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With the holidays now behind us and most of the division having officially reached the halfway point of the season, let's take a look at how each team has done, where they stand, and what their outlook could be as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. We will go in order of standings as of January 1st, as well as give the calculated odds for where each team could finish at the end of the season. Also, please remember that these are all just opinions and are all just for the sake of conversation and to provide the league with fun content. If you don’t agree with any of them, then that is fine, just be respectful! Now with that out of the way, let’s get into each of the 16 teams. Tohtorit Playoffs: 99.7% 1st: 41% Top 1–4: 82% 4–8: 18% 9–12: <1% One Quick Storyline: Key Transfers Have Tohtorit Back On Top This team is a great example of how just one or two key transfers can take a team from a middle-of-the-pack playoff team to a legitimate championship contender. Though Tohtorit isn’t unfamiliar with being in the Top 4, they took a significant step back last season, making the playoffs by just one point and being knocked out in 5 games in the Quarterfinals vs the eventual champions Last Dance. So how do they respond? By adding in two former teammates and multi-time Elite champions in @Patzlaf and @FlyerKungen. Though Tohtorit were a team that long benefitted from keeping the same six guys in the lineup over the years and making a shift from guys who you are long familiar in playing with is never easy, but they saw teams who were previously behind them in the Elite division pecking order, surpass them last season, so though the group didn’t need a complete overhaul, a fresh look was always going to do them a lot of good. As of now, it could have them in position to be at the top of the league come playoff time. GOONS Playoffs: 97% 1st: 29% Top 1–4: 68% 4–8: 29% 9–12: 3% One Quick Storyline: New-Look GOONS Gives Newfound Results I think after multiple seasons of waiting, we can officially say it now. GOONS are back, and they might be better than ever. This team underwent a significant roster revamp over the offseason after a disappointing 12th in the standings and narrowly avoiding a relegation series. The additions of @xrikardo55 and @x-_-BoBi-_-x (OsquuG), the league’s two leading point-getters as of this writing, may go down as the most important of the offseason. These two have helped to completely rejuvenate this team offensively and have given it a much different look than what many had become accustomed to from this club over the years. They are currently the division’s third-highest scoring offense at 3.83 GF/GP, while last season they were ranked 10th at 2.87 GF/GP. Their only two returning starters from last season were @tkantola and @Sakkem, with Kantola moving back to defense with Sakkem to make room for their three new forwards. The move has clearly paid off, as GOONS, who last season gave up more goals than any team in the division at 3.87, have slimmed that GA/GP down to 2.83. It remains to be seen if this team can carry it over into the playoffs, but at the very least, they should be a lock to make it there. Considering where this club's trajectory had been over the past 5-6 seasons, which included them even being relegated out of Elite for a short time before being saved by a preseason qualifier, I think they’ll be quite pleased with the progress they’ve made thus far. Umpikuja Playoffs: 92% 1st: 12% Top 1–4: 48% 4–8: 44% 9–12: 8% One Quick Storyline: Umpikuja Continues To Take Strides After Spring Momentum For those who didn’t keep up with the many name changes that happened over the offseason, Umpikuja was formerly Heimo. This group made a long-awaited return to the playoffs after a multi-season hiatus last season, and were even able to push the defending champions, Parasite, to a hard-fought six-game series in the Quarterfinals. The question for ECL 26 was going to be, how could they follow it up? Especially after losing multiple key pieces to that team in @KingOfApes_ and @Mozjayh. So far, Umpikuja has shown that they aren’t just a stable playoff contender now, but they may even be better than they were last season. They still have to play multiple other playoff contenders, including HAVU Gaming, Mythix, and vNexs, but as of now, they are currently on pace to finish 2nd in the standings and have the tiebreaker over Tohtorit for the #1 seed if they can get there. It’ll take a lot, and I personally wouldn’t be shocked to see this team finish outside of the Top 2, but Top 4 is definitely in play, and it's another step up for a team that continues to rise despite different names being in and out of the lineup over the past 9 months. HAVU Gaming Playoffs: 94% 1st: 14% Top 1–4: 55% 4–8: 39% 9–12: 6% One Quick Storyline: Preseason Favorite Flexes Muscle In Regular Season First and foremost, I just want to say how nice it is to have the HAVU Gaming brand back in the ECL. Things just didn’t feel the same without seeing the green and black this time of year. Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, let’s talk about the team that many believed were the favorites to win it all coming into the season. So far, HAVU have been about as good as expected. After all, most of this group is the same roster that had the most dominant season of all time in the ECL 25 Winter campaign as Parasite. @Beniittto , @NikkeDangles and @Vattuyy picked up right where they left off after just one season away as a trio, as they’re averaging a ridiculous 5.31 GF/GP, which is currently on pace to shatter the Elite Division record of 5 GF/GP that they set a year ago. Meanwhile, @Teemuyy and @txmbo999 continue to be one of, if not the best defensive pairing in all of Europe. I wish that I had more of a hard-hitting analysis for this team, but they’re just exactly what everyone thought they would be coming into this season. They’re dominant, they’re fun to watch, and there aren’t many teams who seem to have an answer for them. Though they currently sit 4th in the standings due to playing just 16 games, I’d be stunned to not see them in the Top 2 at the end of the regular season. vNexs I Playoffs: 78% 1st: 3% Top 1–4: 22% 4–8: 56% 9–12: 18% Relegation Series: 4% One Quick Storyline: Is This The Season That vNexs I Breaks Its Playoff Drought? Oddly enough, it's been a while since we’ve seen vNexs I in the playoffs; two years to be exact. A lot of things in the league have changed since that ECL 24 Winter Season. Only three of the teams from that season still go by the same name, and seven of the teams from that season are either no longer in Elite or no longer exist at all. This group has stuck around in Elite and endured a bit of a rebuild during that time, but they’re finally seeing the fruits of the labor pay off this season, and it’s resulted in one of their best campaigns in years. Though they still need to play some heavy hitters such as HAVU and GOONS, and other playoff contenders like ROBE Esports, Mythix and AFTERLIFE, vNexs has put itself in a position that they haven’t been in during the finals weeks of recent seasons. They control their own playoff destiny. Avoiding a rough start like they’d seen in past seasons was the key to this; now it’s up to them to take advantage by following it up with a strong finish. ROBE Esports Playoffs: 55% 1st: 1% Top 1–4: 10% 4–8: 45% 9–12: 35% Relegation Series: 10% One Quick Storyline: ROBE Esports Continues To Thrive In Underdog Role There are a few teams that I’ve seen the ECL community rally around the way it did with ROBE Esports last season. This team was a total underdog throughout much of its playoff run, and they ended that run by knocking out two of the Top 3 overall seeds, who were both loaded with Elite-caliber talent, and culminating that into one of the more memorable Pro titles in recent memory. We’ve seen many stories like ROBE in the past, though, a team that got hot at the right time in Pro, made it up to Elite, and didn't prove to be good enough to hang with the big dogs. Obviously, ROBE didn’t get that memo, because so far, they seem to be fitting right in with Europe’s best teams. Though their offensive output is middle of the pack, their defensive work and goaltending have been amongst the division’s best, as ROBE currently ranks 4th in GA/GP with 2.4. This ranks higher than multiple notable teams, including GOONS, Umpikuja, and Mythix. Though they only have 10 games remaining, eight of those are against teams currently out of the playoffs and six are against teams that are currently 13th or lower in the standings. If ROBE can take care of business by winning the games that they should, they could very well find themselves in position to hold on to a spot in the Top 8 and potentially avoid facing one of the top two or three teams. Mythix Playoffs: 46% 1st: <1% Top 1–4: 6% 4–8: 40% 9–12: 38% Relegation Series: 16% One Quick Storyline: Is Mythix Experiencing A Finals Hangover? This team was tantalizingly close to championship gold in the Spring season, falling in the Finals to Last Dance in a thrilling, seven-game series that would be decided by a game-winning goal in overtime. Coming that close just to fall short is one of the worst feelings you can experience, no matter what the situation may be, because you never know for certain if you’ll ever be able to get that close again. Though I do think that Mythix can do it, they’re going to have to find a better run of consistency than what they displayed during their first 14 games. They started off the season by winning their first three games, but then followed that up with a five-game losing streak where they only earned 2 points in the standings. On the positive side, though, they ended 2025 by winning each of their last six games, though none of these wins were against current playoff teams, and four of them were against teams that are ranked 13th or lower currently. Mythix only made one change to their lineup this offseason, adding @Mozjayh to their defense corps, who is a former champion and has proven to be a valuable defenseman in the past. I think that’s why it's so surprising to see them look so unconvincing this season. They haven’t been bad, but I just don’t think we’ve seen this team play to the same level that we saw from them in the Spring season. Again, this is mostly the same group that went toe-to-toe with a Last Dance team that featured some of the best ECL players of all time on its roster, yet they are currently on pace to just barely make the playoffs, as they rank 6th in P/G. Personally, I fully believe that Mythix are still amongst the title favorites despite a slower start. They’ve lost most of their games close and are too talented not to figure it out. Hopefully for them, the holiday break will give them some time to reset and readjust. If they do return to form, the rest of the division will have to look out closely. AFTERLIFE Playoffs: 42% 1st: <1% Top 1–4: 5% 4–8: 37% 9–12: 41% Relegation Series: 17% One Quick Storyline: Another Newcomer Shows They Belong in Elite Similarly to ROBE Esports, AFTERLIFE have shown what a successful promotion to the Elite Division can look like. Despite a slow start to the season, losing five of their first six games in regulation, AFTERLIFE have begun to come to life as they continue to get adjusted to the higher level of competition. Since that rough start, they’re 6-3-1 and have put themselves right in the thick of the playoff hunt with 14 games remaining. They have some critical series coming up with some of the division’s most experienced clubs, as they still have games against Tohtorit, EXEN, Mythix, and KUUSAMO.gg, with the latter two teams being one spot ahead and one spot behind them in the standings currently. They also suffered a sweep vs ROBE Esports during that early-season losing skid that resulted in zero points, something that could come back to haunt them at the end of the season, as these two could very well be battling for one of the final playoff spots. Regardless of this, AFTERLIFE should at be able to see themselves finish Top 12 barring another bad run of form, but if they can capitalize on some of those series against teams around them in the standings, then their ambitions could be even higher. Kuusamo.gg Playoffs: 34% Top 1–4: 3% 4–8: 31% 9–12: 44% Relegation Series: 22% One Quick Storyline: Is It Time To Worry About KUUSAMO.gg? Maybe the headline is me projecting my own personal concerns, but for the first time since this team burst onto the scene back in ECL 23 Spring in the Lite Division as Mustaa Kultaa, I am legitimately concerned about where this team stands. Now, before you say that I’m being over reactionary, allow me to take you all the way back to around this time of the ECL 25 Spring season. At the time, Mustaa Kultaa was sitting pretty. They were 3rd in the standings and looked primed for another potential Finals appearance. It seems like ever since that point, this team has quietly fallen off a bit. They ended the regular season losing 8 of their last 12 games, and were bounced by EXEN in the Quarterfinals in six games. Sure, it was a step back from their Winter campaign that saw them just two wins away from an Elite title, but surely they were going to be back in contention this season, especially with @xAaro89x rejoining the team after spending one season with Parasite. They even got a well-deserved sponsorship for the season as well. Unfortunately, that optimism hasn’t materialized 16 games in, and it's clear that this group is a good bit away from where they were 365 days ago. They rank around the middle of the pack in just about every team stat, and even their most reliable stars have seen down seasons individually. They’re 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, and they have multiple key series coming up vs the likes of AFTERLIFE, SSK ESPORTS Umpikuja, and HAVU. KUUSAMO desperately needs to pick up points in all of these series. If they don’t, then their path to the playoffs becomes much merkier. If they do happen to miss the Top 8, don’t be surprised if we see some significant adjustments made over the offseason. SSK Esports Playoffs: 28% Top 1–4: 2% 4–8: 26% 9–12: 46% Relegation Series: 26% One Quick Storyline: SSK Still Hanging Around Despite Poor Run of Form The shock of the Elite Division a season ago, SSK ESPORTS found themselves not only making the playoffs a season ago, but they were never in much danger of not making it at any point of the season. This was a team that many, including myself, had written off prior to the Spring campaign and had even predicted them to be relegated in the process. Instead, they consistently found themselves on the positive side of the table and gave Mythix a competitive run in their playoff series despite bowing out in five games. It was always going to be a question of whether their Spring campaign was just a magical run or something sustainable, and though this season has not been as high-flying for the Swedish contingent, I do think they have proven that they are a solidified team in this division who can compete with anyone when they’re playing to their capabilities. SSK Esports are still very much alive in the playoff race, and they have some series coming up against ROBE Esports, Polski Boys, and EXEN that could directly swing their chances. The biggest concern is that they were arguably one of the coldest teams in the division prior to the holiday break, having lost 8 of their last 9 games. This is disappointing considering that they started out the season 5-2-0 and looked well on their way to being a playoff lock, but what’s done is done, and they'll now how to earn their way into the right side of the table over the next two weeks, all while also trying to avoid falling below 12th. Polski Boys Playoffs: 25% Top 1–4: 1% 4–8: 24% 9–12: 47% Relegation Series: 28% One Quick Storyline: New Season, Same Story For Polski Boys I’ll be honest. I don’t think there is a team in this division that confuses me more than the Polski Boys. Every single season I find myself fully believing that they’re a team that are capable of making the playoffs, and they always find themselves directly in the hunt, but no matter what they do, or what moves they make, they just can’t seem to get over the hump. So far, things look no different for this team despite their roster seeing multiple key transfers added to the team. This offseason was probably the most significant that we’ve seen from this team in terms of roster moves, as they brought in former Tunnel Vision teammates and Elite division champions in @Pikkarii, @wengerii and @benuh_. All three of these players were starters and key contributors to that Tunnel Vision team, so it would’ve been fair to assume that their experience, skill and familiarity with each other would elevate this team. Yet the moves haven’t seemed to move the needle at all, and in all honesty, it's just puzzling to me. They’re the third-lowest scoring team in the division at 2.14 GF/GP, but as per usual, are a very sound team in their own end, ranking 6th in GA/GP with 2.57. This is Polski Boys’ fifth season in the Elite division, and they are still looking to make the playoffs for the first time at this level. They've again been mired by the same issues that have kept them out in the past: Inconsistency and a lack of scoring punch. They still have a chance to make it in, as they’ve only played in 14 games, but they’ve only got 9 out of a possible 27 points against playoff teams so far, and their current form won’t cut it. I’d really love to see them turn things around, but it currently is trending to be another season in No Man’s Land for this club. Vizio Playoffs: 14% Top 1–4: <1% 4–8: 13% 9–12: 38% Relegation Series: 41% Auto-relegation: 7% One Quick Storyline: Vizio Hoping To Solidify Elite Status In Debut Season After finishing as runner-ups in the Pro Division in the Springand winning their way into Elite through the Qualifier prior to this season, Vizio is in position to maintain their spot for the Spring if they can finish the rest of the season strong. Though I’m sure that they would love to be in the position that their fellow newcomers are in ROBE Esports and AFTERLIFE, not every team walks the same path, and for Vizio, they haven’t been able to adjust to the Elite level as quickly. Their 22 games played are the second-most of any team in the division, which is why their playoff chances are so slim according to the math. They’ve unfortunately been hampered by lengthy losing streaks, including a nine-game and seven-game losing streak this season, while also not being able to string together any win streaks to counteract that, as they’ve only won three games so far this season. Luckily for Vizio, they only have one more series against a current playoff team, and that’s AFTERLIFE who are currently the last team in the field. They also have gotten some phenomenal play from their goaltender @SakkeTheEngineer, who leads the division in saves made with 346, while managing a respectable 78.1SV%. If they can steal a few wins from the likes of Tiki x Pwoile, EXEN, and Polski Boys, then they may be able to avoid a relegation series, but they will need to figure out their winning ways quickly to do so. Tiki x Pwoile Playoffs: 9% Top 1–4: 0% 4–8: 9% 9–12: 32% Relegation Series: 48% Auto-relegation: 11% One Quick Storyline: Things Are Not All Well In Tiki Land Similarly to HAVU, it’s really nice to see the TIKI TALK branding back in the Elite Division. The club has played 1,009 games in the ECL during its time, which is amongst the most in ECL history across all divisions. This club was actually one on the rise a year ago, as they finished 10th in Elite but had a Top 5 scoring offense. Unfortunately, some roster and leadership changes saw them go away for the Spring campaign, ultimately becoming Vapor who finished 16th and were relegated down to the Pro Division. Tiki x Pwoile ended up taking over the Vapor team and earned their way back into the Elite division via the Qualifier. Unfortunately, like many of the teams around them in this part of the standings, Tiki x Pwoile have struggled to find any winning form. They don’t suffer long losing streaks, with their longest of the season being just four games, but they also don’t string together wins either, as they’ve had just one win streak that lasted two games. Additionally, this team has the second-lowest GF/GP (2.06) while also having the third-highest GA/GP (4.44). This isn’t a recipe for success, and it’s directly led to this team simply fighting to stay out of relegation, barring a miraculous comeback. EXEN Playoffs: 6% Top 1–4: 0% 4–8: 6% 9–12: 27% Relegation Series: 52% Auto-relegation: 15% One Quick Storyline: Own-End Struggles Doom What Could’ve Been For EXEN It’s crazy to think that just seven months ago, EXEN was playing in the Elite semifinals against the eventual champions. Now, they currently find themselves 14th in the division, barely alive in the playoff hunt, and in serious danger of being out of the Elite division altogether. This to me, without question, is both the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment of the season. Though I didn’t feel like this team had as high a floor as some of the EXEN teams of past years, they undoubtedly felt like a team that would finish Top 10 at worst. Two of their players, @Puantso and @Lxndstrom, just won the Elite division championship last season with Last Dance. They also saw two long-time linemates make their return to the team in @tbnantti and @indi969, who bring plenty of chemistry and experience into the lineup. Taking a look at the stats, they are actually a pretty respectable team offensively, as they rank in the top half of the division GF/GP and powerplay percentage. The problem is that they have been one of the worst teams in Elite in every defensive category. EXEN is dead-last in the Elite Division in GA/GP (4.67) and penalty kill percentage (54.5%). There’s technically still time for them to turn it around, as they have more games remaining than any other team in the league and all but two of their games have been against playoff teams, but this team has been simply dreadful at anything that isn’t offense. I promise that I don’t mean to be rude in saying that, but there isn’t another way to describe it other than what it is. I think they’ll find themselves in the 9–12 range despite what the numbers say, but the hole is likely too deep for them to have a realistic shot at the playoffs at this point. Vesuvius Esports Playoffs: 2% 4–8: 2% 9–12: 18% Relegation Series: 56% Auto-relegation: 24% One Quick Storyline: Star Names In An Unfamiliar Position for Vesuvius Esports Though this team is new to the Elite Division, many of the names on its roster are not. In fact, multiple of them are former champions, former individual award winners, or both. The fact that a team that as @Laiitinen, @KingOfApes_ and @kriketski17 on its roster is sitting one spot away from automatic relegation, is shocking to me. This doesn’t even include @AdriF_23, who was one of the best players in the Pro Division last season and someone that I would’ve had locked in as a Rookie of the Season contender prior to the season, as he was coming off of a 116 point and 70 assist campaign with Pirates Esports, leading the Pro Division in both stats. This team’s biggest issue has been its defensive struggles, as they have the second-highest GA/GP in the division at 4.45. Despite the stats, I think that their goaltender @Brainrovsky deserves a shoutout, as he has still managed very respectable individual stats with a 78.2SV%. This team will likely be harmed by losing to some of the teams ahead of them that aren’t in the playoffs, such as Vizio, Tiki x Pwolle, and others. Though they aren’t mathematically out, their chances at making the playoffs are close to none with just 10 games remaining, and they will likely just be fighting to stay out of 16th, as they are currently tied with Kastikauppa Esports at 11 points while having six more games played. These two teams have yet to meet head-to-head, so that series could very well decide which team sees themselves automatically relegated at the end of the season. Kastikauppa Esports Playoffs: <1% 4–8: <1% 9–12: 12% Relegation Series: 44% Auto-relegation: 44% One Quick Storyline: Kastikauppa Esports Looks To Stay Alive For Second-Straight Season Formerly under the ONSE Esports name, Kastikauppa Esports did just enough to maintain their place in the Elite Division. They finished above last-place Vapor by four points in the regular season, and then had a Game 7 victory in their relegation series vs Vapor to secure their place for ECL 26 Winter. Wildly enough the difference in them getting in and earning 5 points in the final three games of the season. In other words, they were dangerously close to being bumped down a season ago, and they now find themselves in almost the exact same position in their second Elite season. Though the math seems to favor EXEN and Vesuvius Esports to avoid finishing 16th compared to Kastikauppa, I would actually suggest that Kastikauppa has the more favorable route to points. They still play multiple non-playoff teams ahead of them, including Tiki x Pwoile, EXEN, and Vesuvius Esports, who each rank 13–15th. The most interesting part is that this team is actually respectable defensively, as they rank 10th in GA/GP at 2.93. What is hindering them is that their offense just hasn’t been able to produce, as Kastikauppa ranks last in Elite in GF/GP at 1.93. They are also the only team in the division that has yet to score a powerplay goal. Maybe this is just personal preference, but I would favor the team with reliable defense and goaltending that has struggles scoring, than the team that can score, but can’t find their way defensively or get enough saves from the goaltending to make up for it. They have some extremely tough series to go along with those series that we mentioned earlier, including games against both Tohtorit and HAVU, Mythix and vNexs I, so I would be surprised to see them avoid a relegation series, but if they can avoid the automatic relegation that comes with finishing 16th, then this team has shown that it can handle the pressures of playing with their spot in Elite on the line. We’ll see if they can do it again this season.

After a thrilling Finals series that’s being viewed as an instant classic by many in the community, Last Dance were crowned Elite division champions for the ECL '25: Spring season, defeating the underdog story Mythix in a dramatic seven-game series. This marks the first championship for Last Dance since the ECL 11 season (2021), when the team was under the FILADELPHIA name. This is also the club's fourth ECL Elite title, which ranks second all-time in ECL history. Last Dance's ECL ‘25 Spring Elite Championship roster pictured from left to right: @Lxndstrom, @J-_-Jamaltheman, @NikkeDangles, @Hansulinho, @Eki, @Puantso & @SibeIius This is a long-awaited championship for most of the Last Dance roster. This marks the first championship for Eki since ECL 11 with FILADELPHIA, and the first for Puantso, Hansulinho, and Sibelius since ECL 10 with HAVU GAMING. For their defense pairing of Lxndstrom and Jamaltheman, this is their first career Elite division championship. For NikkeDangles, this is his second-straight Elite title after winning with Parasite a season ago. It also marks his sixth career Elite Division championship, a new ECL record. The trophy is a fitting send-off for one of NHL esports’ all-time great players, as Eki announced prior to the playoffs that he would be retiring from competitive 6v6 play after the ECL 25’ Spring season. If this truly is the end for Eki’s competitive 6v6 career, he will end it with 1,139 career games played across all competitions, along with four ECL championships, four FCL championships and an SCL championship. Eki will also end his career as the all-time record holder for playoff games played (473) playoff points (925) and assists (544), and second in all-time playoff goals with 381. The one player that he trails? His long-time linemate @Patzlaf, who he played 539 total ECL with, the most out of any duo in league history. Eki also ranks Top 5 all-time in regular season points, assists and plus/minus. In terms of Last Dance as a team, it is unclear whether or not the team will stick around without the long-time captain; however, if they don’t, this club will go down as one of the most accomplished in European history. Last Dance has amassed 966 games played across all competitions, earning a record of 753-147-66 during that time (this equals a .779 winning percentage). The team has previously been known under the names FILADELPHIA, Linköping HC, Frölunda HC, Straikers, and Voittamaton. Along with their four ECL Elite division titles, the team also earned 10 ECL Elite Finals appearances (half of the league’s Finals) and 3 FCL championships in their history. Team Interview: Last Dance’s Road to the Championship: Regular Season: 24-2-1-3 (77pts) - 1st in Elite Division Quarterfinals: 4-1 series win vs (8) Tohtorit Semifinals: 4-0 series win vs (4) EXEN Finals: 4-3 series win vs (2) Mythix Last Dance’s ECL 25' Spring Championship Roster: 🇫🇮 Erik "Eki" Tammenpää (C) 🇫🇮 Aapeli "Lxndstrom" Landström (A) 🇫🇮 Niklas "NikkeDangle" Tukiainen (A) 🇫🇮 Ilmari "Puantso" Lehkonen 🇫🇮 Jimi "J-_-Jamaltheman" Rönkkönen 🇫🇮 Hannes "Hansulinho" Kettunen 🇫🇮 Oskari "Sibelius" Grönroos If you didn’t get to catch the Elite Finals live, you can find the highlights from all seven games here:

Over two months and 272 games later, the fight for ECL Elite Division title is down to just two teams. It's been a long road for these two teams to have made it here, and both sides have plenty on the line outside of just the championship trophy, but just four wins separates them from that coveted prize and only one will stand alone at the ECL's mountain top. A finals matchup this good, deserves a look back at each team's journey and a preview of the battle that they get set to face off in. And yes, some predictions of who we believe will walk out as champions of the Elite Division. So let's not waste any more time shall we? Let's dive into series preview and look back at how each side earned their way here. Last Dance Regular Season: 24-2-1-3 (77pts) - 1st in Elite Division 4-1 series win vs (8) Tohtorit 6-0 OTW, 2-3 OTL, 2-1 OTW, 4-2 W, 4-2 W 4-0 series win vs (4) EXEN 5-1 W, 7-3 W, 5-2 W, 3-2 W Season Summary Last Dance have been arguably the Elite Division's most consistent and dominant team throughout the Spring season, and their stellar form has now carried them to the Finals for the first time since the ECL '23: Spring season two years ago (this team was under the Frölunda HC brand). Overall, this team was able to make the regular season look like a breeze, and they continued that form in the playoffs. They have only lost two games this season by more than one goal. A 7-1 loss to Heimo on April 8 and a 3-1 loss to Parasite on April 23. They have also yet to lose back-to-back games this season and have only played in 10 one-goal games this season (including the playoffs). That dominance carried over for them in the postseason, as if it weren't for a late collapse in Game 2 vs Tohtorit, where Last Dance surrounded a 2-0 lead in the last 30 seconds of regulation to later lose in overtime, this team would be perfect so far in their playoff run. They ultimately were able to knock off a very respectable Tohtorit team in five games, and followed that up with a dominant semifinals victory of EXEN, sweeping them in the series and scoring 5+ goals in three of the four games. Storylines to Watch A Team Of Many Stories Coming into the season, there were multiple big talking points about this team. Would long lauded players such as Eki, Puantso, and Hansulinho finally be able to snap their lengthy championship droughts? What would the addition of NikkeDangles at RW and the reformation of Jamal and Lxndstrom on defense mean for this team? Last Dance answered all of these questions in style, as they were able to put together one of the most complete regular seasons that we've seen in the Elite Division. There was also the recent news of Eki's planned retirement, as he officially announced on his X account prior to the Quarterfinals that he intends to step away from competitive sixes (at least for the time being). It's currently unclear if Eki will be the only one calling it quits after this season, but regardless, Eki is one of the legendary names of the European esports scene. You can't tell the story of the ECL, or this club, without him. His last championship victory was in ECL 11 with FILADELPHIA nearly four years ago. This team will be eager to send him off with one final championship trophy. A Wealth of Championship Experience Another story with this group is their wide variety of championship and Finals experience. This team has players from 13 of the past 19 Elite championship teams. It shouldn't be a surprise that a club with an all-time record of 749-145-69 in 959 games has players on its roster with championship gold, but most teams could only dream of having this much championship success in its lineup. No matter what happens in this series, the moment will not be too big for this team. Even their lone two players without previous finals experience (more on them later) will have multiple players in their lineup to lean on while playing in the biggest series of their respective careers. Historically Great Offense Their three forwards of Nikke (87pts), Eki (81pts), and Puansto (73pts) all ranked Top 3 in the division points during the regular season, helping to charge Elite's highest-scoring offense at 4 GF/GP, which ranks tied for third in Elite Division history. They tied with Tunnel Vision in ECL 23 Winter, and only rank behind Parasite last season (5 GF/GP) and Linköping HC in ECL 10 (4.3 GF/GP). Interestingly enough, this Last Dance team has one player from both of those teams, as Eki was a part of Linköping HC, and NikkeDangles was with Parasite. They've actually picked up their scoring pace in the playoffs so far, as in nine playoff games, Last Dance are averaging 4.22 GF/GP. Long-Time Duo Makes Their Long-Awaited Finals Debut Along with sporting the division's best offensive attack, Last Dance were also one of the best teams in their own end as well. Their 2.13 GA/GP ranked third-best in Elite, trailing only Mythix (1.77 GA/GP) and Parasite (2 GA/GP). Though this stat is a team stat like any other, much credit must go to the additions of Lxndstrom and Jamal. The two long-time defense partners have a history that goes all the way back to ECL 11, where they were teammates at Hotbox in the Lite Division. The two continued to climb the ranks together, later moving up to the Pro Division with Hotbox and later Hokurit, and in the ECL 23 Winter season, the dynamic duo made the move up to the Elite Division with JYP Jyväskylä. Though they spent two seasons apart in the ECL 24 Spring and ECL 25 Winter campaigns, they came back together this season and have helped lead this team on the back end, and with their efforts, have earned their first-ever trip to the Elite Division finals. Watch the full interview on tonight's broadcast - starting at 19:00 CEST LIVE at twitch.tv/ReactioMedia! The Legend of Hansulinho Behind those two is the savvy veteran in net, Hansulinho. For a player who has a career save percentage of 82.36% in 346 starts, the multi-time champion has yet to see his game dip, as he was able to start all 30 games in the regular season while posting an 81.01 SV% and 2.13 GAA. No matter the season or situation, Hansulinho being one of the best goalies in the game feels like a constant, and when you consider the fact that his playoff numbers were even more impressive (84sv% and 1.78 GAA), it's easy to say that he is still one of the top goalies in all of Europe. Hansu's last title came in ECL 10 with HAVU GAMING, and it'll be just the second Finals that he's played in since. It wouldn't shock me in the slightest to see a vintage performance from one of the league's most accomplished goaltenders, and he'll certainly be someone to look out for in this series. Projected Starting Lineup LW - Ilmari @Puantso Lehkonen - (19 GP, 16 PTS, 11 GOALS, 5 ASSISTS, 47 SHOTS, 34 HITS) C - Erik @Eki Tammenpää - (9 GP, 22 PTS, 10 GOALS, 12 ASSISTS, 4 GWGs, 9 BLOCKED SHOTS, 51% FACEOFF WIN PERCENTAGE) RW - Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen - (9 GP, 17 PTS, 8 GOALS, 18 ASSISTS, 29 SHOTS, 27.6% SHOOTING PERCENTAGE) LD - Jimi @J-_-Jamaltheman Rönkkönen - (9 GP, 18 PTS, 4 GOALS, 14 ASSISTS, 47:03 TIME WITH THE PUCK, 32 HITS) RD - Aapeli @Lxndstrom Landström - (9 GP, 15 PTS, GOALS, 10 ASSISTS, 66 HITS, 28 TAKEAWAYS, 59 INTERCEPTIONS) G - Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen - (9 GP, 84% SAVE PERCENTAGE, 1.78 GAA, 100 SHOTS FACED, 1 SHUTOUT, 16 SHUTOUT PERIODS) Mythix Regular Season: 19-4-2-5 (67pts) - 2nd in Elite Division 4-1 series win vs (7) SSK ESPORTS 2-1 OTW, 5-2 W, 2-1 OTL, 3-0 W, 3-2 OTW 4-2 series win vs (3) Parasite 2-1 L, 3-2 OTW, 2-1 OTW, 4-1 W, 5-4 OTL, 3-2 W Season Summary If you had told ECL fans back in March that in the next three months, Mythix would win the FCL Championship and then follow that up by making it to the ECL Elite Finals, few would've been likely to believe you. Yet despite many doubts, here they are, with a championship trophy and the chance to add one more. This has been one of the more pleasantly surprising stories that I can remember in my time covering the ECL, and it's safe to say now that Mythix are officially one of the best teams that Europe has to offer right now. Though many still believed that this team was a safe bet to make the playoffs, very few would've expected them to go on the run that they have. This is their third season of Elite division competition, and though they were able to make it to the playoffs in each of their first two campaigns, never were they seriously considered to be a legitimate championship threat. A pair of quick exits quarterfinals and a roster that lacked any previous playoff success seemed to back that belief coming into the season. Their key additions of Temppanen, Sokkelo, and Akunkku were meant to give this core a shake-up to hopefully push them into that next level, and to say that they've done that would probably be understating it. Mythix emerged as the best defensive team in the league this season, allowing just 1.71 GA/GP and pairing that with an offensive attack that averaged 3.5 GF/GP, good for second-best in the Division only behind Last Dance. Their standout regular season was enough to earn them the #2 seed, where they would take out another surprise story in SSK ESPORTS in the quarterfinal in five games, and would then go on to knock out the defending champions Parasite in a tight six-game series. Storylines to Watch Proven That They Belong What separates this team from some of the other "surprise" championship teams of the past is that very would've thought that this team would belong here not that long ago. Now, to be clear, it is very obvious that they do. You don't stumble your way into an FCL Championship, a #2 seeding in the ECL, and a Finals appearance by simply being lucky. This team is legitimately good, but what makes them so fun is that their roster is filled with players that prior to now, never had reached this level of success in their respective careers. Coming into this season, Mythix's roster had a combined zero playoff series wins in the Elite Division. To take that fact a step further, two of their players had never even played in the playoffs before in the Elite division prior to this season. See why this is all so crazy? Something clicked with this group in March during the FCL tournament, and ever since that point, they haven't seemed to look back. Whenever Mythix seems to be doubted, they've always found an answer. Thought that their FCL Championship was a fluke? They answered with a second-place regular season finish in ECL. Thought that they were fortunate to play an inexperienced team in the Quarterfinals? They responded by knocking off the defending champions in Parasite in the Semifinals, something that very few teams can say they've done. Mythix belongs here, and though they will almost certainly be the underdog in this Finals series, the one thing that you can't say is that they don't belong or don't deserve to be here. Doubt them at your own risk. Can They Meet Their Biggest Moment? As much as I would love to continue singing this team's praises, there is one palpable storyline that will be interesting to watch for, and that's the difference in experience between this team and their opponent. Last Dance have players on their roster who played on this stage countless times. This is nothing new to most of them, and they will be plenty adjusted to playing for a championship in front of the bright lights. Mythix, on the other hand, will be in totally new territory. Yes, they played in the FCL Finals and won, and that means something, but the ECL Finals are a little bit different. You aren't just playing to claim a championship within your country; this is a battle to call yourselves the best team in all of Europe, and arguably one of the best teams across the globe. A bigger audience and a bigger moment are palpable in this setting, and it's going to be something that Mythix has never been a part of before. There is no teacher like experience, and nothing can replace it. At the end of the day, Mythix can take on the mentality of it "just being another series", and that's probably the best mindset that they could have coming into this series. However, deep down, they know what is on the line. You can't avoid it, no matter how much you try to deny it and block it out. Mythix will have to embrace to moment and the big stage, while sticking to the principles that have gotten them to this point. It'll be interesting to see how Mythix's mindset is and how long it takes for them to get comfortable playing on this stage, especially during the early stages of the series. I personally believe that they will be fine, but we won't know for sure until the puck drops on Sunday. Special Teams Dominance You would be hard pressed to find a team that has been better on special teams than Mythix has this season. They led the division in both power play percentage (51.11%) and penalty kill percentage (87.8%) during the regular season. In fact, their power play actually ranks as the highest percentage in the history of the Elite division. Though their special team numbers have cooled off a touch in the playoffs, that's to be expected with how high their regular season stats were. All three of their forwards ranked in the Top 10 in power-play goals during the regular season, with Sokkelo having a league-high 12 power-play goals, which was five more than the next-best player. On the penalty kill, Mythix were actually called on a lot. This team took 82 PIMS during the regular season, which ranked tied for fourth-most in the league (ironically, the team that they tied with was Last Dance). Though no team wants to find themselves in the penalty box that often, there is some added comfort in knowing that you're good enough to clean up those mistakes without any harm being done on the scoreboard. It Takes Two Wings to Fly Both transfer additions over the offseason, Mythix winger duo of Temppanen and Sokkelo, have proven to be one of the best in the Elite division this season, have led the charge to what has become a truly potent offense for this team. And though Mythix's offense goes far beyond what their wingers are able to do on the left and right side of the ice, there's no denying that they're a key cog to what Mythix wants to do offensively, and their combined 16 game-winning goals during the regular season would back that up. Going back to the regular season, Sokkelo finished Top 5 in the division in both points (69) and goals (37), both of which rank as career bests for the veteran forward. Sokkelo is someone who, despite his lack of prior postseason success, has arguably been one of the more underrated forwards in the Elite division for a while. He's always been a consistent 40-point player on non-playoff teams, but when finally given the opportunity to play on a playoff caliber roster, he's shown that he's capable of doing even more than what he has in the past. This shouldn't come as a major surprise in hindsight, as despite playing on a Root Gaming team that was eventually relegated last season, Sokkelo finished the season with 32 goals, which ranked Top 10 in the division and accounted for 50% of Roots' goals scored. He's a legitimate goal-scorer, and he's fully hit his stride since joining this Mythix group. Temppanen, on the other hand, came over from a Voittamaton team is a constant championship threat and made it to the semifinals a season ago, and has been a part of a playoff team every season that he's been in the Elite Division. This season, however, has been undoubtedly some of his best work, though, as his 61 points and 31 goals both ranked Top 10 in the division. He's been arguably even better so far in the team's postseason run, as so far he's registered 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points in 11 playoff games. He's also scored four game-winning goals for his team so far in this postseason. Watch the full interview on tonight's broadcast - starting at 19:00 CEST LIVE at twitch.tv/ReactioMedia! Can Anyone Take Down TeikDaun? Undoubtedly a contender for Goaltender of the Season, TeikDaun has, similarly to the rest of his teammates, emerged as one of the best players at his position with his play this season. During the Winter campaign, TeikDaun posted a 77.78 SV%, 2.8 GAA, and 4-6-0 record in 10 starts. He also didn't play in the team's playoff series against Voittamaton. With KDoneof1 transferring to Tohtorit during the offseason, however, the crease for Mythix became open. They opted not to add another goalie to their roster in the offseason, giving TeikDaun the opportunity to be the uncontested starter for his club and for the first time in his Elite division career. To say that this decision paid off for the club would be an understatement, as not only has he been a key contributor to their Finals run, but he's also placed himself in the conversation to be one of the league's top goaltenders. TeikDaun started in every game for his team so far this season, and his 83.49 SV%, 1.77 GAA, and five shutouts during the regular season all ranked the best of any goalie with at least 10 starts. His form has been just as stellar so far during the playoff run, as he's managed to earn an 85.29 SV% and 1.82 GAA in 11 starts, including one shutout. Few teams have been able to break past him this season, and we have seen special goaltending performances win championships in the Finals before. Can TeikDaun add himself to that list with legendary names? To do so, he'll have to step up in what could be his toughest test yet. Projected Starting Lineup LW - Teemu @temppanen Karvonen - (11 GP, 25 PTS, 15 GOALS, 10 ASSISTS, 42 SHOTS, 35.7% SHOOTING PERCENTAGE), 4 GWGs C - Miika @zMikkeez Kauppila - (11 GP, 15 PTS, 6 GOALS, 9 ASSISTS, 31 TAKEAWAYS, 11 BLOCKED SHOTS, 48.4% FACEOFF WIN PERCENTAGE) RW - Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli - (11 GP, 16 PTS, 6 GOALS, 10 ASSISTS, 42 SHOTS, 2 GWGs, 30 HITS) LD - Atte @Akunkku Kuningas - (11 GP, 11 PTS, 1 GOAL, 10 ASSISTS, 81:30 TIME WITH THE PUCK, 84.1% PASSING PERCENTAGE, 46 TAKEAWAYS, 78 INTERCEPTIONS) RD - Veeti @WeDuX_ Misikangas - (11 GP, 12 PTS, 3 GOALS, 9 ASSISTS, 6 SHOTS, 83.2% PASSING PERCENTAGE, 35 HITS, 12 BLOCKED SHOTS) G - Jani @TeikDaun Honkasaari - (11 GP, 85.29% SAVE PERCENTAGE, 1.82 GAA, 136 SHOTS FACED, 116 SAVES, 1 SHUTOUT, 24 SHUTOUT PERIODS) Predictions This is one of the more intriguing Finals matchups that I think we've seen in a while. It's the two top teams from the regular season, yet it's two completely different names than the Finals series that we've seen over the past two years. One side has a lineup that features multiple champions and names that are forever etched in the history of the ECL; the other side is a group that had never even won a playoff series in the division prior to this season, let alone made it to the Finals. Coming into this series, the consensus feeling is that Last Dance are the favorites heading into this series. That is probably to be expected, as they've been the most consistent, and dominant team in the division and have yet to show any signs of weakness at any point this season. They also are the more experienced team and won both meetings in the regular season (4-2 and 4-3). However, this doesn't mean that Mythix can't pull off a series win. Will it be difficult? Yes. Would it be an upset? Probably, but it doesn't mean that it can't happen, and in fact, I would argue that the narrative of this series going into it, probably plays right into Mythix's hands because of that. This team has nothing to lose compared to Last Dance. No one expected them to be here, fewer expect them to win, and some don't even believe that they belong in the Finals to begin with. They're out here to do what they've done all season. Prove themselves right, while proving their doubters wrong. Last Dance, on the other hand, have all of the pressure. They are the favorites who are expected to win. They have multiple players on their roster who haven't won an ECL Championship in over four years and two who have never won one at all. They're the #1 overall seed and have been the dominant force in this division. And the big one, their captain and one of the most accomplished players in the history of NHL esports, is retiring at season's end. Last Dance has an undeniable amount of pressure, while Mythix, though they have the pressure of playing for a title, are basically playing with house money, knowing that few expect them to be here and even fewer expect them to beat Last Dance four times. Only one of these teams will go home truly satisfied, though at the end of the night, and the one that doesn't, though proud of their season's work, will have the undeniable feeling of disappointment from knowing that they just fell short of European 6v6's biggest prize. @bMaJuH: Last Dance in 6 @Mozjayh: Last Dance in 6 @sopulii_: Last Dance in 7 @Allupekkaz: Last Dance in 5 @antoniomannen004: Last Dance in 6 @Vattuyy: Last Dance in 5 @wengerii: Last Dance in 5 Tune in to the Finals Tonight! The ECL '25: Spring - Elite Champion is decided tonight live at twitch.tv/ReactioMedia, so be sure to tune in and enjoy this nail-biter of a series hosted by Brandon @bMaJuH Bigsby and Lauri @sopulii_ Enström. The broadcast starts at 19:00 CEST and will feature the full best-of-seven series, along with some other goodies, such as interviews and the ECL '25: Spring - Elite Awards. See you there! Want to keep up with everything happening in the ECL this season? Make sure to follow/subscribe to us on Twitch, YouTube, and X.

After a quarterfinals that saw each of the favorites move on to the semifinals, four teams remain in the ECL Elite division playoffs, and just eight wins separate them from championship glory. With each of these teams having their own unique storylines and each series being first-time playoff matchups between the two teams, let's dive deeper into each matchup and give you an inside look at how each side stacks up heading into the series. A big thank you goes to @Mozjayh, @Allupekkaz, @antoniomannen004 and @sopulii_ for contributing to this! (1) Last Dance vs (4) EXEN Regular Season Series (April 16th): - Last Dance 4-2 W - Last Dance 4-1 W Last Dance Last Dance has carried over their dominant regular season into the postseason, as the #1 seed was able to make quick work of Tohtorit in the Quarterfinals by knocking them out in five games. Despite playing a Tohtorit team that was likely one of the most "complete" #8 seeded teams that we have seen in some time in this division, Last Dance looked every bit the part of a true, championship favorite. They saw four different skaters reach at least 9 points, with Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen leading the way with 13 points and 9 assists. Even their lone player who didn’t reach 9 points led their team in goals, as Ilmari @Puantso Lehkonen tallied 6 goals, which accounted for all of his points in the series. Along with a balanced offensive attack that saw everyone in their lineup score, they also were able to play a complete game in their own end. Last Dance only allowed 11.4 shots per game in the series, and the always-steady Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen was phenomenal in net, posting an 85.96 % and 1.6 GAA. Last Dance have yet to really face any adversity this season. They were dominant in their quest for the #1 seed and never felt much danger of losing their series against Tohtorit (aside from a late two-goal lead blown late in Game 2). There aren’t a lot of reasons to pick against this team other than really believing in their opponent. The effect of a “Last Dance” is a legitimate thing. They don’t want this ride to end with anything short of a championship. Not making the Finals would be a bitter disappointment for this group; they’ll do everything in their power to ensure that doesn’t happen. EXEN From a team that was questionable to make the playoffs, to one that just knocked out one of last season’s finalists. That is the story that EXEN has written for themselves over the past month and a half, and it’s one that has seen them also emerge as arguably the hottest team in the Elite Division. Their battle with Mustaa Kultaa lasted six games, and was capped off with an overtime game-winning goal from their star transfer, Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola, who tallied 8 total goals for 9 points, including 3 game-winning goals. Väinö @Pikkarii Pikkarainen was also a standout performer, tallying 7 points with 5 of them being assists. In that series, EXEN were able to not only come up with critical, game-changing plays, but they were also great at limiting Mustaa Kultaa’s opportunities offensively. EXEN allowed more than two goals just once in the series, and only surrendered 1.67 goals per game in the series and an average of 12.5 shots per game in the series. Much of this had to do with the team’s phenomenal play in their own zone, especially by Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt in goal, who managed a strong 86.67 SV% through all six games. EXEN have found their stride and have continued to grow in it. They may not be a team that wins games in blowout fashion, but they keep games tight and always seem to show up with timely plays. It’ll take a complete series from all six positions for EXEN to pull off the upset, but as a significant underdog who no one expected to be here, what do they have to lose? That’s a dangerous thing to play against, especially when that team has the form to back it up. EXEN does, so don’t count them out. Prediction Hot vs Consistent is always a fun matchup, especially when you have a spot in the Finals on the line. When these two teams played on April 16th, EXEN was a completely different team than they are today. Sure, their roster was the same outside of Krike, but the team was in the midst of a considerable losing spell at that time, losing 7 of their first 8 games of the season. Ever since that series, EXEN has a record of 21-5-2 (including playoffs). On the other hand, Last Dance has been as steady as ever since opening day. They were the best team in the division offensively during the regular season, and they’ve paired that with elevated play in their own end (which was already Top 3 in the division). Based on what we saw between these two in the regular season, this series could go a variety of different ways, and as much as I love EXEN’s ability to stay close in games and the way that their experienced playmakers have stepped up, Last Dance have the feeling of a team of destiny. That’s a tough thing to overcome, but EXEN has already defied large odds this season. We’ll see which of those two stories holds true. @bMaJuH: Last Dance in 6 @Mozjayh: Last Dance in 7 @Allupekkaz: Last Dance in 5 @antoniomannen004: Last Dance in 6 @sopulii_: Last Dance in 7 (2) Mythix vs (3) Parasite Regular Season Series (May 7th): - Parasite 2-1 OTW - Mythix 1-0 OTW Mythix Mythix was able to knock off a tough SSK ESPORTS team in relatively quick fashion, ending the series in a gentleman’s sweep. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that this series was much closer than what the five-game ending would make you believe. Three of the five games were decided in overtime, with Mythix taking two of those games, including the series-clinching Game 5. Despite how close this series was in nature, though, Mythix was able to separate themselves from SSK in the way of offensive opportunities and neutral zone defense. Mythix had more shots on goal and time on attack in every game other than Game 5 and they were able to hold one of the division’s most dangerous offenses to just 1.4 goals per game in the series (SSK came in averaging 3.07 GF/GP, which ranked 5th in Elite). This group saw many of its regular-season producers continue to make an impact in the Quarterfinals. Teemu @temppanen Karvonen led the way with 11 points and 7 goals, while Miika @zMikkeez Kauppila and Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli each earned 8 points of their own. Jani @TeikDaun Honkasaari also had the most successful playoff round of any goaltender, flexing an 88.89 SV% and 1.4 GAA on 63 shots. He also registered a shutout in Game 4. This team has proven they are a legitimate championship threat, no matter what happens from this point forward. The next step is proving that they can become a Finals team. It’ll be a tall order to do so against the defending champions, but anyone counting out this team could very well regret it. Parasite After eliminating an upset-minded Heimo team in six games, Parasite now find themselves just 8 wins away from successfully defending their championship crown. I’ve been on record saying that I don’t feel that this group is as overwhelmingly dominant as they have been in seasons past, and while you could argue that going to a six game series against a heavy underdog in the Quarterfinals would back that logic, the actual games themselves showed that Parasite is still a team that elevates their game in the playoffs. In a series that saw four one-goal games, including two in overtime, Parasite was able to take over the flow of the game at many different points in this series. Heimo played spectacular defense throughout the series and had stellar goaltending to boot, but it still wasn’t enough to stop Parasite from getting the chances that they always look for. There’s multiple players that you could point to in terms of impressive individual performances. Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen led the team in points with 10 while tying for the team-high in assists with Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila, with each of them earning six. Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala played arguably his best hockey of the season in this series, notching 7 goals on 8 points, while scoring on 35% of his shots. Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen also continues to prove why he’s one of the best playoff performers in the scene, as though his 7 points in six games may not immediately jump out at you, his numbers outside of his offense show you exactly how crucial his impact is. In the series, he posted a 56.4% face-off percentage, had 8 blocked shots, 20 interceptions, and even showed his physicality with 24 hits. To summarize all of this simply, Parasite is still Parasite. They’re undoubtedly one of the best teams in the division, and until there is a team that can beat them in a best-of-seven series, it’s a risky choice to pick against them. There’s just so little margin for error against this team, and they themselves don’t seem to make many mistakes. They’re the defending champions for a reason, and they continue to prove why time and time again. Prediction This is such a tough series to predict, and I truly believe that this is a series worthy of a championship final, but only one can advance to that final stage, and whoever does will certainly be battle-tested by the time they get there. Mythix is the lower seed and has everything going for them. Multiple dangerous scoring threats, a reliable defense pair that makes plays in all three zones of the ice, a special teams that is amongst the best that we have seen in the Elite division over the years and a goaltender in net who will likely be a candidate for Goaltender of the Season. Parasite, on the other hand, are the defending champions. Sure, they may not be breezing through teams the way they were a season ago, but they’re still winning no matter the circumstances, and they’re still a team with some of the best players in Europe at every position on the ice, including two different starting-caliber goalies. I’d be stunned if this series goes any less than six games, and I think there are plenty of valid reasons to pick either of these teams to win. @bMaJuH: Mythix in 7 @Mozjayh: Parasite in 7 @Allupekkaz: Parasite in 6 @antoniomannen004: Mythix in 7 @sopulii_: Mythix in 7 Want to keep up with everything happening in the ECL this season? Make sure to follow/subscribe to us on Twitch, YouTube, and X.

After a tightly contested regular season that saw plenty of storylines across the table, eight teams have separated themselves from the rest of the field and have earned their right to play for an Elite division championship. In a playoff field mixed with new and old faces, just 12 wins separate them from their biggest goal for the season: being crowned champions. Let's break down each of the eight teams and all four Quarterfinals series. Also, a thank you to @Mozjayh for his contributions to this article. Playoffs schedule (BO7) Quarterfinals Monday 26.5 20:00 CEST Last Dance vs Tohtorit (G1-4) Wednesday 28.5 20:00 CEST Exen vs Mustaa Kultaa (G1-2) 21:20 CEST Mythix vs SSK Esports (G1-2) Thursday 29.5 20:00 CEST Exen vs Mustaa Kultaa (G3-4) 21:20 CEST Parasite vs Heimo (G1-2) Sunday 1.6 ⚠️19:30 CEST Parasite vs Heimo (G3-4) 20:40 CEST Mythix vs SSK (G3-4) Monday 2.6 ⚠️19:30 CEST Exen vs Mustaa Kultaa (G5-7) AFTER ABOVE SERIES Last Dance vs Tohtorit Wednesday 4.6 ⚠️19:30 CEST Parasite vs Heimo AFTER ABOVE SERIES Mythix vs SSK Semifinals Sunday 8.6 - 20:00 CET | 2vs3 & 1vs4 | Games 1-2 Monday 9.6 - 19:30 CET | 1vs4 | Games 3-7 Wednesday 11.6 - 18:30 CET | 2vs3 | Games 3-7 Finals Saturday 14.6 - TBC (1) Last Dance vs (8) Tohtorit Regular Season Series (May 4th): - Last Dance 4-2 W - Last Dance 4-1 W Last Dance Unquestionably the most consistent team in the regular season, Last Dance secured the #1 seed after a 77-point regular season that saw them win 26 games (including 24 in regulation). Despite such a dominant season, however, the storylines surrounding this team are plentiful. The obvious one is the "Last Dance" mantra. Could this potentially be the last shot at a championship for multiple players on this roster? Is retirement approaching for some of them? If so, who? Is it simply a matter of their core group each going their separate ways after ECL '25? These are all questions that we have yet to see answers to publicly, but we will more than likely find out sooner rather than later. Another story is: can some of these players finally reach the top of the ECL mountain once again? Though Last Dance has players from 13 of 19 championship teams in division history, only @NikkeDangles has lifted an Elite division trophy since ECL 12, with @Eki not winning since ECL 11 with FILADELPHIA and @Hansulinho, @Puantso and @Zande95 last winning with HAVU GAMING in ECL 10. The group boasts a lethal offense that features each of the division's top three point producers in Nikke (87pts), Eki (81pts) and Puantso (73pts). As a team, Last Dance averaged 4 goals per game in the regular season, which is tied for the third-highest in the history of the Elite division. The only two teams to score more goals in a season were Parasite last season and Linköping in ECL 10. They were also one of the better teams in their own end, allowing just 2.13 goals allowed per game, which ranked third in the division. @J-_-Jamaltheman or @Lxndstrom have been stellar in their return as a defensive pairing this season and have long-standing chemistry going back to their time with JYP Jyväskylä, as well as with Hotbox and Hokurit in the Lite and Pro division. Neither have won a title yet in their respective careers, though each have made a semifinal appearance and will be looking to add a title to their resumes. Tohtorit If you had told me in April that Tohtorit would be the 8th seed and would have to wait until the final day of the season to even know if they'd make the playoffs, I honestly wouldn't have believed you. This team was the #2 seed last season and were just three wins away from playing in the Finals. Yet here we are, and that's what makes the Elite division so unpredictable and so tough to compete in. For context, this team had a measly 5.25% chance to qualify for the playoffs on the last Monday of the regular season. However, they clutched up at the perfect time, collecting 9 out of 12 possible points in their final two series against Parasite and Heimo while Polski Boys lost each of their final three games in regulation, giving Tohtorit a three-point gap and the final available playoff spot. In terms of their production, Tohtorit took a significant step back offensively, going from 2.79 GF/GP in the Winter season, to 2.47 in the Spring season. They also saw themselves slide a bit defensively, going from allowing 2.04 goals per game to 2.47 this season. That is a bad combination with the increased parity throughout the division this season, and it'll be imperative for Tohtorit to rediscover its form from the Winter against a dominant opponent in Last Dance. @Ojala16 (52pts, 28 goals) and @profiilipakki (48pts, 29 assists) led the way for this team offensively. @Kkarkass will also be someone to look out for as usual, as he finished second in the division in time with the puck at 210:52, and will be critical to Tohtorit's ability to generate offense in this series. @Stammer70 also had a nice season with an 81.25 SV% and 2.68 GAA in 22 starts. His stats suffered a bit at the beginning of the season, but he was able to find his way after the halfway point of the season. He's the defending Goaltender of the Season for a reason, and he'll need to play like it in this series for Tohtorit to pull off an upset. Prediction: I would've assumed that this series was a semifinals matchup earlier in the season, but that's why they play the games! I like this Tohtorit team and feel like they are a much better group than what they showed in the regular season. They got hot at the right time to end the season and had the results of other teams fall their way to earn a spot in the Top 8. Momentum is real, and I think that this is one of the more dangerous #8 seeds that we have seen in a long time. Unfortunately, they are running into a juggernaut with Last Dance that are hungry to win a title, and it feels like Tohtorit are just missing a gear compared to last season. I think that Tohtorit could make things interesting due to their chemistry and recent momentum, but I'd be stunned if Last Dance allowed for their title hopes to slip in the Quarterfinals. They're just too talented and too consistent. @bMaJuH: Last Dance in 5 @Mozjayh: Last Dance in 5 (2) Mythix vs (7) SSK ESPORTS Regular Season Series (May 4th): - SSK ESPORTS 5-2 W - Mythix 4-2 W Mythix As a team that found itself in the middle of the playoff table in each of the past two seasons, Mythix earned the #2 seed and were in the Top 3 for most of the season, earning its third playoff birth in as many Elite seasons. They went from 48 points last season to 67 points in the Spring, which was the second-biggest jump of any returning team, only trailing Last Dance (Voittamaton last season). So what was the difference between this season and their prior two runs? Multiple players are having a career season, and an elite offense is being paired with equally elite defense and goaltending. Along with averaging 3.5 goals scored per game, tied for the second-highest in the division and 1.18 improvement from last season, Mythix also allowed the lowest GA/GP at 1.77, being the only team in the division that allowed less than two goals per game. This team has also been special on the man advantage, as their 51.11% power play is the highest power play percentage in Elite division history. Their transfer additions over the offseason have transformed this group. After transferring from the demoted and now-defunct Roots Gaming, @Sokkelo__ led the way for Mythix this season with 69 points and 37 goals, which both ranked amongst the Top 5 in the division. Not only was he one of the most productive players in the league this season, but this will also be his first playoff appearance in his 12 seasons in the Elite division; finally breaking the ill-fated streak that's been pinned to him over the years. Alongside him was his fellow forward @temppanen, who put up a career high 61 points, 31 goals, and 30 assists after transferring from Voittamaton. Their final addition was on the defense with @Akunkku, who leads the division in takeaways with 115 and is tied-4th in interceptions with 193. He has been a steady defense partner with @WeDuX_, who ironically is the one tied with him in interceptions. Speaking of WeDux he arguably been not only the best defenseman in the league this season, but arguably the Elite division's most improved player this season. In 30 games, WeDux tallied 58 points with 52 assists and 89 takeaways, some of the best numbers of anyone in Elite this season. His improvement this season has been drastic, as last season he had just 18 points, 15 assists, and 55 takeaways. @TeikDaun has also had a career season in net, posting an 83.49 sv% and 1.71 GAA in 30 starts. SSK ESPORTS Arguably the biggest surprise of the Elite division this season, SSK ESPORTS has continued to shock the world throughout ECL 25. Six months ago, this organization was in the Pro Division and just fighting to make the playoffs, eventually making it in by 1 point on their final game of the regular season. Three months later, they made the Pro Finals as the #16 overall seed and won a relegation playoff over Falun Coal Miners to earn their place in Elite. Now fast forward another three months, and SSK ESPORTS are now in the Elite playoffs as a #7 seed, and have shown the community that they are a legitimate, palpable threat in this division. This team has a great mix of youth and experience. Starting out with their youth, @xcurhed has had an unforgettable rookie campaign. After transferring in Week 1 from Brynäs IF Esport in the Pro Division, Curhed posted 61 points in 30 games played with SSK ESPORTS, including an Elite division rookie record 36 goals. Both his point and goal totals rank in the top 10 in the entire division. Another impressive rookie has been @Adam2, who transferred with Curhed from Brynäs IF Esport and has been impressive on defense since joining SSK. Their starting goaltender @Brokenrice2000 also put together a respectable rookie campaign, starting all 30 games while posting a 79.86 SV%. In terms of their more experienced players, @zuppe_29 was tied with Curhed for the team-lead in points with 61, while also ranking Top 10 in the division in points and assists (39). Alongside him has been the team's captain and center @Rubituss, who put up an Elite career-high 50 points, 23 goals and 27 assists. @bystrom___ was also one of the best defensemen this season statistically, putting up a 47-point campaign (8 goals and 39 assists) with 91 takeaways. The most impressive part about this team is that they have also been able to earn wins against multiple fellow playoff teams. They split their series with Last Dance, Mythix, EXEN and Tohtorit, and even managed to sweep their series vs Mustaa Kultaa. This isn't a #7 seed that simply got in by beating up on the teams at the bottom of the table. They've proven that they can compete with, and even beat some of the better teams in the league. They took the third-most shots in the division at 493, averaged over 3 goals per game which ranked Top 5 in the division, and had the division's second-best power play at 30.95%. They even tend to limit mistakes and were one of the least-penalized teams in the league; all things that will be vital for them in this series. Prediction: Call me optimistic, but I actually think that this series has the potential to be the surprise of the Quarterfinals. I'm not calling for an upset necessarily, but both of these teams have been pleasant surprises in different ways. Mythix emerging as a legitimate title threat, and SSK ESPORTS going from a team viewed as a relegation candidate to earning its place in the playoffs and being in the hunt for the entire season. These two also split the regular season series, though Mythix was dominant in the second game, doubling SSK in both shots and time on attack in a 4-2 win. This series will come down to which team will be able to carry over its strengths from the regular season. Both sides are first-rate offensively, but Mythix brings the complete package with high-level defense, goaltending, and special teams. I don't think SSK is terribly far off, but it'd be slighting Mythix to say that they aren't a cut above after what we saw from them in the regular season, plus bowing out in the Quarterfinals would be an unmitigated disappointment for them after such a dominant campaign. It's a shame that only one of these teams will be able to earn their first-ever Elite semifinals birth, but that's the nature of the playoffs, and I think that Mythix should be seen as the favorite. Don't be surprised, though, if this series goes deeper than expected. @bMaJuH: Mythix in 6 @Mozjayh: Mythix in 5 (3) Parasite vs (6) Heimo Regular Season Series (April 14th): - Parasite 9-2 W - Heimo 3-2 W Parasite With the 30-game regular season officially behind them, Parasite's championship defense now officially begins with the postseason. Though their regular season performance wasn't at the same level of dominance as what we saw a season ago, Parasite still proved to be one of the division's best teams and a clear championship favorite. Their GF/GP (3.5) and GA/GP (2.13) were both 2nd in the Division, and they managed to register 583 shots this season, more than any other team in Elite. That's an average of 19.4 shots per game. The forward duo of @Beniittto and @Vattuyy were phenomenal as usual, as each of them eclipsed the 60-point and 30-goal mark, ranking Top 10 in the division in both categories. Their new addition in @xAaro89x saw his stats take a step back from him award-winning season with Mustaa Kultaa in the Winter, but his 50 points with 24 goals and 26 assists was still a solid contribution for this group. He seemed to really find his stride down the stretch of the season however, as he was able to earn 2+ points in seven of his final 10 games of the regular season. Look out for him to emerge for this team in their playoff run. @Teemuyy and @txmbo999 again formed one of the division's best defensive pairings, as both of them had 45+ points and 80+ takeaways this season. The two also combined for 57 blocked shots. Combine all of this with the steady and reliable goalie duo of @uhNikke and @FINSeRe, and it's easy to see why this team continues to find ways to rack up wins. Speaking of their goaltending duo, it'll be interesting to see how their time is split during the playoffs. FINSeRe started in 16 games and had an 80 SV% and a 2.13 GAA while facing 170 shots. Nikke, on the other hand, played in 14 games, posting a 79.4 SV% and 2.07 GAA while facing 141 shots. The only thing that really separates the two statistically is FINSeRe's three shutouts, and both of them are proven playoff starters. Last season, it was Nikke who started 10 of the 15 playoff games, including all six Finals games. This might be a bit harsh to say, but admittedly, I don't think that this group is as dominant as they were a season ago. Now, before you get upset and dismiss that statement, I want you to know that this isn't an indictment on them as a team. As odd as it is, Parasite is sort of a victim of having a near-perfect season in the Winter. They broke multiple ECL records, lost just one game in the regular season, and made quick work of their playoff opponents until the Finals, and even that series didn't go the full seven games. Replicating what they did in the Winter would've been borderline impossible, so seeing this team take a step back was expected, and they were still one of the best teams in just about every way possible. This team is skilled, experienced, and always seems to save their best hockey for the postseason, no matter who the competition is in front of them. A second-straight title will be tough, but they still have everything needed to make it happen. Heimo Coming into the season with one longest playoff droughts in the division, Heimo are back in the postseason after a strong end to the season, marking their first appearance since the ECL ’23 Spring season two years ago. This was also under the former JANO name and branding. If there is one word that I could use to describe this season, it would be "volatile". Heimo began the season looking like an offensive juggernaut. They averaged 4 goals per game during their first six games while winning five of those contests. They hit a bit of a slide after this, earning just 10 points in their 12 games since and sitting 12th in the standings with just 12 games to go. Heimo, however, ended the season with a 7-2-1 in their final 10 games, including wins over fellow playoff teams SSK ESPORTS and Tohtorit. To go along with their up-and-down results during the regular season, their stats also tell a tale of unpredictability. Heimo ended the regular season with the fourth-most goals scored while also allowing the third-most goals, as they both scored and allowed 3.13 goals per game. To their credit, they averaged just 2 goals for per game last season, so their offensive improvement was quite significant and is a big reason that they made it into the Top 8 this season. This team is one of the division's most balanced offensive attacks, as Heimo saw four skaters register 50+ points this season. The only other team in the division to do so was Mythix. @Eeemill_ led the way for this group with 57 points and 31 goals, both of which are career-highs for his time in the Elite division. Along with him was defenseman @KingOfApes_, who returned to the Elite division in arguably even better form than when we last saw him here in ECL 24. The former champion led all Elite defensemen with 15 goals and 223:23 of time with the puck. His 55 points were also the second-most of any defenseman in the division. Though his offensive numbers will get most of the shine, he was also stellar defensively this season, racking up 93 takeaways and 138 hits. This will be his first Elite playoff appearance since his time with Radical in the ECL '24 Winter season, where faced off against his former team in the Quarterfinals, just like he will again this season. Someone else to keep an eye on will be @xSnaipperi. The second-season skater switched positions with @SadaPoika after 12 games played. Following the swap, Snapperi scored 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points in 18 games as LW. These two have been quite effective on the left side of the ice for Heimo, so don't be surprised if they make an impact in this series. Overall, Heimo's playoff success will come down to whether or not they can continue to utilize their strengths (generating offense and doing so with multiple different points of attack) while also cutting down on some of their weak points (own-zone play and penalties). If they can do this, they have the talent to compete and ended the regular season with positive momentum. They'll need to hope that this carries forward into the postseason after the two-week break. Prediction: Honestly, you could tell me that this series will end in 4 games or that it will end in 7 games and I'd probably be just as quick to believe either one. Heimo played some of their best hockey of the regular season when they needed to most, but they also got many of those wins against non-playoff teams. Parasite are the defending champions and have been nothing short of great, but they also haven't had the same feel of dominance that we've seen from them in the past. In my opinion, many of Parasite's strengths counteract the things that Heimo does well. They are also very familiar with arguably this team's most important player in KingOfApes and will gameplan to slow him down. Though I don't think that Parasite have played their best hockey yet this season, just 80% of their best is still a Top 4 team in the division, and I feel that this, in combination with Heimo's lack of consistency, will play to their advantage in this series. This shouldn't be a sweep, and I actually think that Heimo can make this a close series if everything is clicking, but Parasite hasn't given me a reason to go against them in a long time. I'm not going to do so now. @bMaJuH: Parasite in 6 @Mozjayh: Playing in series (4) EXEN vs (5) Mustaa Kultaa Regular Season Series (April 14th): - EXEN 2-0 W - EXEN 4-2 W EXEN After the first couple of weeks of the season, things were looking disastrous for this EXEN team. They were last in the standings and lost six of their first eight games of the season in regulation. This means that they earned just 4 points out of a possible 24 points during that stretch. Ever since that point, EXEN has gone 17-4-1, earning series sweeps against the likes of Tohtorit, Heimo, and their Quarterfinals opponent Mustaa Kultaa. The fact that they were able to recover from that and make the playoffs as a Top 4 seed is nothing short of impressive, and goes to show how outstanding this team was been over their final 22 games of the season. One of the biggest reasons for this team's turnaround was the addition of @kriketski17. Interestingly enough, Krike wasn't even on a roster to begin the season, and when he did join a roster, it was with GOONS, where he played for 12 games as a defenseman. Krike then transferred over to EXEN, ironically taking the place of Bobi, who transferred to Mustaa Kultaa after a slow start to the season. In 22 games with EXEN, Krike tallied 51 points, with 38 of them being goals. If you took away the four goals that he scored with GOONS, he would still rank second in the Elite division in that category. He also led the division in hits with 389 (252 of those coming with EXEN). Outside of Krike, they have also benefitted from @Pikkarii having a nice bounce back from last season. The former Elite champion saw his points jump from 38 in the Winter, to 55 in the Spring. His assist number also improved, going from 22 to 37. Both of these numbers are career-highs for his time in the Elite division. @h3rmu__ has also proven to be a very worthwhile addition to this team. The rookie LW earned 43 points with 23 goals and 20 assists in his first season of Elite action. This was also Hermu's first full ECL season since ECL 12, when he played with FILADELPHIA ACADEMY in the Lite Division. He played four games with Polski Boys in the Pro division as a reserve during ECL '23 Spring, a team that later went on to win the championship that season. @xDoumi and @wengerii will also be key factors in this series, as they were the most puck-dominant defense pairing in the division during the regular season. The two combined for 339:26 of time with the puck and were the only duo in the division to both rank Top 10 in that stat for defensemen. This group also has @Kaz_zu in net, who ranked Top 5 in the division in save percentage (81.36 %) and saves made (336) of goalies that played at least 10 games. Had this team not dropped so many points to begin the season, they likely could've been in contention for the #2 or #3 seed, but losses to multiple of the Top 3 teams hurt them. Luckily for their sake, they bounced back valiantly and come into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the division. They may not be perfect, but this team feels like a truly scary #4 seed. Mustaa Kultaa Mustaa Kultaa enters the postseason as arguably the coldest playoff team of the bunch. In a matter of just two weeks, last season's finalists went from being 1st in the standings and battling with Last Dance and Mythix for the top seed, to falling out of the Top 4 entirely. They went 4-7-1 in their final 12 games to end the season, and none of those wins were against playoff teams. This is a disastrous way to end your season, and I think that Mustaa Kultaa was probably happy to see the two-week break on the schedule before beginning their postseason run. Despite their rough run of form to end the season, though, this is still last season's finalists, and they return 5 of the 6 players who took arguably the best team in ECL history to six games in the Finals series. The team's long-standing captain and RW @Allupekkaz was phenomenal in his second Elite season, leading Mustaa Kultaa with 57 points and 29 goals. His opposite side winger @x-_-BoBi-_-x has also been impactful since joining this team midseason. After struggling with EXEN to begin the season, registering just 8 points in his 8 games played, Bobi came in with Mustaa Kultaa in Week 3 and immediately rediscovered his offensive touch, earning 35 points and 26 goals in 18 games played with his new club. This will be a fun story to watch, as I'm sure that he will have chip on his shoulder facing off against his old club. Luckily, both sides seemed to benefit from the move, so I doubt that there should be too many hard feelings from either side. Similarly to their opposition, this group also has a defense pairing that loves to have the puck on their sticks, as @Miseee96 and @NuariJamal combined for 320:26 of time with the puck. Mustaa Kultaa was also one of two teams that utilized a true split of the goaltending duties during the regular season. both @LatveX and @karlssonadam_ have proven to be phenomenal starters, especially in the playoffs. These are the last two winners of the Rookie of the Season award, and they're undoubtedly one of the best goalie duos that you'll find throughout the ECL (along with Parasite's duo of Finsere and UhNikke). Karlssonadam had the slight edge statistically, posting an 82.49 SV% and 2.21 GAA in 14 starts. LatVex was not far behind, though, as in 16 starts he earned a 79.79 sv% and 2.44 GAA. You genuinely can't go wrong with either guy. These are two of the best young goalies in all of Europe, and they even both represented their country in the recent SG World Cup (LatVex with Finland, Karlssonadam with Sweden). It'll just be interesting to see how this team decides to handle their playing time. Prediction: There are so many different storylines that you can sink your teeth into with this series. Not only is it a great 4v5 matchup, but it's also a matchup between two teams that ended the season going in completely opposite directions, and even features a player who transferred mid-season facing off against his old team. You also have two really talented lineups that both play exciting, but also different styles of hockey. Both of these teams have reason to feel both optimistic and pessimistic about their chances. For example, EXEN took the second-most PIMs in the league (95) while also having the worst penalty kill (56%), something that could haunt them against a Mustaa Kultaa team that are fast-paced and love to be deceptive with the puck. Not a great combination for success. On the other side, Mustaa Kultaa is the worst face-off team in the division at 42.7%, while EXEN is the second-best team in this category at 52.65%. This could be detrimental for Mustaa Kultaa, as EXEN would be plenty happy to just him them in their own zone and pepper them with shots, where they rank fourth in the division. This series will be fun to watch, and it wouldn't surprise me to see either team advance. Mustaa Kultaa's end to the season is undoubtedly concerning, and EXEN have looked like a different team since adding Krike to the mix. I could easily be proven wrong, but I'm going to roll with the team that played the best at the end of the season. Time will tell whether their contrasting forms will carry over. Regardless of who wins, I'd be surprised to see this series end in less than six games. @bMaJuH: EXEN in 7 @Mozjayh: EXEN in 6 Want to keep up with everything happening in the ECL this season? Make sure to follow/subscribe to us on Twitch, YouTube, and X.

Note: The information in this article is based on the situation on Sunday morning. See the updated statistics below. PLAYOFF RACE HEADING INTO FINAL WEEK OF REGULAR SEASON With just one week to go before the end of the regular season, let's take a detailed look of where each team's postseason dreams, or relegation nightmares, stand heading into the games of the regular season. To make things a little more interesting, however, I decided to add in a different element to this article. I decided to embrace the power of modern technology and used ChatGPT to come up with the mathematical chance for each team to clinch a playoff spot, as well as every other general seeding possibility. These numbers are based on 10,000 different simulations of possible outcomes. This is the first time that I've decided to do something like this, so if it's something that you enjoyed, let us know and we'll consider doing more stuff like this in the future! We'll be looking at all 16 teams in the division and giving a short summary of where they stand, what the numbers tell us, and what the next week could look like as they get towards the end of their schedules. Hopefully you all enjoy, and make sure to tell us what you think will happen and what you thought of the article! Last Dance (51pts) - 1st in standings - 10 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 100% Chance To Finish 1-4: 99.98% Chance to Finish 5-8: 0.02% Chance to Finish 9-12: 0% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 0% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% Last Dance sit in a great position heading into the final week of the season. Not only have Last Dance all but clinched their place in the Top 4, but they have also pretty much clinched their place in the Top 4, barring a catastrophic end to the season. The next 10 games for Last Dance will be about strengthening their playoff positioning and looking to earn the #1 overall seed. The simulations gave them an 83.82% chance to clinch that top overall seed, the best of any team in the field. Based on their recent form (14-1-0 in their last 15 games) and their favorable remaining schedule, I'd tend to agree with those odds, and would maybe even argue that they should be higher. I'd personally expect for Last Dance to enter the playoffs at the #1 overall seed, barring a late-season slump, but at bare minimum, they should find themselves finishing somewhere in the 1-3 range. Remaining Series: Blackbirds, GOONS, vNexs, SSK ESPORTS and Tohtorit Mythix (46pts) - 2nd in standings - 10 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 100% Chance To Finish 1-4: 99.57% Chance to Finish 5-8: 0.43% Chance to Finish 9-12: 0% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 0% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% Similarly to Last Dance, Mythix have virtually clinched a playoff spot and should very likely make the Top 4, meaning that they are merely fighting for seeding over the next 10 games. Considering that this group finished 6th and 5th the past two seasons, clinching a playoff berth with 10 games to go is quite the impressive leap for this team. It'll be a tough task for them to pass Last Dance for the top spot and their series against Parasite will likely shake up their seed projections dramatically, but at bare minimum they should be able to go into the postseason with a place in the Top 4. If they do, it'll certainly be well deserved. They also still have a chance to finish a to finish at the top of the table. Simulations gave Mythix a 13.51% chance to do so, second-highest of any team. Remaining Series: vNexs, NOVA, Parasite, SSK ESPORTS and The Black Jacks Mustaa Kultaa (45pts) - 3rd in standings - 8 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 100% Chance To Finish 1-4: 95.97% Chance to Finish 5-8: 4.03% Chance to Finish 9-12: 0% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 0% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% Mustaa Kultaa is virtually a lock to make the playoffs, and are mostly playing to secure a Top 4 seed. They were able to do most of their work in the early to middle stages of the season, picking up 41 points in their first 18 games of the season. They also still have an outside shot to finish with the top overall seed, but simulations give them a slim chance to do so at just 0.86%, likely due to their limited amount of games left and the gap in points between them and Last Dance. They are the last team that is eligible to clinch the top spot. This group has cooled of a little bit over their last two series, as they were swept by SSK Esports and split their series with vNexs, but both teams are currently in playoff spots and are fighting hard to stay there, so those loses are nothing to be ashamed of. Their series against Parasite will undoubtedly be the biggest on their schedule and will likely be the difference between them finishing 4th or higher. Remaining Series: EXEN, Polski Boys, Parasite and Vapor Parasite - (42pts) - 4th in standings - 10 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 100% Chance To Finish 1-4: 96.19% Chance to Finish 5-8: 3.81% Chance to Finish 9-12: 0% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 0% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% As another lock to make the playoffs, Parasite is in position to not only clinch another Top 4 seed in the playoffs, but they also still have an inside track to finish 2nd with their two series against Mythix and Mustaa Kultaa coming up. They would need some help in order to secure the top seed, as the simulations only gave them a 1.81% chance. What also helps Parasite is that they're 8-2-0 in the last 10 games and have yet to lose back-to-back games all season, so based on how they've paced to this point, I'd be surprised to not see them move their way up in the standings before the regular season ends. Though you could argue that this team has the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the Top 4, you could also make the point that they have the best opportunity because of that. Passing up Last Dance will tough to pull off, but I do believe that finishing right behind them is a more likely possibility; especially if they can earn at least 4 points against Mythix. Remaining Series: GOONS, Mustaa Kultaa, Mythix, NOVA and Tohtorit Tohtorit - (36pts) - 5th in standings - 6 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 67.68% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0.13% Chance to Finish 5-8: 67.55% Chance to Finish 9-12: 31.42% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 2.0% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% This is where the "playoff hunt" really starts. Even though they currently sit 5th in the standings, Tohtorit's position is far from secured. Their situation actually reminds me a bit of the situation that GOONS and Polski Boys were in during the Winter season. A tough remaining schedule, very few games remaining, and a point tally that doesn't give them the comfort needed to drop many more points. Those two teams finished 8th and 9th in the standings respectively. Simulations seem relatively confident about Tohtorit's chances though, as their 67.6% chance to clinch ranks 8th amongst all 16 teams. The scary thing about where they stand is that there is a realistic chance that they could leave their last six games with no more than 6 points earned, as both Last Dance and Parasite are averaging over 4 standings points per series. That would give them 42 points in the standings, which would put them in a dangerous spot. Simulations projected that 46–48 points would be the mark for a team outside of the cutline to make their way into the Top 8. As of now, six of the bottom eight teams could realistically reach that threshold, though Blackbirds would have to win all of their remaining games to do so. Tohtorit need to steal some points against Last Dance and Parasite to feel good about their chances. Remaining Series: Heimo, Last Dance, and Parasite GOONS - (35pts) - 6th in standings - 4 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 7.43% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 7.43% Chance to Finish 9-12: 77.85% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 14.72% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0.03% Unfortunately for GOONS, their playoff hopes appear to be grim even though they enter the final week placed 6th in the standings. The problem that GOONS faces isn't just their remaining schedule against two of the toughest teams in the league, but it is also their lower point-tally and the limited chances that they have to earn more points. Because of this, simulations only had them clinch a playoff spot 7.43% of the time, giving them the 11th-best odds in the division. The most points that they will be able to earn is 47, and though any team can win on any given day, I have a hard time realistically seeing any team sweep both Last Dance and Parasite. GOONS also have been in a bit of a rut, as they're 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and have taken multiple losses to teams outside of the playoffs over the past two weeks, including Blackbirds, The Black Jacks and Vapor. Something that the simulations don't take account for. No team in the playoff picture will have to rely more on outside results than GOONS. When a team can't control it's own destiny, the less confident you can feel about their chances to make the field. This group looks bound for "no man's land", which is better than where they were a year ago when they were forced to play in a relegation playoff, but its still a step back from their performance a season ago where they were able to earn a playoff spot with 44 points. Remaining Series: Last Dance and Parasite EXEN - (32pts) - 7th in standings - 10 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 88.3% Chance To Finish 1-4: 4.02% Chance to Finish 5-8: 84.28% Chance to Finish 9-12: 11.34% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 0.36% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% Despite a slow start to the season, EXEN was able to dig themselves out of a early hole and now find themselves in a great position to earn its third-straight under the EXEN brand (sixth-straight playoff if you want to go back to its time as JYP Jyväskylä, though only one active player remains from that group). Their playoff chances would've been even higher if not for being swept by Polski Boys this past week, but it would still take a lot to go wrong for EXEN to not clinch a spot in the Top 8; especially with their remaining schedule being primarily against non-playoff teams. Their 88.3% chance to clinch is 5th-highest of any team in the league and the highest of all of the teams that have yet to clinch a spot. They technically also have an outside chance to land in the Top 4, but it would require a wide range of circumstances that are highly unlikely. The goal for this team will be securing the 5th seed, something that feels very possible with where they currently stand and how well they have played as of late (7-2-1 in their last 10 games). Remaining Series: Heimo, Mustaa Kultaa, vNexs, NOVA and The Black Jacks vNexs - (30pts) - 8th in standings - 10 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 72.76% Chance To Finish 1-4: 1.22% Chance to Finish 5-8: 71.54% Chance to Finish 9-12: 25.9% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 1.34% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0% Though they currently hold the last available playoff spot, the simulations seemed to favor vNexs' chances of making it in, as their 71.54% ranks 7th. Similarly to EXEN, they even have a slim chance to make the Top 4, but it's high;y unlikely. Though I definitely agree that they've put themselves in a great position to make the Top 8, I also feel slightly more pessimistic than what the ChatGPT simulations seemed to. Now don't get me wrong, I like this vNexs team a lot. They have a ton of experience and have often played their best games during the last week or so of the season. My concern however is the inconsistency that has plagued this team at times. They're 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, and they've only earned maximum points in one series all season, and that was against a non-playoff team in Vapor. They've also dropped a pair of critical games to both Polski Boys and The Black Jacks, while splitting their most recent series with Blackbirds. It just feels like this team has missed out on some opportunities for points against teams below them in the standings, and this can often be the difference between making and missing the playoff at the end of the regular season. They also still have to play the two top teams in the standings in Last Dance and Mythix. Though I think they are capable of stealing some points out of those matchups, their playoff hopes will likely be determined by how they do in their series against EXEN and SSK ESPORTS, as both are only separated from vNexs by 3 points or less. Remaining Series: EXEN, Last Dance, Mythix, NOVA and SSK ESPORTS Heimo - (29pts) - 9th in standings - 10 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 61.77% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0.55% Chance to Finish 5-8: 61.22% Chance to Finish 9-12: 35.77% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 2.45% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0.01% After a promising first week of the season that saw Heimo near the top of the standings, the group hit a wall during the middle part of their season and now finds themselves on the outside looking in for a playoff spot. Simulations still had this team making it 61.77% of the time, but those are just the 9th-best odds, so their chances seem sort of split. GOONS and Tohtorit being in the position that they are in helps Heimo, but they will need to earn their way in by playing four teams that are all still fighting for positioning. I'll be honest in saying that I don't love how this group has looked over the last two weeks, as they're 4-5-1 in their last 10 contests and seem to be missing that offensive punch that they showed during the first week of the season. Despite this though, Heimo still controls their own destiny. They have 10 games remaining and won't need any help if they can take care of business on their own. As a playoff hopeful, you really can't ask for much more than that. Their most consequential games will undoubtedly be their series against EXEN, SSK ESPORTS and Tohtorit. Remaining Series: EXEN, NOVA, SSK ESPORTS, Tohtorit and Vapor Polski Boys - (29pts) - 10th in standings - 8 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 18.98% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 18.98% Chance to Finish 9-12: 67.72% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 13.28% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0.02% Though the simulations seemed to be less bullish on Polski Boys' playoff hopes at 18.98%, which ranks 10th, I personally think they have a slightly better chance when you consider their remaining schedule and their performance against teams around them in the standings. They recently swept EXEN and picked up 5 out of a possible 6 points in that series, which arguably saved their playoff hopes considering what the bubble currently looks like. Before that series, they had lost four-straight games against Last Dance and Mythix, so they really needed to find points and did exactly that against a fellow playoff hopeful. Interestingly enough, Polski Boys have a record of 9-5-2 against teams that are ranked lower than 5th in the standings. Their one major blemish was being swept by Vapor on April 17th, which could be what comes back to haunt them if they miss the Top 8. However, with three of their four remaining series being against teams bound for "no man's land" or a relegation playoff, there is some genuine opportunity for Polski Boys to make it into the playoffs, even if they will need a little bit of help from others to do so. Remaining Series: Blackbirds, Mustaa Kultaa, ONSE Esports and The Black Jacks Blackbirds - (28pts) - 11th in standings - 6 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 0.38% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 0.38% Chance to Finish 9-12: 32.71% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 65.86% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 1.05% Though mathematically Blackbirds still have a chance to make it into the playoffs, it would take collecting every point possible in their last six games along with numerous results from other teams to going in their favor. Despite their potential of being a sleeper to make the playoffs coming into the season, this is a team that had zero games of Elite Division experience prior to the Spring. That's a difficult thing to overcome, as the jump from Pro to Elite is a significant shift in skill and game style. It shouldn't be too shocking that Blackbirds have had to learn, grow and adjust as they get used to the division. First-time teams making playoff pushes such as Mustaa Kultaa last season, or SSK ESPORTS this season are exceptions, not the rule, and each of those teams had a least a few players in its lineup with prior Elite experience. I don't think it'd be fair to say that this is a disappointing result for Blackbirds, and a mid-table finish feels like a fair and reasonable result for a team that is still on the ascent in the Elite division. Despite all of this, Blackbirds have likely avoided finishing 16th barring a considerable collapse and a major run from some of the teams behind them. Their goal from this point forward will be to hold on to a Top 12 spot to avoid playing in a relegation series; though this won't be an easy task with games vs Last Dance and Polski Boys still on the horizon. Stealing some points in one of those series, along with earning the majority of points in their series with Vapor, will likely be the key to maintaining their spot. Blackbirds will need to keep a close eye on The Black Jacks and NOVA, as both have games in hand and a path to surpass them in the standings. They've seem to find a decent run of form recently going 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, which will help their cause. Remaining Series: Last Dance, Polski Boys and Vapor SSK ESPORTS - (27pts) - 12th in standings - 12 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 72.72% Chance To Finish 1-4: 2.37% Chance to Finish 5-8: 70.35% Chance to Finish 9-12: 25.55% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 1.72% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0.01% Coming into the final week with the best opportunity of any team outside of the playoffs, SSK ESPORTS are hoping to continue what has been a magical run in ECL 25 that goes all the way back to the final week of the Winter regular season in the Pro Division. Despite sitting in 11th, simulations actually give SSK a 72.72% chance to make the Top 8, one of the best odds of any team that hasn't clinched. You could argue that this is a little high considering their upcoming schedule, but the circumstances are mostly in their favor outside of that. The favorable simulation for SSK ESPORTS comes from the amount of games that they have remaining and the points they've already earned. They'll have two very tough series coming up against Last Dance and Mythix, as well as a series against a fellow playoff hopefuls Heimo and vNexs, but SSK fullly control their own playoff destiny and have proven this season that they can beat playoff caliber teams in this division. The group haven't played since April 27th, so we will have to see if they can continue their winning form, but 6-3-1 in your last 10 games is a pace that's good enough for this team to make the field. It won't be easy, but I personally believe that SSK ESPORTS will end up making it in. Even if they don't make the playoffs, the worst likely outcome for them would be a 9-12 finish, which is a very respectable result for an organization that was in the Pro Division a season ago. Remaining Series: Heimo, Last Dance, Mythix, vNexs, NOVA and Vapor The Black Jacks - (26pts) - 13th in standings - 8 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 3.1% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 3.1% Chance to Finish 9-12: 49.55% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 46.88% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 0.47% The Black Jacks still are alive in the playoff hunt according to the math, but their 3.1% chance don't make for great odds. Combining this with how they have faired against the current playoff teams this season, I have a hard time imagining a miracle run coming from this group over the next week. TBJ will not only need to win most of their remaining games in regulation, but they will also need some help around them in the process to have a realistic shot at the Top 8. Despite this though, they do have a realistic chance to avoid playing in the relegation playoff, which is huge with how successful the Pro division teams have seemed to be in those over the last couple of seasons. The Black Jacks are 5-3-2 in its last 10 games and have done enough to give themselves a chance to surpass Blackbirds for the 12th spot with having games in hand. It's not a given and they'll still be disappointed to have missed the playoffs for the first time since the ECL 23 Spring season (back when they were under the ZSC Esports brand), but avoiding a relegation series would be a small win nevertheless. Barring a miraculous run to close out the season, it'll be either "no man's land" or a relegation playoff to maintain their spot in the division. Their series with ONSE Esports will likely be a big factor to their fate at the end of the regular season. Similarly to Blackbirds, they will also need to keep a close eye on NOVA's results over the next week. Remaining Series: EXEN, Mythix, ONSE Esports and Polksi Boys ONSE Esports - (22pts) - 14th in standings - 6 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 0% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 0% Chance to Finish 9-12: 0.42% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 67.71% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 31.87% ONSE Esports have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after going 2-7-1 in its last 10 games. Similarly to Blackbirds, this is a new team to the Elite division. In fact, they earned their way into Elite the week before the season started by winning in a qualifier. However, a tough stretch with only three wins since April 16th ultimately sunk their chances at a playoff berth, and they will now likely be fighting to maintain their spot in the division for next season. Their best chance is hoping to climb into a 9-12 spot, and even that feels like a tough battle that'll likely be decided between themselves, Blackbirds, NOVA and The Black Jacks. Luckily for ONSE Esports, they play the latter two teams to end the season and both are behind them in the standings. However, those two teams also both have games hand and they will still need Blackbirds to drop at least two regulation games while also staying ahead of each of the teams behind them. They will also need to keep an eye on Vapor, as even though the simulations seem to be on their side in terms of automatic relegation, a few wins from Vapor to end the season combined more losses from ONSE could see them slide down to that 16th spot and out of the Elite Division for next season. It's not impossible for them to avoid a relegation scenario altogether, but it'll be a tall order. With where things currently stand, I don't favor their chances and neither did the simulations. ONSE Esports will likely be playing in a relegation series unless things turn in their favor. And unfortunately, automatic relegation isn't out of the question just yet either. Remaining Series: NOVA, Polski Boys and The Black Jacks Vapor - (17pts) - 15th in standings - 8 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 0% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 0% Chance to Finish 9-12: 0.33% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 36.56% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 63.11% As things stand, Vapor have the highest odds of finishing 16th in the standings and being relegated from the Elite division. Though Vapor isn't a team that was viewed as a playoff favorite heading into the season, it at least seemed like a team that could compete for a spot and would like end up middle of the table, as they have plenty of experience throughout their lineup and brought in some respectable transfers. This unfortunately hasn't come to fruition, as they're eliminated from playoff contention and would likely need to earn at least 16 points to avoid playing in the relegation playoff, and even then their place in the Top 12 wouldn't be safe. Their schedule is also a bit of a mixed bag between playoff hopefuls and a team currently ranked in the Top 4 in Mustaa Kultaa. I still believe that this team has talent in its lineup and their experience could be helpful to them in their fight as well. But with NOVA being just two points behind them and having six more games to play, Vapor is in serious danger of relegation. Even if they are able to avoid the dreaded last-place finish, they will still more than likely have to earn their keep in the division against one of the best teams in the Pro Division. Remaining Series: Blackbirds, Heimo, Mustaa Kultaa and SSK ESPORTS. NOVA - (15pts) - 16th in standings - 14 games remaining Chance to Clinch a Playoff Berth: 6.88% Chance To Finish 1-4: 0% Chance to Finish 5-8: 6.88% Chance to Finish 9-12: 41.44% Chance to Play Relegation Playoff: 48.22% Chance to Be Automatically Relegated: 3.46% Don't let their place in the standings fool you, NOVA are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, and they actually still have a fair chance at avoiding a relegation playoff series as well. We weren't able to give this team much shine in the midseason report since they had only played 10 games at the time, but since then, they've been able to play six games and actually managed to go 3-2-1 in those contests. Because of this, along with their league-high 14 games left to play, the simulations actually had NOVA qualify for the playoffs 6.88% of the time and gave them a very good chance to avoid finishing 16th. Though their percentage to make the Top 8 was 12th-highest of all teams, I'll admit that a playoff spot doesn't seem very likely to happen for this group. The simulations suggest that NOVA will need to earn roughly 33 points to make the field, which means that they can only afford to take three more losses at most (regulation or overtime). It would take a serious run of form for them to make that happen, and I just don't know how realistic it is for them to win 11 of their last 14 games against the teams that they have to play against. However, I do think that NOVA are a team that could manage to avoid a relegation series if they can play the way they did this past week or even improve on that. They kept their series with Last Dance rather close, falling 3-2 and 5-3 in regulation. They split their series with The Black Jacks, earning 4 out of 6 possible points with a regulation win and an overtime loss. Their most important result was probably their series sweep over Vapor, as they collected 5 out of 6 points over the team that is currently just two points ahead of them in the standings. These are things that the simulations didn't take into consideration, so you could maybe even argue that their 41.44% could be slightly higher than what it is. Other than Mythix and Parasite, every team left on their schedule is either around the playoff bubble, or trying to earn their way into "no man's land". It's not impossible for them to make the playoff field, but I do believe that their path to a 9-12 spot is much more realistic. They're projected to need roughly 18 more points to avoid a relegation playoff, and they have 42 possible points still available to them. That equates to 6 regulation wins in 14 games. This feels doable, and though it won't be easy by any means, I think that they have reasons to feel good about their chances to make it happen. Remaining Series: EXEN, Heimo, Myhthix, vNexs, ONSE Esports, Parasite and SSK Esports Want to keep up with everything happening ECL in the this season? Make sure to follow/subscribe to SportsGamerGG on Twitch, YouTube and X.

As most of the divisions have officially reached the half way point of the season, the Elite Division table is beginning to take shape and the playoff picture is becoming clearer. With most of the league having played over 15 games, let's take a quick look at each team and how they've done during the first half of the season. We'll be going in order of the standings as of Monday, April 28th. At the end, I'll then rank these teams into different tiers to evaluate where they stand after the first half of the season. Mythix (46pts) - 1st in standings - 10 games remaining Though I wouldn't say that this team is the biggest surprise of the season, I will say that Mythix have definitely surpassed expectations three weeks into the season. Sitting in first place and sporting the division's second-highest scoring offense at 3.6 goals per game, Mythix have made a statement and have introduced themselves into the tier of championship contenders. Three of their skaters currently take up the Top 5 spots in points. @Sokkelo__ is leading the division in points (48) and goals (28), @temppanen is third in the division with 45 points, and @WeDuX_ is leading the division in assists (39) and has 11 more points than any other defenseman with 43. This team has taken a sizable step forward this season and should undoubtedly be commended for that. They've lost just 4 games all season and 3 of those have come against Last Dance (swept in the series with two regulation losses) and Mustaa Kultaa. Two of those losses were also by just one goal. I do think that they still have to prove that they can beat the expected championship contenders, but they have dominated many of the teams in the middle and bottom of the standings. Their biggest remaining series will be against Parasite, so they'll have their chance to prove that they can do so over the next two weeks. Considering that the highest team that they play in the standings outside of that is SSK ESPORTS in 7th, things line up favorable for Mythix to secure their best regular season finish in club history. Mustaa Kultaa (45pts) - 2nd in standings - 8 games remaining The biggest question for Mustaa Kultaa coming into this season was whether or not they'd be able to replicate to magical Winter campaign and so far, they look on pace to do so. Though they have cooled off a tad over the past two series, they find themselves squarely in the Top 4 for a second straight season and seem on pace to likely stay there. The group has gotten solid production from their usual core, with @Allupekkaz leading the way in points (37) and goals (22). Their defensive pairing of @NuariJamal and @Miseee96 have also been amongst the division's most productive, as Mustaa Kultaa have allowed a division-low 1.86 goals per game. Their steady goaltending duo of @LatveX and @karlssonadam_ also deserve a ton of credit for this, as both currently rank Top 10 in save percentage. The sudden and surprising transfer of @x-_-BoBi-_-x has also proven to be a fruitful addition for last season's Finalists. The Finnish LW has put up 22 points and 19 goals in his 10 games with Mustaa Kultaa since transferring from EXEN on April 22nd. This is a stark contrast in production from his time with EXEN, where he had just 8 points in 8 games played. Though every team in the division other than GOONS have games in hand over Mustaa Kultaa, they look well positioned to earn another high seed in the standings. A strong finish to their schedule will be key, as they'll face multiple teams who are in the thick of the playoff hunt and just outside of the Top 8. They will also have a critical series against Parasite, which could very well help determine the Top 4 seeds. Parasite (39pts) - 3rd in standings - 12 games remaining The defending champions have been as efficient as ever, losing just three games through their first 18 and only losing one game by more than a goal. Though they haven't replicated their ridiculous scoring numbers from a season ago, Parasite still find themselves with the third-best GF/GP at 3.33, pairing it with the second-best GA/GP at 1.89. The usual names for this team have stepped up with balanced efforts, though surprisingly, not a single Parasite skater ranks in the Top 15 in points, as @Beniittto leads the team with 35 points, which ranks tied for 18th. @Vattuyy however has emerged as one of the division's top goal scorers again however. His 23 goals ties for third-most in the division and leads a Parasite team that is loaded with talented scorers. They also lead the league in shots per game at 19.8. @uhNikke and @FINSeRe have once again been stellar sharing the goaltending duties for this team, with both being above an 80sv% and helping to backstop one of the best defensive teams in the division. Though they might not be winning in as flashy of fashion as they did a season ago, none of that really matters in the grand scheme of things. This team wins and they win a lot. They'll likely continue to do so in the home stretch of the season. They have three critical series coming up with 3 of the Top 5 teams in the division, as they still have to face off with Mustaa Kultaa, Mythic and Tohtorit over the next two weeks. After splitting their series with Last Dance this past week, Parasite have put themselves in a great position to secure a Top 2 seed. Last Dance (39pts) - 4th in standings - 14 games remaining Possibly the most impressive team of the bunch this season, Last Dance are currently on pace to finish 2nd in the Elite standings based on points per game, and have more games in hand than any of the current playoff teams. The big story for this group coming into the season was the significant changes that it made to its lineup, as they added @NikkeDangles and @Puantso to join @Eki in its forward group. Those three have been as great as advertised, averaging 3.63 goals per game, which ranks best in the division. The most compelling part about this team is that they do this without shooting the puck that often, as they average just 13.8 shots on net per game; showing that though they don't create a high volume of chances, the ones that they do create are high quality. As the old saying goes, quality over quantity. Outside of a 7-1 loss to Heimo in its second game of the season, Last Dance have yet to really see a bad result They swept their series' against Mythix and Mustaa Kultaa, split its series with Parasite and have lost just three total games this season, with one of those being an overtime loss. This team has everything that you want in a top-tier Elite division team. Skill, experience, good offense, stout defense, and the proven ability of being able to beat their fellow top teams. Tohtorit (36pts) - 5th in standings - 8 games remaining Even though Tohtorit currently sit 5th in the standings and look on track to make the playoffs, I can't help but feel like the first half of their season has been a little disappointing. This team brought back its entire starting lineup for a third straight season and were coming off of a Winter campaign where they finished 2nd in the regular season and made it to the Semifinals run before falling to Mustaa Kultaa. Unfortunately, a slow start to the season really plagued this group early, as they had lost 7 of their first 10 games to begin the season. In Tohtorit's defense, six of those losses were by just one goal, and five of them were in overtime. Since then, they've been able to steady the ship, going 5-4-1 in their last 10 games as of Monday. Still, though, this group has undeniably taken a step back from a season ago. Their GF/GP has gone from 2.79 in the Winter, to 2.50 in the Spring, which ranks just 10th in the Division Last season, they were ranked 6th. Their GA/GP has also jumped from 2.04 to 2.41, though to their credit, this still ranks Top 5 in the division, so it's not as if they have been bad defensively by any means. In terms of the positives, their captain @Ojala16 has put together another fine season at the LW spot, as he ranks second in Elite in both points (41) and goals (24). @Ricco (KDoneof1) has also recently stepped up in between the pipes. He's played in each of Tohtorit's last six games and has posted a 5-1-0 record with an 85.2% save percentage and a 1.33 GAA. He has also recorded two shutouts. I'm not ready to count this team out yet, but I can't say that I feel nearly as confident about their status as a championship contender as I did when the season began. Just 3 of their 11 total wins are against current playoff teams, which isn't particularly inspiring for a team of Tohtorit's caliber. Their last four series are against Last Dance, Parasite, EXEN, and Heimo. All of these teams could very well be in the playoffs in two weeks time and two of them are ranked in the Top 4 currently. These will be critical points that Tohtorit cannot afford to drop, so if they can find a way to secure at least 15 points out of that series (24 points are the maximum possible), then I'll feel a little better about where this team is heading into the playoffs. For now, I'm going to feel more reserved about how far this team can go. GOONS (33pts) - 6th in standings - 6 games remaining With the least amount of games remaining of any team in the division, GOONS find themselves in a rather similar spot as they did this time last season. In the playoff hunt, and holding onto a playoff spot for dear life. This team has been plagued by inconsistencies this year; going on runs of losing followed by runs of winning. Their longest winning streak this season is three, while their current four-game losing streak is their longest drought of the season. It's just difficult to earn points when you can't gain a consistent run of winning form. GOONS are playing their typical unique style of hockey. They constantly rip shots on net, they fly up and down the ice, and they lay down punishing hits that are a burden for opponents to handle. They lead the league in hits with 881, which is more than double the amount of any other team in the division. They also average 15.8 shots per game, which ranks second only behind Parasite, and they are the fifth-highest scoring team in Elite at 2.88 GF/GP. @tkantola has put together another solid season with 47 points in 24 games, which leads the team and currently ranks second in the entire division. Along with Kantola, each of their three forwards have scored 20+ goals this season, as he, @Xkeineri and @Lekxsa_70 each rank Top 10 in the division as of now. They did see a significant player transfer out in @kriketski17, who moved over to EXEN on April 20th. Kirk was one of GOONS' most productive players during his 12 games with the club, compiling 17 points, 137, and a +6 plus/minus. Their last three series are against Last Dance, Parasite, and The Black Jacks. Considering this, their limited games remaining and just an eight-point gap over 9th place, their playoff hopes feel up in the air as of now. They also look like a team that is trending in the wrong direction, as GOONS are just 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. Regardless of how they finish, they should more than likely avoid having to play in a relegation series, barring a major run from one of the teams that are currently in the bottom four. SSK ESPORTS (27pts) - 7th in standings - 12 games remaining I want to start out by apologizing to SSK ESPORTS. If you go back to the ECL Season Preview, I picked this team to finish last in the standings and said that the goal for this group would simply be growing and improving at the Elite level. Fast forward to Week Four, and SSK ESPORTS are firmly in the playoff hunt. A part of media is being honest, which sometimes means admitting when a peer or team proves you wrong. This team has done exactly that, so I want to make sure to give them their flowers this time around. It's certainly well-deserved. SSK ESPORTS have been one of the best offensive teams in the division during the first half of the season, averaging 2.94 goals for per game, which ranks fourth-best in Elite. They also sport the league third-strongest power play at 38.1%. This group also has a balance offensive attack and can produce all over the ice, as four of their five skaters have already reached the 30-point mark this season. One of the biggest keys to this teams success has been the production that they have seen from their transfers, specifically their midseason moves. @bystrom___ has proven to be a key addition for this team, as his 30 points ranks third in the division for defensemen. He came over from Unwanted in the offseason and has fit in seamlessly with some familiar faces. Their two midseason additions of @xcurhed and @Adam2 have proven to be especially fruitful. These two started the season with Brynäs IF Esport in the Pro Division and came into this season without a single game of Elite division experience. Fast forward to today, and Curhed currently leads this team in points (38) and goals (20), while Adam has been an efficient, two-way defenseman who has gelled seamlessly with Bystrom and has been a key piece to their defensive structure. Additionally, SSK have also shown that they can compete with other playoff-caliber teams, as they split their series with Tohtorit, GOONS, EXEN, and Polski Boys. Their most impressive feat this season came on Sunday, as they were able to sweep their series with Mustaa Kultaa and collected 5 out of 6 points. SSK still has some tough series to play against Last Dance and Mythix and two critical series against vNexs and Heimo, but they've positioned themselves well to secure a Top 8 spot and still have a series against two of the division's bottom three teams in Vapor and The Black Jacks. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 game,s and if they can continue their current form, I don't see any reason why they can't end up with a respectable playoff seeding. vNexs (27pts) - 8th in standings - 12 games remaining Currently holding onto the eighth and final playoff spot as of this writing, vNexs have had a season mixed with ups and downs. The team have only gotten one series sweep, which was their two wins over Vapor, but they have managed to find their way to points in most of their series; as they've been able to earn at least one standings point in all of their series so far. They may not be a team that blows you away with blowout wins and lengthy winning streaks, but they consistently find their way to 1-4 points in every series they play in, and that adds up late in the season. In terms of individual performers, their forward trio of @AntonLxnd, @pappeen- and @antoniomannen004 have been the team's primary point producers this season, with each of them eclipsing 30+ points and no other skater on their team having more than 12. AntonLxnd leads the way for this team in both points (40) and assists (24), which each rank Top 10 in the division. @Skumboo has also been one of the division's most impressive goalies thus far, as his 84.56% save percentage ranks Top 5 in the league and second amongst goalies with at least 10 games played, trailing only karlssonadam from Mustaa Kultaa. He should be a candidate and a frontrunner for Goaltender of the Season if he is able to keep up his production. They've hit a bit of a slide in their last 10 games, posting a record of 4-2-4 during that time, but they're still accruing points, which is the important thing. With where they are with just a couple of weeks to go in the season, those points may be the difference between a playoff spot and no-man's land for a vNexs team that are looking to make it back into the Top 8 for the first time since ECL 24 Winter. EXEN (25pts) - 9th in standings - 14 games remaining After a scarily slow start to the season that saw this team ranked last in the standings for a breath period of time, EXEN have turned things around since Week One and find themselves in great form and arguably as one of the hottest teams in the division as of now. For context, this team lost six of their first eight games of the season, with all of those being regulation losses. They only earned 4 points out of a possible 24 points during that stretch. That is a run that's bad enough to seriously damage a team's season, but EXEN have completely flipped the script since and have gotten themselves in the thick of the playoff race halfway through the season. For lack of a better term, this team is weird on statically. They're 11th in the division in GF/GP, but 6th in GA/GP. Their 39.13% power play is second-best in Elite, but their 51.61% penalty kill is the worst in Elite by over 16%. They've also taken the fourth most PIMS in the division at 57. This group are really hard to figure out, and it's tough to tell whether or not they're a team that is just good enough to make the playoffs, a good enough to make a run, or if they're even a playoff team at all. Outside of their recent addition of @kriketski17, @Pikkarii has been far and away EXEN's most productive and consistent player. The center and former Elite division champion leads EXEN with 29 points and 20 assists this season. Behind him, the previously mentioned Krike, who joined EXEN a week ago and is already tied for the team lead in goals with 12 and tied for second in points with 19. @Kaz_zu has also quietly had another really impressive season, posting an 83.13% save percentage while starting all 16 games for EXEN. He should be an early candidate for goaltender of the season as things stand. If I'm being honest, I really don't know what exactly to think of this team. Only three of their nine total wins have come against teams currently in the playoffs, and they have a tough schedule remaining despite so many games in hand. Their series against the likes of vNexs, Polski Boys, and Heimo will be battles between bubble teams, while they will likely hope to steal points against a pair of current playoff teams in Mustaa Kultaa and Tohtorit. This group is really hard to figure out, and it's tough to tell whether or not they're a team that is just good enough to make the playoffs, a team that is good enough to make a run, or if they're even a playoff team at all. I guess time will tell! Blackbirds (25pts) - 10th in standings - 8 games remaining Though Blackbirds were viewed as a potential playoff sleeper heading into the season, the team has run into some of the expected growing pains that you see as a team that had zero games of Elite division experience in its lineup coming into the season. Having gotten to call this team's games multiple times on broadcast this season, I think that they've proven that they belong in the division. They're often competitive and keep games close, but seem to lack the consistent play to truly maximize their potential right now. They currently rank in the middle-to-lower end of the league in just about every single statistic and they haven't really created any significant strengths in those areas to help set them apart from other teams in the division. This ultimately hurts them in close games, and though they do keep many of their games close, they seem to be missing that one key element or play to turn those games into wins consistently. In fact, 5 of their 12 regulation losses so far are by one goal, and they've only taken one overtime loss this season while winning three overtime games. Those are critical points lost, and with where they currently stand in the table, it could likely be what hurts their playoff chances at the end of the season. This is the difference between them and teams such as vNexs or Tohtorit, who, despite not having the most wins, have placed themselves in a playoff position due to their ability to accumulate points in each series, even if it's only just two or three. @aomyo6195 and @sopulii_ have both been standouts at forward for this team this season. Aomyo has led the way with 41 points and 20 assists, while Sopuli is right behind him with 38 points and has scored a team-high 22 goals. Aomyo is currently Top 10 in the division in points and both of them currently rank Top 10 in goals. Both of them will likely be in the Rookie of the Season race at this current pace. @Lakritsipiippu has also been stellar for this team in goal. Since transferring from ONSE Esports after Week One, Lakritsipiippu has put up an 82.76% save percentage and a 2.78 GAA in 18 starts with the team. His total save percentage this season of 83.33% in 22 starts ranks him Top 5 in the division and third amongst goalies with at least ten games played. He could very well be a Goaltender of the Season and Rookie of the Season candidate in June. They ended a seven-game losing streak recently and have responded by winning four of their last six games, with three of those wins being against current playoff teams GOONS and Tohtorit, so they are showing improvement and are trending in the right direction at the right time. They have a difficult series on the horizon against Last Dance, but the remainder of their series are against teams on the playoff bubble or outside of it, as they'll play against vNexs, Polski Boys and Vapor. They will likely need to win at least six of these games to feel good about their playoff chances, as most of the teams around them have games in hand. But if they can at least avoid a relegation series, that will be a respectable result for an inexperienced team in their first Elite season. Polski Boys (24pts) - 11th in standings - 12 games remaining Another season, another tight playoff hunt for Polski Boys. It feels like this group consistently finds themselves in this position, whether that's for better of for worse. You can't help but respect it, this team consistently is in the thick of the race in Europe's toughest 6v6 competition, but at the same time, this is their fourth season in Elite, and they've yet to make a playoff appearance in their time here. Sooner than later, you'd hope to see them elevate and take that next step. They're still in the position to do so, but they certainly haven't made their job easy. Losing 5 of their first 6 games to start the season hampered this team early, but they've found their stride since and have earned series sweeps against current playoff teams Tohtorit, vNexs, and GOONS. They also managed to split their series with another playoff team in SSK ESPORTS. This sets Polski Boys up well in what is a tightly contested race, and could be a key factor for them at the end of the season. Though Polski Boys have struggled a bit on their own end, allowing 2.78 GA/GP and being 70% on the PK, their offensive game has been able to make up for it and ranks amongst some of the division's top teams, as they are tied for 6th with 2.83 GF/GP. Speaking of offense, Polski Boys are arguably one of the most balanced offensive teams in the division, as each of their five skaters have tallied 20+ points this season. @cTunkeilija leads this team in points (35) and assists (21), while the long-time captain @Brockela22 is the team's leading goal scorer at 16. Polski Boys have some tough series coming up, as they'll have to go up against two of the division's best teams in Last Dance and Mustaa Kultaa before the season ends, however, they will have some opportunities for points against fellow bubble teams such as EXEN, Blackbirds and ONSE Esports. Though they have a few teams that they'll need to pass, their remaining schedule is reasonable and they only sit 3 points outside of the final playoff spot as things stand. This team missed the postseason by just a single point a season ago and were bounced from the last available playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. They'll have the chance to rectify that heartbreak over the next two weeks. Heimo (23pts) - 12th in standings - 12 games remaining After a hot start to the regular season that saw them average 4 goals for per game during their first six games, Heimo have hit a rough patch and find themselves at a familiar crossroads, looking up at multiple teams in the playoff chase and posting a record of 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. It's disappointing to see how drastically their form has dipped after such a promising start to the season, as they've gone from one of the division's hottest teams, to arguably its coldest at the most important time of the season. Since that six-game start to the season, Heimo have earned just 10 points in their 12 games since. That's 10 points out of a possible 36 that they could've earned. As mentioned earlier with EXEN, stretches like this can doom a team's playoff aspirations, and Heimo are now in a situation where not only are they in the thick of a tight playoff hunt, but they are also looking for answers on how to recapture their early-season form. Similarly to Polski Boys, this team is a balanced offensive team, with each of their five skaters having 20+ points so far this season. The right side of the ice has been where their best point production has come, however, as their starting RW @Eeemill_ and RD @KingOfApes_ are tied for the team lead in points with 28, with Eeemil leading the team with 16 goals and KingOfApes leading the way in assists with 21. Where they have really struggled, however, is defensively, as their 3.44 GA/GP is the second-highest in the league, only ranking better than GOONS who average 3.5. Though I believe that this team has the skill and experience to make a push for a playoff spot, and they aren't that far behind at just a four-point gap, their recent play doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence in them being able to turn things around. I do believe that their schedule favors them, as the highest team in the standings that they'll face for the rest of the season is Tohtorit in 5th. Everyone else that they play is either behind them in the standings, or within four points. In other words, they still control their own destiny, and it wouldn't be wise to count them out, however, they need to find the answers to their struggles and fast. They simply can't afford to drop any more points with so many critical series coming up, especially against fellow bubble teams such as SSK ESPORTS, EXEN, and ONSE Esports. ONSE Esports (22pts) - 13th in standings - 8 games remaining This is where I feel like the playoff cutline becomes a bit muddier. Though it's not impossible for ONSE Esports to make their way into the Top 8, they will need a near flawless run to end the season, as well as for a few results to likely go their way. I know that five points isn't a large gap, but they have multiple teams ahead of them with games in hand and aren't as close to the cut line as a team like Blackbirds, who are in the same position. This team is also in the same situation as Heimo to where they are arguably one of the coldest team in the division right now, as they're also 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. Though ONSE have been good enough on their own end, lack of offensive production has severely plagued the team so far this season.They average a league-worst 1.54 goals for per game, average just 10.9 shots per game, and have the second-worst power play in the division at 12%. They -23 goal differential also ranks last in the division currently. Though I feel like this group have shown potential at certain points of the season, these aren't the numbers of a playoff team, and it'll likely keep them out barring a significant change in form to end the season. In terms of positive things with this group, @Hulkkoo is someone that I believe deserves much more credit than he has likely received for his work this season. Hulkkoo has stepped up admirably and has arguably been ONSE's best player this season, as in 18 starts he's posted an 80.23% save percentage while playing on a team that has struggled to support him offensively. He's been a long-time staple for this team during their time in the Pro Division under the Ismon Valinta branding, so it's nice to see him proving himself in what is his first season in the Elite division. Outside of him, ONSE have just two players on its roster with 20+ points in @Puosu_ and @Jusu121. The one thing going in this team's favor over its next eight games is that none of their opponents are currently playoff teams. Two of those teams are even behind them in the standings. Though there are no easy game in the Elite division, their remaining strength of schedule of one of the weakest in the Division in terms of record and will give them the opportunity to play teams right around their place in the standings and could help get them out of a relegation series if they can take advantage. I personally don't see this team having a true chance to make the playoffs at this point, but if they can at least are their way into "no man's land", their first season in the Elite division will be ashamed of. The Black Jacks (17pts) - 14th in standings - 14 games remaining Though it may not be too surprising to some with the significant losses to their roster, I honestly didn't expect this team to have such a steep drop-off after making the playoffs just a season ago. Typically, The Black Jacks are right in the playoff mix this time of season; instead, they seem to be fighting for their right to even stay in the Elite division altogether. Both their offensive and defensive production have completely dipped this season, with both ranking fourth-worst in the division at 2.06 GF/GP and 3.19 GA/GP. The weirdest thing about this team is that they actually have been the definition of a see-saw. TBJ have alternated sweeps in each of their last five series. Two straight wins followed by two straight losses. Like clockwork. It's just tough to really get any momentum going in the standings when you continually alternate results like this, especially when those losses are mostly in regulation. Team captain @Timasy has primarily led the way for the group, leading the team in points (24), goals (11), assists (13) and game-winning goals (3). @ProfaneKiss has also proven to be a rather solid transfer addition with 20 points of his own. I hate to talk too much about former players, especially considering the circumstances in this case, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the obvious difference in The Black Jacks this season in comparison to past seasons. This team undoubtedly is not the same without@Keuschemisch. He had been a catalyst for so much of its offensive production over the years and even led this team in points in each of the last four seasons. It's difficult to replace a player of his caliber, but especially one that as so important to this team's system and play style offensively. This team just hasn't seemed to find the right adjustments yet to supplement that loss, and it's turned them into a pedestrian offensive team that can only afford to allow one or two goals to win games. They have more games in hand than many of the teams ahead of them and most of them are against teams in or around the playoff bubble, so TBJ isn't dead yet, but it's going to take them finding the answers to major questions that they haven't seemed to solve yet, and they are running out time to find those answers. Vapor (16pts) - 15th in standings - 10 games remaining This is another team that I didn't expect to have such a steep fall off. Vapor, formerly TIKI TALK, found themselves just outside of the playoffs last season and didn't even have to worry about playing in a relegation series. However, a few key roster loses always left the possibility for things to change, either for the better or for the worst. Unfortunately for Vapor, the latter has come to fruition. As of now, Vapor look like they will be out of the playoff and will be fighting for a spot in "no man's land", which at this rate, also seems like it could be out of reach as they trail 12th place by seven points with just 10 games remaining. Oddly enough, this team has actually run into the opposite problem that it ran into last season. Instead of being a high-end offensive team that struggled to keep other teams from scoring on them, now they are a stout defensively team that has serious struggles when it comes to generating offense. This team only allows 2.6 goals against per game, which actually ranks them 7th in the division and is ahead of multiple current playoff teams. However, they have the second-lowest GF/GP in the division at 1.75 and only average 11.8 shots per game. This is a significant dip for a team that returns multiple pieces from a group that averaged 3.11 GF/GP and ranked 4th in Elite in that category. Similarly to The Black Jacks, the loss of the heart of their offensive structure is a key reason for why there's been such a drop off in production. The team's two top point-getters in PardyTime and TeMex both departed the team in the offseason, and with those two, also went a combined 60 goals scored between them. 69% of their goals scored as a team last season came from those two players. That is a massive thing to have overcome, and unfortunately for Vapor, it just hasn't happened thus far. @Pensasmies leads the team in points as a defenseman with 24 points through 20 games. Despite the rough season overall for the team, they should be pleased with the performance from their goaltending duo of @I-Bysse-I and @Gresu__, as both are above an 80% save percentage while each playing 10 games this season. Unfortunately, this team's playoff hopes are pretty much dashed. Though they aren't officially eliminated mathematically, it would take miraculous circumstances for this team to make the Top 8. They still have critical games on the horizon against Blackbirds, Heimo and NOVA, who each could be fighting for spots to avoid a relegation series if they aren't able to make late playoff pushes. Otherwise, Vapor will unfortunately be playing for their place in the division for next season. NOVA (6pts) - 16th in standings - 20 games remaining It's tough to really judge this team, as they've only played in 10 games and haven't played a game since April 16th. Unfortunately for this team, what we saw from them in their first few series was not necessarily impressive. NOVA went 2-7-1 during that 10-game stretch with just one of those wins being in regulation. In their defense, six of those games were against current playoff teams in Mustaa Kultaa, Tohtorit and GOONS, while the other games were against teams just outside of the playoffs, Blackbirds and Polski Boys. They've been riddled with roster changes, as their two top point producers in @Easychasniper2 and @LaxenHD have each departed to new teams over the last two weeks. This team has so many games left to play that you can't really rank them properly right now. They have a ton of series' left against teams on or around the playoff bubble, and there is a wide range of possibilities for this group as of now. The positive is that they control their own destiny and have more games in hand than any other team in the division. The negative is that they've had to make significant roster changes midseason that they didn't expect, and they really struggled to start the season. I'll be honest that their circumstances aren't favorable, but maybe the time off and some fresh ideas within their lineup will do them some good. I apologize that I don't have more to say on this team, but it's hard to give a fair assessment with how little they've played compared to the rest of the division. Midseason Power Rankings & Tiers These power rankings are merely opinions and are based on how the teams have performed up to this point, as well as the teams that they have played against during that span. This is not a playoff or final standings prediction. Please do not take it personally where I ranked your team. I did this purely for fun and to maybe generate conversation for others to give their opinions, it's nothing personal and is all in good spirit! BEST OF THE REST (CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS): 1. Last Dance 2. Mythix 3. Parasite 4. Mustaa Kultaa LIKELY PLAYOFF TEAM (BUT NOT DEFINITE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS): 5. Tohtorit FRINGE PLAYOFF TEAMS (TRENDING UPWARDS): 6. SSK ESPORTS 7. EXEN FRINGE PLAYOFF TEAMS (NOT HOT OR COLD RIGHT NOW): 8. vNexs 9. Polski Boys FRINGE PLAYOFF TEAMS (BUT I HAVE CONCERNS): 10.GOONS 11. Blackbirds 12. Heimo LIKELY OUT OF THE HUNT (HOPING TO FINISH 9-12): 13. ONSE Esports 14. The Black Jacks 15. Vapor INCOMPLETE (CAN'T FAIRLY RANK AT THE MOMENT): NOVA Want to keep up with everything happening ECL in the this season? Make sure to follow/subscribe to SportsGamerGG on Twitch, YouTube and X.

ECL ELITE - WEEK ONE STORYLINES We're seven days into the ECL '25: Spring season and are already seeing storylines develop across the Elite division. We've seen everything from early-season surprises (both good and bad), to significant transfers that could very well change to outlook of a team's season. Considering all of that, let's take a look at some of the biggest storylines that we saw take place throughout the first week of action in the Elite Division. Also, thanks again to @Mozjayh for his contributions to this week's article! Defending Champs Looking To Recapture Last Season's Magic As of this writing, Parasite has scored just 13 goals despite registering a staggering 129 shots on net. That is an average of 2.17 goals on 21.5 shots per game. Even though we all know that the goals will come eventually, this is the total opposite of what we saw from this team last season. During the Winter season, Parasite averaged 5.32 goals for per game, which is an ECL record. The team's newest addition, Aaro, has also been held scoreless in their first 6 games. Despite the team's slow start offensively, its defense and goaltending have made up for it plenty, as Parasite has the fewest goals allowed per game by a landslide at 1. This shouldn't be anything to worry about. Parasite is one of the best teams in the world and its only change in the lineup was replacing one of Europe's best wingers (NikkeDangles) with another one of Europe's best wingers (Aaro). They will find their scoring touch eventually and when they do, this will be a non-story. After all, it's not like they aren't creating chances. Still, though, it's something to keep an eye on considering how steep of a drop it is from their Winter season goals number. Tohtorit's Surprisingly Slow Start After back-to-back seasons of finishing in the Top 4 in the standings, Tohtorit is off to a much slower start to their Spring campaign; getting only 2 wins in their first 8 games with only one of them being in regulation. Their start also includes 4 OT losses. Considering the fact that this team brought back its entire lineup from a group that earned the finish 2nd in the regular season standings and made it to the Semifinals just three months, it's surprising to see them struggle to find their form. The reason for their struggles can be pointed at a few factors. One would be their struggles on the penalty kill, something that was a sizable flaw for this team a season ago. So far, Tohtorit has taken 16 PIM and is 50% on the penalty kill. Not good. Additionally, last season's goaltender of the season Stammer has not been up to his usual form, sporting just a 75.7SV% in his eight starts. In comparison, he ended the Winter season with an 86SV% while starting all 28 games. Tohtorit ended their week by playing over 186 in-game minutes in two matches against vNexs. A big 3rd-period comeback in the second game after trailing by two goals earned the team a victory in OT, one that feels much needed after six straight losses going into that game. Mythix Making A Statement Early The story surrounding Mythix coming into the season was whether they could emerge as a true championship contender. One week into the season, and so far they've answered that challenge. Through their first six games, Mythix have earned a total of 16 out of possible 18 points; placing them 2nd in the standings only behind Last Dance. Their offense has been dominant so far, leading the league in goals for per game with 4.67 and a total of 28 goals scored. Sokkelo has been the stand-out player amongst the group, scoring a staggering 14 goals and 21 points in those games, both of which lead the division. They've also been lethal on the man advantage, boasting a 58.33% power play with a total of 7 goals scored. The most impressive part about was Mythix is doing is that they are doing this against multiple playoff-caliber teams; as they were able to sweep both EXEN and Tohtorit in their series' this week. They were especially impressive in the two games against EXEN, and very well could've scored even more with the number of counterattacks they had (they outscored EXEN 10-3 in the series). There's still plenty of hockey left to be played, but based on Week One, Mythix looks like a legitimate championship threat. Combine this with their recent FCL and I think you can officially say that Mythix is the hottest team in Europe right now. Time will tell if they can keep this up, but if they can, look out. Heimo Back On The Rise? Speaking of hot starts, let's talk about Heimo for a minute. The group finished the first week with only 1 loss in 6 games played while having one of the most productive offenses in the division. They've also been able to do this against a pair of playoff teams from a season ago in Last Dance and The Black Jacks, as well as a notable playoff hopeful in Polski Boys. The biggest story for this group has been the offensive boost that their new acquisitions have provided. Last season, Heimo had the second-lowest goal total in the division, scoring just 56 goals and averaging 2 GF/GP. That is only three goals more than the lowest-placed team, which was Renascor. So far this season, the script has completely filled, as Heimo now has the second-most goals scored at 24 and are averaging 4 GF/GP, doubling their number from the Winter. KingOfApes' return to the Elite division has started off with quite a bang, as he's managed to put up an unheard of amount points for a defenceman to begin the season. Through six games, KingOfApes has tallied 18 points, which ranks second in the division. Just to give you an idea of how insane that is, he is currently on pace to finish the season with 90 POINTS. AS A DEFENSEMAN. Is that not unreal??? The most notable series was against Last Dance, who currently sit at the top of the Elite standings. This series saw a totally opposite pair of games, as Heimo managed to earn a 7-1 win followed by a 5-1 loss. They also saw a pair of dramatic games against Polski Boys; losing a lead with just four seconds left on the clock in Game 1, and tying the game with only two seconds left in Game 2. Both games resulted in overtime wins. Can they continue this form? That'll be put to the test on Monday when they play against the defending champions, Parasite. Multiple Notable Transfer Moves Krike - FA -> GOONS A long-standing piece to this GOONS has officially made his return in Krike. Though he hasn't played in any tournaments the whole year, everybody knows his ability and the impact he can bring to a team. In 130 career games as a defenseman, Krike has put up 146 points and 903 hits while being a +56 when on the ice. He'll slot in at LD in GOONS' starting lineup and will not only be someone who can make an immediate impact, but will also be able to fit in well with a group that he is familiar with, as three of his current GOONS teammates were with the team when he last played in the ECL 24 Spring season. This should make for a seamless and smooth transition for all involved. JM98 - Polski Boys -> Vapor Replacing Jemmmuu and taking the LW spot with Nieppii switching wings, JM is a veteran, goal-producing winger who will make an impact on Vapor's forward core. His Elite division resume goes back to as early as ECL 6 with Unlucky Boys, and he's scored as many as 32 goals at this level, doing so with YMCA Esports in ECL 12. In its two games this week against Last Dance, Vapor were held to a pair of one-goal losses and mustered just three goals in the series, averaging 11 shots per game. Though his goal-scoring numbers have gone down in each of the last three seasons, he also found himself on the division's lowest-scoring teams in each of those three seasons with Polski Boys and Renascor. A change of scenery paired with two other proven forwards in Dzouvi and Nieppi should make for a respectable forward trio. Jemmmuu - Vapor -> Polski Boys It's funny how things work out. JM goes to Vapor taking Jemmu's spot, and Jemmu winds up going to Polski Boys, JM's former team. Jemmu played in two games with Vapor this season, registering one point in a pair of one-goal losses to Last Dance. Jemmu has played in one ECL season prior to this season, as he put up 44 points and 36 assists in 30 games with Gotham Knights in the Pro Division last season. He also tallied 59 points in 16 FCL games with TIKI TALK, which ranked second on the team was was 30 more points than the next closest player on the team. With Polski Boys having already played eight games prior to the move and struggling for goals (they averaged just 1.75 goals for per game), it'll be interesting to see if Jemmu can earn his place in the starting lineup as a rookie on a team with a ton of experience and chemistry. Lakritsipiippu - ONSE Esports -> Blackbirds The departure of Blackbirds starting goalie Jeerik17 was followed by a slightly controversial move with ONSE Esports starting goalie Lakritsipiippu switching teams within the division midseason. The rookie goaltender has been able to prove himself by having the third-highest save percentage so far with 86% in six starts, including two with his new team on Sunday, where Blackbirds were able to split the series with the defending champs Parasite. ONSE obviously had to react quickly and were able to acquire Hulkkoo. Hulkko was ONSE's starting goalie last season in the Pro division when they were still known by their previous name Ismon Valinta. He posted a 78.9SV% in the regular season while starting all 30 games. xCurhed - Brynäs IF Esport (Pro Division) -> SSK ESPORTS SSK was able to add to its forward group with the transfer of Curhed. Curhed the season in the Pro division, scoring 25 points in 8 games for Brynäs. Last season was his second ECL season and the most action that he has seen in his ECL career, as he played 28 games with Devilz in the Pro Division, notching 51 points, 23 goals, and 28 assists. Prior to that, he played eight games with Section A12 in the Lite Division in the ECL '24: Spring season, but the team DNF's the remainder of the season. He made his Elite debut on Sunday against GOONS, putting up 3 points with a goal and two assists. The 19-year-old Swedish rookie started at LW in both games. Adaaaam_2 - Brynäs IF Esport (Pro Division) -> SSK ESPORTS Another transfer to SSK ESPORTS from Brynäs IF Esport, Adaaaam will add another defenseman to an already plentiful SSK roster. Adaaaam managed to notch 8 points in his eight starts with Brynäs IF this season, and managed to earn himself 27 points in 28 games with AFTERLIFE in the Pro Division last season. The rookie defenseman played in SSK’s season-opening series against GOONS on Sunday and managed to contribute two assists and 7 takeaways. The two teams split the series with a win-a-piece. Adaaaam started at LD in both contests. Want to keep up with everything happening ECL in the this season? Make sure to follow/subscribe to SportsGamerGG on Twitch, YouTube, and X.