ECL '23 Spring Pro: Season Preview - Hot or Not

SportsGamers,

It's the season opener day for the ECL '23 Spring Pro season and we've got several interesting storylines to follow throughout the season. There's been a lot of turnover within the division and while some teams stand out as favorites to take it all, we have several black horses that could take the division by storm. It'll be a fierce battle for mid-table positions and with most bottom half teams going to Qualifiers, all games will be very important. In traditional ECL Pro Preview manner, we'll be taking a look at a few of the teams in each group, which of these squads are HOT, and which, perhaps, NOT? We can't wait to get things started!

ECL '23 Spring Pro Schedule

• Regular Season: 24.4.-25.5.
• RO16: 29.5.-1.6.
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.6.
• Semifinals: 12.-15.6.
• Finals: 19.-22.6.

Group 1

HOT 🔥

 Be a Bro
Be a Bro is one of those teams that have been grinding away in the Pro division for a while now, and they seem to always be in contention with the top teams, still somehow avoiding bigger success at the moment. They've had a somewhat turbulent offseason and found themselves struggling in the recent Elite Qualifiers as a result. It seems like Be a Bro will have a lot of figuring out to do in terms of how they'll line up their starting five, with lots of high-profile players in their ranks, but still not a definitive number one constellation that has clicked. 

Player to watch: @MCH_98

 Björklöven Esport
We've been predicting success for Björklöven for quite some time already, and now could very well be the time for the squad hailing from Umeå, Sweden. They have brought in an all new defensive pairing from the ashes of Memento in the form of @Janzuh and @Jonetzky (Zayzei), which has seemed to work well for them early on in SCL competition and most likely will continue on that path in the Pro division. On offense, Brörklöven is stacked with talent and especially @Pappen has big expectations to live up to, with @Johansson__224 entering his first full ECL Pro season on the Björklöven flank. 

Player to watch: @Pappen

 HV71
HV71 have gathered one of the more experienced rosters in the Pro division and more importantly, a lot of that experience is gathered in various formations with the same players these guys have alongside them right now. The three brightest stars of this roster are captain @Demski_, @Rubituss and goalie @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen), who very well could be one of the best on his position in the division. Playoffs need to be a lock for HV71, and their experience should be able to carry them far in the postseason.

Player to watch: @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen)
 

 RCTIC
RCTIC is a team that has consistently been able to claw their way into the Playoffs of the Pro division, and they are able to challenge top teams when they are on their game, but bigger success seems to always avoid this team. @Limbe65 and @yrjoo are their biggest weapons up front and their very experienced defense consisting of @FakiiR1 and @Aze is a tough one to get past, especially if they are able to find chemistry, where we all know Fakiir1 will be the aggressive, highly physical party and Aze will need to stay back in more of a sweeper role. @Ricco is expected to continue developing in net. 

Player to watch: @Limbe65
 

NOT ❄️

 Purification
A rather inexperienced team with some potential players in their ranks. They will need to improve playing as a unit and moving the puck in order to be competitive at the Pro level when facing defensively solid opponents, and there will most likely be an adjustment period for them in doing so. The team did very well in the Pro Qualifiers and scored a lot, with their most experienced player @eBasstian leading from the front. Keep an eye on him and @LaxenHD especially.

Player to watch @LaxenHD

 Red Bull Munich eSports
A team that have slowly built their way up all the way from ECL Neo back in ECL 11 and managed to put up a fight against most of their opponents in the Pro Qualifiers, despite not coming away with wins in most games. At their best, Red Bull Munich can be a touch team to play against and @Lamsa is a weapon on the flank that everyone in the division has made a note to be weary of. 

Player to watch: @Flo_goes_grazy (flgr93)

 Prestige
Prestige is a team with a rather short history, who battled hard during the ECL '23 Winter Lite season and eventually faltered int he Quarterfinals at the hands of the Champions, Pirati Chomutov Esports. This team hosts lots of individual skill, but they suffer from a lack of organization and solid team defense. They will be in for a rough awakening in the Pro division and will need to grow into more of a unit in order to see some success.

Player to watch: @I_Saarinen_I

 Neptune Hockey
A very similar story to that of Prestige's in terms of how they made the Pro division from Lite, Neptune Hockey played their first season back in ECL '22 Winter Core, though. The team still holds several day one members, such as captain @JakkeJynkky, @wiibeni and @Zamiboii and the development they've had together is admirable. Neptune Hockey completed the ECL Pro Qualifiers with a .500 record and while they managed to keep games close against all opponents, they didn't manage to stand out in any way. We're expecting a tough season for Neptune Hockey, where they'll have to fight tooth-and-nail for a spot in no-man's-land.

Player to watch: @egetelli_

Group 2

HOT 🔥

 Renascor
Now entering their fifth consecutive ECL Pro season as Renascor, the entire squad is aching to finally see some substantial success. All of their campaigns thus far have led to Playoff berths, but only one has taken them past the first round. The Russian based outfit have strengthened their ranks in the offseason with @Oxdoggi and @TeikDaun of Sulkavan Sudet fame. Renascor could be in for a successful season if they are able to gel together and find chemistry. They have a rather deep roster with some options for rotation if things don't work out. 

Player to watch: @Virusactive
 

 Polski Boys
One of the biggest eHSM success stories, and now the team is getting ready to take the Pro division by storm. Already self proclaimed Champions, the only thing that remains is to deliver on their promises. Polski Boys is something of a fusion of the former Hunters and a portion of Golden Nights, and with that in mind we can expect a team heavily reliant on fast-paced offense and going hard to the net. They dominated their ECL Pro Qualifier group and really flexed their offensive muscles, but were picked apart by OTUKSET in their eHSM Round 3 Playoffs matchup. 

Player to watch: @xSaski_
 

 SIKA
An interesting comeback to say the least. SIKA is known on the ECL as something of a top Pro contender team from years past, and after a short hiatus they've reappeared at the second highest level of ECL competition. This is a very different SIKA from what we've seen before, though, and you could argue we've got a more skilled SIKA roster on the ice than ever before. The roster was built just in time for the eHSM 2023 season and while it was the first true test for the squad, SIKA could have hoped for better results. A tough group put them at a lower seed than hoped for and they eventually faced elimination at the hands of fellow Pro squad RCTIC in round 2 of the Playoffs. @Valluxet is one of the division's most prolific scorers. 

Player to watch: @Valluxet
 

 OTUKSET
The former ISO ESPORTS are the definition of a fringe Elite team. They had a taste of Elite action last season, but struggled getting a foothold in the European top 16, with scoring being their main issue. Otukset have since made a lot of moves on the transfer market and there's plenty of fresh faces on every position. We've even been hearing there might be some last minute transactions coming up right at the brink of the season. On defense, @juhkis96 and @Tumpp1A should be a lock, but their forward trio is still unclear. @Tukexi(MATILAISKA_) will take the right flank, but for the other positions they'll have lots of figuring out to do, with @OsquuG, @tkantola, @Valee__ and potentially even @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) being possible choices for the spot. As mentioned, some of these players might also be on the move at the brink of the season opener. 

Player to watch: @Tumpp1A

NOT ❄️

 Venom
This team played their rookie Pro campaign in the Winter season and against all odds, managed to make it to no-man's-land. Now with some more experience under their belts, we could possibly see some improvement. Venom made a few acquisitions on the forward front in the offseason but they'll heavily rely on performances from the veteran winger @Jusa (JusaSoLow) in the offensive end. They will need to find a way to slow down some of the faster teams in their group in order to see some success.

Player to watch: @Jusa (JusaSoLow)
 

 Hawaii Hockey
This is an interesting team that's seen a fair amount of player turnover over the past few seasons. For the ECL '23 Winter season, Hawaii Hockey shocked the division by acquiring superstar @jxrska, but unfortunately that ended up being a shorter stint than hoped for, and he has now been replaced by bringing in @ItzPoro from the former Memento. Hawaii Hockey played an excellent Pro Qualifier and flexed their offensive muscles with @Burtsi980H being their main man up front.

Player to watch: @Macentoitunu
 

 Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming
Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming have been grinding away in the Neo-Lite region for a few seasons at this point, and their rookie campaign in Lite in the Winter season wasn't what they had hoped for, with a 14th place in their group and no postseason action. However, this is a team that has taken over the history of Inter Iceland with an influx of new talent into the roster and mainly, new captain @Hasek-39-- who represents the more experienced playerbase in the entire division. The completed the ECL Pro Qualifiers with a .500 record and put up good fights against all of their opponents, including SIKA. We're doubtful about Eisbaeren's chances, but hope that they can prove us wrong along the way!

Player to watch: @Hasek-39--
 

 IK Oskarshamn
IKO played a successful ECL '23 Winter season in the Pro division, but unfortunately lost their top scorer @Chevikov in the offseason. They also lost @snippystatue and are now entering the season with an all Swedish lineup, having brought in @Dehliiin from Ace Hockey and @Discokryckan as a free agent after several seasons on the sidelines. While we believe that a smaller and an all Swedish lineup will definitely help IK Oskarshamn tighten things up in their own end and play a game that is tougher on their opponents, it seems like they could be lacking an X-Factor that really gets the team going and wins them those close games. We'll gladly be in the wrong, and only time will tell.

Player to watch: @Dehliiin

The season for these clubs kicks off already today, but tomorrow you'll be able to watch some of them in our weekly ECL Pro broadcast at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! Stay tuned for the broadcast announcement on our social media channels.