ECL Core is for those teams that are already familiar with the NHL game series and competitive play. It's time to get that action going, starting tomorrow, on Monday April 4th! Official gamedays for the ECL '22 Spring Core division will be on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and the playoffs will be played in a best-of-seven format. A total of 64 teams will be making the playoffs.

The Core division also features the possibility to play for a share of the prize pool consisting out of optional License payments. The optional ECL Core License is 50€ per team. See the full license details here.

ECL '22 Spring: Core Schedule

• Regular season: 4.4-28.4.
• Playoffs
  • Round of 64: 1.-5.5.
  • Round of 32: 8.-12.5.
  • Round of 16: 15.-25.5.
  • Quarterfinals: 30.5.-2.6.
  • Semifinals: 5.-9.6.
  • Finals: 13.-14.6. (TBC)

See the full ECL '22 Spring Core details on the league page.

Here are your ECL '22 Spring Core groups:

Lainaa

Group 1
Carolina Reapers
Goodvibes Hockey Group
Hammer Time
Iserlohn Roosters eSports
Kennelin Pojat
Nordic 65
Pass The puck
Swiss Seniors
The Real Rookies
United Finns
Unknown Heroes
Wicked

Group 2
Beastie Boys
Blitz Loimaa
GKS Tychy Esports
Huimat
RAUTANE REMMI
Remparts de Tours eSport
Savo Bears
Taskubilis
The Flying Elbows
Valence Hockey
Versu
Woodhands HC

Group 3
Black Wings HC
BonusAmbers
Eisbaeren Lauf
Etelan Vetelat
hc marko
Herforder Ice Dragons
Munich eSports
Nurnberg IceTigers eSport
Saucer Hockey
SunFiesta
Taikina
Uudenmaan Oilers

Group 4
Arctic Giants
Black Hurricanes
Chiefzz HC
Guldkallan HC
Hartsport united
HC Ghost
HC Northmen
Kosola Gang
Niitti Pohjassa
Sailors HT
Wild Panthera Gaming
Yellow Jackets

Group 5
Ambri eSports
Clowns On Ice
EHC Basel eSports
HC VADELMA
ICE GROM
Khoomat
Lassen Lampaat
Moscow Capitals
New Jersey
Oldies Hockey Club
The Expendables
TROJANS

Group 6
FORSTWALD FLYERS
HC AURORA
HIMAS
Immortal Street Dogs
KeuPa Esports
Knox Stark
Old Hogs
Old Primates
Rise of Fenix
Seinajoki Noms
Stallarholmens Brygghus
Techno Vikings

Group 7
Bare Knuckles Hockey
EASHL Russian
EV Duisburg
Geekz Energy eSports II
Hawks HC
HC SOKOL MOSCOW
Puliveivarit
Rögle BK
Shameful Knights
Swiss Vikings
Tampere Taisto

Group 8
Brunkers HC
Eliel Kings
Frolunda HC Region
Karhukissat
Las Dilas
Lumparlan Leijonat
Nordic Nosebleed
Rapalan Vaappu
Stick Magnético
TerapiaKerho
Västerås IK
XK KOPCAP

Socials

Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm.

Twitter:

When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Instagram:

When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated.

As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck to all participating teams, have fun and play hard!

AHJO Esports becomes the newest organization to enter NHL Esports, as they sign the former Dynastia roster just in time for the ECL ‘22 Spring season. The team had a great showing in the winter season earlier this year and is hungry for success moving forward.

Formed in 2021, AHJO is a rather young Finnish esports organization hailing from Helsinki, Finland. From before the organization holds a CS:GO roster, currently ranked at #276 by HLTV.org, and with their new signing, they are now looking to branch out and gain success on more fronts.

“The mission of AHJO Esports is to through sustainable and long-term commitment create the possibility for our players to grow towards not only the domestic elite, but also the international elite. NHL Esports is booming right now and we felt that this would be the right moment to expand for us. Priority number one in our first season is to make the playoffs.” - Peetro Aittola, General Manager at AHJO Esports.

The former Dynastia team itself is the brainchild of captain Eemil @Eeemill_ Törnvall, who started competitive NHL gaming back in early 2019 and decided to form his own team right from the get-go. The team started their current run in ECL 11’s Lite division, but there’s been a lot of roster turnover and in fact, the only remaining member since then is the captain himself. Despite the turnover, the team has seen incremental success and after a surprise Quarterfinals run in ECL ‘22 Winter and a close 4-3 series loss at the hands of eventual runner-ups Reality Check, they are now hungry for a real shot at promotion.

“After the first Lite season the team actually disbanded for a bit. However, after finding out about the chance to qualify for Pro through the wildcard spot, we started the rebuilding process. It ended up being very challenging but we managed to pave our way to Pro and eventually to the playoffs. After that we have made changes to our team to match our playstyle and for the last two tournaments our core has stayed intact, which is starting to pay dividends.” - Team captain @Eeemill_

After their great ECL ‘22 Winter campaign, the team lost standout performer Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen, but managed to replace him Arttu @TheArska Aarnio, who joins the squad after a long stint with Reality Check. While the two players were almost identical in terms of production last season, Arska played on the center position, which is where he will play in the new AHJO roster. Captain @Eeemill_ speaks very highly of their new signing: “We’ve only had few weeks to practice with Arska and he has been a great fit for our team. He’s a great two-way player with a strong net front presence. I think he'll help us turn tight games in our favor when it really matters with his ability to read the game and be in the right place at the right time.”

@Eeemill_ is confident about the squads chances this season, and is very excited about continuing their journey representing new colors: “Our sights are strongly set towards gaining the spot in Elite. We have a strong group of players and after last seasons experience we have a better understanding what is really needed to take the big step. Our first focus will be reach the playoffs and the challenge the other top teams in Pro for the spot in Elite division.”

You’ll see the new AHJO roster in action for the very first time already on Monday, April 4th, as the puck drops for the new ECL ‘22 Spring Pro season.

SportsGamers,

ECL Spring starts in about a week and now is the time to add a little more excitement to the season by purchasing a license!

To make it easier for teams, we have decided that the cash prizes may be used in whole or in part for a license for the coming season. To take advantage of this opportunity, please contact support and send a message with the subject "ECL '22 Spring - License".

Below you can see if your team has made it to the cash prizes:

Licenses

• ECL '22: Spring - Elite License (mandatory)

  • Purchase the ECL '22 Spring: Elite License of 400€ here *

• ECL '22: Spring - Pro License (mandatory)

  • Purchase the ECL '22 Spring: Pro License of 200€ here *

• ECL '22: Spring - Lite License (optional)

  • The ECL Lite License will allow your team to play for a share of the Prize pool in the Lite division. The Prize pool consists of License payments. Purchase the ECL Lite License of 100€ here *

• ECL '22: Spring - Core License (optional)
  • The ECL '22 Winter Core License will allow your team to play for a share of the Prize pool in the Core division. The Prize pool consists of License payments. Purchase the ECL '22 Winter Core License of 50€ here *

* One-time purchase by team captain required

Socials

Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm.

Twitter:

When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Instagram:

When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated.

As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.

At only 17 years of age, prospect Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt has climbed the ranks to the top of the pool in terms of goaltending talent. He has made a name for himself in the Elite division previously playing for Rusty Blades and Roots Gaming, but his most recent claim to fame was the ECL '22 Winter Pro title with JYP Jyväskylä.

The young man says that his first memories of playing NHL games date back to being just a toddler, when he played games with his own father and relatives: "I was playing with my father and godmother's husband at the time, and they stuck a disconnected controller in my hands, but I still celebrated the goals as hard as anyone", the Pori, Finland native thinks back at that time.

After starting school, Ramstedt says that he started playing HUT for the first time. He recalls how his father then created his first PSN account called kaz__zu. The current PSN ID is a bit shorter, and has changed due to some forgotten logins along the way. At home, the young goalie prospect is mainly about hockey, as both him and his father shares a mutual interest in hockey and the NHL series. He says his father (@tondeeee) has also played at the ECL level and serves as a goalie coach outside of the virtual rinks.

One of his closest teammates is long-time community member Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä, who has kind words to say about the young goalie: ”Me and @Kaz_zu first met back in Roots at the end of 2020, when we signed the young kid who had only played for the Clumsy Penguins to mind the net with Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari in shared responsibility. It really didn't take long for Kassu to earn the trust of the team to play as a tandem with Joonas."

Despite his young age, Kazzu has grown very close to several teammates and he is held in high regard as one of the nicer guys in the community. He sees that he's been welcomed with open arms into teams he's been a part of: ”I think it's funny, I don't want to focus on what age the others are as long as they're good guys, nothing else really matters. And I think it's great how well I've been included. It's also easy to play when your own team members trust you. I don't really get any tips from them anymore, they let me focus on my own work and I let them do theirs”

One of Ramstedt's newer teammates is defenseman Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, who joined JYP from KOVA Esports after the latest FCL tournament, and he has got to know the goalie well: "It's always fun to play with @Kaz_zu. He brings a lot of energy to the party with his mouth in perpetual motion. His laughter and lightheartedness really spreads to the whole team. On the ice, he makes the necessary stops and always gives the team a chance to win, and his performances usually get better as the pressure rises. Even in the lates finals, he strung together three consecutive shutouts."

In addition to stopping pucks on the virtual ice, Ramstedt is no stranger to strapping on the pads in the traditional sense either. He's spent 12 years stopping pucks also on the real ice and sees some benefit translating that to his virtual game. Especially positioning and reading plays are something that translates well, great reflexes can also be a benefit. However, he stresses that the real game and virtual goaltending are two very different things. Some of the most important skills a goalie should have are great nerves and the ability to handle pressure. Kazzu also notes that you shouldn't be too hard on yourself, since the goalie could often be both the hero and the villain, depending on how the end result looks on the board. 

The goaltender states that excercise is of great importance and helps with focus going into games. He also stresses that sometimes excercise is out of necessity, since practice could end shortly before the ECL action starts: ”I don't really have any game routines other than that I always try to play sports before games, e.g. in the gym, but the routines vary a lot because sometimes the workouts end at 9pm and the ECL games might start at 9.30pm, so I might be in a rush sometimes. I've always somehow managed to fuse the schedules together, and for that I'd like to thank all of the great community at SportsGamer."

His ECL 11 appearances in some high-profile broadcast games against YMCA Esports are some that come to mind when asked about the greatest gaming memories thus far. The inexperienced netminder really made a statement in those two clashes, leaving the traditionally very offensive YMCA without a single goal in the games.

As customary, we asked Kazzu to form the top 6 of his dreams, with a short comment about why these players were chosen:

@Frans-Fin - @Siltsu - @Timotei97
@tondeeee - @Tanski87
@Kaz_zu
 

”I thought that would be a classy line-up and of course I had to include my own father, I don't know if I would've been welcome home if I didn't. I think we'd have a lot of fun with that group, every player is a great personality. @Tanski87 has played a big part for my career and he's always been supportive and trusted me even when things didn't go as planned. Some day I'd like to play as a defensive pair with my best friend @Siltsu for example.”

In the Winter season, JYP Jyväskylä managed to win the Pro Championship and claim their spot back in the European top 16. We asked the netminder about some comments about the past season and something about what's to come for the team: "The Pro title was great, out season was good but quite fluctuant. Moving forward, we need to develop our game and be more consistent. Our roster has changed a bit as fellow kiddo Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala has joined us as a winger, but I'll still remain the youngest on the team. I'm excited for next season back in Elite. I don't have any specific goals for the season, as I think it's going to be very even and tough. It would be great to make the playoffs, but my main focus is handling my own tasks and giving the team a chance to win every night."
 

When asked about the young man's personality, teammate @vSilenttio doesn't hold back: ”I don't know what kind of locker room presence Kazzu has in the traditional sport when I'm not there, but from what I've experienced, everything about Kazzu points towards his representing the traditional goalie type, which is known to be a bit of a different breed. Goalies tend to be a bit different from their teammates and they usually have their own little things going, and I don't mean this in a bad way. If I'f have to provide a practical example, you all probably remember Ilya Bryzgalov and his galaxy rant back in the HBO Flyers-Rangers 24/7 documentary. Kazzu rarely talks about space, but I think you get the point.”

”Kazzu is also by far the loudest in-game player I have ever come across in my career. Whether it's crunching down on some peanuts, shouting at the opposing team, singing along with the latest Finnish hits, watching TikToks or simply breathing heavily into the mic, this guy always makes his presence known. No wonder he's already made a name for himself as "the beast", not only for his performances on the ice I guess. He has always been a good teammate for me, quickly finding his spot in JYP, and despite his young age and lack of experience, @Kaz_zu is a goalkeeper who has proven his level and is easy to trust in a tough place. Never change, kid <3!”, @vSilenttio continues.

SportsGamers,

Now is your chance to get in on the action and join us in the biggest NHL esports league in the world! The ECL is entering it's 14th season this April and you're all welcome along us on that journey. There's still one week left to sign up for our Neo and Core divisions, whether NHL esports is an entirely new thing for you or if you've already got some experience under your belt, we'll find a place for you. You'll have time to sign up until 1.4.2022 at 23:59 CEST.

The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports  - a league where all the best European NHL gamers create teams and compete against each other in the game mode EASHL (6v6) for the title of Best EASHL Team in Europe. The league 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 North American or Russian players. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players.
  • Russian-owned organization's participation is currently prohibited indefinitely. The ban affects organizations, meaning that Russian players and their private created teams will be able to participate, but cannot be affiliated to a Russian-owned organization.
     
• 6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 22.
   
• Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card.
   
• Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite, ECL Core and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players.
   
• Rules: The ECL '22 Spring ruleset will follow the same foundation as in ECL '22 Winter season.
   

The divisions framework for the ECL '22 Spring will follow the same logic as for the previous season. 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 use the below links for more detailed info about each division and which teams are eligible to sign up:

• ECL Neo Season Information
• ECL Core Season Information
   

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 22)

Social media

Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, Wilhelm & St Hockey.

Twitter:

When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Instagram:

When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Note: It is super helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated.

As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Winter in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.
 

PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season.

• Discord
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitch
• Twitter

SportsGamers,

It's time to put yet another exciting season of the best virtual hockey in Europe in the rearview. This season, we had also an influx of fresh blood into the division with Roots Gaming, HV71 and Djurgården Hockey all having their first sniff of action in the top 16. On the other hand, we also saw the rivalry between top teams hREDS and Frölunda HC grow deeper, while trusty old HAVU Gaming was once again forced out of the battle for the brightest positions. One of the most exciting storylines of the season was the explosive growth of the talent in SAWO ESPORTS, who against all expectations managed to grab a #2 seed into the playoffs, and as a result were rewarded with several individual player awards at the end of the season. For some, this season will be the end of their time at the top for now, whereas others will come back in a few weeks time to continue their quest for greatness and a ticket to the Grand Finals.

Regular season

Throughout the regular season, we saw some fluctuation in the standings. Characteristic to the NHL 22 game, some games were perhaps tighter than usual, resulting in several somewhat surprising outcomes in individual games. In the long run, however, also luck and fortunate bounces have to be earned, which led to hREDS being the sole team to dominate the standings throughout. As stated, the biggest success story of the season was SAWO ESPORTS, who surprised everyone with their very mature play despite being such a young team. In fact, SAWO were the best defensive team in the regular season with a GAA of only 1. At the other end of the spectrum, we've got HV71 with a GAA of 3.2, which is interesting for a team that has been notorious for their structured defensive play. 

This season, we expected to see GOONS cement their place at the top in contention for the title along with the greats Frölunda HC, HAVU Gaming and hREDS, but that storyline didn't unfold quite as expected. GOONS acquired talented young centerman Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen from IQUE in the offseason to bolster their offense, but their play never really seemed to click as expected. Instead, we saw IQUE take some great steps forward as they had greatly improved on the defensive side, which had been one of their biggest problems in previous seasons. Their acquisitions of Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko and Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen proved to work out excellently as both managed to improve, and are looking as formidable top player competitors moving forward. 

The Swedish side Granit Gaming gathered a real super team for their push to glory, but at leas their regular season ended up being a minor disappointment. We were certainly used to seeing the great chemistry between cover gamer duo Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann and Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt, but while they were great on the offense, the team struggled a bit in keeping the puck out of their own net at times, which led to them missing out on very important points at times. 

Outside of the playoff picture, teams like Roots Gaming and ZSC Esports fell short, eventually by quite a large margin, but their campaigns can be considered successful nonetheless. On the other hand, Örebro Hockey and YMCA Esports finished in no man's land and would have liked to do way better based on their starting point. 

Northern Ascendancy, HV71 and Conquer Gaming would head to relegation battles, whereas Djurgården Hockey would face direct relegation to end their first stint in the Elite division.

Playoffs

Quarterfinals didn’t let anybody cold as for example we had battle between two of the biggest dynasty´s in ECL history, Frölunda HC and HAVU Gaming. Every tight game ended up going for indians and they became second team going to the semifinals by a sweep with hREDS getting it done as well against GOONS. Quarterfinals also offered us one of the biggest surprises of ECL 22 Winter. After great regular season second seed SAWO ESPORTS didn’t get their game going against Granit Gaming. After being down 3-0 Sawo found a way to get things going on the other way by winning two next games. This wasn’t enough as Swedish guys punched their ticket to semifinals in game 6 with a 2-1 win. Fourth team going to the semifinals was the other Swedish group Färjestad. They got things done as well in six games against regular season surpriser IQUE. Like Sawo also IQUE started a little comeback after being down 3-0 but couldn’t finish it.If you have to choose one player who was most important for their team you have to go with Andreas @affelj96(affelj-) Ljundberg. Färjestad BK´s winger found a way to light the lamp 9 times when the whole team scored 10 goals in quarterfinals. You have to give credit also to the whole Granit Gaming squad because beating talented Sawo wasn’t an easy task. 

Other semifinal pair Frölunda HC-Färjestad BK wasn’t first between these two but again the result was the same. Frölunda had the control in the series whole time and found a way to get in to the ECL Elite finals in 5 games. Fans got their wanted trilogy as hREDS was on another level in the semifinals too against Granit Gaming like they were the whole season. Filip @Faze91- Azri continued where he left last season in these playoffs and one of his highlights this season was 2 shoutouts in a row to start the series against Granit. 

 In the finals we hoped for a long series but first day didn’t go in that way. HREDS continued were they left last season by winning all three games and led the series 3-0 after first night. It wouldn’t been unfair if Frölunda would have gotten at least their first win in the series that night because games were played good by both and there weren´t big margins between these two. Second day started with game 4 and Frölunda came to the ice with lots of energy. They didn’t look team that were down 3-0 and Paul @PleeMaker Arontie was the key for their first victory against hREDS by scoring three goals and one assist. Frölunda gained a lot of momentum from that game but it wasn´t enough. After Frölunda tied game 5 minutes before third period ending everybody expected to see overtime action but that didn’t happen as Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen scored a real buzzer beater only second before time expiring. With that goal hREDS became the first back-to-back champion in ECL Elite and they also got their ticket to the Grand finals. 

Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen for SAWO ESPORTS really put on a clinic in net all season long. There's no overstating how great he was for his team despite their amazing defensive efforts. Also, it's not like SAWO ESPORTS managed to suffocate all of the oppositions chances, uhNikke certainly did it all, from backstopping his team steadily throughout to timely gamesavers when needed the most, this man deserves the Goaltender of the season title above anyone else this season. Some othe goalies worth the mention were ZSC goaltender Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich, who despite missing out on the playoffs, managed to push his team to their highest Elite finish yet, playoffs next perhaps? 

On the other hand, your usual suspects Filip @Faze91- Azri and Johan @McSavid Rundqvist were as strong as ever for their teams, guaranteeing success and the big saves when called upon.

There is no denying that Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen was one of the biggest factors in hREDS' domination this season. Stats don’t lie as this youngster was the top point producer among defencemen in both the playoffs and the regular season in his second season with hREDS. You have to have a great defensive pair to even have the possibility of producing those numbers, but it isn't a coincidence that after this guy came to hREDS they have won almost every possible tournament. 

There were a lot of great defenders this season including top defender trophy winner  @xDoumi. You have to mention Tuukka @Tuukka.R(KingOfApes) Röpelinen who played once again a very solid season throughout. The semifinal matchup Frölunda HC - Färjestad BK also included two great defense pairs. From the regular season you have to mention Wille @willekunq Juntunen and Putte @Putteekiing Unasin, both of these guys scored 11 goals which was most among defensemen. 

When you talk about top forwards this season you have to mention the whole trio of hREDS. Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen scored an incredible 47 goals in the regular season and was the top point producer in both the playoffs and the regular season. Two dynamic duos who also deserve credit from this season comes from SAWO ESPORTS and Frölunda HC. Erik @Eki Tammenpää and Paul @PleeMaker Arontie were enjoyable to watch just like rookie of the season Jere @jxrska Laukka and top forward nominee Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen. 

With the season now being in the rearview, we once again take this chance to congratulate the decorated players and teams of the season. The spring season is just over a week away, so it's time to sharpen up the skates and warm up the thumbsticks again. Puck drop isn't far away!

Another ECL Pro season is now finished and what a season it was. Two top teams managed to earn their places in the Elite division for the Spring season. On behalf of SportsGamer and the community I want to congratulate JYP Jyväskylä and Stargazing for their successful seasons and wish them good luck among the European top 16.

Regular season

At the beginning of the season we had some clear favorites and playoff candidates in both groups. Especially JYP Jyväskylä, Reality Check, GHETTO FIREBIRDS and VISU Gaming were named as favorites in both groups and most of them were very hard to beat in the regular season. Teams like Dynastia, RCTIC, Hanaa HC and Renascor were expected to be stronger after some great offseason signings and that turned out to be a correct prediction as all of these teams made their way to the playoffs. A couple of the favorite teams started their seasons weaker than expected and they had big troubles against some teams on occasion. At the end of the regular season we saw some really tight battles for the final playoff spots.

Perhaps the biggest surprises of this ECL Pro regular season was that VISU Gaming and Växjö Lakers didn’t make their way to the playoffs. VISU Gaming played in the finals of the Elite Qualifiers before the season started. Somehow they just didn’t get their game going in the regular season, but they managed to keep their spot in the Pro division eventually. Växjö had a strong team with all the Elite experience, but alike VISU Gaming they didn't get their game going in time to make the playoffs. Also I would add Pata Hellalla to this list, they have played in the top two divisions for so long now but at this time they didn't have a chance to keep their spot. 

Regular season All Star lineup

@Ojala16 (Tohtorit) - @Virusactive (Renascor) - @Valluxet (Renascor)

@MCH_98 (Hokurit) - @xXPsykoSkillsXx (Deadly Phantoms)

@Jeresti (GHETTO FIREBIRDS)

Playoffs

In the first round we saw some really tight series including one that went all the way to game seven. With only one series ending in a sweep, we can really say that all of these teams belonged in the playoffs.

In the quarterfinals we saw two matchups going all the way to a game seven and both clear favorites were on the brink of elimination, but both Reality Check and JYP Jyväskylä managed to come away with the win in the end.

The semifinals were a joy to watch, both series extending to a game seven. It was a game of inches and with these small margins, a bounce or two the other way could've changed the outcome. JYP and Reality Check pushed through to the Finals.

In the finals we saw the two strongest teams in the Pro division. Both teams won their own group. Reality Check started their series with two complete blowout wins but after that JYP Jyväskylä showed how dominant of a team they can be at their best by winning four games straight and being crowned the Champions of ECL '22 Winter Pro, gaining their promotion to Elite back.

Quite interestingly, two teams that had a weaker regular season really came out of their shells in the playoffs. Those teams were RCTIC and Stargazing. Both teams lost the Semifinal in game seven and both of those teams can be proud of how good they played against two contender teams. Having tight defense and scoring on counter attacks kept their hopes alive all the series. Also having great goalies behind their tight defense almost led their way to the finals.
 

Playoffs All Star lineup

@Buantso (JYP) - @tbnantti (JYP) - @Pursuitti (Reality Check)

@vSilenttio (JYP) - @kim_johan (Reality Check)

@FINSeRe (Reality Check)

Elite Qualifiers

After their successful Pro campaign, Reality Check, RCTIC and Stargazing were allowed a great chance to climb their way to the Elite Division in the Elite Qualifiers against Conquer Gaming, HV71 and Northern Ascendancy respectively.

We saw tight battles between all these teams but unfortunately only one team from the Pro division managed to secure their spot in Elite for next season as Stargazing overcame Northern Ascendancy. Going from Core to Elite in two seasons is something that you could just dream about. Congratulations to Stargazing for achieving that huge step forward.

The most important individuals for their teams

There are so many players that can be put on this list but I named one from every playoff team. These players aren’t just scoring points, these players are helping their team to win every game and play to the best of their abilities in both ends of the ice. Also there are two goalies on this list that made an impact this season.  

Renascor: @Valluxet, Tohtorit: @Ojala16, Hanaa HC: @xLeikku, Reality Check: @vvlampela, JYP Jyväskylä: @Buantso, Sinister: @OsquuG, RCTIC: @Naikou88, Deadly Phantoms: @xXPsykoSkillsXx,Dynastia: @Pikkardz, Hokurit: @MCH_98, GHETTO FIREBIRDS: @Jeresti, Herlev Eagles: @TeikDaun, Stargazing: @Flopper71, Sulkavan Sudet: @Koppipelaaja, noRex Gaming: @Keuschemischand Gifu Hockey:  @N44TTI_16.

Finally, two teams really stood out above all others this season, capping their campaigns off with promotions. Let's go through the journeys to success for both JYP Jyväskylä and Stargazing.

JYP Jyväskylä 

Regular season record (23-5-2), #2 seed in the playoffs. 

In the regular season JYP dominated their opponents, but in the beginning of the season they also had some serious problems. After the first eight games JYP had a 4-2-2 record, which was a tremendous disappointment but after that they really got their game going and only lost three games after that hard start. 

Round 1

JYP Jyväskylä - Gifu Hockey 4-0

In the first round of the playoffs JYP faced #8 seed GIFU Hockey. JYP dominated every game even though they hardly even reached their best level. JYP allowed only one goal in four games and paved their way quite easily to the next round. 

Quarterfinals

JYP Jyväskylä - noRex Gaming 4-3

This series will be remembered as the tightest series in the Quarterfinals, the series went all the way to game seven. noRex Gaming put up a really good fight against JYP and looked very dangerous from time to time. noRex started the series with two wins, but after that JYP took the drivers seat in the series and cruised their way to the semifinals. 

Semifinals

JYP Jyväskylä - RCTIC 4-3

This incredibly tight series between these two strong teams went all the way to game seven. Even though this series went to game seven I feel like JYP had this series under control all the time. JYP won game seven 3-1 with a dominant performance and kept their dream alive going to the final against Reality Check. 

Finals

JYP Jyväskylä - Reality Check 4-2

Reality Check got a dream start to this series and won the first two games. After that JYP really shut things down defensively and started converting on their chances. JYP won four games in a row without allowing a single goal and honestly dominated every single game in this series even though Reality Check won game one and two. There weren't any underdogs in this series, clearly two best teams in the Pro division this season. 

Stargazing

Regular season record (20-9-1), #10 seed in the playoffs.

Stargazing started their regular season with four wins in a row and lost only three games in the first 17. After that they started to struggle a little bit, but still managed to make their way to the playoffs easily. 

Round 1

Stargazing - Sinister 4-2

In the first round of the playoffs Stargazing faced the very good defending team Sinister. All these games were tight in this series but at the end Stargazing managed to get their game going and kept their dream alive, closing the series in game six with a 3-2 win. 

Quarterfinals

Stargazing - Tohtorit 4-2

In the quarter finals we saw last seasons Core bronze game rematch between Stargazing and Tohtorit. Stargazing dominated the first night between these two teams and won the three first games in this series. After that night, Tohtorit started to bounce back, but a bit too late. Tohtorit won game four and five but after that Stargazing closed the series with a clear 3-0 win and got through to the semifinals. 

Semifinals

Stargazing - Reality Check 3-4

This series was a close one and went to game seven. After the first night Stargazing was leading the series 2-1 and also won game four. They had three chances to end the series but Reality Check somehow found their game in the right time and dominated games after that, getting away with the win in the end. Even though Stargazing lost this series they still had a chance to achieve that Elite spot through the relegation series. 

Elite Qualifiers

Stargazing - Northern Ascendancy 4-0

This series included three overtime games and every single time Stargazing left the ice as a winner. Stargazing won the first game 6-1 with a dominant performance but after that they started to struggle in the offensive zone. Having great goalies in both ends made this series even more interesting. Every single overtime game Stargazing ended with a power play goal, and every single time @Flopper71 scored the game winner. Stargazing are now playing in ECL Elite next season. A great performance all season long and a deserved promotion for them.
 

That's all for the ECL '22 Winter Pro season, remember that the signups for the spring season are now open and we're hoping to see you all there!

SportsGamers,

It's been a long season but now also the last of our divisions have come to a close in the form of the ECL '22 Winter Core Finals, where #2 seed Točený Salámy took on #5 seed Almtuna eSport. A tough battle was expected between the two combatants and they certainly delivered. Despite the series being over by a sweep, three games out of four extended into overtime. When it was all said and done, Almtuna eSport hoisted the cup in the newest ECL division.

Almtuna eSport's s road to the championship:

• #5 seed from group 4 with the record 21-3-0
• Round 1: vs Carolina Reapers 4-1
• Round 2: vs SKYFALL 4-2
• Round 3: vs Ebangalakata 4-0
• Quarterfinals: vs Lausanne HC Esports 4-1
• Semifinals: vs Sawolanche 4-1
• Finals: vs Točený Salámy 0-4

The winning roster:

GOALTENDERS
#11 @Rickard Pettersson (lokope11)
#30 @benjamint737

DEFENSEMEN
#2 @Knickedikk (Snyggve-)
#62 @PillenUpp (A)
#74 @oh_man (bjoohm)

FORWARDS
#16 @jazze-
#18 @BeastBenn14 (C)
#87 @SmitteX (A)
#91 @Svana_22

Once again, congratulations to the winners on behalf of the entire community!

The ECL Winter 22 Lite division has now ended and it's time to take a moment to look at what has happened over the course of the long campaign. Lite started as a 64 team division, but there could be only one winner. Congratulations to Mora IK who came through the Lite qualifiers all the way to the top to win the Lite division. This season saw dominating teams, underdogs going through and upsets alike - let's go through some of these events. 

@Timotei97 for Bellizzi dominated skater stats being the only one to reach over 100 points in the regular season, but a couple other players crossed that fabled 50 goal mark, with Valco's @itspardytime being the best scorer with 58 goals. Among defensemen we saw a quite unusual phenomenon, when traditionally defensively supreme @iSvamp stepped up as the leading scorer, both Prima eSport defensemen were great in the +/- department, as a result of their superior play in the regular season.

The best goalies by save percentage (at least 14 games) were @Hangoverangel (Pasilan SKA), @I-THE_EAGLE-I (EHC Biel Bienne), @Giinis (Bastu) and W1nchester_62 (AK Bars).

Quite interestingly, in each group we had one team that were in a class for themselves, above the competition. In group one, Prima eSport, group two Linköping HC, group three Golden Nights and for group four, FILADELPHIA Academy. One thing that all these clubs share is their sovereign play and also the favorite position they had going into the season.

On the other hand, one of the biggest upsets must have been the Resurrection. They managed to win the Core division in ECL 12, but lost some key players in the offseason, which might have been one of the key factors leading to such a tough outcome this season. One team that also has suddenly seen a decline is without a doubt Södertälje SK. A couple of seasons ago they played in Pro and in the last ECL they reached the quarterfinals. What has happened to the once so competitive squad? Another strong team from last seasons Core division is Pasilan SKA, who also had a disappointing Lite entry. Losing their star player @Macentoitunu hit them hard and they couldn't patch the leak.

Luckily, we were also treated to some teams upping their game, in other terms surprising us positively. Valco (former TIKI TALK) was one of these teams. Last season's disappointment turned to this season's success. One great emergence was also TadPole, who played in Core last season and proved that they still have more potential in store for us moving forward by reaching a #8 seed in the groupstage. Also, there's no getting by how Hunters managed to push their way to the semifinals with a rather inexperienced squad. Especially @Vale16 stands out as their leading scorer throughout, but their sole most experienced player @Karkkyjaa must have also played a big role for the team.

*Note that the writer plays for Hunters, the above section was written by @jahajaha93.

Regular season All Star lineup purely based on stats:
 

@Timotei97 (Bellizzi) @Robban kaudern (Kaudomovic) (Mora IK) @itspardytime (Valco)

@iSvamp (Prima eSport) @saunapastori (Tadpole)

@Janne Hietala (Hiatala__) (Tadpole)

However, the greatest team of the season was undeniably Mora IK. Coming through the Lite Qualifiers to win the whole division against one of the strongest Lite teams ever in FILADELPHIA ACADEMY is an incredible feat. The finals that ended in a game seven were also a thrilling series and a pleasure to watch throughout.

With that, I thought we could break down our two finalists, starting out with FILADELPHIA ACADEMY, who held the favorite position going into the finals. 
 

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY
Regular season record: 26-2-0 (Group 4) #1 seed into the playoffs

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY had a great regular season as expected, dominating most matchups with a couple of slip-ups, that can be chalked up to loss of focus on some nights.

Round 1

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY - RoKi Esports 4-0

When the playoffs started, RoKi Esports put up a great fight against the #1 seed as the first three games were only one goal games despite FILADELPHIA holding possession for the most part. The series ended in a FILADELPHIA firepower showcase and a 6-0 victory for that side.

Round 2

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY - Toxicity 4-1

This was a pretty similar series to their opening round, but Toxicity stole one game. FILADELPHIA still outscored Toxicity 15-7 when the second game ended 8-1. Without that second game's slaughter, the games were tight and Toxicity put up a good fight. FILA was really clinical when it mattered the most.

Quarterfinals

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY - Alliance HT 4-2

Against Alliance HT, FILA started out the series routinely. They controlled the game through puck possession and playing their own game but firepower was missing. Alliance's tight defence held out the Filadelphia from the best scoring sector, putting the first game to double overtime and @TEST0-RYTZE scored the game winner. The second game was like a replay from the first game, but a couple of early goals came in favour of FILA and their defense held up throughout the game. 

The third game of the series was FILADELPHIA holding the puck and trying to find a way to score, but Alliance's defence was rock solid with @someth1ng_w1ld between the pipes. Eventually the game ended 4-2 to Alliance as a result of amazing goaltending and great team defense. Alliance also capitalized on the momentum and won the fourth game 3-0 and showed that they are really fighting for the spot in the semifinals.

The fifth and sixth game, on the other hand, showed what FILADELPHIA ACADEMY is made from. They put forth a solid performance in both games, taking the wins 4-0 and 2-0. Two shutouts for @Tappu and it sure looked like nothing can stop them from now on.

Semifinals

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY - Hunters 4-0

Hunters was surely not going to be the team to stop FILA. The series was tighter than 4-0 would indicate, but the scoring efficiency of FILADELPHIA really put them ahead.

Mora IK
Regular season record: 23-5-2 (Group 4) #6 seed into the playoffs

Mora IK, our other finalist were the clear underdogs. Moras regular season had a rough start as they lost their first three out of four games, but after that they found their stride, and only lost three more during the regular season. They might have had some benefit to going through the Lite Qualifiers and really glued together over the course of their campaign.

Round 1

Mora IK - Its a nice city 4-1

In the first round of the playoffs Mora faced another qualifier team in Its a nice city. The first game was clearly Moras, the second game was anyone's game when Mora took the 1-0 victory. The third game went to Its a nice city. Puck control was quite even throughout but Mora seemed to have the edge in finishing. Especially the fifth game was a show of Moras good defense and firepower with a 5-1 victory.

Round 2

Mora IK - Bastu 4-3

This was a thrilling seven game series between two good teams. Both teams held shutouts and scored when they had the chance. All in all, a very even series but Mora came out as the winner and continued to the quarterfinals

Quarterfinals

Mora IK - Linköping HC 4-1

Linköping HC controlled the play for most of the series. More shots, more possession, more offensive zone time. Still, a strong defense and a solid goalkeeper are the things that wins you games in these tight situations. Moras team defense was a key factor for the win and goalkeeper @Jeqque44 handled the situation and kept his cool when it mattered the most.

Semifinals

Mora IK - Prima eSport 4-1

During the playoffs, Moras game came together really nicely as the season progressed. In the semifinals they faced a really tough opponent, Prima eSport, who won their group in the regular season by losing only four games. Good puck movement and tough defense were Primas keys to success and we waited for at least a long series between these two teams. 

However, the first night they played, Mora grabbed a 3-1 lead in the series. Games were pretty even but Prima ended up running into the suffocating Mora defense and their hot goaltender. Mora used their scoring chances really well and was patient throughout the series. When they got the lead they held it. When they were trailing in the second game they started to pressure more and won it in overtime. 

Finals

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY – Mora IK 3-4

The final with the two best teams of the season. Probably one of the best teams in Lite history in FILADELPHIA ACADEMY. A dominant regular season, only three playoff losses. Firepower on both wings and a really experienced captain. They had to go up against the team that got through the qualifiers, came together in the regular season. Played smart defense throughout the playoffs and would come into the finals as massive underdogs.

Eventually, the Finals followed the script quite closely. None of the teams managed to grab more than two consecutive wins and it was really a back and forth battle. After the first night of games, Mora held a 2-1 series lead. FILADELPHIA held the possession, but once again, Mora and their team defense held tight. During the second night of play, FILADELPHIA managed to grab the 3-2 series lead and it looked like this could be in the history books, but Mora managed to really dig deep and turn it around in astonishing fashion. To everyone's surprise, we crowned the underdogs the new Lite Champions at the end of the season.

Playoffs All Star lineup

Basically you could put the whole Mora team here, but we'll try to do a more complete approach.

@xAaro89x(FILADELPHIA ACADEMY) @andreaskakan(Mora IK) @Bror1326 (Mora IK)

@ZNKK(Mora IK) @Laama777(Hunters)

@Jeqque44(Mora IK)

Both wingers were almost the most important players for their teams and scored at a tremendous pace throughout. They also really came up clutch in the games when they were needed the most. @ZNKK could have been the best defensive defenseman there was this season. His TA/GA ratio is top notch and he also holds the most interceptions in the playoffs. @Laama777 was also a very strong defensive presence for his team and ended up scoring some really big goals in the playoffs, especially against Golden Nights, without which Hunters wouldn't even have been in the mix in the late postseason. The goalie @Jeqque44 was in a class of his own this season, a total brick wall.

That'll be all for the ECL '22 Winter Lite season, remember that the signups for the spring season are now open and we're hoping to see you all there!

The ECL '22 Winter Elite season came to a worthy conclusion when hREDS won their second consecutive ECL Elite (season) Championship and with that, made history being the first back to back champion. We got to talk about their journey with team captain Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen, ECL '22 Winter defender of the season Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen, the team's young star player.

Simply put, over the past two seasons not a single team has been able to stop hREDS. The team also exudes a very good team spirit and they play as a team with great individuals. These are some of the factors that make the redshirts as strong as they are at the moment.

The question is, what made hREDS such a great team and why can't no one seem to stop them right now? 

@xDoumi: ”We've put the hours into the game, carefully thinking of how we could improve or what we could do differently. I can't think of many Elite players that are able to perform at their best level throughout the season, but for us even if that would happen, we're fine since there's a top player patching up at every position.”

@Beniittto: ”All of us are really skilled and versatile, chemistry is great on and off the field, we can discuss how to play as a team or individuals very openly in the best interests of the team. We're very confident and we're used to playing under pressure.”

@NikkeDangles: ”Every player has that little extra that makes the player beside them even better. Also, our chemistry is definitely top notch - that's what makes us the almost perfect team.”

Before the start of the Winter season, hREDS was definitely considered one of the biggest favorites and the pressure for success was mounting. What makes these two consecutive championships so special is not only the historical feat, but also the stranglehold they've now taken on the rivalry series against Frölunda HC.

Looking at your game, it's obvious that you've put a lot of hours into perfecting the craft, what is the secret to achieving such a clinical level? And how do you discuss improvements within the squad?

@xDoumi: ”After the release of the new NHL, we try to reinvent ourselves as much as possible with the offseason so that when the season starts, our game is as ready as possible and adjusted to the meta. For example we talk a lot about minimising mistakes or understanding what's wrong in certain situations and making sure such things won't happen again in the future. If you make the same mistakes over and over in practice, you'll continue doing that in competitive games too. Small mistakes often decide big games. Often we'll try to play a warmup match before any competitive game and otherwise practice consistently at least on four days a week. Break from the game are also good to unwind a bit."

@Beniittto: ”What makes our game look great is individual skill and chemistry, the clinical approach is based very much on those same things. The exact number of hours is difficult to say, but in fact every time you we play, we always try something new, such as breakouts, passing combinations, diversions and different shots from different places.”

@NikkeDangles: ”We try to play a few times, if not every day, every week. We have a clear game plan and we've only refined it for the better with time. We usually focus a lot on team defense and how we could be more dangerous in the offensive end.”

Road to the back-to-back ECL Elite Championship

hREDS was superior in the ECL '22 Winter regular season and held first place almost continuously from start to finish. The top spot in the regular season guaranteed the team a very good starting point for the playoffs.

In the quarterfinals, the redshirts faced #8 seed GOONS, and although the playoff series ended in a 4-0 sweep, the result doesn't always say everything about the matches. In fact, during the playoff series, three matches were decided only after overtime, so the playoff series against GOONS was very even overall.

If the Quarterfinals were a tight ordeal, then that was also the case in the Semifinals, even more so. This is when the redshirts faced the Swedish side Granit Gaming. Perhaps evident of how tough the series were is the fact that almost all games were decided by a one goal margin. In the end, the Semifinal series ended with a 4-1 win for hREDS and as expected, they earned a Finals spot in the ECL '22 Winter season.

The matches against GOONS and Granit were really even but your were able to turn those series in your favor. What impact did these GOONS and Granit series have for the continuation of your playoff run?

@xDoumi: ”Experience, routine, skill, etc. Both GOONS and Granit went into the past season with a couple of player changes. We have had the same composition for some time now, and it definitely matters. We know where Vili  @Vilupoika Häkkinen is able to score from at will, we know that @Beniittto has his silky mitts when he needs to, we know that @NikkeDangles is the best passer in the game, it is known that Tuukka  @Tuukka.R(KingofApes) Röpelinen has the poke down to a tee, and finally it is known that Filip @Faze91- Azri can make gamesavers when the team most needs them.”

@Beniittto: ”In this NHL, the games are more even than in the previous ones, but we managed to win the games with routine and experience. Winning the playoff series brings nothing special, other than the ability to see what was done well as a team and what was bad, and you can start to improve from there.”

@NikkeDangles: ”All that matters is a win, so we didn't care that most of the games were held tight. I think we've got a bit of a mental edge on most teams and we're a really confident team. We know that we can win tight games even if there's the occasional setback."

Let's get back to the moment before the finals. When hREDS started the season as the biggest front-runner, their confidence in success helped deal with the pressure. In practice, it can even be said that any other outcome but a championship would have been a disappointment to this team. Looking back at the past ECL Elite season, no other team held as high of a level as hREDS.

These Finals were also a repeat of the two latest ECL Finals, where Frölunda and hREDS have clashed. Despite the tendency of several playoffs series to be over rather quick as of late, many people expected to see this one extend past the five games it did. hREDS definitely showed the way right from the very first matches in the Finals. At times, it even felt like Frölunda was going to get trampled under the heavy onslaught. Although the outcomes of the first Final games were very ugly from Frölunda's perspective, they still don't give a complete overview of the entirety of the matches, as the element of luck was heavily on the side of hREDS - although some might say that has to be earned.

For the second day of the Finals, we saw a very calm Frölunda HC, arriving with confidence and frankly, nothing left to lose. They managed to grab one win and looked to be on a path towards their second one of the series until it all fell apart with a second to spare in game five. The decisive goal was scored by who else than hREDS captain @Beniittto - crowning the redshirts the first ever back-to-back ECL Champions.

NHLGamers,

After an incredibly tough back-and-forth exchange in the finals between #1 seed FILADELPHIA ACADEMY and #6 seed Mora IK, we are able to crown the ECL '22 Winter Lite champion - Mora IK! Against all odds, the swedes managed to fight and claw their way tot he top, overcoming several opponents from an underdog status along the way. This must feel great for the boys, congratulations!

Mora IK's s road to the championship:

• #6 seed from group 3 with the record 23-5-2
• Round 1: vs Its a nice city 4-1
• Round 2: vs Bastu 4-3
• Quarterfinals: vs Linköping HC 1-4
• Semifinals: vs Prima eSport 1-4
• Finals: vs FILADELPHIA ACADEMY 3-4

The winning roster:

GOALTENDERS
#15 @Danskuz-
#44 @Jeqque44

DEFENSEMEN
#3 @ZNKK
#12 @AMN3SYA
#93 @Jonetzky

FORWARDS
#20 @andreaskakan (C)
#88 @Bror1326 (A)
#91 @Robban kaudern (Kaudomovic) (A)

Once again, congratulations to the winners on behalf of the entire community!

NHLGamers,

Today we saw a very tough best-of-five series concluding the ECL '22 Neo Winter season and with that a new Champion! After four games in total, HC JEUSSEN came away with the 3-1 win against Old Hogs. The team put forth a great effort all season long, with several players chipping in on multiple positions, including strapping on the pads and guarding the crease. Once again, a great success story and hopefully the beginning of a long journey for HC JEUSSEN.

HC JEUSSEN's s road to the championship:

• #9 seed from group 3 with the record 12-3-1
• Round 1: vs Absolute 3-0
• Round 2: vs The Black Pirates HC 0-3
• Quarterfinals: vs Uudenmaan Oilers 0-3
• Semifinals: vs Latvian Hockey Federation 0-3
• Finals: vs Old Hogs 1-3

The winning roster:
@Victorh (C)
@Acciii (A)
@Batti93 (A)
@Tjockis Leif (sjolindd)
@RAMBOS1234
@Scurre (maxmies)
@KONOPLY- (ALEX_DIR007)

Congratulations to the winners on behalf of the entire community!

NHLGamers,

The ECL '22 Winter Elite season is now capped off and while the Finals were over almost as fast as they started, history was made this weekend. Frölunda did everything in their power to challenge the big, bad REDS but this time it just wasn't enough. By hoisting this cup, hREDS have etched their names in the history books by being the first back-to-back ECL Champions ever. hREDS wingers Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen were on fire in the finals and produced a majority of their teams offense, while centerman Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen locked down the back-end in cohesion with defensemen Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_). Goaltender Filip @Faze91- Azri claimed his second title in only his fourth competitive ECL season - what an effort!

We caught up with the captain @Beniittto in the midst of the celebrations:

You're now going down in history as the first ever team to win back-to-back ECL Championships, what is it that makes you so great and how much do you appreciate doing it with these guys?

First off, it feels great. We've got a good group of guys and all of us are capable players, which makes it all possible. Also, the chemistry both on and off the ice can't be overstated.

Playoff series, no matter how tightly matched, have had a tendency to be over in rather quick fashion lately. What do you think is the reason behind that?

Our game is simply put very complete, which makes us a tough team to beat in any given game. If we have one off-game, we're able to bounce back real quick, consistency is key.

You took on a defensive role in the Finals, was that a conscious decision that your wingers will do the scoring and you shut down the opposition?

Yeah we definitely talked a bit about that. We didn't want to give up any soft goals and decided to most importantly focus on shutting down their offense. Our wingers definitely got the job done with the scoring, which sealed the Championship for us.

It looked like Frölunda HC caught you off guard a bit in game 4, was it difficult to regain your composure for the second gameday when being in such a dominant position?

We didn't really change anything in our preparations and came into the games with a good mindset. We weren't able to set up any warmup games, which I think did us in for that one. 

How are you going to celebrate the Championship tonight?

Naturally, a couple of drinks with the boys, and we'll see where the night will take us after that.

hREDS' road to the championship:

• #1 seed with the record 22-5-3
• Quarterfinals: vs GOONS (8) 4-0
• Semifinals: vs Granit Gaming (7) 4-1
• Finals: vs Frölunda HC (3) 4-1

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#91 Filip @Faze91- Azri

DEFENSEMEN
#27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen
#94 Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) (A)

FORWARDS
#23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (A)
#89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen
#96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (C)

If you happened to miss the broadcast, you can rewatch the action from Saturday here.

Thanks for tuning in and congrats to the champions!
 

SportsGamers,

The sun is shining, and the snow is melting. As your traditional hockey seasons might be pushing towards the postseason, on the virtual side of things, we're just about to witness the Elite Finale tonight! We're very excited for what the games ahead will hold, but we're also turning our heads towards the ECL '22 Spring season and launching registrations for all divisions.

For the ECL '22 Winter season, we brought in licenses to our lower divisions for the first time. We received huge support from the community and will continue with the same formula for the ECL '22 Spring season. We're always in the process of developing further, so all feedback will be welcomed with open arms.

During the ECL '22 Winter season, you probably also noticed our rebrand, which brought a new name, a refreshed website, and some other added features. Most importantly, this allows for us to operate vertically across all sports games in the esports market.

The community is certainly also interested to know on which console the ECL Spring will be played? We’ve decided that the ECL '22 Spring season will be played on the PlayStation 4 version and we’ll move to the PlayStation 5 version in the next ECL. However, this does not exclude playing other tournaments on the PlayStation 5 version already in the summer.

Without further ado, let's go into it.

The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports  - a league where all the best European NHL gamers create teams and compete against each other in the game mode EASHL (6v6) for the title of Best EASHL Team in Europe. The league 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 North American or Russian players. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players.
  • Russian-owned organization's participation is currently prohibited indefinitely. The ban affects organizations, meaning that Russian players and their private created teams will be able to participate, but cannot be affiliated to a Russian-owned organization.
     
• 6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 22.
   
• Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card.
   
• Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite, ECL Core and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players.
   
• ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro will be require their respective ECL '22 Spring license in order to play. Optional licenses are available for the ECL Lite and Core levels. More details below.
   
• Rules: The ECL '22 Spring ruleset will follow the same foundation as in ECL '22 Winter season.

• Wildcard Battle: 5.-10.3. ⚠️
• ECL Lite Qualifier: 5.-13.3. ⚠️
• ECL Pro Qualifier: 5.-13.3. ⚠️
• ECL Neo: 5.3.-1.4.
• ECL Core: 5.3.-1.4.
• ECL Lite: 5.-20.3.
• ECL Pro: 5.-20.3.
• ECL Elite: 5.-20.3.

* Sign-ups will close 23:59 CET on the last day mentioned unless otherwise specified. Additionally, players qualifying for the Wildcard spot must be on the team roster by the time the sign-ups close.

Below you'll find the condensed version of what's new this year in the ECL. For a longer look, please read our article about the new era of ECL. 

ECL Winter & Spring

• ECL seasons will no longer carry the same numerical distinctions next to them as before. Instead, NHLGamer will be hosting two annual ECL seasons: ECL Winter and ECL Spring.
   
• The combined prize pools for ECL Winter, ECL Spring and the ECL Grand Finals will be larger than anything seen before in NHL esports!
   
• We’ll be hosting an ECL Grand Final – with an additional prize pool – to crown the annual ECL Champion. This much-anticipated best-of-seven event will feature the ECL Elite teams who won ECL Winter and ECL Spring, respectively. 
   

Prize pools for ECL Pro, Lite and Core

• ECL Elite remains the pinnacle of virtual hockey gaming in Europe but as our community continues to grow and the competition becomes increasingly tougher, playing in ECL Pro, Lite and Core is more prestigious than ever before.
   
• We’ll be adding a license and prize pool for our second-tier division; ECL Pro – and voluntary licenses and prize pools for ECL Lite and Core.
   
• ECL Pro will feature a mandatory license fee and prize pool. All the money from the team licenses goes into the prize pool. The top sixteen (16) out of the divisions’ 32 teams will be awarded a share of the prize pool.
   
• ECL Lite and Core will feature a voluntary license fee and a prize pool for the teams who choose to acquire a license. The top 16 teams that choose to acquire a license in ECL Lite (64 teams) will be awarded a share of the prize pool. The top 32 teams that choose to acquire a license in ECL Core (128 teams) will be awarded a share of the prize pool.

See more about licenses in our Licenses section.

The divisions framework for the ECL '22 Spring will follow the same logic as for the previous season. 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 use the below links for more detailed info about each division and which teams are eligible to sign up:

• Wildcard Battle information (for ECL Lite and Pro Qualifiers) 
• ECL Lite & Pro Qualifiers information
• ECL Neo Season Information
• ECL Core Season Information
• ECL Lite Season Information
• ECL Pro Season Information
• ECL Elite Season Information

*If you're an existing team that wants to change names, simply sign up with the old name and contact support for the name change. If you're having issues with signing up overall, please contact support.

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 22)

Social media

Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, Wilhelm & St Hockey.

Twitter:

When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Instagram:

When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@SportsGamerGG
#ECL22Spring
#NHL22
#esports
#kouvolanlakritsi
#MukanaWilhelm

Note: It is super helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated.

As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Winter in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.
 

PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season.

• Discord
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitch
• Twitter

This post has been promoted to an article

Finally it's here, the culmination of the ECL '22 Winter Elite season. Only the top two teams in Europe remain. There's many names for this top-tier rivalry, but now we'll call it the NHL Esports new 'battle of the titans'. We decided to reach out to the netminders on both ends of the ice for some thoughts about their history and the upcoming games.

Faze, FILADELPHIA, now Frölunda HC, in the finals last season. How did it feel to win the  ECL in just your second Elite season?

”It felt awesome, we have an amazing group of players and we all knew that we were capable of sweeping them. And we really did perform to our best in that series. To win my first Elite championship was something special, I couldn’t imagine sitting there when I started playing NHL back in NHL 20. And to do it with this group of guys couldn’t have been better”, the hREDS netminder Filip @Faze91- Azri noted.

Cappe, in the last ECL Finals your team took a beating. What's your mindset going into the rematch and by that, the ECL '22 Winter Championship? 

”We know what we can do and we have shown that against hREDS in the last five games we’ve played against each other in the FCL and ECL”, Frölunda goalie Casper @ICappeI Lundgren briefly comments, and seems very focused on the task ahead. 

You have faced each other in the finals several times in the last year, does this matchup have any special significance?

@Faze91-:  ”It’s for sure always fun to play these big games, and Frölunda in the Finals is something special. I'm sure it's gonna be an exciting series to watch.”

@ICappeI: “It's definitely special to play in the Finals!! It's always fun to test yourself against the best out there and I believe hREDS is right there with us.”

What is your greatest strength as a goalie, and have you changed your play style from NHL21?

@Faze91-: ”Reading the play for sure, reading the opposition's plays and always being one step ahead. That’s my biggest strength. Of course I've changed my game style a bit, but that’s something I want to keep for myself.”

@ICappeI: ”Playing goalie in NHL 22 is quite different from what it used to be. So much random stuff is happening so it can be quite frustrating to play between the pipes. I’m not a big fan of the gameplay right now and kind of miss NHL 19-21. However, I enjoy playing this game because of my teammates, I love being able to compete with such a great group of people.”

How will the series end and which things will show up in the deciding matches?

@Faze91-: ”4-0 to us, we are a really strong team and we have been feeling it the whole season. If we play our best I feel like there is no team that can challenge us. I think the deciding factors will be the focus and the form coming into the games, which team will score the first goals and have the routine to close down the games.”

@ICappeI: ”The first games will be huge in this series as we’ve seen in the past two ECL Elite Finals. Paul @PleeMaker Arontie has looked amazing recently so I’m excited to see what he can do in the matchup against Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes)! I think we’ll win it 4-2.”

Tune in for the ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals this weekend! The broadcast will start at 19:30 CET on both Friday and Thursday. You'll find us at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG with Cody "Tougie" Tougas and Paul "Cyn" Anderson in the booth to call the action!

After a couple of months we have finally arrived at terminus of the Winter season - only two teams remain. This season has again offered us some big surprises and exciting moments. It's been a grind throughout, but we're now seeing the new ECL El Clasico get a Finals trilogy, when hREDS and Frölunda HC will clash for the third time in a row. We will see what the future holds for us, but it's also interesting that the winner of this series will be the first one to claim their ticket to the June Grand Finals. If one team manages to win both the ECL Winter and Spring seasons, they will automatically be crowned the Grand Champions. 

Tune in for the ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals this weekend! The broadcast will start at 19:30 CET on both Friday and Thursday. You'll find us at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG with Cody "Tougie" Tougas and Paul "Cyn" Anderson in the booth to call the action!



 

 hREDS (1) vs  Frölunda HC (3)
TOP SCORER 

Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen 9 GP, 7+10=17 vs Paul @PleeMaker Arontie 9 GP, 7+8=15 

GOALTENDER 

Filip @Faze91- Azri 9 GP, 8W, 80,28 SV%, 1.56 GAA, 2 SO vs  Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 9 GP, 8W, 83,33 SV%, 1.22 GAA, 1 SO  

REGULAR SEASON RECORD 

25-2-3 vs 22-5-3 

REGULAR SEASON SERIES 

0-1, 4-5OT 

After winning the regular season and dominating all player statistics, the red beasts are looking for their second consecutive ECL Elite title, this time not YET crowning them the European Champions, but earning them a spot in the Grand Finals, awaiting in June. In the semifinals, hREDS were able to stop Granit Gamings dream for their first final spot in the highest league of Europe by besting the Swedish group 4-1. Like the whole season also in those games every guy from red and black jerseys had their shining moments and proved that there are no missing pieces to the puzzle that is this team. hREDS made their Elite debut in ECL 10, and since then, every season they have managed to get into the semifinals. This season, hREDS got to start with the same lineup as last season. The main changes they made after the ECL 11 season were on the left side where they got Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen to boost their squad. Especially the latter one of these two has been able to find a new level to his game in hREDS. There's also some history of player movement betwee the two finalist teams, as Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila played for hREDS in ECL 10 and 11, but left for Frölunda HC after his tenure there. Last season, he made his debut in the new jersey and he's had time to make both good and bad memories in this squad - first losing to his old team in the ECL 12 Finals, after which they made up for that with a FCL 2021 Finals win in the rematch. 

This regular season was the most difficult in a long time - if not ever - for Frölunda HC. Despite that, the multiple European champion was able to secure the third seed and go into the playoffs just behind SAWO ESPORTS and their final rivals hREDS. By the numbers, it looks like the playoffs have been a cakewalk for Frölunda, but especially the sweep against HAVU Gaming looked like a way tighter series than the result would suggest. Their semifinals opponent Färjestad BK was familiar for the Indians because it was actually the third time in four seasons those teams went head-to-head in the semifinals. The record from those games is a miserable story for Färjestad BK as Frölunda has a 12-2 stranglehold on that rivalry series. Frölunda has been a dynasty over the last few years and there's no denying that. Since ECL 7, they have three ECL titles and they've appeared in the finals every season. However, even this group hasn't been able to get two championships in a row. Their offensive trio has stuck together throughout the years, which definitely gives them the edge of superior chemistry, and it's easier to trust the guy next to you when having all that experience together. Defensively, they've seen some changes like mentioned earlier, but Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta has been a lock down low since ECL 7, with one season of absence in ECL 8. @loimmu centerman Joonas @PatzlafPaatiala also have some memories together with a few hREDS players way back from the days with Carlsberg HC.

All ECL seasons combined, Frölunda and hREDS have clashed eight times in the regular season. The record is 6-2 in favor of Frölunda including this seasons wins in both games in the season series. A strange coincidence between these two is that both ECL Finals and the FCL finals have ended in a sweep in either way. Every one of these series have been expected to be really tight but it seems that in every series the first win has started a snowball effect and the winner has gained the momentum. We will see which way this series starts to go but maybe now it's time for us to see a longer series than four games. Two very skilled teams are going up against each other again but right now it feels like hREDS has a slight advantage on their side.

Prediction: hREDS will become the first team to win back-to-back ECL Elite champion titles with a 4-2 series win. 


Read more: ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals: "You haven't seen the best of us yet" - with Paul @PleeMaker Arontie from Frölunda HC

Read more: ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals: "We have some aces up our sleeves" - with Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) from hREDS

It's that time again, the ECL Elite finals are here, and a long season sees it's end. But this time, we'll have no new European champion just yet, but one team will punch their ticket to the Grand Final in June. This season we saw new stars on the ascent, like Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen for SAWO ESPORTS, but in the finals, we have the new El Clásico and a rematch from the two latest Elite finals - hREDS and Frölunda HC will clash.

The Finals will be played over the course of two days (Friday 4.3 & Saturday 5.3) and the entirety of it will be broadcasted at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG. Action starts at 19:30 CET on both days and in the booth you'll see Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @Cyn Anderson getting the crowd hyped up for the battles.

We reached out to hREDS defenseman and assistant captain Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) for a few quick comments ahead of the finals:

Barring just a few losses, you dominated the regular season with relative ease, where does your clinical execution come from?

We've got top 2 players in Europe on every position, so that's definitely it. Also we've played together for a long time, which gives us an advantage and makes us even better.

How was the team spirit when going in the playoffs, and how have your preparations gone since the Finals spot was confirmed?

Our team spirit has always been really good, so no worries for the finals. Preparations have gone well and I'm confident we'll bee at our absolute best this weekend!

Is your game on your highest level yet, or is there something more we can expect?

I think we have a few new looks and some aces up our sleeves for the weekend that Frölunda won't be expecting. Otherwise we'll be trusting the process and doing what we do best.

How will the series end and why?

4-1 to us, because we have more variation in our gameplay and our game is more versatile. Those things will make a difference in a long series.

Good luck to both squads in the Finals! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for a more extensive Finals preview dropping tonight!

SportsGamers,

After a long ECL '22 Winter Elite season, this weekend we'll arrive at the culmination point, which will go down between the #1 seed hREDS and the #3 seed Frölunda HC. Does that ring any bells? Yes, we've got a rematch of the ECL 12 Elite and FCL 2021 Finals - the new ECL Elite El Clásico if you will.

The Finals will be played over the course of two days (Friday 4.3 & Saturday 5.3) and the entirety of it will be broadcasted at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG. Action starts at 19:30 CET on both days and in the booth you'll see Cody @Tougie24 Tougas and Paul @Cyn Anderson getting the crowd hyped up for the battles.

We had a short chat with Frölunda HC winger Paul @PleeMaker Arontie ahead of the big games this weekend: 

We'll see a rematch of the ECL 12 Finals this weekend and you guys had an unusually fluctuant regular season. Has there been any certain factor that you feel has weakened you guys?

We've been playing three tournaments simultaneously, often having six gamedays a week. That's lead to simply not getting the best our of ourselves every night. Also, in this iteration of the game, we haven't clicked like clockwork just yet, so we'll be looking to get back to that.

How was the team spirit when going in the playoffs, and how are you preparing for the Finals?

Our spirit has been the same as usual, very high. It was nice to get HAVU Gaming as our first round opponents, where we were really able to make a statement. We'll prepare for the finals quite normally, a few games Thursday night to get the feeling for the finals.

Has your game reached its highest level yet, or can we expect you guys to step it up this weekend?

I feel like you haven't seen the best of us yet this season. Our routine level has been enough for the wins, for the finals we'll need to kick things up a notch.

How will the series end, and why?

If I'd have to guess, I'd say it's going to be a sweep in either direction as that's been the trend. We'll take it 4-0. The form of the day and a little bit of luck will decide.

Stay tuned for our extensive ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals Preview, dropping Thursday evening!

NHLGamers,

After a gruelling finals series, where we got to see a momentum change for the ages, we have a new ECL Pro Champion! JYP Jyväskylä got to hoist the cup and punch their ticket back to the Elite division after one season of absence from the European top 16. Reality Check ended up cooling down significantly after a dream start to the finals, and now will be facing Conquer Gaming in Qualifiers to determine their fate.
 

JYP Jyväskylä's s road to the championship:

• #1 seed from group 1 with the record 23-4-2
• Round 1: vs GIFU Hockey (8) 4-0
• Quarterfinals: vs noRex Gaming (13) 4-3
• Semifinals: vs  RCTIC (9) 4-3
• Finals: vs Reality Check (1) 4-2

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#37 Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt
#73 Santeri @Sandr0hh Reijasalo

DEFENSEMEN
#11 Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma
#17 Niklas @Talonmies69 Tamminen
#28 Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä

FORWARDS
#6 Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen
#8 Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen (A)
#9 Santeri @indi969 Pendolin (C)
 

Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

We're going to be in for a treat on Monday and Tuesday night with the ECL '22 Winter Pro Finals. Two very hungry teams have paved their way to this stage, and they're approaching the big games from very different angles. While JYP is eager to get back to the highest level of competition after a slip-up last season, Reality Check has only recently made a return to ECL action after an abrupt halt to their story after the ECL 10 Pro season.

Both teams have a lot to prove and we can certainly expect some fireworks come Monday night! Who will grab the golden ticket, for a crack at the ECL Elite title in the Spring season?

 Reality Check (1) vs  JYP Jyväskylä (2)
TOP SCORER
Harri @Pursuitti Haaksiala 19 GP, 15+20=35 vs Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen 18 GP, 11+18=29

GOALTENDER
Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes 19 GP, 12 W, 84,65 SV%, 1.63 GAA, 3 SO vs Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt 18 GP, 12 W, 80,92 SV%, 1.61 GAA, 6 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
24-4-2 vs 23-5-2
 

Let's start off with JYP Jyväskylä, who have had an interesting run over the past 6 months or so. ECL 12 was a flat out disaster for the experienced squad, as it was evident that the joy from their game was gone and a soft performance led to them losing the divisional spot among the European top 16. After acquiring former HAVU Gaming X-Factor Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen to bolster their offense, expectations were set high for the hurricanes, but the start of the season looked about as difficult as the end of their last one. In fact, despite eventually recovering from a terrible start, JYP have never really achieved the level of excellence that could be expected from them. Perhaps the finals is their chance to set the record straight? 

Reality Check had a time of absence after a sensational ECL 10 Pro campaign, that put them in the Elite Qualifiers to end that season. Now they've bested their old record and are one series win away from securing that fabled Elite spot. Now it's time for their current ensemble to prove themselves against a JYP that on paper at least, looks like a very tough opponent to beat. Whereas JYP have had some struggles along the way, the same doesn't apply to Reality Check, who have marched on towards their spot in the finals without too much of a hassle all season long. Only in the playoffs has the team needed to work a bit harder, and after two consecutive game seven series, it's easy to state that they should at least be mentally prepared for what's to come. 

Statistically speaking, both squads look very similar, with some minor variations to their respective styles of play. JYP has that traditional cycle game down to a tee and they've been utilizing it effectively, at least throughout the playoffs. Reality Check, on the other hand, like to use their defensemen quite much, even in the offensive zone. Both teams have a clear #1 breakout man, and we're speaking of Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä for JYP and Jesse @jezbaru Ruuskanen for Reality Check. Especially the latter has been a bit of a puck hog for his team, having carried the bisquit for almost a third more than some of his teammates. One thing to note is that JYP is definitely the more well-rounded team, which should gain them the advantage in a long series. 

When it comes to the goaltending duel, we're in for an exciting one. The JYP netminder is one of the most interesting prospects out there, as Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt is looking for his opportunity to break out and establish himself as a winning goaltender at a higher level. Facing him is season 1 veteran, and inaugural season champion Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, who has definitely been around and seen it all when it comes to competitive gaming on the European ice. It's tough to give an edge in either direction, but you could speculate that whereas @Kaz_zu has the higher ceiling, @FINSeRe is a more reliable and steady backstopper. If the youngster is on top of his game, however, JYP can rest easy.

We're thinking this one isn't going to be one of those 'blink and you'll miss it'-series. It'll be a tight battle and it's going to be a struggle to find high-quality scoring chances. Expect to see a lot of greasy goals and for the teams to resort to finding deflections if the middle doesn't open up. In the end, JYP Jyväskylä will regain their spot in Elite by winning a game seven.

PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season.

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This season, Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen had a career performance with his new team SAWO ESPORTS. Their run fell short of complete success in the quarterfinals recently, but we still decided that now is the time to take a look at the up-and coming goalie talent a bit closer.

Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen, who is only 20 years old, has been one of the biggest names of the current Elite season, as he truly had a career season this ECL. The youngster has taken some very big strides forward and ended up dominating the regular season in several statistical categories. The new kid on the block has left several superstars, like Casper @ICappeI Lundgren and Filip @Faze91- Azri in the dust.

"One of the enabling factors of my success was definitely the spirit in our team. I know a lot of the guys really well and the confidence level is very high. I spend a lot of time studying how other goalies play and draw inspiration from them into my own game. The team has been great to this point, but we can be even better. Personally, I didn't think I could be this good after the break I had, so I've even surprised myself", the young netminder goes over the success he had this season.

More and more young players are pushing for their own spot among the European Elite. Nieminen states that it isn't enough just to claim a place in the lineup, but you have to be prepared to continue developing after that, otherwise the next big talent will pass you soon enough. He sees that in the future Roots' Linus @Limu95 Christiansson and GOONS’ Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen are some of the names to keep an eye on.

To get a better idea of the personality of the man of the hour, we asked the other players at SAWO Esports what kind of teammate and player Nieminen is like.

”As a player, Nikke is the most self-critical person I've ever encountered, no matter what happens, he always strives to do even better. In the party, Nikke isn't the loudest guy, but mainly focuses on stopping the pucks swung at him. I think he's a really relaxed and supportive teammate”, says SAWO winger Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen.

”Nikke is calm and is quite demanding for himself, he always tries to think about what he could do better and that's why Nikke is one of the best goalkeepers in Elite. Nikke has quite an elite skill to read the game that sometimes also helps the skaters out there”, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen praises his teammate.

Nieminen tells how he eventually became a goalkeeper in the early days of his competitive playing career: ”So I ended up playing goalie when I joined HokiDogs for ECL 6 Lite. Before that, I had never even touched the virtual pads. Previously I had played on defense in various groups.”

The Lohja, Finland native says that the first game in the NHL game series was NHL 13, after which the yearly iteration has been a must-have. It was only at a later stage that competitive gaming stepped in. He says that the games in the NHL franchise have been his favourites for a long time, but in his free time he also enjoys playing FIFA and CS:GO.

hREDS captain Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen gets a shoutout as a player whose helped Nieminen progress along his career: "One of my best memories is definitely back when I got involved with hREDS, and how Perttu helped me become a better player while being a part of that team."

Nieminen says that he doesn't have any actual routines on the day of the game. He usually goes for a longer run and enjoys a gameday Red Bull. He notes that his absolute strengths as a player are calmness and perseverance. He tells me that always when on the ice, he tries to give it his all.

Nieminen's team TUNNEL VISION signed with SAWO ESPORTS just a few days before the season started. We asked the goalie how this change has affected the team.

”Moving to SAWO ESPORTS has been a good thing and I really enjoy the responsibility I'm being given. I've been able to develop as a goalkeeper with the increased playing time. While i was in the army, I was in a backup role for hREDS because I couldn't get the right to practice and play from the army. I was quite close to quitting for a while at that point, but I decided to venture into the free agent market and that's when @tombo_02 reached out to me. When I hear that @Vattuyy was also getting on board, the deal was signed”, Nieminen goes over some events of his career.

SAWO ESPORTS had a sensational regular season, securing the #2 spot into the postseason to everyones surprise. However, in the playoffs, Granit Gaming ended up being too much for them to handle, and their season ended in the Quarterfinals this past week. Despite their success, Nieminen still sees a lot to improve moving forward.

”From the goalkeepers point of view, our possession play and teamplay play has been very good in both directions. I expect that we will be able to continue in the same way and improve in all areas to become a more well-rounded team.”

SportsGamers,

Let the Semifinals begin! It's been an exciting postseason thus far, with Granit Gaming causing the biggest upset by overcoming #2 seed SAWO ESPORTS in the Quarterfinals. We're all astonished by the resilience of the teams at this stage, after overcoming obstacle after obstacle, pushing onwards toward the ultimate goal - an ECL '22 Winter Championship and a ticket to the Grand Finals.

Today we start the action in our broadcast over at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG as usual, make sure to tune in at 19:45 CET!
 

Lainaa

Let's take a look at the schedule for this week:

Tuesday, 22nd of February
20:00 CET - #7 Granit Gaming vs #1 hREDS
20:30 CET - #1 hREDS vs #7 Granit Gaming

21:15 CET - #4 Färjestad BK vs #3 Frölunda HC
21:45 CET - #3 Frölunda HC vs #4 Färjestad BK

Wednesday, 23rd of February
20:00 CET - #4 Färjestad BK vs #3 Frölunda HC
20:30 CET - #3 Frölunda HC vs #4 Färjestad BK

21:15 CET - #7 Granit Gaming vs #1 hREDS
21:45 CET - #1 hREDS vs #7 Granit Gaming

Thursday, 24th of February
20:00 CET Pair 1 (if neccessary)
20:30 CET Pair 1 (if neccessary)
21:00 CET Pair 1 (if neccessary)

21:45 CET Pair 2 (if neccessary)
22:15 CET Pair 2 (if neccessary)
22:45 CET Pair 2 (if neccessary)

 

 hREDS (1) vs  Granit Gaming (7)
TOP SCORER
Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen 4 GP, 4+4=8 vs Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 6 GP, 4+7=11

GOALTENDER 
Filip @Faze91- Azri 4 GP, 4 W, 76,67 SV%, 1.75 GAA, 0 SO vs Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen 6 GP, 4 W, 85,25 SV%, 1.5 GAA, 0 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
25-2-3 vs 18-10-2

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
4-1, 4-1

hREDS were able to sweep GOONS in the first round of playoffs. Even though the series ended in four games, it perhaps doesn't tell whole story of how the games went. Only one goal separated them in every game and in three out of four games some overtime action was required. It's a clear showcase of the tenacity of this team as they are not rushing to get the game winning goal but when the chance comes they will score. REDS did continue where they left off when it comes to scoring because also in the quarterfinals every guy from the red jerseys were able to score important goals for their team. In the regular season games against Granit, both hREDS wingers were able to score a hat-trick so we will see if the Swedish guys can keep up the coverage better this time around. One fun fact is that hREDS is now the only Finnish team among the semifinal teams but of course Frölunda's core is also from Finland, despite the organization being Swedish. 

Granit Gaming wasn't a favorite against SAWO ESPORTS, who were second in the regular season. Despite that, they were able to pull an upset against the young Finnish guys with a 4-2 series win. Granit was able to put SAWO in a tough spot by winning all three games in the series opening night. A clear strength in the series for Granit continued from their regular season campaign, the fact that all of their players are a scoring threat. The teams left winger Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund is leading the entire league in playoffs scoring with 4 goals and 7 assists. One guy you have to bring up from Granit's last series is their goalie Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen. There is no denying that this experienced netminder stole a couple of goals in the first round from SAWO. It looks like the talented Swedish group have found a new level by combining individual skill and teamplay. 

This upcoming series will be interesting to watch in many different ways. Granit managed to upgrade their game a lot to the quarterfinals but even though they were able to handle SAWO, in the semifinals they will face the best team in Europe right now.  It's hard to go against the reigning champion but it's obvious that Granit will make this series hard for hREDS. Knowing the fact that Granit and REDS are very similar when it comes to having scoring power in every position, the main thing will be the defensive effort in both ends of the ice. It's of course expected that REDS will dominate with puck possession so Granit will have to make their decisions wisely when they get to the offensive zone. The goaltending battle will be fun to watch as both have hot goalies. Despite a great first round, this challenge will be too much for Granit, and hREDS will make their third consecutive finals run with a 4-1 series win. 

 Frölunda HC (3) vs  Färjestad BK (4)
TOP SCORER
Erik @Eki Tammenpää 4 GP, 3+4=7 vs Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg 6 GP, 8+1=9

GOALTENDER
Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 4 GP, 4 W, 82,76 SV%, 1.25 GAA, 0 SO vs Johan @McSavid Rundqvist 6 GP, 4 W, 87,04 SV%, 1.17 GAA, 2 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
22-5-3 vs 22-7-1

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
3-4, 4-5 OT

On paper, it was a dominant showing for Frölunda HC against their dear rival HAVU Gaming in the Quarterfinals. The Indians managed to sweep HAVU, despite the black and green being in the drivers seat for the entirety of the series. Frölunda HC seem to have mastered the current meta and are able to convert on chances from the dirty areas. All of their games against HAVU were very low scoring, which we're definitely used to between the two. The most impactful player thus far for Frölunda could very well be Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, who has managed to find alternative ways to help his team despite not yet finding that finishing touch we're used to seeing. The left winger is one of the more aggressive players on his team, meaning that from time to time he will force things to happen in a stalemate game. Despite not always being on their game, it seems like Frölunda HC is the most resilient team around, and they always find a way to turn games in their favor, especially the bigger the stakes on the line. Look for Erik @Eki Tammenpää to step up with some big goals when needed the most.

On the other end of the series, we're finding Färjestad BK, who have paved their way to the Semifinals once again with a great team effort. They had to extend a bit longer than Frölunda in their Quarterfinal matchup against IQUE, who had a sensational regular season. With their 4-2 series victory, they move on to this SHL-team rivalry on the virtual ice. As previously stated, the former Färjestad BK has relied a lot on Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg on that left wing to make things happen, but with their acquisition of André @Foppatofflan Liljegren, they have seen a big upgrade to their offense, turning it to a true triple threat situation. Färjestad definitely showcased their defensive efficiency in the quarterfinals against IQUE, and kept every game low in scoring against the very offensively talented Finnish squad. Look for a similar trend to continue against Frölunda in this bout. If the duo down low Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen and Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján can find opening for their quick forwards, that is the opportunity to strike for FBK.

In this exciting SHL-rivalry tilt, we can expect Frölunda HC to lead the way with possession, but Färjestad BK will cause them trouble with their fast counter-attacking and triple threat offense. Frölunda HC is undeniably the better unit and should be able to control play across all three zones consistently, which should lead to them having a considerable advantage in scoring chances. The goalie duel is also an interesting one, in which we see the arguably two best Swedish goalies go up against each other. Statistically it's a tough call to differentiate between Casper @ICappeI Lundgren and Johan @McSavid Rundqvist, but I'd give the edge to Cappe due to his wider understanding of the game mechanics - he also has experience of playing forward at high levels. Despite Färjestad managing to win the regular season series, I wouldn't expect them to continue on a winning path too much further. They can grab one or two wins, but Frölunda will advance in the end, let's say 4-1.

The ECL '22 Winter Lite playoffs are rapidly advancing to their Quarterfinal stage. All in all, it's been a rather straight forward run of matchups round after round, and we haven't seen that many upsets. Despite that, I'd say that Alliance HT and Hunters might be minor surprises to being seen at this stage of the season. All of the top seeded teams are still in the race for the title.

Let's move on to previewing our clashes of the round:

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY vs Alliance HT

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY are continuing their strong playoff campaign. Apart from one loss and few tighter games along the road, FILADELPHIA ACADEMY eliminated Toxicity quite comfortably. Offensive trio @xAaro89x, @mikaasi and @TEST0-RYTZE were the biggest stars in that series. Alliance HT had an exhausting seven game series against Bellizzi, so they're coming away from that carrying some baggage, but also with some valuable experience. They eventually were able to turn the series in their favor but we'll see the price they've paid when facing an even tougher opponent in the Quarterfinals. Alliance HT are definitely in a state of flow now and are confident as they got away with the series in round 2. @Awptim and @Artyom (Zakhod_99) did great last round, so keep an eye on them for Alliance. 

Prediction: 4-2 to FILADELPHIA ACADEMY

Prima eSports vs Powerhouse HC

Powerhouse HC eliminated the better seeded EHC TATNEFT AK BARS in the previous round in a seven game series. Despite being on the receiving end in several games, they were able to turn the tide and come away with crucial victories. @Jooonte90, @L4nnisto and @Burritokuningas scored many of the important goals in crucial moments and @Eiteam assisted on many of them. Powerhouse HC showed in that series by winning after hard moments the determination and skill that you need in the playoffs. They are now one of the serious contenders for winning the title. Prima eSports have cleared both the previous rounds with relative ease, winning 4-2. @Philip Deemus has been one of their most important players. Prima eSports must have noted Powerhouse HC's great form and are ready for it. Unless we'll see one team run away with this one early, it's looking like an extended series, possibly even game seven. Hard to say in this series but I have been impressed by the Powerhouse HC streak and will continue predicting in their favor. These teams also clashed in the regular season, where Prima won both games with a one goal margin. With improved form since then Powerhouse HC has all the tools to turn the tables in the most important moment of their season. 

Prediction: 4-3 to Powerhouse HC

Golden Nights vs Hunters

Golden Nights is moving forward in a very convincing way. Hunters is definitely a good team and deserving of their place by reaching this far. In Golden Nights, we see an almost complete package of the parts that are essential to a good and successful team: great puck movement, skilled individuals, and excellent teamwork. These are the factors that put them ahead of so many teams in my books. Hunters dominated against Valco and all credit to them for that, it isn't an easy thing to do against an experienced squad. Now in Golden Nights, they're facing a club that is on a different level defensively which will draw away from their offensive firepower. They'll need to find new ways to play, but if they can adapt, they could challenge. Keep an eye on @xSaski_ for Golden Nights and @Laama777 for Hunters to make things happen.

Prediction: 4-1 to Golden Nights

Linköping HC vs Mora IK

Swedish Derby! Linköping HC is one of the four top seeded teams, whereas Mora IK is arriving to challenge them. Both had tough series in round 2 and extended to a full seven games. We'll see some great goaltending on both ends of the ice, indicated by the impressive 3 shutouts for the goalies. Linköping's goalie @RaNtA is the slightly more experienced netminder and his counterpart @Jeqque44 is still looking to make his mark on the scene. This is a great chance for a success story, but due to the experience Linköping might have a minor edge in most areas. Despite that, I expect Mora to pull through and find that little bit of extra talent from their back pockets.

Prediction: 4-2 to Mora IK

As always, we're wishing all teams good luck! Play hard and have fun!

With two playoff rounds past us, we are now down to the final four. Some huge upsets nearly happened in the quarterfinals, though the sole materialized surprise was RCTIC topping Herlev Eagles. Interestingly, the remaining teams’ starting lineups consist of just Finnish players. How do the semifinals pairings match up then? Let's take a look.

Schedule

Lainaa

10.6.2 ECL Pro

Playoff Schedule

Round 1: 7.2-11.2
Quarterfinals: 14.2-18.2
Semifinals: 21.2-25.2
Finals: 28.2-3.3 (TBC)

Preview

(1) Reality Check - Stargazing  (10)

Dynastia delivered an upset in the first round, and were not too far off from doing that in the quarterfinals either. The top seed Reality Check first clawed their way back from a 0-2 deficit to tie the series 2-2, before losing the fifth game and giving the match ball to Dynastia. Despite only being one loss away from having their dreams crushed, Reality Check proved their ability to execute under pressure. By winning the last two games they secured their spot amongst the Pro division’s top four, along with at least a qualification series against an Elite team and some more cash.

Opposite Reality Check, Stargazing was the one trying to take down a higher seed in their own series. In fact they almost swept Tohtorit, leading the series 3-0 after the first night of play. They lost the following two games in overtime though, before finally finishing it off in the sixth one. A 4-2 series win was pretty much as expected, even though their opponent had done better in the regular season.

For some reason, Stargazing is in a way somewhat reminiscent of Enigma (now IQUE) from a few seasons back. They even have a common factor: @Pirtsa89 between the pipes. Stargazing’s regular season was more like the ECL 10 Pro runner up version of Enigma, which actually did not yet include Pirtsa, instead of the ECL 11 Pro Champion squad he played a big part in. It remains to be seen if they can follow those footsteps all the way to the end, or if Reality Check will take them down before they even get to the finals. Reality Check definitely have their own ambitions as well, looking to take home back-to-back championships and promotions after their Lite success last season.

One interesting storyline is @James (Jamechkin) facing his old team: he played for Reality Check in ECL 9 and 10, and in the ECL 12 Pro Qualifier. The reunions do not stop there though, as Reality Check’s @FINSeRe was @xColeslaww’s (koleslaav_) and @Flopper71’s teammate in ECL 10 and 11. They played for Rookie Mistakes, which merged with Stargazing ahead of this ongoing season.

Stargazing surely got a significant morale boost from the nearly completed sweep, along with some added mental toughness from being able to avoid getting reverse sweeped. A bit similarly, Reality Check is also sure to have toughened up from the climb back they had after an unfortunate start in the quarterfinals. Both teams have had some uniting, team-building experiences, so there is only one question – who has gained more from those and can turn it into triumph?

This will most likely be an incredibly tight series that is decided on the smallest of margins. Reality Check is the more experienced of the two, though Stargazing seems to have better momentum coming into this week. Betting against the number one seed in a series like this might be a little bold, but what are we here for if not bold predictions? The players know each other reasonably well outside ehockey too, so some friendly competitiveness will definitely add its own spice into the mix and provide extra motivation when it is needed the most.

Prediction: 3-4 Stargazing
 

(2)  JYP Jyväskylä - RCTIC  (9)

Like Reality Check, JYP Jyväskylä did not have the start of their dreams in the quarterfinals. They went down 0-2 as well, though they won the following three games before their next loss. In the end, they too were able to turn the game 7 bout into a win, ending noRex Gaming’s hot playoff campaign. Having a close call in the second round was perhaps needed after going through the first round unbeaten, it is at least sure to wake up the veteran squad to focus on the task ahead.

Thus far in the playoffs RCTIC has been plowing through opposition with surprising ease. They were not really predicted to win either of their previous series, but they did it anyways – and in what fashion: a 4-1 series win in both the first round and quarterfinals. No team has lost less games in the Pro playoffs this season.

Similarly to Stargazing and Reality Check, there are also some familiar faces between these teams: namely JYP Jyväskylä’s @vSilenttio (vee_SILE). He played with RCTIC’s @yrjoo and @Naikou88 for SIKA back in ECL 6 Pro. Naikou is a RW meanwhile vee_SILE an LD, which provides an interesting head-to-head battle between two players who certainly have some hunch about each others’ playstyles. Also of note, outside the virtual ice @Aze (AzeStiNe) has been co-hosting vee_SILE’s live ehockey podcast as of late.

JYP Jyväskylä had a proper wake up call with noRex Gaming’s form, and now face a stylistically somewhat similar RCTIC side. They will have to have learned the cause of what happened last week, and to have improved upon that, or RCTIC will capitalize ruthlessly in the same way they did when they took down Renascor and Herlev Eagles. If JYP can improve distinctively and play true to their full potential, RCTIC, or really any other team on this level for that matter, will not effectively be able to stop them from getting that championship without some impressive heroics.

Both RCTIC and JYP Jyväskylä have a tremendous amount of experience, we will see which one of the two still has more gas left in the tank. The stakes are big and there are some personal connections in this matchup as well, so on the other hand finding motivation should not be the toughest of tasks. Hunger and sheer will are what RCTIC needs to tilt this their way.

JYP Jyväskylä should be quite comfortably ahead of RCTIC, even though the “icy boys” have proven a lot of doubters wrong. Can RCTIC keep this flaming hot streak going for a while longer and make it to the finals? It does not seem too likely at the moment, however, neither did it before either of their previous series. Maybe it is indeed plausible in the end. Nevertheless, do not count RCTIC out before the games have even started. If things go right their way from the get go, they have shown the ability to do some damage even against perceivedly stronger opponents.

Prediction: JYP Jyväskylä 4-1

That is it for our semifinals preview, enjoy the action and stay tuned for the finals next week! For individual statistics, check out the team pages. To the teams, good luck and have fun, it is the journey not the goal that makes it all worth it

PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season.

• Discord
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 NHLGamers,

Time for Round 3 of the ECL Core Playoffs! Some exciting matchups are on the table and we recommend staying up to date on any streams and results by following the teams on social media. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The second round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 20th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 25th of February 2022.

Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Core playoffs:

• Round 1 6.-11.2
• Round 2 13.-18.2
• Round 3 20.-25.2
• Quarterfinals 27.2.-4.3
• Semifinals 6.3-11.3
• Finals TBA

For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team. 

Lainaa

5.8 ECL Core Playoffs
In ECL Core, 8 out of 16 teams from each group will make the playoffs, in which they will be seeded against all playoff-bound teams in ECL Core from best to worst according to the system detailed below, as well as with the general tiebreakers mentioned in 11.3.

• Group winners are seeded #1-8
• Group runners-up #9-16
• Teams that finished 3rd #17-24
• Teams that finished 4th #25-32 Page 14 of 44
• Teams that finished 5th #33-40
• Teams that finished 6th #41-48
• Teams that finished 7th #49-56
• Teams that finish 8th #57-64

The winner of ECL Core will be instantly promoted, along with the runner up, and the semifinalists. Additionally, not only will these teams have secured their spot in ECL Lite, but they will also be granted a position within the ECL Pro – Lite qualifier

Click here to view the matchups for round 2 of the ECL '22 Winter Core Playoffs

Good luck for everyone!

  NHLGamers,

We've seen some very exciting playoff action thus far in the ECL Neo division, and the games keep getting tougher! Only eight teams remain as we enter the Quarterfinals. In Neo, the playoffs consist of the top 6 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 20th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 25th of February 2022.

Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Neo playoffs:

• Round 1 6.-11.2
• Round 2 13.-18.2
• Quarters 20.-25.2
• Semis 27.2.-6.3
• Finals TBA

For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-five and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team. 

Lainaa

5.9 ECL Neo Playoffs
In ECL Neo, 24 teams will make the playoffs. These 24 teams will be made up of the top 6 from each of the 4 groups. The top two teams from each group will progress directly to the second round (seeds 1 – 8), whilst the remaining teams (seeds 9 – 24) will play in the first round, with the victor joining the top 8 seeds in the second round. As is the case with ECL Lite, the teams will be seeded based on finishing position within their group, as well as the tiebreakers mentioned in 11.3.

Here are the matchups for the Quarterfinals of the ECL '22 Winter Neo Playoffs:

Latvian Hockey Federation (1) vs Caterpillar HC (17)

Uudenmaan Oilers (2) vs HC JEUSSEN (9)

Old Hogs (4) vs Unknown Heroes (7)

Swiss Mountaineers (5) vs Huimat (6)

Good luck for everyone!

The Pro playoffs’ opening act is now done, once again with some more or less surprising results. Now it is time to turn our eyes towards the quarterfinals, beginning already tonight. The teams have so far secured around 300€ each, which of them can go even higher?

Schedule

Lainaa

10.6.2 ECL Pro

Playoff Schedule

Round 1: 7.2-11.2
Quarterfinals: 14.2-18.2
Semifinals: 21.2-25.2
Finals: 28.2-3.3 (TBC)

Preview

(1) Reality Check - Dynastia (14)

The number one seed not only in their group but also the whole division, Reality Check had a rather impressive showing in the first round, as was expected. It was not a perfect sweep though, with Hokurit taking the third game by a three goal margin on Friday before Reality Check rebounded yesterday with a 6-1 win in game 4, fueling them to another win in the next one to get the job done with a 4-1 series score. 

The game scores were a bit all over the place in Reality Check’s series, showing their ability to find wins in different ways. Other than in games 3 and 4, the eventual winners did have the majority of puck possession when looking at the statistics. An interesting note is the amount of deflections: they did not have a single one in the whole series. Even though the numbers were expected to go down a bit after the recent patch, it is surprising to see how much of a difference it has actually made.

While Reality Check were naturally the favorites in their first round matchup, Dynastia had to overcome Group 2 runner ups GHETTO FIREBIRDS to get here. Before the series it was clear they could compete IF they found a way to return to their early season form, which they did.

In the series’ first and last games Dynastia were seemingly able to put on a lot more pressure than their opponents did. In between though, the stats were nearly identical as the teams’ respective routine levels of play would have suggested. They suffered a devastating 5-0 loss in the fourth game on Tuesday, but were able to bounce back and close out the series on Thursday with a 4-2 series score.

Now that we are up to date on their recent performances, let’s get into this pairing. Reality Check should remain favorites in every matchup at least until the finals, though Dynastia proved in the last round to perhaps be better than their initial seed shows. As was said before the last round, Dynastia can make this one close but they still have a cliff to climb to get it done all the way. The games should not necessarily be expected to have any crazy fireworks and a ton of scoring, instead showing much more conservative play where small margins are the deciding factor.

@Mikka’s prediction: Reality Check 4-2

@viivimaria's prediction: Reality Check 4-1

(2)  JYP Jyväskylä - noRex Gaming (13)

JYP’s first round performance was, at least results-wise, what should be expected from a team that has been the clear number one contender since the beginning. They took GIFU Hockey down cleanly with a 4-0 sweep, only conceding one goal in the process. GIFU was able to mount a challenge surprisingly well, but JYP’s experience showed when it mattered and they were able to turn the tight games into wins.

Similarly to Dynastia, noRex Gaming were able to take down the opposite group’s runner up in six games to get here. The first three games against HanaaHC were quite high scoring, though still decided in the overtime. One goal margins and overtimes seemed to be the name of the game, as the series wrapped up with three 1-0 contests, the last two of which went to OT. Even though the scores were similar, each individual game played out in quite different ways. In the end the German organization found multiple ways to win and were able to prevail.

Thus far this season, JYP has seen a bit of a dip in their performance every time they have been exposed to the Central server. For that reason noRex’s chance to strike should be in their home games. It will be interesting to see if the Finns can steadily plow through another opponent with a clean sweep, or if they meet some actual challenge in noRex.

Patience is a virtue, and noRex will need to find that against JYP. In the first round they were at times able to defend relatively well against HanaaHC’s possession, they just need to shut down the net front and keep JYP cycling on the outside. The center matchup will be crucial in this series which is quite heavily tilted to JYP’s side.

@Mikka’s prediction: JYP Jyväskylä 4-1

@viivimaria's prediction: JYP Jyväskylä 4-2

(5)  Tohtorit - Stargazing  (10)

After a surprisingly good regular season, Tohtorit had a tougher time than expected with Sulkavan Sudet, only getting the deciding fourth win in game 7. Another series with solely one goal margins except for the third game, Tohtorit were still able to dominate at times. Quite a meaningless, though still interesting fact is that the home team won every game in the series. 

Based on the small sample size of a six game series, Stargazing’s points distribution seems to have evolved towards being more even throughout their forwards. They took down a similarly skilled Sinister side with a 4-2 series score, yet again with one goal margins after a 0-2 loss in the first game. A big percentage of goals from both sides were scored during the last few minutes of play.

Even though Stargazing did not get their goal scoring rolling at the same top level as Tohtorit did during the regular season, both teams are at their core more offensively inclined and possess a lot of individual skill. Still, hopes should not be held too high in regards to eventful high octane hockey.

Mistakes will be costly and either team could win, but Stargazing takes the edge on paper due to the big difference in experience. Goaltending and neutral zone play should be at the center of this matchup, as well as overall team defending.

@Mikka’s prediction: 2-4 Stargazing

@viivimaria's prediction: Tohtorit 4-3

(6)  Herlev Eagles - RCTIC  (9) Written by @viivimaria

For the upcoming playoff series, Herlev Eagles will go out as a slight favorite after beating Deadly Phantoms 4-1 in the first round of their postseason. That series was a very tightly contested fight and all games were low-scoring bouts. It's very telling that two of those games extended to overtime and three matches ended with a difference of only one goal.

In the first round of the playoffs against Deadly Phantoms, Herlev Eagles' decisive players were Jere @keranee Keränen, who totaled 10 points throughout the series, whereas Steffen @Mr Steffmeister Sutherland and Martin @vibholm10 Vibholm both scored eight points each in the five games played.

RCTIC also defeated Renascor 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs. If the series between Herlev and Deadly Phantoms was eve, so was this one. With four out of five matches ending with a difference of just one goal and three requiring a decisive goal in overtime. 

RCTIC's win in the first round series was guaranteed by the teams attacking trio, who managed to inflict a lot of damage at the opponent's defensive end. In the first round, the teams top scorer was Janne @Limbe65 Lindberg, with his ten points through five played games. Tomi @yrjoo Nenonen and Niko @Naikou88 Heikkilä are at nine points each.

We're expecting these two to fight it out in a very tight series, which is why high-scoring games and beautiful connections might not be the theme. Accurate defensive play and high conversion percentage on chances given are the main points. Both teams certainly have the skill and desire to advance, now it comes down to the form of the day.

@viivimaria's prediction: Herlev Eagles 4-3

@Mikka’s prediction: Herlev Eagles 4-1

As always, thanks for reading and good luck to the remaining teams!

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The ECL Winter '22 Lite season is already in round 2 of the playoffs! Most of the matchups in Round 1 went in favor of the better seeded teams and very few upsets were seen in the end. This time, the teams are more evenly matched, and a lot of tough battles could be seen. We are expecting some of the teams like Powerhouse HC and Project X to continue their success stories.

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY (1) vs Toxicity (25)

Toxicity eliminated Tadpole in a full seven game series. That might have been exhausting while FILADELPHIA ACADEMY had a little easier series a 4-0 sweep of RoKi eSports. Toxicity had very good attacking games in their previous series against Tadpole and exploded int two 7-goal victories, but also had some tighter games, which could indicate some form fluctuation. They have capabilites for good discliplined defensive also but there is some firepower in their attack, @topetsi with 5+7=12 points in the previous round as an example. Thus far, FILADEPLHIA ACADEMY hardly have shown all they got and beat RoKi in rather tight one goal margin games, with one exception. They are a strong favorite and are expected to continue in their winning ways.

Prediction: 4-2 to FILADELPHIA ACADEMY

Prima eSport (2) vs Project X (22)

We've got a favorite vs a minor underdog situation on our hands. In the first round, Prima had to struggle all the way to a game 6, whereas Project X managed to overgome Arkham Asylum, quite surprisingly with relative ease. In the Prima eSports vs Ace Hockey series the games were mostly very tight but in the end the difference in individual skill began to show. Project X is definitely a step up from their previous opposition, so Prima eSports need to boost their level in order to advance. Prima eSports is a minor favorite in this series but Project X should not be forgotten. @Henka0009 with 4+9=13 and @oggezed with 9+3=12 have been lethal for Prima, and Project X will need to eliminate these two, while keeping other threats in check in order to cause a minor upset in this one. This could be a tight series, definitely extending to more than four games.

Prediction: 4-3 to Project X

Golden Nights (3) vs Armada Hockey (19)

Golden Nights are continuing quite convincingly on the path they took in the regular season, and are one of the biggest contenders in winning the jackpot. They've got so much talent on their roster and move the puck with speed unlike many other teams in the division. Especially players like @JJimbo-, @xSaski_ and @Patadevils have stuck out as their top performers to this point. Armada Hockey caused some waves in the first round by eliminating favorite Kymmenelta Baariin. They are still an underdog in this one and lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place. Despite their strong showings and history of eliminating big dogs, Armada won't be able to match the speed and talent of Golden Nights.

Prediction: 4-1 to Golden Nights
 

Linköping HC (4) vs Spirit (17)

Linköping HC was dominant in their round 1 series against Central Hockey Canucks despite the relatively close results. Linköping HC did what the favorite is expected to do and by keeping their standard level high, eliminated their opponent. Spirit eliminated The Last Line unexpectedly in four straight games although winning was not a major surprise itself. I'd say that the Swedes are still a favorite in this series, but the opposition gets considerably tougher, and Spirit might be able to challenge them. Spirit is definitely able to handle tough situations, as they extended into OT in three games out of four in round 1 and handled the situations nicely. @Toivonen_ scored the OT winning goal in two of their wins. He showed great qualities in critical moments like a star player should, something Spirit will desperately need in this series. 

Prediction: 4-1 to Linköping HC
 

Bellizzi (5) vs Alliance HT (15)

Bellizzi was one step ahead of their previous round opponent SEVERSTAL CHEREPOVETS throughout their first round matchup, which eventually pushed them through. Alliance HT, on the other hand, managed to beat Including Me for four wind required to move on. Now, the challenge is really tough for Bellizzi, who will especially need to overcome Alliance HT final lock, experienced goaltender @s_w1ld_rus, who can steal games for his team when at his best. The goalie duel will be fierce, as Bellizzi's @LT-XI_ also boasts a great 87,1 SV% and 2 shotouts. Low scoring games are a likely outcome if the goalies are in form in this series.

Prediction: 4-2 to Alliance HT
 

Mora IK (6) vs Bastu (13)

One of the most interesting pairs in round 2. Both have been in great shape this season and they have continued in good form in the playoffs. Game 7 won't be a miracle in this series. You can expect even games with two good teams with minimal difference compared to each other. Focus and the form of the night will play a massive role in these games. One moment of lack of concentration can be crucial. Mora IK has a slight advantage when it comes to mental attributes and team play, whereas I'd see that Bastu is the slightly more skilled team on an individual level. The player to watch in this bout is Bastu goaltender @Giinis, who played an excellent round 1 with an over 92 SV%.

Prediction: 4-2 to Mora IK

EHC TATNEFT AK BARS (7) vs Powerhouse HC (12)

EHC TATNEFT AK BARS eliminated Stone Age in four games which were close ones, whereas Powerhouse HC managed to beat Baby Goons in the first round, with @L4nnisto being the dominant figure in the decisive 5-3 win. Powerhouse HC needs to be careful with @Gavrilov95, who scored several important goals for AK BARS in the first round series and now leads his team in scoring with 4+3=7 together with @Nester4343. Powerhouse HC has firepower to oppose that threat as @Burritokuningas was one of the dominant figures in the series against Baby Goons with 5+9=14, and players like Lannisto mentioned before have that X-factor to explode at any given moment. I'd expect this series to extend a bit further than four games.

Prediction: 4-2 to Powerhouse HC
 

Valco (9) vs Hunters (10)

This could be an interesting one, the established roster of Valco is going up against Hunters, who are a rather new club in the scene. @itspardytime 9+2=11 and @Teme 3+6=9 were the key figures in Valco's first round series against Ultimatum, which they took home with a sweep in brilliant fashion. Hunters had a close series against TTK with @Vale16 5+4=9 coming up big when needed the most by his team. Both goalies, @Jugi9 with 88,68 SV% for Valco and @Miettinen14 with 76,32 SV% for Hunters are in form. The experience of Valco could be what pushes them through in this series, but Hunters will pose a good challenge.

Prediction: 4-2 to Valco

Good luck to all teams!
 

We are in for several very exciting series straight from the get-go. It's been a very tough season for several teams, and there's whispers in the wind about a new champion on the come up, perhaps. We're mere hours away from puckdrop for the first series of this seasons playoffs, and it's really tough to know what to expect. Honestly, we've got more serious contenders than ever before, with the tough times the likes of GOONS and HAVU Gaming have fallen into, and the challenge that SAWO ESPORTS have posed, there's no telling what is going to happen, so you'll have to tune in with us tonight at 19:45 CET.

Lainaa

Here's the schedule for the ECL '22 Winter Elite Quarterfinals:
Monday, February 14th
20:00 CET - #7 Granit vs #2 SAWO G1
20:30 CET - #2 SAWO vs #7 Granit G2
21:15 CET - #8 GOONS vs #1 hREDS G1
21:45 CET - #1 hREDS vs #8 GOONS G2
Tuesday, February 15th
20:00 CET - #6 HAVU vs #3 Frölunda G1 
20:30 CET - #3 Frölunda vs #6 HAVU G2 
21:15 CET - #5 IQUE vs #4 FBK G1
21:45 CET - #4 FBK vs #5 IQUE G2
Wednesday, February 16th
20:00 CET - #8 GOONS vs #1 hREDS G3
20:30 CET - #1 hREDS vs #8 GOONS G4
20:00 CET - #7 Granit vs #2 SAWO G3
20:30 CET - #2 SAWO vs #7 Granit G4
20:00 CET - #5 IQUE vs #4 FBK G3
20:30 CET - #4 FBK vs #5 IQUE G4
21:15 CET - #6 HAVU vs #3 Frölunda G3
21:45 CET - #3 Frölunda vs #6 HAVU G4
Thursday, February 17th
20:00 CET - #6 HAVU vs #3 Frölunda G5
20:30 CET - #3 Frölunda vs #6 HAVU G6
21:00 CET - #6 HAVU vs #3 Frölunda G7 
21:15 CET - #5 IQUE vs #4 FBK G5 
21:45 CET - #4 FBK vs #5 IQUE G6 
22:15 CET - #5 IQUE vs #4 FBK G7
21:15 CET - #7 Granit vs #2 SAWO G5 
21:45 CET - #2 SAWO vs #7 Granit G6 
22:15 CET - #7 Granit vs #2 SAWO G7 
21:15 CET - #8 GOONS vs #1 hREDS G5 
21:45 CET - #1 hREDS vs #8 GOONS G6 
22:15 CET - #8 GOONS vs #1 hREDS G7 

 hREDS (1) vs  GOONS (8)
TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen 30 GP, 47+23=70 vs Roope @pikkuroger Bergström 30 GP, 32+21=53

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Filip @Faze91- Azri 30 GP, 25 W, 83,26 SV%, 1.2 GAA, 8 SO vs Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu 30 GP, 17 W, 80,26 SV%, 2 GAA, 5 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
25-2-3 vs 17-9-4

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
1-2 OT, 3-0

After winning their first ECL Elite title last season it feels like hREDS have found a new level as now they were able to win the regular season in ECL 22 Winter too. The only team that were able to beat them in both regular season games were their last season finals opponent Frölunda HC. Maybe the best way to describe the REDS domination is to take a look at some of the leagues player stats. As crazy as it seems, hREDS has all of their forwards in the top 3 point producers and both defenders at the top of the standings when it comes to defenders scoring. A top team also needs a top goalie and Filip @Faze91- Azri has been that for hREDS with the second best saving percentage and most wins in the league. The one thing they could use some improvement on is faceoffs, in which they performed below the 50% level throughout the 30-game regular season.

The regular season didn't go as planned for GOONS but the main thing was that they managed to secure the last playoff spot. In the first round they have huge mountain to climb against the best European team there is right now. In their inaugural Elite season last year, the team faltered in the Quarterfinals at the hands of Farjestad BK, and they're determined to do better now. Roope @pikkuroger Bergströms goal scoring power has been their biggest strength in offense. The youngster lit the lamp a total of 32 times, which put him at fourth best in the league. One thing that was a weakness for GOONS were their powerplay - a 6% success rate will not fly at the highest level of European virtual hockey.

In the regular season, GOONS was able to cause hREDS one of their five losses. In the first game, GOONS managed to steal a 2-1 win with a last minute OT goal and in the second game hREDS did shut their doors by winning 3-0. This series can be a really tight battle if GOONS are able to bump up their game. We will see how experienced netminder Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu matches up against @Faze91- in the goalie battle because it will be a big difference maker in this series. As I already mentioned about GOONS, their powerplay hasn't shined but when you add the fact that hREDS has had the best penalty kill percentage with 96.55%, you can't understate the importance of special units in this series. In the physical department, these teams couldn't be further from each other in terms of aggression level. hREDS has had less hits than any other team with 165 and on the other side GOONS has had second most of them with 384. Every mistake could be costly in this series with both having skillful forwards. Even if GOONS could get their game going better than it was in regular season it's impossible for them to match hREDS right now. The reigning champion will continue their journey towards a possible back to back with a 4-1 series win. 

 SAWO ESPORTS (2) vs  Granit Gaming (7)
TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Jere @jxrska Laukka 30 GP, 31+32=63 vs Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 30 GP, 22+28=50

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 30 GP, 23 W, 89,8 SV%, 0.93 GAA, 11 SO vs Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg 16 GP, 9 W, 78,23 SV%, 2 GAA, 4 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
25-4-1 vs 18-10-2

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
1-2, 2-1 OT

What a run SAWO ESPORTS is on in their new colors. It's been great to watch these young talents come together to form a squad that could truly challenge those at the top. One of biggest reasons for the Karelian's making it to the top 2 in the regular season was their goalie Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen. In his second season as a starting goalie in Elite, the talented netminder topped the stats in both best save percentage and lowest GAA. The whole defensive game has to be on fire when your team only lets in one goal per game and their offense hasn't left any questions unanswered either, since both wingers can be found in the top 10 point producers and center Aleksi @MozjaTG(mozjayh) Kähkönen had the third most assists. Compared to Granit Gaming, SAWO's players have less playoff games played. The Finnish guys still have experience from tough games but winning in this first round would definitely boost their confidence for the future. 

Granit Gaming was one of the few teams that managed to steal points from SAWO in the regular season, and despite that being some weeks ago, it could be an indication of Granit's style of play matching up very well against SAWO. This talented Swedish lineup will in for a tough test right away in their first playoff round together. Their offense has a good balance in this lineup as scoring is divided very evenly, showing that they have several go-to options. From the defense you can also find a good mix of offensive skill and defensive awareness. Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann and Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt are known for their great chemistry and again it's evident from the defenders scoring leaders. In goal they have two potential guys but right now it looks like Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen will get the start in the playoffs. He joined Granit mid-season and will face the best goalie in the regular season in this matchup. One decisive factor is how well they can defend against the leagues third most effective offense.

The fact that Granit was able to get more points out of the regular season series is making this matchup even more exciting. These starting points will foretell long series for us. The special units differential for these teams isn't that big so if some scouting has been done to expose potential weaknesses, that could make a big difference. SAWO's balance between offense and defense will be a little bit too much for Granit and the hungry young guys will go to the semifinals in 6 games. 
 

 Frölunda HC (3) vs  HAVU Gaming (6)
TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Erik @Eki Tammenpää 30 GP, 38+24=62 vs Juho @Juigelson Kinnunen 30 GP, 30+31=61

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 28 GP, 21 W, 78,3 SV%, 1.82 GAA, 6 SO vs Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos 30 GP, 10 W, 79,39 SV%, 1.69 GAA, 3 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
22-5-3 vs 20-7-3

REGULAR SEASON MATCHUP
2-1 OT, 1-4

This is going to be a wild one for sure. The history between these two can't be missed and anyone who's been along for the ride is surely beside themselves about seeing such a delicious matchup this early on. Countless titles have been a fight between these ensembles, and now, due to other strong outfits emerging to contest them, we find Frölunda and HAVU going up against each other in the Quarterfinals. Several established teams have found themselves struggling with the meta this season, but Frölunda has been among those who have adjusted successfully. Perhaps a bit uncharacteristically, Erik @Eki Tammenpää has been the guy found in front of the net, shoveling pucks into the twine, while the rest of the team have found roles fitting that style of play. Make no mistake, however, Frölunda is able to transition smoothly into their possession play and patient controlling of the pace, but they are definitely able to do the dirty work that the game needs from time to time. On defense, Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila and Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta have been rock solid, and especially the latter stands out as one of the most accurate and reliable breakout guys in the league. In net, we know that Casper @ICappeI Lundgren is perhaps the most solid performer you'll find when it comes to big games and having him as backstopper definitely gives this team a boost. 

HAVU Gaming have been falling into some tough times for quite some time already, but somehow they always find a way to be competitive, no matter how difficult the going looks from the outside. Captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha is the definition of a heart-and-soul player, who will do everything in his might to make his team succeed together with his centerman Risto @Dominointi Järvi. The solid play of this duo has allowed for new recruit Juho @Juigelson Kinnunen to blossom, but a more sustainable symbiosis between the three would be required for postseason success. We'll have to see what they can do when it's time for puckdrop. On the back-end, we've been treated with the exceptional play of Wille @willekunq Juntunen and Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto, who continue to be one of the most complete duos in the league. HAVU can go one of two ways when picking a netminder, but we know that both guys will get the job done in a tough spot. 

Both clubs walked away with a victory in the regular season series, but from this matchup, only one can come away unscathed. Frölunda looked a bit out of focus in the regular season from time to time, but at this point, they will definitely bring it all, especially against a dear rival like HAVU Gaming. Based on what we've seen this season, it would be a surprise if HAVU would be able to overcome the Indians in a long series, but you never know. We'll throw caution to the wind with a bold 4-1 series prediction in favor of Frölunda HC.
 

  Färjestad BK (4) vs  IQUE (5)
TOP SCORER (Regular season)
Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg 30 GP, 29+21=50 vs Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko 30 GP, 24+22=46

GOALTENDER (Regular season)
Johan @McSavid Rundqvist 26 GP, 19 W, 80,57 SV%, 2.12 GAA, 3 SO vs Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen 30 GP, 21 W, 83,22 SV%, 1.63 GAA, 7 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
22-7-1 vs 21-8-1

REGULAR SEASON MATCHUP
0-5, 2-0

The semifinals have been a curse for Färjestad, who have made the playoffs consistently over the past few seasons, but have never managed to cross that treshold that would solidify them among the top contenders. Losing a couple of key pieces over the offseason and coming together in their final formation mere days before puckdrop for the regular season caused them to be underestimated, but once again, the squad under command of Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson came through, collecting a franchise high 45 points in the regular season and gaining them a favourable position going into the quarterfinals. The Swedish outfit looks really good in time for the playoffs and their offense with Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg and André @Foppatofflan Liljegren flanking Maise is certainly more balanced than ever before. Defensively, however, the team has had some fluctuation along the way, causing them to bleed a bit too much along the way. That is one thing they are hoping to get in check heading into this matchup, since their opponent has the skill to capitalize on any given opportunity.

The excellent performance of IQUE is one of the greatest surprises of the regular season. They had to make some changes over the offseason and while their recruits were talented, none could expect that they'd be even stronger than before. It's been a great team effort all season long for IQUE, but one player that has definitely exceeded expectations is centerman Aaro @Ikavalko Ikavalko, who joined the club after spending a few seasons away from the Elite spotlight, and immediately set a personal high in scoring, while staying responsible on defense too. Captain Janne @Nieppii Niemelä is a beast with the puck and plays a big part in generating offense for the team, while they've been able to lock things up defensively thanks to great efforts by Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi and Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen down low. One of the greatest success stories has been the development of goalie Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen, who has bounced back nicely after some time away from the spotlight.

This is a series that is a real coin toss. Färjestad is a team that tends to be underestimated, but they prove doubters wrong time and time again, and it feels like we are at a similar crossroad again. IQUE has all the skill to win this series, but there's an intuition that FBK will not let it go. Therefore, we're predicting a tough seven game series, ending in a FBK win.

Join us tonight for the ECL Winter '22 Elite Quarterfinals at www.twitch.tv/sportsgamergg. We're kicking things off at 19:00 CET with a season recap, after which it's time for puckdrop!

As always, with each new NHL game comes the risk that EA may inadvertently introduce a bugged mechanic that players can abuse to gain a distinct advantage. Whilst ‘R1 blocking’ another player has been in the game for a couple years now, we feel that it has gotten to the stage where a post is required to get everyone up to speed on what is, and what is not, allowed regarding it.
 

What is allowed:

• Trying to reach the puck with your stick extended towards the puck
• Staying in front of your opponent while skating towards a loose puck
• Blocking a passing lane
• Preserving previously gained body position by standing in your opponent’s way and having them skate around you

What is not allowed:

• Purposefully and actively blocking your opponent’s skating lane
• Blatantly blocking the opposing player by putting your stick / arm in front of them without trying to reach for the puck
• Negating your opponent’s body position advantage by wrapping your stick / arm around them from behind.

Then is some overlap in what is allowed and what is not as ultimately some level of blocking naturally occurs over the course of a game. However, the intention of this is to eliminate people exploiting the fact that the game does not recognise interference unless you hit an opponent who does not have the puck – i.e., do not do something that would be classed as interference in real life.

In the event of cases where a player toes the line between what is allowed and what is not, some level of leniency will be applied. Do not take this as an invitation to routinely test how far LA will bend on the matter however, as whilst the benefit of the doubt will be applied in one-off cases, we will still nevertheless punish those that we feel are making it a habit of pushing the boundary between legal and illegal. Naturally, this benefit of the doubt will not be applied if we also deem the blocking to be blatant.

It should also be mentioned that cases involving blocking allegations need to be reported immediately, not days after the fact, and be paired with good quality video material. Cases that have not been reported via the support tool will NOT be investigated by LA.

To further illustrate the line between legal and illegal, we have attached four videos:

Clip One

In this, between 26:32 – 26:37, the LW (green icon) for the team in white was interfered with. This is due to the defender on the other team purposefully and actively blocking their skating lane, moving in front to block the LWs path whenever he attempted to skate around him.

Clip Two

The defending player for the team in white was initially blocking a passing lane with his stick, and therefore was abiding by the rules. However, towards the end of the play they turned into the attacking player and blocked them by putting their stick / arm in front of them without trying to reach for the puck. This turn was highly questionable and whilst on its own it did not elicit punishment, any further reoccurring incidents like this from the defending player could bring about punishment.

It should be noted that the quality of this clip is not up to the quality we expect to be provided and handheld recording should be avoided.

Clip Three

The defender for the team in orange interfered with the forward from the team in white by blatantly blocking the opposing player by putting their stick / arm in front of them without trying to reach for the puck. By extending their stick / arm across the body of the attacking player, the defender slowed down the opposing player, reducing the danger of the potential breakaway.

Clip Four

The defender for the team in green interfered with the RW (blue icon) on the opposing team by purposefully and actively blocking their opponent’s skating lane.

We have received some questions regarding why we haven't suspended people for the so-called "R1-block". There are a few things that contribute to this.

• The original rule was written for blatant cases like clip 4 (which was not a League Administrative case and settled between the two teams). The rulebook now links to this thread to give the reader concrete examples of what we hope explain clear and unclear cases.
• We have received quite a lot of "R1" footage where we could not without a shadow of doubt say that the intention was interference rather than blocking the passing lane. 
• The "R1 block" in clip 3 is probably the most blatant use we have seen and while we contemplated a suspension of two games for the player in question, we recognized that we have not successfully drawn the line before in cases like this and the player in question's team has previously been told - about what we see as unclear cases of R1 blocking -that there was no interference. As such, we are now slightly tuning the rule to make it more clear and sharing how this rule will be interpreted

We hope that this has cleared up some questions regarding rule 9.2.4 as well given everyone an insight into what we (LA) deem to be legal vs. illegal. If you have any further questions that you would like to be answered regarding this, please do not hesitate to let us know down below and we will do our best to try to answer them – after all, given that this issue is fundamentally a judgement call, we all need to be on the same page and understand what is allowed and what is not. As a general thought though, with reference to rule 9.1, if you are ever unsure about whether an event in game should be allowed (does not have to be exclusive to legal vs. illegal interference with a player), ask yourself whether you would be happy being on the receiving end of what you are doing – if not, do not do it.

Again, as this is possibly the most subjective rule in the rulebook, we ask that we are able to have an open and non-judgemental discussion to find a community consensus on what you see as interference and what not. Please share your thoughts in the comments section, as we are willing to adjust the rule ahead of ECL '22: Spring based on community feedback.