Janne ”Nieppii” Niemelä: ”you shouldn't overthink things, and stay as humble as possible”

Janne @Nieppii Niemelä has experience from both the virtual side of hockey and the more traditional sport. He has played competitive NHL since NHL 17 and has in recent years managed to pave his way to the top of European competition with his team IQUE. Niemelä also represents the prestigious Oulun Kärpät in their eLiiga campaign.

"Of course I've been playing the NHL series casually for quite a long time, and then during NHL 17 became interested in the competitive side while watching a lot of Hannes@Hansulinho Kettunen and Risto@Dominointi Järvi streams, through that I really started to develop my own game and got the ball rolling."

Niemelä feels that playing hockey has been useful also when transitioning to the virtual side of things. He says he’s developed a good eye for the game and in-game responsiveness from that side.

"This is an interesting topic for me and when thinking of it I'd say that the eye for the game and reaction to situations has definitely come from that side. However, perhaps the pressure tolerance and the fact that I am at my best in a tough spot is something that has transitioned directly to the virtual ice."

As his best memory from playing virtual hockey, Nieppii states that his first LAN experience takes the cake, however, back in his junior days he played one season in Bradford, Ontario, which he remembers fondly.

"The best memory of virtual hockey was the first GWC back in NHL 18 when I qualified for the EU finals in Stockholm and got to play on a LAN event for the first time. The best memory for hockey is probably the entire season when I played in Canada, although the league level wasn't too good, but the experience was overall great and I got to focus on the things I like the most (NHL and real hockey) so it was cool."

Niemelä states that personally, playing the 6v6 game mode is much more fun because you can experience it with the team, while in the 1v1 game mode it's only you. However, he says he appreciates both forms of play.

"In my opinion, 6v6 makes more sense, because playing with a team brings a different feel to it, and for example big wins feel much better with the team than alone, although of course I appreciate the 1v1 side of things, but team sports are always better."

We asked the IQUE captain what kind of tips he would give to those young people who want to play and succeed in competitive virtual hockey in the future. He notes that humility is crucial.

"Well, the biggest thing I would say is that you shouldn't overthink things, and stay as humble as possible, this works for both the 1v1 and 6v6 sides of things. I also think it’s too common for people to think it’s easy to move from a hard 1v1 game mode to the 6v6 game mode, I was a bit guilty of that at a younger age myself but the reality is that it’s not as easy as you'd imagine."

His team IQUE ran into some turbulence in the offseason and experienced some major changes after playing together with success for a few months.

"Yeah, there has been quite a turnover in the team after the FCL season and things didn't look too good for a while, but in my opinion good pieces were found for the team and of course the main thing is a nice fresh look and everyone has a strong motivation to make it work.  Perhaps the team has been strengthened through a certain kind of experience in that it's noticeable in the team how more experienced players take on different situations, and through that we will certainly be able to be a tough team to beat in future tournaments.  I feel that the team has to play together a bit longer to find out which styles of play work for us, but there are already signs of good teamwork."

One of the players lost in the offseason was young prodigy Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, who suddenly left for GOONS and left a gaping hole down the middle for IQUE.

"Of course, it's not an easy situation and it's hard to say whether you can directly replace such talent, but I feel like we've made a great acquisition in Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko, who is getting back to Elite games and surely still can develop a lot despite being an experienced player already."

Also, If you could choose one player from your own team with whom you could swap places, who would it be and why?

"Yes, Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi and I swapped places before, and I heard a bit of a story that his ECL career as a forward only lasted one night, so he could show his skills at the attacking end. At least it couldn't go any worse than last time."

You get one more task... assemble your own 6v6 team of players who you think possess exceptional potential to make it big in the future, you may choose players from your own team.

Left wing: Matias @theMaddias Kilpinen - played a really good FCL tournament and proved to be a very versatile player, reminds me of Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen with his unpredictability. Secured a roster spot in Conquer Gaming so I think he's ready for Elite now.

Center: Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko - I'm making a homer call on this one and choosing our center. Ikis is making a return to Elite and possesses high skill and grinds the game alot. 

Right wing: Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen - Makes a return to the ECL ice now and is still young and hungry, which gives a lot to this game and I think it will make him even better than before. 

Left defenseman: Juho @juhkis96 Katajamaa - Also made a name for himself in Otukset and has a good eye for the game. Understands how a good defenseman is supposed to play and now gets a shot to prove his level in Elite.

Right defenseman: Putte @Putteekiing Unasin - I think a good puck moving defender who doesn't forget his defensive obligations and now gets to show with HV71 what he has to contribute on the Elite ice.

Goaltender: Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen - Has already been among the best goalkeepers for a while, but the army slowed down the progress a little bit. Now is the time to prove how he can perform in the long season and in a team where the goalkeeping game will also play a big role in their success.