Hi there NHLGamers,
We'll be finishing off our Season Review-series with a look at our Elite division. I'd like to congratulate our champions Carlsberg HC for a very convincing showing and a great season. All teams fought hard and showed that Elite is certainly a very competitive division with the best 6vs6 players in Europe, possibly in the world. You'll have enough reading to do below, so allow me to introduce the season ranking of ECL 6 Elite:
1. 
Carlsberg HC - Regular season record 22-6-2 (Playoff wins 12)
Seems like having @Penatski at center will pretty much guarantee you a trophy? After a little dodgy start to their ECL 6 season they bounced back in an amazing way. Finishing the regular season with 8-1-1 in their last 10 games (Best of all teams) and, as you all know, by lifting the ECL 6 Elite trophy. Defense really does win you championships and they showed us just that in the playoffs. Goaltender @Zande95 stepped up big time together with the strong defensive pair @Janzuh and @vatalisti, resulting in only one goal conceded per game in the playoffs.
2. 
Northern Ascendancy - Regular season record 19-5-6 (Playoff wins 9)
After a great regular season, finishing 4th, Ascendancy stepped their game up even more in the playoffs. They faced off against big favorites Written In The Stars and surprised everyone when they moved on to the finals after only 5 games, timely goals and patient play was the decisive factor in that series. Their forwards @Foppatofflan and @hpkfani(MuKiMaisteri) led the playoff assist, point and goal column with MuKiMaisteri topping the regular season point and goal column as well. In addition to second-to-none scoring, their goaltender @poliskontroll was a real difference maker this season. Having been one of the top goalies in the scene for a long time, his team can rest assured that he will make the saves needed to push his team towards victory.
3. 
Written In The Stars - Regular season record 27-2-1 (Playoff wins 5)
SKY managed to play a nearly perfect regular season, finishing with a record of 27-2-1. Contrary to popular belief, their defense really shut the door this season and was second to none, resulting in the team conceding less than a goal per game during the regular season. For the duration of the regular season, the team allowed only 177 shots against in total, which is by far the lowest of all Elite teams. A big reason might be their strong puck possession game, which allows them to control most of the action during the games. @Joukki turned out to be a great addition in scoring power and having a weapon like @jtorro1233 in defense providing secondary scoring was key to the success of SKY this season.
4. 
Dynasty - Regular season record 22-6-2 (Playoff wins 5)
Dynasty iced the highest scoring offense of the regular season. They were really firing on all cylinders with @jumalpeku, @Buantso (Puatso) and @Tehh (TehhAhola) all finishing above 2 points per game. Their powerplay also caught fire in the regular season, a 22,5% success rate will surely strike fear into the opposing teams penalty kill unit. The season ended early in a semi final loss against Carlsberg HC (series score 4-1), a team they managed to beat in both their regular season games.
5. 
Unlucky Boys - Regular season record 17-6-7 (Playoff wins 3)
Being one of the teams gaining promotion from Pro for ECL 6, UB didn't have the easiest starting point for this season. The team was surely hungry and willing to show that they could compete at the highest level of ECL. Their lineup remained nearly the same as in the Pro division, so the chemistry was certainly there, now it was just a matter of translating it to a higher level of play. A 5th place regular season finish and challenging Nordic Ascendancy in the first round of the playoffs can be regarded as a successful entry to Elite.
6. 
Sjukstugan - Regular season record 19-10-1 (Playoff wins 2)
ECL 6 for Sjukstugan was a step in the right direction. Their first showing in Elite ended early without making the playoffs, but this season they were determined to show the competition they are to be taken seriously. Acquisition of rising star goaltender @Hullued certainly helped, as he topped all goalies in regular season wins and put up a good SV% of 83,19%. On other fronts, the team managed to perform well, having five skaters going above one point per game during the regular season. Sjukstugan managed to put up a fight in the first playoff round against Carlsberg HC, series ending 4-2 in favor of CAR.
7. 
SJK eSports - Regular season record 18-9-3 (Playoff wins 1)
Before ECL 6 it seemed as if SJK was announcing big player acquisitions weekly and as expected, they went into the season with an absolutely stacked lineup. Captain @Dominointi had managed to gather a team of absolute studs, who started off the season well, topping the table after around 10 games played. However, around the halfway point of the season something happened, and the team went cold all of a sudden, finishing the regular season with 2-7-1 in their last ten games. Their season ended in a disappointing 4-1 series loss in the first round against Dynasty.
8. 
Northern Stars - Regular season record 17-12-1
The season of NOS was very similar to that of SJK. A strong opening half of the season was followed by a lackluster finish to the season. The Stars managed to redeem themselves a bit towards the end, however, stringing together a few important wins and gaining themselves a spot in the playoffs. A big part of their difficulty was losing the prominent scorer @plee999 to Gotham Knights at the deadline.
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9. 
Evolution - Regular season record 12-12-6
After gaining promotion at the end of ECL 5 as the result of a Pro championship, the race was on for Evolution to prove that they belong at the top level of this league. There must also have been some healthy competition between all the promoted teams to prove who deserved their spot the most. The goalie and defense situation remained the same, while some acquisitions were made in the offensive end during the offseason. Most notably EVO lost @Erkki (I_Eki_I), who helped them hoist the cup, dominating the center lane. New acquisition @SadaPoika led the team in scoring, but the team-wide difficulty to produce sufficient offense ended up being their downfall.
10. 
Gotham Knights - Regular season record 13-14-3
Gotham came in swinging, having a rather favorable schedule to start the season as they faced Silver Sword Griffins, Pata Hellalla and Nordic Stars in the first three rounds. However, the team struggled to find consistency and quickly started drifting towards the wrong side of the playoff line. Gotham managed to make a big signing, acquiring @plee999 from Northern Stars at the deadline. The youngster went a bit over a point per game but didn't quite find his stride with the new team.
11. 
Rusty Blades - Regular season record 13-15-2
Rusty Blades had solid season after a very rough 0-6-0 start. They won the games against the weaker teams but couldn't gain enough points against the top tiers to qualify for the playoffs. Nevertheless they are always hard to play against and keep the games tight. Therefore they managed to keep their playoff hopes alive for a long time and are happy to stay in the Elite division for ECL 7. @Lamsa was 3 points shy of the top 10 scoring list.
12. 
Falun Coal Miners - Regular season record 12-14-4
Falun had a good first season in Elite, finishing 12th and just above the relegation zone. They showed that with very small roster changes and almost no Elite experience they can still do a great job and fight to stay in the division. Good defense backed up by goaltender @Onecorner95 was their way to secure their spot in Elite for next season.
13. 
Nordic Stars - Regular season record 9-15-6
If you only take a look at the numbers, you wouldn't even guess that Nordic Stars had to play in the relegation. It seems that they couldn't gain enough points out of their efforts and kept the games quite tight. @Kookasi led the team in scoring, falling just short of placing in the top 10 scoring list but individual strength doesn't keep you in the Elite division. The whole squad has to improve their game if they want to make it back to the highest division, after losing a tough relegation matchup against White Trash.
14. 
Pata Hellalla - Regular season record 6-17-7
Pata Hellalla had quite a disappointing season. The worst defense in the Elite division (101 GA) had to fight hard all season long. They gained some impressive wins over some top-guns of the division, but always seemed to struggle in translating that to every other game. With five points (2 wins) in the last ten games, there were still some hope of staying in the Elite division when they managed to qualify for the relegation faceoffs. After a devastating sweep at the hands of Almost Famous, @kungenkurwa has to take care of his team and prepare them for the Pro division.
15. 
Kattiautomaatti - Regular season record 7-19-4
After a good start with three wins out of four games, Kattiautomaatti had to deal with 20 consecutive losses. That statistic alone could be enough to tell that this season didn't go as planned. Nearly all of Kattiautomaattis wins were against the teams in the bottom region of the standings. Their lacking in the offensive zone (1,13 GF/GP) is certainly a key reason, costing them the Elite spot. @Slaivone and his group have to regroup the team to fight back in the Pro Division.
16. 
Silver Sword Griffins - Regular season record 7-20-3
Griffins had an off season this ECL. A squad packed with ECL experience and even a few Summer Cup trophies in their ranks, they had everything to play for this ECL Elite season. Simply put, they didn't score enough goals and ended up conceding too many. With a weak start to the season losing their first 8 games it was difficult to manifest a comeback. SSG managed to improve their form towards the end of the season, if only one or two results would have gone the other way they could have stayed in Elite next season, but that's the unforgiving world of hockey for you.
AWARDS
Playoff MVP: @vatalisti
Most Points: @hpkfani (MukiMaisteri), Northern Ascendancy, 40 Goals, 34 Assists, 74 Points in 30 games
Most Goals: @hpkfani (MukiMaisteri), Northern Ascendancy, 40 Goals, 34 Assists, 74 Points in 30 games
Most Assists: @jumalpeku, Dynasty, 23 Goals, 45 Assists, 68 Points in 28 games
Most Hits by a Forward: @Buantso, Dynasty, 149 Hits in 26 games
Best +/-: @jtorro1233, Written In The Stars, +49 in 28 games
Most Points by a Defenseman: @vatalisti, Carlsberg HC, 4 Goals, 27 Assists, 31 Points in 26 games
Most Goals by a Defenseman: @DieCutterMC, Dynasty, 7 Goals, 13 Assists, 20 Points in 20 games
Most Assist by a Defenseman: @vatalisti, Carlsberg HC, 4 Goals, 27 Assists, 31 Points in 26 games
Most Hits by a Defenseman: @Tanski87, Rusty Blades, 198 Hits in 29 games
TOP 3'S OF ECL 6 ELITE
Top 3 Forwards Regular Season:
1. @hpkfani (MukiMaisteri), Northern Ascendancy, 40 Goals, 34 Assists, 74 Points in 30 games
2. @Penatski, Carlsberg HC, 35 Goals, 39 Assists, 74 Points in 30 games
3. @Foppatofflan, Northern Ascendancy, 29 Goals, 40 Assists, 69 Points in 30 games
Top 3 Defenders Regular Season:
1. @vatalisti, Carlsberg HC, 4 Goals, 27 Assists, 31 Points in 26 games
2. @jtorro1233, Written In The Stars, 6 Goals, 19 Assists, 25 Points in 28 games
3. @MartindalexC, Northern Ascendancy, 5 Goals, 19 Assists, 24 Points in 30 games
Top 3 Goaltenders Regular Season:
1. @Hullued, Sjukstugan, 19 Wins, 83,19%, 1.96 GAA, 4 SO in 30 games
2. @poliskontroll, Northern Ascendancy, 19 Wins, 78,91%, 2,20 GAA, 1 SO in 30 games
3. @JanneK. (JANURI98), Written In The Stars, 16 Wins, 85,98%, 0,93 GAA, 6 SO in 16 games
Top 3 Forwards Playoffs:
1. @Foppatofflan, Northern Ascendancy, 7 Goals, 17 Assists, 24 Points in 17 games
2. @hpkfani (MuKiMaisteri), Northern Ascendancy, 15 Goals, 7 Assists, 22 Points in 17 games
3. @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_), Carlsberg HC, 12 Goals, 7 Assists, 19 Points in 16 games
Top 3 Defender Playoffs:
1. @vatalisti, Carlsberg HC, 1 Goals, 13 Assists, 14 Points in 16 games
2. @jtorro1233, Written In The Stars, 1 Goals, 9 Assists, 10 Points in 10 games
3. @Janzuh, Carlsberg HC, 1 Goals, 7 Assists, 8 Points in 16 games
Top 3 Goaltenders Playoffs:
1. @Zande95, Carlsberg HC, 10 Wins, 86,45%, 1 GAA, 6 SO in 13 games
2. @poliskontroll, Northern Ascendancy, 9 Wins, 82,69%, 1,58 GAA, 2 SO in 17 games
3. @JanneK. (JANURI98), Written In The Stars, 5 Wins, 74,64%, 1,80 GAA, 1 SO in 10 games
This season we'd also like to make the introduction of the top 6 of the season. This will mean a selection of 6 players in a starting lineup, that have showed exceptional skill and played a good season. This season, the selections were made by staff members who have been following ECL Elite. Without further ado, here's the top 6 of our Elite division in ECL 6:
@hpkfani (MukiMaisteri, Northern Ascendancy) - @Penatski (Carlsberg HC) - @Foppatofflan (Northern Ascendancy)
@jtorro1233 (Written In The Stars) - @vatalisti (Carlsberg HC)
@poliskontroll (Northern Ascendancy)
Thanks to @Panarinz and @Mannheimer1938 for putting in work and helping to get this article done, also to all players and teams making ECL possible. We had a great season and will have many more even better ones to come. For now, take a little break and prepare for the Summer Cup. See you out on the ice!
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