Steffen @Suth98_ Sutherland has had a really interesting and different path into the ECL community. Suth found his way onto the virtual ice for the first time in NHL 12 and he fell in love especially with Franchise Mode. In his own words, he didn't know anything about the online aspect of the game at that time. Suth played his first ECL season in ECL 11 in the Lite division after his friend recommended ECL to him.
Suth has also had an unusual journey as a player; during his whole career, Suth has played for the same team for the majority of his career. Although the team now known as Unwanted has had different names, the core group of players has remained pretty much the same. The public perception of Suth is that he is a great team player both on and off the ice, a great captain and leader, a great point scorer, and an all-around gentleman player.
We asked Suth's long-time teammates @Snus97_ & @Henka0009 to describe him as a teammate and as a player:
"Well, Suth as a player, it’s like hard to describe. He isn’t the best at something specific but my god as a whole player and as a centerman he’s one of the best in this scene for sure. His ability to see his teammates and to do very important goals is elite. He’s also a really good captain. Me, Suth, and Henka have driven this team forward for some years now and he’s very good at making good decisions for the team. And that reflects on how he’s as a teammate and a person. He’s a very funny guy but at the same time he can be serious, i think it’s a good combination." - Snus97_
"Suth has been my teammate since forever I feel. I think I’ve played a total of 3 seasons without him. He has always shown a typical leadership personality, dedicated to practice and being better each and every day. He’s also really easygoing, so to speak, toward everyone, and it is a key part of holding our team together. For me, it’s hard to play the game without him. He makes me 10 times better than I actually am. We have never truly spoken about any “tactics” and stuff regarding NHL. I feel like we just think the same where we want each other to be in certain situations. It’s hard to describe but I can say that without him or Snus_97 in my team, I would never play. The best thing about Suth is that he’s not a “try hard”. We are just playing the game to have fun and joke around. He always brings the joy in the game and party." - Henka0009
Now, making history as the first Norwegian player to be honored as the Cover Gamer for the upcoming ECL '24 Winter season, Suth takes the center stage together with Unwanted, in an attempt to recreate another successful season.
List of previous 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 🇫🇮
ECL '22: Winter: Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann 🇸🇪 & Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt 🇸🇪
ECL '23: Spring: Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 🇫🇮
ECL '23: Winter: Erik @Eki Tammenpää 🇫🇮
ECL '23: Spring: Tomi @tomboo- Laitinen 🇫🇮
ECL ‘24: Winter: Adam @dzouvi Menšík 🇨🇿
ECL ‘24: Spring: Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 🇫🇮
ECL '25: Winter - Intro video by @ProMinx24
Interview with Suth
How does it feel to be chosen as the cover gamer of the top NHL Esports league?
"It feels really good, when I look at the list of former cover gamers I only see insane players, so it's a compliment, and I'm honored about it for sure."
What has been the best moment in your career so far?
"I don't have only 1 specific moment, but the thing I'm most proud about is taking what feels like my own team from Lite all the way to Elite and back-to-back playoffs. So the journey as a whole is my favorite moment."
What do you enjoy most about competing at the highest level?
"It's really fun to play for something, and especially in Elite, every game matters so much. And you can also beat and lose to anyone so it's important to have 100% focus in every matchup."
What are some of your personal goals for the upcoming ECL season?
"I don't really have any personal goals, I just want to do my best for the team. It's always fun to score and make good plays but as long as our team and I perform well I'm happy."
And lastly, how do you think staying in the same team/environment for the majority of your career has affected you as a player?
"It has created some special bonds both on and off the virtual ice. Especially with both Henka and Snus. And the more comfortable you are around your teammates/friends, the easier it is to talk about little details on ice and things happening in real life if that makes sense."
Tune in to the Season Opening Broadcast Tonight!
Tune in to the ECL '25: Winter - Elite season opener tonight at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! The broadcast starts exceptionally early at 18:45 CET as the first Episode of the SportsGamer Wraparound with Cody @Tougie24 Tougas will introduce us to the new season!
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