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Hey NHL Gamers! As of this minute, EA SPORTS are sending out codes to select people who signed up for the NHL 18 beta! Keep an eye on your inbox and make sure to check your spam folder as well. The e-mail also contains a second code you can pass on to a friend in case he was not selected to be part of the beta test. See you on the ice! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers, during the game between NG International Army and NG Pojat Ilman Pelihaluu, the away team scored the game-winning goal in overtime. NG International Army filed a dispute including the following video: NG International Army vs. NG Pojat Ilman Pelihaluu.mp4 The goal in question violates rule #7 "Fair Play": "Currently, there is a known bug which leads to a player being stuck in an animation, making it impossible for him to play the game until the next stoppage. In case this bug occurs, teams are advised to clear the puck as soon as they notice it. Any goals scored during this time frame will not count. Video proof needs to be captured if there is disagreement whether a goal should count or not. In case this freeze occurs multiple times during a game, League Administration asks teams to provide video evidence for further investigation. Intentional, abusive usage is considered as exploiting the game and will lead to harsh disciplinary action described above." Just before the goal is scored, one of the attacking players skates towards the frozen defender to play a pass. League Administration assumes he must have been aware of the freeze in this situation. However, due to the heat of the moment (overtime) and a good opportunity, we feel like it was not done on purpose. League Administration will refrain from any personal player penalties. However, League Administration rules that this overtime must be replayed with the same rosters used in the original game. The rosters can be seen from the match page linked above. In case both teams fail to schedule the overtime until Sunday, the game will end 2:2 and both teams receive one point. In case one team is at fault, the other team will receive an overtime walkover win (3:2/2:3) and thus get two points, while the other team receives one point. - League Administration

Hey NHL Gamers, during the NHL Awards and the Expansion Draft last night, EA SPORTS dropped the highly anticipated first news for NHL 18! And because we know you guys love polished, exclusive content, here is our full breakdown of everything we know so far. +++ 1. TRAILER +++ We recommend you take a look at the new official gameplay trailer first, as it will be one of the main sources for the remaining deep dive. Go check it out! NHLGamer thinks: "Likely one of the best EA SPORTS NHL trailers in recent history. 93 seconds packed with new moves, new game modes and lots of hype. Well done!" +++ 2. GAMEPLAY FEATURES+++ NHL 18 is all about creativity, that's why EA SPORTS added a lot of new deking mechanics for attackers to the game. Between-the-leg shots, one-handed dekes, back-handed toe-drags, heel drags, puck flips and and the ability to link moves together based on moment-to-moment decisions and reaction time allow you to show your skills like never before. For defenders, NHL 18 introduces an all-new Defensive Skill Stick with features like poke check targeting, extended pokes and controlled stick sweeps to cover zones and passing lanes to counter attack the best players on the planet. NHLGamer thinks: "All the new dekes and especially the new Defensive Skill Stick will step up the game to a whole different level. According to a lot of players, NHL 17 already offered the broadest and most advanced gameplay feature set of all EA SPORTS titles so far, and this is an addition that everyone has been asking and waiting for a long time. Thanks for listenting to your fans!" +++ 3. EA SPORTS NHL THREES +++ EA SPORTS NHL THREES delivers an all-new 3-on-3 hockey experience with bigger hits, faster action and more open-ice to create big plays, beautiful dangles and more goals. It is a mode inspired by fun, pick-up-and-play arcade sports games where you can play any way you want to, online or offline, co-op or competitive. EA SPORTS NHL THREES also features a complete single-play campaign that allows you to compete against different teams and leagues in a circuit-style tourney. Get ready to unlock objective-based rewards like new teammates, jerseys, logos and other surprises along the way! No offsides and no icing means anything goes and the fun does not slow down. Penalties even send you straight to center-ice for a penalty shot to score that crucial goal. In EA SPORTS NHL THREES, you determine the rules. Choose how many periods you play or what goal limit determines the winner. Gotta win by two? Your choice as well! The new EA SPORTS NHL THREES commentator will deliver more humor and fun to add to the unique energy and excitement of the fast 3-on-3 action. Brand new arenas, exclusive to the EA SPORTS NHL THREES will deliver more color, more special effects and completely unique on-ice designs that keep the games as fresh and exciting as the gameplay. EA SPORTS NHL THREES can be played online in Versus and Team Play mode to jump into 3-on-3 hockey on a team with your friends, facing three other players in a full six-player competitive online game. NHLGamer thinks: "Spectacular! EA SPORTS NHL THREES looks like an extremely well done remake of the original 3 on 3 NHL Arcade which was released on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2009. Featuring a smaller rink, no offsides and no icing, this could turn out to be a go-to game mode for competitive players to fine tune their deking skills. May even be worth a #3on3ECL on it's own?" +++ 4. MORE FEATURES +++ The new Creative A.I. will now make use of all the creative deking and passing tools that human players do, which will allow for smarter plays up and down the ice. By using off-the-boards bank passing, lead passing and improved positioning, the AI will be able to create better breakout opportunities. And with the new Defensive Skill Stick, they will be your effective companion in the defensive zone. EA SPORTS Hockey League will now support full 3-on-3 matches, opening up the ice to get creative, pull off big plays, and showcasing true #skillhockey with all the new moves. The all-new Hockey Training Camp will help you become successful immediately by giving you the opportunity to watch real-life videos from hockey professionals that teach you the right moves for the right moments. Training sessions and challenges will make you a truly competitive player. A new Expansion Draft feature added to Franchise Mode allows you to create and draft a 32nd NHL team to shake up the league. Select the best players from across the league, or if you're playing as an existing franchise, protect your current team roster by setting your own Protected Player List. The hometown for your 32nd expansion team can be selected from cities all across North America and even in Europe - from Stockholm to Helsinki to Berlin to St. Petersburg. For the first time ever, you can now design your very own custom mascot in addition to the arena, the jerseys and the franchise logo. Vegas Golden Knights will be added to the game, including authentic rosters, uniforms, logo and the brand new T-Mobile Arena, seen in the video above. And if you need a helping hand or just want to show off your roster, you can now invite friends to join you in more modes, including Hockey Ultimate Team, Online Versus and EA SPORTS NHL THREES. NHLGamer thinks: "We are looking forward to the new Creative A.I., which will hopefully fix one of, if not the greatest weakness in NHL 17. The addition of 3-on-3 games to EA SPORTS Hockey League sounds interesting. We feel like it's another approach to get people more invested to the non-AI games found in full 6 vs. 6 matches so far, and it could potentially increase the user base in the long run. One thing we are not sure about: Aside of the THREES arenas, customization options and commentary - what else will be different compared to 3-on-3 EASHL?" +++ 5. COVER +++ This year's cover athlete is Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. NHLGamer thinks: "We were expecting a Vegas Golden Knights player to be honest. Nevertheless, Connor McDavid looks hot!" +++ 6. EDITIONS +++ Just like last year, NHL will come in three different editions: Regular Edition, Young Stars Edition, Young Stars Deluxe Edition. The Young Stars Deluxe Edition will release on September 12 worldwide (digital only), and include these bonuses: 3 days early access 40 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team (2 per week for a total of 20 weeks) Connor McDavid Rookie HUT player object Connor McDavid adidas HUT jersey Connor McDavid EASHL celebration 1 Rookie HUT player object of your favourite NHL team Returning user bonus: If you owned NHL 15, NHL 16 or NHL 17, you will receive a special jersey for Hockey Ultimate Team resembling your previously owned titles. The Young Stars Deluxe Edition will be available at 99.99$/99.99€. Preorder via the NHL 16 or NHL 17 main menu to receive a 10% discount (90$/90€)! The Young Stars Edition will release on September 12 worldwide (digital only), and include these bonuses: 3 days early access 20 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team (1 per week for a total of 20 weeks) Connor McDavid Rookie HUT player object Connor McDavid adidas HUT jersey Connor McDavid EASHL celebration 1 Rookie HUT player object of your favourite NHL team Returning user bonus: If you owned NHL 15, NHL 16 or NHL 17, you will receive a special jersey for Hockey Ultimate Team resembling your previously owned titles. The Young Stars Edition will be available at 79.99$/89.99€. The Regular Edition will release on September 15 worldwide (digital and retail), and include these bonuses: 5 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team (1 per week for a total of 5 weeks) Returning user bonus: If you owned NHL 15, NHL 16 or NHL 17, you will receive a special jersey for Hockey Ultimate Team resembling your previously owned titles. The Regular Edition will be available at 59.99$/69.99€. NHLGamer thinks: "The simultaneous release in the US and in Europe is much appreciated! Unfortunately, if you are from Europe and opting for anything else than the Young Stars Deluxe Edition, you will have to pay a premium. The 10% discount on the fully packed edition on the other hand seems to be aimed at hardcore gamers, and offers good value for its price." +++ 8. BETA +++ The NHL 18 Beta will take place from July 25th to August 2nd and gives you the opportunity to take an exclusive look at the new gameplay, EA SPORTS Hockey League, EA SPORTS NHL THREES and Online Versus! To sign up, click here. NHLGamer thinks: "Everyone was looking forward to the beta, and we are happy EA SPORTS decided to continue it this year as well. We will see you on the ice on July 25th!" +++ 9. TRAILER BREAKDOWN: YER' WANT SOME GIFS? +++ At NHLGamer, we are always saving the best till last. Here's a collection of some of the new moves, features and other stuff: How do you like all of today's news? What do you think about #3on3ECL? Tell us in the comments below! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers! EA SPORTS just released their first footage of the upcoming NHL 18, expected to launch in September this year: While the teaser does not reveal a lot, it does hint at a few new things we were able to make out in our teaser trailer breakdown: 1) Dedication to Arcade style gameplay "When you grow up playing hockey, they teach you a lot of things: Get the puck deep, finish your checks, make the simple play. But then again... where's the fun in that?" Of course, there is a lot of speculation behind that, but it seems like EA SPORTS are not trying to deliver on a hockey simulation. Instead, they are rather aiming to create an action-packed game that allows for fun gameplay. It's what EA SPORTS games are all about, aren't they? 2) One-handed dekes making a comeback It looks like one-handed dekes will make a comeback to this year's edition of NHL, after being absent since NHL 15 on PS3 and Xbox 360. We capture the move in the .gif below: 3) New behind-the-back dekes The teaser trailer hints at even more dekes making their way into NHL 18, this time what seem to be a variation of "behind-the-back" dekes. Mitchell Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs uses one of these moves in the breakaway situation against Ottawa's Craig Anderson. Just like above, we captured it in another .gif: 4) No Frostbite engine? This is speculation on our part, but it looks like NHL 18 will build on the current NHL 17 engine and not make a move to DICE's Frostbite engine, famously used in Battlefield games for years and also adapted by FIFA 17 and Madden NFL 18. Maybe next year? Stay tuned for the NHL Awards taking place in Las Vegas on June 21st, where we will get to see the NHL 18 cover athlete, the first official gameplay trailer and more information about features, the actual release date and more! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers! Summer Cup, Presented by Webhallen is about to start soon, and here is our service post for all captains and regular players that provides all the necessary details to be ready for tomorrow's Live Draft and the league start. THE DRAFT The Live Draft will take place tomorrow on NHLGamer Twitch at 16 CEST / 17 EEST and will approximately take 5-6 hours to draft all of the ~300 players, meaning the draft procedure will be finished by 22 CEST / 23 CEST. @Kenu will be functioning as our lead host during that time, joined by @Dominointi and @gzell60 to keep all viewers up to date on all draft developments. We will also have a few topics to discuss, and are happy to answer any questions that come up in the chat! To all captains: We will send out a private message to all of you, asking to confirm your presence for tomorrow's draft. It is crucial all of you are able to attend - otherwise we need to find backup captains on short notice! The message will also include more information about the player list and options to get connected tomorrow. Don't miss it! THE RULES The ruleset for this year's Summer Cup, Presented by Webhallen is finished and available below. It is everyone's obligation to be aware of all the details mentioned in all of the sections to ensure a smooth league progress during the next few weeks! All in all, the rules are based on ECL 4 (which worked out very well) mixed with a couple of Summer Cup specific aspects: LEAGUE FORMAT Summer Cup, Presented by Webhallen will be carried out in 3 groups with 10 teams each. This means, each team will have to play a total of 9 opponents (=18 games) during the regular season. The first 5 teams out of each group will go to the playoffs (one pot, seeded by PPG average and further tiebreakers), and they will be joined by a 16th team which is determined by the best PPG average (and further tiebreakers if necessary) out of all remaining teams in the 3 groups combined. Depending on the schedule, the exact playoffs format will be determined at a later point. That's all you need to know for now. Make sure to tune in to tomorrow's Live Draft! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers! Today marks one of those very special days in the short history of the website we have all been waiting for. In the past few weeks - alongside the ECL 4 Playoffs and our coverage of the IS Cup - interesting and highly promising connections have come together. Thanks to our Staff member Hampus (@The_Alpha_Furyan), who acted as the leading negotiator throughout this process, we are finally able to reveal the first official sponsorship for NHLGamer.com: Summer Cup Season 2, Presented by Webhallen! We could not be more proud of this partnership with one of the leading retailers for consumer electronics, hardware and software in Sweden - running a total of 26 stores scattered across the country. We believe this partner is a perfect match for a populated and innovative eSports platform like NHLGamer. Webhallen can be found here: Online Shop Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Twitch THE DEAL Webhallen will be accompanying us throughout the duration of Summer Cup Season 2, leading up to the announcement of NHL 18 during E3 in Los Angeles which takes place on June 13-15. While everyone is going to be excited about EA SPORTS NHL 18 feature announcements, trailers and other types of content; Webhallen will act as NHLGamer's recommended retail source for purchasing the game, due to release in September 2017 (estimate). Finally, to honor the best Summer Cup Season 2 teams, Webhallen will be offering the following prizes for Summer Cup Season 2: Summer Cup winners receive one physical copy of NHL 18 (PS4) per player, arriving at launch Members of the 2nd place team receive runner-up prizes, which are to be announced in due time OUTLOOK Last year around 150 players took part in this draft-type league, which was aimed at experienced players as well as community greenhorns. The stated goal of the tournament was to improve networking between our players and to open up ways for prospects to make their way into EASHL's best teams out there. This is the same promise we are going to deliver on with Season 2, only even better. Based on this, there will be a few tweaks to the following aspects of Summer Cup: Team building: No more than 2 players from a single ECL 4 team are allowed to play in the same Summer Cup team. This rule applies to the final rosters, after transfers and free agents. Team names: Due to our new API reporting tool, the Summer Cup will be played in dedicated EASHL teams which will have "NG" as a prefix - for example "NG Golden Knights". Sign-ups: To rule out unfortunate circumstances when it comes to player positioning, holidays and other aspects, the sign-ups will follow a clearer structure, allowing captains to recognize fitting players more easily. Draft procedure: We are working on improving our draft pick tool and simplifying communication towards and between team captains to reduce idling, allowing us to increase the speed in which draft picks are made. LEAGUE DETAILS Summer Cup Season 2 will take place on PS4 - if you are looking for Xbox action, we would love to see your team sign up for Xbox ECL! Last day to sign up is Wednesday, May 24th. Players instead of teams sign up using the registration tool linked at the bottom of the post. All signed up players are aimed to be seeded into teams with a size of 10 players (may vary). Out of all registrations, NHL Gamer Staff will elect an according number of team captains from the players that offered to take on a captaincy rule in their sign-up post - anyone is allowed to apply for it. Team captains will receive a draft sheet on May 26th, containing all signed up players and relevant information in a structured form. Team captains will be taking part in a live draft event on May 28th, picking their roster until all players are seeded. All games are played 6vs6 using dedicated EASHL teams. The leagues are set to start on the week of May 29th and aimed to be finished in July. Full rules will be released after registration is over. HOW TO PARTICIPATE To participate, make sure you are logged in or create an account first, visit the sign-up page and fill in all fields of the registration form like below - make sure the player positions in your Player Card are up-to-date so captains know who they are drafting! You can update your Player Card on the "Edit Player" page. Sign-up page: Click here! That's all you need to do... sounds easy eh? Let's take this opportunity - together with our new partner Webhallen - to finish NHL 17 with a bang: Sending shockwaves through the community and setting up NHLGamer.com's ambitious goals for NHL 18. @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Good evening NHL Gamers, ECL 4 has come to a close with J P T J beating Hawks Hockey Club in 7 games during the ECL 4 Lite Finals and picking up the ECL 4 Lite Championship! J P T J vs. Hawks Hockey Club series results: Game 1: J P T J @ Hawks Hockey Club | 2-3 Game 2: Hawks Hockey Club @ J P T J | 3-1 Game 3: J P T J @ Hawks Hockey Club | 5-1 Game 4: Hawks Hockey Club @ J P T J | 1-4 Game 5: J P T J @ Hawks Hockey Club | 10-0 Game 6: Hawks Hockey Club @ J P T J | 5-3 Game 7: J P T J @ Hawks Hockey Club | 5-3 J P T J Championship roster: G: #8 F. SeRe (aka FINSeRe) G: #82 J. Kuha (aka jjuhao) D: #14 H. Junnu (aka paajane) D: #15 F. Castro (aka Fillaa) D: #33 I. Amin (aka RUUTTTI) D: #62 M. Surma (aka jonezki26) F: #11 N. Mandela (aka moilanenC) F: #24 K. Sheikkilä (aka mikihoo) F: #88 M. Gandhi (aka makeee76) J P T J's road to the ECL 4 Lite Championship: 22 wins and 6 losses during the regular season, ranked 4th of Group 2 Round 1: 4-0 victory against A Dream Valhalla Round 2: 4-0 victory against HC Palosaari Round 3: 4-2 victory against Dynamo Danglers Round 4: 4-2 victory against DEAD END KINGS ECL 4 Lite finals: 4-3 victory against Hawks Hockey Club NHL Gamer congratulates J P T J on a flawless journey through the Lite division, securing the ECL 4 Lite title and making their way to the Pro division for ECL 5! Furthermore we also welcome Hawks Hockey Club to the Pro division after delivering a tight 7-game final series, as well as Lavetten and DEAD END KINGS who managed to make their way to the ECL 4 Lite semi-finals. These teams will replace Company of Geeks, Thunder Tigers, The Lights Out and The Beagle Boys who lost their Pro relegation battles earlier in the season. What's next? First of all we will have a few season recaps of ECL 4 during the next few days, and we are also curious to hear about your thoughts on this season. From a Staff perspective, the switch to the thoroughly discussed Divisions format was a real success - but we are always striving for more. On the tournament side, we just launched registrations for the first ever Xbox ECL which will kick off on May 22nd. Make sure to spread the word on that, as we are very confident there is also another community to be conquered by us! On top, we are in preparations for the next iteration of our Summer Cup on PS4, which will once again be the relaxed conclusion to this year's plans with NHL 17. Definitely stay tuned for this! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

NHL Gamers on Xbox One - now is your turn! With great pleasure, NHLGamer is introducing its first ever Xbox One 6 vs. 6 league: ECL on Xbox! During the past few weeks, a dedicated group of Xbox gamers signed up on the website and spread the word of our well-known and challenging ECL series, which has been taking place on PS4 exclusively so far. As a result, 9 teams already committed to kicking off professional NHL gaming on Xbox One as well. But we want more! "About time folks! What is required for participation?" Regional restrictions: Just like ECL on PS4, the Xbox ECL is a European league format, however we do not necessarily exclude other regions. We ask Russian and North American players to first evaluate their previous connection experience against other participating teams in this league before signing up. While we disallow players from North America to host matches / be captain in the dressing room, Russian players are allowed to do so if they connect to European servers. The Xbox ECL is a 6 vs. 6 tournament building upon the EASHL mode in the latest EA SPORTS NHL iteration, NHL 17. Each player needs to sign up with NHLGamer.com and create his personal Player Card. You can find a tutorial video right here in case you experience issues. Teams need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. Default game days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Registrations are open until 23:59 CEST on May 17th / 00:59 EEST on May 18th. The tournament is set to start on May 22nd. "Will we play a format similar to ECL Divisions on PS4?" Due to the fact that this is the first ever Xbox tournament, we are unfamiliar with teams on the platform, and teams are unfamiliar with NHL Gamer so far. This is why the Xbox ECL will be played as a regular league - just like ECL 1-3 on PS4. As the community grows, the goal is to transition to an official ECL Divisions format on Xbox One as well! "Got it! Where do I sign up my team?" Simply go to this thread, copy the template from the opening post, and create a new post with the template adjusted to your team: That's it! In case some of your questions remained unanswered, please tell us in the comments below. Make sure to connect with all your dedicated Xbox Live friends and invite them and their teams to participate - we can't wait to see you joining the greatest NHL 6 vs. 6 platform and be part of unparalleled on-the-ice action. Let's do this! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Good evening NHL Gamers! In a tremendous finale tonight, and with a last minute game winning goal in game 7, Laser HT beat Dynasty and secured a 4-3 series victory to be crowned ECL 4 Elite Champions! These are the series results: Game 1: Laser HT @ Dynasty | 2-1 Game 2: Dynasty @ Laser HT | 2-5 Game 3: Laser HT @ Dynasty | 1-2 OT Game 4: Dynasty @ Laser HT | 1-2 Game 5: Laser HT @ Dynasty | 0-2 Game 6: Dynasty @ Laser HT | 3-2 Game 7: Laser HT @ Dynasty | 2-1 Laser HT Championship roster: G: #33 P. Roy (aka Hiiirulainen) G: #88 D. Hansek (aka Hansulinho) D: #16 K. V (aka VesKuLiNe) D: #43 Y. Wilhelm (aka willekunq) D: #87 I. Junub (aka Selarit) F: #11 L. Lekker (aka Leksa94) F: #13 I. SK (aka Dominointi) F: #67 I. Dishmaster (aka hooneli) F: #68 J. Jagr (aka Hermurderer) Laser HT's road to the cup: 18 wins, 10 losses & 2 OT-losses during the regular season, ranked 7th Quarterfinals: 4-1 victory against Synergy Semifinals: 4-1 victory against Nordic Nightmare Finals: 4-3 victory against Dynasty NHLGamer staff congratulates the whole team for winning the most prestigious 6 vs. 6 tournament in NHL 17! Even in truly outstanding and merciless Elite competition, Laser HT were consistently showing great playoff performances for a deserved championship victory. A big shoutout to Dynasty as well: Carrying the series to game 7 after being behind 1-3 deserves special mention and huge respect! During the live stream on Twitch, almost 150 people were watching the game winning goal in the end of game 7, which is an outstanding number. It confirms the growing relevance of the ECL championships and NHLGamer.com, people are more hungry for top tier virtual ice hockey than ever before. ECL 4 is not over yet though, as Pro and Lite Divisions are still fighting for their championships and promotions, with some really intense match-ups ahead. Make sure to keep an eye on further coverage! A more detailed ECL Elite season recap including award winners will be released in due time - stay tuned. @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com