Kenu

NHLGamers, Both of our biggest regional tournaments are kicking off, so there's lots of action to get excited for! Find out all of the crucial details in this article and have a closer look at the changes made to our eligibility rules. As the summer brings it's heat, it's also time for us to ramp it up when it comes to regional competition! With that, we present to you the third iteration of the SCL! This year sponsored by Svenska Spel and in co-operation with SESF - The Swedish Esports Federation and SIF - The Swedish Ice Hockey Association. We're bringing 100 000 SEK in cash and action in both the 1v1 and 6v6 modes, so gather your friends and register for a blast of a tournament and the chance to win some cash along the way! To cap off the second season of the SCL, Vesa Pompa HC and Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund were able to reproduce back-to-back championships. According to the SCL ruleset, both will receive an invitation to join this years SCL as the #1 seed in the playoffs. Prize Pool The SCL prize pool for 2021 will consist of 100 000 SEK in total, where 65 000 SEK will be allocated to prizes in the 6v6 mode and 35 000 SEK is allocated to prizes in the 1v1 mode. Players and teams can choose to invoice SESF through their organization for earnings in form of prize money. Otherwise prize money will be paid as salary and will be subject to taxation and fees incurred for the "employer" - SESF according to Swedish legislation. An invoice should include the entire amount of earnings including VAT. Schedule SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Registrations for SCL 1v1 are open 28.7-15.8 Group stage: 19.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-20.9 TOP 4 Finals: 24.9 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Registrations for SCL 6v6 are open 28.7-11.8 Regular season 15.-30.8 Playoffs Round 1: 31.8.-3.9 (BO5) Playoffs Round 2: 5.-9.9 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 12.-15.9 (BO7) Semifinals: 19.-22.9 (BO7) Finals 25.9 (BO7) Eligibility With this being the third edition of SCL, many of you have come to expect rule tweaks as we continue to work towards perfecting the tournament formula here at NHLGamer.com. This year is no exception. The main events for our two largest communities, the SCL and the FCL, have grown increasingly entwined in terms of scheduling over the years – and will look to stay that way, e.g. both being played at the same time, for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, we’ve looked at ways of creating a structure that allows both the Swedish and the Finnish communities to shine, while strengthening each tournament’s own unique identity and sense of national pride. In terms of the SCL, what we’ve seen in the past among teams making deep playoff runs in the SCL is a strong reliance on (temporarily) adding players specifically based in the FCL to further their own cause. Therefore, in the interest of solidifying an identity for the SCL that has a stronger native focus while also avoiding scheduling issues for these two concurrently running tournaments, player participation in the SCL (native and foreign) will now exclude that player from participating in the FCL. 'Player participation' is defined as being listed on the roster of a team participating in the SCL. In short, players can not be listed in the roster for teams in both the SCL and the FCL. What this means in practice is that anyone; Swedish, Finnish or otherwise can participate in either the SCL or the FCL - just not both. Otherwise, our eligibility rule will follow the same format as before, only with more nationalities joining the list with "major community" status. For SCL 2021, two non-Swedish players will be allowed per team on ice in a game – under very specific conditions. Here they are: Outside of the Swedish championship (SCL). The German (GCL), Finnish (FCL) Russian (RCL) and Czech and Slovak (CSCL) communities will be defined as the “major communities” for the purposes of this text. Players hailing from nations that currently do not have a region-based championship to sign up for – one where they are allowed to play free of restrictions and are counted as the main target demographic – will be defined as “minor communities” for the purposes of this text. All teams must always feature a minimum of 4 Swedish players in their on-ice lineup Teams may feature a maximum of two non-Swedish players on ice if both players are from a minor community (for example: Danish, Norwegian, Latvian) Teams may feature a maximum of two non-Swedish players on ice if one player is from a major community (German, Finnish, Russian, Czech, Slovak) and the other player from a minor community Teams may NOT feature two non-Swedish players on ice if both those players are from a major community (German, Finnish, Russian, Czech, Slovak) Below you will find an image to help illustrate this rule clarification: The 1vs1 portion of the SCL is available only for Swedish citizens. License All Swedish and Finnish players require a player license from their respective esports federation, acquire your license by following instructions provided in the links below. For players of other nationalities, a license from their respective esports federation is recommended, but not required. Acquire your license here (Swedes) Acquire your license here (Finns) About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners SIF - The Swedish Ice Hockey Association The Swedish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body in Swedish ice hockey and inline hockey. The association is involved in all levels of ice hockey in Sweden and organizes the two Swedish Championship leagues being the men's SHL and women's SDHL. SESF - The Swedish Esports Federation SESF stands for Svenska E-sportföreningen and they are the governing body of esports competition in Sweden at the moment. The objective of the organisation is to develop the Swedish esports scene and shows a constant presence in organising tournaments and events. Currently, SESF provides training for esports referees and licenses for both referees and players. In Swedish esports competition, a SESF license is a quality guarantee. Main sponsor - Svenska Spel Svenska Spel is all of Sweden’s gaming company. We want gaming to be enjoyed by all. Svenska Spel’s operations are divided into three business areas: Sport & Casino with well-known brands such as Stryktipset and Oddset, Tur with Triss and Lotto among other games, and Casino Cosmopol & Vegas with three international casinos and Vegas video lottery terminals in restaurants and bingo halls. Svenska Spel is the largest sponsor of Swedish sports and supports everything from small local sports clubs to some of our most beloved national teams. There are about 1400 employees within the Svenska Spel Group and the main office is in Visby. For more information visit svenskaspel.se

NHLGamers, Yet another action packed year full of virtual hockey has passed, and with that it's been nearly a year since the last FCL was hosted, concluding in a thrilling final series between FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming on the 6v6-side, whereas Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila clashed in the 1v1 finals. This year, we'll be returning for another great season, and like before, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2021) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL). The FCL will be played through August and September and will be completed entirely online (subject to change). The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2021 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2021 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 17.8: Schedule for FCL 1v1: Group stage: 23.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-26.9 TOP 4 Finals: 1.10 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Sign-ups for 6v6 are open now and will be open until 11.8: Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 16.-31.8 Playoffs round 1: 2.-5.9 Playoffs round 2: 6.-9.9 (BO5) Playoffs round 3: 13.-16.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 20.-23.9 (BO5) Semifinals: 27.-29.9 (BO5) Finals: 2.10. (BO5) Prize Pool The total prize pool is 10 000 EUR, split between the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes, as described below: *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the FCL 2021 Finals. Due to the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the PlayStation console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. NHLGamer reserves the right to adjust any details. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion FILADELPHIA will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Arttu @Artuzio Mustila will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules. The NHL GWC European Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners Atria Wilhelm Atria's Wilhelm product range has become a staple in Finnish snack culture throughout the years. Whether you're having a summer night barbeque or need something to go with the big game of the night - Wilhelm has you covered. Check out the full product range here! The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!

The Anaheim Ducks and Ducks Gaming have now officially opened up the registrations for the 6v6 Tournament presented by McDonald's of Southern California. This event is guaranteed to be stacked with talent, offering total prizes worth $5,000. This is going to be the first North American 6v6 tournament hosted by an NHL team that offers multiple-tier prizing. Hosted here at NHLGamer, the tournament and prize structure combined with server selection criteria is designed to encourage growth and participation of multiple skill levels in the EASHL community throughout the United States and Canada. “We are excited to host our first North American 6v6 Tournament presented by our partner, McDonald’s of Southern California. Combining our internal resources with the quality that NHLGamer has demonstrated, we are hopeful that this event can provide for a fun and unique experience for participants that will encourage the betterment and growth of NHL esports as a whole.” - G.M. Ciallella, Digital Marketing & Analytics Manager at the Anaheim Ducks. Registrations will be open until May 25th, and pool play will start on June 1st. Participants must be 13+ years of age and live in North America. Please note: Registering Team must be created in EASHL in NHL21 on Xbox before sign-up can be completed Tournament format Pool play starts on June 1st. At this stage, teams will be divided into even pools with default gamedays on Sundays and Tuesdays. Based on results from the pool play stage, teams will be divided into the Selänne, Kariya and Niedermayer divisions. These divisions are skill-based and prizes reflect the level of teams in each division, with higher prizing in the division with the better performing pool play teams. Refer to the tournament rules for a full description of prizing. Matchup criteria After conducting thorough research into fair-play scenarios, teams will have to register their "best server" when signing up for the tournament. The server selection will work as follows: 1. Teams can agree to play on a server of their choice if both teams agree. 2. Teams can agree to a home-and-home scenario where the home team picks the server of their choice. 3. If teams cannot agree to the first two options they will use the following table. You will cross-reference your team’s best server with your opponent’s to determine which server you will use. The best server is based on what server would provide players/teams the lowest latency and lowest difference in latency. Teams can mutually agree on a server of their choice to play on. If no agreement is made, teams will play with a home-and-home scenario, where the server is based on the home teams selection. If for some reason neither of these scenarios can be applied, a table has been created using the average latency data from all regions of North America to each server, as stated, if neither of the previously mentioned scenarios can be applied, please refer to the table below for server selection: Teams East (Virginia) Northeast (Montreal) Central (Ohio) South Central (Texas) West (North California) Northwest (Oregon) East (Virginia) East Central Northeast Central South Central South Central NorthEast (Montreal) Central Northeast East Central South Central South Central Central (Ohio) Northeast East Central Home & Home South Central South Central South Central (Texas) Central Central Home & Home South Central Home & Home Home & Home CENTRAL & WEST West (North California) South Central South Central South Central Home & Home West Home & Home Northwest (Oregon) South Central South Central South Central Home & Home CENTRAL & WEST Home & Home Northwest Discord Please join the NHLGamer Discord server and use the #role-registration channel to assign yourself to the Ducks Gaming role by clicking the reaction logo (shown in the image below). This will enable you to see the Ducks Gaming category and channels. About Ducks Gaming Anaheim Ducks Gaming is a newly formed entity that focuses on creating relationships, fostering competition and building valuable skill sets through esports all while exposing new audiences to the sport of hockey. Participants in Anaheim Ducks Gaming events learn communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other tools that are beneficial beyond just virtual reality. The Anaheim Ducks were the first Western NHL team actively fielding teams in competitive esports events, they are the first team to use their in-arena DJ in streamed content and the first team to utilize an active-roster player in a 6v6 Competitive Tournament. In addition to the three tournaments, Ducks gaming also hosts a West Coast 6v6 league on PS4 and Xbox that is focused on giving competitors on Western-located servers a fair and competitive place to play for all skill levels. For more information visit AnaheimDucks.com/gaming.

NHLGamers, The first version of the ECL 12 rulebook is out now and can be accessed here. You can also always access it through the league menu.   In ECL 12, we will use the rule book from ECL 11 as a foundation. In addition to this, we have tweaked some rules based on feedback from ECL 11 and subsequent tournaments. As always, it is very important for us to be as clear as possible regarding League Administration procedures, as such if you have any difficulties understanding specific rules then feel free to contact us via the support tool! We ask every team to familiarize themselves with and memorize the different sections. Team captains must be aware of the entire ruleset, as it includes lots important guidance that stays relevant throughout the entire league/tournament. Regular players on the other hand should be aware of member registration requirements, etiquette, fair play and game rules.   Here's a snapshot of some of the major adjustments/additions compared to ECL 11: Updated rule 2.6, players must keep their player card fully updated (including numbers now) and have unique numbers on their team Updated rule 3.2, ECL Pro teams now have the opportunity to compete with 7 roster players, providing they sign a waiver Updated rule 3.6, adding scaling charges for ECL Core Added rule 3.8, consent for NHLGamer and NHLGamer affiliates to use photos submitted by players Updated rule 5.2, explaining that we will be reviewing how team ownership is structured Updated rule 5.4, added further clarification on the relegation series’ stemming from ECL Elite Updated rule 5.6, tweaking how ECL Lite’s playoffs will take place Added rule 5.7, providing an overview of ECL Core’s playoffs Updated the name of rule 5.9, so as to be consistent with the other qualifiers Added rules 5.10 and 5.11, qualifiers for ECL Pro – Lite and ECL Lite – Core, these qualifiers are still a work in progress and we are in the process of editing them based on your feedback Added rule 5.12, clarifying the difference between qualifier and relegation Added rule 5.13, describing how the roster lock works in conjunction with the qualifier systems Added rule 10.2, further clarifying how teams should approach scheduling Elaboration on rule 11.4, how tiebreaking works when three or more teams are tied Added rule 11.7.1, players must try to make their in-game player bare some resemblance to themselves in real life Added rule 11.7.2, skaters are now allowed to wear non-standard ‘CHEL’ style gloves and / or skates (but not helmets), additionally the top point scorer on an Elite team will now have to wear the golden helmet in ECL games. As such, all ECL Elite players will have to wear a helmet during ECL games. Tweaked rule 11.9, fighting is now banned in all divisions outside of Neo. In the event a fight does occur teams must treat it like a disconnect and follow the procedure surrounding this Added definition 15.17, what counts as a starter Added definition 15.18, what counts as a wildcard team Added appendices 3 and 4 Play hard, play fair and have fun!

Ducks Gaming, the esports organization of NHL franchise The Anaheim Ducks have announced three esports tournaments that will be hosted in partnership with NHLGamer, the Prize pool of said tournaments will total up to $5,000. The Anaheim Ducks have announced that Ducks Gaming will launch three Esports tournaments, presented by McDonald’s of Southern California, with prizing totaling $5,000. Anaheim Ducks Gaming presented by McDonald's of Southern California is the official Gaming arm of the NHL organization. The first two Anaheim Ducks Gaming 1v1 NHL 21 Tournaments presented by McDonald's will both begin on April 14 when players will battle for up to $2,000 worth of combined prizes on both Xbox and PS4. The Ducks will then host a 6v6 Xbox-only tournament that will run on Tuesdays and Sundays from June 1 through mid-July with prizing up to $3,000. Matches throughout all three events will be broadcast on the team's Twitch-channel: Twitch.tv/AnaheimDucks. Registration information and dates are provided below. Registration Information To get more information on Ducks Gaming make sure to follow on Twitter @NHLDucksGaming or visit the webpage AnaheimDucks.com/Gaming. For tournament registration visit NHLGamer.com/Ducks. We at NHLGamer will serve as the platform all games are run through, with our vast experience in hosting esports events across a variety of sports titles and having ran the largest NHL Esports league in the world for several seasons already, we are confident and eager to make the Ducks Gaming 2021 Esports Tournaments presented by McDonald's of Southern California a stellar experience for both participants, fans as well as organizers. "The Anaheim Ducks are looking forward to working with NHLGamer on these upcoming initiatives. Discussions with Kenu and his team have shown their commitment to the growth of esports in the NHL gaming community and together we are hopeful to produce events and content that are at the forefront of the space." - G.M. Ciallella, Digital Marketing & Analytics Manager at the Anaheim Ducks. Both the 1v1 tournaments for Xbox and PlayStation, as well as the 6v6 tournament for Xbox will be hosted here at NHLGamer. See below for details*. 1v1 Xbox and PlayStation Esports Tournaments For Participants 13 years and older who reside in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Registration will run from Mar. 28-Apr. 11 Tournament begins April 14th Finals May 15th Tournament Rules Tournament Registration Tournament Discord 6v6 Xbox Esports Tournaments For Participants 13 years and older who reside in North America Registration will run from May 1 to May 25 Default game days will be Sundays and Tuesdays beginning June 1st Finals July 18th Survey about server selection *Subject to change About Ducks Gaming Anaheim Ducks Gaming is a newly formed entity that focuses on creating relationships, fostering competition and building valuable skill sets through esports all while exposing new audiences to the sport of hockey. Participants in Anaheim Ducks Gaming events learn communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and other tools that are beneficial beyond just virtual reality. The Anaheim Ducks were the first Western NHL team actively fielding teams in competitive esports events, they are the first team to use their in-arena DJ in streamed content and the first team to utilize an active-roster player in a 6v6 Competitive Tournament. In addition to the three tournaments, Ducks gaming also hosts a West Coast 6v6 league on PS4 and Xbox that is focused on giving competitors on Western-located servers a fair and competitive place to play for all skill levels. For more information visit AnaheimDucks.com/gaming.