Hey NHLGamers,

The ECL 5 season is coming to an epic end tonight and oh boy do we have some great games to stream for you!

Starting at 20:00 CET we have the Pro finals between Evolution and Unlucky Boys HC. This best-of-7 series is currently 2-3 for Unlucky Boys HC.

Starting at 21:00 CET we will continue with the Lite finals that are played between Red Machine and Almost Famous. Red Machine leads the best-of-7 series 3-1.

The stream will be commentated by @Kenu and @nylanderi, so be sure to come say hi in the chat box!

Be sure to tune in to the action at https://www.twitch.tv/nhlgamertwitch starting a tiny bit before 20:00 CET!

The ECL Pro finals between Evolution and Unlucky Boys HC resume! With the teams having notched a win each on the series’ opening night, is this contest headed for the inevitable game seven or will one team end up walking away with it? Tune in to the action at https://www.twitch.tv/nhlgamertwitch starting at 20:00 CET!

The ECL Pro finals will be televised! Evolution face off against Unlucky Boys HC as the two teams vie for the coveted grand prize after a long and successful run in the Pro division. Join Kenu and Janikka at the official NHL Gamer live stream at https://www.twitch.tv/nhlgamertwitch

Without further ado, jump in and talk to us!

Hey NHLGamers,

the ECL 5 Pro semi-finals have come to a close, and here are the final results:

• Falun Coal Miners |2:4| Unlucky Boys HC
• Pata Hellalla |0:4| Evolution

This means Unlucky Boys HC and Evolution will fight for the ECL 5 Pro championship in the last playoffs series this Pro season:

• Evolution vs. Unlucky Boys HC

Both finalists are already promoted to ECL Elite for ECL 6, however having that ECL 5 Pro championship trophy in your collection is something both teams will continue fighting for fiercly. NHLGamer Staff already sends out congratulations for the promotion accomplishment and is looking forward to the very best ECL Pro hockey this season!

The first two games of this intense matchup begin at 20:30 CET tonight and will be covered at the NHLGamerTwitch channel

Furthermore, the Relegation Faceoffs between the two teams that finished in spots #13 and #14 in ECL Elite and the two ECL Pro semi-final losers will be kicked off as well. Unfortunately, ECL Elite team Nordic Nightmare already decided to disband after a dissapointing regular season, which means they will not participate in these games.

Thus, they will also automatically lose their ECL Elite spot for ECL 6.

This leaves us with two ECL Pro teams and just one ECL Elite team for the Relegation Faceoffs. Now, the whole point of playoff seeding, as constructed in our rules, is to assign the highest rated teams with the "easier" matchup as defined by the opposing teams performance. As such it would be illogical to give the easier opponent to the team that performed "worse", in this context.

By applying our playoff seeding rules, the ECL Pro playoff team seeded as #1 for the Relegation series is Falun Coal Miners due to their two semi-final wins (= 10 Pro playoff wins in total). ECL Pro playoff seed #2 with 0 semi-final wins (= 8 Pro Playoff wins in total) is Pata Hellalla.

As Nordic Nightmare have disbanded, they are not seeded (or considered seed #2 as they are the "easier" opponent due to not actually playing the games), which per default makes TIKI TALK ECL Elite seed #1 for this Relegation series. This leaves us with the following matchups:

• Pata Hellalla (Pro #2) vs. TIKI TALK (Elite #1) 
• --- (-#) vs. Falun Coal Miners (Pro #1)

As a result, Falun Coal Miners will be promoted to ECL Elite for ECL 6 automatically. TIKI TALK and Pata Hellalla will play for the last remaining ECL 6 Elite spot.

FRAMEWORK (FINALS & RELEGATION FACEOFFS)

• Teams mentioned on the right side have their home game first, left = away.
• The Pro Finals and the Relegation Faceoffs are played in a best-of-7 series
• Both rounds start TONIGHT, and all games must be completed before December 20, 23:59 CET / December 21, 00:59 EET.

Good luck to everyone for the final Elite and Pro games in ECL 5!

@gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHLGamers,

The ECL 5 Elite Finals have been played and it turned out Aapon Taikasauva were absolutely unstoppable this season and they secured their championship with a 2-1 win in game 5 against SJK eSports. NHLGamer would hereby like to congratulate Aapon Taikasauva for being the new ECL Elite Champions!

If you wish, you can watch all five of the finals here: https://www.twitch.tv/nhlgamertwitch/videos/all

These are the series results:

• Game 1: SJK eSports @ Aapon Taikasauva | 0-4
• Game 2: Aapon Taikasauva @ SJK eSports | 4-0
• Game 3: SJK eSports @ Aapon Taikasauva | 2-1 OT
• Game 4: Aapon Taikasauva @ SJK eSports | 3-2
• Game 5: SJK eSports @ Aapon Taikasauva | 1-2

Aapon Taikasauva Championship roster:

• G: #33 E. Larmi (aka swagx88)
• G: #49 F. Hardy (aka ICappeI)
• D: #27 S. Voynov (aka xDoumi)
• D: #29 W. Nylander (A) (aka nylanderi)
• D: #40 T. Torro (A) (aka jtorro1234)
• F: #9 S. Tuuba (C) (aka indi969)
• F: #55 L. Snapster (aka Puantso)
• F: #91 T. Domi (aka ShaneC27)
• F: #96 G. St-Pierre (aka Penatski)

Aapon Taikasauva's road to the cup:

• 24 wins, 2 losses & 4 OT-losses during the regular season, ranked 1st
• Quarterfinals: 4-2 victory against Rusty Blades
• Semifinals: 4-3 victory against Northern Stars
• Finals: 4-1 victory against SJK eSports

ECL 5 is not over yet though, as Pro and Lite Divisions are still fighting for their championships and promotions, with some really intense match-ups ahead. Make sure to keep an eye on further coverage!

A more detailed ECL Elite season recap including award winners will be released in due time - stay tuned.

The European Championship League Elite season is reaching its peak tonight, as we head into game #5 between Aapon Taikasauva and SJK eSports. Aapon is one win away from the championship, but SJK was the dominant team yesterday despite the wins being 1-1 last night. Look forward to two hungry teams and at the end of the night we will celebrate the ECL 5 Elite champion! 

We will be broadcasting tonights battle on our Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/NHLGamerTwitch and you can watch the games there or below this news story. Tonight's games are commentated by: @janbonator, @Kenu and @OxtreeLAT 
 

The stream will be live from 20:45 CET and will take you through the rest of the ECL Elite Finals.

Watch live video from NHLGamerTwitch on www.twitch.tv

Without further ado, we hope you enjoy the stream and join us in the chat with some questions and comments.

The ECL 5 Elite season is at it's high point as Aapon Taikasauva (#1) is facing SJK eSports (#3) in the Best-of-7 Finals. Aapon Taikasauva was able to win the first two games 4-0 despite some good pressure by SJK eSports and it is possible that we will see a new champion tonight, unless SJK eSports is able to bounce back and challenge Aapo. You don't want to miss the pinnacle of 6vs6 eSports hockey! In case you missed the first two games and you want to watch those, you can do it here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/207570643

We will be broadcasting tonights games (#3 & #4) on our Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/NHLGamerTwitch and you can watch the games there or below the news story. Tonight's games are commentated by:

• Jānis "@OxtreeLAT" Eglītis
• Jani "@janbonator" Keskinen
   

The stream will be live from 21:45 CET and will take you through games #3 and #4 of the ECL Elite Finals. If needed, the info on the later rounds will be announced as the times are confirmed.

Watch live video from NHLGamerTwitch on www.twitch.tv

Without further ado, we hope you enjoy the stream and join us in the chat with some questions and comments.

Hello NHLGamers,

Round 4 is finalized in ECL5 - Lite and we have four winning teams that have gone on to semifinals:

NORDIC NOSEBLEED vs DEADLY PHANTOMS 4 - 0 (4-3 OT, 4-2, 4-3, 4-1)

This one was a big upset, as Nordic Nosebleed, ranked 15th place, played four really good matches against Deadly Phantoms, who were ranked first after the regular season. 4-0 to Nordic Nosebleed in matches, congratulations on a well-completed quarterfinal.

RAGING MONKEYS vs EV DUISBURG 4 - 2 (3-2, 1-2, 2-4, 7-1, 5-2, 7-2)

Raging Monkeys keep going strong in ECL and advanced after 4-2 in matches against EV Duisburg.

ALMOST FAMOUS vs SQUAD VILTTIKETJU 4 - 0 (4-0, 8-0, 3-2OT, 3-2)

Almost Famous stood as a winner after 4-0 in matches over Squad Vilttiketju, Almost Famous have had a great season so far.

RED MACHINE vs FACE WASH HOCKEY 4 - 0 (1-0, 2-0, 1-0, N/A, N/A)

Red Machine won their quarter-final series with 4-1 in matches over Face Wash Hockey.

Here are the four teams that moved on and qualified for ECL - Pro next season:

• Nordic Nosebleed
• Almost Famous
• Raging Monkeys
• Red Machine
   

We congratulate these four teams for advancing to ECL - Pro!

NHLGamer would like to thank the teams Face Wash Hockey, EV Duisburg, Deadly Phantoms and Squad Vilttiketju for their participation in our league, well played by all of you!

But the playoff is not over and now it's time to play two finalists in ECL 5 - Lite. There are two really exciting semifinal series that we will follow.

Here are the next two series in the Semi-finals:

• Almost Famous vs Nordic Nosebleed
• Raging Monkeys vs Red Machine

Framework

• Teams mentioned on the left side have their home game first
• The quarter-finals are played in a best-of-7 series, meaning the first team to rack up 4 wins proceeds to the semi-finals
• The round starts today, and all games must be completed before December 13, 23:59 CET / December 14, 00:59 EET

Good luck to everyone!

The ECL Elite season is coming to its high point as the two finalists - Aapon Taikasauva (#1) and SJK eSports (#3) are ready to jump onto the ice competing for the ECL 5 Elite Championship in this best-of-7 series!

We will be broadcasting the games on our Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/NHLGamerTwitch and you can watch the games there or below the news story. The stream will feature three of our staff members voices to host you through the first two games that are played tonight:

• Hampus "@The_Alpha_Furyan" Duvefelt
• Jānis "@OxtreeLAT" Eglītis
• Kenneth "@Kenu" Lehtinen
   

The stream will be live from 20:55 CET and will take you through the first two games of the ECL Elite Finals. Info on the later rounds will be announced as the times are confirmed.

Watch live video from NHLGamerTwitch on www.twitch.tv

Without further ado, we hope you enjoy the stream and join us in the chat with some questions and comments.

EDIT: Game has ended, you can watch the recording here:

Hey NHLGamers,

in case you missed the news, the outcome of the SJK eSports vs. Written in the Stars semi-final was decided by League Administration after the series wasn't finished in time. See the full explanation here: 

In the other semi-final matchup, Aapon Taikasauva and Northern Stars fought a fierce battle that ended with game 7, in favor of Aapon Taikasauva. For your reading pleasure, here's the official round summary:

• SJK eSports |4:2| Written in the Stars
• Aapon Taikasauva |4:3| Northern Stars

ECL ELITE FINALS

• Aapon Taikasauva (1) vs. SJK eSports (3)

FINALS FRAMEWORK

• The finals must be finished within 7 days starting today, thus the last day to play the games is December 12.
• The finals are to be played in a best-of-7 series, with Aapon Taikasauva starting at home first.

Currently, the finals are expected to kick off tomorrow, December 7. Once we know more, we will update you with the exact times as well as information about available live streams. NHLGamer Staff wishes the best luck to both teams!

@gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

NHLGamers,

In the case that occured between SJK eSports and Written in the Stars in the ECL Elite semi-finals, the following outcome has been agreed on:

NHLGamers,

We have reached the semifinals phase of the ECL 5 Pro Playoffs and here are the playoff pairings and framework:

FRAMEWORK

• Each pairing must be finished within 7 days from today, meaning last evening to play games is December 12th. Don't expect any extensions!
• All pairings are to be played in a best-of-7 series (teams on the left side below play home first)

PRO PLAYOFFS

Here is how last round ended:

• #1 Unlucky Boys HC vs. #8 THE UNITED KNIGHTS [4-0]
• #2 Nordic Stars vs. #7 Falun Coal Miners [3-4]
• #3 Gotham Knights vs. #6 Pata Hellalla [3-4]
• #4 Inter Iceland vs. #5 Evolution [2-4]

This gives us the following pairings for the semifinals:

• #1 Unlucky Boys HC vs. #7 Falun Coal Miners
• #5 Evolution vs. #6 Pata Hellalla

We offer our congratulations to Unlucky Boys HC, Falun Coal Miners, Evolution and Pata Hellalla for making the "final four" of ECL 5 Pro. All four teams will - at the very least - have the opportunity to play for a spot in Elite for ECL 6.

An announcement from the LA department regarding the SJK-SKY case and the ECL finals will be released shortly.

@The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHLGamers,

Round 2 of the ECL Lite Playoffs is done! Now we are approaching the Quarter-Finals, and "the stakes are getting higher, you can feel it in your heart". While these lyrics fit perfectly, they not actually represent the author's or other staff members' taste in music.

I'm more of a rock guy, and I hope all of the remaining 8 teams will rock the ice and take their chance to make it into ECL Pro for ECL 6. Remember: All ECL semi-finalists will be promoted to ECL Pro for next season! You guys are only 4 wins away from this accomplishment.

Here are the pairings for the quarter-finals:

• Deadly Phantoms HC vs. Nordic Nosebleed
• Almost Famous vs. Squad Vilttiketju
• Raging Monkeys vs. EV Duisburg
• Red Machine vs. Face Wash Hockey

Framework

• Teams mentioned on the left side have their home game first
• The quarter-finals are played in a best-of-7 series, meaning the first team to rack up 4 wins proceeds to the semi-finals
• The round starts today, and all games must be completed before December 6, 23:59 CET / December 7, 00:59 EET

Good luck to everyone!

@gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Lamsa - Rusty Blades (RB)

ECL Hidden Gems is a concept that was created by @The_Alpha_Furyan and @pnordetun (patovic). The idea evolved out of discussions concerning what type of content patovic himself would like to see more of at NHLGamer.com and what kind of texts he'd be most interested in writing. Hidden Gems, for the purposes of this feature, means players that the author feels haven't quite gotten their time to shine at NHLGamer or players that aren't getting full credit for the skill they bring to the table. This is the second edition in a six-part series that patovic has written so do enjoy the witty writing of "pato" and leave a comment with your thoughts on the piece.

After the first edition of Hidden Gems, which was more of a "old school" type gem, we return with this second installment that is focused on a player that manages to be a veteran and a new addition to the community both at the same time. I am of course talking about good ol' @Lamsafrom Rusty Blades - a man so good on the offensive side of the puck that all of your team better be prepared to focus 110% when going up against Rusty Blades.

The franchise itself has only participated in ECLs 3, 4 & 5 but wow (!) have they been taking some major steps in the right direction. After making their debut in ECL 3 to mixed reviews (IMDB rating: 6,1), they went back to the drawing board and decided to grind out some serious practice. And by "some", I mean a lot. I am not sure if any team played more EASHL games than Rusty between ECL 3 and 4 but they managed to do exactly what they set out to do - build a foundation for their style of play and learn how to play against (and defeat) the very best ECL teams.

Under captain @Tanski87, Rusty have perfected the art of "brunk and dump hockey" mixed with some tic tac toe and have managed to make it the key to their success. In all this, Lamsa is the true catalyst: leading the way with all the different types of goals, assists and dirtyness only a true Kantor can bring.

While being underrated on the defensive side of things - he describes himself as a defensive playmaker - Lamsa is most comfortable scoring points using his straight-forward style (the anti-skill hockey?) that has resulted in 155 goals and 101 assist in 112 games played.

The fact that Lamsa is Rustys go-to guy in the scoring department get quite obvious when you consider the fact that in ECL 3 (Legacy) he scored 20 points more than anyone else on the RB squad. For next season, ECL 4 (Pro), he finished a full 33 points ahead of #2 and finally, in ECL 5 (Elite) he managed to repeat the feat once more by scoring 14 points more than his closest teammate.

Now, Rusty has managed to build what many call the ultimate teamplay-focused team where every skater is a key cog in the machinery and they have certainly become one of the best at what they do, but when the chips are down and they need that one key play - Lamsa is most likely smack in the middle of it.

Before ECL 5 I am sure many were curious how RB and Lamsa would hold up against Elite competition, but both of them certainly managed to put a sock in the mouth of their detractors. Rusty Blades by finishing 8th overall, making the playoffs and pushing Aapon Taikasauva to six games in their playoff series and Lamsa by scoring 25 goals and finishing tied for 9th in Goals amongst all Elite skaters.

I think we can safely establish once and for all that, unlike the Dent Act and Roberts Rebellion, Lamsa is not built on a lie.

Text by: @pnordetun
Intro and editing by: @The_Alpha_Furyan
Art by: @OxtreeLAT

NHLGamers,

Here are the playoff pairings and framework for Round 2 of the ECL 5 playoffs for Pro & Elite:

FRAMEWORK

• Each pairing, Elite or Pro, must be finished within 7 days from today, meaning last evening to play games is December 5th. Don't expect any extensions!
• All pairings are to be played in a best-of-7 series (teams on the left side below play home first)

PRO PLAYOFFS

After the cross-seeding of the first round between Group 1 and Group 2, we now return to our usual points per game seeding for the rest of the playoffs. Here is how last round ended:

• Gotham Knights vs. J P T J [2-1, final two games WO from J P T J due to no players available in the alloted time]
• SIKA vs. THE UNITED KNIGHTS [3-4]
• Inter Iceland vs. EN HUND [4-2]
• Lavetten vs. Pata Hellalla [2-4]
• Unlucky Boys HC vs. Alliance HT [4-2]
• Shameful Knights vs. Falun Coal Miners [1-4]
• Nordic Stars vs. White Trash [4-2]
• Baltic Sea Eagles vs. Evolution [3-4]

This gives us the following pairings for Round 2 (new seeds based on points per game relative to each other in regular season):

• #1 Unlucky Boys HC vs. #8 THE UNITED KNIGHTS
• #2 Nordic Stars vs. #7 Falun Coal Miners
• #3 Gotham Knights vs. #6 Pata Hellalla
• #4 Inter Iceland vs. #5 Evolution

ELITE PLAYOFFS

For Elite, these were the results of Round 1. 

• Aapon Taikasauva vs. Rusty Blades [4-2]
• Carlsberg HC vs. Northern Stars [3-4]
• SJK eSports vs. Northern Ascendancy [4-2]
• Written In The Stars vs. Dynasty [4-0]

This gives us the following pairings for Round 2 (seeds remain unchanged = sorted by points per game in regular season):

• #1 Aapon Taikasauva vs. #7 Northern Stars
• #3 SJK eSports vs. #4 Written In The Stars

Good luck to all teams and see you for Round 3! ECL Lite announcement regarding Round 3 will be out tomorrow.

@The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHLGamers,

Round 1 of the ECL Lite playoffs is done and we have seen quite a few surprising results, e.g. with SGWEER United, one of the regular season top teams, being eliminated in this early stage. Here is the complete rundown of series results:

• Deadly Phantoms HC |4:2| Bucketeers
• SGWEER United |0:4| Roistot
• Almost Famous |4:0| KulmalaHengaus
• Raging Monkeys |4:0| Rising Phantoms HC
• Red Machine |4:2| Slapshot Club Germany
• Face Wash Hockey |4:0| iNF4MOUS
• Try Another Hole |4:1| Ice Phoenix
• EV Duisburg |4:3| Rusty Bulls
• HC Aurinko |1:4| Breakers Of The Bone
• Squad Vilttiketju |4:3| Nottingham Chiefs
• RAKETTIPUTKET |X:X| Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat
• The Beagle Boys |4:2| Mentula SKA
• Penalty Box |4:3| Lucky Strike
• Nearbird Fighters |1:4| Finnish Hockey Legends
• Nordic Nosebleed |4:1| Freddie Mercury Institute
• Nordic Eagles |2:4| Puck Panthers

RAKETTIPUTKET vs. Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat - LA decision

Unfortunately, League Administration had to disqualify RAKETTIPUTKET from the playoffs due to multiple rule violations after being made aware of them by Rukoveilat Hinkkaajat captains. The following paragraphs were taken into consideration:

Quote

1.1
All players participating in any NHLGamer league/tournament are required to have a registered account on NHLGamer.com with their PSN ID (PlayStation) or Gamertag (Xbox) added to their profile.

2.2
In order to be eligible for NHLGamer leagues/tournaments, teams must:

• Have a captain and 2 assistant captains
• Have a total of at least 8 players
• Use the same team name on both NHLGamer.com and NHL 18

5.1
Teams are only allowed to use players listed in their official roster on the NHLGamer.com main page. Players which are listed in the sign up post but were not invited to the team roster are not allowed to play.

10.1
The deadline for transfers is set to 23:59 CE(S)T on the 12th of November.

RAKETTIPUTKET decided to use a player named "Lehis61" in some of their playoff games. At that time, Lehis61 was not part of the RAKETTIPUTKET roster and did not have an account at NHLGamer.com either. Seeing how the trade deadline has already passed, adding him to the roster at the start of the playoffs was not an option. Further investigation revealed the roster size dropped below 8 players shortly after the regular season was over.

LA is fully aware that a disqualification at this point in a season is not an easy decision, however given all the circumstances no other solution was viable.

Round 2

16 teams made it into the secound round of the ECL Lite playoffs and are one step closer to the championship and ECL Pro promotion! Congratulations to everyone so far. Without further ado, here are the pairings for the 2nd round of the ECL Lite playoffs:

Deadly Phantoms HC vs Roistot 
Almost Famous vs Breakers of the Bone 
Raging Monkeys vs Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat 
Red Machine vs Finnish Hockey Legends 
Face Wash Hockey vs Puck Panthers 
Try Another Hole vs Nordic Nosebleed 
EV Duisburg vs Penalty Box 
Squad Vilttiketju vs The Beagle Boys

The round starts today and all games must be completed before November 29, 23:59 CET / November 30, 00:59 EET.

Good luck!

@gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

ECL 5 - Elite Playoffs

A week after the ECL 5 Lite playoffs kicked off, Pro and Elite are now heading into the most exciting time of the season too! The Pro playoffs will be covered in a seperate post, so if you are a Pro team be sure to check that out. Time to cover Elite! 

FRAMEWORK

• Each pairing, championship or promotion/relegation faceoffs, must be finished within 7 days of the series' start date. Don't expect any extensions!
• All pairings are to be played in a best-of-7 series (teams on the left side below play home first)

ELITE PLAYOFFS

The very best 8 teams are about to enter the final stages of the most exciting 6 vs. 6 competition NHLGamer has to offer! It's where everlasting stories are written (no pun intended) and true heroes are born. The ECL Elite playoffs starts off with these 4 pairings:

• Aapon Taikasauva vs. Rusty Blades
• Carlsberg HC vs. Northern Stars
• SJK eSports vs. Northern Ascendancy
• Written In The Stars vs. Dynasty

ELITE RELEGATION FACEOFFS

The teams that finished 13th and 14th in the standings will pause for a bit until two ECL Pro semi-final losers are determined. Thus, while two Elite teams are relegated instantly (see below), a strong ECL Pro representation could potentially open up two more Elite spots:

• Nordic Nightmare vs. ECL Pro semi-final loser 1 (series starts when ECL Pro semi-finals are finished)
• TIKI TALK vs. ECL Pro semi-final loser 2 (series starts when ECL Pro semi-finals are finished)

ECL RELEGATIONS

Synergy Hockey and Nordic Lightning weren't able to get it done in Elite this season and are relegated to ECL Pro for ECL 6. However, there's no time for frustration - charge the batteries and come back strong in ECL 6!

THE (UN)LUCKY FEW?

MUKIMIEHET, Kattiautomaatti, Sjukstugan and Silver Sword Griffins finished the season ranked 9 to 12 and will remain in ECL Elite for ECL 6. While MUKIMIEHET came very close to making the playoffs, the other teams were in danger of being relegated but managed to evade it. With new Pro teams entering the ring, things are only going to get tougher in the future, so stay focused and keep building those rosters to not share the fates of Synergy Hockey's and Nordic Lightning's next season.

Best of luck to everyone and see you on the ice!

@The_Alpha_Furyan & @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers,

a week after the ECL 5 Lite playoffs kicked off, Pro and Elite are now heading into the most exciting time of the season too! The Elite playoffs will be covered in a seperate post, so keep an eye out for that.

FRAMEWORK

• Each pairing, championship or promotion/relegation faceoffs, must be finished within 7 days until November 28 - starting today. Don't expect any extensions!
• All pairings are to be played in a best-of-7 series (teams on the left side below play home first)

PRO PLAYOFFS

As usual, the two ECL Pro groups are cross-seeded in the first round, which means #1 from Group 1 will play #8 from Group 2 and so on. This leads us to these 8 pairings:

• Gotham Knights vs. J P T J
• SIKA vs. THE UNITED KNIGHTS
• Inter Iceland vs. EN HUND
• Lavetten vs. Pata Hellalla
• Unlucky Boys HC vs. Alliance HT
• Shameful Knights vs. Falun Coal Miners
• Nordic Stars vs. White Trash
• Baltic Sea Eagles vs. Evolution

PRO RELEGATION FACEOFFS

Teams ranked 13th to 16th in both conferences are cross-seeded as well. While all winners will remain in ECL Pro for ECL 6, the losers are moved down to ECL Lite and will be replaced by the ECL Lite semi-finalists. Here are the pairings:

• AK 47 vs. Bellizzi
• Squirt Hockey vs. GHETTO FIREBIRDS
• Sypperstaars vs. Bare Knuckles Hockey
• Banterfield Battalion vs. Nemesis

THE (UN)LUCKY FEW?

Murohoki, Black Panther Party, God Tier, Hawks Hockey Club, DEAD END KINGS, Clowns on Ice, Speedy Bros Hockey and Free From Rodents have secured their spot in ECL Pro for next season. Some might be unhappy about not making the playoffs, others might be happy about avoiding the fierce relegation battles - whatever it is, make sure to recover during Christmas and come back strong for ECL 6. It's not going to be easier!

That's it! Good luck to everyone and let the games begin.

@gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

ECL 5 - Lite Playoffs

It is time to get the Lite Playoffs underway and below you will find the playoff pairings that will get it done. Before you scroll down, the NHLGamer.com staff would like to thank all 48 Lite teams who finished the ECL 5 season. You guys truly rock and despite some hard decisions that were forced to be made here towards the end of the season, we hope to see all of you back again for ECL 6 (regardless if it is in Lite or Pro!) when it starts up in January 2018. Thank you.

Note that all the playoff series are to be played in the Best of 7-format.

Playoff pairings (left = home, right = away, seeds marked with #)

# 1 Deadly Phantoms HC vs. # 32 (WILDCARD) Bucketeers
# 2 SGWEER United vs. # 31 (WILDCARD) Roistot
# 3 Almost Famous vs. # 30 KulmalaHengaus
# 4 Raging Monkeys vs. # 29 Rising Phantoms HC
# 5 Red Machine vs. # 28 Slapshot Club Germany
# 6 Face Wash Hockey vs. # 27 IN4MOUS
# 7 Try Another Hole vs. # 26 Ice Phoenix
# 8 EV Duisburg vs. # 25 Rusty Bulls
# 9 HC Aurinko vs. # 24 Breakers of The Bone
# 10 Squad Vilttiketju vs. # 23 Nottingham Chiefs
# 11 RAKETTIPUTKET vs. # 22 Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat
# 12 The Beagle Boys vs. # 21 Mentula SKA
# 13 Penalty Box vs. # 20 Lucky Strike
# 14 Nearbird Fighters vs. # 19 Finnish Hockey Legends
# 15 Nordic Nosebleed vs. # 18 Freddie Mercury Institute
# 16 Nordic Eagles vs. # 17 Puck Panthers

Playoff schedule

To be able to complete ECL 5 Lite before Christmas, this is the exact timeline that needs to be held for the playoffs. No extra time will be given during these playoffs as we won't be able to complete the playoffs before the holidays in that case and if there is one thing I am sure we can all agree on, is that we dont want a repeat of ECL 3 where the "christmas break" turned out to be devastating for the playoffs. Anyway, here is the schedule:

Round 1: Starts 2017-11-16 (TODAY!) with last day to play games 2017-11-22
Round 2: Starts 2017-11-23 with last day to play games 2017-11-29
Round 3 (Quarterfinals): Starts 2017-11-30 with last day to play games 2017-12-06
Round 4 (Semi-finals): Starts 2017-12-07 with last day to play games 2017-12-13
Round 5 (Finals): Starts 2017-12-14 with last day to play games 2017-12-20

The playoff tree and schedule can be found here: https://nhlgamer.com/league.php?leagueID=25&gameType=regular&show=playoffs

Good luck to all remaining teams.

Text by: @The_Alpha_Furyan
Art by: @Lurkins & @OxtreeLAT

Floor17- Northern Stars (NOS)

ECL Hidden Gems is a concept that was created by @The_Alpha_Furyan and @pnordetun (patovic). The idea evolved out of discussions concerning what type of content patovic himself would like to see more of at NHLGamer.com and what kind of texts he'd be most interested in writing. Hidden Gems, for the purposes of this feature, means players that the author feels haven't quite gotten their time to shine at NHLGamer or players that aren't getting full credit for the skill they bring to the table. This is the first edition in a six-part series that patovic has written so do enjoy the witty writing of "pato" and leave a comment with your thoughts on the piece.

I might find myself out on thin ice over some pretty deep waters right about now, but the fact is that Northern Stars veteran Daniel Anderzon aka @Floor17 doesn't quite get the recognition he deserves in the ECL community. This is a player who is a 5-time ECL veteran (and lord knows how many 6v6 tournaments before that!) that routinely manages to control all aspects off the game, in all zones off the ice. Not only that, he is a beast at the Versus portion of the game as well, having won one Swedish championship and making it far in various other tournaments.

As the great coach Marc Crawford once said: 

"If you want him to shut down the opponents best player, he will get it done. You want him to score goals? He will get it done. You want him to be a playmaker? He'll get it done. You need him to be physical? He'll get it done. He is so gifted and the list just goes on and on".

You can trace the origins of the so-called "floorbandyking" back to the old Xbox team "Swedish Tigers" that featured such legends as ivve83 and unbroken-anders (man, where did those guys go?). Floor17 was truly a dominating force in those early Xbox years and have continued to build his legacy in EASHL ever since. At the beginning of his virtual career, he was considered by many to be more of a pure offensive weapon. This went on for years and especially once he found himself playing with @cHIIMEERa on the Swedish powerhouse Northern Stars. The last few seasons, Floor17 has managed to enhance his repertoire to include an ability to play both wing and defenseman at a very high level, as well as the occasional stint at goaltender.

Flash forward to today where NOS had Finnish superstars @tbnantti and @plee999 join the team for ECL 5, it has been quite interesting to see how the old "curveshot master" has adapted to the situation and found an integral two-way role on the roster where he has been a big contributor to the teams' success.

To summarize: Floor is awesome at videogame hockey and wins stuff, that is just what he does. It ain't easy winning all the time - if it were, everyone would be doing it!

PS. Mean rumours back in the day said that the King of Floorbandy used the "99 overall glitch" in EASHL... and that it was possibly @eyebiz (the old rascal!) who had the hackset to hook him up - but if you ask me? Nah, Floor17 didn't need it then and he doesn't need it now - this man is nothing but skill and determination 

Text by: @pnordetun
Intro and editing by: @The_Alpha_Furyan
Art by: @OxtreeLAT

ECL 5 - The Road So Far: Lite

We are back to take a look at the 49 teams that currently reside in Lite. For some, the season is already over with all 18 games being played but for many this week represents the final chance to sneak into a playoff spot. Who will get a chance to advance to Pro? Who will have to come back even hungrier for ECL 6? Lets find out!

[Please note that this article was written Monday afternoon, meaning the text refers to standings as they were on 2017-11-06]
 

ECL Lite - Group 1

At the very top of Group 1 we find Raging Monkeys who have turned in an impressive campaign as a rookie ECL franchise. Propelled by their insane goal scoring prowess (the team is averaging over 5 goals per game) they lead a group that looks to be very tight at the top. Behind RM we find four other teams (Finnish Hockey Legends, Lucky Strike, Freddie Mercury Institute and pre-season favorite Face Wash Hockey) within a span of just four points. This means the race for the 6th and final playoff spot will most likely come down to two teams, Puck Panthers and Roistot. Should one of these two not make it, they still have a decent chance to be one of the two "lucky 7ths"; meaning one of the two 7th place teams that make the Lite playoffs as a wild card. Teams Nuggetz, Terrific Tigers and PUNANEN REHTORI will have to consider this a learning season.

ECL Lite - Group 2

In Group 2 its the top trio of Penalty Box, EV Duisburg and Red Machine leading the charge with 20+ points. These powerhouses look to be the top seeds for a group that features quite a few known teams from the community. The trio is followed by the Finnish team with the un-pronounceable name (Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat), the Swedish-British hybrids Nottingham Chiefs and Russian RCL top team Ice Phoenix who all look poised to make the playoffs. Battling for the final playoff spot we find Kouvola Screaming Eagles and Phantoms HC who are still neck and neck in the race. Finally, Rasend Krokodil and Cold Turkeys will have to reload for ECL 6.

ECL Lite - Group 3

In ECL Lite Group 3 we find the second and third "Phantom HC"-teams in this division. Outside of Phantoms HC in Group 2, Group 3 features Deadly Phantoms HC and Rising Phantoms HC. Could "Phantoms" be the new favorite ECL team name and overtake previous champion "Nordic"? Only time will tell! Anyway, at the top of this group is the deadly version of the Phantoms who are on their way to making ECL Lite history by going undefeated throughout the entire regular season. I would not want to be the team facing this squad in the playoffs. Other teams that will most likely make the playoffs are Try Another Hole, HC Aurinko, Rising Phantoms HC, INF4MOUS and Pohjoista Voimaa with Soldiers of Odens and KulmalaHengaus both struggling to get in. Donec Reges will have to come back stronger in ECL 6.

ECL Lite - Group 4

Group 4 looks pretty much set at the top with Almost Famous clinching the top seed and The Beagle Boys and Mentula SKA finishing either 2nd or 3rd. Behind them we find veteran ECLers Elämäm Kiekko (who look poised for a deep playoff run), Nearbird Fighters of the RCL, Nordic Nosebleed and Breakers Of The Bone all in contention for spots 4-6. For South Sweden Panthers, DarrasStars and Papat - the ECL Lite season is over but odds are they will come back stronger next season from this experience.

ECL Lite - Group 5

Finally, we arrive at Group 5 where SGWEER United should clinch the top spot unless they lose both their final games and Squad Vilttiketju wins all of their remaining games. In the #3 spot we find Nordic Eagles, a new Swedish team that has been a positive surprise thus far and behind them at #4 is Rusty Bulls of the RCL. Other teams that could have a shot at the playoffs are Bucketeers, Slapshot Club Germany, Burns Beardy Bastards and RAKETTIPUTKET. At the bottom, HC Nappiaivot and Dirty Animals most likely will not make the playoffs this time but credit to them for hanging in there and collecting points.

That's it for ECL Elite, Pro and Lite. Good luck to all teams for the rest of the season and talk to you all again soon when the playoffs arrive.

Text by: @The_Alpha_Furyan 
Art by: @Lurkins and @Kenu

Good evening, NHLGamers!

It has come to our attention that we've made an error during the process of finalizing the initial draft of the ECL5 rulebook. As a result the rule 10.1 regarding the transfer deadline states inaccurate information (that the transfer deadline is set on the last day of the regular season).

Yesterday some of the captains may have already noticed that the team management tool had limited functionality. This happened because the actual transfer deadline that was supposed to be communicated in the current rules had passed.In our eyes having a transfer deadline that's set on the last day of the regular season promotes team-hopping and jeopardizes the integrity of the current competition. As such, we've decided to update the current rule and extend the deadline by one week - the new transfer deadline is 12th of November, 23:59 CEST. Effective immediately.

Quote

 

10.        Recruitment and transfers

10.1
The deadline for transfers is set to 23:59 CET on the 12th of November.

 

- League Administration

ECL 5 - The Road So Far

If any of you out there happens to be a fan of the CW show Supernatural (as I am), this article title is for you!

For those of you who have yet to watch the show (currently in its 13th season), the "road so far" refers to when the show - at the end of each season - recaps everything that has been going on thus far and prepares the viewers for what is to come in the finale. With the ECL 5 playoffs fast approaching as a sort of finale to this season, I thought it'd be appropriate to create something similar, a recap of what has been going on so far.

97 teams - 3 championships

While the NHLGamer staff had hoped to breach the "100 barrier" for registered ECL teams this season, 97 teams is still an amazing feat. Up from last seasons 78 teams, we take this as a sign that the interest for 6v6 EASHL continues to increase at a rapid pace. Add the 20 teams that are currently participating in our Russian league, RCL, and the registration number all of sudden jumps significantly, to 117 total. Glad to have all of you onboard!

The 97 ECL teams were divided into three divisions, as is custom these days, based on merit where 16 teams ended up in ECL Elite, 32 in ECL Pro and 49 in ECL Lite. Lets see what has been going on in these vipers nests, shall we?

[Please note that this article was written yesterday afternoon, meaning Standings were collected 2017-11-05]

ECL 5 Elite

As it currently stands, Northern Stars (NOS) is at the top of the ECL Elite standings, albeit with a full 26 games played which is more than any other team in any division. Even so, this team has bounced back from a slow start to establish themselves as the championship favorite they were predicted to be ahead of this season. Looking at the teams recent games, they display a remarkable effectiveness when it comes to being able to win games while rotating different lineups. Other teams that have delivered on the pre-season promise of being top tier teams are Carlsberg, Written In the Stars, SJK eSports and Aapon Taikasauva.

The biggest surprise in Elite so far has to be Rusty Blades who are hanging tough with all teams so far and sporting a 1.1 points per game average as a team. Should they continue at this pace, odds are they will make it to the playoffs. Quite the upset for a team that joined the league as a last-minute replacement team! A lot of credit for their success thus far has to be placed with RBs team defense and goaltending who have been outstanding. 

Looking at the teams that are hovering around the cutoff line for the playoffs, expect Dynasty to rise up a bit in the standings and look out for TIKI TALK to surprise as they continue to gain points in almost every game they play. Other teams that could potentially climb in the standings are Synergy and Northern Ascendancy who have both been struggling but have as little as 12 games played. Finally, look for Kattiautomaatti, MUKIMIEHET, Nordic Nightmare and Sjukstugan to continue to duke it out for those final playoff spots.

Arriving at the bottom of the standings we find Silver Sword Griffins and Nordic Lightning, two teams that have been struggling to score goals with under 1.5 goals forward per game. Many expected NL to experience a challenging season but their recent form is actually quite positive. SSG probably hoped for a higher position but Elite is tougher than ever and it will take all of their fortitude and discipline to turn this tough start around.

ECL 5 Pro - Group 1

Moving on to Group 1 in ECL Pro you find a very, very tight race at the top of the standings with Gotham Knights and Evolution tied at the very top and Falun Coal Miners, White Trash, Inter Iceland and SIKA within 2 points of each other, giving chase to the "top dogs". It is quite impressive to see Gotham Knights (formerly Refuse To Lose) bounce back significantly after their challenging ECL 4. Evolution is another positive surprise as many probably expected them to be good, but not this good! Give credit to their team management for some shrew player signings that pushed them over the top. SIKA sports one of the best points per game team averages and with 5 games in 5 nights coming up for them, could make a push for #1 overall. 

Teams like Black Panther Party, God Tier, Lavetten and murohoki (who has been a team on a mission since they signed a few new key players) continues to battle hard for a playoff spot with Alliance being the cunning shark lurking at the bottom of the sea with a solid points average but just 12 games played. 

Moving on we find Hawks Hockey Club, AK47, Squirt Hockey and Nemesis who hope to grasp that final straw for the playoffs while at the same avoiding relegation. Finally, Bare Knuckles Hockey prepares to defend their spot in Pro in the Pro-Lite qualifiers.

ECL 5 Pro - Group 2

Pro Group 2 has a little more separation between the so-called "top dogs" and the playoff hopefuls. Baltic Sea Eagles, Nordic Stars, Shameful Knights and Unlucky Boys has a firm grip on the Top 4 spots and will most likely hold on to these spots in some combination. Look out teams 5-8 in Group 1, because these guys look ready for the playoffs. 

The biggest surprise to me in Group 2 is Pata Hellalla who has quietly put together a good season and looks poised to clinch a playoff spot if they keep their current form. Giving chase to these underdogs we find what I like to call the "Caps Lock 4"; EN HUND, THE UNITED KNIGHTS, DEAD END KINGS and J P T J. In the mix for playoff spots we also find Sypperstaars, Speedy Bros Hockey, Clowns on Ice. Caught up in the same battle we also find the lost 5th "Caps Lock brother" in GHETTO FIREBIRDS and veteran Swedish team Free From Rodents.

Finally, Banterfield Battalion will have to shift into a higher gear to avoid the negative qualifiers that Bellizzi will have to start preparing for.

See you next time right here at NHLGamer.com when it is time to take a look at ECL Lite.

Text by: @The_Alpha_Furyan 
Art by: @Lurkins and @Kenu
 

Greetings, gamers!

After a well-deserved breather following last season’s Game 7 thriller, it’s time to rust off your blades, as ECL 5 Elite is set to start with a bang. Twelve teams from ECL 4 Elite, four teams from ECL 4 Pro and only 8 playoff spots to compete for – we are looking at another season of action-packed excitement.

The offseason was very busy with major roster shuffle in several teams. However, the balance of power has not seemed to shift that much. As an introduction to the new season, here’s a prediction of how the teams stand, mostly based on personal observations and EASHL performance during the pre-season. The teams are listed alphabetically within their respective categories.

The Contenders

The reigning champions Laser HT are now known as SJK eSports. Team captain Dominointi, who represents the eSports organization personally as well, is expected to be on full form early on, having continued his successful season with a victorious Summer Cup. SJK goes into the season with no major changes in the lineup – and with a champion status, nothing points out they would not be contenders for the new season.

Written In The Stars has been one of the strongest teams in the pre-season. DieCutterMC from Dynasty is a great fit to the team. They will look to repeat their start from last year and only a few have doubts they will succeed at that. A blend of slick moves and unorthodox plays; at times, juggling on the fine line between effective and entertaining.

Carlsberg HC is back in the Elite division, to which it undoubtedly belongs. There were two very interesting additions to Carlsberg HC in the form of Vilupoika and KingofApes. With one of the best offensive rosters in the league, this team intends to win the last game of the season and light the lamp on the way through.

MUKIMIEHET introduced Pair4You back into the lineup. The core of the team has stuck around together for a while already, and with a well-balanced offensive and defensive style of play, the cup is within the reach of these guys.

The Challengers

Aapon Taikasauva saw a lot of changes over the summer. In came Nylanderi, Penatski, Puantso, Cappe and ShaneC27. They have all the tools to make it a championship team, but the tournament is short and with so many changes, time is not on their side. With arguably the highest potential of improving their game throughout the season, they probably don’t top the Challenger list only alphabetically.

Dynasty was as close as it gets to winning last year, but a lot of roster changes happened over the summer and it will probably take a while to get back the routine level to where it was. To highlight the changes made, the starting roster is expected to feature only 2 skaters who finished the season with the team in ECL 4. Nevertheless, Dynasty is still one of the best defensive teams out there – come playoffs, anything is possible.

Northern Ascendancy drained the swamp, being no more known as Unknown. Instead, the team is known for their fast, creative and lethal counter-attacks. One of the best teams in neutral zone transitions, and often catch opponents out of formation. Very strong when given the chance to play with their strengths.

Nordic Lightning is one of the teams with most roster changes during the offseason. From the brink of folding the club, Terrorsenko|91| managed to get a squad together. The hard work has only just begun though; most teams in the Elite division have a solid head-start in preparation and Nordic Lightning faces a tough task should they try to clinch a playoff spot. Likely to rely on defensive play and quick rushes up the ice.

Nordic Nightmare come into the tournament as a bit of a mystery.  The team has been a rare sight during the pre-season, but reports say they’ve been building chemistry over the summer in a whole different genre of games. However, the changes to the lineup weren’t big during the offseason, and they should be on form quickly.

Northern Stars was another team to make a big double-signing, when PleeMaker and tbnantti inked their names on a contract. Last season they were a very productive duo, and will be interesting to see how they adapt to the new environment. If they can get everything clicking, Northern Stars has the potential to win the tournament; but as I see it, they are not there yet.

Synergy, another long-standing franchise from Sweden, finds themselves in a rather similar spot to past tournaments; ready to challenge any team on the ice, and beat them on a good day. Known for strong cycle plays and utilizing all 5 skaters in all phases of the game, the experience level emanates from the blue-and-yellow uniforms. Missing out on the playoffs would be a disappointment.

TIKI TALK starts another season with an under-dog status. Patient defense and success with their stingy counter-attacks, and TIKI TALK is right on their game. Team captain itspardytime has been around for a long time and knows how to rob the points from bigger teams. Nevertheless, a playoff spot is probably out of reach.

The Arrivals

Kattiautomaatti N/A, author's team. How will Katti do in Elite? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Rusty Blades was eventually rewarded for their strong season in Pro with a last-minute Elite spot for ECL 5. These Finns start the season with a virtually unchanged lineup. They are a strong defensive team with good goaltending, often able to catch out match favorites.

Silver Sword Griffins is one of the four new teams in Elite this season, and they’ll be looking to cement their place at the highest tier. SSG has a very balanced lineup, including three winners from the previous Summer Cup. The structure and organization of their game is more developed and rigid than with most other teams. Contending for a playoff spot.

Sjukstugan makes their entry into the Elite tier in an uncomfortable position after losing their n. 1 goalie right on the doorstep of the new season. With some additional roster shuffling in the offseason, Sjukstugan could be facing a rocky start with their new campaign.

Stories to Follow

In a big picture, there are always interesting finer details. There are several new teams ready to leave their mark in Elite, Carlsberg HC even looking at setting a standard on what can be achieved straight after promotion.

On an individual player level, there is so much to follow. Here are a few stories that I will be following with interest:

3+2=?: Can tbnantti and PleeMaker continue to be the offensive powerhouse we saw in the past, will the new roster start clicking, and will it make NOS great again?

Rusty on both ends: Can Lamsa keep up his goal scoring numbers for the Rusty Blades, now at the highest tier? Can Supreex do the same goaltending-wise in the other end of the ice?

The League Sheriff: SadaPoika was an interesting addition by Sjukstugan; not least because he is the only forward in the Elite league to regularly play with an enforcer build.

What are looking forward to this season? Do you have a team or a player you will keep an eye on? Who wins, who relegates? Tell us your thoughts!

Keep those streams running, and as always, good luck & have fun!

NHLGamers,

The time has come for ECL 5 to get started and here is the Preview for the ECL 5 Pro division. This is the second season under the ECL divisional umbrella and Pro this season looks to be even tighter than last season. While there are some very high-skill teams participating this season as well, there aren't any clear-cut favorites the same way a team like Carlsberg HC was for ECL 4 Pro. On the other hand, that should make this regular season a sight to behold.

This is taken directly from @gzell60s excellent ECL 5 launch summary:

Quote

23 teams (excluding Rusty Blades, which were moved to ECL Elite) confirmed their participation for ECL 5. This means a total of 9 spots had to be filled with ECL Lite sign-ups. To ensure a competitive and sustainable Pro division when filling the spots, League Administration not only looked at in-game leaderboards and records, but also considered EASHL history as well as notable achievements, recent games and ECL experience (games played, points, wins etc). 

ECL Pro will be played in 2 groups with 16 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in a 30 game regular season in which the top 8 teams out of each group will go to the playoffs (16 teams total).

To determine the final groups, 10 pre-seeded teams were randomly assigned to the 2 groups. Afterwards, the remaining 22 teams were assigned to the groups.

Group 1

• AK 47
• Alliance HT
• Bare Knuckles Hockey
• Black Panther Party
• Evolution
• Falun Coal Miners
• God Tier
• Gotham Knights
• Hawks Hockey Club
• Inter Iceland
• Lavetten
• Murohoki
• Nemesis
• SIKA
• Squirt Hockey
• White Trash

Lets begin by taking a look at the teams added to Pro Group 1 by application (marked in bold). 4 out of the 9 teams promoted through application ended up in Group 1. Out of those, Black Panther Party had the strongest original claim due to their Quarterfinal berth in the ECL 4 Lite playoffs. The remaining "application teams" - God Ties, Squirt Hockey & Falun Coal Miners - will have their work cut out for them to qualify for the playoffs among established teams like SIKA, Gotham Knights and White Trash.

Speaking of which, both SIKA and Gotham Knights (under the name "Refuse To Lose") both participated in ECL 4 Elite and will be hungry to prove themselves after getting demoted. On the other side of the spectrum, Group 1 also features two teams that made their way up from Lite last season by going far in the playoffs: Lavetten and Hawks Hockey Club. Look for both these teams to finish high in this group as they have continued to develop their team play since that promotion. Finally, you got to keep your eyes open for a team like White Trash who came close to getting promoted to Elite last season. 


Projected Top 3 from Group 1:

1. SIKA - Never underestimate the Hogs. If anyone is going to turn their trend around and work them back to being an Elite-level team, it is captain and leader vSilenttio.

2. White Trash - Did well in the playoffs in ECL 4 Pro and hasn't lost a step since. With some of the biggest dogs (Carlsberg, Sjukstugan, Kattiautomaatti, Silver Sword Griffins) out of the way, it wouldn't be a surprise to see White Trash evolve into one of the new big dogs of Pro.

3. Gotham Knights - It is time for a bounce-back season from dynamic duo Hanssoni and RedMisTi. After being at the very top of the ladder for many seasons in the predecessor to ECL (the EHL), they haven't quite found their groove in the ECL yet. This season presents an excellent opportunity to do so!

Players to watch from Group 1:

1. ZipPlayer & Kaneyh, White Trash - Dynamic duo that has led White Trash in scoring the last two seasons (one each). With White Trash expected to be one of the highest scoring teams in ECL Pro Group 1, the board is set for these two to put up 100+ points each if they play enough games during the season. 

2. KattenJansson97, Lavetten - Highly skilled center who handles the puck with ease and supplies highlight reel goals more often than not. Likely to be the leading scorer for up-and-coming Swedish team Lavetten, Katten will have to make sure to stay grounded in his two-way game to handle the rigors of a Pro season. 

3. SpiderRoyal, SIKA - One of the most experienced goaltenders in the Group, Spider is a calming presence between the pipes for SIKA. Will be expected to shoulder the majority of the teams games in net and there is no doubt in my mind that this veteran keeper can do it. 

Underdog - Team to watch from Group 1:

1. Evolution (previously Nocturnal Hunters) - With the late additions of TackleControl and topikeranen to a team that already featured Jageksi as the anchor of the offense, Evolution just jumped to the top of the list as one of the overall most dangerous offensive teams. It would not be a surprise to see this team pull of some crazy performances under captain Crisu_Rottis and end up as one of the top seeds in the playoffs. Look out!

Group 2

• Baltic Sea Eagles
• Banterfield Battalion
• Bellizzi
• Clowns on Ice
• DEAD END KINGS
• EN HUND
• Free From Rodents
• GHETTO FIREBIRDS
• J P T J
• Nordic Stars
• Pata Hellalla
• Shameful Knights
• Speedy Bros Hockey
• Sypperstaars
• THE UNITED KNIGHTS
• Unlucky Boys HC

The teams promoted by application in this group were Banterfield Battalion, Clowns on Ice, EN HUND, Ghetto Firebirds and THE UNITED KNIGHTS. If you see one team name there that stands out, it is most likely THE UNITED KNIGHTS. Besides having their name featured in ALL CAPS, this team has a long and storied history as a top team, dating back even to the PS3 tournaments. Outsides of these five, returning Pro franchises Unlucky Boys HC and Shameful Knight have their eyes fixed on achieving what they barely fell short of last season, making the Elite division. Teams J P T J and DEAD END KINGS will feel instantly comfortable in the Pro division with the increased competition seeing as they flew high through Lite last season. Finally, never count long-time franchise Baltic Sea Eagles out of the fight.

Projected Top 3 from Group 2:

1. Unlucky Boys HC - Fell short last season but will be one of the top teams from Group 2, anything else will surely be dissapointing for captain Anhel_Kuru and his established, high-skill team.

2. Shameful Knights - Anyone who has played Shameful Knights in regular EASHL competition know that they are a frustrating team to play against. Content with turning the puck back to their defenders, the patient play style of this team has gotten many teams in trouble before. With their opponents lulled into a false sense of security, the Shameful Knights have the ability to strike suddendly and dart through the opposing teams defense. 

3. THE UNITED KNIGHTS - Big-time franchise that is returning to ECL competition after a long layoff but hasn't looked rusty at all when doing it. TUK has given EASHL opponents fits so far in NHL 18 and while the season hasn't gotten going yet, it is safe to say that the name THE UNITED KNIGHTS will be feared once more before too long.

Players to watch from Group 2:

1. Johataja699, Speedy Bros Hockey - Ahead of ECL 5, the captain, heart and soul of Finnish Roosters saw his once great team on the verge of collapsing. To keep this from happening, he teamed up with hard-hitting defender Ampuhaukka78 to create a hybrid team between Finnish Roosters and the newly formed Speedy Bros Hockey. Brings ton of skill and experience to the lineup and will be an important component for the success of Speedy Bros Hockey.

2. Nephenzy, DEAD END KINGS - The "players to watch"-list for Group 2 becomes a list of captains as Nephenzy of DEK takes the second spot here. Not pleased with being put in Lite last season, this point producer went out and carried his team all the way to a Pro promotion. Remains to be seen if he can do the same from Pro to Elite (and re-kindle the rivalry with Synergy Hockey) but if he brings the same determination as last season, anything is possible.

3. Seahyena, Nordic Stars - We complete the captaincy trio by adding Nordic Stars' long-time captain Seahyena. A solid two-way defender who can score point and light opponents up with big hits, Seahyena will be crucial to NS' success this season in ECL Pro Group 2.

Underdog - Team to watch from Group 2:

1. J P T J - The team that dominated every statistical category imaginable in ECL 4 Lite jumps up a step and faces Pro competition. Will their journey continue on its meteoric path or will the challenge of facing teams that are stronger defensively put a lid on this offensive powerhouse? Only time will tell but something tells me that J P T J might find themselves at the top half of the standings once it is time for the playoffs.

That was our ECL 5 Pro prediction here at NHLGamer. Be sure to stay tuned for more previews and quality content as the European Championship League progresses.

@The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

NHLGamers,

We are proud to introduce our ECL 5 Lite where we will have 49 participating teams. These 49 teams consists of well known franchises from previous ECL season, teams which played 6vs6 games as early as NHL12 and newcomers - so this ECL 5 Lite season holds an interesting mix of teams. This will be our Lite preview and it is based on what I know of these teams so feel free to hit 'Comment' on the article if you agreed or disagreed.

Prediction for the Regular Season Top-5

1. Almost Famous
In pre-season games this team have shown a tremendous amount of success. They have managed to beat Elite teams left and right. Their heart and soul player is se_ve420 and I believe he will decide if this team goes far or not. Almost Famous is real contender to win Lite, but can they find consistency in their performance in the big games?

2. Face Wash Hockey
This might be one of the oldest teams I know of. FWH have true depth in their roster so they can call up anyone on main roster for ECL play. At this point I have got to bring up a few players which are, in my opinion, true legends of the 6v6 scene. Taemtaem, ARSI_69, NorppaAsd, Korkkiruuvi_82 - I bow to your history. It brings back memories of one of the older 6v6 finals between Woodhands vs. Face Wash Hockey. Good times!

Question mark here is; can these skilled players shake the rust off their hands and find that group chemistry they were known for back in the day?

3. Deadly Phantoms HC
This is another "old-time" team who has regrouped and added more skill to their previous player core of willywonkaa, The_Rayman80, doksdel. On paper, DPC has some really impressive players and when you a player like XxTHENEXTONE87xX its an easy prediction to make that this team will be one of the major contenders for this season.

4. Try Another Hole
TAH is a fast-paced team that will tear you apart if you don’t defend against them as a 5-man unit.  This team features on of ECL Lites best offensive duos in hegyttaja and ankkalasvegas. Recent addition juntunen88 makes them even stronger, not to mention he is an ex-Infinity player so, what more do I need to say? This team will improve their overall game over the course of the ECL season so be afraid, be very afraid. Furthermore, in my book this team would have been a Pro team, but they decided to stick to Lite which tells you how down to earth these guys are.

5. Breakers Of The Bone
I am going to quote one of the best Javelin throwers from Finland here: When the interviewing reporter asked Seppo Räty after the javelin qualifiers in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics:

“How could your throw be so successfull when you'd only had one big competition to prepare before these games”? Seppo answered, “... and 20 years.”

This quote fits perfectly with this team. They have so much experience from big games and from playing together in older NHL versions. One of the big "inside" questions here is does the Nevala brothers still play or not?

Oh and Seppo Räty? He won an Olympic bronze medal in Atlanta.

Players to watch

1. CalciChew69, LW – Penalty Box
One of the best offensive LW’ers in early years of the 6v6 scene. ‘Calci’ has tons of creativity, tremendous individual skills and is overall very dangerous in the offensive zone. His trademark is to create a scoring change out of nothing. He might lack some physicality, but he can definitely beat you 1-on-1. This is his comeback year in EASHL.

2. Yoloberg, C - Face Wash Hockey
Yoloberg is known as a good Versus and HUT player. ‘Yolo’ is a mobile, transitional two-way playmaker who looks poised and reads the game well most of the time. Strong skater who likes to carry the puck on his own and if you give him just glimps of free space and time he’ll punish you. All-in all, a very competitive playmaker who can be relied upon in all situations to make a difference.

3. JaKurrii, C - Red Machine
An extremely talented two-way center, JaKurrii has a large dose of hockey sense and soft hands. His technical skills are very good and his trademark is smooth puck handling and ability to find his linemates in tight spots. People might also know him as a successful HUT player.

4. |tokFan|, C - The Beagle Boys 
Complete two-way center who first and foremost is a true competitor. TokFan always plays like there is 10 seconds left on the clock, he never takes a shift off and works hard to never have a bad game. He plays to win, not for himself, but for the team he captains. He’s also exceptional in the faceoff circle.

5. Lidaas_79, RW – Nordic Nosebleed 
Dynamic offensive forward who backchecks very hard and understands playing smart and puck-possession hockey. Lida will battle hard on all three zones and shows willingness to do whatever it to takes to get puck to the back in the net. You could call him weak version of ‘Lämsä’.

6. willywonkaa, G – Deadly Phamtom HC 
This goaltenders track record goes back all the way to NHL12. He might be one of the oldest goaltender in the game but he plays his angles conservatively, moves very well and doesn’t move or play too aggressive. willywonkaa tracks the puck well and doesn’t allow many rebounds. Cornerstone to his team success.

7. Jahajaha93, RD – Almost Famous
Having a breakout year in NHL 18 for sure if you look at his pre-season games. Has improved his overall game by a large margin compared to last year. His name doesn’t always flash on the scoreboard, but he does everything well in the defensive zone and can carry the puck if needed. Next JaikenK maybe?

8. Britn1, LD/RD – Elämäm Kiekko 
Defenseman who has good overall skills. He's a little better defensively than offensively, but has yet to flourish as a two-way defender. The tool box is there but we haven’t seen it transition to the ice fully. Overall a patient player who positions himself well. Doesn’t like to hit, but plays the body enough to consistently steal the puck. Could be his breakout year too!

9. ankkalasvegas, C – Try Another Hole,
A true two-way center who will be a Top-10 faceoff guy. Really special guy to have for the penalty killing. Has the complete set: strong physical presence, strong defense, solid skill and his trademark goal, slapshot on the breakaway. Weak side could be that his physical play sometimes leads to him taking too many penalties. Has a real chance to win "Best Player"-trophy for ECL 5 Lite.

10. RutonMosse, RW – Soldiers Of Odens,
Still a young prospect who has all the tools to be "the real deal superstar", but have yet to find consistency in his game. He’s very strong with the puck and possesses some creative, quick hands - allowing him to get fancy with the puck on the rush. Could easily be the overall goal scoring winner in this seasons Lite division.

Underdogs: Teams to watch

1. Soldiers OF Odens
They have a monster offensive upside, but will their skaters work out how to play as a 5-man unit? This team can go to the end if they remember to defend properly.

2. Elämäm Kiekko 
EMK have kept their original roster and they have clearly improved their game. Nowadays you can’t find many holes in their game. With this squad, consistency will be the biggest issue but I believe these boys are a playoff team for sure.

3. Finnish Hockey Legends
FHL has a good grasp of the game and knows how to play the game right way. Really impressive possession game, but lack of experience in tight games could be an issue. Very interesting team!

Phew, the more I dig in to teams, the more questions pops up. This has the potential to be a really special season for ECL Lite.

We're seeing so many old teams return to the ice who are facing off with all our exciting newcomers. This season will decide if the ‘old timers’ have what it takes for this tight ECL league or if NHL 18 is the game of the "new generation".

As I mentioned many times in this preview, consistency will be the key word for many teams this season.

Lets enjoy this and keep the game clean, I wish everyone good luck and see you on the ice.

Please note: Company of Geeks has sadly decided to withdraw their participation last night at the doorstep of the season.

Best regards, 
@Ranksu for NHLGamer.com

Editing: @The_Alpha_Furyan

Hey NHL Gamers,

the ECL 5 sign-up period ended yesterday, and we are very proud of the fact that a total of 98 teams will be participating in the first season taking place on NHL 18! This is up 24% from the 79 teams that signed up for ECL 4 - a truly amazing growth.

Without further ado, let's look at the final division structure.

ECL 5 Elite - All teams

15 teams confirmed their participation for ECL 5:

• Written In The Stars
• Northern Ascendancy (previously Unknown)
• Kattiautomaatti
• Sjukstugan
• SJK eSports (previously Laser HT)
• Silver Sword Griffins
• Carlsberg HC
• Aapon Taikasauva
• Dynasty
• Northern Stars
• Nordic Nightmare
• MUKIMIEHET
• Synergy
• Nordic Lightning
• TIKI TALK

Due to the fact that Limitless were folding, one spot in the Elite division had to be filled. To make this decision, League Administration was looking for the most successful ECL 4 Pro team that wasn't promoted to the Elite division by regular means. Round 2 of the ECL 4 Pro playoffs featured 4 possible contenders:

• White Trash (4 PO wins / 1.18 reg. season PPG)
• Shameful Knights (5 PO wins / 1.43 reg. season PPG)
• Unlucky Boys HC (6 PO wins / 1.5 reg. season PPG)
• Rusty Blades (7 PO wins / 1.54 reg. season PPG)

Based on these numbers, League Administration offered the 16th ECL 5 Elite spot to Rusty Blades. The invitation was accepted by the team's captains.

ECL 5 Pro - All teams

23 teams (excluding Rusty Blades, which were moved to ECL Elite) confirmed their participation for ECL 5:

• Alliance HT
• Baltic Sea Eagles
• DEAD END KINGS
• SIKA
• Inter Iceland
• J P T J
• Bellizzi
• Nordic Stars
• Shameful Knights
• Lavetten
• Gotham Knights (previously Refuse To Lose)
• Pata Hellalla
• Hawks Hockey Club
• White Trash
• Speedy Bros Hockey (previously Finnish Roosters)
• Evolution (previously Nocturnal Hunters)
• Bare Knuckles Hockey
• Sypperstaars (previously Rynnäkköviikset)
• Free From Rodents
• Unlucky Boys HC
• AK 47
• Nemesis
• Murohoki

This means a total of 9 spots had to be filled with ECL Lite sign-ups. As ECL 4 Lite quarter-finalists, these three teams were prioritized and moved to ECL 5 Pro:

• EN HUND
• Banterfield Battalion
• Black Panther Party (previously HC Ancient Warriors)

For the 6 remaining spots, we were looking at all the remaining ECL Pro applications from these 14 teams:

• Red Machine
• The Beagle Boys
• Soldiers of Odens
• God Tier
• Clowns on Ice
• GHETTO FIREBIRDS
• THE UNITED KNIGHTS
• Dirty Animals
• Slapshot Club Germany
• Squirt Hockey
• Face Wash Hockey
• Falun Coal Miners
• Phantoms HC
• Company of Geeks

To ensure a competitive and sustainable Pro division, League Administration not only looked at in-game leaderboards and records, but also considered EASHL history as well as notable achievements, recent games and ECL experience (games played, points, wins etc.). At the end of our evaluation, these 6 teams were considered suitable and are moved to ECL 5 Pro:

• God Tier
• Clowns on Ice
• GHETTO FIREBIRDS
• THE UNITED KNIGHTS
• Squirt Hockey
• Falun Coal Miners

ECL 5 Pro - Final groups

ECL Pro will be played in 2 groups with 16 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in a 30 game regular season in which the top 8 teams out of each group will go to the playoffs (16 teams total).

To determine the final groups, 10 pre-seeded teams were randomly assigned to the 2 groups. Afterwards, the remaining 22 teams were assigned to the groups. Here is the result:

Group 1

• AK 47
• Alliance HT
• Bare Knuckles Hockey
• Black Panther Party
• Evolution
• Falun Coal Miners
• God Tier
• Gotham Knights
• Hawks Hockey Club
• Inter Iceland
• Lavetten
• Murohoki
• Nemesis
• SIKA
• Squirt Hockey
• White Trash

Group 2

• Baltic Sea Eagles
• Banterfield Battalion
• Bellizzi
• Clowns on Ice
• DEAD END KINGS
• EN HUND
• Free From Rodents
• GHETTO FIREBIRDS
• J P T J
• Nordic Stars
• Pata Hellalla
• Shameful Knights
• Speedy Bros Hockey
• Sypperstaars
• THE UNITED KNIGHTS
• Unlucky Boys HC

ECL 5 Lite - All teams

The remaining 50 teams will be participating in ECL 5 Lite:

• Elämäm Kiekko
• The Beagle Boys
• iNF4M0US
• Pohjoista Voimaa
• Terrific Tigers
• HC Aurinko
• Ice Phoenix
• Rising Phantoms HC
• EV Duisburg
• Papat
• Nordic Nosebleed
• Company of Geeks
• Red Machine
• Soldiers of Odens
• Lucky Strike
• Freddie Mercury Institute
• Puck Panthers
• Nottingham Chiefs
• Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat
• Nordic Eagles
• Try Another Hole
• SGWEER United
• Rusty Bulls
• Finnish Hockey Legends
• Raging Monkeys
• Nearbird Fighters
• Mentula SKA
• Dirty Animals
• Slapshot Club Germany
• Squad Vilttiketju
• Deadly Phantoms HC
• Almost Famous
• Bucketeers
• DarrasStars
• Cold Turkeys
• Rasend Krokodil
• Face Wash Hockey
• Kouvola Screaming Eagles
• NuggetZ
• South Sweden Panthers
• Roistot
• Hc Nappiaivot
• KulmalaHengaus
• Donec Reges
• Phantoms HC
• Penalty Box
• Burns Beardy Bastards
• RAKETTIPUTKET
• Breakers Of The Bone
• PUNANEN REHTORI

ECL 5 Lite - Final groups

ECL Lite will be played in 5 groups with 10 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in an 18 game regular season in which the top 6 teams out of each group, as well as the two best 7th ranked teams out of all groups will go to the playoffs (32 teams total).

To determine the final groups, 15 pre-seeded teams were randomly assigned to the 5 groups. Afterwards, the remaining 35 teams were assigned to the groups. Here is the result:

Group 1

• Face Wash Hockey
• Finnish Hockey Legends
• Freddie Mercury Institute
• Lucky Strike
• NuggetZ
• PUNANEN REHTORI
• Puck Panthers
• Raging Monkeys
• Roistot
• Terrific Tigers

Group 2

• Cold Turkeys
• EV Duisburg
• Ice Phoenix
• Kouvola Screaming Eagles
• Nottingham Chiefs
• Penalty Box
• Phantoms HC
• Rasend Krokodil
• Red Machine
• Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat

Group 3

• Company of Geeks
• Deadly Phantoms HC
• Donec Reges
• HC Aurinko
• iNF4M0US
• KulmalaHengaus
• Pohjoista Voimaa
• Rising Phantoms HC
• Soldiers of Odens
• Try Another Hole

Group 4

• Almost Famous
• Breakers Of The Bone
• DarrasStars
• Elämäm Kiekko
• Mentula SKA
• Nearbird Fighters
• Nordic Nosebleed
• Papat
• South Sweden Panthers
• The Beagle Boys

Group 5

• Bucketeers
• Burns Beardy Bastards
• Dirty Animals
• HC Nappiaivot
• Nordic Eagles
• RAKETTIPUTKET
• Rusty Bulls
• SGWEER United
• Slapshot Club Germany
• Squad Vilttiketju

ECL 5 Rules

The rules for ECL 5 can be found here:

All players, whether they are captains or not, are obligated to be aware of all the rules. Make sure to memorize all rules outlined in "8. Game rules" due to the 30 second limit for stoppages in-game. Throughout the tournament, the rules may be updated. Any updates will be conveniently listed at the very top of the ruleset. Make sure to check out if anything changed once in a while.

League Administration members

All league related decisions will be made by League Administration. To open up a case, create a new question in the "Contact League Administration" helpdesk: https://nhlgamer.com/community/forum/27-contact-league-administration/

Please note: Teams are expected to solve issues on their own before contacting League Administration - the rules include lots of guidance for different issues. League Administration is always the last resort to solve any disagreements.

Team management tools

All teams have been created, and the captains will shortly be unlocked for the team management tools on the main page (go to https://nhlgamer.com and click on your username in the top right corner to access them). All players need to be invited to the team rosters ahead of your first game. Please note that all invited players need to accept the invitation (there will be a popup alert on https://nhlgamer.com) before they show up on the team roster and can start playing!

In case you have any questions, please use the comment section below this news story. Good luck to all teams and have fun!

@gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Good day NHLGamers,

Hope you enjoyed our ECL 5 trailer - it has been in the works for quite some time. Be sure to share it and spread the word if you liked it. We can tell you that a lot of effort went into making it and while a great many people have been involved in its execution from start to finish (including of course our featured talent @Bjono, @pnordetun, @cHIIMEERa, @Hansulinho & @Dominointi who couldn't have been more professional during the shoots), no one more so than @LastMandalorian. 

From developing the concept months ago, to setting up the film shoots, to traveling around Sweden and Finland to actually film it - all the way through editing the material and picking the right music. Hats off to you, sir - a job well done.

Hockey returns

133. That is the exact amount of days since the European Championship League was last in action. 133 days (or more than 3000+ hours) of waiting for this next shot at virtual ice hockey glory. It is true that while this years Summer Cup did satiate some of the community need for competitive gaming, there is nothing quite like ECL hockey.

The fourth ECL season was a season of change for many reasons. A new system featuring divisions was implemented. Instead of one lone winner, three champions were to be crowned. As a result more teams than ever before chose to sign up; a trend we hope (and expect) to continue as the ECL continues to expand its reach.

When the dust settled and the smoke had cleared after ECL 4, the NHLGamer "Hall of Champions" that already featured Nordic Blizzard (ECL 1), MUKIMIEHET (ECL 2) and X Factor (ECL 3) had been expanded to include Laser HT, Carlsberg HC and J P T J who managed to bring home the titles for Elite, Pro and Lite respectively.

Furthermore, we got to see the first ever Xbox ECL with OHO SORI winning the title in 5 games against The Black Jacks. We think it was a good start and would like to support this community initiative of bringing more competitive tournaments to the NHL landscape on Microsoft's console. That is why we will also give you the opportunity to sign up for Xbox ECL 2!

ECL 5 - PS4

While ECL 5 will be bigger and hopefully more competitive than ECL 4 it will not feature the same amount of change to our structure, something we hope will offer a welcome sense of continuity with regards to how much things changed last season. In short, this means the rulebook, the divisions and most of the things that worked really well in ECL 4 will continue to be implemented in ECL 5 as well.

This also means that, while we did find the ongoing discussion and community vote concerning the ECL point system - mostly a debate between the merits of employing a 3-point system versus a 2-point system - interesting and balanced, we will not change from the current 2-point format at this time. We welcome continuous discussion on this topic as the ECL continues to evolve.

Furthermore, we are sure that one of the biggest questions for some teams and members at this stage is "where will we play this season?" as the poll concerning if you should be able to apply for Pro or not turned out to be quite divisive. This has perhaps been the biggest question faced by the staff ahead of this season.

The baseline we are working from is this: if you earned your place in either the Pro or Elite divisions last season, you still have the right to it. We will not be employing any type of forced demotion in either of these two divisions. In a vacuum, this means we already have our 16 Elite teams and 32 Pro teams ready to go.

Outside of this "vacuum", the truth is that many of these Elite and Pro teams have experienced significant changes during the off-season between ECL 4 and 5.

Therefore, if you are either a Pro or Elite team (based on how ECL 4 ended) - you need to confirm your participation in the division you ended up in last season. If you do not confirm your spot before the last sign-up date, that spot will need to be filled by the Staff. Read on to find out how to sign up for ECL 5 and how to apply for these open spots.

Framework

• Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. North American players are not allowed to host matches / be captain in the lineup, which means all games need to take place on European servers. This also applies to Russian players - please evaluate your previous connection experience against some of the teams participating in the ECL, especially if you live in eastern parts of your country (which likely connects you to US West servers). In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players.
• 6 vs. 6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL challenge game mode in NHL 18.
• Individual requirements: Each player needs to create an account at NHLGamer.com and create his personal player card.
• Roster requirements: Teams need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players.
• Sign-up period: Teams can register until October 13, 23:59 CEST.
• ECL 5 Kick-off: ECL 5 is set to start on October 16.
• Rules: TBA

Sign-up procedures

There will be different ways of signing up to ECL 5 this time - the procedures are explained in detail in the section below. Generally speaking:

• New teams that did not participate in ECL 4 at all or teams that were relegated from ECL 4 Pro: Please read the "ECL Lite" paragraph below.
• Teams that were able to stay in ECL Pro, were relegated from ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Lite during ECL 4: Please read the "ECL Pro" paragraph below.
• Teams that were able to stay in ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Pro during ECL 4: Please read the "ECL Elite" paragraph below.

ECL Lite

ECL Lite welcomes any and all teams that did not participate in ECL 4 as well as the teams that were relegated from ECL Pro during ECL 4. As last season, there will be no limit to the amount of registrations! We will flexibly adjust group sizes to accomodate all teams that are looking to participate.

To sign up your team for ECL Lite, we ask the main captain (C) only to go to the ECL Lite registration thread: ECL 5 Lite Registration
You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes.

Due to the fact that only 31 teams are ECL Pro qualified at this time - and other teams may be folding -  we also offer teams the opportunity to apply for ECL Pro during the sign up process. However, ECL Lite quarter-finalists from ECL 4 will take first priority when filling up spots in the Pro division, which means only a few or no spots at all might be available for completely new teams.

When looking at Pro applications, we will choose applicants depending on their player strength and other factors such as in-game 6 vs. 6 leaderboard results. Below is the list of prioritized teams:

Quote

HC Ancient Warriors
Banterfield Battalion
EN HUND
Dynamo Danglers

ECL Pro

ECL Pro is our 2nd division and will consist of all the teams that were able to stay in ECL Pro, were relegated from ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Lite during ECL 4. ECL Pro has a fixed size of 32 teams, divided into two groups. All the qualified teams are listed below:

Quote

Moved down from ECL Elite:
Finnish Roosters
SIKA
Rynnäkköviikset
Refuse To Lose

Made playoffs:
Rusty Blades
Unlucky Boys HC
Shameful Knights
Nocturnal Hunters
White Trash
ORIGINS
Nordic Stars
Alliance HT
Germany's Finest
Royal Club
HC Checkmate
Huppati HC

Mid-table:
Baltic Sea Eagles
Free From Rodents
HC Magic Zone
AK 47
Pata Hellalla
Inter Iceland
Bellizzi

Survived relegation battles:
Bare Knuckles Hockey
murohoki
Showtime
Nemesis

Moved up from ECL Lite:
Lavetten
DEAD END KINGS
Hawks Hockey Club
J P T J

To sign up your team for ECL Pro, we ask the team's ECL 4 main captain (C) only to go to the ECL Pro registration thread: ECL 5 Pro Registration
You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes.

In case ECL Elite teams are folding, we will automatically ask the best ECL Pro qualifiers from ECL 4 to fill these spots, according to their playoffs progress (criteria #1) and regular season PPG average (criteria #2). You are not required to apply for these spots. However, you are required to confirm your attendance for ECL Pro to be considered for selection.

ECL Elite

ECL Elite is our 1st division, housing the very best 16 European teams in a single group. It will consist of all the teams that were able to stay in ECL Elite or were promoted from ECL Pro during ECL 4. All the qualified teams are listed below:

Quote

Made playoffs:
Dynasty
Laser HT
Limitless
MUKIMIEHET
Nordic Nightmare
Synergy Hockey
Unknown
Written In The Stars

Mid-table:
Aapon Taikasauva
Nordic Lightning
Northern Stars
TIKI TALK

Moved up from Pro:
Carlsberg HC
Kattiautomaatti
Silver Sword Griffins
Sjukstugan

To sign up your team for ECL Elite, we ask the team's ECL 4 main captain (C) only to go to the ECL Elite registration thread: ECL 5 Elite Registration
You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes.

Xbox ECL 2

To help in building a larger competitive Xbox community, we will host the second edition of Xbox ECL. The first season was based on a community initiative that started off with few individuals asking for a NHLGamer branded tournament taking place on Xbox One. Thanks to these members who contacted other teams on their platform of choice to spread the word, interest was starting to pick up, and the first season ended with a total of 5 teams.

While this is undoubtedly a small number compared to the amount of teams on PS4, we know that plenty of players joined NHLGamer during recent months. And thanks to the dedicated players that were doing their best to set up the first season, we expect participation to grow in the long run.

Xbox ECL 2 won't be based on the divisions format that is taking place on PS4, and instead will instead offer a league format used in Xbox ECL and ECL 1-3 on PS4 - however, our long term goal is having divisions on Xbox One as well.

Framework

• Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. North American players are not allowed to host matches / be captain in the lineup, which means all games need to take place on European servers. This also applies to Russian players - please evaluate your previous connection experience against some of the teams participating in the ECL, especially if you live in eastern parts of your country (which likely connects you to US West servers). In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players.
• 6 vs. 6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL challenge game mode in NHL 18.
• Individual requirements: Each player needs to create an account at NHLGamer.com and create his personal player card.
• Roster requirements: Teams need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players.
• Sign-up period: Registrations will be open indefinitely until 8 teams have agreed to participate. Afterwards, sign-ups will be open for another two weeks to make for a larger competition.
• Rules: TBA

Sign-up procedure

To sign up your team for Xbox ECL 2, we ask the main captain (C) only to go to the Xbox ECL 2 registration thread: XBOX ECL 2 Registration
You will find in-depth instructions on the procedure, including all the necessary details you need to provide - such as team name, abbreviation, EA SPORTS team page and possible name changes.

Final notes

ECL and its divisions format is in a process of continuous evolvement. When NHLGamer.com first announced the switch to setting up three skill-based divisions, our main goal was to transform the diverse EASHL landscape to encourage the development of true franchises.

Thanks to all the dedicated players out there, this is already bearing fruit:

Established teams are building a core roster while also paying attention to the plenty of ambitious newcomers in the NHL community.
We see social media channels popping up on a weekly, if not daily basis.
We see lots of new streamers on Twitch and other platforms, showing off ECL to all the NHL fans out there.
We see allies supporting our project more frequently than ever before.
We see how the community is evolving and shaping up to be a professional and organized force in the gaming landscape.

This is something we will continue to support in the future. We believe that, even though we might see a few teams folding this or even next season, which potentially requires us to restructure some of the divisions, in the long run we will see a healthy and fluid framework for the greatest 6 vs. 6 experience that's out there.

It's not our achievement. It's your achievement. We welcome everyone to continue this road of success. We welcome everyone to play with the best.

@The_Alpha_Furyan & @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

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Hey NHLGamers!

Our first ever Xbox ECL season has come to an end and the champion has been crowned! The first ever Xbox ECL title goes to OHO SORI!

The finals were played between regular season #1 The Black Jacks and #3 OHO SORI. OHO SORI won the series 4-1. Below you can see the individual game results:

Game 1: OHO SORI - The Black Jacks 6-3
Game 2: The Black Jacks - OHO SORI 2-5
Game 3: Oho Sori - The Black Jacks 5-9
Game 4: OHO SORI - The Black Jacks 7-3
Game 5: The Black Jacks - OHO SORI 3-4

Let's give the word to OHO SORI captain ReDMisTi: 

Quote

It wasn't an easy tournament for us, we had a huge problems in the regular season but our goal was just to be in a playoffs. The regular season was tight and every team played tight games against each other, which was a good thing. There was a break when the beta came out and it ate some of the motivation, but after all everyone wanted to win this first ever Xbox ECL tourney. We had a lot of hungry players and we changed our line-up a lot during the season, so thats why it was hard to decide who will play in the playoffs. Our wingers @puteli88 & @Sampti scored very important goals for us in semis, our goalies gave us a chance to win and we defended very well as a team, so we decided to continue through the finals with the same line-up and that worked pretty well.

Thanks to our playoff opponents for this tight and good playoff series! Thanks to every other team too, because of you this tourney was possible to arrange! And of course thanks to my teammates & NHLGamer staff. The tournament was small but still the first ever ECL on Xbox, so i guess and hope that it's going to be bigger in the future! 

See you in NHL l18!

OHO SORI's Championship roster:

Goalies
#7 KiNGNUNEN - K. KiNGNUNEN
#30 miiixu96 - K. Tillanen

Defensemen
#1 Priest 0f eviL - P. OnLive
#7 Turakalainen - H. Tallinder
#41 Lurkins - S. Seila
#41 MGrandalffi64 - M. Heiskanen
#49 Hammaroid - J. Petke

Forwards
#5 KenuFHR - K. Lehtinen
#9 Sampti - P. Kariya
#15 ReDMisTi - A. Dats
#22 Puteli88 - S. Milano
#40 BCS Toboy - K. ra
#48 petz0ni - p. drunkard

On behalf of NHLGamer, congratulations to OHO SORI for the champinship and to The Black Jacks for a well fought season and 2nd place!

I'd like to thank all of the teams and players for this first ever Xbox ECL and I'm looking forward to seeing you and new teams on the ice for the next one!