NHLGamers,
The ECL Elite holds the very best teams in the business and there's no denying the prestige that all of these 16 teams hold. It's no easy feat making it to the top and it's even harder gaining that ultimate prize - the championship. When someone wins, others lose and that's the way it's always been in sports. In the end there are no win-win situations and in a 16-team division there will always be several teams that face disappointment when it's all said and done. It's just the way it has to be. Despite playing at the highest level and actively being considered one of the 16 best teams in Europe - why not even in the World, losing always stings and it feels the exact same regardless of the level of play. It wears on players and teams, eating away at their chances to succeed. Getting stuck in a losing mindset can be detrimental to a team and if that happens, the tide can be hard to turn. The fight is never over though, there will always be chances to bounce back and continue the fight.
In this first part of our ECL 11 Elite season preview, we'll be going over six teams that we are expecting to be found towards the bottom of the table this upcoming season. These teams all have their place among the top 16, but various reasons lead us to believe that they would be having a tough time overcoming their opponents at a rate that would push them to see the more important games of the postseason.
One of the combining factors for these teams outside of the fact that they are undoubtedly among the best in the business is that they might be among the group of teams that will be stuck in no-man's land or even worse - in the relegation zone. Being at the receiving end of several losses will effectively push down a team in the standings and finding yourself in the relegation zone is not a fun thing at all. While it is a chance for second breath as long as you avoid being dead last. It is unfortunately often the time when the core of a team is left to their own devices. What happens after a difficult season or how you deal with adversity is ultimately what defines you as a team. Being a part of this list is not a sentence, it is a challenge - game on!
*****
11. 
Vesa Pompa HC (ECL 10 Elite: 11th)
Vesa Pompa HC has seen some great domestic success by being the back-to-back SCL champions and they've completed an impressive rise to the top in the ECL in that time span too. The Swedes made their first ECL Elite appearance last season and had a rather turbulent campaign at that. Vesa Pompa struggled mightily to start the season but after going 4-10-0 through the first half of their run, they recruited scoring legend Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen to the rescue. ECL 11 sees the return of @Vilupoika and together with the skilled Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund and Jere @jergelii Jortama, the trio should pose a serious offensive threat at the top tier of ECL competition. Vesa Pompa HC went 9-5-2 to finish ECL 10 with @Vilupoika in their roster and should be able to continue on that same path. This season the competition is much harder though - will Vesa Pompa be able to improve along with the rest of the pack?
Player to watch: Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen
Despite taking some time off, @Vilupoika proved that he still possesses the scoring touch that we saw back in his times with Butterfly Effect. Now reunited with good friend @jergelii, simply going through the motions should guarantee a solid amount of success, but if he wants to really battle for those playoff spots with Vesa Pompa, even a prolific scorer like him will have to step it up.
12. 
Team Leisure (ECL 10 Elite: 6th - Quarterfinals)
The former Deadly Phantoms HC have been the proud torchbearers of the German NHL esports community for quite some time already and are already experienced players at the Elite level going into their fourth season with the big boys and seeing playoff action in each of their previous campaigns. They're a tough team to play for anyone as proven by their success so far, but there are clouds on the horizon. As usual, Team Leisure has seen limited action against other Elite teams due to their geographical location and the fact that one team would be at a disadvantage either way, but the server selection feature of NHL 21 will even out the score allowing Team Leisure to play their home games at the Central European server whereas away games will most likely be played at the North European server. It's not a matter of decreased skill in the ranks of Team Leisure - they're as strong as ever, but their opposition will be tougher this time, at least in 50% of the games this season.
Player to watch: Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker
Having started his career with Team Leisure (then Deadly Phantoms), @PlaymakerSJ has consistently been one of the teams go-to guys when talking about generating offense, but the fact is that he is also a tremendously reliable player in his own end. Leisure is somewhat known for a disciplined style of play that evidently has been working for them. There's no room for slack when doing so and @PlaymakerSJ will be the last man to go easy on the opponent in that department.
13. 
SJ Gaming (ECL 10 Elite: 13th)
Having escaped relegation after a 13th place finish in ECL 10 Elite, SJ Gaming might be finding themselves in a similar pickle to end this season again. The SJ Gaming of ECL 11 has been overhauled drastically, having renewed two forwards and a defenseman in their roster. As it seems currently, their defense will consist of captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström and Henri @Kusimaakari Raittinen, who steps down the flank from his more familiar forward position. Young talent Jiska @Jorma Näppä will be centering their dangerous offense but the question will ultimately be if they can hold up in their own end. We know for sure that these guys can score but alike last season, they have the occasional collapse defensively and letting in 5+ goals in your own net will not be sustainable if you're looking for success among the best in the business. It will be up to SJ Gaming as a unit to prove us wrong and instead of getting stuck in the relegation zone start improving on their performance from last season.
Player to watch: Jiska @jorma2001 Näppä
The youngster spent a total of four seasons playing at the top of the Pro division but somehow promotion always seemed to escape the teams he played for. After a short stint and some valuable experience in KOVA Esports, @jorma2001 is now ready to take on a leading role in the Elite division and will do so with ease. Playing alongside Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi and Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen, the newest addition should be en route to a successful Elite debut season that will unfortunately be cut short if SJ Gaming makes the playoffs due to @jorma2001 heading into military service.
14. 
SAWO Esports (ECL 10 Elite: 9th)
Formerly known as Checkmate, SAWO had a disgruntling start to their run in their crisp new black and yellow colors as they first dominated their group in the FCL, but faced a quick exit at the hands of rival Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa in the first round. Since then, the team has seen some changes mainly on the back end when letting Vesa @VesKuLiNe Voutilainen go in favor of signing Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta, who has a lot to prove this season going into his first ECL campaign ever in a starting role. SAWO as a whole will also need to rise up to the challenge this season, as they are going into their third run at the Elite level and have barely missed playoffs twice. The unfortunate thing this time is that their roster - at least on paper - looks weakened in comparison to ECL 10 and their recent competitive performances have clouded the sky for SAWO a bit.
Player to watch: Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä
@Mehukatti10 joined SAWO Esports goalie corps after spending most of his ECL career as a forward in various teams around the Lite and Pro region. As one of the teams newer members, he quickly found his groove in net and could be the one to steal the starting spot from his colleague Juuso @Juizki Nikkinen. Despite being green in net when it comes to ECL, this guy is not a newbie to the sticks at all and has nerves of steel.
15. 
Dark Horse (ECL 10 Pro Champion)
Dark Horse managed to gain direct promotion through winning the ECL 10 Pro championship and rightfully deserves their spot among the very best teams in the scene. They've got a very experienced core of players that has been strengthened by the addition of Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen, who lead the team in scoring in the FCL and will be flanking the teams successful duo Markus @Pasi Modry Vanhala and Mikael @Tapparafan Virtanen. The back end of Dark Horse has seen an overhaul since their last ECL stint and as it looks right now, it is largely up to Ville-Petteri @vviljo Särmä to take the lead in the teams own zone. The first season at the top level is always full of excitement and it is really a season to prove themselves for several of the players, some have kind of been drifting around for a couple of seasons and others are taking their first strides on the Elite ice. In fact, one of the main concerns there is with the Dark Horse squad is their lack of experience at the highest level of competition in the ECL - the team has a combined ECL Elite experience of only 161 games between two players, out of which @vviljo has racked up 137.
Player to watch: Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen
There's no reason why this kid shouldn't have a proper breakout season in his first Elite showing. @Krisutus has quickly paved his way through the masses of players and become one of the most exciting talents in the game. There are still some flaws, but the potential is undeniable. In his first competitive league (FCL) with Dark Horse, he already led the team in scoring throughout the regular season and provided a much needed second wave to captain @Tapparafan in the playoffs.
16. 
Conquer Gaming (ECL 10 Elite: 12th)
Conquer seems to be one of those teams that never get a chance in these previews, right? They still end up surprising a bunch of teams and proving how little we know about ECL Elite after all. If we were to talk about teams facing adversity in the offseason, Conquer Gaming would be around the top of that list without a doubt. Things were looking up for them, impressing in their ECL Elite Premier and continuing it into the FCL, where they challenged JYP in the quarterfinals and just barely missed advancing. However, disaster struck like lightning from a clear sky when both Valeri @Valluxet Reihel and Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma would be leaving for KOVA Esports in one of the biggest steals of the offseason. The fact is that both @Sakkem and @Valluxet were massive pieces of the machinery in the play of the team. As a great squad does, Conquer did not waiver and have been pushing forward with the assets at hand. Their disciplined style of play should be exactly what they need to enforce in order to see some success this season - they've got a roster of guys who know each other well but are at the moment somewhat limited in terms of skill when compared to the rest of the division.
Player to watch: Jere @Jertsicc Sirviö
The centerman has evolved as a player alongside his team since joining GHETTO FIREBIRDS back in ECL 7. After a true career season in ECL 9 Pro, he was doubted by many going into his first Elite campaign, but together with the solid unit that the former FIREBIRDS had built, they managed to show all naysayers that they were a force to be reckoned with. We're hoping to see a repeat of that this time, but the signs are not looking up for Conquer or @Jertsicc for that matter.
*****
Despite the even somewhat harsh words uttered about the teams above, we cannot stress it enough that we are talking about some of the very best in the business. Naturally we hope that these teams will do better than this and show all the doubters what they can really do in the world of NHL esports, however perhaps you get the picture based on this piece - the struggle is real.
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