SportsGamers,

It’s playoff time in the ECL season! Finally after the regular season, the real games are about to begin. I interviewed all the team captains to dig deeper into the preliminary round of the playoffs. I needed to shorten some of the answers to make it easier to read, thanks everyone who took time to answer!

To allow teams to share screenshots on Twitter, I’ve added my own predictions (cold takes) for the series outcomes below. For future articles more random facts, opinions and questions that I have will be included, but for now the author ran out of time.

Have a nice Playoff summer everyone who made it there!

Lainaa

ECL '23 Spring Pro Schedule

• Registration period: 18.3.-13.4.2023
• Regular Season: 24.4.-25.5.
• RO16: 29.5.-1.6.
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.6.
• Semifinals: 12.-15.6.
• Finals: 19.-22.6.

Luleå Hockey  (1) – IK Oskarshamn  (8)

Luleå Hockey played a very good regular season with a 25-3-2 record and secured the first seed for the rest of the playoffs. The team is stacked with former Elite players and the brightest star among them, @Janski (Jansku23), did not disappoint this season either. He fell short of 100 points by six points. Also worth noting is the team's general GF/GP, which is 4.23, showcasing their potent offense.

An intriguing aspect to highlight is the performance of goalkeeper @Janne Hietala (Hiatala_), who made 4 out of 7 breakaway saves. This fact is particularly interesting considering that not all breakaways are officially registered by EA. It raises the possibility that Luleå's defenders might occasionally prefer offensive plays, leading to breakaway opportunities for the opposition.

IK Oskarshamn played a weaker regular season this season (1.13) according to the Points/Games estimate than last season (1.39). The departure of Nukutttaja/Nagyttaja/Hikoilija_ and its replacement in @Dehliiindidn't work out as one might have expected on paper at first. Team captain @Petter Wennerström emerged as the top scorer and spent the most time with the puck. Notably, @Discokryckan made a remarkable comeback on the ECL ice, boasting an impressive 82.93% save percentage in the regular season.

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@Petter Wennerström: Luleå is a skilled team with good players in every position. They like to use their defenders in the offensive zone and get a lot of shots and deflections.

@JaKurrii: We have played maybe couple of practise games against, and last time split the points in eSHL if I remember it correct. But they got to the playoffs so at least they are in decent form. 

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@Petter Wennerström: This season they haven’t had a lot of weakness so I can’t answer that right now, let’s see if we can find their weakness.

@JaKurrii: I don't think we are not that much focussing on their game, we just try to play with our own strengths and with that I mean scoring a lot of goals.

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@JaKurrii: We have to focus more to play like the whole 60 minutes, if we get for example great start to the game and get two or three goals lead, we got to finish the game and not let the opponent back in it. Besides that we just try to keep the same form from regular season and have fun on the ice. 

@Petter Wennerström: We want to get a good defensive and a lot of patience in our game plan. Get the puck going fast and do quick decisions in every situation.

4. How many games will the series take?

@Petter Wennerström: 7 games.

@JaKurrii: 5 games.

@ripKeisari: Luleå in 4.

@OGjahajaha: Luleå in 5. 

SIKA  (1) - RCTIC  (8)

Sika had a consistent performance throughout the regular season. @Jondeezz and @Valluxet emerged as the team's top point-scorers. Despite @vSilenttio's lack of goals, their assist stats reflect their Elite experience. While examining the team's statistics, the only noteworthy aspect was a slightly low power play percentage of 13.33%. However, if the team can secure victories even without power play goals, then it's not a major concern.

Personally, I've always viewed RCTIC as a team that excels in the playoffs rather than during the regular season. Even if they enter the playoffs with a low seed, they shouldn't be underestimated by any Pro team. The team's attackers have comparable points, and we're yet to witness @Limbe65's usual dominant performance. Will Limbe start carrying in the playoffs? We will see.

This series also carries a rematch from the eHockey SM 2023 playoffs, where SIKA and RCTIC met earlier. Below are the questions for both teams.

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@vSilenttio: Rctic is a gritty and experienced team, and SIKA wants to prove in this rematch that they are a better version of themselves than back then.

@layout: Good team with experienced players. We have good memories playing against SIKA as we were able to eliminate them in FCL but they have made a few changes since then. 

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@vSilenttio: RCTIC's weakness is their need for good luck and dirty bounces. So, the theme is having more puck and being more active team.

@layout: Left Defender. Seriously speaking we should probably focus more on our own game. 

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@vSilenttio: Need more consistency and balance as a team, also reduce unlucky moments.

@layout: We were one of the least scoring teams in the regular season so it would not hurt to be a bit more efficient. Even though we did not concede that many goals, we still gave a lot of cheap goals to our opponents so lets try to minimize those.

4. How many games will the series take?

@vSilenttio: SIKA in 7

@layout: Most likely somewhere between four and seven games.

@ripKeisari: SIKA in 6.

@OGjahajaha: SIKA in 6. 

Deadly Phantoms  (2) - Otukset  (7)

Deadly Phantoms had an impressive regular season performance that we haven't seen in a while. @ProfaneKiss and @xXPsykoSkillsXx were the driving forces behind the team's success, leading in internal points and propelling DPH to the playoffs with a favorable seed. Additionally, the team boasts two highly reliable goaltenders, @RPH_31 and @xEispiratx . It remains to be seen which goalie will start in the playoffs.

Following my previous article, Otukset managed to find their rhythm and secure a spot in the playoffs. It's safe to say that my encouraging and hope-inspiring text played a part in their success. @Valee__, the team's shining star, emerged as the team’s leading scorer in the regular season, raising the questions of a potential entry into the Elite league :D. Also the return of @theMaddias provided a much-needed boost to the team, saving @juhkis96 from a potentially embarrassing situation.

This pair of matches is one of the most interesting in my papers, because the Otukset can surprise almost any team in Pro with their experience. Deadly Phantoms' two-man duo, Profanekiss and PsykoSkills can be scouted, however the Central European servers will be a factor.

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@ProfaneKiss: Not many matchups in normal games, they have elite experience but so do we.

@juhkis96: DPH relies on profanekiss to score goals and win games for them. 

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@ProfaneKiss: Their bad faceoff percentage, also if it goes to G7 we will have Central Servers.

@juhkis96: RD is their weakest player so we are probably going to abuse that and get easy zone entries there.

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@ProfaneKiss: Since the ability bans we have found a good system that we can be confident in - now it is all about execution.

@juhkis96: We will try to focus more on the social media game

@ripKeisari: Otukset in 6.

@OGjahajaha: Phantoms in 7. 

Golden Nights  (2) – Project X  (7)

Golden Nights seems to be one of the most consistent teams in all of Pro if you follow the team's power points and TWP times. Notably, they excel in both powerplay (36.36%) and penalty kill (93.75%), showcasing their effectiveness in special teams situations. Additionally, @kkostiiii stands out with an impressive save percentage of 85.71%, ranking among the top three goaltenders in the league. These achievements suggest that the team's success is not mere coincidence but rather a result of a well-balanced synergy.

Project X is an interesting team because every player has at least -10 plus/minus in statistics. @JesseL2002, who holds the puck the most, is the team's brightest star, who, at least in the eHockey SM 2023 tournament, did not have any obligations in terms of defense, but was on the opposite blue line for almost the entire game. I am waiting with interest to see if the TikTok star @Easygame20 (Torvelajr__) will be the team's first goalkeeper in the playoffs or if the responsibility will go to the experienced @Hullued.

1. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@Timez: Opponent’s weakness is their defensive play.

Project: -

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@Timez: More patience in the offensive zone and we will score more goals.

Project: -

4. How many games will the series take?

@Timez: 4-1 for Golden Nights

Project: -

@ripKeisari: Golden Nights in 6.

@OGjahajaha: Golden Nights in 6. 

Purification  (3) – Pirati Chomutov Esports  (6)

Purification was a small surprise for the writer to see so high, but at the same time a positive surprise to see new successful teams in the Pro league. Perhaps the focus that will set off alarm bells is the team's final 10 games before the playoffs. They have gone with a record of 4-5-1. We'll see if Pro Rookie @LaxenHD can maintain his point production at the same level as in the regular season. On the other hand, @eBasstian may be just what Purification needs to turn this series around, as he is a true ECL veteran and has been playing since ECL 1 season.

Pirati Chomutov Esports is a team whose offense consists of skilled players @Adri1_SCP, @Winci and @Kumbik. Their average goal rating per game is a staggering 3.8. But as we all know in the playoffs there are usually not a lot of goals, but the games are a tight one-goal trap games, so if I were the captain of the team, I would quickly pay attention to the high average of goals conceded, 3.03.

Questions: 

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@Kumbik: Not much, they are from Sweden.

@wickmanwOw: Pirati is an offensive powerhouse who scores a lot of goals and likes to turn the play fast. 

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@Kumbik: Their weakness could be our home games, because we are playing on central server.

@wickmanwOw: Their fast paced turnovers suits us well and will probably give some high scoring games, hopefully in our favour.

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@Kumbik: No changes, we will keep playing the same.

@wickmanwOw: -

4. How many games will the series take?

@Kumbik: It can be very close. But I dont have idea. I hope that we will win. (Prediction 4-3 for us)

@wickmanwOw: probably a even series, but we take it in game 7

@ripKeisari: Purification in 7.

@OGjahajaha: Pirati in 6. 

Polski Boys  (3) – Prestige  (6) (Written by @OGjahajaha)

Polski have been one of the most vocal ECL Pro teams on Twitter, throwing shade at their opponents right and left. Now the time has come to deliver on their promises and back up all of their talk. Lots of their game goes through left winger @punt1la98, who we can expect to push with pace up the wing and look to force the puck to the netfront from the left post. It's a trademark that Polski have set to employ with a high percentage from a majority of their zone entries this season, and that is expected to continue. If Prestige can take away that weapon in an effective manner, they will force Polski to adapt in this series. Polski has two good options to choose from in net, and most likely it could come down to availability on that front. 

One of the teams that were thrown in the NOT-category in the season Preview was Prestige, but they have proven us wrong with an excellent group stage performance highlighted by stellar netminding by @karlsson_adam11 and an impressive rookie season effort by winger @Jmaisema. The rookie winger, who had previously flaunted some of his scoring ability in the Lite division, slotted nicely into the top 50 scorers in the Pro division and led his team along the way. Prestige has a very balanced forward core and lots of their play is cycled thorugh their defenders, so they'll have to be weary of the quick feet and aggressive sticks of Polski's forwards. 

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@vote_10: We know almost nothing about the opponent (except in the Hockey Ultimate Team), but we don't think it will hurt. Jmaisema has ragged against one of our players in HUT.

@karlsson_adam11: We know they are a tough team but if we play our best hockey I think we can beat them.

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@vote_10: We think the opponent's weaknesses are especially the defenders and inexperience.

@karlsson_adam11: We have not seen them play so we have no idea we will just play our game and make the best out of it

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@vote_10: We need to improve the net front presence on the defensive side. Also, we could attack more from the left side. Our center could tie up less.

@karlsson_adam11: We will just play our game and have focus.

Predictions:

@ripKeisari: Polski Boys in 4.

@OGjahajaha: Polski Boys in 5. 

HV71  (4) – Gunners HC  (5)

HV71 is again one of those Pro teams where consistency can be seen in the statistics. @Demski_ and @Rubituss both have exactly 58 points and @Zupancic_King424 (Zuppe_29) has 53. Since my last post, Zuppe's assist percentage has increased significantly, so the improvement can be seen. According to my own experience, HV71's game often runs through Demski, and Demski doesn't give up the puck easily even to his own teammates. Coincidentally, he is also the winner of the internal TWP time. In addition to Demski, @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen) experience is represented in the net, who almost always plays calmly and can win games for HV with his own performance.

Gunners HC moves the puck from player to player and the players have almost same amount of puck possession, resulting in a balanced time with puck distribution across the team. @OGjahajaha, @Tuulimylly91 and @Jobeyz represent the team's more experienced section and you can expect calmer solutions from them (if OGjahajaha finds the right stick soon), while the younger @Aarons and @Lotiseva are the skill packages in the team that play riskier and flashier. The team is built in an interesting way and the writer expects the series to be even.

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@Aarons: We haven’t ever faced them in competitive games, but we know that they like to counter attack and have fast-paced style all around.

@Rubituss: Well to be honest we dont know so much about them. But we know that they have experienced defenders that have played at a higher level before. Their forwards are pretty new names for us but they have proven themselves during their rookie season in PRO.

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@Aarons: They’re biggest weakness is probably they’re team defense. We will try to take advantage of it and be efficient on our scoring chances.

@Demski_: Their weakness might be that they dont have the same experience as us, we have been in PRO playoffs before and the last time we were, we gained promotion to elite. 

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@Aarons: As a team we will improve on our offense and try to be more efficient on the chances we get. We will also improve our already solid team defense.

@Demski_: As a team we need to come together as we played during our winning streaks in the regular season, we cant cheat on the simple things and we cant underestimate these guys, by finishing 5th they belong in the playoffs even if they have inexperienced forwards. 

4. How many games will the series take?

@Aarons: The series will take 5 games.

@Demski_:

@ripKeisari: HV in 5.

@OGjahajaha: Plays for Gunners HC

Renascor  (4) - Be a Bro  (5) (Written by @OGjahajaha)

Russian outfit Renascor were intent on making the Playoffs in their fourth consecutive Pro season, and while they have been a mainstay in the postseason action, success has managed to avoid this team. Centerman @Virusactive has developed into a bona fide top Pro player and plays a massive part in the success of his team as lots of their passing play cycles through him. Defenseman @Motov is very skilled with the puck and likes to show it - sometimes a bit too much for his own good. Renascor needs to play better as a unit in order to find success against Be a Bro. It is noteworthy that Renascor are one of the more aggressive teams in the Pro division and could put their opposing defenders under some pressure. 

After a difficult start to their season, Be a Bro were able to regroup and eventually settle their players in the right spots on their roster. They are still far off from the form we've seen this team in at their best, and we're doubtful this roster even has that in them, but they aren't to be discounted despite of that. @Pursuitti is a massive asset for Be a Bro, not only as their top scorer, but also as a player with extensive experience of disappointment and success in the Pro Playoffs, and now also a taste of the Elite postseason. @MCH_98 is their breakout man and will shoulder much of the responsibility to kickstart their rush and counter attacking play. 

1. What do you know about your opponent?

@Serg1vratar: we count them as strong and rough opponents, they have very good skilled and matured players who can turn game on their side

@MCH_98: Renascor has always been in the playoffs even if their lineup has seen changes almost every season so we are expecting a tough series.

2. What is the opponent’s weakness that you try to take advantage of? 

@Serg1vratar: We Will try to win to outscore them pretty much

@MCH_98: Fire_cats88 inexperience could be a factor the longer this series goes.

3. As a team how will you improve your game for the playoffs?

@Serg1vratar:  In worst case scenario we will turn in our secret weapon.

@MCH_98: Regular season was our preseason as our lineup changed on the transfer deadline. So we hope to improve on all aspects of our game.

4. How many games will the series take?

@Serg1vratar: Renascor in 6.

@MCH_98: Bros in 6.

@ripKeisari: Bros in 5.

@OGjahajaha: Be a Bro advances in 6. 

SportsGamers,

The battles have been hard in the Lite division this season, and with the stakes being as high as they are, some massive games still remain in the last few days of the regular season. The last games will be played by the end of Wednesday, May 24th and Playoffs will kick off on Tuesday, May 30th.

Group 1

Dark Wild have secured the #1 spot in this group in a tremendously close battle with Technical Disaster. Tupsukorvat and RoKi are chasing Stadin Kingit for the last available Playoff spot and it looks like one of those teams will be the odd one out. RoKi and Tupsukorvat will be playing each other in a massive matchup that could decide either teams fate. Stadin Kingit will be facing Timrå IK in their last games of the season and have surely budgeted a full 4 points from that double-header. Quite surprisingly both HC Korobka and EHC Olten eSports, who had sensational seasons in ECL '23 Winter Core have stuggled massively to translate their game to the Lite level. 

Group 2

Nappula are looking like a lock for 1st place and they are strong candidates to take the #1 seed spot into the playoffs, mainly fighting against Supernatural & Mustaa Kultaa from Group 3 and Skellefteå AIK from Group 4 for that advantageous position. Below the Playoff line, Lions Academy, EHC Dinamo Riga and Ducktales BK all have theoretical possibilities of making the Playoffs with some games in hand on the teams above, but they'll need to be at their sharpest in order to make that happen. A big matchup between Lions Academy and Fiilis Hockey will most likely determine the fate of the latter team and also set the bar to make the Playoffs at a minimum of 32 points if Fiilis fail to come away with any in those bouts. Södertälje SK will make a climb towards the middle of the pack to cap off their season.

Group 3

This is the only group in which the Playoff teams seem to be solidified already, only some minor movement within the top eight might occur and the most interesting fight leading down to the wire will be had between the top teams Supernatural and Mustaa Kultaa. Both of these teams have four games in hand on the top team Boost HC. Supernatural will have some sweaty games to cap off the regular season against Frölunda HC Academy and Nurnberg IceTigers Esport, whereas Mustaa Kultaa have more favorable matchups against non-Playoff teams Woodhands and Rahinage left in ther schedule. Mustaa Kultaa is also by far the highest scoring team in the division, chased only by Group 2's Ultimatum, and winger @Allupekkaz is topping the scoring charts with @vepdsssss (werppi) in pursuit as a result.

Group 4

Skellefteå AIK looks like strong candidates to take home that #1 seed for the Playoffs and as stated, they are fighting for that spot with Group 2's Nappula and Group 3's Supernatural and Mustaa Kultaa.  A new promising goaltender in the form of @Jonte05_ has emerged in their crease this season as he currently leads all goalies with over 10 games played in SV% and has an impressive 6 shutouts to his name this season. He could be an interesting name for several higher level teams in the offseason if Skellefteå can't hold on to him. Close to the Playoff line we could see Chiefzz HC or Deggendorfer SC Esports drop out if they are unable to close out points in their last few games. Mora IK are in hot pursuit of that last available spot with 16 points still up for grabs.

SportsGamers,

Please note that this article was written to reflect the situation before the games played on Monday, May 22nd. 

It's been a quieter week in terms of Elite broadcasts with much more other action going on over on our Twitch channel, but several very crucial games have been played over the course of the past seven days, and even more lie ahead with only a few days left to go in the regular season.

Especially Tunnel Vision have been hard at work with six games in during the fourth week of the regular season. They've further solidified their position as league leaders and had scoring explosions in multiple games with 7-2 and 7-1 wins over Malmö Redhawks and Örebro Hockey. As a result, also the offensive duo Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen and Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen have been able to pull away a bit from hREDS' Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen chasing them in the scoring race. This team is really setting themselves apart as one of the strongest offensive teams in ECL Elite history with two unusually high scoring seasons back-to-back. Tunnel had a massive Sunday night matchup against Frölunda HC, in which they eventually ended up splitting points. With a couple of games in hand on their main competition, this means Frölunda HC are looking in stellar position to take over the #1 seed in the regular season. It's there for their taking at this point.

The first team to finish their regular season campaign was Heimo, who played their last matchup already on Monday evening against Örebro Hockey. They currently sit at 32 points and a 1.07 P/G, which is going to put them right around that #8-9 spot based on previous seasons. It's going to come down right to the wire for Heimo regardless and they'll be praying for some of their toughest competitors in JYP Jyväskylä, Nordic Stars and Mayhems are going to drop some points in the coming days. 

One team we cannot help but notice is Färjestad BK. The recent Swedish Champions had a week to remember with a total of twelve games of ECL action being played and an SCL Finals series on Friday night to cap things off! This star-studded roster had been underperforming for quite some time already and had some trouble early on in the season, but with their season on the line it seems like the wolves from Karlstad have really stepped up their game big time. Going into the final rounds of the regular season, it looks like Färjestad BK will be finding their way into the Playoffs again and they could be one of those lower seeds to really keep an eye on!

JYP have converted on over 50% of their 17 total powerplay opportunities throughout the season and with that are by far the most efficient team on the man advantage in the Elite division. Their experienced forwards Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and Santeri @indi969 Pendolin have stood for most of the production, with 4 and 3 powerplay tucks to their names respectively. At the moment, the team has helped themselves to a 7th place in the division and with three matchups left against Nordic Stars, Tohtorit and ZSC Esports, they should be able to stay in the top 8. 

Now, one team that unfortunately hasn't impressed us over the past week is ZSC Esports. They're currently sitting in last place in the division and have managed to collect only six points in their last ten games. Their offensive and defensive numbers look decent enough to earn them a spot at least in the vicinity of no-man's-land, but results haven't quite followed for the Swiss lions at the moment. Their game is very heavy on the left wing with both Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg and Max @Toneee9 Tonitz manning that flank and it could be that the inability to balance out their game a bit more is hurting them. 

Standings - Week 4

1.		Tunnel Vision	-
2.		hREDS	+1
3.		Frölunda HC	-1
4.		Heimo	+1
5.		Färjestad BK	+10
6.		Leksands IF	-2
7.		JYP Jyväskylä	-1
8.		Nordic Stars	+1
9.		Mayhems	+2
10.		Redhawks Esport	-
11.		Reality Check HC	-4
12.		GOONS	-4
13.		Roots Gaming	+3
14.		Örebro Hockey	-2
15.		Tohtorit	-2
16.		ZSC Esports	-2

Get ready to dive into the exciting world of the European Championship League (ECL) as we bring you the highly anticipated ECL Wraparound, hosted by the one and only Cody @Tougie24 Tougas!

From ECL Neo to Elite, witness the fierce competition as teams battled it out for supremacy on the virtual ice. Who emerged as the dominant force in each division? Which players stood out with their exceptional skills and game-changing performances? Find out all the answers and more in the ECL Wraparound.

SportsGamers,

It's time to take a look at how we have fared in the ECL '23 Spring Pro division as the season has passed it's alfway mark. Some teams have already played a majority of their games and will have to wait for others to catch up, so it makes for an interesting rest of the season for them to say the least.

Please note that this article reflects the situation of the league prior to games played on Monday, May 15th.

Group 1 Written by @OGjahajaha
In group 1 it's looking like Luleå Hockey will run away with the top seed, while surprising newcomers Purification are in good position to at least shock the writer! Also, perhaps this finally is Valco's season!?

HOT 🔥
 Purification
Personally, I counted Purification out of the Playoff race before the season, but they've shown that they can definitely compete at the Pro season and do what quite few newly promoted teams can do. @eBasstian has elevated the team with the experience he's bringing on board and @LaxenHD is taking big steps forward in his development. 

 Luleå Hockey
Having had a chance at Elite Qualification before the season, Luleå Hockey were one of the teams we knew to keep a look out for in Pro. This outfit has played together for quite some time already, switching between various organizations and their very familiar POGGERS brand. As a matter of fact, all of their players hold Elite experience from past seasons too, so it is definitely no surprise to see these guys fighting for the top spots in their group. At this level, Luleå is an offensive powerhouse that will be very hard to stop, and they've claimed the place of highest scoring team to show for it. @Janski (Jansku23) is by far their most productive player and is on pace to win the league scoring race by a wide margin.

 Project X
Another newly promoted team that has managed to establish their game early on at the next level. Project X are a very well balanced team that are now looking to keep pushing with a solid core of individually talented players. Their number one star at the moment is definitely recent IIHF eWorld Champion @JesseL2002, who is also the teams most productive player on the left flank. Project X is in position to take a top 3 seed in their group, but several strong units are chasing them!

NOT ❄️
 Red Bull Munich eSports
We didn't give Red Bull Munich much of a chance to begin with, and unfortunately their campaign in the Pro division has been a disastrous one. Despite finding ways to score and keeping up with mid-level teams in that regard, their defensive game hasn't been even close to on par for what they would need to display. I would have expected forwards @Pathen-21- and @Flo_goes_grazy to be able to help the team more and instill confidence into their team throughout, but that has not been the case this season. 

 Neptune Hockey
Neptune Hockey have put themselves in a tough situation. The team has played almost all of their games already and at the moment it looks like they'll have to wait for other teams to catch up before we can tell how it's all going to end up for them. However, the prospects of avoiding relegation is looking slim. The Neptunes have struggled mightily with scoring and they can't seem to buy a goal for the life of them at times. They'll need all they can get in their remaining few games. 

 Bastu
A team that probably were looking to compete for a Playoff spot in their second season at the Pro level, but have been tremendously disappointing. Bastu added lots of experience in the form of @Iltapeli (apetttaja) before the season, but he hasn't seemed to help them succeed in the way they wanted to. While Bastu have been able to stay effective on offense, they've struggled to tighten things up in their own end, which will be their downfall this season. They're in a pickle with 26 games already played and at this pace they could end up being relegated without help from others. 

Group 2 Written by @ripKeisari

In the second group of Pro, everything is still wide open. Polski Boys, Golden Nights and Sika are currently fighting for the first seed, but Renascor or Gunners HC can still challenge for top spots. Below I have included the teams that are hot and cold in my books.

HOT 🔥

 Golden Nights

Golden Nights has started the season strongly and, in my eyes, even a bit surprisingly, is leading the group at the moment. Golden Nights’ new acquisitions @jm98II, @Sagee95 and @Mikka have clearly found a common chemistry. Another positive side is @kkostiiii's good save percentage. I'm already putting some pressure on the team for the upcoming playoff summer and I say that with these showings they should do well in the playoffs and if the season doesn't end with a top 4 ranking, it's disappointment.

 SIKA

SIKA has also started the season well and the acquisitions @jezbaru and @Jondeezz have scored a good amount of points. There is room for improvement, as their power play is only at 15%. Let's see how @vSilenttio gets the most out of his team, maybe he should pass the puck more? Since his time with puck is way above that of the next guy on the team.

 Polski Boys

Polski Boys had some banter going on Twitter before the start of the season about how  the team will win Pro. Perhaps this tactic has worked, as at the time of writing this article, the team is third in the group. We feel like the move of @Brockela22 going to center has made great impact for them. When you follow the team's points and puck losses, you get the impression that Polski likes to attack from the left side of the ice. Indicators that suggest this are @kungenkurwa's points compared to @vote_10's and @punt1la98's time with puck + shocking numbers of puck losses. These puck losses can be decisive in tight playoff games, so there might be something to improve.

NOT ❄️

 Arkham Asylum

Arkham is such a likeable team that it pains me to trash them like this. But we must be truthful and say that although @ReDMisTi and @Juigelson have a lot of elite experience, it just doesn't seem enough at the pro level anymore. And if the team doesn't start winning, you can say goodbye to pro and drop back to Lite.

As an interesting statistic fact, Juigelsson's passing percentage is 56%, so about half of his passes will go to his teammates. (Shoutout also to @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) and @Zupancic_King424 (Zuppe_23) for similar passing percentage)

 Otukset

@juhkis96 and his downfall can be seen in Otukset’s performance this season. He played in the Elite division for a few seasons, but always got dropped out. Maybe for a reason? Otukset could be described as a sinking ship that no one is coming to save and people are watching from the coast to see when the ship will be seen for the last time before it sinks completely.

 NOVA

Nobody expected anything from this team, and they really didn’t deliver anything, but I guess they must be brought up here as a cold team. Anyways, they have good penalty kill numbers, so that’s something. It's looking like NOVA will need to find a new direction for their story in the Lite division next season.

RANDOM FACTS, PREDICTIONS AND OPINIONS

• Otukset has had 8 players on the lineup and now 3 of them are gone. What went wrong?
• Djurgården have an average record although on paper they should be a good team. The new acquisition @sannteri can bring a boost to the team's game.
• Gunners HC has played surprisingly well and can challenge Pro's top teams. However, power play and penalty kill need something new, because the percentages are horrendously bad.
• Shoutout for @LaxenHD and @eBasstian for being 2nd and 3rd in points, a bit surprising.
• What happened to Dehliiin? Last season he came second in points and now just little bit over point per game.
• Otukset and Vizio are the only teams in the division who still haven't been able to score on the powerplay.
• Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming has had _10_ different players on the ice during 20 games.
• @Burtsi980H has the most penalties drawn in the league with 11.
• @Tappu still playing goalie part-time? He has the most blocked shots in the league, 39 in 18 games.

SportsGamers,

As the ECL '23 Spring Elite season rolls on, most teams have now surpassed the midway point and are pulling down to the main stretch of the season, and while the big three at the top have started pulling away, many teams are still fighting tooth-and-nail for those crucial points. Tunnel Vision have been able to reclaim that top spot for the first time this season, and will surely be trying to keep it that way in order to secure the best possible placement for the Playoffs. However, Frölunda HC are still the #1 team based on points per game due to the fact that Tunnel Vision has played one matchup more. 

There were a few teams who didn't see that much action in the past week and dropped a few positions in the standings due to that - mainly Redhawks Esport and Mayhems, who were holding Playoff positions earlier, but have now dropped back to positions 10 and 11 respectively. Based on points per game, both teams are still in good position but both of them will still have to match up against several of the top teams in the division, which might affect their Playoff prospects a bit, barring any upsets.

Speaking of upsets, we certainly saw some of those this past week, especially last night, as Färjestad BK showed some signs of slowly warming up in their matchup against fellow SHL competitors Leksands IF. Leksands, who has been one of the biggest surprises this season ended up dropping both games against the experienced Färjestad squad, who have been struggling for a long time already. On top of that Swedish battle, Mayhems and Heimo battled it out in a late night broadcast bout and the goalies made a point to not let anything past them too easily. Through two extremely low-scoring games, Mayhems ended up coming away with two wins and goalie Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen was the clear #1 star of the night. 

The past week was a particularly successful one for Tunnel Vision forward Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, who claimed the top scorer spot for himself and put up a total of 14 points in six games played throughout the week, including one or more goals in four out of six of those games. The winger still has to increase his pace if he looks to surpass his former high of 91 points in 30 games, but with 10 games still to go in the regular season, we'll have to follow along closely to see if he can break that record or even surpass the 100-point mark. 

After spending a few weeks closer to the bottom of the table, we are also pleased to see Örebro Hockey make a push for the Playoffs, or at least no-man's land. The new Elite team struggled early on, but had a very successful last week by claiming five wins out of ten games played. Note that previously this squad had only gotten one win in total. Their most experienced Elite player Jere @keranee Keränen has been invaluable for the teams success and leads the team in goals scored and total points. 

Transfers
It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season. Last week also marked the transfer deadline for this season. Here are the transfers that have come to light since last week:

Filip @Faze91- Azri -  hREDS -->  Färjestad BK

Standings - Week 2

1.		Tunnel Vision	+1
2.		Frölunda HC	-1
3.		hREDS	-
4.		Leksands IF	-
5.		Heimo	-
6.		JYP Jyväskylä	+1
7.		Reality Check HC	+2
8.		GOONS	+3
9.		Nordic Stars	+3
10.		Redhawks Esport	+2
11.		Mayhems	-3
12.		Örebro Hockey	+4
13.		Tohtorit	+1
14.		ZSC Esports	-4
15.		Färjestad BK	-
16.		Roots Gaming	-3

SportsGamers,

Due to the influx of messages from a large number of teams that seem to have missed the previous communication, the League Administration has decided to re-open and extend the ECL '23 Spring Player Transfers for all divisions until Wednesday, May 10th at 23:59:59 CEST.

This exceptional decision was supported by the following factors:

• Incorrect date communicated in the original rulebook
• Exceptionally early date for Transfer Deadline compared to previous seasons
• The addition of the extra days will benefit several teams, who are struggling with their rosters.

League Administrator would like to stress, that even though this exception is made this time, there are no plans to extend the transfer deadline further in future seasons, so captains need to keep an eye on the key dates and get their transfers done on time.

Please remember to make sure your transfers are in line with the rulebook before making them and check with support if you aren't sure. Remember, only one transfer per player is allowed per season. Refer to rulebook chapter 14 for more detailed information about player transfers in the ECL. 

If you're a player still looking for a team or a team still looking to add to your roster, please head to the Free Agents section or the Clubs Looking For Players section on our forum.

Please post any last-minute transfers in the comments section below so everyone can enjoy them. 

SportsGamers,

One more week of ECL '23 Spring Elite action is in the books and while the first week of play proved to be a true wake-up call for some, others really managed to come out of the games sprinting. In our first weekly recap, we made a call to action for a few teams, who we really believed could and should do better, so let's take a quick look at how things have progressed throughout the European Top 16. 

As teams are closing in on the halfway point of the season, the standings are starting to shape up and we're seeing which way the campaigns are trending for most squads. No surprises in the fact that the big three - Frölunda HC, Tunnel Vision and hREDS are topping the tables, but Leksands IF in fourth place at this point of the season is nothing we expected early on. Personally, I predicted the rookie Elite squad to struggle in the European Top 16, especially due to the fact that they tend to be more known for their offensive power than their tough defense. The best of the best usually succeed at shutting down the game of such teams at a pretty good rate, but it seems like Leksands IF have defied the odds and kept their production going against higher level opponents. As a result, left winger Robert @Robban kaudern Kaudern (I-Kaudo-I) is leading the league in both goals and points, with two games less than Erik @Eki Tammenpää, who is chasing him in second place. 

Another team that might have gotten pushed down a bit in previews and predictions around the community is Redhawks Esport, and it's an undeniable fact that the core, consisting of Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt, Connor @MartindalexC Martindale and André @Foppatofflan Liljegren aren't quite in the form of their glory days anymore. However, the experience and mental grit that team possesses is miles above several other teams in the division, not to say that their skill level still isn't there too! The Redhawks have managed to start their season quite well, coming away with points out of most of their matchups and even leaving JYP Jyväskylä without anything to write home about in their clashes last week. 

Mayhems is one of those teams that was written off quite quickly in all predictions and previews, and to be fair, they still are despite their .500 record throughout the first few weeks. No one expects these rookies to make a real dent in this division and keeping their spot would be a win in itself for them, but they are certainly demanding some extent of respect with their efforts already. The season has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for this team thus far, but they've been able to come away with points in important matchups and even left Reality Check without any in their head-to-head. Mayhems are hoping to be able to piggyback off of Teemu @temppanen Karvonen's success on the 1v1 side to launch them into winning ways. In order to do that, though, they'll need to find more scoring power or tighten up in their own zone. 

Finally, we have to talk about a team we already had a look at last week and it's Nordic Stars. What is going on with them at the moment? The Stars had an incredibly tough first week, where they played against all of the big favorites and only came away with one win, but since then, they haven't been able to turn the ship around in the way we expected. Their preseason looked very promising, but could it be that their unsuccessful first week has shattered their confidence? Nordic Stars have only managed to come away with full point in one matchup against Mayhems, but lost again last night against Leksands IF. This team has the skill and talent to turn things around, but will they have the mental strength to do so?

Transfers
It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, but some transfers have come to knowledge in the past week or so, we'll also be recapping possible movement in these reports. Here are the transfers that have come to light since last week:

Oskar @OsquuG Hautala -  Otukset (ECL Pro) -->  Reality Check

Standings - Week 2

1.		Frölunda HC	+3
2.		Tunnel Vision	+6
3.		hREDS	-1
4.		Leksands IF	-1
5.		Heimo	-4
6.		Redhawks Esport	-1
7.		JYP Jyväskylä	-
8.		Mayhems	+1
9.		Reality Check HC	-3
10.		ZSC Esports	+2
11.		GOONS	+3
12.		Nordic Stars	-2
13.		Roots Gaming	+2
14.		Tohtorit	-1
15.		Färjestad BK	+1
16.		Örebro Hockey	-5

SportsGamers,

We'd like to remind you that there's still time to sign up for the ECL '23 Spring 1v1! With the 6v6 portion of the league already well underway, we'll be starting action for 1v1 on the 12th of May, with signups closing on Sunday, May 7th at 23:59 CEST. 

What is the ECL?

The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports  - a league where all the best European NHL gamers compete against each other in both EASHL (6v6) and Online Versus (1v1) for European Championship League titles. ECL 6v6 currently features five divisions, so enjoyable games are guaranteed for everyone regardless of skill level and experience! Find all information about the ECL '23 Spring season here.

ECL '23 Spring 1v1

The 1v1 section of ECL gathers all the best European NHL 23 Players for a tournament where the prize is the European Championship title and the largest split of the 2500 EUR prize pool. The tournament will be played as a group stage, out of which the top 128 players will be making the playoffs. You can sign up for ECL 1v1 until the 7th of May, 2023. Participation requires the purchase of an ECL '23 Player License.

SportsGamers,

This season, we are introducing the ECL ‘23 Spring Elite Prediction! This is a community contest where the objective is to predict the final result of the ECL ‘23 Spring Elite regular season.

Sort the teams according to your prediction in the standings and share your prediction on Twitter with the hashtag #ECL23Prediction in order to participate in the contest. Prizes include console store vouchers for PlayStation and Xbox for an amount of 500 EUR in total.

Now is the time to be bold and share your hot takes for the season, we can't wait to hear from you!

Prizing
1. 200 EUR voucher
2. 100 EUR voucher
3. 50 EUR voucher
4. 50 EUR voucher

Bonus: 5 lucky winners among all participants will receive a 20 EUR voucher.

Submit your predictions by Tuesday, May 9th. In case of several similar answers, the answer that is submitted first will take the win! One entry per contestant.

Head over to SportsGamer.gg/ECLPrediction to make your prediction!

SportsGamers,

We would like to notify every team that the transfer window for all ECL '23 Spring divisions expires on Saturday, May 6th at 23:59:59 CEST. 

Please remember to make sure your transfers are in line with the rulebook before making them and check with support if you aren't sure. Remember, only one transfer per player is allowed per season. Refer to rulebook chapter 14 for more detailed information about player transfers in the ECL. 

If you're a player still looking for a team or a team still looking to add to your roster, please head to the Free Agents section or the Clubs Looking For Players section on our forum.

Please post any last-minute transfers in the comments section below so everyone can enjoy them. 

SportsGamers,

The first week of ECL '23 Spring Elite action is in the books and at the moment, most teams have got their first three matchups in the books. Tohtorit, ZSC Esports and Roots Gaming are the few exceptions, with only one matchup in their rearview, so they'll surely be looking to pick up the pace and play more intensively in the coming weeks. We had several very interesting clashes early on in the season already, as we got to enjoy matchups between four of the contender favorites already in the season opener! 

Nordic Stars were one of the most exciting teams to watch out for heading into the season, and interestingly enough they had a very tough start to their season, facing off against all of the preview's top three teams in the first week. While the Stars managed to challenge the top contenders in every game, they didn't quite come away with as many points as they would have wanted, and the result was only one win against hREDS and no points gathered against Tunnel Vision or Frölunda HC. It's clear as day that it is the Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes) show in Nordic Stars now, as the right defenseman leads the team in both possession time and points after the first eight games of the season. The team also made an interesting acquisition at the end of the first week, when they picked up Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen from GOONS to shuffle their offensive arsenal a bit. 

Heimo is the team topping the tables after the first week of action, and deservedly so. The outfit seems to have picked up right where they left off in the Winter season and are intent on making another great Playoff push. Their first three matchups have been against teams that they should definitely be able to compete against, and with five wins out of those three games, they'll be happy to move on in good form. At the moment, Heimo is statistically the most solid squad in the division. Wade @Wpaanane Paananen seems to be on a hot streak and slots in at third in scoring throughout the league. 

Now, a team we can't ignore are the rookies in Leksands IF. Their forward core of Robert @Robban kaudern Kaudern (I-Kaudo-I), Linus @Bror1326 Nidalen (I-Bror-I) and Philip @Philip Deemus Deemus (PHDeemus) have been picking their opponents apart early on in the season and as a result of scoring explosions against both Örebro Hockey and Reality Check HC, they've been able to push their way into #1, #2 and #4 in the scoring standings at the moment. This team scores a lot and have been able to win games as a result, but they'll certainly be looking to tighten up their defense moving forward. It is doubtful they'll keep up the pace of four goals for per game, but they'll do their best!

The Swedish outfit Färjestad BK had a difficult Winter season and made some changes to their roster in the offseason due to long-time center Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson retiring and while they do look good on paper, their changes haven't yielded results on the ice yet. Tough losses against both hREDS and Heimo will definitely spur the team to push even harder in week two. Wingers Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander and Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund have been cold to start the season.

Transfers
It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, but some transfers have come to knowledge in the past week or so, we'll also be recapping possible movement in these reports. Here are the transfers that have come to light since last week:

Teemu @tkantola Kantola -  Otukset (ECL Pro) -->  GOONS

Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen -  Otukset (ECL Pro) -->  GOONS

Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen -  GOONS -->  Nordic Stars

Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen - Free Agent -->  Mayhems

Standings - Week 1

1.		Heimo	+7
2.		hREDS	-
3.		Leksands IF	+12
4.		Frölunda HC	-1
5.		Redhawks Esport	+8
6.		Reality Check HC	-
7.		JYP Jyväskylä	-2
8.		Tunnel Vision	-7
9.		Mayhems	+3
10.		Nordic Stars	-6
11.		Örebro Hockey	+3
12.		ZSC Esports	-2
13.		Tohtorit	+3
14.		GOONS	-7
15.		Roots Gaming	-4
16.		Färjestad BK	-7

SportsGamers,

Today it's time to get the action going also in the Core division, the fourth tier of European NHL esports competition. We've got 32 teams divided into two groups all eager to  push for the next level in their competitive careers. Several returning teams have strengthened their ranks in the offseason either through new recruits or simply grinding hard at their game and trusting that one more season of experience could be the difference maker for them. 

ECL '23 Spring Core Schedule

• Registration period: 18.3.-20.4.2023
• Regular Season: 25.4.- 24.5.
• RO32: 30.5.-4.6.
• RO16: 6.-11.6.
• Quarterfinals: 13.-18.6.
• Semifinals: 20.-25.6.
• Finals: 27.-29.6.*

Group 1

 Nordic Nosebleed
No doubt about the fact that Nordic Nosebleed is one of the more experienced squads in the ECL Core division, with several players including captains @Cherry and @Lidaas79 having started their careers already before the divisional framework was included into the ECL. Nordic Nosebleed have established themselves first and foremost as a strong devensive team, which should do them lots of good this season. A tough team to beat. 

 North Sawo Lions
A returning team that did extremely well in the group stage of the Winter season, but didn't get their game going against HC Pustertal eSports in the first round of the Playoffs. One more season of experience should have done these guys good and captain @Liimatainenn is expected to lead the team from the front once again. 

 Ambri eSports
Another returning squad, who struggled a bit last Core season, barely making the Playoffs out of the Group stage. However, they've done lots of great work in the offseason and managed to claim the GCL Division 2 Championship just a few weeks ago. Ambri eSports could end up being one of those sneaky good teams that flies under the radar. 

 HC Palosaari
After some time away from the ECL ice sheet, HC Palosaari makes a return in a fusion with the former Karmadillos. In that fusion, they receive a fair amount of experience into their roster in the form of @JanEerikBanan and @Moneygunx along with several other HC Palosaari alumni, who had been with Karmadillos for some time. We're expecting this squad to challenge for the top spots in their group.

Group 2

 Lutunilkat
The beloved Lutunilkat brand have had a tough few seasons in the Lite division and are now droppong down a level in order to find their game again. Lutunilkat is a team that likes to have fun on the ice and might just need to see some success in order to find joy in what they do. 

 EV Duisburg
EV Duisburg is one of those brands that has been around for countless years at various levels of ECL competition, at their best, they had a stint of two seasons in ECL Pro but have since dropped down a few levels. Captain @GreatOne139 has been with the team through thick and thin and is a true heart-and-soul player for this squad. 

 Pirates eSports
This mainly French outfit is very familiar from previous ECL seasons and while they haven't seen substantial success, they should be a tough team to crack in any game this upcoming season. We're expecting the pirates to Yarr hard, and maybe we'll see a pirate rivalry between these guys and HC Palosaari in the Playoffs?
 

 KohKae Esports
A few seasons of Lite experience and a decent eHSM performance in the rearview makes us expect that KohKae Esports could be on the brink of a good Playoff push this season. Who will take over the top scoring role, as @Ylijumala96 has made the move to Nelos Kentta?

SportsGamers,

We're in for an unusually tight season in the Lite division and a quick look at the groups show that very few teams manage to really stand out from the pack this time. As the season progresses, there will naturally be some outliers but this time around, that will mainly come from finding form along they way and running with it. It's truly going to be anyone's game this Spring season.

This season preview will aim to highlight three interesting teams and three interesting players from each of the four groups in the division. We'll be revisiting the preview in our mid-season report, where we'll be able to see if any of our predictions have held up to the test of time. 

ECL '23 Spring Lite Schedule

• Regular Season: 25.4.-24.5.
• RO32: 30.5.-4.6.
• RO16: 6.-11.6.
• Quarterfinals: 13.-18.6.
• Semifinals: 20.-25.6.
• Finals: 27.-29.6.

Group 1
Written by @OGjahajaha

 Duesseldorfer EG eSports
The former DEG eSports are entering their eighth straight season in the Lite division and while they’ve been grinding away for such a long time already, success has managed to avoid them. Last season, they were eliminated by the top seed Six Sticks Misfits in the second round of the Playoffs, but things are looking on the up for DEG, and this might be the season they thrive.

 NOSTREETSPORTS
This highly experienced team holds lots of individual talent and looks very balanced on every position. They should be able to dominate competition in possession, which will most likely translate to scoring if they are able to convert on their opportunities. Should be right up there with the best of them in terms of title contention.

 Dark Wild
This is a roster that took the ice for the first time in the eHockey Finnish Championships and had some struggles early on, but could be an interesting story to follow if they’re able to develop along the season. Dark Wild also has a very deep roster with some ability to rotate positions and players in the starting lineup if required.

Players to watch:

@Fire_019,  Duesseldorfer EG eSports
@Kaapo13,  Technical Disaster
@lordkomar91,  HC KOROBKA

Group 2

Written by @OGjahajaha

 Lions Academy
After making the Lite Playoffs last season and being a dangerous squad to be on the lookout for, Lions Academy lost their top scorer SnipeLVCelly among quite a few other players in the offseason and are now entering their next campaign with yet another deep roster with several possibilities. Quite notably, they’ve added Burban and FightLocke3 from the Elite squad ZSC Lions to mind the net, which certainly gives the entire team a big boost. Could be a sneaky squad that makes it really hard for their opponents to score. 

 Sodertalje SK
An experienced squad that could be a fringe Pro team when they’re on their game. Sodertalje SK have had tremendous difficulty scoring in the SCL, and they’ll definitely be hoping that those troubles would be in the rearview heading into the ECL. The leadership group needs to get the team going and forwards need to produce. 
 

 Cheeky Grinders
A sneaky Championship contender, maybe? Cheeky Grinders finished ECL ‘23 Winter by claiming the ECL Core title and are coming into the Lite division off of an eHSM campaign they’ll definitely want to improve on. The Grinders struggled greatly on special teams on both ends of the ice and were a bit too undisciplined for their own good. This team has the potential to be great if they put their minds to it and get down to the grind, as their name would suggest. 

Players to watch:

@Fightlocke3,  Lions Academy

@Hockeyulle,  Sodertalje SK

@vepdsssss (Werppi),  Ultimatum

Group 3

 Supernatural
Definitely one of the favorites coming up for this season. Team with a lot of experience from the higher divisions and the expectations are high for this team to make it far in the playoffs. Team is well balanced on all fronts and the experience of players should be a weapon for this team moving forward. They should be able to control the play in most of their matchups and if they can perform they should win the group. Strong contender.

 Mustaa Kultaa
Dark horse of this division. Team with lots of individual skill and potential that needs to perform well as a team to succeed. Young and hungry would be the best words to describe this team. A lack of experience could be the thing that haunts this team moving forward. If they can get their teamplay going and find the right playstyle for them, they could be a solid contender. This could be a story to follow this season.

 Ghost
After not making the playoffs last season, the team has made some new exciting additions to their roster on the attacking front. This team has potential to do good in this division, but if the new additions do not perform the team could easily do the same as last season and miss the playoffs. These things will make this team interesting to watch next season.

Players to watch:

@Eiteam,  Supernatural

@Valosaari92,  Rahinage

@Velttola,  Mustaa Kultaa

Group 4

 Skelleftea AIK
After an unfortunate end to last season losing in the first round against Herforder Ice Dragons they have a chance to redeem themselves this season and go far. Since last season they have lost some key players so we will have to see if the new players can perform on the level needed for the team to make it to the playoffs once again. Skelleftea is known for their fast counterattacks and have been effective on the scoring chances they get. If they get their game going with the new lineup they could be a solid contender

 PunaKala
Punakala has been a solid team in Lite for quite many seasons in a row and this season could be their chance to finally make it far in the playoffs. They have a solid defense, but the offense has to really step it up this season if they wish to be successful. If the team is able to develop during the season this could prove to be a great season for the team.

 xBOTS
This team has a lot of individual talent and after a successful eHockey Finnish Championships, the team looks to be very balanced and well built together. This is definitely a puck possession team, but they have to be more efficient with their scoring chances. Especially the addition of IOLL1 could be a factor that makes the offence more efficient and therefore could make the team a force to be reckoned with. This team has a quite passive play style and has struggled against teams that play a solid trap. If they can improve on their zone entries they truly have potential to be great. Solid defense and having a lot of possession are keys for this team to succeed. A solid contender.

Players to watch:

@I0LL1,  xBOTS

@Clumpyindiana79,  Armada Hockey

@andreaskakan,  Mora IK

SportsGamers,

It's the season opener day for the ECL '23 Spring Pro season and we've got several interesting storylines to follow throughout the season. There's been a lot of turnover within the division and while some teams stand out as favorites to take it all, we have several black horses that could take the division by storm. It'll be a fierce battle for mid-table positions and with most bottom half teams going to Qualifiers, all games will be very important. In traditional ECL Pro Preview manner, we'll be taking a look at a few of the teams in each group, which of these squads are HOT, and which, perhaps, NOT? We can't wait to get things started!

ECL '23 Spring Pro Schedule

• Regular Season: 24.4.-25.5.
• RO16: 29.5.-1.6.
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.6.
• Semifinals: 12.-15.6.
• Finals: 19.-22.6.

Group 1

HOT 🔥

 Be a Bro
Be a Bro is one of those teams that have been grinding away in the Pro division for a while now, and they seem to always be in contention with the top teams, still somehow avoiding bigger success at the moment. They've had a somewhat turbulent offseason and found themselves struggling in the recent Elite Qualifiers as a result. It seems like Be a Bro will have a lot of figuring out to do in terms of how they'll line up their starting five, with lots of high-profile players in their ranks, but still not a definitive number one constellation that has clicked. 

Player to watch: @MCH_98

 Björklöven Esport
We've been predicting success for Björklöven for quite some time already, and now could very well be the time for the squad hailing from Umeå, Sweden. They have brought in an all new defensive pairing from the ashes of Memento in the form of @Janzuh and @Jonetzky (Zayzei), which has seemed to work well for them early on in SCL competition and most likely will continue on that path in the Pro division. On offense, Brörklöven is stacked with talent and especially @Pappen has big expectations to live up to, with @Johansson__224 entering his first full ECL Pro season on the Björklöven flank. 

Player to watch: @Pappen

 HV71
HV71 have gathered one of the more experienced rosters in the Pro division and more importantly, a lot of that experience is gathered in various formations with the same players these guys have alongside them right now. The three brightest stars of this roster are captain @Demski_, @Rubituss and goalie @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen), who very well could be one of the best on his position in the division. Playoffs need to be a lock for HV71, and their experience should be able to carry them far in the postseason.

Player to watch: @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen)
 

 RCTIC
RCTIC is a team that has consistently been able to claw their way into the Playoffs of the Pro division, and they are able to challenge top teams when they are on their game, but bigger success seems to always avoid this team. @Limbe65 and @yrjoo are their biggest weapons up front and their very experienced defense consisting of @FakiiR1 and @Aze is a tough one to get past, especially if they are able to find chemistry, where we all know Fakiir1 will be the aggressive, highly physical party and Aze will need to stay back in more of a sweeper role. @Ricco is expected to continue developing in net. 

Player to watch: @Limbe65
 

NOT ❄️

 Purification
A rather inexperienced team with some potential players in their ranks. They will need to improve playing as a unit and moving the puck in order to be competitive at the Pro level when facing defensively solid opponents, and there will most likely be an adjustment period for them in doing so. The team did very well in the Pro Qualifiers and scored a lot, with their most experienced player @eBasstian leading from the front. Keep an eye on him and @LaxenHD especially.

Player to watch @LaxenHD

 Red Bull Munich eSports
A team that have slowly built their way up all the way from ECL Neo back in ECL 11 and managed to put up a fight against most of their opponents in the Pro Qualifiers, despite not coming away with wins in most games. At their best, Red Bull Munich can be a touch team to play against and @Lamsa is a weapon on the flank that everyone in the division has made a note to be weary of. 

Player to watch: @Flo_goes_grazy (flgr93)

 Prestige
Prestige is a team with a rather short history, who battled hard during the ECL '23 Winter Lite season and eventually faltered int he Quarterfinals at the hands of the Champions, Pirati Chomutov Esports. This team hosts lots of individual skill, but they suffer from a lack of organization and solid team defense. They will be in for a rough awakening in the Pro division and will need to grow into more of a unit in order to see some success.

Player to watch: @I_Saarinen_I

 Neptune Hockey
A very similar story to that of Prestige's in terms of how they made the Pro division from Lite, Neptune Hockey played their first season back in ECL '22 Winter Core, though. The team still holds several day one members, such as captain @JakkeJynkky, @wiibeni and @Zamiboii and the development they've had together is admirable. Neptune Hockey completed the ECL Pro Qualifiers with a .500 record and while they managed to keep games close against all opponents, they didn't manage to stand out in any way. We're expecting a tough season for Neptune Hockey, where they'll have to fight tooth-and-nail for a spot in no-man's-land.

Player to watch: @egetelli_

Group 2

HOT 🔥

 Renascor
Now entering their fifth consecutive ECL Pro season as Renascor, the entire squad is aching to finally see some substantial success. All of their campaigns thus far have led to Playoff berths, but only one has taken them past the first round. The Russian based outfit have strengthened their ranks in the offseason with @Oxdoggi and @TeikDaun of Sulkavan Sudet fame. Renascor could be in for a successful season if they are able to gel together and find chemistry. They have a rather deep roster with some options for rotation if things don't work out. 

Player to watch: @Virusactive
 

 Polski Boys
One of the biggest eHSM success stories, and now the team is getting ready to take the Pro division by storm. Already self proclaimed Champions, the only thing that remains is to deliver on their promises. Polski Boys is something of a fusion of the former Hunters and a portion of Golden Nights, and with that in mind we can expect a team heavily reliant on fast-paced offense and going hard to the net. They dominated their ECL Pro Qualifier group and really flexed their offensive muscles, but were picked apart by OTUKSET in their eHSM Round 3 Playoffs matchup. 

Player to watch: @xSaski_
 

 SIKA
An interesting comeback to say the least. SIKA is known on the ECL as something of a top Pro contender team from years past, and after a short hiatus they've reappeared at the second highest level of ECL competition. This is a very different SIKA from what we've seen before, though, and you could argue we've got a more skilled SIKA roster on the ice than ever before. The roster was built just in time for the eHSM 2023 season and while it was the first true test for the squad, SIKA could have hoped for better results. A tough group put them at a lower seed than hoped for and they eventually faced elimination at the hands of fellow Pro squad RCTIC in round 2 of the Playoffs. @Valluxet is one of the division's most prolific scorers. 

Player to watch: @Valluxet
 

 OTUKSET
The former ISO ESPORTS are the definition of a fringe Elite team. They had a taste of Elite action last season, but struggled getting a foothold in the European top 16, with scoring being their main issue. Otukset have since made a lot of moves on the transfer market and there's plenty of fresh faces on every position. We've even been hearing there might be some last minute transactions coming up right at the brink of the season. On defense, @juhkis96 and @Tumpp1A should be a lock, but their forward trio is still unclear. @Tukexi(MATILAISKA_) will take the right flank, but for the other positions they'll have lots of figuring out to do, with @OsquuG, @tkantola, @Valee__ and potentially even @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) being possible choices for the spot. As mentioned, some of these players might also be on the move at the brink of the season opener. 

Player to watch: @Tumpp1A

NOT ❄️

 Venom
This team played their rookie Pro campaign in the Winter season and against all odds, managed to make it to no-man's-land. Now with some more experience under their belts, we could possibly see some improvement. Venom made a few acquisitions on the forward front in the offseason but they'll heavily rely on performances from the veteran winger @Jusa (JusaSoLow) in the offensive end. They will need to find a way to slow down some of the faster teams in their group in order to see some success.

Player to watch: @Jusa (JusaSoLow)
 

 Hawaii Hockey
This is an interesting team that's seen a fair amount of player turnover over the past few seasons. For the ECL '23 Winter season, Hawaii Hockey shocked the division by acquiring superstar @jxrska, but unfortunately that ended up being a shorter stint than hoped for, and he has now been replaced by bringing in @ItzPoro from the former Memento. Hawaii Hockey played an excellent Pro Qualifier and flexed their offensive muscles with @Burtsi980H being their main man up front.

Player to watch: @Macentoitunu
 

 Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming
Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming have been grinding away in the Neo-Lite region for a few seasons at this point, and their rookie campaign in Lite in the Winter season wasn't what they had hoped for, with a 14th place in their group and no postseason action. However, this is a team that has taken over the history of Inter Iceland with an influx of new talent into the roster and mainly, new captain @Hasek-39-- who represents the more experienced playerbase in the entire division. The completed the ECL Pro Qualifiers with a .500 record and put up good fights against all of their opponents, including SIKA. We're doubtful about Eisbaeren's chances, but hope that they can prove us wrong along the way!

Player to watch: @Hasek-39--
 

 IK Oskarshamn
IKO played a successful ECL '23 Winter season in the Pro division, but unfortunately lost their top scorer @Chevikov in the offseason. They also lost @snippystatue and are now entering the season with an all Swedish lineup, having brought in @Dehliiin from Ace Hockey and @Discokryckan as a free agent after several seasons on the sidelines. While we believe that a smaller and an all Swedish lineup will definitely help IK Oskarshamn tighten things up in their own end and play a game that is tougher on their opponents, it seems like they could be lacking an X-Factor that really gets the team going and wins them those close games. We'll gladly be in the wrong, and only time will tell.

Player to watch: @Dehliiin

The season for these clubs kicks off already today, but tomorrow you'll be able to watch some of them in our weekly ECL Pro broadcast at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! Stay tuned for the broadcast announcement on our social media channels. 

SportsGamers,

We're at the brink of the 16th ECL season, and yet again, 16 of the best European NHL esports teams will be taking a crack at the European Championship title. Last season was one for the ages and as the stakes were higher than ever, the competition was also tougher than before. In terms of competition at the top, it feels like it's only getting tougher, as teams like Nordic Stars and JYP Jyväskylä are slowly creeping into the discussion of title contenders. Maybe there's also some trouble at the top, who knows? What we do know, though is that as always, before a single game has been played, it's a blank slate - carte blanche. 

ECL '23 Spring: Elite Schedule

• Regular Season: 24.4.-24.5.
• Quarterfinals: 29.5.-1.6.
• Semifinals: 4.-7.6.
• Finals: 16.-17.6.*
• Relegation: 26.-29.6. **

* TBC

** Series can be started as soon as pairs are known

1.  Tunnel Vision
The defending Champions are looking good leading up to the season opener. After their tough loss to Entourage in the World Finals, it would have been easy to start questioning yourself and changing things up, but according to captain Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen, Tunnel Vision have overcome the disappointment and moved forward as a team. The squad haven't made any changes to their roster, or their game and they're intent on dominating the ECL just as they have done in all of their preseason games thus far. More competition has usually brought out the fighting spirit in these guys, and we're just expecting them to get better as the season rolls on. 
 

2.  hREDS
One of the more talked-about teams of the offseason, as usual. hREDS are expected to remain right there among the top teams and could very well run away with the Championship in a comeback effort after faltering to Frölunda HC in the Semifinals last season. Although on paper this team looks unstoppable, their preparation for the new ECL season hasn't gone without hiccups, though. Just this week, hREDS had a big matchup to test their level against fellow title contender Tunnel Vision in the Quarterfinals of the eHockey Finnish Championships, and quite surprisingly they were bested in three games and swept. The only other Elite squad hREDS played in the eHSM was Reality Check HC, against whom they went to overtime in both games and ended up splitting points. Will there be trouble in paradise if they can't pick up the pace?
 

3.  Frölunda HC

Slowly working their way back to the absolute top of NHL esports, nicknamed the "NHL 19 Allstars", Frölunda HC and their star-powered roster are looking set for yet another Championship push this season. This time, it's Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha's turn to take a crack at playing defense alongside mainstay Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto, and thus far it seems like their efforts to rotate the squad in hopes of better results has yielded some success. The greatest asset for this team is how much fun they seem to have while playing the game, and to be fair, it must be easy to have fun when you're this good, right? Contender team.
 

4.  Nordic Stars
After an impressive ECL '23 Winter campaign that took many by surprise, Nordic Stars have went all out in the offseason, making a very interesting overhaul to their defensive end. One of the most talked-about transfers of the ECL era could be Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) getting the boot from hREDS and joining Nordic Stars in a surprising turn of events developing over the course of a few months. In addition, the up-and-coming squad have now went out and acquired one of the most interesting talents on the market, young prodigy Sisu @sisu33_ Nurminen of ECL 1v1 Championship fame. Together, KingOfApes_ and Sisu33_ will form one of the most exciting defensive pairs to date and we'll follow how their dynamic will develop over the course of the season. 
 

5.  JYP Jyvaskyla
For a long, long time, JYP Jyväskylä were trending downwards and it even looked like the team was past their prime in all ways. We doubted them heavily heading into last season with a very inexperienced squad, but were gladly surprised when their rookie defensemen Jimi @J-_-Jamaltheman Rönkkönen and Aapeli @Frans-Fin Landström performed above all expectations. On top of that, young goalie Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt has grown into a very solid elite level netminder, who is able to steal games for his team on any given day. JYP's preseason ended in a third round eHSM Playoffs exit at the hands of Reality Check HC, which is less than they would have hoped for, but if the Winter season is any indication of what's to come, we expect JYP to be back in the Playoffs this season.
 

6.  Reality Check
One of the biggest sensations of the Winter season, Reality Check are in for a big campaign and it's an even bigger ask for the team to repeat another successful Playoff berth. Maybe they could pull it off, though? In an interesting offseason transaction, long-time captain Harri @Pursuitti Haaksiala has left the team in favor of Be a Bro and he will be replaced by Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen on the right flank alongside Jesper @Niskalaukaus Aho and V-V @vvlampela Lampela (cTunkeilija). Somehow, this team is oozing Stargazing rookie season vibes, but with lots of more experience, some success in their future shouldn't be entirely out of the question.
 

7.  GOONS
Ever since their eHSM 2022 Championship title, it's seemed like GOONS just haven't been able to catch a break. They entered the ECL '23 Winter season with a roster compiled just in time for the season to start, a campaign, which put them outside Playoff contention for the first time since entering the European top 16 in ECL 12. In the eHockey Finnish Championships, GOONS have entered the second round of Playoffs by invitation, and have now been eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Reality Check HC in a full five game series. GOONS seemed to struggle to find their game throughout their short campaign and games ended up being tighter than they would have wished for. Not the results GOONS have been looking for, but there's still time, and plenty of room to improve. Offensively, GOONS are one of the most versatile outfits out there.
 

8.  Heimo
Formerly with JANO, this squad switched organizations in the offseason, but that is all that's changed, as they are heading into their second consecutive ECL Elite season with the exact same roster as in the Winter season. What worked so well for them previously hasn't been changed. While Heimo suffered a disappointing third round exit in the eHSM Playoffs against Tunnel Vision, they are looking in decent shape heading into the Elite season. They have had some extra time to develop on their pre-existing chemistry and prolific scorer Wade @Wpaanane Paananen seems to have stayed hot throughout the offseason. Success won't be a surprise for this team anymore. 
 

9.  Färjestad BK
Consistently missing the Playoffs is something that isn't in the DNA for Färjestad BK and their roster certainly holds the quality and skill to do better than that. They squad hailing from Karlstad, Sweden haven't quite found their game over the past few seasons despite having some of the most skilled individuals around in their ranks. They were able to remedy their inability to convert on the ECL ice by hoisting the eSHL season 4 trophy at the end of the Winter season and are looking to ride that wave into the SCL and now also the ECL Spring season. A notable absence will be Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson (I-Mallen-I), who has been replaced by former Växjö Lakers centerman Adam @dzouvi Mensik, arguably bringing even more skill to an already abundantly skilled lineup.
 

10.  ZSC Esports
Last season was the first time ever we saw the Swiss outfit in the Playoffs, and while they can be proud of their accomplishments, the work doesn't stop there. This time, the team is in for an interesting challenge with former successful forward Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner taking a step back to his original position in net, while Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer will most likely be taking over duties on the right flank. We can't help the doubt creeping in about whether these are moves that will strengthen the squad that greatly benefitted from the aggressive play Wagner displayed on the wing before, but we'll gladly be in the wrong!
 

11.  Roots Gaming
Roots Gaming entered the Elite division back in ECL '22 Winter as one of the most exciting young outfits we'd seen in a while. They managed to make the Playoffs in their first two seasons, but have been on a downwards trend ever since. This offseason, the squad acquired Mr. positivity Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli from the ashes of Unlucky Boys in an attempt to perhaps not only bolster their offense, but also to do good for their team chemistry. The new recruit has immediately made an impact and together with @zMikkeez, he could form an offensive force to be reckoned with. 
 

12.  Mayhems
The ECL '23 Winter Pro Semifinalists enter the Elite division for the first time in team history after winning their relegation battle against Unlucky Boys in a thrilling game seven finish. The team was the topic of a lot of discussion over the course of the weekend and we ended up seeing a change of leadership, where the former captain and team owner @Miska (Zundeh) was forced out in favor of other players taking over. Their roster will remain largely unchanged, and quite interestingly, with the exception of goaltender Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen and a fresh new signing in Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen, they are entering their campaign with an all-rookie lineup. After a few seasons in the mid-tier trenches of the Pro division, Mayhems really seemed to up their level last season and established themselves as a great defensive squad with the ability to win tight scoring games. More recently, they made the Quarterfinals of the eHockey Finnish Championships and overcame fellow Elite rookie team Tohtorit in Round 3 in a relatively convincing 3-0 series. 
 

13.  Redhawks Esport
Having played the ECL '23 Winter season under the legendary Falun Coal Miners name and making it to no-man's-land after a disastrous start to their season, Redhawks Esport are making a comeback to ECL action, intent on paving their way back into the Playoffs. The team relies on the veteran presence of captain Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt with his trusted men André @Foppatofflan Liljegren and Connor @MartindalexC Martindale to lead the way, and the great part about these players are their versatility and the possibilities for them to play up and down the lineup in various positions. Based on some preseason scouting, we might be seeing Furyan and Martindale taking on defensive roles, while Foppatofflan might be seen at the center spot. Redhawks have acquired Fredrik @Kattenj Jansson of Växjö Lakers fame to step in on offense alongside Foppatofflan and Arttu @TheArska Aarnio, but we might see different variations in the final form of their lineup once the action gets underway. 

14.  Örebro Hockey
Having made the Elite division after a Semifinals push in ECL '23 Winter Pro and winning their Qualification series against ISO ESPORTS, Örebro Hockey are getting ready to make an impact in their rookie season at the Elite level. The challenge will be massive, and to help them on their way, they have acquired some Elite experience in the form of Jere @keranee Keränen in the offseason. Most likely, they will be opening with the familiar offensive trio of Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen - Steffen @Suth98_ Sutherland - Anton @Henka0009 Henriksson, where Rimpe will continue holding an important role as their top scorer and the most experienced player. Many players in this roster grind the game a lot and as a result, theres an abundance of mechanical skill, but it remains to be seen if they can translate that into results when the games matter the most.

15.  Leksands IF
Having secured their Elite spot in a thrilling Qualifier series against Lulea Hockey no later than on Sunday evening, Leksands IF are coming in hot into their first ever Elite season. The team might benefit from having played such important games right at the end of their preseason and we'll follow closely if they look to be in better form than their competition early on. In Leksands IF, we're looking at a team that likes to play a fast-paced north-south game. They are very individually skilled and also have the ability to shut down opponents when needed. The issue for them will be inexperience at the top level, which they have looked to mend by acquiring Bajram @Katunarski Xhafa from Nordic Stars in the offseason. Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen has been able to shine in net at all levels and seems to be ready to take the next step on his career, his performances will be crucial for Leksand this season.
 

16.  Tohtorit
This ECL Elite Rookie team is entering the top division after a highly turbulent season in ECL '23 Pro Winter. Tohtorit had a disastrous start to the season and some rumours were floated about a large portion of the team quitting when they were in their darkest times. Some movement within the roster sparked their game, though, and the second part of the season really skyrocketed Tohtorit to a postseason unlike anything we've seen before. Tohtorit is a team that plays a very straight-forward breakout game, which could end up being their demise at the Elite level, but if they can adapt in time, they certainly have the skill to make things happen. 

Tune in to the ECL '23 Spring Elite season opener tonight at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! The broadcast starts at 19:45 and we've got some really high profile matchups lined up right from the get-go! First Nordic Stars will challenge Frölunda HC, after which GOONS and Tunnel Vision will go at it. This is also the return of your favorite booth talent Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @Cyn Anderson for the first time since the World Finals in February!

It's been a rather young but highly successful ECL career for Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen thus far, as he's spent all but his rookie season with Tunnel Vision, claiming his first Elite title last season and representing Europe in the World Finals against the NACL Champions, Entourage. 

The ECL '23 Winter season was a big one and it brought a lot of changes and marked a milestone with the first ever NHL Esports World Finals hosted at Assembly Winter 2023. Tunnel Vision and Entourage went head-to-head in a clash that eventually, the North American Champions ran away with in convincing fashion. Despite the disappointment, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen and his team have picked up the pieces and are determined to return stronger than before for a title defense.

The young captain of Tunnel Vision has seen a lot of success in his career both on the 1v1 and 6v6 sides of the game, but his only Championship title is the one won with Tunnel Vision in ECL '23 Winter. On the 1v1 side, Tomboo has managed to compete at the top for quite some time already, but success has avoided him. He has represented Tampereen Ilves in both seasons of eLiiga and is intent of focusing more also on the 1v1 side in the future.

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

First off, how did you get into competitive NHL gaming?

I've always played and enjoyed different sports and been interested in video games. Getting into NHL was a natural outcome of that. I started out playing mostly HUT and 1v1 modes ever since NHL 13, but it took until the end of NHL 19 until I really got into competitive action. 

Your ECL career took off real quick and you actually started off as a winger, can you go through those experiences a bit?

The start of my ECL career was a sum of several random events. I had been playing HUT and gotten to know Tapani @Tappu Anttila through that, which landed me a spot with Rookie Mistakes in ECL 10 Pro. I think the team was somewhere around a mid-tier Pro squad at that time, and I started off playing on the right wing, sharing responsibilities with Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen in my first season. I think the main reason for my quick development has been playing the game so much and doing that with likeminded experienced players. A lot of my early development could be attributed to the early times with Tunnel Vision alongside players like Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli, Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen and Aki @Frilander Frilander who already had some Elite experience under their belts. We played a lot and discussed the game which really helped me take a big leap in the development on a personal level. 

What would you say are some of the attributes that sets top players apart from the rest and what makes the best stay at the top?

It might be quite obvious, but you just have to play the game and put in the hours consistently. As an example, many top players have fallen off in the past when they haven't had the fire to grind the game enough anymore. At the very top, the margins are small and you have to gain the competitive edge in any way possible, our team spends time watching our past games and learning from them through discussing development points.

An individual ability I think is exceptionally important is just being able to keep your cool and being level-headed. After all, we're playing a video game and there's several aspects in any game you just can't control, so not letting those things rattle you is a massive factor in making you a better player.

Lately there's been some discussion about various leadership types and team dynamics, how do you see yourself as a leader and what does the dynamic in Tunnel Vision look like?

Well when we started Tunnel Vision, I didn't have a leadership role, but since then I've continued on the same path that we started and kept it going for about two years now. All decisions are made within the entire team and a big part of the recruitment process is making sure our new players fit the vibe of our team and are able to weigh in with valuable input in team discussion. For me, an open dialogue is very important within the entire team. 

How is Tunnel Vision looking heading into the ECL '23 Spring season?

Honestly, I'd say we were in better overall form during the Winter season. I feel like our game has been fluctuating a lot since the ECL & World Finals, which is a bit uncharacteristic for us. An obvious reason is that we've played less, but we'll pick things back up as the ECL kicks off again. At our best, I think we've been way better than ever before lately. We've also enjoyed playing without the banned abilities and I think it's also made the game more fun to watch. 

What are some of the opponents you'll be on the lookout for in the upcoming season?

I think there's more good teams than before. hREDS are the strongest team on paper, I think they have the best players on each position and they are the ones to beat. Frölunda is another team I expect to continue their good run and Erik @Eki Tammenpää & Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha switching places could be a good thing for them, they've looked good. JYP Jyväskylä has taken back their position as a solid top team and they should be a consistent Playoff contender as long as they keep things going.

The most interesting teams to follow, though are GOONS and Nordic Stars. GOONS have a highly skilled roster and their offense especially is one of the toughest to guard when they are on their game. They've got golden one tees on both flanks and know how to use them. Nordic Stars took a big leap forward by getting Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) in the offseason and have some success to show for that in the eHSM 2023. They'll surely continue improving. 

ECL '23 Spring Elite starts on Monday, April 24th and Tunnel Vision is entering their title defense in confident manner. You can follow the league on all of the social media channels of the teams and in weekly broadcasts at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

SportsGamers,

The newest update to the ECL '23 Spring rulebook is now live and can be accessed through the league pages shortly. Generally speaking, the rulebook is a revised and improved version of the rulebook used in ECL '23 Winter. Find the new rulebook here.

Some major changes have been made as follows:

• 7.7 Active bans – for convenience, the active bans are now available in a Google sheet
• 10.4 Postponing games – Introduced restrictions to how many times a game can be rescheduled (without agreement)
• 11.7 Banned Player Abilities – Some player abilities are now banned as per feedback from community

We ask every team and it's members to familiarize themselves with the rulebook before taking the ice for the ECL '23 Spring season. Please refer to the rulebook in case of any issues that may arise over the course of the season. In case of any questions, please be in touch with support.

SportsGamers,

The European Championship League is just about to enter it's 16th season and there's still plenty of room for more teams and players to join in on the fun! The Spring season guarantees competitive action suitable for everyone regardless of skill level and an opportunity to start your NHL esports career, working your way to the top gradually through our divisional framework. 

What is the ECL?

The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports  - a league where all the best European NHL gamers compete against each other in both EASHL (6v6) and Online Versus (1v1) for European Championship League titles. ECL 6v6 currently features five divisions, so enjoyable games are guaranteed for everyone regardless of skill level and experience! Find all information about the ECL '23 Spring season here.

ECL '23 Spring 1v1

The 1v1 section of ECL gathers all the best European NHL 23 Players for a tournament where the prize is the European Championship title and the largest split of the 2500 EUR prize pool. The tournament will be played as a group stage, out of which the top 128 players will be making the playoffs. You can sign up for ECL 1v1 until the 9th of May, 2023. Participation requires the purchase of an ECL '23 Player License.


ECL '23 Spring 6v6

6v6 is what the ECL has built it's prestige on, and with close to 200 teams currently signed up, we've got all participating teams in a divisional framework across five different skill levels, with Neo and Core being the entry levels. In order to sign up, you'll need an NHL 23 EASHL club with a minimum of 8 members on either PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. You can sign up for ECL 6v6 until the 20th of April, 2023.

How do I join?

First off, make sure you create an account at SportsGamer.gg. Once you're signed in, make sure you update your Player card by clicking your gamertag in the top right hand corner and selecting "edit player". Make sure the player name matches the one you use in game. If you only intend to play 1v1, you'll still need to create your player card, but the information isn't as crucial. 

Once you've got your account on SportsGamer.GG set up, you are ready to sign up! For ECL 1v1, all players sign up individually, but on the 6v6 side, only the team captain needs to register the team, after which they can invite all team members to the roster. For more information on getting started, head over to the SportsGamer FAQ.
 

Don't have a team yet? Team looking for additions to your roster?

If you are a free agent looking to be picked up, please head over here.

If you are representing a team looking for players, please head over here.

SportsGamers,

With the signups for both ECL '23 Spring Lite, Pro and Elite now closed, we have determined the final amount of open spots in our three highest divisions.

ECL Elite had 15 returning teams signed up, which caused the need for Qualifiers for the 16th spot. As a result, we have invited four teams to join the Qualifiers, which will be played as a group stage, followed by a best-of-five Playoff series between the top two teams. The invited teams were the teams seeded 17-20 in the ECL divisional framework based on the results at the end of the ECL '23 Winter season.

In ECL Pro, we had 21 returning teams signed up, with one team being promoted from the ECL Elite Qualifiers putting the total at 20 teams. This means that ECL '23 Pro had 12 open spots to fill. As a result, all teams that qualified from the first stage of the ECL '23 Spring Pro Qualifiers have earned spots in the Pro division.

The ECL Lite division will consist of 34 returning teams, four teams from the ECL Pro Qualifiers and the remaining 26 open spots will be filled through the ECL Lite Qualifiers. As a result, the qualification process in the ECL '23 Spring Lite Qualifiers have been modified as follows: The top five teams of each group will earn spots in ECL '23 Spring Lite, the teams seeded #21-#28 will then enter the Playoffs, where round 1 winners will secure a Lite spot. Losers will advance to round 2, where the winners will secure the remaining two Lite spots.

Here are the teams signed up in the Elite, Pro and Lite divisions, and an illustration of how Qualifiers will work:

SportsGamers,

The ECL '23 Spring Lite & Pro Qualifiers kick off today and we're in for a bunch of exciting gamedays leading up to the regular season, as the Qualifier teams will need to fight tooth and nail for open spots in both divisions. At the moment, Pro holds seven open spots while the Lite division holds nine open spots. The amount may increase if teams eligible to sign up for the respective divisions drop out.
 

ECL '23 Spring Lite Qualifiers

Schedule
Group stage: 9.-16.4.2023
Playoffs Round 1: 17.4.2023 (if needed)
Playoffs Round 2: 18.4.2023 (if needed)
Playoffs Round 3: 19.4.2023 (if needed)
Playoffs Round 4: 20.4.2023 (if needed)
Playoffs Round 5: 23.4.2023 (if needed)

The following teams will be taking part in the Lite division Qualifiers:

The Lite Qualifiers will hold four groups, out of which the top two teams in each group will be securing a spot in the Lite division. The Playoff format will be announced on April 14th, when the Lite division signups have closed and the final number of Lite spots open has been determined. See the groups and schedule on the league page here.

ECL '23 Spring Pro Qualifiers

Schedule
Group stage 1: 9.-13.4.2023
Group stage 2: 16.-18.4.2023
Playoffs Round 1: 20.4.2023 (if needed)

The following teams will be taking part in the ECL Pro Qualifiers:

The Pro Qualifiers will also hold four groups, out of which the top three teams in each group will be advancing to stage 2 (two groups - six teams) of the Qualifiers. The top three teams of each group in stage 2 will secure a spot in ECL '23 Spring Pro. The Playoff format will be announced on April 14th, when the Pro division signups have closed and the final number of Pro spots open has been determined. See the groups and schedule on the league page here.

The start of the ECL '23 Winter season brought lots of news to the beloved crown jewel of European NHL Esports, and we're committed to keep developing the league. Now we're launching registrations for the ECL '23 Spring season and it's time to gear up amidst the packed competitive schedule the game offers this year!

After the ECL '23 Winter season culminated in the biggest event we've done to date and the national Championships have taken off to a nice start in the competitive schedule, the time has come to also announce the ECL '23 Spring season. This season will continue strengthening the framework we've built whilst maintaining the status as the crown jewel of European NHL Esports. Just over three weeks ago, we crowned Tunnel Vision the ECL Winter Elite Champions at Assembly, and now the young squad is seemingly entering their prime in the looks of a similar dominant streak to that of hREDS, Frölunda and HAVU that were before them. With more parity than ever before across the league and across divisions, the newly crowned Champions will have several hungry teams in pursuit, though. 

The ECL '23 Spring season will feature a prize pool totalling up to 26 000€ across the four highest competitive tiers. This puts the ECL up there as not just the biggest 6v6 league out there, but also one of the longest running and highest paying leagues. We are committed to keeping the development and the trend going not only this season, but long into the future too. 

Having established the ECL as the superior European NHL Esports league, a big part of the league is the culmination in live Finals - a big event where the community can come together to celebrate another successful season. This season, the ECL Elite Finals will be played on June 16th and 17th in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The location and specifics will be announced at a later stage!
 

Revamped ECL 1v1 format

With the introduction of the inaugural season of the 1v1 European Championship League, we saw lots of potential, but also realized several areas that needed development. This season, we'll be looking to improve on the player experience by introducing a group stage and playoffs similar to what we've seen in the national leagues to this point. This means that all entrants will be seeded into groups right from the get-go and the top 128 players will advance to the playoffs from the group stage. As ECL 1v1 still falls under the ECL umbrella, you can also expect the big production and a hefty prize pool to go along with it. 

To X-Factor, or not to X-Factor?

There's been lots of discussion going on about X-Factors and we'd like to remind you that an official desicion on their future in the ECL has not yet been made. We are still looking for community input to help us make an educated call, and with that would like to invite you to the discussion in the threads below:

ECL Elite & Pro: Abilities Ban Poll
ECL Core & Lite: Abilities Ban Poll
ECL Neo: Abilities Ban Poll

An official decision will be communicated leading up to the season and we will do our best to allow teams an adjustment period if any changes will be implemented.

UPDATE: LA Announcement: Certain Player Abilities to be banned in eHSM, SCL and ECL '23 Spring 

ECL '23 Player Licenses

An ECL '23 Player License purchased for the Winter season will still be valid for the Spring season. However, if a player had not obtained their license for ECL '23 Winter, a license can now be purchased for the Spring season at a slightly reduced price..

The new ECL Player License will cost 15€ and allow for participation in both the ECL 6v6 and 1v1 leagues for the ECL ‘23 Spring season. This license will grant you access to compete in the most prestigious and biggest competitive NHL esports league in Europe. An ECL season spans over the course of two to three months and guarantees a minimum of roughly 20 games of competition on the 6v6 side*, whereas the 1v1 league adds - at the very least - the opportunity to participate in the group stage, guaranteeing a good amount of high level competition also on that side.

ECL Neo will continue being available at no license fee for teams wishing to get a taste of competitive virtual hockey, whereas all other divisions are subject to a team license fee. The license is exponentially higher at higher levels of competition, given the increased spotlight and additional content around the divisions in question.

Each team can name up to 3 backup players (outside of the primary 6) that can help the team out and play up to 10 games during ECL '23 without having to own the player license. The 10 games consist of qualifier, regular season and playoff games during the ECL '23 Winter and Spring seasons.

The ECL ‘23 Player License can be purchased during the season if a backup wants to play more games than expected.
ECL Neo will remain free to play, with no player license required to compete, however

• To uphold the integrity of ECL Neo as the beginner level, we reserve the right to deny teams to participate in cases where they are clearly above the amateur level, as it could significantly impact the experience of what ECL Neo is intended for.
• The ECL ‘23 Player License can be purchased by an ECL Neo player if they want to participate in ECL 1v1, benefit from the additional advantages that come with the license, or simply as a form of supporting the league.

License fees will be allocated to fund prize pools and developing operations, such as our broadcasts, live productions and promoting the league.

*Based on the minimum amount of games played in a starting role in the ECL '22 Spring: Core regular season.

The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports  - a league where all the best European NHL gamers compete against each other in both EASHL (6v6) and Online Versus (1v1) for the European Championship title. ECL 6v6 currently features five divisions, so action is guaranteed for everyone regardless of skill level and experience!

Basic information/requirements of ECL:

• Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude players located in North America or Asia. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players.
   
• Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at SportsGamer.GG and create their personal player card.
   
• ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro, ECL Lite and ECL Core will require their respective ECL ‘23 Winter team licenses in order to play. In addition, every player needs to have a valid ECL ‘23 Spring Player License before taking the ice.
   
• Rules: The ECL ‘23 Spring ruleset will follow the same foundation as the previous season. The updated rulebook will be available before the season.
   

The divisions framework for the ECL ‘23 season will follow the same logic as for previous seasons. We will have a total of five divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams, Pro 32 teams, Lite 64 teams, Core 128 teams and Neo 32+ teams.
 

Please refer to this ECL Ranking in order to understand which teams are eligible to sign up for each division.

Wildcard teams: 18.3.-1.4.2023 ⚠️
Lite Qualifier: - 18.3.-7.4.2023  ⚠️ 
Pro Qualifier: - 18.3.-7.4.2023  ⚠️ 
Neo: 18.3.-20.4.2023
Core: 18.3.-20.4.2023
Lite: 18.3.- 13.4.2023
Pro: 18.3.-13.4.2023
Elite: 18.3.-13.4.2023

*Signups will close at 23:59 CET on the last day mentioned unless otherwise specified.

Schedule

Pro Wildcard Battle: 3.-4.4.2023
Lite Qualifiers: 9.-23.4.2023
Pro Qualifiers: 9.-20.4.2023
ECL '23 Spring Season: 24.4.-29.6.2023

Signups are open right now, so now is time to brace for that final push in building your teams! Get your team together and sign up for the biggest event of the year!

Read more about specific division schedules, prize pools and more:

ECL '23 Spring Wildcard
ECL '23 Spring Lite & Pro Qualifiers
ECL '23 Spring Neo
ECL '23 Spring Core
ECL '23 Spring Lite
ECL '23 Spring Pro
ECL '23 Spring Elite
ECL '23 Spring 1v1
Purchase Licenses

Don't have a team yet? Team looking for additions to your roster?

If you are a free agent looking to be picked up, please head over here.

If you are representing a team looking for players, please head over here.
 

Did your team sign with an organization that is represented in the game and needs in-game unlocks?

Fill in this form. (Only if your organization has unlockables available in NHL 23)

SportsGamers,

This news story is for you to understand the ECL Ranking for teams at the end of the ECL '23 Winter season. That means that this ranking determines the eligibility for teams entering various divisions this upcoming ECL '23 Spring season. 

Below you will find a list of teams that have secured a division spot at the Elite, Pro or Lite league level. If you didn't find your team on the list, don't worry! You can apply for a wildcard spot for your team in the Pro qualifiers or participate in the Lite qualifiers, which are open to everyone this season.

Pro Qualifier Wildcard requirements

• Three former Elite starters or four former Pro starters
• A starter is defined as having played 16 or more games in the ECL '23 Winter season, or 20 or more games in the ECL '22 Spring season
• If there are more players from the same team that relegated out of the Pro (in the same season) in the team applying for a wildcard, they will be counted as one player

What if all Pro Qualifier positions are not filled?

• Teams will not be promoted straight and all open spots will be filled through qualifiers (excluding automatically relegated/promoted teams). If there happens to be more open spots than anticipated (e.g. from teams disbanding which would have been invited to play in the qualifier) spots are filled as follows:
  • Pro Qualifiers
    • Pro relegated teams
    • Lite #10-16
    • Wildcard teams #5-8
    • Lite #17-32

All teams without an Elite, Pro or Lite league spot can participate in the Lite qualifiers without restrictions. The format of the qualifiers will be decided according to the number of participants. Promotion and relegation rules of Lite and Core will be reviewed before the start of the season.

SportsGamers,

At the end of the ECL '23 Winter season, Cheeky Grinders have been crowned Champions of the Core division in their inaugural ECL Campaign. The team was dominant from start to finish, pushing into the Playoffs as the #1 seed and claiming the title with a sweep in the Finals against HC KOROBKA.

Cheeky Grinders' road to the championship:

• #1 seed from Group 2 with the record 20-2-2
• Round 1: vs Ambri eSports (16) 4-0
• Quarterfinals: vs HC Pustertal eSports (12) (8) 4-1
• Semifinals: vs Deggendorfer SC Esports (6) 4-1
• Finals: vs HC KOROBKA (2) 4-0

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#15 @Lleppanenn
#69 @keltainenankka
#88 @Leppadinho

DEFENSEMEN
#23 @tigerrbackwoods
#24 @OGPerenzo

FORWARDS
#27 @tonninen
#77 @Yaredhagos
#81 @Ekifoukka

On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

With all of the top tier leagues and tournaments going on at the moment, we are now introducing Novelle Weekend - a casual single day tournament, skill capped with the goal to give new players a feel for competitive NHL esports. Novelle Weekend is produced in cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and features cool prizes for top performers from Novelle and Leijonat! 

Novelle Weekend will be played as a single day tournament on 25.3.2023 and features separate divisions for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Check the full rulebook for all restrictions and the format.

Prizes
All participants enter a raffle for 1 month worth of Novelle (24 bottles).

1. 6 months worth of Novelle (192 bottles) + Leijonat fan set
2. 3 months worth of Novelle (96 bottles)
3. 1 month worth of Novelle (24 bottles)
 

This is the perfect opportunity for newer players to get a feel for competitive gaming and prove their skill in a low pressure environment. Make sure to sign up and tell your friends, it'll be a fun day of gaming!

Sign up here:

*Only Finnish residents are eligible to participate in Novelle Weekend.

For info in Finnish, head over to sportsgamer.gg/novelle.

SportsGamers,

After an impressive campaign throughout a long Lite season, we have crowned a new Champion in Pirati Chomutov Esports! The Czech outfit consisting of several Central European top players were unmatched offensively throughout the season and managed to best Project X in the Finals.

Tohtorit's road to the championship:

• #5 seed from Group 2 with the record 23-2-1
• Round 1: vs Armada Hockey (28) 4-0
• Round 2: vs EHC Kloten eSports (13) 4-1
• Quarterfinals: vs Prestige (8) 4-2
• Semifinals: vs Gunners HC (3) 4-1
• Finals: vs Project X (7) 4-3

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#8 @Deathstrokeris (DeathcoreFace)

DEFENSEMEN
#88 @JiFi23
#99 @SNIPER_SNAIL_VB

FORWARDS
#23 @Winci
#68 @Adri1_SCP
#69 @Kumbik (A)
#96 @KB24242 (C)

On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

Tonight we'll be kicking off the ECL '23 Winter Lite Finals with a banger of a series! Pirati Chomutov Esports and Project X will be battling it out this week with games 1-3 tonight, followed by the rest of the series on Wednesday. A total of 1600€ will be split between both of these teams, who have claimed a spot in the Pro division for next season. Who will hoist the trophy, though?

 Pirati Chomutov Esports (5) vs  Project X (7)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
@Adri1_SCP 20 GP, 28+25=53  vs @JesseL2002 21 GP, 23+29=52

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
@Deathstrokeris (DeathcoreFace) 20 GP, 16 W, 80,09 SV%, 2.1 GAA, 4 SO vs @Easygame20 (Torvelajr__) 14 GP, 10 W, 85,95 SV%, 1.86 GAA, 3 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
23-2-1 vs 20-5-1

In the Finals this season we'll be in for a clash of two rather different schools of hockey. The Central European super squad Pirati Chomutov are running a fast style of transition hockey, whereas Project X can do that also, but tend to resort to a more traditional style of buildup play. As a player who went up against Pirati Chomutov Esports in the Semifinals and ended up being outmached, I have to admit, I was unfamiliar with their game. The confidence that team is able to attack with at the moment is extremely difficult to counter, and their ability to utilize a second wave of attackers jumping in on the rush is unlike anything else in the Lite division this season. 

Project, on the other hand will definitely be able to match Pirati in terms of production, with a drastically different style as iterated before. @JesseL2002 has been an important cornerstone and definitely one of the biggest transfers ahead of the season. Experience will definitely be a factor in the favor of Project X, and they'll need to utilize that in order to adjust their play according to what Pirati will show offensively early on in the series. At times, @Easygame20 has been able to keep Project X alive in the playoffs, and he will be a player to keep your eye on throughout the series. 

Prediction: 4-2 Pirati Chomutov Esports

SportsGamers,

After an intense series against Frölunda HC, we've crowned Tunnel Vision the ECL '23 Winter Elite Champions at Assembly. The young squad hoisted their first ever ECL trophy and are now in for another challenge against Entourage in the inaugural World Finals Saturday evening. 

Tunnel Vision's road to the championship:

• #1 seed from with the record 27-0-3
• Quarterfinals: vs JANO (8) 4-1
• Semifinals: vs JYP Jyväskylä (5) 4-2
• Finals: vs Frölunda HC (3) 

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#7 Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen
#86 Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos

DEFENSEMEN
#24 Veeti @Wenger Paloneva
#65 Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen

FORWARDS
#9 Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen
#37 Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen
#67 Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen
 

We managed to reach out to the Tunnel Vision goalie Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen amidst all the celebration:

You're the Champions after an imcredibly tough series against Frölunda HC, how does the win make you feel?

"It was a good series, and I have a massive respect for the fight that Frölunda put up against us. We had a good chance that we managed to capitalize on in Game 7, which ended up being the decisive factor. Feels great!"

The series was a back-and-forth affair throughout, why do you think that is?

"That's a thing I was wondering about during play also, I think we just weren't able to stick to our game after a win and lacked a bit of consistency."

How do you turn around from here and start prepping for tomorrow?

"I don't think we'll spend that much time prepping. We've done our groundwork and scouted Entourage ahead of time and will be riding today's flow with a new focus."

On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

We are ready for a spectacle at Assembly Winter 2023, where over the course of the weekend, we'll see both the ECL and the WorldFinals trophies hoisted. Tonight, Tunnel Vision and Frölunda HC will start the action with a best-of-seven series in the bright lights of the main stage. The players are excited and there's a certain kind of electricity in the air, so let us set the scene. 

Tunnel Vision  (1)  vs Frölunda HC  (3)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 11 GP, 7+9=16 vs Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala 9 GP, 12+9=21

GOALTENDER
Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 11 GP, 8 W, 87,13 SV%, 1.18 GAA, 4 SO vs Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 9 GP, 8 W, 89,52 SV%, 1.22 GAA, 4 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
27-0-3 vs 22-4-4

Tunnel Vision has trodden a path of continuous success this season, without the faintest signs of slowing down. The young roster have grown to being a well oiled machine that is now competing at the very highest level, and are aiming to take over the throne from the likes of hREDS and Frölunda, who have been reigning supreme at the top for so long. This season, the prolific scoring winger Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen really underlined the dominance of his team by claiming the regular season scoring title with a career defining performance throughout. Much of his success is attributed to the excellent chemistry and balance that the team has been able to find, with every player chipping in in all situations. 

The powerhouse Frölunda HC have made their return to the Finals after one season of absence from the brightest of spotlights. Now with a true NHL 19 dream team, this squad is ready as ever to take on the biggest of challenges. Experience is without a doubt one of the biggest assets that Frölunda HC have on their side, with all of their players holding several titles already and lots of LAN events and Finals under their belts. That is a massive advantage, going into an event where we are expecting record attendance at the big stage. On the virtual ice, the team clearly had a transition period due to several roster moves and position changes, but they've really been able to find their way and have looked unstoppable at times in the Playoffs. Most recently, Frölunda managed to take down the mighty hREDS, who no team have won in a Playoff series for a long, long time. The big, bad reds have been an obstacle on Frölunda's path to the Championship for a long time already, but now that they're out of the way, we'll wait with excitement to see if anyone will be able to stop this Championship train. 

We handed the prediction over to our community this time, and here are the end results:

You will be able to watch both the ECL '23 Winter Elite Finals and the NHL 23 World Finals unfold this weekend either live at Assembly Winter 2023 in Helsinki, Finland, or on our stream over at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG.
 

Weekend Schedule

Friday, February 24th - 18:30 CET/ 12:30PM ET / 9:30AM PT
The ECL '23 Winter Elite Finals @ Assembly Winter 2023
Frölunda HC  (3) vs Tunnel Vision  (1)

Saturday, February 25th - 18:30 CET/ 12:30PM ET / 9:30AM PT
The NHL 23 World Finals @ Assembly Winter 2023
Entourage  vs TBD
 

We're hoping to see as many as possible of you at the event or showing support for your favorite teams in the chat, lots of SportsGamer staff and community personalities will be present in both capacities! Let's enjoy the unique atmosphere of the community coming together and make this an event to remember.

SportsGamers,

The Core season is coming to an end and the final will oppose two teams that were particularly expected for this meeting. Of course the playoffs always reserve their share of surprises and it is not uncommon for favorites to be eliminated prematurely, but this time they are there and there.

Schedule

Please note that the Playoff structure has been shortened of what was originally planned, and therefore the originally provided Playoff schedule is not valid. Here is the updated schedule:

• RO16: 22.1-29.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 30.1-7.2.2023
• Semifinals: 9.-16.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-23.2.2023
   

 Cheeky Grinders (1) vs  HC Korobka (2)

Their road to the Finals

Cheeky Grinders in regular season : 20-2-2 / 127 goals for / 53 goals against / 32% PP / 97% PK
RO16 : 4-0 vs Ambri
Quarterfinals : 4-1 vs HC Pustertal eSports
Semifinals : 4-1 vs Deggendorfer SC Esports

HC Korobka in regular season : 18-5-1 / 110 goals for / 57 goals against / 12% PP / 91% PK
RO16 : 4-1 vs WarHeads
Quarterfinals : 4-3 vs MoDo Hockey
Semifinals : 4-3 vs Hannover Indians eSports

So here is the matchup that some have seen coming for a long time and which, to a certain extent, does not come as a surprise. Cheeky Grinders had the best regular season record, Korobka was not far behind. And as this final is about to begin, it's hard not to think that Cheeky Grinders has all the elements to win this final. Best attack in the division, a very solid defense, a particularly brilliant special team game… All the indicators tip the scales in favor of the Finns. Even their career in the playoffs pleads in their favor: twelve wins and two losses. In front of that, Korobka presents twelve victories and seven defeats at the same time.
And yet, even ahead of the statistics, we must consider the Russian team capable of thwarting the trend. And it is precisely because they have found themselves in difficulty with the teammates of @lordkomar91 that they are perhaps the opponent that Cheeky Grinders must fear. The Russians faced defeat and even found themselves in danger in the previous rounds. The Finns, on the other hand, had a fairly relaxing regular season and playoffs. They did not test themselves in adversity and this could prove decisive if by chance Korobka were to take an advantage at the start of the series.

Prediction: 4-3 for Cheeky Grinders