Hampus & Johan, Johan & Hampus - They are your new dynamic duo in the ECL. This duo excel at joining the rush and quarterbacking plays from the point, but never sacrifice their defensive responsibilities in the process. They are now joining great company as the ECL's first ever duo Cover Gamers.
Trust us, the accolades don't stop there. Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann and Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt are also the first defensemen to be honored as ECL Cover Gamers, and the second and third Swedish players to get that title. ECL 12 was a home run for both players, but especially so for Lehmannens, who was crowned the best defender in the ECL and the best offseason transfer. Furyan, on the other hand, holds the position as the all-time leader for points by defensemen in the ECL.
Last season, we saw something beautiful when these two came together with Färjestad BK and seemed to click right away. It seemed like we were featuring Lehmannens every week in our reports as he eventually finished the season with a career high 43 points in the regular season. A career high 34 points was also the case for Furyan, who is a season 1 veteran and now enters his 8th season at the Elite level. After their joint breakout season, the duo combined with Vesa Pompa stars Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund and Adam @dzouvi Mensik and brought with them Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander from Färjestad to create the new Swedish superteam, now signed to Granit Gaming. The squad started their story off with a Swedish championship in the SCL.
Former ECL Cover Gamers:
ECL 8: Erik @Eki Tammenpää
ECL 9: Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen
ECL 10: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren
ECL 11: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha
ECL 12: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen
It's quite evident that Furyan & Lehmannens are now joining some absolutely Elite company as Cover Gamers. We reached out to the duo for some thoughts and feelings about the honor:
First, a classic. What are your thoughts on being named the ECL Cover Gamers and what do you feel that title entails?
"As someone who’s been in the community since the very beginning of the NHLGamer era, it’s hard to put into words just how much of an honour this is - especially considering all the incredible players who have previously been featured on the cover. Playing in these tournaments and being a part of this community has been a huge part of my life for years, and so it truly means the world to me to be a part of the ECL in this way. Not to mention how special it is to be able to do it together with a close friend like Johan", Furyan comments.
Lehmannens quickly chimes in with a similar statement: "I could have never imagined being in such a prominent setting when I started off my career back in ECL 7. I'm truly honoured to join such a prestigious group of previous cover gamers, all of whom I have the utmost respect for. Being the first defenders to feature on the cover and doing so together with my brother in arms Furyan makes it feel even better."
You guys are the first duo to be featured as cover gamers after an excellent first ECL together and championship-caliber continuation in the SCL. What is the secret behind your great chemistry?
Lehmannens states that it's tough to believe they've spent less than a year on defense together: "This has been the pattern from day one, things just clicked, and it seemed like our way of playing was in sync right out of the gate. In a way for me, it was the sense of being unlocked in the way I play, based on trust towards my D partner in every scenario. Along the way I have realized this doesn't just apply for gaming, but in general terms as well - resulting in a highly valued friendship off the ice as well."
It's obvious that there is a lot of mutual respect between the two defensive greats, and Furyan also emphasizes how much they learn from each other: "It’s been quite a crazy ride this past year, from ECL 12 to eSHL and finally SCL, but one constant during this time has been how much fun we’ve had playing together. We hit it off right away in Färjestad and just kept building towards this partnership that today feels like the most natural thing in the world. Gameplay-wise, I’ve learnt a great deal from Johan and continue to draw inspiration and motivation from the way he is able to transition from defense to offense."
A couple of thoughts on the upcoming season, who do you think will be contenders? Any interesting new outfits to look out for?
"First of all, it’s great to see the increase in Swedish teams and players in Elite this season. Seeing HV71 and Djurgården reach the highest level of European virtual hockey is great for the Swedish-speaking side of the community. With POGGERS becoming Örebro and FILA becoming Frölunda, the Swedish side is certainly well-represented this season. As for contenders, the usual trio of hREDS, HAVU and Frölunda is never a bad bet. It will be interesting to see if a team like GOONS can continue their ascent and challenge the Big Three. Finally, Conquer Gaming and Roots Gaming both look to be interesting additions - with the potential to do some damage - to Elite this season", both guys agree.
You can see Granit Gaming take the ice for the first time in ECL Elite in our broadcast on Monday, January 10th at 19:45 CET. They'll be facing off against fellow Swedish contender and a club they've got a lot of history with - Färjestad BK. Tune in on Monday to our Twitch channel!
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.