ECL '23 Spring Elite: Quarterfinals Preview

SportsGamers,

A full 30 games have been completed by all the teams in the European Top 16 and at this point we've narrowed the pack down to the eight best teams, who'll go head-to-head in the Quarterfinals. Some exciting turns of events right at the end of the regular season saw Frölunda HC taking the top seed and Redhawks Esport sneak into the Playoffs as the #8 seed. It's definitely been a regular season to remember, and we expect nothing less from the Playoffs!

We reached out to Cover Gamer Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen for some brief comments about the regular season in general:

"The top three set themselves apart as expected, but in general it feels like the top eight in the Elite division is tougher than that of previous seasons, although I believe all series have clear favorites, no one will be in for an easy series in these Playoffs. Some excellent teams like Heimo, Nordic Stars and Roots were left in no-man's land and I think any of those teams could've put up a good fight in the Quarterfinals."

Lainaa

ECL '23 Spring: Elite Schedule

• Registration period: 18.3.-13.4.2023
• Regular Season: 24.4.-24.5.
• Quarterfinals: 29.5.-1.6.
• Semifinals: 4.-7.6.
• Finals: 16.-17.6.*
• Relegation: 26.-29.6. **

* TBC

** Series can be started as soon as pairs are known

(1)  Frölunda HC vs (8)  Redhawks Esport

TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala 30 GP, 28+35=63 vs Tim @Timasy Hess 28 GP, 23+26=49

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen 18 GP, 15 W, 83,13 SV%, 1.5 GAA, 2 SO vs Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström 18 GP, 7 W, 82,63 SV%, 2.28 GAA, 0 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
24-3-3 vs 13-10-7

Frölunda HC are on a great run, recent eHSM Champions and now the #1 seed in the ECL - They look like they are really enjoying themselves on the ice. The current form (8-1-1) Frölunda is in is unmatched throughout the division and the eye test really matches the stats in this case. While the experienced squad might not bolster the most overpowered offense around, they are so defensively sound that they'll be a tough team to beat in a best-of-seven series. Great defensive play all around and excellent goaltending from duo Casper @ICappeI Lundgren & Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen is their greatest asset moving forward. 

Malmö Redhawks made the Playoffs against all expectations and odds. Almost all #ECL23Prediction submissions placed this team outside of the Playoff picture, but that didn't put the Redhawks down. Their ability to clinch points in almost all of their regular season matchups came in very clutch towards the end of their campaign, and a fun notion is that in fact Redhawks only came away with zero points in one matchup throughout the season. They also won both games against hREDS, which is a testament of their danger from an underdog position. Captain Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt noted on Twitter that going into the Playoffs as the #8 seed is never easy, but Redhawks are playing with house money at this point. 

Cover Gamer Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen: "Frölunda will win the series in 4-5 games, but I don't think Redhawks will let them off the hook easy."

(2)  Tunnel Vision vs (7)  JYP Jyväskylä

TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 30 GP, 44+34=78 vs Santeri @indi969 Pendolin 30 GP, 23+26=49

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 26 GP, 22 W, 87,5 SV%, 1.58 GAA, 8 SO vs Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt 30 GP, 15 W, 80,11 SV%, 2.33 GAA, 3 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
24-4-2 vs 15-12-3

Tunnel Vision have set themselves apart as an exceptional offensive squad ever since signing winger superstar Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen ahead of last season. They didn't quite reach last season's numbers, but were in a class of their own regardless. In addition to that, the outstanding goaltending performance we've seen by Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen has got us thinking Tunnel Vision is going to be a tough team to crack once again. Tunnel Vision dropped their last games of the season against Mayhems and lost the #1 seed as a result of that. The team seemingly still hasn't found a surefire solution to their somewhat unexplained fluctuations in form, but their base level should surely be enough to make it through to the next round.

After an excellent ECL '22 Winter season and no roster changes made, we were expecting JYP to perhaps even sneak their way into the top 4, but some early season struggles and problems with consistency caused them to drop down into 7th place. Regardless of that, this squad has proven their ability to challenge top teams before, but Tunnel Vision definitely had their number this season with 3-0 and 5-3 wins. Both teams are quite similar in the sense that their defensemen carry the puck a lot and like to jump in on the offense. JYP could be in trouble if they end up on the penalty kill, with a poor 66,67% on that front in the regular season. Don't count JYP out, though, but Tunnel Vision's class and quality might end up being too much in their current form. 

Cover Gamer Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen: "I think this should be a tough series, but if we're able to play our best game, we should get it done in 5-6 games."

(3)  hREDS vs (6)  Leksands IF

TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 30 GP, 39+22=61 vs Robert @Robban kaudern Kaudern (I-Kaudo-I) 28 GP, 30+30=60

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen 24 GP, 16 W, 78,71 SV%, 2.21 GAA, 2 SO vs Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen 30 GP, 15 W, 80,45 SV%, 2.6 GAA, 1 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
20-7-3 vs 15-9-6

hREDS were very far from the usual dominant form we're used to seeing from that team and at the end, they fell behind from the top two by a surprisingly wide margin. They had a few very rare off-nights and have struggled to some extent to really shut down that own end in their usual way. It'll be interesting to see hREDS sport a rather young talent in Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen in net these Playoffs. He has proven himself with IQUE already back in ECL '22 Winter and with Tunnel Vision in the 2022 eHockey SM, but hasn't quite been able to rock with the top goalies in the division this season in that low- to mid-eighties SV% category. One thing hREDS have excelled at this season is their powerplay, which has clicked at a 39,39% success rate in the regular season. Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen has been excellent on the man advantage with five tucks to his name, and leads the league with 37 deflections, so keep an eye on his net-front presence.

Leksands IF is another kind of surprise, a rookie team that I personally expected to struggle in the Elite division due to the better level of defense, but they did just the opposite. Leksands IF thrived throughout the season and in fact were one of the highest scoring squads in the division. Especially Robert @Robban kaudern Kaudern made a strong case for himself as rookie of the season with an impressive 60 points - good for 6th place throughout the league. Expect Leksand to throw their trademark speed up the wings at hREDS, which could end up working in the counter-attack style of play they'll have to employ against a possession team like the former European Champions. 

Cover Gamer Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen: "Leksands were a team that caught me by surprise and this is going to be an interesting series to follow. The first few games will set the tone and I think that the series could be over quick if hREDS are able to find their game early on, but Leksand have a genuine chance to upset."

(4)  Mayhems vs (5)  Färjestad BK

TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Teemu @temppanen Karvonen 30 GP, 22+23=45 vs Adam @dzouvi Mensik 30 GP, 18+27=45

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen 30 GP, 17 W, 81,82 SV%, 2.27 GAA, 2 SO vs Johan @McSavid Rundqvist 16 GP, 7 W, 82,23 SV%, 2.19 GAA, 1 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
17-9-4 vs 16-9-5

Both of these teams have been on sensational runs as of late. Mayhems are the second hottest team in the league with 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, only behind #1 seed Frölunda HC. This rookie team almost disbanded mere days before the season and still found a way to upset the entire division and push down several established teams. Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen is one of the biggest stars of this team and is definitely a solid backstopper for somewhat of an underdog team looking to make a cinderella story of their rookie season in Elite. Another very welcome factor has been the emergence of Teemu @temppanen Karvonen as a top tier player on the 1v1 side, and he has translated that success well to the 6v6 ice. Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen has been a great addition to the back end of Mayhems, a player that really drives their offense and is crucial for them on the breakout. Always a danger in the offensive zone too along with Timi @Kkarkass Kärkäs, in fact, over 21% of goals for Mayhems were scored by defensemen!

Färjestad BK also went on an impressive run over the past few weeks. The team slotted in towards the absolute bottom of the standings at the midway point of the season and started their campaign with an eight game losing streak. It seems like they were really able to turn things around in the third week and went 16-1-5 after that initial losing streak. One highly notable factor about their game is that Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen on left defense is the puck-hog of the Elite division with 193:22 of puck possession time, an entire 30 minutes more than Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander, who plays up the right flank. In general, Färjestad are a team who like to stay on the puck and will most likely try to control the pace against Mayhems. 

Cover Gamer Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen: "Although Mayhems have had a great run, I don't think they can stand up to Färjestad in the Playoffs."