extra care. Center and captain @Original-SnuS has had another good season and on the right wing @Freeman7187 will most likely be the starting player despite missing 10 games compared to other attackers. Defender @Toneee9 was one of the best defenders in ECL 10 Lite and he has continued the good form in Pro division as well with 30 points in 26 games. @Haldeem will continue being his solid self at the RD position. Every attacker who has played against this guy knows that there seems to be now way around him so especially Vizka- will have lots of work ahead. @afc_Tschitsch will most likely be the starting goalie for the team while @burban26 will have to wait for his turn. ZSC Esports had the most hits after GOONS in the regular season so Pata Hellalla should keep their heads up. Prediction: Both teams have had a pretty similar season so far winning most of their games without any major winning or losing streaks. ZSC Esports has had twice as many penalties as Pata Hellalla this season and their penalty killing percentage is quite low. If Pata Hellalla could improve their powerplay to the playoffs this could give them an advantage but also if ZSC Esports could stay away from the penalty box they should be the stronger team in the 5v5 game. Just like in the Inter Iceland vs RCTIC series, servers will play a minor role in how the series will go but it can’t be used as an excuse since both teams are in a similar position. ZSC Esports has scored more goals than Pata Hellalla this season and conceded less, so the stats will be on ZSC Esports' side at the start of the series. I believe that ZSC Esports have more hunger for success since the past seasons have ended in the first round of the playoffs for them, while Pata Hellalla has already made great work finding their way out of the relegation zone to the playoffs. That’s why ZSC Esports will win the series 4-2 As the old saying is: ‘’Anything can happen in the playoffs’’. It’s already a great achievement to play your way to the playoffs but now we will truly see who is the best of the best. We hope you enjoy playing or watching the games. Play hard and fair, respect your opponents and have fun! As always the comment section is open for your opinions and feedback of this article and the playoff series itself.

ECL Elite 16 in 16 is a season preview series we're implementing ahead of ECL 7. The idea was conceived by @chavelski, but due to time constraining the man himself, the project is now being carried out by the rest of our Elite writing team. The series will be released in 16 parts, one article for each team. The teams have been ranked by all team captains, and articles are being released in order from predicted last place finish to predicted champion of ECL 7. The objective of this series is to give an idea to the community of who is representing which team, added by a small insight into the team with an interview of the team captain. We're starting off our 16 in 16 with a team that is new to competing at the highest tier. The team has been battling and establishing themselves in the Pro division for a few seasons now, and after a successful campaign in ECL 6, they managed to gain promotion. I'm of course talking about the former White Trash, now turned Team Frosty as the NHL team signed a deal with an esports organization bearing the same name (We'll address this in a later article, no worries!). This is a squad that has been grinding it out for several seasons now under the lead of captain @Zip player. Some of the men alongside him have changed, but the strive for success has remained relentless. The team didn't get a lot of confidence from the captains, being predicted to place last in Elite at the end of ECL 7. They surely have a steep hill to climb, but if the form they have shown in some of their preseason games continue, I believe these guys could surprise. IN KenuFHR <-- Monte Carlo Obagol <-- Arctic Chaostive <-- Ea Logic xXSinCosTanXx <-- Nordic Stars IiSvampI <-- Monarchs Jyrkkis_ <-- Gotham Knights OUT Kaltsone --> N/A rGinnu --> N/A plymalkin --> N/A pro-m99 --> Military Service Current roster: Forwards ZipPlayer (C) Kaneyh KenuFHR Chaostive Toukoo01 Defensemen TheFakiiR1 (A) jyrkkis_ IiSvampI xXSinCosTanXx Goalies Mehiiss (A) Jahuuu88 Obagol Interview with captain @Zip player: The team experienced something of a makeover during the summer, what are the underlying reasons and how would you describe the Team Frosty we'll see on the opening night of ECL 7? I suppose that statement is true. In my opinion, the main reason is that we advanced to the very highest level in the ECL. When doing so, a team needs to comply with the level of play in the highest tier. Some of our older players are less active nowadays so we decided to take action immediately. The goal was to renew the team while maintaining the old foundation. On the opening night of ECL 7, you'll see a Team Frosty that trusts their process and we hope to bring our very best to the ice each and every night! Talk a bit about the aggressive recruiting process you guys had going during the summer. Was it a conscious decision to try out so many players? We wanted to be vocal and catch the attention of players. We saw a lot of players along the course of the summer and at some point even our own players were confused about the situation as we were constantly bringing in new guys. I'd say it was our conscious decision to try players who were interested and now I think we have a good group of guys put together. How do you expect your starting lineup to look? I'd like to emphasize that we play as a team. I wouldn't want to speculate on the starting lineup yet, but we're going by the principle that the players who can help the team will play and of course activity will be rewarded. Each of our players have different strengths and one of our main objectives were to build a versatile team that can adapt to any situation. ECL 7 will be the first season with an actual prize pool. What are your thoughts on this? I'm really excited about the growth of the community, both in-game and back office developments have been very positive lately. It would certainly be something, if we one day could have anything even close to a professional league. I believe that money will increase the competitiveness, but currently we aren't talking big numbers so no one will be getting rich yet! It is good for the community regardless. For my final question, I'd like to ask you for a prediction of ECL 7 in the eyes of Team Frosty. What do you think? I'm notoriously bad at predictions, but I'll set some objectives for us. Our first and most important objective is surely to maintain our spot in the Elite division. We'll do everything we can to prove that we belong. Our dream is to make the playoffs on our first season. The road will most likely be long and difficult, but we're up for the challenge! Big thanks to ZipPlayer for his short interview and the best of luck to Team Frosty in their first Elite season! Stay tuned for our next article in the series, in which we showcase a team coming from a very different situation, but according to our Elite captains, are fighting for the same positions as Team Frosty!

Fathers and sons tend to have a certain amount of resemblance. A father or mother is often a personality that the offspring looks up to and wants to mimic in a way. Then again, there might be some characteristics the younger generation is trying to stay clear of. Where am I going with this? Well, I have gotten word that we will be experiencing a very special 'first' today at NHLGamer as ECL Lite division team Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat will feature father @Aitis and his 10 year-old son @viba2008 in their lineup in their games against Burns Beardy Bastards. This will be the first ever father-son duo playing ECL games and is certainly something we at NHLGamer respect greatly. The three founders of Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat - Aitis, @Matti Parviainen and @ninnanunna share godfather responsibilities for each others children and now are also equally responsible for this newest family member, their ECL team. After being established in early 2016, interest in 6v6 games grew quickly. Aitis recruited his cousin @samppa1995 and some other players joined. The club's first ECL tournament was ECL 5, which ended in a second round playoff exit against Raging Monkeys. This season the squad hopes to prove they can compete in the playoffs too and have fared well so far, holding a 4th place spot in their group with 7 wins in 10 games. Aitis describes the team as follows: "Hinkkaajat is a team where most players lack soft hands and hockey sense, but we are a group of guys who believe in the strengths of team play." "The kid has been begging for ice-time since last season" Aitis is your average 37 year-old Finnish guy. His son Viljo, who is 27 years younger, has recently started showing interest towards gaming and a natural step to take is obviously following his father into the ECL scene. What better than joining the team his father is leading in their second ECL season in Lite. "Viljo started playing the NHL-series in NHL14, but first played with our team in NHL17, when Beaverskin asked him to step in for one of our players. Viljo quickly impressed skill-wise and has been in a tough hockey school ever since.", Aitis comments about his son playing for the team. "The kid has been begging for ice-time since last season and thinks it's no wonder we aren't doing better as he isn't playing yet.", he adds. The games tend to start late at night, so that's the main reason Viljo hasn't been in the lineup yet. Come puck drop we will be witnessing dad Aitis81 playing left defender, feeding his son Viljo on the left wing with quick and smart breakouts you only see from a blood-related duo. When asking the youngster about tonights games, he replied that a regular spot in the opening lineup will be obvious after these two clashes. We'll see how it turns out in the evening. We will be watching with excitement and most definitely rooting for the 10 year-old in black and green. You can also join in at the Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat stream at 21 CET.

NHLGamers, A week has passed since the latest and first edition of our Player Spotlight-series was released. Back then we asked Robin @Rubituss Söderqvist seventeen questions. Today we are back with the next article in the series and this time we are featuring Antti @Anhel Kuru. We asked him seventeen questions and you might recognize some of them from the last article, but there are some new ones too! Let's get to it: 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL like? -My first experience with EASHL happened on NHL 14. I was very young at the time so I can barely remember anything special but one strange thing that I can remember is that I played as a LW with a right-handed stick. 2. What's the best thing with competing in the ECL? -Hard to say one thing but maybe the feeling when you've won a tight game against an extremely skilled team with your friends stands out from the rest. 3. This season is Unlucky Boys fourth season in the Elite division, what's the secret to your success? -I think the secret lays behind our roster. Because our roster has been nearly the same for several years, we know particularly well how each and every one of us play. Our team spirit is also great due to playing together for so long and I think it plays a large role in how we are performing on the ice. Everybody plays for the burger on the jersey. Obviously in my opinion each one of us are really skilled individuals too. 4. A lot of you guys have been playing together for a while now, how did the history of Unlucky Boys HC start? -Unlucky Boys HC was founded in NHL16. I created the team with a great friend of mine, @iilmarii. He was new to the whole NHL series and we started to play 2's with good success. After a while it started to be boring and we wanted to leave the bot games behind us. I contacted @JimBoo after meeting him in a drop-in match and he was the third member of our team. Then we just signed both players from drop-in lobbies (like for example our RW @Wenger) and some half-familiar PSN friends like @Sweaty__99. The core of our roster has remained closely the same since the beginning which is very impressive thinking back now. Of course the burger has and will always be our symbol too. 5. If you would be a manager for a day and had to pick one defender, one forward and a goalie to build a new ECL Elite team around. Which players would you choose? You can only choose one from your own team. -Starting from the easiest pick, as forward I would pick Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha. Well, what couldn't I say about his level of play. He has also always been his teams captain which ensures that he is a leader both on and off the ice. For defender I would go with his linemate Wille @willekunq Juntunen because I think he is the best defender out there. Casper @ICappeI Lundgren would be the goalie. I was lucky to meet him at the IS Cup 4 final event and the man is pure class. 6. What would you rather be, an average player in the real-life finnish league or the worlds best EA Sports NHL-player in both 1v1 and 6v6? -I would rather be the best EA sports NHL -player. 7. Do you play or have you played hockey? -I can barely skate so no. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? -Maybe a bit boring answering quite same what @Rubituss said but my best memory is from World Junior Championship in 2016. Me and my dad were watching the final against Russia and it was one of the craziest games ever. I will always remember the winning goal from Kasperi Kapanen. Torille! 9. What’s your favourite team? -Kiekko-Espoo 10. Jari Kurri or Wayne Gretzky? -As a Finn this is an easy question, Jari Kurri. 11. What do you do on a day off? -Studying, listening to music and hanging out with my friends. 12. If you would have to spend one day playing NHL and had to listen to one song only, during the whole day, what song would you pick? -Probably Sonne by Rammstein. I love the song and it gets me focused. 13. How did you come up with your PSN ID? -Anhel was my nickname for some time and Kuru is my surname. Then I just combined them. 14. Who’s the best player in ECL according to you? -@FlyerKungen 15. What do you do when you don’t play NHL or watch hockey? -I'm a final year student in high school so most of my time goes to studying. Besides that I like going to the gym. 16. Which team will win ECL 9 Elite? -This is a tough one. I'll say HAVU in game seven against Linköping. 17. How are you going to spend christmas? -Spend time with my family and support Finland on the World Junior Championship. We thank Anhel_Kuru for taking the time to sit down with us for this interview. If you are lucky, next week you might be the one that gets to answer some of these questions. Who would you like to hear more from? In the meantime, NHLGamer wishes all of you a very merry christmas!

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.

NHLGamers, What a season we've had once again! It's been a long and tiring road but the feeling of accomplishment makes up for it all and we are glad to be able to thank you for showing up in such a big way throughout the season with us. FILADELPHIA and hREDS played some great virtual hockey in the Finals, displaying true skill and how great our game can be at its absolute best, but in the end we can only crown one winner. With that, we're happy to call FILADELPHIA the ECL 11 Elite champion! Not only do they secure the title, but also gain the biggest share of our 15 000€ prize pool that was divided as follows: 1. FILADELPHIA 10 000€ 2. hREDS 3 000€ 3-4. HAVU Gaming & JYP Jyväskylä 1 000€ FILADELPHIA's road to the championship: Group stage: 28-1-1 Quarterfinals: Northern Ascendancy 4-1 Semifinals: JYP Jyvaskyla 4-0 Finals: hREDS 4-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #72 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren A DEFENSEMEN #27 Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta #40 Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen FORWARDS #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää A #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie #86 Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala C Playoff MVP: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren

NHLGamers, NOTE: This log was written on Friday, 11th of December and opinions/statements reflect the situation of the past. I thought I’d post some recent thoughts on my team and ECL 11. First things first: we haven’t had the easiest season so far. This is both because our game wasn’t ready from the beginning and because ECL Pro is a tough division these days. It’s so tough, in fact, that perhaps I should have tempered my expectations for our brand new roster. So far, though, I feel like we are learning as we go. That’s obviously not the optimal way to go about it, considering you tend to miss all-important points in the process, but we need to accept that reality and move along. As the captain, there’s been a lot to learn. One thing is the important role of the assistant captains. It gets difficult trying to manage everything by yourself, and the utility of having a variety of perspectives cannot be overstated. Having the C and A’s play off each other is imperative in the successful management of the team. A dictatorship actually worked for us for a really long time, but it was a unique situation where we benefited from the unwavering leadership of one Johtaja the Great (@J0HTAJA). Another big aspect of team management has been player dynamics and figuring out the lineup for games. I’ve never had to think about that before unless I really wanted to, so mostly I’ve just focused on playing my own game in the past. It’s such an intricate thing to balance, isn’t it? There’s a lot to consider—how do you find the specific 6-man unit that works together the best, and how do you keep everyone happy and committed enough in the process? It’s also crucial to find that optimal lineup as quickly as possible so as to ensure continuity in the team’s game. I am fortunate in that my team has been very good about this as there has been zero drama about who gets to play and who doesn’t. I am very grateful to everyone on the roster because such distractions are sure to detract from the team’s main objective in some way. On a more personal level, I find myself returning to something that was first pointed out to me by Roots defenseman @vSilenttio a long time ago. During games, it is vital to focus on the current moment instead of things external to it. All too often, a player starts thinking about a situation in the game that should have gone differently or begins to form various scenarios in the mind of how the momentum is shifting, how much time there is left to tie the game, and so on and so forth. Barring the obvious requirement for someone to assume a leader’s role in reacting in the party as needed, none of that really matters. The way to help your team is to focus on one very simple thing: performing the next situation to the best of your abilities. Shift after shift, moment after moment. And that’s why, going back to the beginning, where we’re at in the standings right now doesn’t really make a difference. You always know what to do next because nothing could be simpler. Get in the moment and stay there until you hear the sound of the final buzzer. A huge thanks to @Janikka for sharing his thoughts in this article! Are you interested in also sharing some inside from your teams perspective? Contact @jahajaha93 for more information.

NHLGamers, Welcome to the tenth iteration of the European Championship League! It is with great pleasure we are once again able to open the registrations for the longest running and most prestigious competitive NHL league in Europe. The best players and the best teams gather to battle for the title that's long been reigned between the current champion Linköping HC and HAVU Gaming. There have been challengers before, but the rumour has it that this season we'll see something special with a great uprising of new talent in our community. The pinnacle of NHL gaming - our Elite division is running as smooth as ever and interestingly enough has received an influx of new teams through relegation matchups and will most likely also see an Elite Qualification Series. The Pro and Lite divisions are extremely well established too, and competition is ramping up through the introduction of ECL Neo that was done last season. The divisions framework will roll on in the same fashion and teams will further solidify their position at a suitable level of play. If you don't know what we're on about by now, here's a briefing of what ECL is; ECL is a competitive EA Sports NHL League. Games are played in the EASHL game mode in a 6vs6 manner. Since ECL 4, we have implemented a division framework with Lite (and now also Neo) being entry-level, Pro being our mid-level and Elite holding the best 16 teams in Europe. A season in each division consists of a group stage/regular season and playoffs. Here is the planned divisions' structure for ECL 10: ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Gamedays: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 7 days per round ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Gamedays: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 8 days per round ECL Lite: 64 teams Sign up: Anyone can apply for ECL Lite Teams will be decided by Franchise history, Roster composition, and EASHL record ECL Lite registrants are also allowed to apply for a spot in ECL Pro Teams signing up for ECL Lite that don't make it into ECL Pro or ECL Lite will be automatically placed in ECL Neo Gamedays: Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday Regular season: Four groups Playoffs: 32 teams Best-of-7 8 days per round ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Gamedays: Wednesday & Sunday Regular season: Four groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-5 7 days per round Basic information/requirements of ECL: Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. North American players are not allowed to host matches / be captain in the lineup, which means all games need to take place on European servers. This also applies to Russian players - please evaluate your previous connection experience against some of the teams participating in the ECL, especially if you live in eastern parts of your country (which likely connects you to US West servers). In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players. 6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 20. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card. Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. ECL Elite license: Teams in ECL Elite will be required to pay for an ECL Elite license in order to play (more details to follow). Rules: The ECL 10 ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 9. Broadcasts ECL 10 Elite will be regularly broadcasted on the NHLGamer Twitch channel. Broadcasts will feature our favorite casters @Tougie24 and @Cyn, but also other familiar faces throughout the season. Be sure to follow our channel at twitch.tv/NHLGamer. ECL Elite Finals and prize pool The ECL Elite Finals information and prize pool will be confirmed close to season start. NHLGamer will continue to follow the COVID-19 situation and regulations and talk to the teams before making final decisions on how the ECL Elite finals will be played. When? ECL Elite is planned to kick off first, while the other divisions will have some more time to sign up for this season: ECL 10 Elite will kick off on Monday, 6th of April, signups end on Thursday 19th of March 23:59 CET ECL 10 Pro will kick off on Monday, 6th of April, signups end on Thursday 2nd of April 23:59 CET Pro teams that play for potentially open Elite spots will need to be signed up by Thursday 19th of March. ECL 10 Lite will kick off on Tuesday, 7th of April, signups end on Thursday 2nd of April 23:59 CET ECL 10 Neo will kick off on Wednesday, 8th of April, signups end Thursday on 2nd of April 23:59 CET Elite Qualification Series If all 16 Elite teams don't sign up for the ECL 10 season, we will have an Elite Qualification Series among the teams that are qualified to take part. In this case the teams eligible for a possible Elite Qualification Series are: TIKI TALK (Elite Relegate #13) Almost Famous (Elite Relegate #14) BRAYCE Phantoms(Elite Relegate #15) Leksands IF (Elite Relegate #16) Vaxjo Lakers (Pro Quarterfinalist #5) Reality Check (Pro Quarterfinalis #6) Kaupallinen Yhteistyo (Pro Quarterfinalis #7) Black Horse (Pro Quarterfinalis #8) The Elite Qualification Series exact format will be determined based on the available spots and the teams that want to play for the spot in Elite, but the dates for the games are 22nd-26th of March, with potential gamedays on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in order to ensure a fair competition for the spot. More details will be given to the eligible teams on Friday, March 20th. Where to sign up? Sign up for ECL 10 Elite here Sign up for ECL 10 Pro here Sign up for ECL 10 Lite here Sign up for ECL 10 Neo here Please note: If you are currently in negotiations with an organization and have plans to change your team name, but are uncertain if you will make it until the start of the season, please contact @Kenu with this information as soon as possible. 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. Support While it's totally ok to ask for help on Discord and you might get a quicker reply from fellow community members to some of the simpler questions, when you actually want to get help with an issue from our staff, please contact support. While sending PM's to staff members may be tempting, using our ticketing system is the best way to go. Discord You can join the NHLGamer Discord server by clicking here. In the NHLGamer Discord, add the appropriate ECL role as well as the role for your team to help with league communication. This can be done in the #role-commands-entry channel (see #role-commands-guide for instructions). What can I do to help out? If you feel like you want to do more for the project, head over to this article for some examples of what sort of staff we are looking for and where to get in touch. As for the small things everyone can do, follow our different channels and spread the positive word of our community and your fellow players and teams - together we can make a difference! NHLGamer on Facebook NHLGamer on Twitch NHLGamer on Instagram NHLGamer on Twitter NHLGamer on Discord Hopefully, that covers most of the questions you might have. Without further ado: Welcome to the ECL! Finally, a short word about COVID-19 As mentioned above, we will continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus) when determining whether or not to have a live on-location element to the ECL 10 Elite season or not. We at NHLGamer love to get together with the community and celebrate the game and the players, but we must also be responsible in stopping the spread of the virus. We will communicate with the Elite teams internally about this before the start of the season. In addition to the considerations of a live event, we must of course keep the health and safety of our community in mind and reserve the right to pause or cancel the season, in addition to altering the details of it. If you've somehow managed to miss what the COVID-19 is all about and what actions you should take, we definitely recommend you read about it. UPDATE: We have made the call to postpone the start of ECL 10 Elite by one week, until Wednesday the 8th of April. There are several underlying reasons and without going into great detail we want to ensure the best quality output possible.

The European Championship League is currently running its 9th iteration of competition. In order to get a snapshot of the perspective of the person behind it all, Slapshot Magazine reached out to Kenneth @Kenu Lehtinen, founder of NHLGamer.com. Interview by Yann @Virtual_Saku Maillet, Nov. 30th 2019. Here is the English internet version of the interview: Kenneth, can you introduce the origin of the NHLGamer project to our readers? NHLGamer.com originally saw the light of day over a decade ago, somewhere around 2004. What started as a website platform for friends to arrange NHL leagues together has since grown exponentially into what is today the largest community for NHL gamers in Europe. In late 2015, NHLGamer launched a new platform for a larger audience. Ever since we started, we've been providing a community experience and competitive action for gamers who enjoy the EA Sports NHL series. We've grown exponentially into one of the biggest communities worldwide and in launching the European Championship League (ECL) in 2015 was a groundbreaking step in our history. The ECL is a league where all the best European teams compete in a 6vs6 setting for titles in various divisions based on skill level. We also launched the North American counterpart in early 2019. On top of this, we host national leagues for Sweden, Finland, Russia and Germany. At its core, NHLGamer is a community of passionate gamers who strive to push our beloved sport onward. We've come a long way but are still just getting started. While we're proud of our achievements, we're continuously striving to find new ways to grow our community, host bigger tournaments with bigger prize pools and find new partners at the very cutting edge of gaming and esports. How many tournaments are you running today and how are you organizing for the whole thing to work? The main ecosystem of NHLGamer consists of two main leagues, accompanied by the national leagues for four countries. The main leagues are the European ECL and the North American NACL, while the national leagues consist of the FCL (Finland), GCL (Germany), RCL (Russia) and SCL (Sweden). We also do some other leagues and tournaments that are less about the competitiveness and more about the community aspect. In addition to our own products, we’ve co-operated with organizations like Ilta-Sanomat to create their IS Cup tournaments and a handful of other projects. How do we do it? Hard work. NHLGamer is fortunate to have not only the most passionate and devoted gamers, but also staff members possessing these same qualities. I have been doing this full-time since 2017. What is your economic model? Currently, our economy is driven by our staff (myself included) working pro-bono and all of the proceeds from the projects being reinvested into our expenses and prize pools. We are consistently growing and constantly talking to new potential partners and sponsors and that is a key step in the right direction of longevity and scalability. « Parallels between traditional sports and esports » What answer do you give to those who believe that esports isn't comparable to traditional sports? Does it really matter? Do we really care if someone thinks it is or isn’t a sport? That’s all about labels and beyond the point of what esports is about. Playing video games competitively at the top level requires several important skills. Some of these skills required of top players can be reflexes, strategy, teamwork and being able to perform under pressure. Being in good physical condition can definitely help with some of these things, such as reflexes, keeping your pulse steady under longer periods of stressful playing, staying concentrated and so on. From that perspective, you can draw many parallels between sports and esports. Many of our most successful players are active and successful in traditional sports and I definitely see it as a benefit in esports. Traditional sports teams such as Düsseldorf, Växjö and more recently Zurich, Luleå and Färjerstad have launched their official esports teams, is this a turning point? Do you know what motivates these clubs to take on the challenge? It’s no secret that esports is taking the world by storm and more and more companies are getting involved. It can be kind of hard and expensive to get involved with some of the more established games in esports at this point, whereas for NHL esports, this is the perfect time to come in as it is at the stage of maturing and growing season after season. There is starting to be an overall demand for businesses and especially sports organizations to get involved in esports, but not everyone feels like these massively famous games that revolve around violence and shooting are something that they want their brand to represent. For hockey organizations, getting involved in video game hockey seems like the most natural step. Having been introduced to what we do, combined with the passion, talent and devotion of the players in our community and an affordable entry-level cost - the interest towards our leagues has been big and you can expect a lot more organizations getting on board in the near future. The Washington Capitals have just done the same, should we expect an eNHL soon? It was only a matter of time before the first NHL organization got involved and we’re excited to welcome the Capitals into the scene. The NHL itself has, of course, produced their own NHL GWC for two years now in the 1v1 format and I’m surprised if they don’t join in on the 6v6 action within 2020-2021. Did you have any discussions with the IIHF about an official competition? I have not, but I am happy to talk to them and anyone else who is interested in entering this market. « Esports is the future of entertainment » Do you think that the general public will find this product appealing? Absolutely. The benefit of this game and sports titles, in general, is that if you’re at least remotely familiar with the sport, you can easily start watching our broadcasts and understand what’s happening on the screen. Something that gets me excited is how the general public engages with us during our live events; Seeing passer-by’s take out their phones to take photos, groups of people discussing what they’re seeing and people from all kinds of backgrounds finding their way to fill the seats in the audience. At the end of the day, it's really up to us as an organizer, EA SPORTS as the game developer and our community to create immersive leagues and tournaments with high production value in order to make it fun and enjoyable to watch for both the hardcore fans and the more casual crowd. How do you see the future of esports in general? There have been some talks about virtual Olympics, do you believe in it? Esports is the future of entertainment. I do believe the bubble will eventually burst with some of the most astronomical prize pools we see for some games. However, I don’t see that happening for a while or overall harming the great thing that esports already is today. Regarding the Olympics - there’s a common question I hear from time to time: Does esports need the Olympics, or is it the Olympics that need esports? Whatever the opinion, I do believe that it is the direction we are heading in - just last week the Finnish Esports Federation was approved as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. There are numerous bugs on NHL 20 and several glitches are still possible, are they a challenge to the development of your business and eHockey? I wouldn’t say that bugs and glitches are a big problem for the development of our business and the virtual hockey. I am a member of the EA SPORTS GameChanger program and actively provide them with information about any bugs that either I or the community stumble upon and I believe that it is a valuable line of communication to have in order for EA to keep improving their product for competitive play. The bigger concern that I have voiced to the producers and developers is that from our perspective there is a large demand for better broadcasting options, such as a spectator mode where the broadcaster would have control of the camera angles. Many people are indignant at the disparities of connection across the continent. For this reason, do you think that one day a multi-day LAN competition could bring the community together in a central place or country? Absolutely. That is definitely one of our goals and it is just a matter of time and cooperating with the right partners. Which team, and player, do you enjoy watching most? Our community is filled with a huge amount of talented and passionate players and teams. Some players shine with their incredible puck-handling skills and fancy goals, while others blow you away with ice-in-their-veins kind of calm and collected plays under the pressure in a game 7. Every season we get treated with both great defensive battles and offensive shootouts and while I do enjoy watching the best of the best - watching two even teams play in the lower divisions can be very entertaining as well. This article was published in Slaphot Magazine #99 – December 2019. It is released on NHLGamer.com with the kind authorization of Asphalt Rink Editions. Any copy of this text is strictly forbidden.

NHLGamers, It's time to kick off the ECL season for our Pro, Lite and Neo divisions this week. With that being on the agenda, there was a need for some promotions for vacant spots in ECL Pro. These vacant spots have been left by teams who have either disbanded or simply not signed up for ECL Pro in ECL 9. After promoting the expected four teams (Oton Letkutemppu, Vesa Pompa, Cheers Hockey & We Kings) at the end of the ECL 8 Lite season, a total of eleven spots were open in the division for this season, out of which two were filled with automatic promotions based on performance in ECL 8 Lite (Quarterfinal losers). The two teams promoted based on these criteria are Prowlers Esports (formerly Prowlers) and Virtual Horizons eSports (formerly Blackdawgs). After that, nine spots remained to be filled. The selection of teams receiving promotions has been made based on team history, previous merits and perception of skill and recent performance. Without further ado, here are your ECL 9 Pro groups (promoted teams in bold): Group 1: Cheers Hockey Children of Ice GHETTO FIREBIRDS HC Wildcard Horror Hockey Me Carvoset Nightmare Nordic Stars Oton Letkutemppu Pata Hellalla Resurrection Shooting Stars Silver Sword Griffins The Syndicate Vesa Pompa HC Virtual Horizons eSports Group 2: Alliance HT Bellizzi Black Horse Cowabunga Hockey Delusion Freddie Mercury Institute Gotham Knights Kaupallinen Yhteistyo Nordic Lightning Prowlers Esports Rakish Reality Check Sandstorm Vaxjo Lakers HC We Kings ZSC Lions The schedule has been generated and games will be ready to begin on the evening of Monday, 17th of November.