Sign up for ECL '22 Winter now!

NHLGamers,

The European Championship League is back with some new touches! We are confident that our reinvented format will bring bigger and better things not only this current season, but also in the future. The signups are now open, so tell your friends and get ready for the greatest NHL gaming experience to date!

The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports - a league where all the best European NHL gamers create teams and compete against each other in the game mode EASHL (6v6) for the title of Best EASHL Team in Europe. The league currently features five divisions, so action is guaranteed for everyone regardless of skill level and experience!

Basic information/requirements of ECL:

Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players.
6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 22.
Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card.
Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite, ECL Core and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players.
ECL licenses: Teams in ECL Elite & ECL Pro will be require their respective ECL '22 Winter license in order to play. Optional licenses are available for the ECL Lite and Core levels. More details below.
Rules: The ECL '22 Winter ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 12. The updated rulebook will be available before the season.

~~Wildcard Battle: 2.- 6.12.~~
~~ECL Lite Qualifier: 2.- 6.12.~~
~~ECL Pro Qualifier: 2.- 6.12.~~
~~ECL Neo: 2.- 27.12.~~
~~ECL Core: 2.- 27.12.~~
~~ECL Lite: 2.- 17.12.~~
~~ECL Pro: 2.- 17.12.~~
~~ECL Elite: 2.- 17.12.~~

* Sign-up will close 23:59 CET on the last day mentioned unless otherwise specified

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

ECL Winter & Spring

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

Prize pools for ECL Pro, Lite and Core

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

See more about licenses in our Licenses section.

The divisions framework for the ECL '22 Winter will follow the same logic as for the previous season. We will have a total of five divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams, Pro 32 teams, Lite 64 teams, Core 128 teams and Neo 32+ teams.

Please use the below links for more detailed info about each division and which teams are eligible to sign up:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fill in this form. (Only if your organization has unlockables available in NHL 22)

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