ECL Elite 16 in 16: Team Frosty

ECL Elite 16 in 16 is a season preview series we're implementing ahead of ECL 7. The idea was conceived by @chavelski, but due to time constraining the man himself, the project is now being carried out by the rest of our Elite writing team. The series will be released in 16 parts, one article for each team. The teams have been ranked by all team captains, and articles are being released in order from predicted last place finish to predicted champion of ECL 7. The objective of this series is to give an idea to the community of who is representing which team, added by a small insight into the team with an interview of the team captain.

We're starting off our 16 in 16 with a team that is new to competing at the highest tier. The team has been battling and establishing themselves in the Pro division for a few seasons now, and after a successful campaign in ECL 6, they managed to gain promotion. I'm of course talking about the former White Trash, now turned Team Frosty as the NHL team signed a deal with an esports organization bearing the same name (We'll address this in a later article, no worries!). This is a squad that has been grinding it out for several seasons now under the lead of captain @Zip player. Some of the men alongside him have changed, but the strive for success has remained relentless. The team didn't get a lot of confidence from the captains, being predicted to place last in Elite at the end of ECL 7. They surely have a steep hill to climb, but if the form they have shown in some of their preseason games continue, I believe these guys could surprise.

KenuFHR <-- Monte Carlo
Obagol <-- Arctic
Chaostive <-- Ea Logic
xXSinCosTanXx <-- Nordic Stars
IiSvampI <-- Monarchs
Jyrkkis_ <-- Gotham Knights

OUT

Kaltsone --> N/A
rGinnu --> N/A
plymalkin --> N/A
pro-m99 --> Military Service

Current roster:

Forwards
ZipPlayer (C)
Kaneyh
KenuFHR
Chaostive
Toukoo01

Defensemen
TheFakiiR1 (A)
jyrkkis_
IiSvampI
xXSinCosTanXx

Goalies
Mehiiss (A)
Jahuuu88
Obagol

Interview with captain @Zip player:

The team experienced something of a makeover during the summer, what are the underlying reasons and how would you describe the Team Frosty we'll see on the opening night of ECL 7?

I suppose that statement is true. In my opinion, the main reason is that we advanced to the very highest level in the ECL. When doing so, a team needs to comply with the level of play in the highest tier. Some of our older players are less active nowadays so we decided to take action immediately. The goal was to renew the team while maintaining the old foundation.

On the opening night of ECL 7, you'll see a Team Frosty that trusts their process and we hope to bring our very best to the ice each and every night!

Talk a bit about the aggressive recruiting process you guys had going during the summer. Was it a conscious decision to try out so many players?

We wanted to be vocal and catch the attention of players. We saw a lot of players along the course of the summer and at some point even our own players were confused about the situation as we were constantly bringing in new guys. I'd say it was our conscious decision to try players who were interested and now I think we have a good group of guys put together.

How do you expect your starting lineup to look?

I'd like to emphasize that we play as a team. I wouldn't want to speculate on the starting lineup yet, but we're going by the principle that the players who can help the team will play and of course activity will be rewarded. Each of our players have different strengths and one of our main objectives were to build a versatile team that can adapt to any situation.

ECL 7 will be the first season with an actual prize pool. What are your thoughts on this?

I'm really excited about the growth of the community, both in-game and back office developments have been very positive lately. It would certainly be something, if we one day could have anything even close to a professional league. I believe that money will increase the competitiveness, but currently we aren't talking big numbers so no one will be getting rich yet! It is good for the community regardless.

For my final question, I'd like to ask you for a prediction of ECL 7 in the eyes of Team Frosty. What do you think?

I'm notoriously bad at predictions, but I'll set some objectives for us. Our first and most important objective is surely to maintain our spot in the Elite division. We'll do everything we can to prove that we belong. Our dream is to make the playoffs on our first season. The road will most likely be long and difficult, but we're up for the challenge!

Big thanks to ZipPlayer for his short interview and the best of luck to Team Frosty in their first Elite season!

Stay tuned for our next article in the series, in which we showcase a team coming from a very different situation, but according to our Elite captains, are fighting for the same positions as Team Frosty!