News: News

Meet The ECL '22 Spring Cover Gamer: Niklas "UhNikke" Nieminen from SAWO ESPORTS

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 18:06:00 +0000

After his dominant showing in the ECL '22 Winter Elite season, it is only right that the selection for the Spring season cover gamer would be Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen. In his first season as a bona fide Elite starter, he outclassed the competition and helped his team reach a #2 seed into the playoffs, which eventually ended up in a disappointment.

after having started his competitive gaming career back in early 2018 with a team called Hokidogit, things have progressed quite fast for uhNikke. The 20 year old born and raised in Lohja, Finland took to the goaltender position due to necessity and has stayed on that path ever since. What really calls to him in playing the position is the fact that every game, you have a chance to either make or break it for your team. Things really took off in the fall of 2018, when the then very inexperienced netminder was picked up Delusion (now hREDS) to be their sole goaltender for their inaugural campaign in ECL 9 Pro - a season that ended in a Championship and promotion to the Elite division.

Eventually, his tenure with hREDS ended up extending all the way until the fall of 2021 with one short sting with Tunnel Vision in between, but due to completing his military service, the goaltender didn't play too much and actually considered calling it quits at that point of his career.

Now, six months and one ECL campaign with SAWO ESPORTS later, we are looking at a player at the top of his game, very eager to strap on the pads and to get the new season going. We reached out to Nikke for a short chat about the honor of being named ECL '22 Cover player alongside the prestigious group.

List of previous ECL cover gamers:
ECL 8: Erik @Eki Tammenpää
ECL 9: Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen
ECL 10: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren
ECL 11: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha
ECL 12: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen
ECL '22 Winter: Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann & Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt

First of all, congrats on the selection! You're entering great company, what does it mean for you to be the Spring season cover gamer?
"Thanks! I'm very grateful to be in this position at this point of my career. I was close to calling it quits when I got our of the military but decided to give it one last shot with Tunnel Vision (now SAWO ESPORTS), and the result ended up being something great. Back in ECL 12 when my then teammate Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen was the cover gamer I dared to dream of one day being at the top myself, and it's amazing how that's been manifested."

You are now representing the entire league as a role model for other players, but also as the archetype of what the current top level gamer is, what do you think are some of the most important qualities a person in that position should possess?
"Definitely a certain level of humility, but at the same time an immense hunger to succeed. With that I think you need to have a constant will to better yourself and take advice in order to do that. What separates a good player from a great player is often calmness, communication, and the ability to read the game."

You've been a part of several different teams over the course of your career, barring your current one, what has been the most fun time of your career and why?
"Probably the biggest step for my career has been when I joined Nordic Stars in 2019, which kind of put my name out there. Things progressed rather quick and when I joined Delusion for their first season in Pro, I was in for the biggest learning experience of my career. The atmosphere in that team is something else and it was evident from day one how much they really want to be the best out there."

When you joined Delusion for ECL 9 Pro, you were filling the shoes of legendary @ICappeI as a rookie goaltender at the level, how did that feel?
"Obviously I knew the stature of my predecessor, but I'm not the type to put too much pressure on myself and honestly didn't think about it too much. The boys put a lot of faith in me and I just did my thing."

Who are some of the players you've looked up to over the course of your gaming career, not only because of their skills but perhaps their personalities?
"Well, for my personal success a big thank you would go to Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen and the entire hREDS team, I looked up to them then and still respect them a lot for their desire to improve on a daily level. One player I've never played with but have followed closely throughout in Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos, who I hold in high regard and have tried to emulate my own game after. Last season I felt I was in the zone and haven't really followed others that much."

Last but not least, a couple of thoughts on the upcoming season, who do you think will be contenders? Any interesting new outfits to look out for?
"Firstly, I'm very excited for our own team. After the season we had in our last outing and with the addition of Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila from Frölunda HC I feel we're stronger than ever and are destined for success. The return of Falun Coal Miners is interesting and they've got a decent chance at the playoffs due to the history they've got together and their experience level. Some of the teams that are going to elevate their level should be YMCA Esports and Örebro Hockey. YMCA has one of the best goalies in the league (Ben @benu Rinnet) and a roster that's been together for a long time, whereas Örebro is getting an influx of talent through Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen, who I can see helping them out a lot. Besides ourselves, the biggest contenders are hREDS and Frölunda HC."

Sunday, 10th of April marks the start for our ECL '22 Spring Elite season and you'll see uhNikke take the ice with SAWO ESPORTS right away in their featured matchup against ECL '22 Winter runner-ups Frölunda HC. We expect to have a thriller on our hands, so make sure to join us at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG on Sunday at 17:45 CEST!

ECL '22 Spring Elite: Season Preview Part 2 - Throwing down the gauntlet

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 19:16:00 +0000

It's time to get underway with he second part of our ECL '22 Spring Elite Season Preview, consisting out of teams predicted to finish in the middle of the pack. Find out who we've put outside of the playoff picture, and who will grab the last available postseason spots.

Season information

To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article.

Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Elite season:

Regular season: 10.4-25.5.
Playoffs:
- Quarterfinals: 30.5-2.6.
- Semifinals: 5.-8.6.
- Live Finals: 17.-18.6.
Grand finals (if needed): 19.6.

Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Elite division will be on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday with feature broadcasts on every gameday at the SportsGamer Twitch at 17:45 CEST on Sundays and 19:45 CEST on Mondays and Wednesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 10.4.

You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Elite league page.

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.

Teams battling for playoff position - Throwing down the gauntlet

It's time to introduce the middle of the pack, the positions where we expect the fiercest battles to go down, where all teams will be throwing down the collective gauntlet so to speak. As usual, we should see quite the fight go down all season long and into the very final rounds of the regular season. In the winter season, a rather unusually large gap was formed between the 9th and 8th spot, but with all teams seeing exponential growth over the offseason, we're expecting a tough grind to the finish line. Some of these squads are still young and possess the tools to go all they way if they end up clicking, but they have fallen short in previous seasons. This is the time to do all they can and see if all of their potential and hard work will come to fruition.

5. HAVU Gaming (Written by @ose16)
ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals

The long-time contenders have seen a steady decline over the past few seasons and with the transfer of former captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha to rival Frölunda HC, it appears that the glory days of HAVU Gaming would be over, at least for now. As a result, it's seemed that the team has rotated their lineup wildly over the course of the offseason, and they still might not have a final answer for which ensemble they're going to go with come opening night. Regardless of what they will choose, we are certain that the sheer routine level in their roster will be enough to earn them at least a playoff position.

Player to watch: Ilmari @Buantso(Puantso) Lehkonen

A massive comeback to ECL Elite and the familiar HAVU. After many championships in the black and green, played one season with JYP Jyväskylä in the Pro division. Like you could predict, he was on a completely different level among the Pro players and was the biggest factor for JYP winning the championship. Looking to help HAVU climb back toward the top.

6. IQUE (Written by @ose16)
ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals

IQUE was one of the most pleasant surprises last season, as they managed to gain fifth place finish for a rather favorable postseason push, but didn't quite find their game against the notoriously difficult opponent Färjestad BK. Like almost all the teams also IQUE had some movement happening in the offseason as Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila already came to IQUE from Frölunda HC but before the start of the season moved on to SAWO ESPORTS. Now it's expected that IQUE will continue with exact same lineup. Goalie Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen had his breakout last season and if not earlier at least now has proven to be a solid Elite netminder. It's interesting to see could last season's biggest dark horse renew their playoff spot and maybe get to the next round.

Player to watch: Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko

After a couple of Pro and Lite seasons, he made the comeback to Elite last season and did so in successful fashion as he was the best goal scorer and point producer for his team. If IQUE was the surprise team last season, Ikavalko was the surprise individual.

7. GOONS
ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Quarterfinals

Whereas IQUE were a pleasant surprise last season, GOONS definitely disappointed and there's no tip-toeing around that fact. The team led by Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola has all the tools to be a true contender, but is yet to fully come out of their shell. They have the experience in goaltender Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu and defenseman Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen, whereas forwards Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen and Roope @pikkuroger Bergström represent some of the most highly touted prospects in the game. Now, if ever, is the time for this team to start improving and inching towards performing at their own level, there is lots of room to improve and if these guys manage to hit a home run, they're championship caliber.

Player to watch: Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen

After surprising with IQUE back in ECL 12, the young center decided that a move to GOONS would benefit his career. While his individual numbers were slightly better due to the higher production of the team, his overall play didn't progress as much as expected. Now is the season he should make the step to the top player discussion.

8. JYP Jyväskylä
ECL '22 Winter Pro season: Champions

After one season away from ECL Elite action, JYP Jyväskylä is back at the top where they arguably belong. The team has had an intensive offseason with a hard grind, mainly in order to facilitate the arrival of new left winger Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala, who has some big boots to fill as the replacement of Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen, without any competitive experience above ECL Lite for that matter. The rest of the team more than makes up for that experience and the fact that the other forwards Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and Santeri @indi969 Pendolin have played side by side since late 2018 will certainly make the adjustment process much easier. As no other major changes happened for the squad, we are expecting them to be a fringe playoff team that could end up taking off big time if they are able to utilize their full potential.

Player to watch: Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala

It's highly unusual to see such a green player entering Elite competition. The potential of the young man is undeniable and it's not like we haven't seen similar tricks from JYP in the past, this signing has some striking similarity to that of Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen back before ECL 11. It's easy to predict a breakout season incoming.

9. Roots Gaming

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 9th

Roots Gaming took the Elite division by storm last season, as they managed to pave their way into the division through additional Qualifiers and immediately made an impact, falling just short of the playoffs. Since then, the team hasn't made any changes and frankly, why should they? They have everything going for them with their young roster and the generous amounts of untapped potential. We'd be surprised if this team hasn't only gotten better with the time they've spent together and they should definitely be able to challenge for a spot in the playoffs. Look for the great puck movement and individual skill between forwards Linus @Limu95 Christiansson, Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen and Samuli @ssampee37 Mäntylä.

Player to watch: Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen

The captain is arguably his teams most important player. After being the most productive forward last season, now is a good time to build on that accolade and rise to the discussion of the top players in the division.

10. ZSC Esports

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 10th

The Swiss lions hailing from Zürich have successfully claimed their place in Elite. A 10th place finish in the winter season can be seen as a moderate success for them and they are definitely starting to get more comfortable competing against the big boys, despite still being in an underdog position in most of their matchups. Zürich have made only one change in the offseason, bringing in former noRex Gaming forward Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg, who is going to man the left wing besides captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi and Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner. This entails that offensively, the team looks to be their most balanced ensemble yet, with the wingers having scoring responsibility and center supporting as the complete player he is. On defense, these guys continue going with Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and Reto @Haldeem Haldemann, which has worked for them in the past and in net Reto @afc_Tschitsch (eTschitsch) Ulrich hopes to continue building on a great last season.

Player to watch: Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner

The winger is notorious for being very aggressive off the puck and plays a hard hitting game. Possesses a lot of mechanical skill and would definitely be eager to improve on the personal level after not really getting the scoring going in the winter season.

Now we've only got one more to go! On Friday evening, we'll return for the final part of our ECL '22 Spring Elite season preview and with that, finish off our prediction rankings. Who do you think will be the call for Champion?

ECL '22 Spring Elite: Season Preview Part 1 - On the outside looking in

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 08:43:00 +0000

We're finally inching closer towards the start of the new Elite season and excitement is in the air! We'll get our season previews started by looking over teams that we expect to finish outside of the playoff race first.

Season information

To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article.

Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Elite season:

Regular season: 10.4-25.5.
Playoffs:
- Quarterfinals: 30.5-2.6.
- Semifinals: 5.-8.6.
- Live Finals: 17.-18.6.
Grand finals (if needed): 19.6.

You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Elite league page.

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

Teams out of the playoff picture - on the outside looking in

After an unusually short break between ECL season, we're back already, continuing into the Spring on our intense virtual hockey fiesta that is the ECL '22 Spring season. Our other divisions have already seen their start, but we'll still have to wait for one week to get the action started in the crown jewel, the pinnacle of European virtual hockey - the ECL Elite. In the winter season, hREDS were crowned the Champions and they punched their ticket to the first ever Grand Finals, while simultaneously making history as the first ever squad to secure consecutive ECL titles. Now it's time to shift our sights towards the future and take a look at what the Spring season and an influx of fresh talent could bring us. Will a new challenger emerge or are we in for another duel between Frölunda HC and the reigning Champions? Can a team like YMCA Esports snap out of their downward spiral and gain back the form of their glory days? What about the welcome comeback of Falun Coal Miners - how will they fare in their first strides on ECL ice since 2018?

In this first part of our season preview, we'll be taking a look at teams that are expected to be out of the playoff picture - on the outside looking in. These rankings are made based on an average score from a number of panelists and doesn't exactly represent the individual views of the writers.

11. Stargazing (Written by @jahajaha93)

ECL '22 Winter Pro season: Semifinals (promoted through Qualifiers)

Stargazing is one of those squads that have climbed the divisional ranks in quick pace, after first emerging in Core back in ECL 12, and taking the Pro division by storm in ECL '22 Winter, they are now in the European top 16. Already that is a success story unlike any other in the ECL history books to this date, but they also look to be in somewhat of a decent position to challenge for a potential playoff spot this season. The starting lineup will see no changes, which should serve the newcomers well despite the lack of Elite experience in their ranks. The forward trio Miro @Flopper71 Heikkinen - Oskari @ose16 Juntunen - Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen is lethal and should have no issue whatsoever translating their game to a higher level, whereas Toni @Pirtsa89 Pirttimäki's ability as an Elite netminder has already been questioned and proven back in ECL 12 with IQUE. Defense is the biggest question mark for this squad, Niklas @Bobiraataja (nikhaa27) Haataja is a highly touted prospect with an excellent stick on defense, while Kalle @James (Jamechkin) Riihelä possesses great puck skills acquired while playing on offense, but can they manage to gel together for a defensive unit that is sufficient at this level?

Player to watch: Miro @Flopper71 Heikkinen

The left winger has a knack for scoring big goals and coming in clutch at the most important moments. The chemistry up front for these guys is great, so realistically any one of their forwards could be their finisher, but the 200-foot play and clutch ability of Flopperii- earns him this spot over his linemates.

12. Falun Coal Miners

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: Semifinals

Falun came to replace Granit Gaming in Elite and are now making their return after a long absence. The only skater left from the Granit lineup is 1/2 of last season's cover player duo Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt. Three players came from Northern Ascendancy, who were relegated to Pro after last season. Last but not least, the Swedish group managed to get Andrè @Foppatofflan Liljegren, reuniting with several of his old friends after a season with Färjestad BK. He will pla a huge role in how this team is going to play next season and has a lot of responsibility with he puck. It will be also interesting to see foppatofflan and Connor @MartindalexC Martindale playing together after a short break. Captain l-Furyan-l is definitely one of the best defensemen in the division at supporting offense. We can expect Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström to share goaltending responsibilities with Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen and Pontus @LastMandalorian Duvefelt, so there's lots of room for rotation down low.

Player to watch: Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen

Last season definitely wasn’t what he expected even though individially, Sada had a good season as he was 9th in the league when it comes to goals scoring. Has a lot of experience and is looking to finally elevate himself to the discussion of the very best in the league with this team.

13. HV71

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 14th

HV71 avoided relegation to Pro by winning their relegation series against RCTIC in game 7. The Swedish team hailing from Jönköping had changes in their defense because both defensemen from last season transferred to Rögle BK. An interesting addition to the HV71 roster is talented Anton @antoniomannen004(antoniomannen_) Svensander ,who played last season with Granit Gaming and got a taste of the ECL Elite semifinals there. Their reaction with defensive changes could very well have been warranted because HV71 surrendered 96 goals in 30 games last season, which was the most in the league by a clear margin. There could be potential for better season but also goaltending has to get better.

Player to watch: Tuukka @Tukexi(MATILAISKA_) Matilainen

Had a great Elite debut last season individually and scored 20 goals in 30 games and produced most points in his team. Was on fire especially in the relegation series by scoring eight goals in seven games including one hat-trick. Like the entire team, is looking to take the next step this season.

14. Örebro Hockey

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 11th

Last season wasn't good for Örebro. After being one of favourites to have a breakout season, they were not able to get to the playoffs. For this season Örebro got Väinö @Pikkardz(pikkarii) Pikkarainen from Dynastia, and he is definitely a very mechanically skilled forward who will suit their system well. This team has many dangerous individuals especially in the offensive zone and Örebro is one the best counterattacking teams in the league. I think the key point for these guys next season will be how they can shut their doors in the defensive zone. Last season this team allowed three goals per game, which was second most in the league and is too much. You can find a lot of experience from Örebro's defense as captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström is a season 1 ECL veteran.

Player to watch: Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen

The skilled forward is back at the highest level. @Pikkardz already has some Elite experience split between KOVA Esports, Almost Famous and Tunnel Vision. Last season he spent in Pro with Dynastia and was a massive offensive producer there. Their season ended in the quarterfinals and now this young gun is looking for a new chance to shine among the best players.

15. Conquer Gaming

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 15th

Last season, conquer had acquired a trio from Otukset and their expectations were set high. In the end, their season didn’t go how Conquer wanted and they ended up battling for their Elite spot in the relegation series, which they managed to win. Now, there's a wind of change blowing as the entire Otukset trio has left and the team has replacements coming in. An interesting new face on offense is Jere @Jerax13 Hellström who came from GHETTO FIREBIRDS and has some extnesive previous history with several other Conquer players. The question mark for Conquer is their defense and Eren @Kucherov86(jalkkin-) Yalcin needs to take some big leadership there. In the offense once again team captain Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho needs to take big role on point producing without forgetting to tighten up the middle defensively. It's hard to see that this season would be any easier for Conquer, but we'll have to wait and see.

Player to watch: Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck

A solid Elite goalie that made some big saves for his team in the relegation series. Has a lot of experience and even though he is a goalie, could bring some ideas to the skaters as well. Once again, has to be on fire throughout to keep Conquer away from the relegation spots.

16. YMCA Esports

ECL '22 Winter Elite season: 12th

Last season ended luckily for YMCA as they ended up having same amount of points that Northern Ascendancy and HV71 but didn’t have to play relegation series as they already secured spot in the Elite for this season by being 12th by tiebreakers. A very positive thing for YMCA is that they will get to play this season with the exact same roster as the last one. That wasn’t guaranteed for any Elite team because especially this offseason was a wild one. It's interesting to see how the chemistry has developed during the offseason, but practice has shown some shaky form. Their start needs to be way better than that of last season, when they only got three points out of their first eight games. YMCA's weakness is that they feel a bit dull at the moment and are missing that last piece of the puzzle that would elevate the game and make them a serious threat. Las season, their scoring was atrocious at 1.5 goals per game, so they need new ways to finish. Especially getting the defensemen Jukka @Jugeh_ Salokoski and Julius @Exel56(julius97_) Rissanen more involved with the offensive game.

Player to watch: Ben @benu(benuh_) Rinnet

Saved over 300 shots last season and had the best saving percentage out of the goalies whose teams didn’t make it to the playoffs. Has to make big saves this season again if YMCA wants to keep their Elite spot.

You can expect the next part of our three part season preview to drop already this evening! In the meantime, please let us know what you thought about this one and if our ranking looks similar to yours, we'd love to hear from you regardless!

ECL '22 Spring Pro: Season Preview - Getting up to speed

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 21:30:00 +0000

Strap up and get ready for some exciting ehockey action coming up, it is already time for the Spring season! Getting up to speed with the league is key, so stay with us and read this piece to gain an insight on what to expect.

Season information

To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article.

Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Pro season:

Regular season: 4.4-5.5.
Transfer deadline: 18.4. 23:59 CEST
Playoffs (Best-of-7)
- Round of 16: 8.-12.5.
- Quarterfinals: 15.-25.5.
- Semifinals: 30.5.-2.6.
- Finals: 5.-6.6. (TBC)

Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Pro division will be on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with a weekly broadcast on the SportsGamer Twitch at 19:45 CEST primarily on Tuesdays. Stay tuned for the season opening broadcast on 12.4.

You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Pro league page.

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

Season preview

Whereas there has usually been quite a lengthy break in between two ECL seasons, this time around the sojourn was rather brief. The short offseason did not make teams stand pat though, and, similarly to the other divisions, Pro squads have had their fair bit of roster roulette going on. We will dive more into those in the following team previews, but first let us quickly recap the qualifier process.

The Pro Qualifier was played during the past few weeks, as usual. A number of Pro-eligible teams disbanded after last season, boosting the total of spots up for grabs to ten. The teams that succeeded in making it through include newly founded wildcard Be a Bro, ECL '22: Winter Core Champion Almtuna eSport, as well as teams who played Lite last season in Golden Nights, Powerhouse HC and Pasilan SKA. This actually marks an immediate return to Europe's second-highest level for Golden Nights, whose ECL 12 Pro campaign resulted in relegation.

In the inaugural Pro Qualifier, ahead of ECL 12, none of the participating earlier Pro teams were able to retain their divisional spots. That changed last season with PENTA and RCTIC clawing their way through, though the majority (three) previous Pro teams still failed back then. The trend upwards has continued, and this time the majority in Joukkue (ex-AfroDunk), Company of Geeks, Fiasko, Hawaii Hockey and Nemesis did in fact get the job done, meanwhile Pata Hellalla and Luleå Hockey were the only ones to fail and will be playing in Lite for the foreseeable future.

One thing to note is the change of power balances between represented areas: with noRex Gaming disbanding and PENTA and SPARTIATES X MCES relegated, Deadly Phantoms and Geekz Energy eSports are now the only Central European teams remaining in Pro. There is also one less Finnish and one more Swedish team this season, but the Finns are still at the forefront by a wide margin, 21 of the 32 teams being majority-Finnish.

There are nine teams that did not play in Pro last season, most of them being more or less new to this level. The rest have seen some personnel changes as well, so let us take a closer look at the teams.

Group 1 Written by @jahajaha93

Almtuna eSport

ECL '22: Winter result: Core Champion

The ECL '22 Winter Core Champion managed to pave their way to the Pro division through the Qualifiers and are now in for a massive challenge. The core for this team has stayed intact and the main addition will be @eSwahn joining them in net from Södertälje SK. Some other interesting additions are @gtasir and @albin tinglert on offense, both of whom are yet to take their first strides on the Pro ice. Despite them seeing moderate success in the Qualifiers, a very tough season could be expected for Almtuna this spring.

Player to watch: @BeastBenn14

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 13-16th place

@Mikka: 12-16th place

Djurgården Hockey

ECL '22: Winter result: 16th place in Elite

Djurgården Hockey were crowned Champions during their last Pro stint back in ECL 12, but their Elite journey was quite short lived. As expected, they had a tough time adapting to the speed and skill level, and at the end of the season they were relegated. In the offseason, the team has made some changes, mainly losing @Strumpan87 and former captain @Jungledonk. They've brought in four new guys, in the form of @SPB_AlexZver_22, @Mistertyppo95, @Nampa77 and @lidman1. We'll have to wait and see what kind of lineup they ice on opening night, but if they end up clicking, there is a decent amount of skill in their ranks.

Player to watch: @Sorsa103

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 6-12th place

@Mikka: 8-14th place, extremely new team

Geekz Energy eSports

ECL '22: Winter result: 10th place in Pro Group 2

Geekz Energy eSports is one of those teams that are quite tough to get a read on. They have quite a wide roster with some scoring power, and a great goaltender in @PLA77NER. Some of these guys have player cards as long as my annual Christmas shopping list with all the competitive games they've played, so it definitely won't be about experience for Geekz. The team has also had time to perfect their craft in a competitive environment in the CSCL Relax Cup 5 over the past few weeks.

Player to watch: @Stefan_397 (ViSi0nZ97_)

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 6-12th place

@Mikka: 8-12th place

GIFU Hockey

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

Another team that shouldn't have too much pressure to perform, but could very well end up surprising some good teams if they have a great night. @Baranizer has grown into a solid Pro level goalie with GIFU, and their skaters are all very mechanically skilled. New defenseman @Frompa- will have to take on a big role on breakouts and puck possession play, while @OzziX35 is the more defensive of the two. @Timotei97, who spent last season in Lite with Bellizzi could end up being an important piece for GIFU's scoring.

Player to watch: @Timotei97

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 8-12th place

@Mikka: 8-12th place

Golden Nights

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Lite Quarterfinals

Golden Nights already made a Pro appearance back in ECL 12, but their stint was short lived that time. Now, after some success in the Qualifiers, they are back for more, with some more experience and individual growth under their belts. Especially @xSaski_ and @JJimbo- are very skilled individually and know how to handle the puck, but the biggest downfall of Golden Nights could be insufficient puck movement.

Player to watch: @xSaski_

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 8-14th place

@Mikka: 8-14th place, boom or bust

HanaaHC

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

Hanaa has one of the longest streaks competing in the Pro division and they seem to be a lock for playoffs each year. Forward trio @Mikka - @Hazard-laser - @xLeikku is a very strong ensemble for pro and the team has strengthened their defense with @juhkis96, joining them from Conquer Gaming, so you should expect yet another playoff push. The one question mark lies in net, as the team currently has three netminders signed out of which @jg697000 (Gresu__) will most likely not play. @Simbanho could end up being their go-to-guy with zero experience above the Lite level.

Player to watch: @xLeikku

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 1-4th place

@Mikka plays for HanaaHC

Hawaii Hockey

ECL '22: Winter result: 12th place in Pro Group 2

Hawaii Hockey placed 12th in their group last season and had to partake in Qualifier action prior to the Spring season, which could've been a good thing for the team, as they passed with relative ease and got their competitive mindset going early. They've retained their core and acquired mainly @jiibada_ to boost their offense. This team really needs to dig deep in order to stay with the competition this season, and need big performances in net both from @JaxonRules93 and @vokial2 (SolidElli).

Player to watch: @jiibada_

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 12-16th place

@Mikka: 10-14th place

Hokurit

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

The ECL ‘22 Winter campaign for Hokurit was an interesting one. Defenseman @MCH_98 had a sensational season, outscoring several forwards and slotting in second for all defensemen. The routine level of the team managed to earn them a playoff spot, but their berth was short lived, as they were eliminated in the first round. They lost the aforementioned @MCH_98 to Be a Bro, but have brought in very capable replacements in the form of @jamal-_- and @Frans-Fin, who should elevate the base level of the team a bit. Could end up in no man’s land.

Player to watch: @Jondeezz

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 8-12th place

@Mikka: 8-12th place

Mora IK

ECL '22: Winter result: Lite Champion

The ECL ‘22 Winter Lite Champions step up to the next level and these are always interesting situations to see how they’ll adapt their game. Some changes have been made, but mainly the roster has been condensed. A notable absence is their top scorer from ECL ‘22 Winter @Robban kaudern (Kaudomovic), who joined Frolunda HC Academy in the offseason. On paper, it looks like Mora IK could be in a world of trouble this season, but their most important player, goaltender @Jeqque44 can salvage some big points for them on any given night.

Player to watch: @Jeqque44

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 13-16th place

@Mikka: 12-16th place

Nemesis

ECL '22: Winter result: 12th place in Pro Group 1

Nemesis is another squad consisting of very skilled individuals, that need time together in order to find that perfect balance and perform at their very best, and that is exactly what they've done. After a tough ECL '22 Winter, they dug deep and decided to double down on their familiar core, only adding @profiilipakki on offense to take the center position, in which he has slotted in nicely for them based on the Qualifiers. On defense, however, they acquired @N44TTI_16, who is a great addition and will elevate their game significantly.

Player to watch: @N44TTI_16

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 5-10th place

@Mikka: 5-10th place

Pasilan SKA

ECL '22: Winter result: Failed to make the playoffs in Lite

After competing in the Core division and being eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Resurrection, it might be a bit confusing to see this team Pro this season, but in fact we’ll be seeing an entirely overhauled team, consisting of a Hotbox - Pasilan-fusion. The only previous Pasilan SKA players continuing are @Macentoitunu and @musta_surma1, who definitely were key players for them. Of course, a former Core team joining forces with a team that was relegated at the end of last season wouldn’t indicate a lot of success being on the horizon, but we’re not opposed to seeing these guys surprise big time.

Player to watch: @Macentoitunu

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 12-16th place

@Mikka: 12-16th place

RCTIC

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Semifinals

The icy boys had a surprisingly solid winter season showing and are looking to continue on that path in the emerging spring sunlight. The roster is virtually unchanged with the exception of the very solid signing of @MrNipsuli, who joins the team from Färjestad BK and an excellent season in Elite. The new recruit will match up with veteran @Aze down low, and the trio @Naikou88 - @yrjoo - @Limbe65 will continue potting goals up front. If the team can stay as solid defensively, while improving their firepower, they should be a lock for at least the quarterfinals.

Player to watch: @MrNipsuli

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 1-4th place

@Mikka: 1-4th place

Reality Check

ECL '22: Winter result: Pro runner-up

Last season, Reality Check paved their way all the way to the Finals, where they came up short against JYP Jyväskylä. Postseason success is a thing these guys are no strangers to, but they do have an extensive record of never really coming through all the way. Since their last on ice appearance, they’ve replaced center @TheArska with @JesseL2002 and defenseman @jezbaru with @Mikax222, who both should be decent additions and the success of it all should come down to how their chemistry turns out.

Player to watch: @Mikax222

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 1-4th place

@Mikka: 1-4th place

Sinister

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

Sinister is a team with tremendous offensive potential and several young, hungry players with tons of upside. Most notably, they’ve exchanged @topikeranen with @Vale16, who obviously doesn’t have the experience, but has that scoring talent that seems to be a theme for this squad. Offensively, there’s no doubt that Sinister couldn’t hang with the big boys, but their biggest downfall could be their goaltending, as they don’t seem to have that bona fide top Pro level starter in their ranks.

Player to watch: @OsquuG

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 4-8th place

@Mikka: 4-8th place

Sulkavan Sudet

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

Long-time Pro division dwellers had a solid winter regular season but fell short in a round 1 seven game series at the hands of Tohtorit. Captain @Oxdoggi has managed to strengthen his squad for the upcoming season by acquiring former HAVU Gaming backup @vviljo and winger @apettaja, who bounced around a bit last season but has a decent track record of succeeding in a scoring role in the Pro division. The wolves have quite a wide roster with several options, so it’ll be an interesting thing to see what kind of setup they will be going with and if they will make changes moving forward. Sulkavan Sudet should without a doubt be a playoff team.

Player to watch: @Oxdoggi

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 6-8th place

@Mikka: 6-10th place

Tohtorit

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals

Tohtorit made a splash last season by pushing all the way to the Quarterfinals against all expectations, and the team definitely has the capability to accomplish a similar feat this time around, only now we'll be able to see it coming. Whereas they've held on to their starting lineup from last season, they've built on that and added depth and several options in acquiring players like @ADETIKKI (Dillynger) and @jezbaru to star in supporting roles.

Player to watch: @Wpaanane

Regular season prediction:

@jahajaha93: 1-4th place

@Mikka: 1-4th place

Group 2 Written by @Mikka

AHJO Previously Dynastia

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals

The former Dynastia lineup got recently picked up by esports organization AHJO, and are looking to keep on the same constantly improving trajectory as thus far. After ending their rookie Pro campaign with a first round exit in ECL 12, they had already by last season improved enough to make the second round. Can they reach the semis this time around? Losing your by far top scorer in @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) is always going to hurt, but getting experienced @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) from the runner-ups Reality Check may have made them more well rounded. AHJO should comfortably be in the playoffs and can easily challenge for the higher seeds.

Player to watch: @xHatsi

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 4-8th place

@jahajaha93: 4-10th place

Be a Bro

ECL '22: Winter result: Did not participate

Even though Be a Bro is a completely new team, their players have plenty of shared history. The core of the roster in @Vaporik, @Janikka, @imosi and @Niskalaukaus all played for the hugely disappointing VISU Gaming last season, and captain @MCH_98 knows the NHL scene's longtimers @Janikka and @imosi from SIKA of seasons past. This is a chance for all of them to prove they belong back among Pro's top end. It will also be exciting to see what @rakkauspakkaus- can accomplish with another team than his old Björklöven Esport.

Player to watch: @MCH_98

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 4-8th place

@jahajaha93: 5-10th place

Björklöven Esport

ECL '22: Winter result: 9th place in Pro Group 1

There have been some sizable changes with Björklöven, most notable being the acquisition of dynamic duo @Pappen (pappeen-) and @LukasGudinge (Gudinge) from Core's Carlstad Kings Esports. Björklöven's offense seems to be fully redone and jumping from Core to Pro is a challenge, so it remains to be seen if they start clicking. However, Tohtorit proved last season that you can jump straight from Core and do some damage, even though they had a longer offseason.

Player to watch: @Pappen(pappeen-)

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 8-12th place

@jahajaha93: 6-12th place

Company of Geeks

ECL '22: Winter result: 14th place in Pro Group 1

The team that first started in 2008(!) has been on a downward trajectory for the past few years, going from 6th to 10th to 14th place in the regular season in their past three campaigns. They escaped relegation by showing up big time in the Pro Qualifier, winning all but two games. What they need the most is some consistency in their roster composition, as in being able to retain more players between seasons. That is going to come with solidifying a spot as a playoff challenger, so the sights should really be in the long term even though another fight for survival seems probable for now. They have reportedly already lost @Mikax222 to Reality Check, so finding an ample replacement for a key player in their dominating qualifier performance is of utmost importance.

Player to watch: @PyroNiko

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 10-16th place

@jahajaha93: 12-16th place

Deadly Phantoms

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

The German outfit has had two quite weird campaigns at this level since getting relegated from Elite. In both ECL 12 and ECL '22: Winter, they had some troubles during the first half of the regular season, but finished off strong with a 9-1-0 L10. They lost in the finals in ECL 12, but were eliminated already in the first round last season. They have steadily, no matter what, been a playoff team, and getting @Timasy and @PlaymakerSJ back in the playing lineup, at least in some capacity, is going to be a huge help on their quest back to Europe's top. Even though they will not be playing a 100% of the games, they can alleviate some pressure off the Phantoms' high-scoring defensemen.

Player to watch: @xXPsykoSkillsXx

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 4-8th place

@jahajaha93: 4-8th place

Fiasko

ECL '22: Winter result: 14th place in Pro Group 2

Avoiding instant relegation by just a tiebreaker is something that these guys would probably call a... Alright, now that that is out of the way, a season considerably better than their last one does not seem too likely for Fiasko. Their roster has remained largely the same, adding @StuPittman, @Jammelson and @Toimitusjohtaja3 from Lite's Its a nice city. @Jammelson and @Toimitusjohtaja3 had decent statistics for their old team, but they do not appear to have the kind of skill that would mask the squad's collective troubles. Unless they can make their game a lot more organized, another season of Survivor seems to await. Looking at the bright side, they may have taken lessons from last season and now be readier to do more than surviving.

Player to watch: @Xkeineri

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 12-16th place

@jahajaha93: 13-16th place

FILADELPHIA ACADEMY

ECL '22: Winter result: Lite runner-up

As previously stated, losing your top scorer is never going to be easy, let alone after you get promoted to a higher division. Even though @xAaro89x moving on to last season's Pro champion JYP Jyväskylä is a tough blow, it tells that they have been doing things right. While their new starting six has not been confirmed, the talk around town is former standout defenseman @samza96 will be making a comeback at the center position. Whoever the replacement is, the Academy should be good enough and have the resources and support behind them to make the playoffs. Worst case scenario, they barely miss.

Player to watch: @TEST0-RYTZE (Rytze_)

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 5-10th place

@jahajaha93: 5-8th place

GHETTO FIREBIRDS

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

Thus far there has been quite a lot of talk about losing players, and GHETTO was not spared from that either: their captain since the beginning in ECL 4, @KepakkoFIN, decided to step away from competing. Getting @Talonmies69 (TaIonm1es) back after a year away should be more than ample replacement on the ice at least, and he is not even the only old friend making a return: ECL '22: Winter Pro top scorer @Valluxet is back as well! The last time he was here they ended up getting promoted, is it finally time for FIREBIRDS to make the return to Elite? They do have the strongest squad they have had during their current Pro stint.

Player to watch: @Valluxet

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 1-4th place

@jahajaha93 plays for GHETTO FIREBIRDS

Herlev Eagles

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro Quarterfinals

The Eagles are entering their fifth Pro season, seemingly continuing with the same lineup that got them to the quarterfinals the last time out. They are perceived as one of the favorites now, and should be one of the higher seeds come playoff time. Retaining the same starting six could be a huge advantage, with most other teams making multiple impactful changes during such a short offseason. Their forwards had way more Time with Puck than their defensemen did in ECL '22: Winter, so perhaps they should get the back end involved a bit more in the future.

Player to watch: @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_)

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 1-4th place

@jahajaha93: 1-4th place

Joukkue Previously AfroDunk

ECL '22: Winter result: 13th place in Pro Group 1

Half of their lineup has changed, and the ride through the qualifier was far from smooth. Looking at their roster though, with the additions of RW @Sluibaaja_88 and LD @kungenkurwa (Kungenkirwa), they *should* at least on paper mount a good challenge for the playoffs. A tremendous addition with those ambitions in mind is @theMaddias from Elite's Conquer Gaming, joining his former Otukset teammates @obivop (HaaganHamilton) and @Empuuz_24. They have the potential to be playoff bound, just need to start executing like it.

Player to watch: @theMaddias

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 8-14th place

@jahajaha93: 8-14th place

Powerhouse HC

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Lite Quarterfinals

After five seasons in Lite, Powerhouse HC has finally made it to Pro. They do not look the strongest, but could they be another Hokurit and impress everyone right away with the sheer experience of seasons played together? Would not really bet on it, but certainly possible. While Hokurit had some players with earlier Pro experience leading the team, @suitsukemestari is the only one in Powerhouse. He only has six games from last season and two in ECL 10, so it is not exactly like he is some extremely experienced veteran either. The chemistry built up from playing together for a long time is going to come in handy, and it is their main resource for hoping to cause some upsets.

Player to watch: @Burritokuningas

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 12-16th place

@jahajaha93: 13-16th place

Prima eSport

ECL '22: Winter result: Lite Bronze Game Winner

Third place in Lite last season, Prima does not exactly have a lot of experience aside from captain @iSvamp (Svampbot). Their forwards do have a previous Pro season each though, and especially @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) and @Daniel Asplund (Dasplund_) scored quite nicely ECL 12 Pro. As is always the case with their captain's teams, they have a strong identity. That identity is the factor that can bring them to the playoffs already in their debut season, if things go right. The competition for the last playoff spots is going to be fierce, but Prima has a decent chance to take one of those. Breakout seasons from the forwards would go a long way.

Player to watch: @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus)

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 8-12th place

@jahajaha93: 8-12th place

Renascor

ECL '22: Winter result: Eliminated in Pro RO16

Not much remains of the old Renascor, with most of their big pieces now gone. New additions @Winci (Winci-_o) and @TuomoP83 have huge shoes to fill, having played last season in Core and Lite respectively. Both have performed at a decent level in Pro in the past, but time has passed since then and the competition has gotten better. Forwards @ilyagolubev (tendeerly) and @Virusactive, along with veteran defenseman @MAYZIIX, need to step up and take a big role if they want to achieve anything.

Player to watch: @ilyagolubev (tendeerly)

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 10-16th place

@jahajaha93: 13-16th place

Växjö Lakers

ECL '22: Winter result: 9th place in Pro Group 2

If any team has a wide range of possible outcomes this season, it is Växjö Lakers. They had an uninspiring Winter season, but since then they have already gained some silverware by winning the eSHL. Granted, they did have some extremely important loanees and should not be expected to be at that high of a level moving forward. But to get to the point, they signed forwards @dzouvi and @Birkedal96 from Elite teams, and are now looking like one of the strongest sides in Pro. There is practically zero data on their play though, and the uncertainty comes from that. If they can get their game rolling, they should be one of the top contenders. If not, the regular season is quite short...

Player to watch: @dzouvi

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 1-6th place

@jahajaha93: 1-4th place

VISU Gaming

ECL '22: Winter result: 11th place in Pro Group 1

Last season's result was a straight up farce for VISU, who were not too far off from getting promoted in the Elite qualifier ahead of the contest. Changes were made, and now is the time to prove it was a one off incident. They had a tough time finding new players, but got them in the end with @IKarkkiI and @Pontinho (I-CLAUGHTON-I) joining the organization. @jubex0r (jubeex0r) should also be a nice addition in between the pipes. VISU's strength has always been tight defense and collective play, we will see how well gelled the squad is without much practice under their belts. Should constantly improve as the season goes on.

Player to watch: @hpkfani (MuKiMaisteri)

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 6-12th place

@jahajaha93: 4-8th place

WannaCry

ECL '22: Winter result: 11th place in Pro Group 2

A newly formed team ahead of ECL '22: Winter, WannaCry did not have an easy time during their first campaign. They managed to avoid the qualifier only by a tiebreaker after a tumultuous season. There has been some time to reset though, and are now looking to get into the playoffs for a taste. Captain @Okke40 (hifk_FANI) moves down to defenseman after being the center last season, with @selänne8 (BiggestEight) and @Jjomppa joining the forward group from now-disbanded Boomers. A lot of things need to go right for WannaCry to make it, but there is a chance.

Player to watch: @kkostiiii

Regular season prediction:

@Mikka: 8-14th place

@jahajaha93: 5-12th place

With that, it has come time to wrap up the season preview. Stay tuned for the first Pro broadcast on 12.4. and we will be right back at you with the midseason report in a few weeks!

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

ECL '22 Spring Lite: Season Preview - New challengers emerging and old favorites longing for success

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 16:57:00 +0000

Here we go. After a short break the show must go on and a new season of virtual hockey is yet again on the horizon so let's preview the upcoming Lite division and break it down a little.

Season information

To find out about the prize pool specifics, check out our earlier prize pool info article. For a look at the whole ECL framework, check out the sign-ups article.

Notable dates for the ECL '22: Spring Lite season:

Regular season: 4.4-5.5.
Playoffs
- Round of 32: 8.-12.5.
- Round of 16: 15.-25.5.
- Quarterfinals: 30.5.-2.6.
- Semifinals: 5.-8.6.
- Finals: 15.-16.6. (TBC)

Default gamedays for the ECL '22: Spring Lite division will be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, with one scheduled double-header for each team.

You can access the rulebook, schedule, standings, statistics and full rosters from the ECL ‘22: Spring Lite league page.

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

Season preview

The short break was intense and the games will start already tomorrow, on Monday April 4th, we'll surely see several teams get to action right away so keep your eyes peeled on the social media channels. What teams have improved most during the offseason? Will we see new challengers? Will the likes of Arkham Asylum recover from the Playoff disappointments faced in the winter season and how will the overhauled roster of Resurrection play in front of the long time captain @Jiihooo86?

We have a few interesting new teams that have surfaced from the Core division, and Sawolanche even took part in the Pro qualifiers, coming up short this time but gaining some valuable experience, they are a squad to look out for this season with a great deal of potential. Rahinage is another new team that has a few seasons worth of Core experience under their belt and they certainly look ready for a challenge at the next level.

What can we expect from this season, then? At the time of writing, we are yet to see the groups, so it's tough to predict an outcome for the regular season. However, there are a couple really strong teams that will most likely top the tables regardless of the group they get put in. As mentioned earlier, Arkham Asylum had a disappointing end to their previous campaign but is looking strong as ever coming into this one. They have a very experienced roster with the likes of @ReDMisTi and @tominointi possessing experience from higher up and the skill to help others by their side become better players. Also their goalie @PCJP has a long career behind and has been really solid. Captain @Hippitukka has done a good job in building the team to this state and the team is one of the favourites no doubt.

Swedish clubs Linköping HC and Luleå Hockey should also definitely be mentioned in the favorites category and their experience from higher levels will definitely help them in the postseason too. Linköping HC played in the Pro Qualifiers but didn’t find the pieces for going through, even though the team is very strong and can challenge a better squad. If they can keep their consistency throughout the regular season, it's easy to predict them playing meaningful games long into the spring. Look out for prolific veteran scorer @Lamsa.

Luleå Hockey played in Pro last season and lost their top scorer @Tkautto98 to HV71 but got a couple really strong reinforcements as replacement. @Tacterz was a backup for Frölunda HC in Elite last season and has been a part of generating success for Mora IK previously, he is very experienced and by that will help his team a lot. Also with solid defenders @basseman_ and @Vesterberg89 joining, the team is looking very strong.

Another very interesting Swedish team making a comeback after some absence is Synergy Hockey, who have gathered their old familiar ranks, looking very strong. Players like @Mumsi-, @Supremski and @J-Foppa are are some legendary names with lots of skill and most importantly - hockey IQ. Look for Synergy to be a contender for sure.

There are also a couple of dark horses in the race. Destiny, which was created for this season played in the Pro Qualifiers but couldn’t find their game yet but we can expect them to gel more as the season progresses, the roster consists of several experienced players with the necessary skill to do very well in Lite. Also Tic Tac Toes is back. Can @Artuzio lead the team to success - their squad holds perhaps more individual and mechanical skill than any other team in Lite, but if they can't translate all that to the 6's game, they could end up flopping. Finally, you can't forget Pata Hellalla. Losing their long term captain @kungenkurwa may be a tough pill to swallow but the team has played so long together we can probably expect some kind of a comeback story.

We'll get the action started tomorrow and in June we'll have a new Champion! Get ready for the season and we'll see you on the ice!

ECL '22 Spring Neo: Season Information

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 15:39:50 +0000

ECL Neo is for new or teams who want to play on a relaxed schedule and it's time to get that action going, starting tomorrow, on Monday April 4th! Official gamedays for the ECL '22 Spring Neo division will be on Wednesday and Sunday, and the playoffs will be played in a best-of-five format. A total of 32 teams will make the playoffs.

ECL '22 Spring: Neo Schedule

Regular season: 4.4-5.5.
Playoffs
- Round of 32: 8.-12.5.
- Round of 16: 15.-25.5.
- Quarterfinals: 30.5.-2.6.
- Semifinals: 5.-8.6.
- Finals: 12.6. (TBC)

Here are your ECL '22 Spring Neo groups:

Lainaa

Group 1
Nordic Lightning
No Respect
Hannover Indians eSports
DrWitt Squad
ERSC Amberg eSports
VHC NEVA
Force Majeure
Turkunummi
SC Rackelhahn eV
EPINAL HC ESPORT II

Group 2
EPINAL HC ESPORT
KH Torun Esports
Kompaniet
Muumilaakson Maple Leafs
Red Ice Peppers
Penguins Ingolstadt
Starbulls Esport
CaMe Gaming C1C
Eishockeynet Yetis
Capish

Group 3
Cirkus
HC KOROBKA
Crocodiles Hamburg
Pirates eSports Origins
Waldstadt Boys
Austrian Force
Dirty Tacklers HC
SwissBamClan
FRONTALIERS ESPORT
RED BALLS

Group 4
SWISS TIGERS
London Lightning
CardiffDevils
Hurricanes Esports
Nelos Ketju
Vaden orjat
SWISS TIGERS 2
Canada 1c
Eishockeynet Academy
ESC Duisburger Bulldogs

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

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

ECL '22 Spring Core: Season Information

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 15:37:00 +0000

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

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

AHJO Esports' new NHL roster aims high in the Pro division

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 09:23:19 +0000

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.

ECL '22 Spring - Prize Pool Info

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:47:00 +0000

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

Kasper "kaz_zu" Ramstedt - A young talent no stranger to strapping on the pads

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 14:11:00 +0000

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.

REMINDER: One week left to sign up for ECL '22 Spring Neo & Core!

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 11:32:00 +0000

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.

ECL '22 Winter Elite: Season Recap - Dominance and new challengers at the top

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 06:54:00 +0000

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!

ECL '22 Winter Pro: Season Recap - JYP Redemption Tour

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 12:24:00 +0000

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!

Almtuna eSport is your ECL '22 Winter Core Champion!

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 21:46:30 +0000

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!

ECL '22 Winter Lite: Season Recap - Defense Wins Championships

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 08:54:00 +0000

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!

A Historical Feat: hREDS' back-to-back Championships

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 19:06:03 +0000

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.

Mora IK is your ECL '22 Winter Lite Champion!

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 21:06:00 +0000

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!

HC JEUSSEN is your new ECL '22 Winter Neo Champion!

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 21:39:26 +0000

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!

hREDS is your ECL '22 Winter Champion!

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 21:12:00 +0000

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!

Sign up for ECL '22 Spring now!

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 18:23:00 +0000

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.

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.

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

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

This post has been promoted to an article

ECL ’22 Winter Elite Finals: Battle of The Titans

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 13:25:25 +0000

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!

ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals Preview - The classic becomes a trilogy

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 19:59:00 +0000

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.

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

ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals: "We have some aces up our sleeves"

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 12:47:00 +0000

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!

ECL '22 Winter Elite Finals: "You haven't seen the best of us yet"

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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.

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!

JYP Jyväskylä is your new ECL Pro Champion!

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:37:28 +0000

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!

ECL '22 Winter: Pro Finals - Who will grab the golden ticket?

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:46:00 +0000

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.

Niklas "UhNikke" Nieminen - The new kid on the block

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 18:00:00 +0000

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.”

ECL '22 Winter: Elite Playoffs - Semifinals

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 13:03:16 +0000

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.

ECL '22 Winter: Lite Playoffs - Quarterfinals Preview

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 18:50:54 +0000

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!

ECL '22: Winter Pro Semifinals Preview - Finntastic four

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 14:56:20 +0000

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.