GCL 7 - Team of the Season

NHLGamers,

The Regular Season of GCL7 brought us many highlights. The top players of the league fascinated us with their dekes and goals but even some newcomers mixed the league up - in a positive sense. We have seen goalies saving their teams, defensemen scoring like forwards and rookies playing like they did nothing else in their past. We've boiled down to the last teams that are fighting for the German Championship and we want to take a moment to look back at our team of the season at this point. Many players of the community would have deserved to get a spot in that team - but the following six have done so this season:

Goalie: @Fightlocke3 (noRex Gaming) by @Franky__2768

It seems like noRex Gaming has found the new bright goalie star. Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert is quite new to competitive gaming but seems to be one of the hottest newcomers in the German community. Having started as a backup in GCL 6, Schubert became a starter during the past ECL 11 Pro Season.  He now has the full trust of his team and thereby played every game in the regular season and the playoffs (except for three matches due to illness). During the regular season he was rock solid for his defensive-minded noRex squad. Especially on breakaways @Fightlocke3 was able to save his team several times and leads the league with five shutouts and a solid save percentage of 82.68%. During the playoffs, Schubert was able to underline his solid performances and was one of the main reasons to forcing game 6 against the favorites Team LEISURE. The defense consisting of @GERxVillain, @Paddyy1903 and him will ride the momentum into the starting Pro Qualifier, making it a true challenge for any team to score against noRex Gaming.

other Nominees: @afc_Tschitsch, @NHLDennis86, @DiMatteo70, @Asap_Kev231

Right Defenceman: @xXPsykoSkillsXx (Team LEISURE)

There cannot be a "Team of the Season" without him. Niklas Schmitz, right defenseman and allrounder is your RD of GCL7! The Player from Krefeld was not able to defend his GCL6 scoring title nevertheless he still managed to play another excellent season with 49 points in 26 matches. As @xXPsykoSkillsXx once again did what was best for his team by helping out in the offense in the beginning of the season, he spent the rest of the GCL at his primary position on the right defensive side. Together with @Franky__2768, he leads the game of Team LEISURE and has become a floor general for the former "Deadly Phantoms". Therefore he plays a huge role in the extremely effective powerplay of Team LEISURE (35.94%). In the umbrella formation he likes to quarterback the play and distributes the puck from above the faceoff circles. Wether by playing passes to his wingers @Krinke and @ProfaneKiss for the perfect one-timer or doing it by himself and scoring with his deadly slapshots, he is a force on the blueline. The Team LEISURE number 63 is known for excellent decision making in both ends of the ice and therefore is one of the best players in the German community.

other Nominees: @Haldeem, @Paddyy1903, @KG12PK88, @CashAllGreen

Left Defenceman: @Toneee9 (ZSC Esports)

The most offensive minded defender of the league is your LD of the season! Max Tonitz, Right-handed shooter and the prolific scorer for ZSC Esports, led his teams defense corps with 42 Points in 26 matches. The young Austrian stands for the joy of playing and contributed 27 assists but also managed to score 15 goals along the way. Number 9 for the Lions knows exactly how to score and took the most shots out of any defenders in the league (54 Shots). On top of that, he delivered his personal record of points in the GCL regular season. His teammates benefit from his great hockey IQ and they return it by putting him in situations needed to perform on a high level. His strong run in the past ECL 11 Pro season also continued into the GCL and makes him nearly irreplaceable for his squad. @Toneee9 is the perfect fit for his defensive partner @Haldeem and together they are a solid mix offense and defense on the back end.

other Nominees: @Franky__2768, @GERxVillain, @Much1979, sgtsoccer

Right Winger: @Keuschemisch (noRex Gaming) by @Franky__2768

The assistant captain of noRex Gaming has taken a leading role on and off the ice. @Keuschemisch is responsible for a majority of his teams offensive plays and impresses with brilliant 1v1 skills. Together with @Paddyy1903 he represents one of the best winger-defender duos in the German community who are well known for switching positions and rotating offensively and defensively. His biggest strength is his playmaking ability but was also a big reason for winning games during the regular season by scoring in decisive moments. Nine out of his 18 goals (including Playoffs) are GWGs which grants him a place in the Top 10 scorers of the league. Well known for his highlight reel plays such as a between-the-legs pass to decide a Playoff series or multiple dekes and cuts to outplay his opposing defensemen. After his first season on the Pro-level in the ECL, it seems like his Decision making on the ice has improved a lot. Being able to help his teammates and deciding close games has made him one of the best forwards in the German community!

other Nominees: @ProfaneKiss, @Freeman7187, @Red09Dragon08, @Fuchs2534

Left Winger: @IDangledYouOut (ZSC Esports)

Alex Wagner has been voted as the best left winger by a vast majority! The 23-year-old winger from ZSC Esports not only had his best scoring season in the GCL with 66 points in 22 matches but also repeated his strong performances from the past ECL 11 Pro season (34G + 34A in 30GP). ZSC's number 28 makes his teammates better and has the ability to read the play and score goals from anywhere on the ice. These qualities led to 36 assists as well as 30 goals which were a huge factor for winning the regular season. His shot percentage of 44% illustrates his talent and shows why he is second best scorer of the whole league. Wagners forecheck and his aggressive style of playing is feared by his opponents and placed him first in hits throughout the league. 212 hits in 22 games also ranked him as undisputed number one in GCL7 and shows that @IDangledYouOut is all about helping the team. Wagner scores, passes and does the "dirty work" which makes him our LW of the season!

other Nominees: @Krinke, @Flo_goes_grazy, @Stigi, @DaMan

Center: @Original-SnuS (ZSC Esports)

Captain of the freshly promoted Elite team. Top scorer of the regular season. Sven Julmi has been voted as the best center of GCL7! The founder of ZSC Esports and former The Black Jacks ranks first on the scoring list and continues his brilliant run from previous tournaments. Is it the iconic golden skates that make him one of the best players in the league? The chemistry between @Original-SnuS and his teammates is as good as ever before. The team spirit as well as the individual talent helped ZSC to reach a dominant position on the ice and the standings. With 55 assists he also became the top provider of assists which stresses not only his good vision for the game but also the harmony within the team. A solid face-off percentage and a more dominant and physical game compared to last seasons (86 Hits) play have made the player with number 21 for ZSC the key player of the Swiss Lions. Because of those scoring abilites, SnuS becomes one of the best players on the server and is your center of the season!

other Nominees: @PlaymakerSJ, @Pathen-21-, @CuteTerminator7, @domii_ecn

Thanks to your help we were also able to vote on the "Rookie of the Season"! We want to establish this award for the upcoming seasons of the German Championship League. Requirements to become "Rookie of the Season": The player must play his first full season in Division 1. Age or previous tournaments outside of NHLGamer are irrelevant. Non-German License players can not participate and taken out of the voting.

Rookie: @Sebwies2139 (The Black Jacks)

Sebastian Wieser, Goalie of The Black Jacks is our "Rookie of the Season". Number 39 of the Playoff participants from Switzerland became a huge factor during the season and was one of the main reasons to finish the regular season as the 4th seed. Wieser started his career with Black Wings HC and gained some experience in Divison 2 of GCL6 as well as ECL 11 Neo. By stringing together a series of impressive performances it became quite obvious that the left handed netminder will have a bright future ahead. During the Qualifier he made his first appearances for The Black Jacks and showed his talent right away. During the regular season he established himself as starting goalie and showed many good performances in his very first Division 1 season. It will be exciting to see how he manages to translate his game to the international level in the ECL. His save percentage of 81%, GAA of 2.20, three shutouts and ten wins made him the 8th best goalie in the league. The Austrian still has a lot of room to improve, especially in terms of trigger discipline and staying cool in stressful situations he has the ability to become one of GCL's best goaltenders. With his impressive rookie performances it is safe to say that we will see a lot of @Sebwies2139 in the future!

other Nominees: @CuteTerminator7, @Fuchs2534, @Altenpfleger_89, sgt_soccer