Hey NHL Gamers,

it's been 7 weeks since the start of ECL Season 2 on PS4, and first things first: MUKIMIEHET won the cup!

Congratulations go out to you guys, but we also want to thank Victorious Secret HC for making the final such a close one. We would also like to thank all participating teams for their dedication which made this second season such a smooth one after all.

RECAP

Before we headed into this season, you were very clear about what you expected from us. The main thing was the overall length of the tournament and scheduling in general, as many of you didn't feel like continuing with the game during summer time. We focused on this a lot, and tried to interact with you more than we used to and especially earlier than we did during last season. That was also the main reason why we decided to seed 48 teams into 8 groups: Not only were we able to keep the regular season as short as 10 games, but due to the fact that 4 teams per group were able to advance to the playoffs, we believe that newcomers received a fair chance to establish their reputation.

This effect was also visible after the regular season was done: While established teams like UKnighted HC, No Guts No Glory and The Unstoppable Warriors didn't make the playoffs, some of the recently joined teams suddenly appeared in the playoff tree (Fat Cats, Rising Force, HC iceTigers, Freaky Friday, Helter Skelter, HC Shameful Knights).

Another point I want to talk about is the rulebook. All in all, this season was a pleasant surprise in my eyes. While there were lots of discussions during our first season, and also controversy about staff decisions, it was almost like the complete opposite this time. Let me say this right away: While we might have tweaked a few things from the administration side, it was you, the players, who made this happen. Compared to the end of last year, everyone of you did a great job in supporting the platform and each other, and it was only rarely necessary to contact staff members about any problems. We appreciate this a lot, as it allows us to spend our limited time on other aspects of the website. Thank you very much!

However, there was one case where staff intervention was needed: TIKI TALK vs. Nordic Lightning during the playoffs. I don't want to go into detail again, but please note that we pay attention to any shortcomings like we did last season. And while it may have been a tricky and also frustrating situation, these cases are always important to lead us forward. At this stage we already have a solid foundation, but certain aspects like scheduling need another overhaul to ensure that the rulebook allows for competitive gameplay and at the same time keeps our personal lifes in mind and intact.

Let me use this opportunity to remind you of our feedback tool once again. We already received some valuable input, and we believe there are many more people who would like to tell us about their opinions:

WHAT'S NEXT?

We were very intrigued by the Summer Cup discussion which took place during the last 2 months. We always got the impression that NHL during summer time is a dead place, but seeing how carefully this initiative was driven by our fellow community members (without any staff influence) and how many people already left their vote on this topic, we decided to hear you and kick off another tournament during the next few months until mid-August. Mid-August is usually the time when EA Sports releases a demo version for the next NHL game, and we don't want to interfere with that. On top of that, I can already reveal that this next tournament will not be part of NHLGamer's ECL tournaments. This time we aim for open schedules and we want to give all of our members (whether they be veterans or juniors) a chance to get connected. Stay tuned, there will be another announcement with all the details very soon!

On behalf of the NHLGamer Staff,

- gzell60

Hey NHL Gamers,

Season 2 is nearing it's end, as the finals will be starting this Monday!

MUKIMIEHET and Victorious Secret HC will be playing for the cup, and soon we will know who follows Nordic Blizzard to call themselves ECL Champions on PS4. Watch the forums in the next few days to see what time the games start and on which channel they will be streamed.

Let me use of this opportunity and remind everyone of you of the Summer Cup discussion which is currently ongoing on the community side:

We already received interesting input from you, and if you feel like playing another season with NHL 16 then please raise your voice! Aside from the 6vs6 tournaments, we are also discussing other ideas for our future. I believe there is lots of interesting stuff in our minds, and we will share it with you when the time has come (which, of course, may take a while!).

For now, a big thank you for all your support.

On behalf of the NHLGamer staff,

- gzell60

Hey NHL Gamers,

with Synergy Hockey and Finnish Roosters having finished their series tonight, the semi-final is complete, and below you can find the match-ups:

Groups 1-4
Kattiautomaatti - Victorious Secret HC

Groups 5-8
MUKIMIEHET - Finnish Roosters

As we announced on the forums, Kattiautomaatti and Victorious Secret HC were already allowed to start their series today. This means the alloted time for their games is until Sunday, while MUKIMIEHET and Finnish Roosters are allowed to make use of the following Monday in case it is needed. Of course, we hope to return to schedule again, and kick off the finals in time.

On behalf of the NHL Gamer Staff,

- gzell60

Hey everyone,

thanks to all teams who were able to finish their series in time. Unfortunately, there was a lot of controversy around the Nordic Lightning vs. TIKI TALK match-up, which is why we were only able to publish this announcement today. Some background:

Nordic Lightning told their opponent, they would not be able to play any game during the weekend, and consistently asked TIKI TALK to finish the series until Thursday. TIKI TALK on the other hand were only able to start the series on Thursday, because they decided to watch Finnish World Cup games on Monday and Wednesday. On Thursday, 6 games were played - and the series was tied at 3. After game 6, TIKI TALK decided to quit for the night. We have evidence, that this was due to the team not being confident to be able to win the last game.

In the end, we decided to make a decision according to the rulebook (#6 "Scheduling"):
"Teams are allowed to re-schedule any of their games. Both teams involved must agree to the re-scheduled game date and time before the game date and time are made official. If there is no agreement of re-scheduling, the default date and time stands. Teams are not allowed to ignore requests for re-scheduling and must respond to the requests as quickly as possible."

We think that TIKI TALK failed to act according to this part of the rule, and on top, were willing to risk a delay of the whole tournament by suddenly quitting on Thursday after game 6. This is why we will hand out a walkover win to Nordic Lightning, to win the series 4:3.

Important reminder: If you have scheduling issues like these in the future, open up a private message with both team captains and NHLGamer admins/mods AS SOON AS YOU SEE THESE ISSUES COMING UP. It helps us to avoid these conflicts in the future. Also remember: Any threats against admins/mods to reinforce your opinion are not acceptable and will certainly not help in finding a solution together.

Below you can find the new match-ups for the next playoff round:

Groups 1-4
Nordic Lightning - Victorious Secret HC
Kattiautomaatti - Nordic Nightmare

Groups 5-8
MUKIMIEHET - Aapon Taikasauva
Synergy Hockey - Finnish Roosters

The time allotted for every round in the playoffs is one week and the default scheduled days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sunday should not be used for scheduling - only as a last resort to get the games played. This will allow us to have everything set up and for the next round to start on time.

On behalf of the NHL Gamer Staff,

- gzell60

Hey everyone,

thanks for finishing the 2nd round of our Season 2 playoffs last week! Unfortunately, we had to give out walkover wins to Silver Sword Griffins, as their opponent was not ready to play anymore. We know that this kind of situation during the playoffs is always a little unsettling, but we will try to find a way to prevent this from happening in the future.

Below you can find the new match-ups for the next playoff round:

Groups 1-4
Nordic Lightning - TIKI TALK
Kattiautomaatti - Dynasty
Sjukstugan - Victorious Secret HC
Nordic Blizzard - Nordic Nightmare

Groups 5-8
MUKIMIEHET - murohoki
Helter Skelter - Aapon Taikasauva
Silver Sword Griffins - Finnish Roosters
Infinity - Synergy Hockey

As we already announced ahead of the last round, groups 1 to 4 and groups 5 to 8 will be mixed and reseeded according to our regular season tie-breakers. In this case we had to apply wins as well as goal difference on top of the point-per-game average, to make out the correct pairs.

The time allotted for every round in the playoffs is one week and the default scheduled days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sunday should not be used for scheduling - only as a last resort to get the games played. This will allow us to have everything set up and for the next round to start on time.

On behalf of the NHL Gamer Staff,

- gzell60

Hey Everyone,

We'd like to thank you for getting the regular season done in a timely matter! Unfortunately we didn't get through even this short regular season without a dropout and thus handing out WO's, but for the most part, things have been going really smoothly.

It's time to move into the second ECL Season Playoffs and below you will find the Playoff pairs:

Group 1 vs Group 2
Nordic Lightning - Nordic Hockey Tigers
Dynasty - Ace Holes HC
Sjukstugan - ORIGINS
Kattiautomaatti - Beniserna

Group 3 vs Group 4
Nordic Nightmare - Rising Force
Victorious Secret HC - SIKA
Refuse To Lose - TIKI TALK
Nordic Blizzard - Fat Cats

Group 5 vs Group 6
Synergy Hockey - Freaky Friday
Aapon Taikasauva - Nordic Stars
Infinity - Written In The Stars
Silver Sword Griffins - HC IceTigers

Group 7 vs Group 8
Helter Skelter - Rising Phantoms HC
Finnish Roosters - Falun Coal Miners
HC Shameful Knights - Murohoki
MUKIMIEHET - Northern Stars

The games will be played best-out-of-7 and groups 1-4 will be on the left hand side of the playoff tree and 5-8 on the right side. In the second round the teams will be reseeded based on points per game, however groups 1-4 and 5-8 won't mix until the finals.

The time allotted for every round in the playoffs is one week and the default scheduled days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sunday should not be used for scheduling - only as a last resort to get the games played. This will allow us to have everything set up and for the next round to start on time.

There are a few statistical mistakes currently displaying on the page that will be fixed shortly. The actual standings have been taken into consideration while creating the above pairs. 

On behalf of the NHL Gamer Staff,

Hey everyone,

The first ECL season on PS4 is completed and we would like to thank everyone who participated in making it as interesting of a season as it was! We are currently working on improving the experience for everyone before we head into the next season.

Midway through the last season, we came up with an idea of collecting feedback anonymously in one central place, to encourage you to give us your impressions, opinions and suggestions without having to fear some sort of community 'backlash'. Discussions on the forums can heat up from time to time, with very different opinions on different questions, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it makes it hard to follow though, and we also understand that some of you simply do not have the time or passion to jump into these discussions. That's why we decided to take a more analytical approach, which also makes it easier for us staff members to keep track of what you - the community - really value. This feedback process will later include a general survey, but for now, we have created the following tool:

New Feedback user account

We have created a new user account called @Feedback which will be administrated by @gzell60. He will take care of all the submissions and add them to an Excel workbook, to evaluate your input accordingly. To give you an impression, here are a few things we take a look at:

- Input per category (will be explained below) for priority reasons
- Status tracking (all feedback will be evaluated by our staff, and we will also keep track of what has been implemented)
- Participation rate 

So, how do you submit your feedback? 
Simply create a new private message, use the PM title to add a category, and send it to @Feedback. Choose one of the 3 categories:

- ECL: All suggestions regarding the ECL tournament (e.g. format, rules…)
- Website: All suggestions regarding the NHLGamer.com website (e.g. layout, features…)
- Community: All suggestions regarding the community (e.g. staff, community interaction)

Please note: We are bringing back the individual stats, so there is no need to make requests on that. We love them as much as you do. 

Here are a few hints on what your submission should look like:

- Make your point, but keep it brief! Do not cover multiple topics in one message. Feel free to write as much as you want, but stick to one topic per message.
- If you want to suggest a rule change, please copy the existing quote from the rulebook (click here for season 1 rules) and then highlight the change.
- If you are missing a website feature, describe it as good as possible or give examples from other sites.
- If you want to give the staff advice, please stay objective and do not attack anyone. ‘I did not like how rules were changed while the last tournament was in progess’ is excellent feedback, while ‘xxx sucks and should be banned’ is not and will also not be tolerated.

You can submit as much feedback as you like, and whenever you want. Just make sure you ALWAYS send a new private message, and adjust the PM title accordingly. Please note that we mean a completely new private message - not a reply to your previous message. Why? We're expecting a lot of feedback and we don't want to miss any due to them being lost in processed threads.

During the evaluation, your answers and suggestions will be separated from your username, which means all opinions are weighed equal and worth the same. Please use this chance whenever you feel the need to, it is very important to us. NHLGamer would not exist without every single one of you, and we rely on you to make it an even better place!

On behalf of the NHL Gamer staff,

The Second Season of the ECL

We are pleased to announce that registration for the upcoming season is now open and it will be done in the same way as in the previous season, i.e. this topic contains the instructions for creating a new topic, where you fill in the required details as instructed in the opening post of the topic. All the teams will be re-created by the NHLGamer staff for the new tournament, so please stay in your current teams if you still are part of the roster. This is due to preserving the old team names and rosters for historic purposes. The registration will close on Wednesday the 13th of April.

The season will start on the 18th of April. Effectively this means that there's a bit over a week for registrations and a few days for scheduling the opening games.

We are very interested in the concept of a division system. However, we have decided not to implement it yet for the second season. The reasons for this are purely based on the time available, as we want to make sure that we are able to put our best effort into the division system. For now, we will continue with the system used in the first tournament with some refinement to it. The amount of groups that we will have has not been decided yet, as it will depend on the amount of teams that will register for the tournament. To ensure a swift schedule, the groups will contain a maximum of 10 teams per group, which means the regular season would last for 3 weeks. The teams will be seeded into the groups on the basis of success in the first tournament.

A three-week regular season would mean that the playoffs would start on 9th of May. Playoffs will last for a week per round, which means the season is projected to end by 12th of June if the amount of teams registered is close to what there was in the first season.

The rules will be updated shortly, i.e. on 12th of April by latest. Changes won’t be big, as we feel for the most part the rules were good, but had some loopholes and parts where their interpretation was not as clear as we initially believed them to be. We have paid close attention to the feedback we received during the first season and any feedback or suggestions you might still have are more than welcomed. The time after publishing the rules and before starting the tournament is crucial if you wish to suggest improvements on the rules. It means there will be about a week to do so. Due to the short time-frame we have available for the second season, the scheduling rules will be stricter than before and enforced in a tight manner. This in order to be able to run the season within the time-frame we have to work with.

Default match days will be Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The default time is 20:00 CET.

Relevant links:

Registration

First season rules, not yet updated but open for feedback

Send us your feedback - here's how

We believe we have another great season ahead of us and would like to see a lot of teams sign up!

On behalf of the NHLGamer staff,

The first ever ECL hosted by NHLGamer is over, and Nordic Blizzard has claimed the European Championship title!

The tournament offered a lot of great exciting hockey moments, and it is you, the players, who are to thank for.

Overall the level of the tournament was through the roof. At last the European competitive EASHL community gathered under one console, which ensured the level of play we all witnessed.

Dominointi from the championship team was asked to produce a walk-through of their season:
 

Quote

“Our Journey

 

 

In December 2015 I joined Nordic Blizzard with Hansulinho and DieCutterMC. At the time FINSeRe was the only player I knew from the team and I had no idea of what their style of play was like. After just a few games I noticed that the team plays very well defensively, which I liked from the get-go. Also, the defensemen were being passed to more than in general in other teams.

 

 

 

My first ECL games in the team were against Silver Sword Griffins. From the games themselves I can’t recall other than that the connection was terrible and we won both games. As the regular season progressed, the style of play of the team kept progressing towards a more direct approach, putting aside the following of certain patterns that the team had when I joined in. Already at the beginning of the tournament there were a few players that stood out in their own way in my eyes. The two-way workhorse with a good hockey-sense, Mr. Markkula i.e. hooneli, as well as the very reliable offensive defenseman Esis, i.e. esajorma.

 

In the end, the regular season went well for the team and we won our group. In the first round of the playoffs we were matched up against Falun Coal Miners, which we won with a clean sweep 4-0. For the second round we found ourselves up against a team that was very familiar to me personally from the Xbox-scene, Sika. The first two games of the series were tight, and the series was 1-1 after the first game day. For the upcoming games we made some roster adjustments, eventually winning the series 4-1.

 

Our third round opponent, The United Knights, was a very familiar team for many of our players in Nordic Blizzard. The first game of the series was tough for us; it felt as if whatever they did the puck ended up in our net. We were down 2-5 when there was only less than a half left of the third period. Just like several times before in this tournament, we managed to bounce back, evening the score and eventually winning it 6-5 on overtime. The second game of the series was completely different from the first one. This time it was tight defense from the first faceoff to the final buzzer. Right at the end of the game we managed to score a goal that was enough to secure the win this time. A special mention to Sere for a couple of really good saves during the game. The third game was also very tight; the opponent was defending in a disciplined fashion and the offensive zone entries were very difficult to pull off successfully. After some exciting phases in the game we went into overtime, in which hooneli secured us a 4-3 victory. The fourth game was like a copy from the previous one, with tight defense and low-risk plays. Once again we had to look for the winner in overtime. After an offensive-zone faceoff Selarit put the puck towards the net where it was left rolling loose, we got to the rebound and finally jammed it to the back of the net after a bounce from an opposing player. Thus, we won the series 4-0 with each of the games being decided by a one-goal differential.

 

In the quarter finals we faced up against Synergy Hockey. We knew the team beforehand and knew what to expect from them. What I saw from the stream was that we played well during the first two games, especially Hansu was delivering with surgical precision. At this point the series was 2-0 for us. A few days later the series continued with two more games. The games were much tighter than the previous ones, but nevertheless we managed to win both, thus winning the series 4-0. A special mention has to be handed out to Masku i.e. Maskuta, who played very solid in the centerman position during the four games that I was absent.

 

Now, there was only one series to fight through; the finals against Carlsberg HC. We knew in advance that they had skilled powerforwards and a tight neutral-zone defense. We went into the series feeling very confident, we all thought we would pull it through. In the first game the first and second periods were very difficult, we couldn’t get anything going our way. In the third period we managed to score a couple of goals, which got us back in the game, and later we claimed the lead. However, CAR managed to tie the game shorthanded in the dying seconds of the third period. At the start of the overtime we got a new powerplay, during which hooneli one-timed the game-winning goal. In the second game we had the puck much more and we were able to generate quality scoring-chances on the counter-attack. Hansu was very convincing as he scored 2 goals on breakaways and assisted on two more by passing the puck to the center who was facing a wide-empty net. The game ended 4-1 and we were leading the series 2-0.

 

We decided to continue the series on Sunday. Both teams made minor roster adjustments after the first two games. The third games was a let-down for us, we never really got into the game. CAR won game 3 with a score line of 4-1.

 

The fourth game started off very well for us when we managed to score 2 quick goals. However, the game shifted equally quick and all of a sudden it was tied at 2-2. Right at the start of the third period we intercepted a pass in the neutral-zone, from which we were able to shift quickly into offense and it was rewarded with a goal. The major penalty that CAR took halfway through the period helped us keep our net clean for the remainder of the game. Game 4 ended 3-2 and we were leading the series 3-1. The fifth game of the series was tied at 2-2 after a tight first period. In the second period we were in the penalty box too much and the game was being played in our own end. CAR was deservedly leading the game 3-2 after two periods. In the third period we had to start taking chances, we put up our best but it wasn’t enough this time. CAR won game 5 2-4 and the series was 3-2.

 

The last remaining games of the finals were scheduled for the following day. We played with the same roster that we had in the first two games of the series. Once again the game started well for us, when hooneli one-timed the opening goal after a few minutes of play. However, CAR tied it and took the lead by scoring two goals. Despite a few quality scoring-chances we went to the first intermission with CAR leading 1-2. Both teams managed to score a goal in the second period. At the end of the period CAR got a penalty shot, but Sere made an important save by denying joukki and kept us in the game. Halfway through the third period we got a powerplay, after which Mr. wraparound i.e. Selarit wrapped the puck in and the game was tied at 3-3. Hard battling from both sides. In the last minute of the third period we went on a counter-attack, in which hooneli managed to play me the puck, and we ended up leading by a goal with just 48 seconds on the clock. With 30 seconds remaining Hansu went on a breakway after a shot attempt from CAR. He finished off the breakaway with cocky jump over the goaltender. The game finished 5-3 and we won the series 4-2. WHO AM I?

 

The tournament itself was without a doubt the most competitive I have participated in, with many great teams and players. It was a pleasure to watch streams from the other games and the chatboxes were full of good stuff, haha. First of all, I want to thank Nordic Blizzard in that they trusted me and gave me a lot of responsibility from the get-go. Also, thanks to Northern Stars for numerous warmups during the tournament, and Sjukstugan for the warmups during the finals! Finally, I want to thank the organizers of the tournament as well as all other participants.”

 

Cheers,

Seppo aka Dominointi

 

                                                                                                  Forwards:                            Defensemen:                           Goalies:

                                                                                                  #13 Dominointi                   #2 DieCutterMC                        #8 FINSeRe (A)

                                                                                                  #25 Maskuta                      #14 BlackTnT_FIN

                                                                                                  #67 hooneli (C)                  #59 esajorma

                                                                                                  #83 Edd138                       #87 Selarit (A)

                                                                                                  #88 Hansulinho                  #90 kyllikk1

Best forward, regular season: joukki13 (Carlsberg HC)

Best defenseman, regular season: Janzuh (The United Knights)

Best goaltender, regular season: lukkolinho (Dynasty)

Best forward, playoffs: Dominointi (Nordic Blizzard)

Best defenseman, playoffs: vatalisti (Carlsberg HC)

Best goaltender, playoffs: FINSeRe (Nordic Blizzard)

The individual awards were decided upon statistics. Due to the current limitations in statistics, much emphasis was given on points scored.

A big thank you from the NHLGamer staff to all the participants! The season was not without controversy, as is often the case. This being the first season organized by NHLGamer, we knew there was bound to be some issues that would come up over the course of the season. We have been working on improving on those issues, both technical and administrative ones, and we are confident to have made improvements on the most pressing ones before the start of the next season.

Thank you for the season and we hope to see you again soon when the new season begins.

On behalf of the NHLGamer staff,