ECL '23 Winter: Elite Season Preview

SportsGamers,

It's been a wild offseason for lots of teams, and the new iteration of the game certainly adds a special spice to the mix. Several teams will have to push through various types of adversity on their long campaign that they all are hoping to end with ultimate glory - An ECL '23 Winter Championship and a spot in the fabled World Finals. Going into the season, it seems like one team especially seems to have a step on the competition, whereas below that and in the mid-table, we'll be seeing unprecedented parity throughout the league. 

Season Information

ECL '23 Winter Elite features 16 of the best NHL esports teams in Europe. Eight teams in total will make the Playoffs, which are played in a best-of-seven manner. The Champion will be punching their ticket to play the NACL '23 Winter Champion in the World Finals in Helsinki on February 25th. 

Head to the league page here to view the groups and game schedule.

ECL '23 Winter: Elite Schedule

• Regular Season: 12.12.2022-18.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 25.1-1.2.2023
• Semifinals: 5-8.2.2023
• Finals: 24.2.2023 (Live in Helsinki)

Season preview

This ranking is based on averages in a vote involving several community members. 

1.  hREDS

The team that won it all in ECL '22 is now back, looking as strong as ever with the recent acquisition of Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila as a replacement for Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and a preseason tournament win already under their belts. There are little to no signs that hREDS would be letting up on their reign of dominance, and with GOONS' eHSM-winning roster disbanding in the offseason, now their closest competition is also just that much further away. Wingers Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen have been great for the team over the course of the preseason, and they are expected to continue performing with the return of arguably the best centerman in the league, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen. It's hard to see anyone stopping the dominant streak hREDS are on currently and the competition will really have to dig deep. 

2.  Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision is looking great heading into another season after some offseason turbulence for the squad. While "offseason turbulence" could be something that makes lots of captain sweat, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen definitely managed to keep their heads cool and come out on top in this one. As much as losing offensive superstar Jere @jxrska Laukka might sting, they've found a way to replace him with another Laitinen, Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen that is. The kid has been doing great things for GOONS over the past couple of seasons, and really blossomed in the eSHM, capping things off with a title. Perhaps now is his time to shine in the ECL too?

3.  Frölunda HC

Frölunda HC will be coming at us hard this season with the dream team we all wanted to see back in the NHL 19 days with peak Written In The Stars and FILADELPHIA going at it tournament after tournament, league after league. Honestly, it's a real throwback, but at the same time make no mistake - these guys still know how to play and win. In an interesting turn of events over the past few seasons, we've seen Frölunda rotate their squad and explore various outlooks for the roster that's been a lock for such a long time. Last season we saw the captain Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala take on the role of a defenseman, but this year it'll be Erik @Eki Tammenpää who is on defense as the cap swaps back to his familiar center spot. This will deifintely be an exciting team to watch, lots of storylines going on, such as the how Eki will transition into his defensive role, how newcomers Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen and Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto will fit in with the new team and if this throwback dream team really can get it done?

4.  Färjestad BK

If the ECL '22 Spring season was a small step back for Färjestad, this season is going to be a great comeback for the squad. While they've lost their long-time scoring machine Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg, they've brought in a more than capable replacement in the form of Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander, who really led Setelit On Ice in the eHSM from his winger position. They've also brought in Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi from IQUE to replace Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann, who we are sad to hear will be taking a step back from competitive NHL. Up front, this is certainly the best and most balanced Färjestad team in a long time, but it'll most likely come down to how well their defensemen will play together and if Johan @McSavid Rundqvist will continue getting those timely saves in net.

5.  Växjö Lakers

We're calling it - the dark horse of the season. Växjö Lakers may be a newcomer to the division with their promotion coming off their Spring season Championship, but they've been honing their skills together in the Pro division over the course of a couple of seasons already, and this will be their big shot in the top 16. One thing Växjö certainly isn't lacking is skill on the puck and they've got that in abundance both up front and down low. However, what they need to find is timely movement of that rubber piece. Stepping up to Elite can, as we've seen, be a massive leap, but we expect this team to find their stride quick since they've been on the fringe for so long already.

6.  ZSC Esports

After narrowly missing out on the playoffs in both the ECL '22 Winter and Spring seasons, this Swiss outfit is eager to get the action started with one major change to their roster in the offseason as Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer will be replacing Reto @Haldeem Haldemann on defence, as the latter is heading on loan to fellow Elite squad Falun Coal Miners. These boys can soon start to call themselves seasoned vets in the Elite division, but they've remained on the fringe of the Playoffs thus far, with the expectation to be able to break that threshold finally. The only thing that might hold them back, though, is the lack of consistent practice against higher level opposition in comparison to their peers. 

7.  Nordic Stars

Formerly Conquer Gaming, this squad will be reverting to their old Nordic Stars branding. The familiar colors, that especially Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho and Jere @Jerax13 Hällström represented for several seasons in ECL Pro back in the days. Now, the green and yellow of Nordic Stars is making their first appearance in Elite and after a very promising Spring season outing where all expectations were overcome, these guys are ready to once again make an impact. The team has some lineup changes, with both Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko and Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen joining them from IQUE, who had a disaster of a season in ECL '22 Spring. Now, the new Nordic Stars have looked excellent in preseason, really shining with quick puck movement and flashes of the individual skill they have in abundance. What will end up being their downfall, however, is how well they'll be able to find that five man defense in fending off stronger offensive teams.

8.  Luleå Hockey

Formerly known as Örebro Hockey or POGGERS, this group have now managed to sign with a new Swedish organization, Luleå Hockey from the very North of the country. Unlike much of their competition, this roster will be continuing into ECL '23 Winter virtually unchanged. Luleå will be sporting a very balanced offense with Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi, Jan-Mikael @Janski Aittoniemi and Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen. All of them have proven to be reliable scorers at this level and possess that extra flair that will keep opposing defensemen on their toes throughout the season. Captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström will pair with Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi for a very capable defense pairing, who can jump in on the rush when needed. A 4th place finish in the regular season was a surprise, but we're still predicting these guys to reach the playoffs again!

9.  GOONS

GOONS were looking really strong to end the ECL '22 Spring season and were on a great upwards trajectory, but unfortunately the team seems to have fallen apart over the course of the offseason. As a result, we were even speculating about them possibly sitting out the season a mere week ago, but the captaincy group has managed to pull some patchwork on their roster and they're at least going to have a crack at it this season. Their new roster will certainly be heavily centered around captain Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola, who will be joined by three new players in their starting lineup with Roope @pikkuroger Bergström entering his military service. Jere @jergelii Jortama, Teemu @tkantola Kantola and Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen will have to get into the GOONS groove real quick if they want to stand a chance at squeaking their way into the playoffs. 

10.  JYP Jyvaskyla

JYP is certainly an interesting team and one to keep a look out for. Despite the fact thet they've come crashing down from their glory days, they've still managed to stay in the mix and even fight for those last Playoff spots. This season, the red hurricanes are entering with a heavily overhauled roster, keeping captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin, assistant Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen, winger Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala and goaltender Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt while replacing the entire defense and bringing in an extra backup. The worrysome factor, though? None of their new defensemen have seen a second of ice time in the Elite division before. All of their new recruits in Aapeli @Frans-Fin Landström, Jimi @J-_-Jamaltheman Rönkkönen and @obivop are rookies and it's a big ask for them to instantly make an impact at the level required to propel their team into the playoffs. Their highly experienced core will be able to help out, but this isn't the season JYP gets back to glory yet. 

11.  Reality Check

Reality Check have really suffered from the fringe elite curse over the past few seasons, as they've been one of the strongest contenders season in and season out in the Pro division, but never managed to gain promotion until now. The team gained their spot in a relegation battle against Stargazing and won the series in a sweep. Much credit goes to their goaltender Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, who had an excellent season and is expected to continue in great form, certainly having the experience to back him even in the Elite division. Reality Check's roster will remain unchanged with the exception for the centerman spot, at which they've now got Jesper @Niskalaukaus Aho instead of Jesse @JesseL2002 Linden, who returned to his former team Project X in the Lite division. The move has stirred up a lot of discussion, but only time will tell how it will work out for the team. 

12.  JANO
This is the rebranded AHJO, that you might remember from ECL '22 Spring Pro. The team pulled an excellent campaign back in that spring season, ending in the semifinals at the hands of Reality Check, who ended up taking home the silver. JANO continued their season into a relegation battle against HV71, who didn't manage to salvage their season and faltered 4-2 in the series. While JANO has players such as Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, Markus @Makeaxl Lahti and Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen, who already have made their mark in the Elite division, they have been able to strike fear into their preseason opponents in the way they'd wanted to. Much will rely on Makeaxl quarterbacking their play and starting the rush, and their forwards will just need to find a way to finish on those chances at a high enough rate. 

13.  Falun Coal Miners

After a long absence from the ECL ice, Falun Coal Miners returned for the Spring season with several experienced gamers such as captain Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt, Connor @MartindalexC Martindale and André @Foppatofflan Liljegren in their roster. Back then, we were certainly excited to see the beloved squad and brand return, but our predictions for them were rather grim. Now, while they've retained all of the aforementioned season 1 originals in their roster and added even more experience in the form of Reto @Haldeem Haldemann on loan from ZSC Esports, Falun is still slotting in at 13th in our preview ranking. That is not to say that the Coal Miners wouldn't be an excellent team and we certainly expect them to show some resilience and utilize all that experience in stealing points from younger teams along the way, but it's tough to predict Falun being in the drivers seat in many of their games, and their playbook might have to rely on counter-attacking a bit too much. Keep your eye on rookie goaltender Tomi @Tope0090 (mestari_tikkuuu) Heikkilä, who is coming off of a great eHSM performance with Setelit On Ice.

14.  ISO Esports

The most recent Elite team ISO Esports didn't secure their spot in the European top 16 until Thursday night in the Elite Qualifier Finals against Hanaa HC. With a freshly inked contract with the organization and their recent promotion, these boys are on an impressive upwards trajectory and could be one of the most exciting teams to follow early on. The team has a very deep roster, sporting a total of 10 players, who arguably could all slot in as starters in an Elite team to some capacity. However, they are expected to run with Putte @Putteekiing Unasin & Juha @juhkis96 Katajamaa down low and Kalle @James (Jamechkin) Riihelä, Tuukka @Tukexi (MATILAISKA_) Matilainen and Valtteri @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) Yli-Olli up front. In net, it looks like Eevertti @Empuuz_24 Viljanen will get most of the starts, but as Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen has shown in the past, he can take over if need be. 

15.  Unlucky Boys HC

The Unlucky Boys is another brand with a great legacy in the ECL that we welcome with open arms. This is a team that played for YMCA Esports for the past few seasons and have been on a worrisome downward trajectory missing the playoffs in both ECL '22 Winter and Spring. They're one of those teams, that together with Luleå Hockey have managed to retain a rather similar roster for an extended period of time while battling in the very tightly contested mid-table of the European top 16. This season, we've heard rumblings that captain Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru might be taking a step back, with Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli taking the center spot flanked by Joona @jm98II Muona and Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen. Thus far, the burger boys have been able to escape relegation and while we're predicting them to come in at 15th this season, they'll have a chance to prove us wrong or salvage things in the relegation battle. 

16.  Roots Gaming
Roots is one of those teams that everyone has been waiting to take the next step for quite some time already, perhaps also one of the main reasons they originally were signed to the organization in the first place. As of right now, however, it looks like they haven't been able to find their form in NHL 23 and they really seemed to take a step back during the offseason. The team has managed to compile a roster that should be able to be competitive in the tightly contested Elite mid-tier, but they'll be having a very tough go if they take long to find their stride. One of the most interesting players this season could certainly be on Roots' roster with Miika @zMikkeez Kauppila taking a starting role besides Jere @keranee Keränen and Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen. The winger really managed to shine with Setelit On Ice in the eHSM and made himself known for flashy and sometimes even unorthodox plays on the ice.

The ECL '23 Winter Elite season will kick off tonight with the season opening broadcast at 19:15 CET! We'll start things off with Cody @Tougie24 Tougas & Paul @Cyn Anderson doing their own season preview, after which the teams will take the ice. Join us for a night of the best virtual hockey in Europe at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!