NHLGamers,

It is with great joy that we announce today the latest addition to our variety of regional leagues, the Western European Championship League.

Besides being our official league for the countries of France, Spain and the UK, the WECL is for us the opportunity to cover a lot more countries under the NHLGamer umbrella and allow them to compete on the excellent standards of our leagues. In the WECL, we also invite a multitude of other smaller European virtual hockey markets and allow them to grow in our league framework. Without further delay, we will start going over a few important details on when and how the inaugural season will happen, and we encourage all the players that want to take part to review our specific rulebook.

SIGN UP FOR THE WECL HERE!

Season start

At the moment of this announcement, our newly-created sub-forum has also gone live, you can find this on the community page where all the leagues are already represented. This also opens the sign-ups period, that will be open until the 17th of February at 23:59 CET. After this, the teams will be grouped and posted for a regular season scheduled to start on Monday, February 22nd.

As a league that hopefully sees new teams that have not competed in the ECL before, we wanted to make sure not to overwhelm anyone with the pace of gamedays, and maintained a similar pace to the one in ECL Neo - two matchups per week for each team. The league will be concluding mid-April, naturally depending on how far your team progresses.

Top Team status

For competitive reasons, Grenoble BDL Esport and Remparts de Tours Esport have been granted top team status as the highest ranked teams in the ECL structure eligible for participation, and they will be drawn into separate groups to start the season if the number of teams allows for a two group format. This of course, should they choose to sign up.

Regional scope of the WECL

As a regional league, the WECL has three officially recognized countries (ES, FR and UK). However, teams based in countries that are not already represented in the current (ongoing or not) NHLGamer regional leagues (CSCL, GCL, RCL, FCL and SCL) are also eligible to take part.

Teams from the following countries are eligible for the WECL and their players don’t count against the foreign player cap:

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Denmark
Estonia
France
Georgia
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Slovenia
Spain
Turkey
Ukraine
UK
Vatican City
 

Teams from the following countries are already eligible for another regional league and cannot sign teams up, players will also count against the foreign player cap:

Czech Republic
Slovakia
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Russia
Finland
Sweden

Players from these countries are counted against a limit of 2 foreign players on the roster.

English is considered the only official language of the WECL and all communications sent out regarding the Championship, or exchanged with the LA will be in this language. Users are free, however, to use English, French or Spanish in the league’s own sub-forum.

Skill cap

As stated, teams are allowed 2 foreign players in the roster. This is to help teams that are possibly struggling to find enough players to complete their roster otherwise. In addition to that, we will also add a skill cap for the foreign players, meaning that any player counting against the foreign player cap cannot have played in either ECL Elite or Pro within the past two competitive seasons. (Ex. A player that has played in ECL Pro in season 10, but in Lite in season 11 is not eligible, whereas if they would have player in Pro in season 9 and in Lite in season 10 and 11, they would be eligible for participation.)

To make it short: up to two foreign players having played in Neo, Lite or no divisions of the ECL over the past two seasons are eligible to be registered.

Exceptions

Teams can be granted an exceptional status for example if half of their roster is from a foreign country by nature and it is clear that the team has competed in the same formation for an extended period of time. For example a team that is half French and half Swiss could apply for such an exception if they can prove that they have stuck with the formation in question for a longer time. An exception can be handed out in such situation if explained properly to the LA beforehand. Additionally, teams from regions not covered can also contact the LA for an exception (IE, teams from North Africa). We will not be shy about granting exceptions to teams unable to compete in other regional leagues, so please reach out to our support if you might have any questions. As stated in the beginning, please familiarize yourself with our rulebook as the above fragments are only a tiny part of the entire ruleset. Hoping for an enjoyable tournament for everyone involved, I invite you to participate in the inaugural season of the WECL! 

Many thanks and see you on the ice!
 

NHLGamers,

If you've followed our journey over the past year, you may have noticed big improvements in our visual quality on our broadcasts, news stories and socials during the last 9 months. I've had the pleasure of working with my long time friend, passionate NHL gamer and hockey fan, and incredibly talented designer Chris @RyGuyX9 Ryan on a plethora of different projects, such as the ECL, FCL, SCL and NA Cup. Today I'm very excited to officially announce Chris as the Creative Director for NHLGamer!

In his role, Chris will be NHLGamer’s lead visual problem solver. He will be responsible for maintaining the integrity of the brand and overall design of NHLGamer offerings.

Please join me in welcoming Chris to his role as NHLGamer's Creative Director.

Below you'll find some examples of the creative work that Chris has brought us so far.

On behalf of NHLGamer,

Kenneth Lehtinen

Founder

NHLGamers,

With our sport constantly growing and expanding, the time has come to launch a new national league - the Czech Slovak Championship League - the CSCL in short. The brand new Czechoslovak league running under the NHLGamer portal has arrived. Czechs and Slovaks, prepare for the battles! Going by the name CSCL, our leagues first season is just about to begin. So far, we have received applications from total number of 16 teams and the registrations have closed over the weekend. It may be far from the number of teams of the ECL, but you have to start somewhere and the Czechoslovak community really loves the sport and is showing good growth. Here are our participating teams for the inaugural CSCL:

 Blue Pioneers
 CZ JDOUCI NA SMRT SK
 eKoVy UNIT3D

 Golden Warriors
 InFamous
 Inferno
 Kapsa Boys
 Las Dilas
 Legion of Dooom
 Milion Plus
 Partisan Squad
 Slovak Legends
 TAIFUN HYBRIDI
 Team Czechoslovakia
 The Hockey Crew
 Toceny Salamy


As we are kicking off the premier season, we want to get it started in all its greatness. We can also boast of our great commentator Petr Hais who will provide his commentary of CSCL matches.

What basic information do players need to know?
• CSCL is a 6v6 league building upon the EASHL mode in the latest EA SPORTS NHL 21 game.
• CSCL is open for all Czech and Slovak players (with a maximum number of 2 other European players for each team) to provide the best possible gameplay experience for our players that is not negatively affected by connection issues.
• Each player needs to sign up on NHLGamer.com and create his personal Player Card.
• Teams need to have rosters of at least 8 players to successfully sign up.
• Default game days are Tuesday and Thursday. Registrations have now closed. The league will start on Tuesday, December 1st.

As usual, the rules and the league format will be adjusted to the amount of registrations. At this time, we are still looking for your input to determine the best possible outcome for all participants. To give us your feedback on CSCL, follow this thread. You can also find the complete rules of the league here. Game Reporting is also very easy - We have the reporting tool up and running properly. Keep in mind that the GMs should still make sure to save the relevant screenshots of each game just in case they were needed for evidence or investigation.

The following team of CSCL administrators will be the helping hand for every team when needed:

• @Xpatena
• @xDejvosCZx
• @CzE Toni
• @CSCLkomentator
• @forsite84
• @poweriq
• @Kenu

That's it. Tell your friends and let's get this party started!

"Jack Link's has been part of HAVU's journey for the past two years, and we together always want to give more to the Finnish esports scene. As one of the leading Finnish esports organizations, supporting the Finnish scene and providing more entry-level competitions is always in our interest. This also applies to NHL, where we are taking that step today by announcing our first NHL tournament."

- Lasse Salminen, CEO of HAVU Gaming


NHLGamer provides it's true and tested platform for the Jack Link's Open in order to run the tournament as smoothly as possible! We're also tremendously excited about growing the scene and bringing interesting partners such as Jack Links and HAVU Gaming along for the ride in NHL 21.

Jack Link's Open NHL 21 1v1 Tournament by HAVU will be played between 20-21.11.2020. Sign-ups close on Wednesday the 18th of November. The maximum amount of players is 256 and the entire tournament will be played as a single-elimination bracket. Each participant must be a Finnish resident.

Tournament schedule:

20.11. Friday

18:00 EET - RO256

19:30 EET - RO128

21:00 EET - RO64

22:30 EET - RO32

21.11. Saturday

14:00 EET - RO16

15:30 EET - Quarterfinals (RO8)

17:00 EET - Semifinals (RO4)

19:00 EET - Finals

(Preliminary dates, subject to change)

Gameday 2 will be broadcasted in full - live on NHLGamer's official Twitch channel, where viewers are also able to participate in Jack Link's giveaways.

Prizes:

The main monetary prize in the tournament is 500€, which will be awarded to the winner. The top 4 placing players will also receive some great product prizes from Jack Link's.

REGISTER NOW!

After the dust settles, and the craziness of such an amazing event as the Northern Arena NHL Cup co-produced by NHLGamer has finished, we can finally look back on the storylines and some of the highlights of the tournament.

There were multiple qualifying events, and after 91 teams battled it out, the top 32 teams in North America advanced to the next stage of the event, getting to go up against the best of North America. There were new faces, new teams, and established teams looking to cement themselves as one of the best teams in NHL 20 for the history books of the rising esport. As a whole, the NA Cup saw 100 teams throughout the qualifiers and regular season.
 

Growth Under the Watchful NHL Eye
While NHLGamer and the European player base it has is no secret to professional teams stepping into the spotlight and sponsoring teams or simply giving their support, the North American community has slowly been gaining more traction in professional team support. Starting with 1v1 events from many teams, onto the Caps Gaming Showcase and the first 6v6 North American LAN in over 10 years, more and more NHL teams are entering the esports market in varying quantities. It’s a fantastic step for growth in the scene, and will hopefully continue to progress more and more, with more teams and more events coming together in the near future. 

While the likenesses of every NHL team were used in the NA Cup, the Anaheim Ducks Gaming, Canadiens Esports, CBJ Gaming, FlaPanthers Gaming, and NJDGC were representing their NHL organizations and all either picked up a roster and actively supported them, or brought their own roster to the event. The active engagement and community outreach these small actions can bring to the community is extremely rewarding and truly feels like NHL 6’s is on the rise heading into the 2021 season. Perhaps with time some of these 1v1 events transition to the dark side of 6v6 (or perhaps a hybrid of both). 
 

Cup Contenders Shined in Regular Season
Another interesting addition to this specific event was the invite system, where the top 6 teams at the halfway point of the CBJ Summer Cup were directly invited to compete in the NA Cup. It allowed teams performing well to skip the qualifier process altogether. It also gave spectators an idea of who to look out for at the top of the standings. 

Essentially all of the 6 invitees had very good regular season performances, where 5 of the 6 invited teams made up the final top 8 in the playoffs, as well as 3 of the top 4. In fact, both of the top seeds in each conference were held by invited teams, with those being Entourage with a 12-1-2 record, and the Underdogs with a 13-1-1 record. Those two teams also happened to meet each other in the finals, where Entourage took home the crown in 4 games. 

Teams Who Shined in Northern Arena Cup
There will be the teams with high expectations of winning it all, but there will also be teams who turn some heads and really make a name for themselves with a solid performance. With NHL Esports being relatively new, you may only recognize a handful of team names off the top of your head, but with some very good regular season and playoff runs, there were a number of teams who will have some eyes on them to continue their run heading into future events.

Teams such as Calgary Prodigy HC, who came into the event after a decent top 16 finish in the CBJ Cup in their first event as a team, ended up finishing second in the western conference with a 10-2-3 record. They ended up making it all the way to the conference semifinals, finishing top 8 in the event. The young team proved they can compete against the best, and hopefully, they can stick together for more future events.

A team from the Eastern Conference that really turned some heads could be Philadelphia Problematic/Road 2 Glory, who had an impressive run in the regular season going 11-3-1 and making it to the conference semifinals. A team I thought would be around the playoff bubble were in fact the complete opposite, and shocked a lot of people competing in a pretty top-heavy conference. 

____________________________________________________________________________

While we could go through every single team's journey and go game by game for storylines, there will be many things to take away from such a fun event. It was amazing to watch the best 32 teams in North America go head to head to wrap up the 2020 season. The 6v6 traction has been heating up recently and capping it off here with another great event. 

Congratulations to the Entourage for another title, but also to the Underdogs for being amazingly fun to watch all tournament long. You can pretty much guarantee both of these teams will be back in plenty more finals come October. 

Special thanks to everyone who helped make the event run as smoothly as possible, being everyone from Northern Arena, NHLGamer, to the production crew, to the admins and moderators. With every great game of hockey comes an army of people behind the scenes to make it run as smoothly as possible. 

We also want to thank all of the NHL organizations and sponsors involved in the event, and everyone who followed the tournament and broadcasts for your support!

If you want to relive the NA NHL Cup Finals, you can do so above!

It’s been an exciting summer for NHL and 6v6 competition, as the 32 best North American 6v6 teams out of 90+ teams that played in the qualifiers faced off against each other in the regular season of the Northern Arena Cup, presented by NHLGamer. These teams played 15 regular season games, and have gone through multiple best of 5 series’ against the best of the best, and we are now down to the final teams left fighting for the $6000 prize for first place, and the $10,000 total prize pool. Let’s talk about the finalists!

 New York Underdogs - Eastern Conference Champions

Record: 13-1-1

GF/GM: 4.47

GA/GM: 1.73

PP%: 41.18

PK%: 41.67

Road To The Finals: 

Quarterfinals: Defeated Long Island 6th Sense in 5 games.
Semifinals: Defeated Philadelphia Problematic in 3 games.
Conference Finals: Defeated Tampa Bay Vertigo in 3 games.

The Underdogs have not felt like underdogs in recent times, feeling more like the top of the class with their performances. Going into the regular season they did have fairly high expectations, but they managed to blow them out of the water amassing a 13-1-1 record and top seed in a top-heavy eastern conference. They haven’t looked back since, with a slight scare in the opening round, before sweeping their next 2 opponents to make it to the finals. 

To add to the already impressive feats, their series against Vertigo went to overtime in all 3 games, with them tying the game to send it to overtime in game 3 with 1 second remaining. It also happened to be Team Captain @Karmuh x 86 scoring all 3 game-winning goals, who also leads the playoffs with 4 GWG. 
 

 Seattle Entourage - Western Conference Champions

Record: 12-1-2

GF/GM: 3.33

GA/GM: 1.73

PP%: 52.17

PK%: 86.36

Road To The Finals: 

Quarterfinals: Defeated Arizona Mars in 4 games.
Semifinals: Defeated Anaheim Ducks Gaming in 5 games.
Conference Finals: Defeated San Jose Chilltown in 5 games.

The top seed in the west comes into the finals looking for their second title of the season, with their lone win being in the Caps Gaming Showcase in January. They have had a very successful run in every event, however, with multiple top 4 finishes since, but still looking for that elusive title. 

@hxndry currently leads the playoffs in scoring with 28 points in 14 games, 4 points ahead of @McFleury, whom he will be up against, and his teammate in @x Fisher 81, both with 24. You also have to talk about @Scheckel29 when you talk about Entourage, and he has certainly carried his load, facing the most shots out of any goalie in the playoffs with 138, while still posting a 1.79 GAA (4th) and an 84.66 SV% (3rd)
 

Series Prediction:

While it’s certainly going to go the distance between these two teams, I think the New York Underdogs are going to take the series in 5 games. They impressed by beating arguably the number one team in Tampa Bay Vertigo in only 3 games, not to mention they are coming off of a disappointing but solid 2nd place finish in the CBJ Summer Cup. Everyone on each team will need to be playing at their best in order to take home the title. 

X Factors for each team:
Seattle Entourage: @Regs84 (0g 16a 16p in 14 GP)

New York Underdogs: Karmuh x 86 (11g 8a 19p in 11 GP)
 

3rd Place Match Predictions:

 San Jose Chilltown vs Tampa Bay Vertigo 

10-4-1 Record 12-2-1

3.13 GF/GM 4.73

2.20 GA/GM 2.47

24.24 PP% 26.32

85.29 PK% 83.33

It’s always a tough heartbreak losing so close to the finals and so close to the trophy, but both of these teams are very solid squads and certainly deserve some credit here. They have a chance at taking $1,000 home though in the 3rd place match, so there is still something to be played for. 
Prediction: Tampa Bay Vertigo in 4.

Thanks for reading! Good luck to the remaining teams! Be sure to check out the streams and support everyone involved!
 

We have reached the conference semifinal stage of the Northern Arena Cup co-produced by NHLGamer. It was a fairly upset free round 1, with Anaheim Ducks Gaming being the only low seed to advance to the next round. This makes for some very exciting rounds, and a lot of very good teams about to be sent home. 

#1 Seattle Entourage vs #6 Anaheim Ducks Gaming 

12-1-2 Record 9-4-2

3.33 GF/GM 3.07

1.73 GA/GM 2.53

52.17 PP% 10.53

86.36 PK% 92.31

Round 1:
Seattle defeated #8 Arizona Mars in 4 games
Anaheim defeated #3 Chicago Phantoms in 3 games

Seattle made it through relatively easy getting through the west coast team in Arizona. While they did put up a very solid fight, Seattle’s experience and skill shined through in the end, advancing in 4 games. 

Anaheim made a relative upset in terms of seeding, although winning in exciting fashion sweeping Chicago. I said in my previous preview that they need to play better defensively, and they did exactly that in the series, allowing only 5 goals in 3 games. Despite being the lowest seed left in playoffs, they deserve to be considered a contender, and will make this series a barn burner. 

Prediction: Seattle in 5 games, 3 of 5 games will be 1 goal games.

 #2 Calgary Prodigy HC vs #4 San Jose Chilltown HC 

10-2-3 Record 10-4-1

3.33 GF/GM 3.13

2.87 GA/GM 2.20

7.89 PP% 24.24

91.3 PK% 85.29

Round 1:
Calgary defeated #7 Winnipeg Denial in 4 games.
San Jose defeated #5 Dallas Walking Dead in 5 games.

The young guns in Calgary continue rolling from their late-season winning streak, beating Winnipeg in 4. Their offense continues to shine through, even against a good defensive team, scoring 13 goals in 4 games. Their powerplay continues to struggle, going 0/5 in the series, which is pretty surprising given their offensive prowess.

San Jose ran into a trending upwards Dallas and weathered the storm with a game 5 shutout to win the series. Despite the final 2 games going well in the way of San Jose, the first 3 games were 1 goal affairs with games 2 and 3 going into overtime. It will be another offense vs defense series, and it will be which team can establish their gameplan most effectively. 

Prediction: San Jose in 5. Game 5 will be a 2-1 game. 
 

Eastern Conference

 #1 New York Underdogs vs #4 Philadelphia Problematic 

13-1-1 Record 11-3-1

4.47 GF/GM 3.93

1.73 GA/GM 2.40

41.18 PP% 30.43

41.67 PK% 80.95

Round 1:
New York defeated #8 Long Island 6th Sense in 5 games.
Philadelphia defeated #5 Boston Nationalz in 5 games.

New York had a bit of a scare as the top seed in the east, going up 2-0 early before Long Island came back to bring it to game 5, an overtime win for New York. This team carries a ton of expectation being the top seed and with a fantastic record of 13-1-1, and perhaps the first round scare will give them some added fire in the next round.

Philly was a bit of a surprise team after finishing the regular season with a 11-3-1 record. They have proven they can hang with the best, and most recently beat Boston Nationalz in a nail biter 5 game series. It’s hard to consider them a dark horse with a record of 11-3-1, but it will be a tough task going up against New York.

Prediction: New York in 4 games.

 

 #2 Toronto Composure vs #3 Tampa Bay Vertigo 

12-2-1 Record 12-2-1

3.47 GF/GM 4.73

1.20 GA/GM 2.47

56.25 PP% 26.32

88.89 PK% 83.33

Round 1:
Toronto defeated #7 CBJ Gaming in 4 games
Tampa Bay defeated #6 Canadiens Esports in 5 games

Toronto came out swinging in the first round, taking the series over CBJ in 4 games, including a 5-1 and 6-0 win. After a disappointing CBJ Cup, they are hungry for another event win before the year ends. They’ll look to replicate their success from the regular season against Vertigo after a 3-1 win in week 2.

Tampa Bay is on the opposite end of the spectrum, after winning the CBJ Summer Cup, and look to make it back to back event wins. They certainly have the talent to do it, but have come off a tough 5 game series against Canadiens Esports. It is quite the shame that one of these teams have to be eliminated before at least the semifinals, but this should make it for that much more of an exciting series.

Prediction: Toronto in 5 games. There will be some very close games for sure, and some heartbreak for one of these teams to go home too early.

Thanks for reading! Good luck to everyone competing!
 

It’s officially time for the playoffs in the Northern Arena Cup presented by NHLGamer. Over 90 teams signed up for a chance at glory, 32 teams have run through the qualifiers, played 15 games across 2 weeks, and we are now down to the top 16 teams left to battle it out for the $10,000 prize pool. Of course, due to the real-life NHL teams being represented here, we will see 8 teams in the western conference and 8 teams in the eastern conference. The competition and parity in the league was actually very strong, as there were many teams that were separated by only a couple of points. This could create some powerhouse matchups, where if some teams slipped up for a day could have changed their seed from a 3rd seed all the way to a bottom 2 seed potentially. There will be lots of action-packed games and series, so let's go through all of the matchups.

#1 Seattle Entourage vs #8 Arizona Mars 

12-1-2 Record 8-5-2

3.33 GF/GM 3.13

1.73 GA/GM 2.67

52.17 PP% 5.26

86.36 PK% 66.67

Seattle came into the event with high expectations of finishing in the top seed, and they did exactly that, only dropping one game in regulation in the process. The team felt in control throughout the season and rarely had any hitches. They were top 5 in a large amount of categories, which is no surprise given their very solid 12-1-2 record. 

Arizona Mars came off a very solid run in the CBJ Summer Cup finishing top 8 as Complex. While they may not be a team you first think of for playoff contenders, they managed to get back into a playoff scenario squeaking into that final spot in the west.

Keys to the series:

• Seattle needs to stick to their gameplan and not get derailed by any antics from Arizona. As Arizona is a west coast connection, there will be some factor there, but this team has pulled through it before, and are riding high heading into the series.
   
• Arizona need to stay out of the penalty box. Seattle has the best power play in the west, operating at a massive 52.17%, while their penalty kill sits second last with a 66.67%. If they can keep games close throughout and not give Seattle too much confidence they can steal some early games and make it a battle.

Prediction: Seattle Entourage in 4

 #2 Calgary Prodigy HC vs #7 Winnipeg Denial 

10-2-3 Record 9-4-2

3.33 GF/GM 2.93

2.87 GA/GM 1.73

7.89 PP% 20

91.3 PK% 77.78

• Calgary Prodigy went through some roster changes prior to the event, and while I thought they would be within the playoff bubble, they went on a late-season run and managed to finish in a respectable 2nd place. The young guns on this team all love their high skill plays, and the entire lineup can be weapons. 
   
• Winnipeg Denial ended up being the opposite, where I thought they would be pretty smooth sailing, but a slow start to the season forced them to have some second-half heroics to get back into the playoff picture. The team does have the chem and the event pedigree where any seed they finish in they can make a run and compete. 

Keys to the Series:

• Calgary will need to break through Winnipeg’s defense and use their skill to score plenty of goals. This team had good offensive numbers, but they were below average defensively, so they will either have to tighten up or prepare to pot some goals. 
   
• Winnipeg will need to continue their tight defensive game. Unlike Calgary, Winnipeg Denial had very solid defensive numbers, and it could prove to be the x-factor for them in the series. With Calgary’s powerplay fizzling out with a 2.63%, it could be another leg up in the series.

Prediction: Winnipeg Denial in 5

 #3 Chicago Phantoms vs #6 Anaheim Ducks Gaming 

10-4-1 Record 9-4-2

3.07 GF/GM 3.07

1.53 GA/GM 2.53

29.41 PP% 10.53

86.36 PK% 92.31

• Chicago Phantoms came together and reunited for this event under the Phantoms banner, and they continued where they left off with a respectable 3rd seed in the west. They were consistently solid throughout the season, and have good underlying numbers in all categories. Their special teams have been red hot as well, being top 4 in both in PP% and PK%. 
   
• Anaheim Ducks Gaming picked up BBB for their team, and they finished decently. To be honest, they started off strong but kind of stumbled into the playoffs, but a good squad nonetheless. They have had a lot of close games in the season, which could benefit them heading into the playoffs, where the games are usually much tighter.

Keys to the Series:

• Chicago will need to capitalize on their strong powerplay. They finished with a 3rd ranked 29.41%, and will look to get an early lead potentially with a powerplay goal. This series will be very tight, so a good performance from the defense and goaltending could prove to be the difference.
   
• Anaheim needs to play a tighter defensive game. This team has very active puck-moving defensemen, and can score when needed, but it will be the defensive side of the game that will carry them through the series. They had a relatively high goals against per game compared to other playoff teams at 2.53, so they will need to be better in their own end.

Prediction: Chicago in 5

 #4 San Jose Chilltown HC vs #5 Dallas Walking Dead 

10-4-1 Record 10-5-0

3.13 GF/GM 2.93

2.2 GA/GM 1.87

24.24 PP% 10.34

85.29 PK% 76.92

San Jose Chilltown made a couple of changes heading into the event, bringing in some experienced players like TheGreatMP7 and Vaporize 17 into the fray. This roster has the benefit of having multiple players who can all be solid contributors to any team out there, and can play at multiple positions. It’s a unique trait to have as a team, but the rotation could prove to be useful. 

Dallas Walking Dead have been known as a high offense team, with lots of chemistry between the forwards from many events. However, Northern Arena has given them new light in being a fairly solid defensively responsible team. I never would’ve expected Walking Dead to be a middle of the pack team offensively but a really good defensive team, but perhaps this is a factor to their recent success.

Keys to the Series:

• San Jose will need to use their playoff experience to their advantage. This team doesn’t have a player that hasn’t had some sort of event playoff experience, and can most certainly be a factor heading into a big series. This team has been known for its defensive prowess, and I would say their regular season was more of an anomaly. 
   
• Dallas will need to continue with their defensive play. It’s going to be a tight series, and before I wasn’t sure if they could compete in those tight games because of their all offense gameplan. They seem to have found a good balance between both sides of the puck, so it could be very fun to watch this team heading into the playoffs. 

Prediction: San Jose in 5

 #1 New York Underdogs vs #8 Long Island 6th Sense 

13-1-1 Record 9-4-2

4.47 GF/GM 2.47

1.73 GA/GM 1.60

41.18 PP% 33.33

41.67 PK% 90.91

New York Underdogs came into this event slated to finish first, and did they ever do that. They quite frankly have looked rather dominant at times, and with only 2 losses all season it’s definitely showing in the stats department. Not only are they scoring lots of goals with 67 goals in 15 games, they only are allowing 26. 

Long Island shifted some players around, and their new look team finished in the final playoff spot with a 9-4-2 record. While they didn’t score nearly as many goals as their counterpart, they certainly played a good defensive game, only allowing 24 goals in 15 games. 

Keys to the Series:

• I guess New York just needs to continue what they’re doing. They have been blowing the competition away so far, and they just need to stick to whatever their gameplan is to continue through the playoffs. Their penalty kill has been rather lackluster with a 41.67%, so they should try and stay out of the box.
   
• Long Island will look to continue to play a strong defensive game. Going up against an offensive force like the Underdogs, the best counter for it will be playing a defensively sound game. They have shown they can do it in the regular season, and keeping the games low scoring will give them the chance to shock the top seed. 

Prediction: New York in 4

 #2 Toronto Composure vs #7 CBJ Gaming 

12-2-1 Record 9-3-3

3.47 GF/GM 2.47

1.20 GA/GM 1.33

56.25 PP% 10.0

88.89 PK% 80.95

Toronto came into this event looking for some redemption after a disappointing top 16 finish in CBJ Gaming. They did just that again in the regular season with a fairly dominating performance in the regular season. Their powerplay was an astonishing 56.25%, and they had the lowest goals against per game with a 1.20.

CBJ Gaming brought their own roster to the event featuring lots of local Columbus talent. Despite this, I thought they were going to struggle with the top tier competition. They ended up making playoffs in a Cinderella story manner, and look to make a dark-horse run.

Keys to the Series:

• Composure will need to establish their tight possession game and give CBJ no space to maneuver. They always seem to have high TOA numbers, and in combination with their very good defensive system makes it extremely difficult to play against. 
   
• CBJ needs Welsh to continue his monstrous run. He has been lights out for them, and a key reason why they have such a good goals against per game. They are going up against the only team with a lower goals against than them, so they will need to match their play to sneak in some tight wins.

Prediction: Toronto in 3

 #3 Tampa Bay Vertigo vs #6 Canadiens Esports 

12-2-1 Record 10-3-2

4.73 GF/GM 3.47

2.47 GA/GM 2.27

26.32 PP% 22.22

83.33 PK% 91.67

Tampa Bay have always been a threat in all events they play in. This one is no different, finishing with a 12-2-1 record. They also have been goal-scoring machines, scoring 71 goals across 15 games.

Montreal picked up their own roster for the event, and it paid off with a very solid 10-3-2 record. They started off somewhat slowly, but picked it up for the second week finishing with an 8-2-0 record in the final 10 games of the season. 

Keys to the Series:

• While their goals for is tops in the league, Tampa Bay had a somewhat average defensive performance, with only a 2.47 goals against per game, good for 8th in the east. For a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs, they will need to be better in their own end to make that happen.
   
• Montreal will need to keep their momentum going from their final week success. This team has a solid roster that can challenge Tampa Bay and potentially make an upset, but if they can use their confidence gained from a solid string of games in the final week, it could certainly increase their chances.

Prediction: Tampa Bay in 4

 #4 Philadelphia Problematic vs #5 Boston Nationalz 

11-3-1 Record 11-4-0

3.93 GF/GM 3.07

2.40 GA/GM 2.53

30.43 PP% 29.63

80.95 PK% 76.19

Philadelphia Problematic picked up the Road 2 Glory roster for the season. I thought they would find themselves within the playoff bubble, but they impressed with an 11-3-1 record. Their additions to their roster paid off and they have had a respectable season. 

Boston Nationalz started off very hot being the last team to be undefeated in the regular season before dropping a couple of games late in the season. An 11-4-0 record to finish in the 5th seed is still very respectable.

Keys to the Series:

• Philadelphia will need to continue to score at the clip they are in the regular season. With 3.93 goals for per game, they have been scoring in waves and can prove to be their largest asset. Their powerplay has also been solid with a 30.43%, so it will need to continue to be impactful for them to advance.
   
• Boston needs to match the offense of Philadelphia. They are known as an offensive team, but they have only really been average with a 3.07 goals for per game. Also, their penalty kill has been mediocre compared to other top teams at 76.19%

Prediction: Philadelphia in 5

Good luck to all of the teams in the playoffs, be sure to tune into the streams to catch all of the action!

NHLGamers,

We are halfway through the regular season of the Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup, and we start to see some teams separate from the pack as contenders, and start to look at the potential playoff tree upcoming after week 2. Let’s go around the league and highlight some notable storylines and performances throughout the inaugural week. 
 

Stylistic Differences Between Both Conferences

As teams will only play teams in their respective conferences with no crossover until the championship series, it’s interesting to look at the style differences so far between the east and the west. In the west, the trend seems to be the crash and bang every game is a playoff game style, with 8 western conference teams having over 100 total hits, while the eastern conference only has 4 that fall into that range. The same thing comes in the form of shots on goal, where the west has 8 teams with over 90 shots through 7 games played, with the east only having 4 in the respective category.

It isn’t to say as much of the west is playing better hockey, but perhaps more so to the gameplan that each conference seems to be playing. The west seems to be playing a much more high volume, up-tempo style, with lots of hits thrown and plenty of shots to go with it, while the east has played more of a high percentage, high-quality type of style. It seems, however, that neither style is a better option over the other, as both conferences share similar goals for and against compared to each other. 

The Big Boys Have Come to Play
While the tournament has given some newer, lesser decorated teams the chance to compete with the best in a relatively smaller vacuum than what they’re used to, it’s the projected top teams who truly stand out in the standings. 

Teams like the New York Underdogs (6-0-0, T2nd in East), the Seattle Entourage (6-0-1, 1st in West), the Tampa Bay Vertigo (5-1-0, T5th in East) and Anaheim Ducks Gaming (5-1-1, 2nd in West) were all projected to finish high in the standings, and have lived up to those expectations with good starts to the season. 

On top of the pre-season contenders, some teams have stepped it up during the regular season to vault themselves into the contender conversation. Boston Nationalz (7-0-0, 1st in East) were slated to be a playoff team, but being one of two remaining undefeated teams was not something expected. The roster's core is made of players from One Nation, a team with good previous results that recently finished top 16 in the CBJ Summer Cup. Philadelphia Problematic (6-1-0, T2nd in East) is a team that has hovered around the playoff bubble for a few events with the name of Road 2 Glory, before being picked up by Problematic, and was slated to do so again in this event. They have since stepped up to the challenge with a very solid 6-1-0 record. The addition of @SkillzPayBills3 (1-11-12 +18 in 7 GP) at the right defense spot has paid off in spades and along with @Kernsy (4-0-0 1.5 GAA 81.82 SV%) in net has elevated this team to new heights.

Week 1 MVP Candidates 
While it may be too early to give someone the title of most valuable player, there are always some stand out performances that deserve to be highlighted. There will always be high volume scorers and good goalies, but there are also the ones who stand above the competition.

@Rockxt 5 always seems to be at the top of the points leaders in any event he participates in, so it’s no surprise to see him at the top with 23 points in just 6 games. However, he ranks high in pretty much all major categories, as he is 2nd in goals (13), 15th in plus-minus (+10), and tied for 1st in shots on goal (33). He is a major reason why Vertigo has had the success they’ve had so far this season.

While we’ve already touched on SkillzPayBills3 in the previous section, I think it’s important to highlight the value he has brought to the team. His 12 points rank him tied for 4th out of defensemen, and his +18 ranks him 3rd out of all defensemen. His ability to carry the puck and be a threat offensively gives Philadelphia Problematic a threat from the backend to attack and is a big reason for the run they have had so far.

While the players above are solid candidates, the goaltenders, or rather one goalie, is stealing the spotlight for MVP talks. It comes from one of the partner teams in the form of CBJ Gaming, and more specifically, their goalie @x welsh 16. In my season preview, I thought CBJ Gaming had the potential to struggle going up against the best the community had to offer, projected to finish in 14th place in the east. That narrative has been blown out of the water through the first week, with Columbus sitting nicely in a playoff spot with a record of 4-1-2. And while you can partially pin the success on the entire team, it’s been the standout performance of Welsh that has given CBJ the edge over these teams. Welsh currently boasts a record of 4-1-2, with a goals against average of 1.00, a save percentage of 93.2, and has 4 shutouts to boot. Oh, and he ranks first in ALL of those categories. It’s also not like he just isn’t facing a lot of shots and/or chances, as he also ranks first in shots faced with 96 shots he’s stopped. 
 

At the same time, with Welsh looking like a brick wall out there, his teammates are struggling to replicate the same potent offense their opponents are bringing. CBJ Gaming is averaging only 1.57 goals for per game, good for 28th in the entire league. They also only have put up 55 shots on goal, which ranks tied for last place out of all 32 teams. 

All of this is more impressive thanks to the partnership with The Goalie Guild and their new G3 Prospects Program, where all goalies competing in the event have a chance to win extra prize money for certain categories, such as most shots faced, most shutouts, and tournament MVP. Unfortunately for other goalies, Welsh is leading in all of these categories and seems to have no plan of stopping anytime soon. 

That’s it from me this week, good luck to all the teams competing in week 2 and making that push for the playoffs! 
 

Tendy Heaven!
Goalie Guild Gaming’s New G3 Prospects Program is Here

If this is the first time you’ve heard of Goalie Guild Gaming, allow me to quickly introduce myself.

My name is Justin Goldman and I am the founder and president of The Goalie Guild, a 501-c3 nonprofit foundation based in Colorado, USA. I am the author of four books on goaltending, an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) for the Colorado Avalanche, a former writer for NHL.com, and have been involved with USA Hockey goalie scouting and development for seven years.

Since 2009, The Goalie Guild has been creating and hosting some of the largest goalie coaching symposiums and learning experiences in the world. In 2015, I transformed The Goalie Guild into a nonprofit focused on grassroots development. In my opinion, goaltending is an amazing life experience, but the position has many barriers to entry. That is why I have been dedicated to giving back to the game by building free educational resources and opportunities for underprivileged kids and goalies around the world.

Along with Lift The Mask, Gear Givers, and the Global Goaltending Retreat, G3 also falls under the umbrella of our nonprofit organization. While I have been a gamer all my life (just for fun, as I’ve yet to hit the sticks in the competitive NHL scene), over the past three years, I’ve become very passionate about taking my equity-centered and holistic approach to goalie development and applying it to the NHL esports community.

Thanks to @Kenu and our partnership, I can bring this passion project to the NHLGamer community.

The G3 Prospects Program

Shortly before the first puck dropped on the Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup on Tuesday, Goalie Guild Gaming officially launched a new development program called G3 Prospects. Nearly two years in the making, this innovative platform supports the growth of NHL esports goalies and inspires them to learn through a free-to-play rewards system.

To get started, here’s a walkthrough video on YouTube. This breaks down how the program works, how to register, and how to begin competing. 
 

Once approved, G3 Prospects that play in our sanctioned leagues, events, and tournaments are eligible to earn rewards and prizes for their gaming and goaltending excellence. We also host different monthly G3 Challenges, which are an assortment of gaming-based activities that vary depending on theme, time, and subject. The first monthly challenge will kick off in September.   

Thanks to our strong partnership with NHLGamer, we’re also excited to announce that the FCL (6v6) and SCL (6v6) tournaments have already been sanctioned and sponsored by G3, meaning active goalies in both events will be eligible to earn various rewards and prizes! These rewards are as follows:

FCL & SCL 6v6 TOURNAMENTS

• PuckEaters (Most Saves): $25
• Save of the Tourney: $25
• The Donut King: $25
• Vezina Trophy (MVP): $50
• Sickest Setup: $25

*Prizes awarded for each tournament in $USD

 Another new feature we rolled out yesterday for the NHLGamer community is our G3 Depth Charts.

This free interactive data tool helps bring more exposure and awareness to NHL esports by offering the community a way to discover and directly connect with active esports goalies. Just like in real life, there are always good teams looking for goalies, and good goalies looking for teams. Centralizing the active goalies that compete in our sanctioned events is a great way to bring the community together and open doors for more playing opportunities. A good example of what this may look like in the future can be found on our NHL Goalie Depth Charts feature.

Now that the Northern Arena #NHLCup 6's tournament is underway and goalies are already pitching shutouts left and right, it’s time to dive right in and get this party started. If you have any questions about Goalie Guild Gaming, feel free to add me on Discord at TGG_Goldy#9818 as I’m excited to meet, mentor, and support as many NHLGamer goalies as possible. Good luck and keep that stick on the ice!

~Goldy

NHLGamers,

In cooperation with Northern Arena and Goalie Guild Gaming, we are proud to be bringing you The Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup - presented by Xbox Canada. This $10,000 USD 6v6 tournament has brought the best 32 teams in North America to one event to round off the 2020 season. This NA NHL Cup gives teams the opportunity to play as one of 32 (Seattle included) NHL franchises. There are five NHL organizations officially partnered with the event:

• Anaheim Ducks
• Columbus Blue Jackets
• Florida Panthers
• Montreal Canadiens
• New Jersey Devils

This event also brought a new approach to tournament participants with firstly an invite system, where the top 6 teams through week 2 of the CBJ Summer Cup were directly invited to this event. Additionally, the event featured three open qualifiers where the top 8 teams from the first two and the top 7 from qualifier 3 would make it to the official event. With most of the recent events having been on an unlimited team cap or a pay to play idea, this is a refreshing piece of tournament infrastructure that could be utilized in more events.

The event is approved by EA and supported by some NHL teams. Not all players are official representatives of respective NHL teams.

We’ll go over a brief introduction of each team, the NHL team they are playing as, and their tournament history prior to the event. While some teams have been active and playing together for the entire season (or at least a core roster) some teams have been made for the sole purpose of qualifying for this event. If a team name is being used but is of a different roster, their results will still be included, but with the explanation of the roster changes throughout the past season. 

Anaheim Ducks Gaming

Original Team: BBB
How they qualified: Top 6 in CBJ Summer Cup

Previous Results:

• T16 Caps Gaming Showcase
• T16 LGESHL S12
• T8 LGESHL S13
• T4 NACL
• T8 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

BBB has certainly been on the upward trend in the latter half of 2020. The past events have BBB making it at least to the quarterfinals of every event since the spring, capping it off with a top 4 placing in NHLGamer’s very own NACL. On August 15th, BBB announced they would be officially partnering with Anaheim Ducks Gaming to represent them in the Northern Arena Cup. 

Arizona Mars

Original Team: Mars
How they qualified: 2nd place in Qualifier 2

Previous Results:

• T8 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

The west coast roster has become a bit of a polarizing figure in the 6’s scene. No doubt a skilled lineup, with some experienced players, but with the added twist of being an uncommon roster of all western NA players. Some may say it is the battle of the servers, as a west coast server will put them on a very solid advantage, the question is can this team jump ahead quickly while others try to adapt to the connection. 

Calgary Prodigy HC

Original Team: Prodigy HC
How they qualified: Top 4 in Qualifier 3

Previous Results:

• T16 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

The team of Prodigy HC has been a relatively new roster to the scene, headed by top 1v1 players Geimer and Canadians. They made it to top 16 in the summer cup, but a disappointing playoff performance prompted some changes, revamping their backend and goaltending while adding OFs to play center. A fast-paced offensive squad will look to put up plenty of goals. 

Chicago Phantoms

Original Team: Phantoms
How they qualified: 2nd in Qualifier 1

Previous Results:

• 4th Caps Gaming Showcase
• T16 LGESHL S12
• T12 LGESHL S13
• T8 NACL

Phantoms have reunited after a brief break up, and come back with a bang, going all the way to the finals of the first qualifier. They started the season off as dark horses in their first tournaments, but after multiple solid placements, they will be considered playoff favorites in the Western Conference.

Colorado X Factor

Original Team: X Factor
How they qualified: Top 6 in CBJ Summer Cup

Previous Results:

• 36th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

X Factor directly qualified to the event by finishing top 6 in the CBJ Cup, but failed to make the playoffs for the event. The poor finish prompted some changes for the squad, adding Burnsy x 95 and RoaringViper for the event. Time will tell which X Factor team will come to play in this event, the one that was top 6 through week 2, or the one that finished 36th come seasons end.

Dallas Walking Dead

Original Team: III Walking Dead III
How they qualified: Top 6 in Qualifier 3
 

Previous Results:

• 44th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Walking Dead is headed by the forward trio of JJr, Melvin x 94 and I Volcom x 28 l, whom have been linemates for some time. However, the defense of Forbz Eh and Focus TF have been solid for the team, allowing them to qualify for the event in the 3rd qualifier. 

Edmonton Offseason

Original Team: The Offseason
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 2

Previous Results:

• T32 Caps Gaming Showcase
• T16 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Offseason has had an impressive run as of late, with a final week push to finish to top 16 in the Summer Cup, before being eliminated. The core roster have been playing together for a few events now, and the chemistry is starting to come through, and they will look to continue their good form during the season.

Los Angeles Slaughterhouse

Original Team: Slaughterhouse HC
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 1
 

Previous Results: N/A

Slaughterhouse is a unique case as they are one of the few teams that have no experience on the xbox side. However, this team has some good results over on the PSN side, but also apart of other rosters. While this team may seem like an underdog, they could surprise some teams that underestimate their experience as a roster. 

Minnesota Natty Light Knightz

Original Team: Natty Light Knightz
How they qualified: Top 6 in Qualifier 3
 

Previous Results:

• T8 Caps Gaming Showcase
• 30th CBJ Summer Cup as Knight Shift (ongoing)

Natty Light Knightz went through a brief name change to Knight Shift before presumably switching back to Natty Light Knightz to qualify. A team of skilled 3’s players with some 6’s experience, the squad had a solid performance in the Caps Gaming Showcase, and will look to replicate that success after a tough CBJ Summer Cup.

Nashville Mercenary

Original Team: Mercenary
How they qualified: 7th in Qualifier 3

Previous Results:

• 28th LGESHL S12

Mercenary has had its fair share of rosters, but they took the final spot in the Northern Arena Cup winning the final game to lock up 7th in Qualifier 3.

San Jose Chilltown HC

Original Team: Chilltown HC
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 1
 

Previous Results:

• T16 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Chilltown’s roster remains essentially the same as what they competed within the CBJ Summer Cup, with the exception of adding TheGreatMP7 as a presumed utility center. A good pick up no matter how many games he gets into, and will look to continue the team's trend of being a defensively responsible squad. 

Seattle Entourage

Original Team: Entourage
How they qualified: Top 6 in CBJ Summer Cup
 

Previous Results:

• 1st Caps Gaming Showcase
• T16 LGESHL S12
• T4 LGESHL S13
• T4 NACL
• T8 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

With the announcement of the 32nd franchise Seattle Kraken, they will be a team to compete as in the Northern Arena Cup. Donning these jerseys will be none other than Entourage, who are a perennial contender in any event, and another team who were directly invited to the event. The long-running squad get the first crack at playing as the Kraken.

St. Louis Infinity

Original Team: Infinity
How they qualified: Top 4 in Qualifier 2

Previous Results:

• T16 Caps Gaming Showcase

Infinity are back as a squad and enter the NA Cup with a respectable semifinal finish in the 2nd qualifier. The team has some previous chem under their belt, so they will be looking to use that as much as they can over some of the newer squads. The team will be playing as the defending Stanley Cup champions, the St. Louis Blues.

Vancouver Reckless Legends

Original Team: Reckless Legends
How they qualified: Top 4 in Qualifier 3
 

Previous Results: N/A

Reckless Legends could be considered the biggest underdogs in the event, as they are a relatively new team to the competitive 6’s scene both as a team and as individuals. They did have a relatively solid run in the final qualifier, but they will be looking to prove themselves in this tournament.

Vegas Golden Tropixx

Original Team: Tropixx
How they qualified: 1st in Qualifier 1
 

Previous Results:

• 28th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Tropixx is another team with little experience as a team but lots of experience as individuals on other teams. They did, however, finish 1st in the first qualifier, beating some solid squads in the process. Finishing first in the qualifier allowed them to play as another new addition to the NHL in the Vegas Golden Knights.

Winnipeg Denial

Original Team: Denial
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 1
 

Previous Results:

• T16 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Denial is a new squad formed with the core trio of former Prophecy players in P t P 10, Keeeks 12 and McLxvinn. They’ve added some pieces from other teams such as Kovalchukl17l and Vaynx, who were a part of rising team Ground N Pound. The team has the skill to compete for a playoff spot, and showed they can already with a top 16 placing in the CBJ Summer Cup.

Western Conference Standings Prediction:

1. Seattle Entourage
2. Anaheim Ducks Gaming
3. Chicago Phantoms
4. San Jose Chilltown HC
5. Vegas Golden Tropixx
6. Winnipeg Denial
7. Los Angeles Slaughterhouse HC
8. St. Louis Infinity
9. Colorado X Factor
10. Calgary Prodigy HC
11. Arizona Mars
12. Minnesota Natty Light Knightz
13. Dallas Stars Walking Dead
14. Edmonton Offseason
15. Nashville Mercenary
16. Vancouver Reckless Legends

Boston Nationalz

Original Team: Nationalz
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 2
 

Previous Results:

• T16 CBJ Summer Cup as One Nation(ongoing)

Nationals are made of a core of One Nation mixed with some other PSN players. The team has a solid amount of skill and has had success on the PSN side as well as the Xbox side. A top 8 finish in the second qualifier secured them a spot and a chance to play as the Boston Bruins.

Buffalo Blacklist

Original Team: Blacklist
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 2
 

Previous Results:

• 24th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Blacklist may be a new squad to the competitive 6’s scene, but they do have a solid amount of chemistry as a team. Formerly known as Showtime, the team had a decent showing at CBJ Summer Cup, before finally qualifying in the 2nd qualifier. 

Canadiens Esports
Original Team: Most Wanted
How they qualified: 1st in Qualifier 2
Previous Results:
- T8 LGESHL S12
- 25th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Montreal joins the partner team list and picks up Most Wanted to represent them in the event. The French squad has had some solid success, most prominently placing top 8 in LGESHL season 12. 

Carolina Highlight Highlanders

Original Team: Highlight Highlanders
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 2
 

Previous Results:

• T8 Caps Gaming Showcase
• T8 LGESHL S13

The Highlanders have had a tumultuous couple months with roster changes alike. While their previous results feature some other players, the current roster is still a solid lineup capable of competing for a playoff spot.

CBJ Gaming

Original Team: We Run the Show
How they qualified: Partner Team
 

Previous Results:

• 22nd CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

CBJ Gaming have finally announced their roster, featuring a number of local Ohio players, mainly from the roster We Run the Show. The squad had a decent run at the CBJ Summer Cup finishing in 22nd place, and will look to step it up while representing the Blue Jackets.

Detroit Turning Point

Original Team: Turning Point
How they qualified: 2nd in Qualifier 3
 

Previous Results:

• T8 Caps Gaming Showcase
• T16 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Turning Point had admittedly a rough qualifier season, but finally has a solid run in the final qualifier, finishing 2nd. Despite the setback in the qualifiers, the team has shown they are able to make playoffs in major events and be at the top. This team is certainly capable of snatching up a playoff spot, but also to make a run for the cup.

FLA Panthers Gaming

Original Team: -
How they qualified: Partner Team
 

Previous Results: N/A

The Panthers were the last to release their roster, and feature a team fairly similar to what they had in the CBJ Summer Cup. It isn’t a complete mixed roster, and the players have some familiarity with each other, featured in the Panthers squad that played in the CBJ Summer Cup, but also in various 3’s and 6’s leagues.

Long Island 6th Sense

Original Team: 6th Sense
How they qualified: Top 4 in Qualifier 1

Previous Results:

• T32 Caps Gaming Showcase
• 1st LGESHL S13
• 2nd NACL
• T8 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

6th Sense have made some rotations, creating a mainly french squad with some additions from Flawless. Nevertheless,the team has skill, experience and results to make them a contender heading in.

New York Underdogs

Original Team:  Underdogs
How they qualified: Top 6 in CBJ Summer Cup

Previous Results:

• T8 Caps Gaming Showcase
• T4 LGESHL S12
• 17th LGESHL S13
• T8 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

The first seed in the CBJ Summer Cup enter the Northern Arena Cup with high expectations. With a roster that’s been together for so long with good results, the expectations are high for this team. 

NJDGC

Original Team: -
How they qualified: Partner Team
 

Previous Results: N/A

The Devils have brought their own roster to the event. It features some GWC top 32 players, but for the most part, not a lot of competitive 6’s experience across the board here.

Ottawa Momentum

Original Team: Momentum
How they qualified: Top 4 in Qualifier 1
 

Previous Results:

• T32 Caps Gaming Showcase
• 27th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Momentum have had an up and down summer, with a decent performance in CBJ Summer Cup, they go back to their roots with players like Zarvek and PBanc. Their chemistry will look to shine through during the event. 

Philadelphia Problematic

Original Team: Problematic Esports/Road 2 Glory
How they qualified: Top 4 in Qualifier 2

Previous Results:

• 17th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Problematic pick up the Road 2 Glory roster, who will be playing as the Flyers for the season. Most of their results and playing time has been on the PSN side, but they just missed out on the playoffs during the CBJ Summer Cup, and could prove to be a formidable dark horse for the tournament.

Pittsburgh Washed

Original Team: Washed
How they qualified: Top 8 in Qualifier 1
 

Previous Results:

• T24 LGESHL S13

Washed has come into the event as a slightly mixed roster, with core players from The Krusty Krab, as well as players from Momentum like NINETY EIGHT and jared2112. A solid roster that managed to qualify in the 1st qualifier who will look to sneak into the playoffs. 

 

Tampa Bay Vertigo

Original Team: Vertigo
How they qualified: Top 6 in CBJ Summer Cup
 

Previous Results:

• T4 LGESHL S13
• 1st NACL
• T8 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Vertigo was directly invited to the event after finishing top 6 in the CBJ Summer Cup. A somewhat new roster, but one that has had an immediate impact on the scene, with at least a top 4 finish in all major events they have played in, with the summer cup still going. The roster will look to add another top 4 finish to add to their resume, and will do it under the Lightning bolt. 

Toronto Composure

Original Team: Composure
How they qualified: Top 6 in CBJ Summer Cup
 

Previous Results:

• T32 Caps Gaming Showcase
• 1st LGESHL S12
• T8 LGESHL S13
• T8 NACL
• T16 CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

Composure finished top 6 in the CBJ Summer Cup, allowing them to have an early pick to snatch up the Maple Leafs to play under. The team has gone through some recent changes and have had an average year so far for their standards but will look to the Northern Arena to finish the season off with a bang.
 

Washington Resignation

Original Team: Resignation
How they qualified: 1st in Qualifier 3
 

Previous Results:

• 39th CBJ Summer Cup (ongoing)

The young guns are back with a bit of a revamped roster, which has given themselves the boost they’ve needed to place first in the final qualifier to secure their spot. While this may be an inexperienced team, they have lots of skill and plenty to work to make a name for themselves. 

Eastern Conference Standings Prediction:

1.  New York Underdogs
2.  Tampa Bay Vertigo
3.  Toronto Composure
4.  Long Island 6th Sense
5.  Detroit Turning Point
6.  Boston Nationalz
7.  Canadiens Esports
8.  Pittsburgh Washed
9. Philadelphia Problematic
10. Carolina Highlight Highlanders
11. Washington Resignation
12. Ottawa Momentum
13. Buffalo Blacklist
14. CBJ Gaming
15. FlaPanthers Gaming
16. NJDGC

Be sure to check out all of the featured games on the following channels:

• twitch.tv/NHLGamer
• twitch.tv/nosleeves12
• twitch.tv/northernarena
   

The games start Tonight at 8:45 EST, don’t miss it!

Did we get it right? Did we butcher it? Let us know in the comments!
 

NHLGamers,

Our North American following has been longing for some 6v6 action ever since the last NACL season concluded with the victory of Vertigo in mid May. We've been asked a lot about when our next North American event would be and the time has come to reward your patience. In cooperation with Northern Arena and Goalie Guild Gaming, we are proud to be bringing you The Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup - presented by Xbox Canada - with a prize pool of $10,000 USD.

The Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup will feature a qualifying stage, where any North American 6v6 team can enter for a chance to represent one of the NHL's 32 franchises (including Seattle). Once the teams have qualified, the 32 best teams in North America will play throughout August in a battle over the largest slice out of the $10,000 USD prize pool.

There are three ways to qualify for the Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup:

• Official NHL Esports Team Representative: The NHL Cup will have four NHL Esports Team Representatives. The Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks. The Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets have their own teams, whereas New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks will be allowed to approach any of the existing qualified teams. Qualified teams reserve the right to decline would they rather represent another team. 
  
  
   
• Standings from the CBJ Summer Cup: The top six (6) teams in the standings from the CBJ Summer Cup as of July 31st will be invited to join the NHL Cup. These teams are 1. Underdogs, 2. Composure, 3. BBB, 4. Entourage, 5. Vertigo and 6. X Factor.
  
  
   
• Qualification tournaments: Teams who have not qualified through the aforementioned ways will need to qualify through an open qualifier. 24 spots will be up for grabs in the three (3) total qualifiers that will be held on Friday, August 7th, Tuesday, August 11th and Saturday, August 15th.

For further details about the format of the NA NHL 20 Cup, please refer to this league format document. Please also get acquainted with the ruleset of the Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup here before registering your team for the tournament. You can also visit the NA NHL 20 Cup official landing page for more information.

NHLGamer is the official tournament partner for the NA NHL Cup. The tournament itself will be run on our platform here at NHLGamer.com Should you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our support.

Click here to sign up now!

We've also set up a place in our community forums where you can discuss, introduce your team, look for players for your team, or find yourself a team. The official Discord channel for the tournament is run by Northern Arena. Additionally, we'd like to offer you the opportunity to join the NHLGamer Discord.
 

When?
Here is the schedule for the Northern Arena NHL 20 Cup:

Registration period:
Monday, July 7th - Tuesday, August 11th, 2020

Qualifying period:
Friday, August 7th (Qualifier 1), Tuesday, August 11th (Qualifier 2) and Friday, August 15th (Qualifier 3)
Signups for Qualifier 1 closes: Tuesday, August 4th
Signups for Qualifier 2 & 3 close: Tuesday August 11th

Regular season:
Tuesday, August 18th - Thursday, August 27th

Playoffs:
Saturday, August 29th - Saturday, September 5th
 

Broadcasts
More detailed info about what to expect in regards to broadcasts will be published closer to the tournament. What we can tell you now is that the semifinals and finals will be aired live on GINX TV and www.twitch.tv/northernarena.

We want to take this opportunity to thank the handful of NHL teams that are involved in this event. In the end, we understand what makes a league successful is having the support of the players and teams. To earn that support we will do everything we can to make this an equally exciting and entertaining event. In return, we kindly ask for your cooperation and support, especially on social media. 
When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - can you please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag: 

@NorthernArena 
@NHLGamerCOM 
@XboxCanada 
@ginxcanada 
#NHLCup 


Disclaimer: The event is approved by EA and supported by some NHL teams. Not all players are official representatives of respective NHL teams.

It has come to our attention that Linköping HC player @Patzlaf made an inappropriate comment on his personal stream last week, in a moment of insensitivity that he feels does not reflect his personal values. The stream was not related to NHLGamer’s leagues or tournaments, but rather in his free time.

We have been in touch with the Linköping HC organization and they have approached this matter with the utmost seriousness, starting by suspending Patzlaf for Sunday’s games. Understanding his comment would be the source of both anger and disappointment, Patzlaf publicly accepted responsibility and apologized for his actions. We believe this lapse in judgement is not an accurate portrayal of his personal values and that he regrets his actions but we do not—and will not—tolerate discrimination of any form and we stand to promote diversity and inclusion for all our players. In addition to Patzlaf’s suspension of games, LHC has committed to providing their players with training about their values and how each and everyone of them are accountable for upholding them on and off the ice.

We will review our rulesets upon the conclusion of the ECL 10 season to explore the option of covering scenarios like these in our rulebook.

NHLGamers,

We're happy to tell you all that the wonderful Drew Goldfarb has joined the commentary team for NHLGamer and will continue calling play-by-play for both the NACL and the ECL. You've already got a taste of what he is capable of but now we're hoping for a longer term partnership. Drew was kind enough to answer a few questions to help us learn more about him.

Drew is a two-time EMMY-nominated sportscaster, and has been a sports fan his entire life. Goldfarb began covering sports professionally in 2007. A recipient of eight Associated Press Awards since 2010, 2015 EMMY Award nominee (NATAS Suncoast Chapter), winner of the 2018 WVBA Award for Best Sportscast, and 2019 EMMY Award nominee (NATAS Ohio Valley Chapter), he has earned recognition for his work covering sports at all levels throughout his career, including being highlighted by his alma mater, Florida State University, and by his high school during its 25th Anniversary celebration. Goldfarb has experience in reporting, anchoring, hosting, play-by-play and voiceover work. In addition, he holds a degree in Media Production from Florida State University (B.S., '10) and is highly-trained in both shooting and editing video for film, TV and news. Whether it's through work or on his own, Drew stays involved in the community, including serving as an official business sponsor of Hockey Saves, Inc.
 

Photo credit: Jenny Leigh

Congrats on being the first caster with NHL broadcasting experience to call an NHL 6v6 esports match! Did you watch any games before getting involved with NACL/NHLGamer? How was preparing for an esports match different from your other experiences.

Drew: Thank you! It's an honor, and I'm happy to be a part of things!

I did manage to tune in for a couple of broadcasts before I called my first game with the NACL and NHLGamer. I've definitely seen clips and videos of NHL esports games before, and I do watch a lot of game and esports streamers (on Twitch and the posted "highlights" on YouTube). Preparation started the same way for me – making a roster sheet for each team with names, numbers, stats and (if necessary) pronunciation guides. I'd say the two biggest differences for me in my prep work are the size of the rosters and the starting point. When I worked my first NHL game for FOX Sports Florida (Florida Panthers vs Pittsburgh Penguins, ironically), I had been a Panthers fan since the dawn of the franchise. That gave me a much deeper background and understanding of the history and context for every little thing a bit better than coming into a new league that I wasn't quite as familiar with (it's hard to compare anything to that, when I grew up having Florida Panthers season tickets).

What are some major similarities or differences that you've found in calling virtual and traditional hockey? Are there any unique challenges that come with calling an esports match?

The speed is very different, and the way the speed is different is very different. I've found that, with esports, much like the game clock, the game itself is played at a much quicker rate... almost like it's on 1.5x or 2x speed. Passes are thrown quicker, dekes and moves are performed quicker, and when one moment wraps up, the next moment arrives quicker (you don't see many non-OT situations in traditional hockey games where an odd-man rush has 3 passes, a shot, a huge save, and then immediately another odd-man rush the other way, two passes, a save, a rebound AND a goal in a matter of seconds). The biggest challenge, for me, is player identification. In traditional hockey, in addition to having a giant number on a player's back, things like stick choice, skating style, or certain equipment quirks are much more apparent from player to player. While certain things like a player not wearing a helmet or having super-bright skates do vary, they’re less clear watching a stream than being in an arena or at a rink. Also, when there are 12 player icon colors being used, the difference between brown, orange and yellow (center, left defenseman, right defenseman for the non-hosting team) can be tough to see.

What were your expectations coming into your first cast (production, gameplay, co-casters, FUN)?  I hope the fact that you returned to call more games for NHLGamer means we reached or even surpassed those expectations.

My expectations were definitely met and then some. The graphics package, having an actual Producer/Director in voice chat with me during and between games and the amount of prep work put in for each broadcast by the NHLGamer team is incredible. I did have a blast, too, and while I knew it would be fun, it was definitely more fun than I expected.

Are there any specific team(s) that you're looking forward to watching / calling in the future?

I’m excited to get to see a good range of teams and styles. I like seeing variety in the teams that I see to see how many different approaches can be taken. Seeing different play types and strategies that teams develop based on their own unique build, strengths and weaknesses makes things especially interesting. I’m also a bit of a logo and uniform nut, so it’s great to see the variety in designs that teams create.
 

After your experience calling action for the best North American and European teams, what do you think the future possibilities are for NHL 6v6 esports?

I think it could really continue to grow. The prize pool being offered for the ECL Elite League is remarkable, and there’s no reason that NHL esports couldn’t get even bigger around the world.
 

Besides your introduction (ripped from your own website), what are some other cool things we should know about you?  (Ex. Word on the street is you're a wrestling fan)

It is true that I’m a wrestling fan. I stopped watching for a number of years (basically high school and college), but I got back into it in early 2011 and haven’t looked back. For those curious, favorite wrestlers by era would be Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Jeff Hardy, and CM Punk (I’m counting him as the “current” era…his “pipebomb” promo is what got me back into wrestling for good). In addition to house shows, independent wrestling cards, a CMLL show in Mexico City, and WWE Raw and SmackDown episodes, I’ve attended two Royal Rumble PPVs (2006 and 2019) and went to WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. I originally had tickets to AEW’s Double or Nothing in 2019, as well, but ended up not being able to go (still holding out some hope the 2020 edition might happen at some point here in Las Vegas). Hockey-wise, I’ve also attended two NHL Winter Classics (2010 in Boston and 2011 in Pittsburgh), three NHL Drafts (2001, 2014, 2015) and two NHL Scouting Combines (2014, 2015). I also scaled “The Torne” at the United States Military Academy alongside the 2014-15 Florida Panthers players during their preseason trip there. I was also hosting the pre- and post-game shows for the Panthers’ game that season against Washington when they set the NHL record for longest shootout, and the game against Toronto where both Panthers goalies got hurt, leading to the better understanding and implementation of the “Emergency Goalie” rule. That also led to me being able to say that I’ve made a glove save against Bill Lindsay on a shootout attempt AND that I stopped Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Potvin on a breakaway… a breakaway where he barreled into me, too.
 

Thank you very much Drew and welcome to the NHL Esports community!

Follow Drew in action together with Nick "F5Penguin" DiMeo tonight as the NACL Semifinals kick off! We're broadcasting games 1-3 between 6th Sense and BBB, starting 8:00 PM EST/2 AM CEST at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer.

 NHLGamers,

We have received the devastating news that a beloved member of the community - Sami @Ampuhaukka Luoma passed away at the young age of 41 this past Friday. Sami was a family man and a long-time community member, who enjoyed spending his pastime playing the NHL series in good company. Over the years several of us had the privilege to play alongside this man and he touched many of our lives in one way or another. To honor Sami's memory, some of his past teammates and friends have shared some of their memories below:

Quote

Me and Sami played together on and off ever since ECL 1 times, over the years we must have accumulated thousands of games together. Sami was never dealt the easiest hand, he was a cancer survivor and had suffered from several medical complications over the years. Despite all of the challenges, I remember the humor and the smile you could hear through his voice every day.

Sami was a polarizing person, but first and foremost he was a sincere and kind human being. He was a good father to his little kids, and a great friend to all of us. I'll forever miss the static of your mic and the occasional squeak from your old chair, but most of all, I'll miss my good friend Sami.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Samis children, relatives and friends.

- @Tzon93

 

Quote

I didn't know Sami as well as I would've liked to, but I did have the privilege of playing with him in both Summer Cup 1 and 2.

He was a new acquaintance to me in Summer Cup 1, but he quickly made an impression on me (and the whole team) with his team-first attitude, positive spirit and defensive prowess on the ice. I kept in touch with Sami over the year and we occasionally guest-played on each others team, as D partners. When Summer Cup 2 rolled around, I was a captain and Sami was a given as my 4th round pick. As a team, we had a lot of fun that summer and I got to know Sami a little better. He told me of his passion for his work where he regularly got to travel and spend time in nature, among his beloved birds. We kept track of each other after that second tournament - rooting for each other in the important games and congratulating each other on any success we had.

Simple gestures, but in retrospect they feel special.We never conversed on a truly personal level, but from the interactions I had with Sami I have no doubt he was a great father and family man. I, and many others in the community, knew him as kind, caring and forever positive - never a cloud on his horizon, despite the health ailments he was battling.

I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and loved ones of Sami. May the passage of time heal your grief.

Ampu, I'll miss playing defense with you. Until we meet again,

- @l-Furyan-l
 

Quote

We had so many good memories together and I'd want to share all of them, but I'll focus on the most important. I'm truly grateful to have made friends with Sami through this hobby. Our friendship developed and i cherish the moments we had both in game and outside of it.

Life is cruel and you never know what's to come. The last time we spoke on Thursday, neither one of us could have known that it would be our last moment together. I couldn't have imagined that my last message to you would be left unread. 

Your time was cut short, but I pray that your pain is now gone.

My heart goes out to your family, friends and all your loved ones who are left missing you dearly.

Rest in peace Sami.

- @Lamsa

A word from @Kenu on behalf of NHLGamer:

I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Sami in this tragic loss. I was in touch with Sami in early January and he spoke about his plans to build a team together with @pelimies80 and he had some questions around the upcoming season. It's hard to accept that that discussion was the last chance I got to talk to him.

I didn't know Sami well, but I did talk a lot of ECL with him throughout the years and also remember trying out for his team back in the day. He was always polite, positive and fun to talk to and I he will be missed.

During his career of 227 games as a right defenseman in the ECL Sami racked up 26 goals and 125 assists, totalling 151 points. Aside from the the ECL, he was also active in a lot of our other leagues. You can see his full career stats below.

The staff at NHLGamer extends our heartfelt condolences to everyone touched by Sami during his lifetime. Please also share your memory in the comment section if you wish to do so.

The European Championship League is currently running its 9th iteration of competition. In order to get a snapshot of the perspective of the person behind it all, Slapshot Magazine reached out to Kenneth @Kenu Lehtinen, founder of NHLGamer.com. Interview by Yann @Virtual_Saku Maillet, Nov. 30th 2019. Here is the English internet version of the interview:

Kenneth, can you introduce the origin of the NHLGamer project to our readers?
NHLGamer.com originally saw the light of day over a decade ago, somewhere around 2004. What started as a website platform for friends to arrange NHL leagues together has since grown exponentially into what is today the largest community for NHL gamers in Europe.
In late 2015, NHLGamer launched a new platform for a larger audience. Ever since we started, we've been providing a community experience and competitive action for gamers who enjoy the EA Sports NHL series. We've grown exponentially into one of the biggest communities worldwide and in launching the European Championship League (ECL) in 2015 was a groundbreaking step in our history. The ECL is a league where all the best European teams compete in a 6vs6 setting for titles in various divisions based on skill level. We also launched the North American counterpart in early 2019. On top of this, we host national leagues for Sweden, Finland, Russia and Germany. 

At its core, NHLGamer is a community of passionate gamers who strive to push our beloved sport onward. We've come a long way but are still just getting started. While we're proud of our achievements, we're continuously striving to find new ways to grow our community, host bigger tournaments with bigger prize pools and find new partners at the very cutting edge of gaming and esports.

How many tournaments are you running today and how are you organizing for the whole thing to work?
The main ecosystem of NHLGamer consists of two main leagues, accompanied by the national leagues for four countries. The main leagues are the European ECL and the North American NACL, while the national leagues consist of the FCL (Finland), GCL (Germany), RCL (Russia) and SCL (Sweden). We also do some other leagues and tournaments that are less about the competitiveness and more about the community aspect. In addition to our own products, we’ve co-operated with organizations like Ilta-Sanomat to create their IS Cup tournaments and a handful of other projects.
How do we do it? Hard work. NHLGamer is fortunate to have not only the most passionate and devoted gamers, but also staff members possessing these same qualities. I have been doing this full-time since 2017.

What is your economic model?
Currently, our economy is driven by our staff (myself included) working pro-bono and all of the proceeds from the projects being reinvested into our expenses and prize pools. We are consistently growing and constantly talking to new potential partners and sponsors and that is a key step in the right direction of longevity and scalability.

« Parallels between traditional sports and esports »

What answer do you give to those who believe that esports isn't comparable to traditional sports?
Does it really matter? Do we really care if someone thinks it is or isn’t a sport? That’s all about labels and beyond the point of what esports is about. Playing video games competitively at the top level requires several important skills. Some of these skills required of top players can be reflexes, strategy, teamwork and being able to perform under pressure. Being in good physical condition can definitely help with some of these things, such as reflexes, keeping your pulse steady under longer periods of stressful playing, staying concentrated and so on. From that perspective, you can draw many parallels between sports and esports. Many of our most successful players are active and successful in traditional sports and I definitely see it as a benefit in esports.

Traditional sports teams such as Düsseldorf, Växjö and more recently Zurich, Luleå and Färjerstad have launched their official esports teams, is this a turning point? Do you know what motivates these clubs to take on the challenge?
It’s no secret that esports is taking the world by storm and more and more companies are getting involved. It can be kind of hard and expensive to get involved with some of the more established games in esports at this point, whereas for NHL esports, this is the perfect time to come in as it is at the stage of maturing and growing season after season. There is starting to be an overall demand for businesses and especially sports organizations to get involved in esports, but not everyone feels like these massively famous games that revolve around violence and shooting are something that they want their brand to represent. For hockey organizations, getting involved in video game hockey seems like the most natural step. Having been introduced to what we do, combined with the passion, talent and devotion of the players in our community and an affordable entry-level cost - the interest towards our leagues has been big and you can expect a lot more organizations getting on board in the near future.

The Washington Capitals have just done the same, should we expect an eNHL soon?
It was only a matter of time before the first NHL organization got involved and we’re excited to welcome the Capitals into the scene. The NHL itself has, of course, produced their own NHL GWC for two years now in the 1v1 format and I’m surprised if they don’t join in on the 6v6 action within 2020-2021.

Did you have any discussions with the IIHF about an official competition?
I have not, but I am happy to talk to them and anyone else who is interested in entering this market.

« Esports is the future of entertainment »

Do you think that the general public will find this product appealing?
Absolutely. The benefit of this game and sports titles, in general, is that if you’re at least remotely familiar with the sport, you can easily start watching our broadcasts and understand what’s happening on the screen. Something that gets me excited is how the general public engages with us during our live events; Seeing passer-by’s take out their phones to take photos, groups of people discussing what they’re seeing and people from all kinds of backgrounds finding their way to fill the seats in the audience.

At the end of the day, it's really up to us as an organizer, EA SPORTS as the game developer and our community to create immersive leagues and tournaments with high production value in order to make it fun and enjoyable to watch for both the hardcore fans and the more casual crowd.

How do you see the future of esports in general? There have been some talks about virtual Olympics, do you believe in it?
Esports is the future of entertainment. I do believe the bubble will eventually burst with some of the most astronomical prize pools we see for some games. However, I don’t see that happening for a while or overall harming the great thing that esports already is today. Regarding the Olympics - there’s a common question I hear from time to time: Does esports need the Olympics, or is it the Olympics that need esports? Whatever the opinion, I do believe that it is the direction we are heading in - just last week the Finnish Esports Federation was approved as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee.

There are numerous bugs on NHL 20 and several glitches are still possible, are they a challenge to the development of your business and eHockey?
I wouldn’t say that bugs and glitches are a big problem for the development of our business and the virtual hockey. I am a member of the EA SPORTS GameChanger program and actively provide them with information about any bugs that either I or the community stumble upon and I believe that it is a valuable line of communication to have in order for EA to keep improving their product for competitive play. The bigger concern that I have voiced to the producers and developers is that from our perspective there is a large demand for better broadcasting options, such as a spectator mode where the broadcaster would have control of the camera angles.

Many people are indignant at the disparities of connection across the continent. For this reason, do you think that one day a multi-day LAN competition could bring the community together in a central place or country?
Absolutely. That is definitely one of our goals and it is just a matter of time and cooperating with the right partners.

Which team, and player, do you enjoy watching most?
Our community is filled with a huge amount of talented and passionate players and teams. Some players shine with their incredible puck-handling skills and fancy goals, while others blow you away with ice-in-their-veins kind of calm and collected plays under the pressure in a game 7. Every season we get treated with both great defensive battles and offensive shootouts and while I do enjoy watching the best of the best - watching two even teams play in the lower divisions can be very entertaining as well.

This article was published in Slaphot Magazine #99 – December 2019. It is released on NHLGamer.com with the kind authorization of Asphalt Rink Editions. Any copy of this text is strictly forbidden. 

NHLGamers,

Editors note: First and foremost, apologies for getting this preview out late - we hope that if will still be of use and will shed some light into the GCL for gamers who might not follow that league so closely. - @jahajaha93

This season we would like to present you a preview of the 5th edition of the German speaking league on NHLGamer - the GCL. We are pleased to welcome a total of 26 teams which is a new record! A bunch of new teams come with the promise of new, exciting rivalries and hopefully a lot of new talents that will make an impact in the scene. As there were a lot of teams signing up for the GCL, the German league administration and community decided to run a two division system with promotions and relegations.

Here is how the divisions framework in the GCL will operate:

Division 1
12 teams
1.-8. will make playoffs
9.-12 will participate in a playout series (9 vs 12, 10 vs 11). Losers move on to face each other.
The team who loses both matchups in the playout series will face instant relegation, the eventual 11th place team will be facing the 2nd ranked team (final loser) from Division 2.
All series will be played in a best-of-7 manner.

Division 2
14 teams
1.-6 qualify instantly for the quarterfinals
7.-10. will play a play-in series (7 vs 10, 8 vs 9).
The champion gains direct promotion, the 2nd place team will face the 11th place team from Division 1 in a relegation battle.
All series will be played in a best-of-7 manner.
 

Furthermore we have a small preview for the season:

Division 1

Brayce Phantoms

The Brayce Phantoms are the non plus ultra in the German NHL community.

After their title hattrick in GCL 2, 3 and 4, the former Deadlies will for sure be listed among the favourites for the upcoming GCL 5.

The roster of the Phantoms hasn't changed that much over the last few years. Goalie @Darcam, defender @xXPsykoSkillsXx and forward @ProfaneKiss are relatively new to the only German speaking ECL Elite team. Captain @Mannheimer1938 and @gzell60 alongside goalie @RPH_31 are a stable and creative defense. @Timasy, @PlaymakerSJ and @Rayman are always dangerous in the offensive zone. @Janne Hietala is an additional goalie listed as a license player for GCL 5. The Phantoms are very effective on their scoring chances and are nearly impossible to get out of their comfort zone. All players possess a huge amount of potential.

The Phantoms are the German flagship on the European ice. As the ECL 7 Pro champion they advanced to Elite, where they qualified instantly for the playoffs. After a strong first season at the highest tier of competition, ECL 9 wasn't as successful and the team is in await of a relegation faceoff opponent from the Pro division.

Whoever wants to be the new GCL champion will have to stop the Phantoms first, it'll remain for us to see whether any challengers will rise to the occasion.

Prediction: Top 3

ZSC Lions eSports

The Swiss flagship ZSC Lions, former The Black Jacks, are a well known team inside the German speaking community. They also have a strong history in the GCL, with at least a 4th place finish in each of the last few seasons.

The team built around captain @Original-SnuS has a very good depth on every position. @burban26 has showed some promise once being named the starting goalie, but @afc_Tschitsch also got back in the net after playing the last seasons on the wing. @Freeman7187 is a lethal scoring winger and at the center position, captain @Original-SnuS is responsible for the creativity and the pace of their game. Defensively @Bille1990, @Cami_7, @Tron1x90 and @Haldeem are very creative and hard to beat. The Lions are playing a very enjoyable style of hockey but often run the risk of complicating things too much on the ice.

In ECL 7, the Lions won the Lite division and got promoted to Pro. The first season of Pro competition resulted in a regular season finish outside the playoffs, but In their second campaign in ECL 9, a playoff spot was reality although a quick out agains Vesa Pompa HC followed. Since late October, the Lions are now the official eSports team of ZSC Zürich.

Prediction: Top 3

DEG eSports

Düsseldorfer EG founded the first ever DEL eSports team quite a while back already. Captain @Seibertus94 created a very powerful team, but after some changes at the beginning, the team keep finding ways to improve.

A great addition to an already strong playerbase was acquiring @Luckyboy01.04.19 back from the team Greed. @Seibertus94, @Daniel huggler and  @DangerBrooklyn are very hard to predict in the offensive zone. Mostly they are looking for a straight way to make the zone entry with slapshots out of the defensive zone or a little bit of good old dump and chase hockey. Deflections and rebounds will be used quickly and consistently to score. @GERxVillain, @evz1984 and @Bounty_Hunter220 build up a pretty solid defense.

DEG have also found their rhythm in the ECL lately. While they failed to qualify for the playoffs in ECL 8, they were able to get there in ECL 9 Lite but didn't stand a chance in the first round against Sulkavan Sudet, who are currently in the semifinals.

Prediction: Rank 6-10

EBR eSports Official

Another eSports team was the newcomer last season. The Polar bears instantly showed that they can and will compete, as they didn't get stopped until the first round of the playoffs of GCL 4 by the eventual champion BRAYCE Phantoms.

The team has a decent depth and was able to make some clever additions. @Gregson91 is a veteran, but also the other new players all make sense and were nicely brought into the group during the latest ECL season. @thesaw83 as a goalie and allrounder @Nicklas5555 were the latest additions. The well trained starting lineup of defensemen @kiwison and @Laurentius together with the forwards @Keuschemisch, @Gregson91 & @Toews19 will probably bear a bulk of the workload during the season. The players know each other pretty well and can be very effective in their style of play.

In ECL 9 Lite they qualified for the playoffs with 11 wins out of 18 games. Eventually they were eliminated as they lost in 5 games against Breakers of the Bone, however all of their playoff bouts were very tight despite a short series.

Prediction: Rank 3-6

Werewolves HC

The Werewolves had a pretty good season in GCL 4 and will be a team to keep an eye on in GCL 5 as well.

The Roster of the Werewolves is pretty even on every position. The guys who left the team were replaced very well. Furthermore the team around captain @ali-kn consists of a very capable group of guys all around, the defenders @Boernsoen and @Toneee9 together with forwards @Daniel Thenextone, captain @ali-kn & @Waldinho_95 are expected to play alot despite having some great potential on the bench too. 

Werewolves HC made playoffs in ECL 9 Lite, but were swept in the second round by Sulkavan Sudet.

Prediction: Rank 3-6

Niederrhein Canucks

The Canucks are a tough squad which has qualified for the playoffs in every one of the last GCL seasons. This could happen again in the GCL 5, after the Lite division was a little bit too much for them this year.

The core of the Canucks has stayed together for an extended period of time, which gives them an advantage in the sense of being very familiar with each other. The veterans of @daen, @Panga1987, @Pathen-21--, @Kagevic92 and @Francoconte welcomed some new players to their squad for the new GCL season. @Flo_goes_grazy, @KG12PK88 and @xDurchf4ll_-- together with brother duo @Born_to_kill2015 and @Red09Dragon08 were those additions. In the offensive zone the Canucks are very creative but sometimes not that effective. The defense has to be very stable and the goalie needs to make some highlight saves if the team wants to be successful this season. They are always a surprise, but you never know if it'll turn out positive or negative - something of a wildcard if you will.

Prediction: Rank 6-10

Shooting Stars

The Shooting stars were formed out of the EV Füssen team from GCL 4. The ECL 9 Pro participant already has a trophy in their cabinet as they won an unofficial league called the DACH league.

The team around goalie @Joshua Plattner has a strong core of good players. The veterans @Charly, @Litzi and @x Holtbeast keep doors shut in their own end, while forwards @Stefan_397, @Fire_019, @Pattila_74 and @Spezi look to put up goals in the other end of the ice. The stable defense backs up the powerful offense to be on the winning side of many games.

They missed the playoffs in ECL 9 Pro by one point but put forth a respectable effort as a proud representative of the German community.

Prediction: Rank 3-6

Augsburg Panther

The Augsburger Panther are a newly founded team. Don't let this fact trick you into thinking you can take your foot off the gas pedal when you play against them, though. Many teams in the ECL Neo division and in the DACH league suffered losses to them already.

The roster around @Marc_-_Joongee, @usairways48, @Flo_Lomp, @Bennku &  @nico-bay got some welcomed improvements as they were able to sign two creative and lethal forwards in @Da1m0n and @Krinke. They also improved their back end with goale @wobfighter and the defender @LeMalkin71 and @André WerSonst87.

Prediction: Rank 6-10

EV Duisburg

Duisburg are old veterans and have an experienced squad which played pretty well in the GCL.

After their captain left to sign with the Phantoms they had to perform a little bit of a shakeup but the core remained the same. Well known players like @FoxGoalie , @GreatOne139 , @klinki_hh , @ShawnMcNeil and @Adrian still lace up their skates for the team. @HerzogMagnus also found his way back into the familiar locker room. @NoelsieW, @Fireblade and @CCBow-501 finalize the roster of the foxes.

The last iterations of the ECL didn't go as planned for Duisburg as they were relegated from Pro to Lite in ECL 8, after which they didn't have much to celebrate for in terms of victories in ECL 9 either. Time for redemption!

Prediction: Rank 8-12

Bahamas Mamas

The team around captain @Xx_anddrej_xX are not unfamiliar in the ECL and GCL, as they participated under this name and the well known Trinidad Tobago. They are a colorful mixed squad of Germans, Swiss' and 3 three Finns, which have to find a way to play together in the first place. Their start was pretty bad against the favourites out of Zürich, but hopefully this will give Bahamas Mamas motivation to play better in the rest of the season. They still have pretty tough season in front of them despite the fact that they have a lot of ECL games under their belt.

Prediction: Rank 9-12

Dawgz

Long-time community member @Timo Kiesi has put together a colourful mix for his new project. He also signed the maximum of three foreign players and well-known guys out of the DACH-community. The potential is definitely there but this new project is there to be proven. The roster is intentionally small in order for the team to build up some chemistry. The first games against the Werewolves didn't go as planned but they will improve as the season moves along for sure.

Prediction: Rank 6-10

HC Keta Lustik

The cryptical name of this team around @LosTypos might lead to the fact that the fun itself is the main reason to play for this team. Might be misleading as they didn't sign up to get beat up as they will play their games seriously and will try to hurt the big guns. Many veterans of the german EASHL community signed for Keta Lustik who with that surely know how the game has to be played. The team has bet on foreign support in @Freakmund and @vokial2 between the pipes, which is expected to be one of the stronger sides of the team.

Prediction: Rank 8-12

Division 2

Bauer Rangers GmbH

The Bauer Rangers GmbH were founded in NHL 20. In the DACH League they played their first competitive games and with that had a decent regular season with a few upset wins. They participated in ECL Neo and qualified for the playoffs. Their roster is a bit small, therefore captain @SirScheissa1ot and @NWA_SkillS have to play a lot of games without a heavy rotation. Will this hurt this new team or make them better?

Prediction: Rank 8-10

Beastie Boys 

The team of captain @slyda and @Swiss Moger consists of nearly the same roster as the former Puck Panthers. @Gladdi90 is still in net as he has made a name for himself with good performances as of late. @willywonkaaa will bring the needed experience in the defensive core and will try to help them to fight for a top 5 rank in division 2. @sten_88 also has also some games under his belt. @Deathstrokeris is another addition while they bring a well trained forward rotation of 4 forwards onto the ice.

Prediction: Rank 1-3

BurritoBrothers 

They are a newly founded team. All players except @oPHOENIXo87 didn't play a single competitive game yet. It will be interesting to see if he can give the needed concentration and patience to their game. We can't really judge their strength yet.

Prediction: Rank 10-14

Fearless Knights

The team of @Zimowski95, @CzE Toni and @SwissGoon has a stacked roster who knows are familiar with each other since quite some time and will have the goal of entering the playoffs on the highest rank possible. They have a lot of games played in their careers so we expect them to have a chance for a good season.

Prediction: Rank 4-6

Golden Warriors HC

With the signing of @Escmoskitos89 they have a little bit of experience in the newly founded and unexperienced team. The Golden Warriors will play their first competitive games during this GCL 5 season.

Prediction: Rank 10-14

HC Berlin Eagles

Another new team where mainly forward @stewizzla91 brings some well needed experience to the table. He has experience from the Pro division and has to be the quarterback and leader of the team if the Eagles want to aim for a spot in the playoffs.

Prediction: Rank 6-10

Thunder United

@Jokerlaura is the captain of this team which is expected to be a joker in their dvision. They can build up some confidence over some wins during the season or might get blown up by devastating losses. They aren't too experienced competitively so it's a tough judgement.

Prediction: Rank 8-12

Wolfsrudel HC

The Wolfpack will try to gain some points to have the playoffs in sight. Their debut season in competitive hockey will show their potential and if they can stack up against tougher competition.

Prediction: Rank 10-14

EIS Force Hockey

EIS Force had a pretty good run in the ECL Neo division. Unfortunately they experienced a number of changes during the season in their roster so the routine got lost and as a result they weren't able to fight through the playoffs. The captains @Baby Thornton, @SaucenTeufel and @Nicoli2311 are looking to their goaltender duo @Nilli87 and @Korell91 for a strong performance this season. Can they make the playoffs?

Prediction: Rank 7-10

UKnighted HC

@Nr-0847, @Asche and @Toews-- build up a team which has to be listed in the playoff picture and top 5 spot for sure. They want to be hard to play against with their stable defensive core as seen in the DACH league. The team they had a pretty bad season in ECL 9 Lite. The disappointment there led to changes between the pipes: @wobfighter signes for Augsburg and took defender @LeMalkin71 with him. One of their topscorers @satcha_lopez also left the club. As a result of these departures, they signed the Pro veteran @devilfish333, who was in the net for UKnighted in ECL 1 as well.

Prediction : Rank 1-5

Unknown Ice Breakers

The guys around captain @Capitano_82, @vielzubekifft and @xHannoi98 only have two listed defenders for GCL 5 whigh begs the question if that tiny defense can hold up for the duration of the whole season? They do have three netminders and six forwards in their roster so maybe some guys will take the challenge of a different position during the season.

Prediction: Rank 6-10

Redlight Jokers (by @LosTypos)

The Redlight Jokers are another new team but don't let that fool you. The core of their players have been playing for the former Ice Aliens eSports. They did have some roster changes for sure and it will be interesting to see if they made the right cut. @KennY040889 is a decent guy on his goalie position while they had a pretty impressive signing of veteran @Christoph Kugler. @Ghostpaddy, @CuteTerminator7 and returnee @Hockeyboy1985 build up the defensive core out of which the latest is a new signing who excels in the defensive zone and limits offensive rushes. They restricted their forward lineup to four players in order to build up some chemistry. Captain @Re1merShow17, @Bugflosse_DeluxX22, @Leder87 and @Steve are responsible for getting pucks inside the net.

Prediction: Rank 8-12

Ice Chicks

The Ice Chicks led by captain @Doncastro1 are also a new founded team who are looking to try themselves in their first GCL season. You might have heard some of those player names inside the German community for sure but most players on the roster are newcomers. The build up of the roster is quite interesting: They have 4 goalies, 2 defenders and 4 forwards. Is this huge goalie rotation the key to success or will one or two goalies look to take the field in attempts of backing up their defense? They lost against Wolfsrudel in their opening night but this will wake up their hunger for points for sure.

Prediction: Rank 10-14

Clowns On Ice

Yes, they still are alive, the patriarchal Clowns. As legends of the german 6vs6 community they surprised the community by signing up for the second division of the GCL. A lot of voices were heard regarding if there is a scandal, distortion of competition of some sorts, but it seems like the confidence of the legendary German team is at an all time low after a period with fewer successful campaigns. Referring to the roster a lot of well known veterans lace up their skates and clown noses for the club. They competed in the Lite with nearly the same roster and finished their season as the "best of the rest" with rank 8 and with that missed the playoffs. 13 out of 14 players had some games while  @MADtorben_X was the go-to-guy. They had a big turnaround before NHL 20 but will have to be named as a favourite for the promotion.

Prediction: Rank 1-3

We wish all players and teams good luck, have some fun and do that hockey!

NHLGamers,

To cap off the decade, we’re excited to be able to bring you guys some interesting news in the form of a new partnership. It’s been in the works for quite some time already but today we announce our collaboration with Goalie Guild Gaming (G3), which is operated by The Goalie Guild (TGG). 

Having been founded in September of 2019, G3 is already making waves and implementing a change in how esports is seen worldwide. The objectives of both NHLGamer and G3 align perfectly and having existing connections in the form of dual members such as Justin Maravegias (@TheCreasePolice) and Problematic Esports co-owner Kasimir Kaskisuo (@Kazzazzin) makes this the perfect time to make the partnership official.

“We’re truly excited to finally announce the partnership with The Goalie Guild and Goalie Guild Gaming! Having kept in touch with their founder, Justin Goldman, for months and learning about all of the great things TGG is working to accomplish, I’m convinced that working together will be very lucrative for the current and future virtual goaltenders out there!” -Kenneth Lehtinen (@Kenu), NHLGamer Founder 

Goalie Guild Gaming not only supports the growth of all NHL esports, it actively researches the benefits of gaming for goaltenders in concert with other partners like mindSpark Learning, Between The Pipes and more. This includes game mechanics, industry connections, and future job opportunities as well. By bringing some of the top esports goalies in the world together to collaborate with new ideas, a constant stream of communication is taking place every day between members and partners on platforms like Discord, Twitch, Instagram, and Facebook.

“It is so exciting to partner with NHLGamer in order to support and promote goalies in their community. We take great pride in our strong professional and personal ties to Finland, Sweden, and other European countries, so this is a natural fit and a great opportunity to grow NHL esports. I strongly believe that diversity and equity in goalie education should include the gaming and esports communities as well.” - The Goalie Guild founder Justin Goldman (@TheGoalieGuild) on partnering with NHLGamer.

The strong friendships that already exist between these organizations, as well as the support each club will continue providing one another, is set to create a more positive and successful global NHL esports scene. By formalizing and structuring NHL esports programs, partnerships like these will provide more opportunities for esports athletes and gamers of all ages and skill levels to develop, compete, and evolve. Also starting in 2020, G3 will be rolling out new content focused on providing our community with free education on goalie-specific strategy and performance. 

Links:

G3 Esports Club

The Goalie Guild
 

Hey NHLGamers,

We've had a great journey together and we couldn't be more excited about where NHLGamer is headed in the new year! While we continue to grow and develop at a fast pace, it's important for us to take some time to reflect on what we've accomplished, to date, and how to improve moving forward.

One of our community members is currently writing a thesis and is interested in writing it about NHLGamer, specifically our social media channels. This gives us an opportunity to both help them graduate and educate ourselves with some survey findings.

We would love for you to answer an anonymous survey questionnaire. We promise it won't take more than 5 minutes of your time and it will help us understand what you value and where you would like us to improve when it comes to social media and content. The survey is available in English and Finnish and will close after the weekend.

Edit: Survey has ended - thank you for all the wonderful replies!

Thank you in advance for your time and have a great weekend!

NHLGamers,

It's been a week since the IS Cup 4 finals action kicked off at GameXpo in Messukeskus of Helsinki. We had a blast and hope you had too! Looking back at it, we're happy to have provided another successful event and are extremely grateful for having the possibility to do so in cooperation with our great partners at Ilta-Sanomat, Prisma Gaming, Alpro and PlayStation. Now the medals have been dealt and we're looking on to the next one, but in the meantime let's enjoy this look back at what this iteration of IS Cup entailed.

We started off in mid October with a strict schedule which we are extremely happy that all teams managed to follow. With a total of 73 teams signed up this year, we're excited to have doubled the amount of signups from IS Cup 3, thank you for that! Although the IS Cup as a tournament holds some world class talent it is surely a great playing field also for new players to match up against the very best at the game. We're also very happy about the fact that we were able to make the tournament available for teams of other than Finnish nationality this year, and with that being said we had a great turnout of other European teams too with the Swedes leading the way. 

These were the groups that we went into the intensive group stage of IS Cup 4 with:



Out of the 7-8 teams in each group, three teams and an additional top two based on PPG out of all groups were advancing to the playoffs. This made for a battle of 32 teams in the playoffs, where we were left with a bunch of highly motivated players looking for a spot in the bright lights of GameXpo and the IS Cup 4 Final event. 

These were the matchups for our playoffs round 1 in IS Cup 4:



Round one ended up being a formality for several teams as juggernauts such as HAVU Gaming, FILADELPHIA or Symphony plowed through their opposing teams in fashionable manner, showcasing their overwhelming offensive prowess and Elite level experience. On the other hand, we had a few tight battles, mainly the one between POGGERS and BRAYCE Phantoms, where a well performing and seemingly rejuvenated POGGERS managed to outplay the usually very convingin and methodical german team in the maximum five games of the series. A bit of a surprise was also caused by Reality Check as they put the last nail into Dynastys coffin and sent them on a hiatus of undetermined duration. The biggest upset of the first round was seen by Växjö Lakers HC, as they beat Swedish rival Synergy in three straight games. Synergy had managed to win their group and also won both group stage games against Växjö. Oh well, moving on!

Round 2 was played between Thursday, October 31st and Sunday, November 3rd. These were the matchups:

The second round continued in a rather similar manner than the first one, where the favourites seemed to prevail and doing so in a convincing way. Between all series, the advancing teams only gave up a total of five games, and these wins were seen by Raccoon Rampage (2), Unlucky Boys HC (1) and Bucketeers (2). The matchup to watch in this round was definitely Bucketeers going up against Roots. We saw two tremendously skilled teams going head to head. the Swedes going into the battle with a better seed and therefore the home ice advantage. In advance, these teams are of similar caliber and looked very well matched on paper, the games were unconventional in the way that the usually defensive Bucketeers often dominated in possession, but couldn't seem to utilize their chances whereas Roots didn't run into similar scoring trouble.

The games determining who was going to GameXpo were the quarterfinals, the matchups being as follows:

At this point of the tournament, there are no heavy favourites going into matchups and all teams should be capable of advancing. However, we still witnessed a great deal of separation in some matchups. HAVU Gaming, Delusion and FILADELPHIA saw no match in their opponents and managed to punch their GameXpo tickets rather quickly by stringing together three victories in no time. The games to watch here were between Symphony and Butterfly Effect who actually are old acquaintances from the FCL 6vs6 final event at Assembly Summer. That time, these two were seen going head-to-head in a bronze game which ended 1-3 in favour of FLY. Maybe they had a mental advantage going into these quarterfinals too? We ended up seeing a rather low scoring series in which the turning point was the only exception as both teams put up four markers in regulation of game three. The series was tied at this point and Symphony had a great flow going into overtime after equalizing just four seconds before the final buzzer. The battle went on for around 15 minutes in OT before @Vilupoika finally found the twine and pushed his Butterly Effect to being the fourth team going to GameXpo.


With the finals starting, we could offer standing room only as a great amount of people showed up to watch.


With that, we have arrived at GameXpo and were left with four teams going into the weekend, all aspiring to be the ones hoisting our beautiful IS Cup 4 trophy late on Saturday evening. 

(1) HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect  (6)

By having the highest seed going into the finals, HAVU Gaming got to start their games in a later matchup against Butterly Effect. These two teams are very familiar with each other by now, having matched up in the FCL Semifinals at Assembly Summer in August and our Spring League Finals just a few weeks prior to that. In each of these prior games, HAVU had managed to keep FLY away from winning even one, so that surely set up an interesting scenario going into this matchup. This time around, Butterfly Effect came out swinging as it frankly seemed like HAVU wasn't ready to play to start off game one of the series. FLY scored three straight and it looked like they were to run away with game one before it even started, but HAVU did HAVU things and mounted a comeback to eventually win a high scoring first game 6-4. After this, we went back to some more traditional games and HAVU started looking way better by winning the second game. This is where it got tricky as there was a longer break in the schedule and the teams had to wait around for a while. The break seemed to work wonders for FLY as they were once again rejuvenated and ready to play, whereas HAVU's play didn't look familiar at all in the evening. Goaltender @Hansulinho speculated that the team dinner at Hesburger prior to the evening games was their near fatal mistake. Despite not reaching up to their fabled level of play and losing game 3 to put them in a chokehold, HAVU managed to grind out two more victories against Butterfly Effect and go through to the finals once again!

Series score: 3-2 HAVU Gaming

Possibly the biggest goal of the series was when HAVU Gaming tied game 4 at 2 late in the 2nd period. By winning, FLY would have advanced.

(2)  Delusion vs FILADELPHIA  (5)
Delusion and FILADELPHIA kicked off our Friday at around 13:00 CET. @ICappeI had flown in from his native Sweden and made it on time despite some rumoured troubles and the opposing FILA squad showed up all smiles after some successful team bonding the night before. The very decisive factor of this matchup was going to be if the experience of FILA would prevail against a less experienced but undoubtedly very hungry Delusion squad. A bit of nervosity was perhaps showing with Delusion as the series started and left winger @Joukki almost immediately found himself in the sin bin as the result of a questionable hit on a player outside the play. FILADELPHIA didn't wait around and instantly took advantage of the mistake, this being the only marker and the last mentionable event in the first game of our IS Cup 4 final event. Delusion showed up big in the second game, though. We saw a totally new squad that had found their flow and gotten comfortable in their seats at the big stage. About midway through the second game, @loimmu of FILADELPHIA found himself being assigned a five-minute major for boarding during which Delusion scored twice to take a decisive advantage in the second game. After two games, the teams were scheduled for a bread which could have benefitted FILA, as Delusion was just finding their stride on the live stage. After the break it seems like Delusion had only ramped up the heat as their comms were loud and clear even so that the front row was hearing callouts and the positive attitude of the players was visible to everyone around. Their flow seemed unstoppable and that's what we got to witness as Delusion managed to win two more and punch their ticket to the finals. 

Series score: 3-2 Delusion

Delusion LW @Joukki definitely found his stride after the break and as a result put up some incredible individual efforts, one of them looked like this:

BRONZE GAMES: (5)  FILADELPHIA vs Butterfly Effect  (6)

To start off Saturday we saw the bronze battle between FILADELPHIA and Butterly Effect. It was truly a pleasure to see that both teams had came to play and din't give an inch even though they were playing for bronze. FLY managed to win the first game, but eventually FILADELPHIA turned things around just in time and prevailed by winning games two and three.


Butterfly Effect wasn't far from a final spot, but this time ended up finishing 4th.


FILADELPHIA showed up to play last weekend, but this time they ran into very strong competition.

FINALS: (1) HAVU Gaming vs  Delusion  (2)

Oh boy, what a treat we were in for with this one. HAVU captain @FlyerKungen mentioned that it's refreshing to see new teams pushing deep in the playoffs and making these final appearances as we can all agree that although seeing HAVU and FILA go at each other for extended periods of time was fun, Delusion was a very welcomed acquaintance in this matchup. The finals were played in a best of 7 manner in contrast to the rest of the playoffs, which was only best of 5. In big games like this, it's only right to have the maximum amount of hockey being played. That was exactly what HAVU and Delusion were thinking too. HAVU seemed to have learned from their mistakes on Friday and were back to playing their own, fast offense and stringing together some beautiful passing plays whereas Delusion hadn't forgotten about what got them to this place in the first place, we could still see the joy on the players faces and how excited the boys were about this opportunity. What we were treated to in the finals was a rather traditional best of 7 showcase in the sense that neither team scored too much and both goaltenders stood tall in net. Our goaltender expert @TheCreasePolice noted the correlation between goaltender success and heavy facial hair growth as both @Hansulinho and @ICappeI have a certain resemblance to Chewbacca. 

We mentioned a low scoring series but there were two exceptions, though. HAVU Gaming really came out strong in the first one and managed to get Delusion on their heels when captain @FlyerKungen scored a natural hat trick and @willekunq added an insurance maker at the end. All this while keeping Delusion off the board entirely. A seemingly weak start didn't phase Delusion though, as from there on out both teams traded victories in 1-3 goal games. The next explosion was again seen by HAVU in game 5 as they scored five consecutive goals while again shutting down Delusion entirely but once again, Delusion wasn't phased and won the next one sending us to a game seven.

Last year, FILADELPHIA and the former Written In The Stars started the game seven tradition in the IS Cup finals, and this year it was continued by HAVU and Delusion. It's always a pleasure to see two teams going all the way into a decisive final game for all the marbles. There's usually a certain format that these games follow and it was partially the case this time around too, only the scoreboard looked unconventional as a total of 6 goals were put up in a battle that was mainly fought on center ice. In the end, @Dominointi, who manages to open the scoring and close it off for his HAVU Gaming ends up being the difference maker and pushes his team to an IS Cup 4 Championship.
 

Delusion was on a roll all weekend and you could really see how pumped up the guys were to be in the finals.

The boys are back in their winning ways!

Pictures by Kirsty Meek 📷
Find the full album here.

Once again, congratulations to our champions HAVU Gaming and all other participants. Thank you all for making this yet another great experience and stay tuned for more to come!

NHLGamers,

What a weekend it's been at GameXpo and the IS Cup 4 finals! We were treated to the absolute maximum amount of games possible as all of the series were extended to the max three, five or seven games possible for each series. The reigning IS Cup Champion FILADELPHIA was dethroned, but the juggernaut HAVU Gaming went on racking up championships by adding the IS Cup to their trophy case. What a final series we had, it seemed like HAVU was going take it and run but Delusion put up an impressive fight.

 HAVU Gaming 🏆
Group stage record: 12-0-0 (1st)
Round 1: vs We Kings 3-0
Round 2: vs Vaxjo Lakers HC 3-0
Quarterfinals: vs Roots 3-0
Semifinals: vs Butterfly Effect 3-2
Finals: vs Delusion XXX

LW #6 Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen
C #13 Risto @Dominointi Järvi
RW #91 Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha
LD #78 Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto
RD #43 Wille @willekunq Juntunen
G #88 Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen

Other players on roster:
FWD Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola
D Vesa @VesKuLiNe Voutilainen
G Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen
 

 Delusion 🥈
Group stage record: 14-0-0 (2nd)
Round 1: vs Shooting Stars 3-0
Round 2: vs Reality Check 3-0
Quarterfinals: vs POGGERS 3-0
Semifinals: vs FILADELPHIA 3-2

LW #9 Joakim @Joukki Nyholm
C #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 
RW #21 Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen
LD #82 Janne @Janzuh Nyqvist
RD #63 Ilmari @Ilmari_30 Töyrylä
G #25 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren

Other players on roster:
G Janne @JanneK. Komsa
 

 FILADELPHIA 🥉
Regular season record: 11-1-0 (5th)
Round 1: vs Oton Letkutemppu 3-0
Quarterfinals: vs Vesa Pompa HC 3-0
Semifinals: vs TIKI TALK 3-0
Bronze Game: vs Butterfly Effect  2-1

LW #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie
C #86 Joonas @Juunas Paatiala 
RW #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää
LD #40 Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen
RD #7 Aleksi @vatalisti Loimuvirta
G #8 Mika @FinKonna Paasinkontu

Other players on roster:
D Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta
G Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos

 Butterfly Effect 
Regular season record: 11-1-0 (6th)
Round 1: vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS 2-0
Quarterfinals: vs Unlucky Boys HC 2-0
Semifinals: vs HAVU Gaming 2-3
Bronze Game: vs FILADELPHIA 1-2

LW #89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen
C #91 Jere @jergelii Jortama
RW #23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen
LD #27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen
RD #39 Ville-Petteri @vviljo Särmä
G #92 Petri-Christian @PCJP Pelkonen

Other players on roster:
D Teemu @Xteemuz Polttila
G Rami @ramseyy2 Rissanen

We would like to extend a warm thank you to all participants and viewers, congratulations to HAVU Gaming on yet another championship!
Stay tuned for a more detailed review and more soon!

NHLGamers, 

(1) HAVU Gaming vs Delusion (2)

Group stage record: 12-0-0
Round 1: vs We Kings 3-0
Round 2: vs Vaxjo Lakers HC 3-0
Quarterfinals: vs Roots 3-0
Semifinals: vs Butterfly Effect 3-2
Top scorer (Playoffs): @Buantso 14GP, 12+24=36 (3rd)
Goaltender (Playoffs): @Hansulinho 14GP, 12W, 79,62 SV%, 1,57 GAA, 3 SO (2nd)

It was not a walk in the park type of outing for HAVU this time around. Friday started off with games one and two between HAVU Gaming and Butterfly Effect and boy, was that a show! The first game saw a total of ten goals being scored, among those some great plays and beautiful efforts, but we also have to make note of the fact that the goalies weren't quite ready for the barrage they faced early on. HAVU managed to dominate the first half of the series despite being down early in both game 1 and 2. The break during the day did wonders for the play of Butterfly Effect though, which gave HAVU some trouble. Be it fatigue or whatever, let's hope that's all gone by Saturday morning cause that's when the real big games start.

@Hansulinho reads @jergelii perfectly and keeps HAVU's dreams alive late in game 5:

Lainaa

These boys from Finland are playing convincingly dominating hockey, they are often seen trying to look for perfect opportunities to score a goal and surprisingly often end up successful. They recognise the flow of the game and know when they must switch game style, but most of the time they are combining skill-based puck control hockey and stellar team play, as they have a level of game sense and chemistry that's unheard of. HAVU's last two LAN outings have seen them go up against FILA in the finals and they've come out victorious each time. Their key player in puck control and the offensive quarterback is @FlyerKungen, who often sets up his office behind the opposing teams net. At the same time, their defenders etch closer to the net taking away all space from the opponents and allowing for fast passing and beautiful chaos, which HAVU knows how to utilise.

Group stage record: 14-0-0
Round 1: vs Shooting Stars 3-0
Round 2: vs Reality Check 3-0
Quarterfinals: vs POGGERS 3-0
Semifinals: vs FILADELPHIA 3-2
Top scorer (Playoffs): @Joukki 14GP, 23+16=39 (1st)
Goaltender (Playoffs): @ICappeI 14GP, 12W, 84,90 SV%, 1,14 GAA, 5 SO (1st)

For the longest time it's seemed like no one could dethrone FILADELPHIA or HAVU Gaming, but maybe these long-time top teams have finally met their match in the form of Delusion. The semifinal matchup against FILA really showed what Delusion are made of as @Joukki scored several beautiful goals as a result of incredible individual efforts. Delusion seemed to enjoy the vibe at GameXpo and had an overall good buzz going all day long, as the guys cheered each other on and celebrated wildly (for Finns) when scoring goals. 

@Joukki does a well-timed spin move to equalize game 4:

Lainaa

The players in Delusion feed off of puck control and possess an incredible chemistry which dates back some 3 years and countless games. Delusion will cycle the puck and tire out the opposition until they find an opening to strike, but at the same time never pass up on an opportunity to drive the net. They have an interesting defensive combination with the offensively minded @Ilmari_30 and the long time FILA defenseman @Janzuh, who is matching up against his old teammates in this bittersweet battle. Delusions forecheck is bad news to any opposition and will strike if they smell a mistake coming up.

Having seen the games live and experiencing the great atmosphere surrounding Delusion at the event, they could be a strong candidate to overtake the throne this year. We knew the offensive power that these guys possess, but in the semifinals we also saw that they can shut down a high level opponent effectively. HAVU has been a top team for as long as some of us can remember and that's speaking volumes about what caliber of team they are. It is highly doubtful that we've seen all the tricks they have up their sleeve yet. A reborn and refueled HAVU is expected to show up Saturday morning, hungry for another title.

Preliminary schedule for Saturday, 16th of November:

11.00 CET    FILADELPHIA vs Butterfly Effect - BRONZE GAME
12.45 CET    Finals, games 1-2
13.55 CET    Intermission
15.00 CET    Finals, games 3-4
16.15 CET    Finals, game 5 *
17.00 CET    Finals, game 6 *
17.30 CET    Finals, game 7 *

*If required.

All games will be streamed on IS Streamcorner Twitch.

Who do you think will win?

NHLGamers, 

Much alike last year, the very first tournament in the new iteration of EA Sports NHL has been the IS Cup, and similarly the culmination of it all takes place at GameXpo in Messukeskus. The event in November 2018 was the first 6vs6 LAN hosted by NHLGamer and we chalk that up as a tremendous success, which started an array of other great NHLGamer events such as the ECL 8, SCL and most recently the FCL finals. We've learned a lot and so have our players, so we're glad to be back at GameXpo and aim to deliver an outstanding final event together with Ilta-Sanomat, Playstation and Alpro.
 

(1) HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect (6)

Group stage record: 12-0-0
79 GF - 6,58 GF/GP (1st)
10 GA - 0,83 GA/GP (Tied for 1st)
Top scorer (Playoffs): @Buantso 9GP, 9+20=29 (2nd)
Goaltender (Playoffs): @Hansulinho 9GP, 9W, 81,25 SV%, 1,22 GAA, 2 SO (T-2nd)

These boys from Finland are playing convincingly dominating hockey, they are often seen trying to look for perfect opportunities to score a goal and surprisingly often end up successful. They recognise the flow of the game and know when they must switch game style, but most of the time they are combining skill-based puck control hockey and stellar team play, as they have a level of game sense and chemistry that's unheard of. HAVU's last two LAN outings have seen them go up against FILA in the finals and they've come out victorious each time. Their key player in puck control and the offensive quarterback is @FlyerKungen, who often sets up his office behind the opposing teams net. At the same time, their defenders etch closer to the net taking away all space from the opponents and allowing for fast passing and beautiful chaos, which HAVU knows how to utilise.


Group stage record: 11-1-0
67 GF - 5,58 GF/GP (8th)
15 GA - 1,25 GA/GP (8th)
Top scorer (Playoffs): @Vilupoika 12GP, 18+6=24 (9th)
Goaltender (Playoffs): @PCJP 12GP, 9W, 80,37 SV%, 1,75 GAA, 2 SO (T-2nd)

Stick handling, greasy goals, breakaways and utilizing game mechanics to the greatest potential are all factors that bring to mind the play of Butterfly Effect. The team relies on their effective trap to create quick turnovers and score goals off of rushes often ending with @Vilupoika netting a goal. Another strength of the FLY squad is the utilisation of redirections and rebounds, which is something they do extraordinarily well. FLY cycles the puck and are more keen to take point shots than the other teams we see at GameXpo. Their defenders can be seen closing in on the net and generating heavy offensive pressure, much like their semi-final opponent HAVU. FLY also has an effective forecheck that keeps the opposing defenders on their toes in breakout plays and when the puck is in deep.

(2) Delusion vs FILADELPHIA (5)

Group stage record: 14-0-0
94 GF - 6,71 GF/GP (2nd)
21 GA - 1,5 GA/GP (T-8th)
Top scorer (Playoffs): @Beniittto 9GP, 11+21=32 (1st)
Goaltender (Playoffs): @ICappeI 9GP, 9W, 88,57 SV%, 0,88 GAA, 4 SO (1st)

The players in Delusion feed off of puck control and possess an incredible chemistry which dates back some 3 years and countless games. Delusion will cycle the puck and tire out the opposition until they find an opening to strike, but at the same time never pass up on an opportunity to drive the net. They have an interesting defensive combination with the offensively minded @Ilmari_30 and the long time FILA defenseman @Janzuh, who is matching up against his old teammates in this bittersweet battle. Delusions forecheck is bad news to any opposition and will strike if they smell a mistake coming up.
 

Group stage record: 11-1-0
70 GF - 5,83 GF/GP (7th)
13 GA - 1,08 GA/GP (5th)
Top scorer (Playoffs): @Eki 9GP, 14+13=27 (5th)
Goaltender (Playoffs): @FinKonna 8GP, 8W, 81,81 SV%, 1,25 GAA, 1 SO

FILA is a franchise name in the 6s community and together with HAVU they've been the ones to beat for quite some time. A year back in time we saw a legendary final between FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming (Written In The Stars) where FILA drew the longer straw. Since then these two have been matched twice and HAVU has been the better team by a country mile on both occasions. We'll eagerly wait and see if we se a repeat of IS Cup 3 or if someone else is ready to take the throne. FILA seems to have picked up on the utilisation of the office behind the net too, but if their opponents shut that down they won't be hesitant to switch their game up and even go for greasier options if need be. It won't be a surprise to see these guys in the top 2 this year again.

Preliminary schedule for Friday, 15th of November:

12.30 CET    Delusion vs FILADELPHIA, games 1-2
13.45 CET    HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect, games 1-2
16.00 CET    Delusion vs FILADELPHIA, games 3-5 *
17.45 CET    HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect, games 3-5 *

*Games 4-5 if required.

All games will be streamed on IS Streamcorner Twitch.
 

Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments below!

NHLGamers,

Another day, another story! It is with great pleasure we continue welcoming new professional sports organisations into our growing community. This time we have the honour of announcing that the roster of Northern Ascendancy will from now on be representing Luleå Hockey. The team is a combination of the former Northern Stars and Northern Ascendancy, where a multinational core of players combine talent, skill and experience for a lethal force on the ice.

"It's an interesting initiative to grow the sport and increase interest in the youth community and that's why we've decided to venture into NHL esports. We're going into this with an open mind and have now acquired a roster that will represent Luleå Hockey going forward." - Stefan Enbom, CEO of Luleå Hockey

"Playing under the Luleå banner generated a great amount of interest and we're very happy with our decision to recruit the guys we have for our team. It's a group of experienced players who have played together for several years and have top 4 finishes in both the ECL and SCL under their belt. We're moving fast in traditional hockey and we aim to do the same in esports. ECL Elite starts this week and our team takes on the challenge of competing for the best European team in hockey esports." - Andreas @AntzLhf Joanson, Sporting director at Luleå Hockey

For some comments about the team, we caught up with skilled defenseman and assistant captain Hampus @The_Alpha_Furyan Duvefelt:

What was it with Luleå Hockey that made you want to sign with them?

Well, first of all it’s a classic Swedish hockey team. Luleå might not have 100+ years of history, but in the 42 years they’ve been around they’ve played in the top Swedish league for most of that time. What made us keen to represent Luleå though was their incredible enthusiasm when it came to the world of NHL esports. Not to mention their exciting vision for the future. Having someone like Andreas @AntzLhf – who is familiar with EASHL and NHLGamer – leading this venture on Luleås part gave us a lot of trust that they would “get it right”, which was important to us. We had a few other offers, but Andreas consistently made sure to let us know the clubs plans moving forward and how much they specifically wanted to bring us onboard and in the end, that was one of the deciding factors.

What will set Luleå apart from the competition going forward?

Off-ice, I think the dedication and commitment from Luleå Hockey to developing their esports section will be as good as any organization in the NHLGamer scene. We feel confident we will have everything we need to be able to perform our best in EASHL competition. On-ice, we’ll continue to rely on our usual quick offense and creative passing game we’ve been using for the past couple of tournaments. When its off its off… but when it’s on, it can hopefully wreak some have havoc for our opponents.

What are your thoughts in general on several traditional hockey organisations recruiting esports rosters? What do you see as the potential benefits?

Well, I know I speak for everyone when I say its an amazing and inspiring thing. To actually put pen on paper and sign a contract to play the game you’ve played for years and years, since you were a kid, just feels tremendous. Unreal, almost. The benefits for the scene are hard to put into words. It means everything to have esports organizations like HAVU and sports organizations like DEG, ZSC Lions, Växjö Lakers, Färjestad BK and now Luleå Hockey join our community and show that faith in us that this can continue to grow and evolve. For the teams themselves, it's probably exciting to open up a new way of communicating with fans and to perhaps one day play in a league against each other – capitalizing on the already existing rivalries. For example, we look forward to playing Färjestad where you’ll have both the rivalry of Northern Ascendancy vs. Bucketeers, but also Luleå vs. Färjestad.

NHLGamer extends a warm thank you to Hampus and wishes good luck in their debut season wearing the Luleå colors.

Follow Luleå Hockey Esport on their Twitter and Twitch channels for all the updates you might want on the team!

Luleå Hockey

Luleå Hockey hails from the city of Luleå in Northern Sweden. Having been founded in 1977 makes the club rather young, but despite that they have had some success in the form of one national championship, one European Trophy and their most recent trophy - a CHL victory in 2015. Luleå Hockey has been the incubator for highlight reel talent like Linus Omark and journeyman goaltender Anders Nilsson to name a few.

NHLGamers,

The season of competitive NHL is well underway, but we’re just starting to ramp up the heat with the ECL kicking off and more good things in our near future. The skill and hard work in this community does not go unnoticed as all of us together act as the driving forces for the sport that we love. With that being said, it’s an honour to have the opportunity to present the newest organisation entering competitive NHL - Färjestad BK!

Färjestad BK is one of the most successful Swedish hockey clubs and therefore it is only right that they would acquire a prestigious virtual counterpart as they will be represented by the former Bucketeers. The team was formed in 2016 and has been playing together in some capacity ever since. ECL 5 was their first outing at NHLGamer and after one season of getting acquainted, they quickly paved their way to Elite competition in consecutive seasons from ECL 6 to ECL 8. The teams strongest competitive showing so far was the first SCL season in the spring of 2019, when they placed 3rd after going undefeated through the group stage.

Stefan Larsson, CEO of Färjestad BK comments as follows:
“Of course, this is an interesting investment that we are getting into. The esports is growing globally and is already established in many other sports such as basketball and football. We are inspired by the opportunity to step into a relatively unknown but potentially large market, where we hope and believe in strong synergies going forward.”

What is the long-term goal of FBK in esports?

“It is still too early to say what the long-term goal may include, but I see it as we now have an opportunity to broaden the Färjestad BK brand by reaching people we may not have previously been able to reach. This creates a potential platform for us to grow in the future, even in a digital world.” - Stefan Larsson, CEO of Färjestad BK

We also got in touch with team captain Filip @Obagol Feldt for some comments about their team and what’s in the horizon for them:

What will your squad look like the upcoming season? How have you improved your game?

There have been a couple of changes in the squad quite recently. Our long-time captain @Dercie has unfortunately decided to step down and take a break from NHL. We have also lost our left defender Daniel @Demski13 Gadd who is a part of another interesting project. We have therefore had to replace two top players and really nice persons and we have found excellent replacements in Mattias @Tacterz Hjelm (LW) and Atte @Aze Turtiainen (LD). 

Bucketeers is mostly known as a compact and defensive minded team. We know that we can always rely on that part. We have most recently focused on improving our pressure and our offense and we strongly believe that Tacterz together with Robin @Rubituss Söderqvist, Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson and Matti @SelanneFIN Makkonen will form an offensive force to be reckoned with. 

We are very happy with the squad we have registered for ECL. We enter the ECL with a squad consisting of four forwards, four defenders and two goalkeepers. Our offensive lineup looks really interesting and we believe we have a lot of experience and stability on the defensive side as well with Finnish defender l-Aze-l bringing a lot to the table. We also have reliable defenders in long-term team members Johan @Jerkix Eriksson and Pontus @Terasniska Teräsniska. Another interesting recruit is Anton @pajenc Carlsson who not only is a useful addition on the back end but he can play on any position and is a useful asset to any team.

We have also recruited an exciting goalkeeper in Pascal @Waern26 Waern who is not yet especially known on the ECL stage. It will be interesting to follow his journey and continuous development. He will be in charge of guarding the net together with myself. 

What does it mean for your players to represent a big and well-known organization such as Färjestad BK? 

It feels like the NHL esports is growing rapidly and we are very proud and happy to become a part of Färjestad BK as they are now entering the esports scene. We have a very close cooperation and we believe that Färjestad can help us develop and take our game to the next level. Färjestad always strives to become the best at everything they do and that is very inspiring to us. I think it is safe to say we have never been more excited about the future!

Do you have any relations to Färjestad within the team?

As of right now we have a couple of guys with a close relationship to the team and to the city. Jerkix, Tacterz and our newest recruit Waernn_ are all big supporters of the team. Färjestad BK plays in a city called Karlstad and since Rubituss most likely will move here we will have three players in the city in the near future (Tacterz and Jerkix already live in Karlstad). That helps us a lot in the day-to-day contact and it is of course something of a dream come true for our players who have been long-time supporters of the team to also represent them in the esports scene. 

What are your goals as a club in the near future?

We will strive to become the best team in Sweden and in Europe. It is a long and tough journey to get to that point, but we are more than ready to put in the work that is required to get us there. We feel like we have improved much since our third place in the SCL in spring and want to keep improving in every game and every season. Färjestad BK has high ambitions just like us and it will be super exciting to find out what we can achieve together. Let’s get this started!

Thanks for a great interview and extensive answers to Obagol. Good luck with the upcoming season to the team!

FBK’s ECL season kicks off Wednesday - stay tuned for more announcements regarding that. You can follow the team on their social media channels over at Twitter, YouTube and Twitch. 

Färjestad BK

FBK is one of the absolute Elite organisations in Sweden. The team hails from Karlstad in central Sweden and managed playoffs for 20 years straight between the seasons of 94-95 and 13-14. Färjestad is also one of the most economically prevalent clubs in Sweden, showcasing their excellent management alongside strong performances on the ice.

NHLGamers,

Even though there were three sweeps, the IS Cup 4 playoff-quarterfinals provided us some exciting one goal and overtime games. This time around, two of the four lower seeded teams made it to the next stage, documenting the parity atop the European scene. AND: The four remaining teams have paved their way all the way to the live event at GameXpo next weekend!

The GameXpo event is held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, Finland between 15.-17.11.2019. The event includes all kinds of gaming an esports with the IS Cup 4 final event being one of the big tournaments. Head over to the GameXpo 2019 website for more info and tickets.

Please note that the schedule for the IS Cup 4 playoffs is as follows:

Round 1: 28.10 - 30.10
Round 2: 31.10 - 3.11
Quarterfinals: 4.11 - 6.11
Semifinals & Finals @ GameXpo: 15-16.11

Here are the matchups for the quarterfinals:

(1)  HAVU Gaming vs. Butterfly Effect  (6)
(2)  Delusion vs. FILADELPHIA  (5)

We reached out to a player from each finalist team for some comments about how they feel going into the final weekend:

@willekunq (Defenseman for HAVU Gaming): "I expect tight games. It's nice to see everyone again and just have fun!“

@jergelii (Center for Butterfly Effect): "HAVU is a very familiar team for us, there´s basically no tournament without this matchup in the semifinals. So I´m expecting tight games. I think we will see a low-scoring series and tight defensive battles in both ends."

@ICappeI (Goaltender for Delusion): "I expect a tough matchup. We're facing an experienced team with players that have a winning mentality. I've played Eki in the last two live events I've been at and it will be important for us to shut him down. I have confidence in my team and we'll do everything we can to beat them. This time I want to leave Finland as a winner!"

@Eki (Forward for FILADELPHIA): "We know what to expect from Delusion. They have four players from the old Symphony team we beat in the FCL semifinal. And of course, Janzuh who played for us for many seasons and with some of us for years. We will have to play well to beat them, but I'm always confident in my team, especially on LAN."

We would like to wish all of the teams good luck for the live event! Feel free to let us know your predictions in the comments!

NHLGamers,

The second round of playoffs offered some even games, but in all matchups except one, it was the home team and thus the favorite who walked away with the win and on to the quarterfinal round. This is the last stage of the online phase and the winners of this round will have paved their way all the way to the live event at GameXpo next week!

Please note that the schedule for the IS Cup 4 playoffs is as follows:
Round 1: 28.10 - 30.10
Round 2: 31.10 - 3.11
Quarterfinals: 4.11 - 6.11
Semifinals & Finals @ GameXpo: 15-16.11

Here are the matchups for the quarterfinals:

(1)  HAVU Gaming vs Roots  (12)
(2)  Delusion vs POGGERS (8)
(3)  Symphony vs Butterfly Effect (6)
(4)  TIKI TALK vs FILADELPHIA  (5)
 

We would like to wish all of the teams good luck! Please agree on your game times as soon as possible and let us know in the comments when your games will be played. We will do our best to broadcast as much as we can during the quarterfinals, so knowing our options well ahead of time gives us the best chances of featuring matchups!

Also feel free to let us know your predictions for this round in the comments!

NHLGamers,

Round 2 of the IS Cup 4 playoffs saw an interesting matchup rivalry as the 2018 Finnish champions FILADELPHIA faced the Swedish champions of this year - Vesa Pompa HC. The stacked rosters are led by good friends Eki and eken45jr respectively. Expectations for this series were through the roof even though FILA was widely considered the favourite heading into the games.

Head-to-head (Regular season stats)

TOP SCORER
I_Eki_I (12GP, 12+38=50) vs eken45jr (12GP, 9+13=22)

GOALTENDER
FinKonna (6GP, 6W, 85.10 SV%, 1.16 GAA) vs Thunboorg (12GP, 9W, 84.80 SV%, 1.58 GAA)

Game 1
Like a typical opening game in a series, we saw a tight game with a disciplined tactical approach on both sides, as a result very few goals. FILADELPHIA took the lead and in the third period Vesa Pompa equalized. Both sides defended well but we also saw a couple of stellar scoring chances in both ends of the rink. In overtime FILADEPHIA scored in an instant, just like they must have determined during the short period break.

FILADELPHIA  - Vesa Pompa HC   2-1 OT
 

Game 2
FILADELPHIA took the lead by putting up two goals relatively early in the first period. Their play seemed superior to what felt like most of the game but just before the end of the second period Vesa Pompa scored to make it 2-1. After their disastrous beginning, Vesa Pompa managed to compose themselves and really deserved their first goal. The start of the third period was a cold shower to say the least, as FILA managed to get an early goal increasing the differential to two goals again. Vesa Pompa didn´t give up and about five minutes before the buzzer they notch another one. There were some chances for the Swedes at the end but overall FILADELPHIA was the better team and deserved their win. Looking at the big picture I think the differences between the two teams became clearer in this game despite the tight score and Vesa Pompas good performance. The series score is 2-0 and at this point it's hard to see Vesa Pompa mounting a comeback with how convincing FILA's game is looking.
 

Vesa Pompa HC  - FILADELPHIA   2-3

Game 3
It is commonly quite typical that the third win is hard to take in these best of 5 or best of 7 playoff series and that is exactly what happened this time around too. Vesa Pompa took the lead in the first period and they went for broke to get the their vital first win in this series. It was refreshing to see a new found confidence and a true balls to the wall effort by the Swedes but FILADELPHIA weathered the storm and knew that losing this game could end up being costly. FILADELPHIA dominated the game in terms of the shot statistics and did by no means resort to merely playing defense. Vesa Pompa was also in good form and kept the lead until the third period. FILADELPHIA managed to equalize on the powerplay when @PleeMaker acted as the closer at the end of a beautiful passing play. We had overtime and lots of it to ensue. These teams played well past the halfway mark of the second overtime period when finally FILA managed to strike gold. This time @Juunas finished a one-timer from close range. FILADELPHIA moves on by a sweep.

FILADELPHIA  - Vesa Pompa HC   2-1 OT

Above: FILA OT goal in Game 3 to win the series

All the games in this series were tight and two went to overtime. FILADELPHIA showed their strength and experience by managing to win games after being down by a goal twice. It was not result of coincidence but a result of determination and experience in playing together and a strong team spirit. Vesa Pompa put forth an enormous effort in challenging this top team and gave their best but this time, that wasn't enough. FILA was the better team in all areas and deservingly moves on to the quarterfinals.


Which series should we cover next?

NHLGamers,

The playoffs for IS Cup 4 are well underway and we've already bore witness to a few upsets. Will we see anymore now that the stakes have been raised and the level of play has intensified, or will it be 'business as usual' for every higher ranked seed? All we can do now is wait and see!

Please note that the schedule for the IS Cup 4 playoffs is as follows:
Round 1: 28.10 - 30.10
Round 2: 31.10 - 3.11
Quarterfinals: 4.11 - 6.11
Semifinals & Finals @ GameXpo: 15-16.11

With that out of the way, here are the matchups for round 2:

(1)  HAVU Gaming vs Vaxjo Lakers HC  (24)
(2)  Delusion vs Reality Check  (23)
(3)  Symphony vs Almost Famous  (17)
(4)  TIKI TALK vs Raccoon Rampage  (15)
(5)  FILADELPHIA vs Vesa Pompa HC  (14)
(6)  Butterfly Effect vs Unlucky Boys HC  (13)
(7)  Bucketeers vs Roots  (12)
(8)  POGGERS vs Northern Ascendancy  (11)

We would like to wish all of the teams good luck! Please agree on your game times as soon as possible and let us know in the comments when your games will be played. We will be broadcasting some games during the playoffs, so knowing our options well ahead of time gives us the best chances of featuring matchups!

Also feel free to let us know your predictions for this round in the comments!

NHLGamers,

The expectations were high both in the stands and on the ice as two Swedish top-tier teams clashed in a round 1 playoff series in IS Cup 4. On one side we have Växjö Lakers, a newly established team stacked with unrealized potential, full with youth and energy - on the other we have Synergy, who are now the juggernauts of Swedish virtual hockey. These teams competed in the same division in the group stage, where Växjö was the challenger and Synergy managed to win both games 4-1 and 3-0. That and the fact that we saw two outstanding Swedish teams go up against each other created a good hype for the matchup.

Head-to-head (Regular season stats)

TOP SCORER
F_Normark (8GP, 10+21=31) vs EDHOLMINHO (12GP, 16+27=43)

GOALTENDER
Hullued (12GP, 8W, 76.52 SV%, 2.25 GAA) vs Rundqviiist (10GP, 9W, 90.90 SV%, 0.8 GAA)

Game 1
Game 1 was quite the traditional affair in the sense that both teams started off with a tight set defensive scheme. The first period was scoreless but in the second Växjö took the lead only to see Synergy level the score minutes later. Växjö brought their young gun energy into game one and showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with. Both teams had their chances but at the 60-minute mark no additional goals had been scored. In overtime we saw a similar pattern continue, but eventually Växjö and @EDHOLMINHO managed to net a decisive goal.

Synergy Hockey  - Växjö Lakers HC   1-2 OT

Game 2
The second game seemed to follow a very familiar agenda as both teams came out with a defense first mindset. In playoff hockey things change fast, however. Växjö seemed to be able to relax a bit more and find their stride offensively, which rather quickly led to them opening the scoring. Five goals for and a solid defense often wins you games as was the case with this one. Växjö puts a stranglehold on the series 2-0. Synergy is desperate to find new angles with their gameplan.

Växjö Lakers HC  - Synergy Hockey   5-1

Game 3
With Växjö being ahead 2-0 this third game was truly a do or die-situation for Synergy. A quite typical one at that too. This game was all about very disciplined and tactical play, few shots and even fewer scoring chances. Synergy managed to take the drivers seat with a goal late in the first. The meticulous trap game and solid team defense prevailed for what seemed to be an eternity until Växjö managed to break through and equalize. The goal came to start the third period and it was what you'd expect from these types of games - point shot with traffic at the net. Disciplined defensive battle ensued. It seemed the game was heading to overtime - like we saw in the first game - but Vaxjö executed a great playing pattern with quick passing and finished off a one-timer to score the decisive 2-1 goal with just 25 seconds to spare. The minor upset was reality. 

Synergy Hockey  - Växjö Lakers HC   1-2
 

Synergy was a mild favorite to go through, but Vaxjö came to play and ultimately swept their opponents. With youthful energy, discipline and commitment to their gameplan they were clearly the better team in this series. Game two and the 5-1 win was surely the last straw that gave them the edge to take the whole series. Växjö also showed that they were the better team in the tight games. Good luck in the second round, boys!

Which series should we follow closer in the next round?