Panarinz

Hi NHLGamers, After an exciting 1st round of the playoffs we now have 8 teams that will be facing off in the quarter finals. From this point on, it is also worth noting that teams will be seeded according to P/G. The ECL 8 Pro Quarterfinals will be played between Monday, 18th of February and Sunday, 24th of February 2019. Here are the matchups for the ECL 8 Pro Semi-finals: Previews release later today. (1) The Next Gen vs. Black Horse (13) An incredibly strong TnG is in for their toughest challenge yet. Despite their dominant offense and a strong possession game, they had a tough time overcoming GHETTO FIREBIRDS in the first round. We'll need to see improvement if they want to move on from this matchup against Black Horse, who overcame their first round opponent Silver Sword Griffins in outstanding fashion. The Black Horse offense built around former Elite goaltended turned center @Hullued has been clicking and we expect that to continue. (2) TIKI TALK vs. SIKA (11) TIKI has found their stride as they are playing some fast-paced, effective hockey once again! It may not be pretty, but the bottom line is it gets the job done. Captain @itspardytime is surely the heart and soul of the team and if he can keep the ranks together playing as the good unit they have been so far, they'll have their way in this series. Their opponent SIKA is a scrappy team that's trying to find their way back to performing at the top level but aren't quite as far along the way as TIKI currently. The expectation is for them to have a tough time in this series, but if their defense is solid enough, there's a chance for an upset. (3) Gotham Knights vs. POGGERS (9) Gotham overcame their first round opponent SPARTANS convincingly with a series score of 4-1. They're a strong all-round team and a tight-knit bunch that is eager to bounce back after a tough last season at the highest level. @ReDMisTi and @selänne8 (BiggestEight) have been their most dangerous offensive weapons, so POGGERS need to keep them in check. On the other side we see a highly skilled and multitalented team, who consist of somne proven players. Their offensive trio of @Chafak, @Yoloberg and @JaKurrii is among the best in the league. It is notable that POGGERS won both head-to-head games in the regular season. (5) Checkmate vs. Mentula SKA (6) In the first round, Checkmate crushed all doubt that chemistry wasn't there for them. @Tuukka.R lead them in scoring while the team performed well defensively in an excellent effort besting Speedy Bros Hockey 4-1. On the other side we have Mentula SKA, who have put forth an outstanding effort after being one of the last teams gaining promotion after a Lite campaign in ECL 7. Keep your eyes on duo @Hanssonni and @JiiPee87. Results from the relegation matchups: (G1 #13) EV Duisburg vs. Bone Breakers (G2 #16) 1-4 (G2 #13) Cowabunga Hockey vs. Murohoki (G1 #16) 4-1 (G1 #14) Clowns On Ice vs. Pata Hellalla (G2 #15) 0-0 (Still to be played) (G2 #14) Freddie Mercury Institute vs. Tiffen (G1 #15) 4-0 We wish all teams good luck in the quarterfinals and also a big congrats for staying in Pro: Bone Breakers, Cowabunga Hockey and Freddie Mercury Institute! Signing off for now, ECL Pro Writer @Panarinz

Hi NHLGamers, We are back with a small look into the fith and last week of the Pro division regular season. This season we are doing a player of the week segment, to highlight an individual and his team because of their success during said week. We will also do a small interview with our nominee and try to get to know the person better and get some insights of the team and the league in question. Without further ado we would like to present you our fourth Player Of The Week: PSN-ID: iLLu_8 Team: Bellizzi Position: Left Defenseman (original Center) Games played this week: 6 (vs Cowabunga Hockey, Pata Hellalla and Racoon Rampage) Goals: 1 Assists: 5 Points: 6 +/-: 2 To cap off the week, @Panarinz had a short chat with the man of the hour: After a terrific week for your team, with 5 wins in 6 games you are now playoff bound! How does that feel? - It feels really good! We already felt playoffs were out of our range. But here we are! You played center for your team in a tough start for your team, but ended the season as a LD, why did you change your position and what do you think the change resulted in? - The start of the season was really hard for us. We felt like we needed more skill to our offense so we decided to try this kind of move. We're glad it worked well for us. With 6 points in 6 games this week, you clearly helped your team get that final playoff spot. What would you say was the reason for this weeks success? - Our defense was really solid with the most entertaining goalie of the league Matti ”the cat” (@Proffa- ) leading the way. We were able to take advantage of our opportunities in the offensive zone. Will we see an upset in the first round of the playoffs when your team is facing the mighty #1 seed TIKI TALK? - All the pressure is on their team. If our gameplan works and we get them to play our kind of game I think we will have a chance. And finally, which team will win ECL 8 Pro? - Bellizzi Signing off for now, ECL Pro writing team @Panarinz & @Mannheimer1938

Hi NHLGamers, We are back with a small look into the fourth week of the Pro division. This season we are doing a player of the week segment, to highlight an individual and his team because of their success during said week. We will also do a small interview with our nominee and try to get to know the person better and get some insights of the team and the league in question. Without further ado we would like to present you our fourth Player Of The Week: PSN-ID: itspardytime Team: TIKI TALK Position: Right Wing Games played this week: 6 (vs God Tier, The Black Jacks and Checkmate) Goals: 10 (33 total, ranked 2nd) Assists: 12 (35 total, ranked 3rd) Points: 22 (68 total, ranked 1st) +/-: 36 (26 total, ranked 6th) To cap off the week, @Panarinz had a short chat with the man of the hour: A good week for your team and especially for yourself, with 23 points in 6 games! What do you think was the biggest reason for your success this week? - Recently we've talked a lot in our team about game strategy. Lately we've succeeded to improve our game level in both ECL and regular EASHL games. Also we decided to try some changes to our lineup, chemistry with Temex on LW was once again fantastic and we played the best hockey as a team so far. It's easy to score when all players deliver the same gameplan. What is your aim for this season? as a team and you personally. - The most important thing is to play high quality hockey and at the same time have fun. I think we have all the chances to go far in the playoffs and also you might see us back in Elite next season. Personally I try my best to cause chaos in our opponents defence. How did you come up with your PSN ID? - "Pardy" is close to my own last name. I wanted to create an account which is also fun and includes that Pardy commentary name. Itspardytime is my own wordplay but sometimes I miss my old Lautaset, some oldschool players might remember that PSN ID. :D What is the best player build in this version of the game for a winger? - It depends on the gamestyle of the team. All player types have own advantages and disadvantages. At the moment I use a pretty small sniper, that fits best for me. What is your strengths as a player? - I think I have decent hockey sense and I hate losing. Maybe you should ask that from the opposing defenders or goalies. Which team will win ECL 8 Pro? - There are many great teams but I think we have a pretty good chance to win Pro, so TIKI TALK. We thank Pardy for taking the time to sit down with us for this interview. Remember, if you want to be featured next week, work hard and help your team to success! Signing off for now, ECL Pro writing team @Panarinz & @Mannheimer1938

Hi NHLGamers, We are back with a small look into the second week into the Pro division. This season we are doing a player of the week segment, to highlight an individual and his team because of their success during said week. We will also do a small interview with our nominee and try to get to know the person better and get some insights of the team and the league in question. Without further ado we would like to present you our second Player Of The Week: PSN-ID: NikkeDangles Team: The Next Gen Position: Right Wing Games played this week: 6 (vs Style, Bone Breakers and Pata Hellalla) Goals: 8 (18 total, ranked 1st) Assists: 9 (15 total, ranked 5th) Points: 17 (33 total, ranked 1st) +/-: 8 (26 total, ranked 1st) Our writer @Panarinz met with Nikke and after a good conversation this was the result: Another great week for your team, your form has been outstanding as of late. What do you think is the reason for your success this season? - I think we have a great team and it’s very easy to play with them. What is your aim for this season? As a team and you personally. - As a team we are aiming for a deep playoff run and I’m going to do my best to play as well as I can. How did you come up with your PSN ID? - My friends call me Nikke and I like to do dirty dangles so that is why my PSN is NikkeDangles.  What is the best player build in this version of the game, in your opinion? - I like to use the two-way forward, because it’s really fast, has decent balance and good deking. What is your strengths as a player? - My strengths as a player are controlling the puck and making surprising, hard-to-read passes. Finally, which team will win ECL 8 Pro?  - The Next Gen. Signing off for now, ECL Pro writing team @Panarinz & @Mannheimer1938

Hi NHLGamers, We are back with a small look into the first week into the Pro division. Last season we ran a team of the week segment, but this season we are mixing it up a bit as we now try to highlight one player, whose week was outstanding. In addition to this, we will make also a small interview with our nominee and try to get to know him better and maybe get some insights of the team or some kind of a trash talk. Without further ado we would like to present you our first Player Of The Week: @kriketski17 PSN-ID: kriketsi17 Team: The Next Gen Position: Center Games played this week: 6 (vs Speedy Bros Hockey, Black Horse and Raccoon Rampage) Goals: 8 Assists: 10 Points: 18 +/-: 13 Our writer @Panarinz was sent out to get a few comments from this weeks main man: Hi @kriketski17, Lets start of with a recap of the first week. How do you think the start of ECL 8 has been for you personally and for your team The Next Gen? - We had a good week but personally I can still bring a lot more to the table. What is goal for this season, both team and individual? - To win the Pro title and personally I want to be the best forward in Pro. How did you come up with your PSN ID kriketsi17? - Cant remember anymore In your opinion, what is the best player build in this version of the game? - It depends on what kind of player you are. In attack I prefer using a two way forward or a power forward. On defense, the grinder and two way defenseman are my go-to's. What is your biggest strength as a player? - My understanding of the game. Finally, the question everyone wants an answer to: Which team will win ECL 8 Pro? - Hopefully us or Gotham Knights. We thank Kriketsi17 for his answers and wish him and his team the best of luck for the rest of the season! It will be interesting to see if Kriketsi17 can continue that success and lead his team through the next weeks. We all know how a center has to be that game-changer in all three zones. Did we get the pick right, which other players would have deserved to get mentioned here? Let us know in the comment section! Signing off for now, ECL Pro writing team @Panarinz and @Mannheimer1938

Hello NHLGamers, After another great season with a bit of this and that is done! ECL 8 Pro sure included everything you could've imagined, and we've now arrived at what we call the end review. We had an exciting starting point to the season, as five teams were promoted at the end of ECL 6, leaving a lot of space in the division to be filled up. Some teams also folded in the offseason, freeing up even more. The Pro division experienced something of a cleanse, bringing in tons of new talent such as Raccoon Rampage or Bucketeers who were immediately looking to make an impact, some teams surely did that too! In this review of the season, we'll be taking a brief look at the top eight teams of the season. All of these teams did an outstanding job and we even saw some great surprises among these teams. Without further ado, let's get to it: Top 8 teams of ECL 7 Pro: Deadly Phantoms HC - The champions of ECL 7 Pro had an incredible season. In all honesty, they couldn't have done it better. 1st in the group stage and capping off by winning the playoffs. Their players were topping almost all categories and positions, whilst still focusing on getting the wins, a feat in which they succeeded. After a tough 1st round in the playoffs vs Saints (4-3) they bounced back extremely well and got through the next rounds with only 3 losses in 3 rounds. It'll be great to follow this team in Elite next season and I think they could surprise and make the playoffs. Their record 27-3-0 was a proof of all that. Synergy Hockey - or shall we call them @DUNZA Hockeywall? It was all about their defense and brickwall DUNZA in net to lead them to a record of 22-6-2 with only 34 goals against in 30 games. After losing the final two games of the regular season against their direct rival Cowabunga Hockey, they finished 2nd but were able to go for a long playoff run which ended in the finals. Synergy experienced an unfortunate loss at the hands of DPH but still secured an Elite spot for the next season. Bucketeers - The buckets had a season that could only be described as excellent and a massive upset. Due to the low amount of registered Pro teams they got called up to the big leagues and showed us all that they truly belong there. The semi-finalists won their promotion battle and now Elite is looming in the horizon. Their center @Demski13 stepped up big time in the playoffs and led them to a promotion. He was also ranked 2nd in points during the playoffs. Resurrection - Another semi-finalist that clinched promotion to Elite. After a tough end to the regular season with 3 wins in their last 10 games, Resurrection resurrected from the dead and got by both TIKI TALK and Speedy Bros Hockey in the 1st respective 2nd round. One of the difference makers was their goaltender @Jiihooo86 with 3 shutouts and over 82 in save% during the playoffs. Speedy Bros Hockey - Even if they came just one win short of the semi's, Speedy Bros Hockey still had a remarkable season and have the capability to play in even higher divisions, read Elite. They scored the most goals out of any team in group 1 and 2nd after Phantoms in the whole division. Wasps Gaming - The 2nd highest scoring team in group 1 had a great regular season finishing with the same point score as Synergy, the runners up this season. With a stunning start in the 1st round of the playoffs beating Belizzi 4-1, the Wasps were set for success when they were matched up against 8th seeded Bucketeers. Unfortunately for Wasps, Bucketeers came out swinging and had a run to remember, ending the season for Wasps Gaming. CLUB ONE - Maybe on of the biggest upsets this season was the victory of CLUB ONE against 3rd playoff seed Checkmate. Not only did they come out on top during this series but they did it in a dominant manner, 4-1. Synergy ended up being too much for them and their season ended in the 2nd round vs said team. A big reason for their success was goalscorer @makichuk, with 39 regular season goals and 6 in the playoffs he showed his importance for the team. Pata Hellalla - After just and about clinching a playoff spot in group 2, Pata showed real strength and experience in the playoffs. Getting by the 2nd seeded Cowabunga Hockey 4-0 in the first round. Yes, you read me right - FOUR to ZERO. Not bad for the last seeded team. Unfortunately for Pata, the later champions were waiting in round 2 leading to a rather one-sided series, being sent home with a score of 4-0. Promotions to Elite: Deadly Phantoms HC Synergy Hockey Bucketeers Resurrection Relegations to Lite: Free From Rodents Nordic Nosebleed Sektion K Unity As last seasons recap, this seasons will also be in form of an official NHLGamer ranking. The ECL 7 Pro division ranking (Sorted by playoff wins, P/G and relegation faceoff wins): 1. Deadly Phantoms HC (Group 1) - 16 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 27-3-0 2. Synergy Hockey (Group 1) - 13 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 22-6-2 3. Bucketeers (Group 2) - 10 Playoff wins, 4 promotion faceoff wins, regular season record -- 19-8-3 4. Resurrection (Group 2) - 9 Playoff wins, 4 promotion faceoff wins, regular season record -- 21-5-4 5. Speedy Bros Hockey (Group 1) - 7 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 21-8-1 6. Wasps Gaming (Group 1) - 6 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 21-5-4 7. CLUB ONE (Group 1) - 5 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 17-10-3 8. Pata Hellalla (Group 2) - 4 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 14-10-6 9. Saints (Group 1) - 3 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 16-10-4 10. EN HUND (Group 1) - 2 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 17-9-4 11. TIKI TALK (Group 1) - 2 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 18-11-1 12. Checkmate (Group 2) - 1 Playoff win, regular season record -- 23-6-1 13. Bellizzi (Group 2) - 1 Playoff win, regular season record -- 16-10-4 14. Cowabunga Hockey (Group 1) - 0 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 23-4-3 15. Raging Monkeys (Group 2) - 0 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 19-8-3 16. Born With It (Group 2) - 0 Playoff wins, regular season record -- 17-12-1 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. Raccoon Rampage (Group 1) Regular season record -- 16-11-3 18. GHETTO FIREBIRDS (Group 1) Regular season record -- 14-10-6 19. The Visionaries (Group 2) Regular season record -- 14-11-5 20. Style (Group 1) Regular season record -- 14-12-4 21. Pohjoista Voimaa (Group 2) Regular season record -- 14-12-4 22. Baltic Sea Eagles (Group 1) Regular season record -- 14-12-4 23. Silver Sword Griffins (Group 2) Regular season record -- 13-15-2 24. Le Coq Sportif (Group 2) Regular season record -- 9-11-10 25. Nordic Stars (Group 2) - 4 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 11-14-5 26. Bone Breakers (Group 2) - 4 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 10-14-5 27. Murohoki (Group 1) - 4 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 8-14-8 28. EV Duisburg (Group 1) - 4 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 9-17-4 29. Unity (Group 1) - 3 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 9-18-3 30. Sektion K (Group 2) - 1 Relegation faceoff win, regular season record -- 5-19-6 31. Nordic Nosebleed (Group 2) - 0 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 5-19-6 32. Free From Rodents (Group 1) - 0 Relegation faceoff wins, regular season record -- 1-29-0 AWARDS Playoff MVP: @Rayman (The_Rayman80) Most Points: @Tzon93, 53 Goals, 47 Assists, 100 Points in 41 games Most Goals: @Rayman, 62 Goals, 27 Assists, 89 Points in 45 games Most Assists: @Playmaker, 33 Goals, 63 Assists, 96 Points in 45 games Most Hits by a Forward: @vilperi90, 224 Hits in 35 games Best +/-: @Tim_FlyersFan & @Playmaker, +67 in 34 & 45 games Most Points by a Defenseman: @Mannheimer1938, 11 Goals, 46 Assists, 57 Points in 41 games Most Goals by a Defenseman: @Mannheimer1938, 11 Goals, 46 Assists, 57 Points in 41 games Most Assist by a Defenseman: @Mannheimer1938, 11 Goals, 46 Assists, 57 Points in 41 games Most Hits by a Defenseman: @Speedy104 (speedcell104), 278 Hits in 35 Games TOP 3'S OF ECL 7 PRO Top 3 Forwards Regular Season: 1. @Playmaker, 26 Goals, 53 Assists, 79 Points in 25 games 2. @Tzon93, 38 Goals, 37 Assists, 75 Points in 30 games 3. @Tim_FlyersFan, 27 Goals, 40 Assists, 67 Points in 19 games Top 3 Defenders Regular Season: 1. @AndreasLeafs, 5 Goals, 31 Assists, 36 Points in 30 games 2. @oo-joyst1ck-oo, 2 Goals, 31 Assists, 33 Points in 30 games 3. @SolenX86, 4 Goals, 26 Assists, 30 Points in 27 games Top 3 Goaltenders Regular Season: 1. @RPH_31, 25 Wins, 88.60 %, 1.00 GAA, 9 SO in 27 games 2. @Jonitski, 23 Wins, 89.52 %, 1.10 GAA, 8 SO in 30 games 3. @DUNZA, 21 Wins, 86.19 %, 1.13 GAA, 12 SO in 29 games Top 3 Forwards Playoffs: 1. @Rayman, 23 Goals, 12 Assists, 35 Points in 22 games 2. @Demski13, 13 Goals, 17 Assists, 30 Points in 17 games 3. @Isindar, 10 Goals, 18 Assists, 28 Points in 19 games Top 3 Defender Playoffs: 1. @Mannheimer1938, 2 Goals, 19 Assists, 21 Points in 21 games 2. @riihimaenharski, 0 Goals, 15 Assists, 15 Points in 11 games 3. @Supremski, 2 Goals, 9 Assists, 11 Points in 17 games Top 3 Goaltenders Playoffs: 1. @RPH_31, 16 Wins, 84.44 %, 1.59 GAA, 6 SO in 22 games 2. @DUNZA, 13 Wins, 88.34 %, 1.00 GAA, 7 SO in 19 games 3. @Vampyrgurkan, 10 Wins, 84.07 %, 1.47 GAA, 1 SO in 17 games The controversial 'Top 6' of the season is making a comeback! What this means is a selection of six players in a starting lineup, that have showed exceptional skill and played a good season. Please note that all selections are subjective and they are made by community members who have been keeping an eye on ECL 7 Pro, in this case your Pro writing team. Without further ado, here's the top 6 of our Pro division in ECL 7: @Tzon93 (Speedy Bros Hockey) - @Playmaker (Deadly Phantoms) - @Rayman (Deadly Phantoms) @Mannheimer1938 (Deadly Phantoms) - @Supremski (Synergy Hockey) @DUNZA (Synergy Hockey) There you have it, Gamers. With this review, we're happy to wrap up ECL 7 Pro and turn our looks towards what season 8 brings our way. We'd like to extend a massive thanks to all participants, see you next season! Pro Writing Team @Panarinz & @Mannheimer1938 Editor @jahajaha93

Hello NHLGamers, It's 'final-ly' time for the Pro Finals! After yet another exciting season full of interesting events and lots of surprises, the time to crown a winner is nigh. The playoffs have certainly left us gasping for air at times, with surprises like ECL 6 Lite silver-medalist Cowabunga winning their group, seeding in second place into the playoffs only to be eliminated in the first round by 16th seed Pata Hellalla. Bucketeers, another newly promoted team also seemed to find their stride this season, pushing far into the playoffs and reaching the semifinals for a shot to make Elite through a relegation battle. Our final two isn't maybe the most predictable matchup, but certainly two well-rounded teams that have been strong performers all season long. Here's how our final matchup stacks up: (1) Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey (4) In this iteration of the ECL Pro Finals, we'll have a somewhat rare sighting as neither finalist is Finnish. I even believe neither team has any Finnish colour in their roster. Refreshing, to say the least! After a great semi-final round against Bucketeers in a thrilling and even series, the deadliest of Phantoms have yet again stated their claim for an Elite spot and are looking to get that big trophy as well. They've been one of the great storylines this postseason, as they've had to overcome adversity not many teams in the community has faced. From having their play style under scrutiny in the first round to switching up the lineup throughout the playoffs, they have prevailed every time. Synergy Hockey has really gone back to their roots and found the strong play we're so used to seeing from the veteran Swedes. They're a strong defensive unit that doesn't put on a show on the ice, but is tremendously effective at everything they do. The team has had everything go their way this season, starting all the way from the back end, where the marvelled @DUNZA has been taunting forwards on a nightly basis. Synergy has had a rather convincing playoff run so far, as they've dropped only two games in the three series played so far. Prediction: Deadly Phantoms HC in 7. Head-to-head: TOP SCORER The_Rayman80 (17GP, 17+11=28) vs Isindar (14GP, 9+13=22) GOALTENDERS RPH_31 (17GP, 12W, 83.81 SV%, 1.64 GAA) vs DUNZA (14GP, 12W, 91.00 SV%, 0.64 GAA) Schedule for the finals: Game 1: Monday, 10th of December 21:00 CET Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey (1-2 OT) Game 2: Monday, 10th of December 21:30 CET Synergy Hockey vs Deadly Phantoms HC (2-3 OT) Game 3: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey Game 4: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Synergy Hockey vs Deadly Phantoms HC Game 5: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey Game 6: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Synergy Hockey vs Deadly Phantoms HC Game 7: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey That's all for now gamers and as always, be sure to check out our twitch channel for streams on these games and from our other leagues, that's got some exciting playoff action for yall. PS: Stay on the lookout for our ECL 7 Pro Season Recap article, it might be posted sooner than you think... Pro Writing Team @jahajaha93 & @Panarinz

Salut NHLGamers, After a thrilling round 2 featuring at least one major upset as 5th seed Wasps Gaming was knocked out by 8th seed Bucketeers, we're now at the semi finals in Pro! All of the remaining four teams will stand a chance for promotion, either directly or through a relegation faceoff against SIKA or Gotham Knights. Here are your matchups for the Pro Semi-Finals: (1) Deadly Phantoms HC vs Bucketeers (8) Preview courtesy of @Panarinz After a controversial 1st round that at last ended 4-3 to the Phantoms, they swept Pata Hellalla in the 2nd round and made it clear that they are going for that Elite spot and maybe even a Pro win. Here we have a pretty defensive series. Phantoms are known for their solid defense, as they very rarely concede more than a goal against. The same can almost be said about The Buckets as well. Solid defense with strong goaltending make them a hard team to score against. Some might call them an underdog this series. But don't let that fool you, as they know how to win tough games which they very well proved in the second round against Wasps Gaming. However, in my humble opinion, this series will be decided by the Phantoms x-factor. They have incredible offensive firepower in their lineup and I won't leave out top regular season point and assist man @Playmaker and top goal scorer @Rayman, who both showed that they can win games on their own, even though it's a team game. One that shouldn't be underestimated is @Demski13 in the Bucketeers lineup, though (2nd in points during the playoffs). He's really put up points left, right and center during the playoffs. Definitely a decisive factor to look out for on the Bucketeers side. (4) Synergy Hockey vs Resurrection (6) Preview courtesy of @jahajaha93 This is a great matchup in a sense that there are many fundamental differences between these teams. The Swedish Synergy, being a very experienced and defense reliant team facing off against the Finnish Resurrection, who mostly consist of young, very individually skilled players who are hungry to prove their capabilities in the 6vs6-scene. Synergy had a convincing regular season and have continued on the same path in the playoffs, dropping only one game out of their total nine so far. As per usual, @DUNZA in net has been as solid as ever amassing six shutouts in the process of outclassing the opposition. On the other hand, the team has struggled a bit offensively, managing to net under 2 goals per game in the offensive zone. Arguably, that isn't too much of a worry if you let in none. The slight underdog in this series is Resurrection, their lineup features one of the more effective offensive trios in @Artuzio, @J0HTAJA and @xKeskitalo, who so far have combined for 30 goals in 13 playoff games. It'll remain to bee seen wether the more experienced Johtaja can guide his young wingers to the path of victory. That'll be all for now, gamers. We sure have some exciting games ahead and they won't be over anytime soon. Be sure to follow our twitch channel for our broadcasts on these matchups and keep following these exciting matches on our website. Your Pro Writing Team, @Panarinz & @jahajaha93

Dear NHLGamers, We would like to address the events that took place a little over a week ago, starting on Thursday the 22nd of November, where ECL Pro team Deadly Phantoms got called a "puck ragging team" and some of our members advised other teams not to play matches against them, insisting that this tactic should be forbidden. It escalated during the weekend and we had several personal attacks towards the members of Deadly Phantoms. This is something that we cannot see past nor accept in our community. These events have caused the League Administration to act and make decisions about this kind of behaviour. First of all, everyone that has contributed with insults and broken our code of conduct (3.1, about mutual respect between our members) have been issued with a severe warning. User @FinKonna has been issued a 2 week forum ban from NHLGamer.com, due to posting a thread on our site where urged every team that matches up against the Deadly Phantoms to avoid playing them. The ban does not affect the members ability to participate in the ECL Elite playoffs. We, the LA, do NOT accept this kind of behavior from anyone and we will be adjusting our rules and community guidelines to make it even clearer that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. We also need to point out that while it was mostly Deadly Phantoms members taking the heat, the situation should have been handled differently by certain Deadly Phantoms members as well. To conclude, the LA would like to remind everyone that it is perfectly fine to start a discussion about something that you think breaks the rules or the so-called gentleman's rules, but the discussion should always be with a community building and constructive angle and not as a tool to attack another team. Please always consider what you write and how other people could interpret it. We are aware that there are plenty of people in our community that write their messages tongue-in-cheek and with little seriousness, but at the end of the day, you are responsible for your own writing and how your writing can be interpreted, so please think for a bit, before pressing that submit button. - League Administration

Hello NHLGamers, Another regular season has come and gone - in what most people would say a very exciting way. In group 1 the final two matchups were decisive for the group outcome. 6-7 teams were fighting for a mere two playoff spots and to add to the excitement, most of them were facing off against each other! Dare I say, the tightest Pro season as of yet. To finish off this thrilling end to the regular season, we've done a little "best of the regular season" segment. We'll also update you on what happened during this particular season and what you have to look forward to for the playoffs. Upset of the season: Cowabunga Hockey (23-4-3) They won group 1! The newly promoted ECL 6 Lite silver medalists have made quite a statement this season. Their defense has been remarkable with mainly @Makeaxl and @Eeduu standing tall in their own zone. Only letting in 34 goals in 30 games and having a powerplay percentage of almost 25 % is a great combo, which has proven to be effective this season for Cowabunga. The real MVP on this team is @Jonitski though. 89.5 in save percentage and a GAA of 1.1 tells the whole story. Jonitski also did play every minute this season, keeping the other goalie (former Pro experienced) @Pettersson12 on the bench. Will we see a similar story this season as we did in ECL 6, as Almost Famous and Red Machine (now Butterfly Effect) were promoted to Elite in the debut Pro season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Underperformer of the season: Free From Rodents (1-29-0) Here we had a well experienced Pro team, who have surely had some justified playoff aspirations in recent seasons. This time, they did'nt live up to expectations. Finishing dead last in group 1 and only gathering 2 points in 30 games is a terrible disappointment to end the season for FFR. 1,37 goals per game while conceding 4,64 each game – ouch, they were really no force on the ice this season. It isn't over just yet, however! They have a relegation battle to approach, a chance to redeem themselves. They will certainly be regarded as an underdog in this series as they have to take on the Elite experienced Nordic Stars. Players of the season: @Tzon93 - @Playmaker - @Tim_FlyersFan @SolenX86 - @AndreasLeafs @DUNZA @Tzon93 (Speedy Bros Hockey) The left wing of Speedy Bros Hockey put on quite a show this season as he finished 2nd in the points leaderboards with 75 points (38 goals and 37 assists). With a shot percentage of 40% you always have to be aware where he is on the ice as he can score in every situation (5 PPG, 3 SHG). There is no doubt that he will be one key factors in his teams playoff run. @Playmaker (Deadly Phantoms HC) The center of Deadly Phantoms HC was on a completely different level in the Pro division of ECL 7. He nearly broke his own scoring record record of 83 points in a season but had 5 games less this time and fell just short. Leading the points department with 79 points (26 goals, 53 assists) is not all too usual for a centerman. His defensive skills and high faceoff percentage (57,7%) makes him a threat all over the ice. Can he lead his team to the glory of a promotion? @Tim_FlyersFan (Deadly Phantoms HC) This Deadly Phantoms HC right wing had to prove that he is ready to fit into a new team after he spent all his career representing the Clowns on Ice so far. 19 games, 27 goals, 40 assists with a total of 67 points (3. Ranked skater) proves that he fit in just fine with DPH. "Timbot" can score day in and day out and is hard to stop in the offensive zone. His creativity gives this clicking Phantoms offense a whole new dimension and scoring touch. @SolenX86 (Bucketeers) Consistency. That's the key word right here. Solen provided for his team week after week. He also achieved top 3 placements in points and assists for d-men. A plus 38 stands for a very decent defender who makes his team better and gives them a chance to win every game. He may not destroy anyone with devastating hits, but his positional play is a skill well mastered. @AndreasLeafs (Raging Monkeys) You want a decent defender who gets his job done, impeding the progress of opposing forwards while putting up some solid numbers on the board. AndreasLeafs should be you pick in that case. The assistant captain of Raging Monkeys is a workhorse who doesn't possess the flashiest play style and won’t get that much attention, but nevertheless makes his team better and always stands up for his teammates. @DUNZA (Synergy Hockey) 12 shutouts in a season – new record! If Synergy Hockey wouldn’t have had a sloppy end to their regular season, he would easily have gotten some other records this season too. 86,19 save percentage, 1,13 goals against average, DUNZA was nearly unstoppable this season - if that's something you can say about a goalie, he's tha one stopping people, right? Sure, he didn’t have to face a lot of shots during most of the games, but he was there when he was needed. Make sure you follow him during the playoffs, if he can add some more clean sheets. Honorable mentions: @RPH_31 (Deadly Phantoms HC) The Austrian played an outstanding season for the Deadly Phantoms HC. It isn’t easy to be concentrated all the time if your team spends most of the game in the offensive zone, but RPH stopped nearly all of the chances he had to face (88,60 save percentage) as he was a great backstop for his team and gave them a chance to win tight matchups. 9 shutouts and a 1.00 goals against average displayed how good he's been this season. @Jonitski (Cowabunga Hockey) Another goalie on this list? Well, if you near in on a .90 save percentage (89,52%) in 30 games, 8 shutouts during this campaign and only conceded 1,1 goal per game, it’s very hard to not highlight him. Jonitski was outstanding in Cowabunga Hockey’s playoff push with 8 straight wins, 3 shutouts and only 7 goals against. Keep him in mind for the MVP race later on. @mir02k1 (Speedy Bros Hockey) This guy is the reason Speedy Bros scored the most goals of group 1. Why are we naming this though as he “only” finished 8th in the points department (60P, 28G, 32A), 15 points behind his linemate tzon93? Maybe he wouldn't be as good on his own, but having two dangerous wingers is very important in building a successful squad. The defense can’t focus on only one scary guy because if they give either one a bit too much space, it'll turn out costly. @Mannheimer1938 (Deadly Phantoms HC) He only played 17 games this season, but anyway lead the +/- category for defensemen and climbed to top 5 in both goals and points for defensemen. He had a +/- of 45, scored 7 goals and assisted 21 times in 17 games, record? Even though Phantoms had an incredible season and all players in their team did great, Mannheimer still deserves a shoutout! That's all for now ladies and gents, but make sure to check our website now and then for our playoff previews, and a bit of this and that. Signing off for now, Pro Division Writing Team @Mannheimer1938 @Panarinz

Hi NHLGamers, I'm so glad you've found your way here! For this season of ECL Pro, we'll have a running "Team of the Week"-segment. In other words, we'll be showcasing the best ECL Pro teams for both groups that week, but also a Top 6 lineup of individuals that excelled during said week. The articles will be released each Monday (except this week). Beware that we are only counting the stats for games played during each game week. Group 1 - Team of the Week - Week 3 Synergy The top predators of group 1 had a perfect record (6-0-0) in their books for this week. Sure, it was against some bottom tier teams in their group but you still have to earn those points in this division. Against Free From Rodents Synergy even found their scoring touch without compromising their strength - defense. They won't win their games in a flashy manner but who cares if it really is true that offense wins games and defense wins championships? Group 2 - Team of the Week - Week 3 Born With It Mentioned as a "cold" team in last weeks ECL Talk, Born With It came out quite hot this week. 16 out of 20 possible points (8-2-0) versus mostly teams who are in the fight for the very same playoff spots were some very crucial matchups to win. They are currently ranked 4th in group 2 with a lot more games than their opponents but we believe this serves as a solid base for their playoff campaign. Let's see if this good week will be enough and how many points they can grab out of their last remaining games (Nordic Stars, The Visionaries, Bone Breakers). Pro division - Players of the Week - 3 @Kookasi- @JaKurrii - @Tzon93 @Veskku - @Ampuhaukka @Jonitski @Kookasi (Born With It) 14 goals and 8 assists in 10 games is pretty impressive. Kookasi showed that his player name (Darth Anger) isn't only the display of his teams start into the season. He is maybe hoping to channel his anger to leading his team into an important playoff run. This guy's game winning goals give Born With It some playoff hopes and we're sure that he'll be the first one to lead this team into their last remaining matchups. @JaKurrii (Wasps Gaming) Wasps Gaming is on a mission and JaKurrii is a big factor why this is quite a successful season so far. After another strong week (7 wins, 1 loss) against good teams in their group their center helped a lot with 4 goals and 7 assists in this 8 games this week. His 56% faceoff percentage so far is a major key in controlling the game in all three zones. @Tzon93 (Speedy Bros Hockey) This guy keeps scoring and seems determined to continue this run of form for a long time to come. He scored 8 goals in 6 games last week and kept providing for his team. He is now ranked at 1st in points during this Pro regular season, while still being reliable in the defensive zone with a +/- of 21. @Veskku (Born With It) Veskku is the defensive leader for his team, playing all games and helping in the scoring department as much as he can. This week he added 5 goals and 5 assists in 10 games. It'll be interesting to see if he and his team will continue showcasing their "Born With It" talent or if their season will end like it started, which wasn't pretty. @Ampuhaukka (Speedy Bros Hockey) For a defensive defenseman he has racked up some points lately, with 7 points in his last 6 games and a +/- of 11 in said games. In the last game he also took 10 penalty minutes. Yeah you read that right, TEN! But that aside, he is getting the job done and you know what you get when putting him on the ice. @Jonitski (Cowabunga Hockey) The Goalie from Cowabunga Hockey is leading his team into the brighter lights in the group standings. With 4 wins, 2 shutouts and his 90% save percentage this week he stood tall in net and gave Cowabunga a chance to win each and every game. That's all for now, ladies and gentlemen. If you want to be featured next week here's the recipe: work hard, play hard and do your best to make it happen! Be sure to tune in next week to see if you, your team or one of your teammates made it into our "Team of the Week". Over and out, Pro Division Writing Team @Mannheimer1938 @Panarinz

Hi NHLGamers, I'm so glad you've found your way here! For this season of ECL Pro, we will start up a "Team of the Week"-segment. In other words, we'll be showcasing the best ECL Pro teams for both groups that week, but also a Top 6 lineup of individuals that excelled during said week. The articles will be released each Monday (excluding this article). Beware that we are only counting the stats for games played during each game week. Group 1 - Team of the Week - 1 Wasps Gaming The Wasps had a great run of form recently, playing only 4 games last week they managed to snag all 8 points and all wins were in regulation time. Even though they are most known because of their offense, it's their defense that's won them all 4 games. They've only let in 3 goals in the games played, accumulating 2 shutouts along the way. An honorable mention in their offensive line is @JaKurrii who has been racking up some points in all four games. They also lie at the top of the table in group 1 and have a few of their players in the top 10 of points, assists and goals. This is why they're our team of the week for group 1. Group 2 - Team of the Week - 1 Checkmate Checkmate have really started the season on the right track. They've won their first 6 games of the season against at least two teams with serious playoff ambitions of their own and in that making a clear statement that they were deserving of the Pro spot. Goalie duo @Lage and @Tomsuu (a_pantera) have both stood their ground and got shutouts, their defense has set up a blockade at the blue line - those are the facts that make us believe you will probably see Checkmate fighting for that first place spot in group 2 and succeding in doing so. Checkmate won't be sparking off offensive fireworks but instead rely on their defensive stability and strength on counter attacks, they're very good in those categories and will punish you as soon as they get the chance. Pro division - Players of the Week - 1 @Tzon93 - @JaKurrii - @Tim_FlyersFan @puke85 - @gzell60 @DUNZA @Tzon93 (Speedy Bros Hockey) is ranked 3rd under all goal scorers so far and is a significant factor in the good start of his team Speedy Bros Hockey. He's the classic fast paced winger all GM's would love to be able to flash on their left wing. @JaKurrii (Wasps Gaming) is the key factor in the early success of Wasps Gaming. We all know how important a reliable, hard working and scoring center is. On top of all that, this guy can also win faceoffs (58%)! Let's see if he can continue his dominant performance in the face off circle and lead the Wasps lineup into more heated battles. @Tim_FlyersFan (Deadly Phantoms HC) is a playmaking machine on the wing and he is used to scoring on command too. You should never lose track of him because he's going to make you pay from it real fast. He is speedy, he is filthy, he is dangerous without massive drawbacks on his defensive play. Look out for top cheese all day baby! @puke85 (Wasps Gaming) lead his team Wasps Gaming to a very strong start and is a dominant force in the defense. He has recorded 6 points already in 4 games played (3 Goals, 3 Assists) with a +8 rating. @gzell60 (Deadly Phantoms HC) is the go to guy if you want to have a playmaking defenseman who throws sauce on the tape all day. He makes plays in all three zones while quarterbacking his team throughout the whole game. Gzell can make forecheckers look almost nonexistent in the blink of an eye. @DUNZA (Synergy Hockey) 4 games, 4 wins, 3 shutouts...do I need to say more? Can this guy be beaten? He's only facing around 8 shots per game but saved nearly all of them, is that even fair? Early Pro MVP candidate? That's all for now, ladies and gentlemen. If you want to be featured next week here's the recipe: work hard, play hard and do your best to make it happen! Be sure to tune in next week to see if you, your team or one of your teammates made it into our "Team of the Week". Special thanks to @Mannheimer1938 who co-wrote this article with me.

*Article written by @Panarinz and @Mannheimer1938 Guten Tag and välkommen NHLGamers, Man, how all of us were hyped up when the Beta was coming out - what a brilliant game NHL 19 would be! We had the feeling that nearly all virtual hockey cracks are purchasing the Legends and Ultimate Editions to lace up their skates in this beautiful masterpiece as soon as they can. We were not disappointed - a fresh new list of soundtracks, well, it was definitely needed as you are waiting in the dressing rooms for hours in case of the broken matchup screens, but hey, at least you can now play 3s alongside 6vs6! Who cares about clicking through five (5 - F I V E) menu screens after every disconnect or locker room error as long as you can see your fancy styled player coming into the scene over and over again. There's much wrong with the product we have - but we don't want to talk about things that annoy us, so we'll rather change the subject to something that hypes us up - ECL IS BACK! With over 120 teams registering we broke the record for registered teams again! I, together with @Mannheimer1938 have today the pleasure to give you some insights from our second tier division. We'll discuss some changes made in the offseason and try to give you some thoughts about how the teams probably will perform. The Pro division is surely stacked with tons of talent, a fact that was displayed pretty well last season as all Pro teams won their promotion/relegation battles against the Elite teams. If you look into this bunch of teams, you will see everything the EASHL club scene has to offer: ECL 1 veterans, well-established teams, hungry promoted teams and promising start-ups. There will be some really tight matchups and everyone has to fight for every single point - there are no giveaways! With that being said; here is our little roundup and predictions: SPOILER ALERT - It's going to be fun to watch! Group 1 Baltic Sea Eagles (Current 6vs6 record 64-37-11) - Captains: @Thounimeister, @Heksaa, @swe best sniper After their 5th place finish in group 1, Baltic Sea Eagles had a pretty good start into the playoffs but had an end put to their run in the quarterfinals after five games against Almost Famous. They took some tough losses in their line-up as their top scorer of last season @vilperi90 left along with another starting lineup player. Currently it doesn't seem like they can handle the changes too well as their pre-season form is not too impressive. They've had some tough losses against both Elite and Pro opponents. CLUB ONE (Current 6vs6 record 104-73-18) – Captains: @epelis, @Pursuitti, @makichuk Former Penalty Box got a brand new look in the offseason by changing nearly everything – their name, their captain, their defense and offense! The four season veteran epelis, having some Elite experience under his belt is now in charge for the restart of this team and will try to lift the team up into the playoff race as their last season started with such hopes (6-3-1 record) but then the team had to go trough some hard times with more downs than ups. Finishing in no man’s land, (13th in Group 2) they are desperate to do it better this time. Their pre-season is likely similar to their last ECL season, but with more positives, they've won some and lost some to Pro and Lite caliber teams. Cowabunga Hockey (Current 6vs6 record 68-45-6) - Captains: @Tinkesakara, @Sokkelo__, @Jonitski Here we have a strong newcomer to the Pro division with almost the same exact squad as the one that took last seasons Lite silver medal. They added some depth and will continue playing their fast paced passing hockey. How this tactic will work in Pro we'll see. They've had a strong preseason with more ups than downs, winning against good teams and losing almost only against Pro and Elite teams. EN HUND (Current 6vs6 record 41-27-1) - Captains: @Lurkins, @Dooberi, @Hammaroid The seasoned veterans had a pretty quiet off-season. Nearly all starters are still in the team, "only" their starting goaltender left. It seems that @Dooberi will try to flash his glove for most of the season but I guess they will split some starts around a few guys. They don't have that much of a record to show for (looking at games played), but the games they played are quite good as they were winning most of their games against Lite and Pro teams. EV Duisburg (Current 6vs6 record 42-32-9) - Captains: @FoxGoalie, @GreatOne139, @ShawnMcNeil Last seasons Lite champions Duisburg has a lot to prove this season. It still pains me (@Panarinz) to say it, but they deserved their gold (might have something to do with them knocking out my beloved Style in the semis). No question about it. With last seasons MVP and captain @FoxGoalie they have the best chance to stay in Pro out of all promoted teams. As I said both during and after the semifinals against EV Duisburg, "their goalie can't ****** concede a ******* goal". So Pro teams, take note. No big difference in their squad compared to last season and an alright preseason doesn't change my theories. EV Duisburg are here to stay. Free From Rodents (Current 6vs6 record 7-6-0) - Captains: @Volano, @AndreasNo, @Guscharov The last-minute sign up Free From Rodents will try to get another run at a playoff-spot as they were missing it last season with only one point behind Quality. Loosing three starters could potentially hurt the team and they have to be replaced appropriate. There nearly non existent pre-season is a hint of a very tough start as they have to deliver right from the start with nearly no playing time. GHETTO FIREBIRDS (Current 6vs6 record 86-39-17) - Captains: @KepakkoFIN, @Vilze, @Sakkem One of the first ever European teams to sign with an esports organisation gained promotion due to some open spots and their former quarterfinalist campaign in ECL 6 but I would in no way say that the Firebirds don't belong in Pro. They proved at the beginning of NHL 19 that they definitely belong in the mix of a playoff-contender with a sweet record and a very good record in their last 10. They won some matchups against the higher tier and can be a tough opponent for every Pro team out there. Murohoki (Current 6vs6 record 80-42-13) - Captains: @Malcowich, @jjonij, @MovaaN What comes first? The chicken or the egg? ECL or Murohoki? In this case the answer is a little bit more clear as Murohoki only missed the starting season on NHLGamer but after that they were participating in every ECL season! Quite an effort for a team while many many teams are getting renamed, disbanded, created - is there any kind of receipt to their long time club history? I will bet that these guys will be in the talk of the playoff teams but let's see if they can build some more legacy - even a run at a promotion? Currently bad form, almost only losses in their last 10 games. Before that slope, they won against top Pro and Elite teams. Raccoon Rampage (Current 6vs6 record 51-24-5) - Captains: @Ojamoska, @Eemeli31, @VesqGame Beware of the Raccoons! These scary guys with one of the nicest logos around here will be flashing their teeth hunting for scalps more than you are thinking. Their pre-season record is pretty impressive and they will immediately make their presence felt in the Pro division. Dark Horse maybe? Make sure to have them on your list of the playoff contenders. Saints (Current 6vs6 record 96-76-23) - Captains: @Hazard-laser, @Pasi Modry, @Nakkertoni The last but not least team to gain direct promotion from the Lite division because of the open Pro spots. The leader of this group of guys @Hazard-laser is a true veteran and has experience over all divisions and he will try to give his guys all the help he can in order to exceed expectations. Their pre-season displayed that the potential is there, as they were winning against Pro teams but also losing against some Lite teams. It could be the daily form which is the decicive factor in taking 2, 1 or 0 points. Speedy Bros Hockey (Current 6vs6 record 78-49-14) - Captains: @Ampuhaukka, @Tzon93, @riihimaenharski After an alright season finishing just out of the playoff spots in Pro, Speedy Bros have made a lot of changes to their squad, even though their core still remains. One very welcome addition is the return of @mir02k1, who is known to put up points against tough opponents. The form of Speedy Bros has been great as of late, winning games against a few Elite teams and they seemingly has a great strategy against top teams. That being said, they've still lost some games versus Lite and Pro teams too. You will probably see this team in the playoffs this season. Lets see how "Speedy" they can be during this season and if all stars are aligned they can do even more than go to the playoffs. Style (Current 6vs6 record 64-23-4) – Captains: @mayX-swe, @Panarinz, @LegendenKurtz_ The Swedish club gained promotion after a semi-final exit in 6 games against the later champion EV Duisburg and is thirsty to prove that they are Pro caliber right from the get go. With only a few off-season changeups the core of the team remained the same so there should be some chemistry in the early games of the season. The key factor will be if the addition of @Mrantonn as the new number 1 between the pipes will work out for them, he has experience as a starter after one full season with the Stayhard Stallions under his belt. Their pre-season so far is quite impressive, as they are winning most of their matchups against Pro and Lite teams, even winning some games against Elite teams such as the Rusty Blades. Synergy Hockey (Current 6vs6 record 47-23-5) - Captains: @Windblad, @Supremski, @Egyptologen All key players for Synergy will try to get another shot at a potential Elite promotion this season. As their chemistry seems to be quite good because of the nearly nonexistent changes, they are going strong in the preseason with a sweet L10 record (9-0-1) with a lot of goals scored in their last 7 wins. Even some Elite teams had to suffer some losses. TIKI TALK (Current 6vs6 record 100-47-7) - Captains: @itspardytime, @Fuhrer Vuorio, @PCJP After a dissapionting end to their season in ECL 6, the former Elite team will find strength and fight back! They have played in every single ECL season, but with a lot of changes in their squad on the way. Newly signed goaltender @PCJP might be key for this team during the regular season. We should see this team back in the playoffs for sure. How far they will go though, I can't tell. They've had a great preseason, only 2 losses in their last 20 games is a big statement. Unity (Current 6vs6 record 59-21-7) - Captains: @esskay, @Lainzndr, @Sampa88 The former MotherPuckers also gained a spot in the upcoming Pro season due to their quarterfinal campaign in ECL 6. As they are trusting most of their starters of the last Lite season, all they acquired was a new starting goaltender. Their pre-season record is pretty impressive so far, winning against all kinds of opponents day in and day out. Unity has a chance to not only be an underdog but also achieve some sweet unexpected victories and fight their way to the top of the group. Wasps Gaming (Current 6vs6 record 62-29-5) – Captains: @Yoloberg, @Wickedtah69, @TheArska Former Quality got a similar restart as CLUB ONE, where only the captains @Yoloberg and @Wickedtah69 stayed from their last season team. One of the reasons might be being signed by the esports organization WaspsGaming. The team finished 8th in their group and had to call it quits in the first round as they lost in 5 games to the later runner-up FILADELPHIA. The goal for this season should be to qualify as a higher seed into the playoffs in order to avoid the strongest teams in the first rounds. They have potential, which is clearly visible in their pre-season, as they are impressing with wins over a few Elite teams. @Mannheimer1938s group 1 favourites to go far this season: Baltic Sea Eagles Tiki Talk Synergy Hockey Underdogs: Raccoon Rampage Unity Players to watch: @FoxGoalie, Goaltender, EV Duisburg The Lite-Playoff-MVP of ECL 6 will be the key factor for his team and it will be interesting to watch, if he could repeat such an outstanding performance. Is he capable of it? His defense is nearly unchanged and in our preseason matchups he's still very hard to beat. Keep your eyes on his ability to track the puck and you will have a guaranteed highlight on the defensive side of the game. @swe best sniper, Defenseman, Baltic Sea Eagles After one season with a lot of icetime for Arctic, IYouShallNotPassI is back for the Baltic Sea Eagles and he will try to continue on the same note as he was 5th in the scoring department for defenders in ECL 6. I believe he will be an important factor for BSE this season as good offense always starts with a nice breakout pass. @itspardytime, Forward, TIKI TALK Is there even a party without Pardy? The man, the myth, the legend. Did anyone see TIKI TALK play without him? He's a Day 1 veteran with a lot of experience and he never lost his scoring touch. With the general improvement of the team, Pardy will lead his crew to an outstanding season and will try to crack the top 5 in the scoring department. You can try to cover him, but he will find those small cracks and bust through any defense. Group 2 Belizzi (Current 6vs6 record ?-?-?) - Captains: @iLLu_8, @Bellizzikunkku, @SikkiParkki Bellizzi will start their 4th season in Pro as they managed to get into no man's land with the 11th place in group 2 of ECL 6. With most of their core players staying in the team, they should surely be some chemistry right from the get go. They will fight for their lives to stay in Pro another time and this should be their goal - but not without scrapping together some points from the "favourite" teams. They had a rough pre-season with many losses and only 2 wins out of their last 13 games where they got handed some losses against all kinds of teams. Bone Breakers (Current 6vs6 record 74-34-12) - Captains: @rotta__roteva, @PuukAesi, @Lupachuk With a bottom finish in group 2 and almost the exact same squad as last season you will see a team that'll be fighting for their lives to stay put in Pro. With 4 seasons of ECL experience and great firing power on the offensive side of the game, they could be an underdog that surprises us this season. Their preseason is filled with both ups and downs, winning vs Elite teams and losing vs Pro and Lite teams. Born With It (Current 6vs6 record 60-24-6) - Captains: @Takajeejee, @xSG8LFCx, @Jesse6115 This new founded team gained promotion due to the open spots of the Pro division and has to prove right from the beginning that they have the talent to keep up with the bigger clubs. @Kenu told us in the group lottery stream that some guys of this roster has the talent and skill as they are "born with it". Their pre-season record is good so far but they have a lot of losses against the teams they have to compete against now. It'll be interesting to watch if they can adapt their talent and stay in the Pro division. Bucketeers (Current 6vs6 record 92-43-13) - Captains: @Carlsson-91, @SolenX86, @Daniel Gadd Another Team that claimed a free spot during the registration process but those guys are far away from not deserving it. Personally I think these guys have a direct chance for a playoff spot if they continue to roll like in the pre-season as they were winning most of their matchups against Pro teams. Can they make the transition in real competition? Let us know what you think in the comment section! Checkmate (Current 6vs6 record 82-31-8) - Captains: @TackleControl, @janbonator, @vilperi90 Checkmate, former Arctic lost their captain to the Falun Coal Miners and @TackleControl is now in charge for the basically new team. Their pre-season is not bad as they have wins and losses against Pro teams and some tight matchups with Elite teams but also some losses against current Lite teams. It'll be interesting to see if they can recreate their success of last season where they qualified for the playoffs. Potential underdog? Deadly Phantoms HC (Current 6vs6 record 120-26-9) - Captains: @Mannheimer1938, @Rayman, @gzell60 The Phantoms have started NHL 19 in a wonderful way, currently ranked 3rd overall in EASHL (4th overall 6v6)! With that kind of stats, very few changes in the team from last season and great experience in their squad in mind these guys could be a contender for a semi-final place, or maybe even an Elite promotion after this season (you heard it here first!). The Phantoms are known for their solid defense and stability in tough games, plus they never seem to have a bad period. In their last 20 EASHL games their record is 19-0-1 (wins against Elite teams included). Le coq Sportif (Current 6vs6 record 14-4-1) - Captains: @Khemnos, @Nexhztah, @Isidor1891 After a great regular season, 2nd in group 2, former Alliance HT saw themselves going out of the playoffs in the 1st round vs Deadly Phantoms. Now that a new season is upon us, Le Coq Sportif will try to improve on last season's disappointing end. To do just that, they signed a few new players and let go of some of the old guys. With another season in Pro under their belt and many new interesting signings, they could surprise us during season 7. Nordic Nosebleed (Current 6vs6 record 72-56-11) - Captains: @Cherry, @Lidaas79, @dgsson Last seasons relegation survivors (winning against J P T J 4-0 in a relegation battle) would want to come out stronger into this season. They have added a few new names to their roster, see @Willander97 for example, a goal scoring forward that will certainly boost their offense. That was their weakness last season, having the least amount of scored goals in ECL Pro with 35 in 26 games. The current form in the preseason doesn't tell us much though, with both wins and losses against Pro teams and a small improvement seen in the last few days. Will they have to play a relegation series this season as well? You tell me in the comment section. Nordic Stars (Current 6vs6 record 41-21-6) - Captains: @Seahyena, @taemtaem, @Amigo After being relegated from Elite (losing the relegation battle versus White Trash) the Stars have changed their lineup quite a bit. Adding @Pair4You will probably be the main factor in a possible promotion run back to Elite. Otherwise, they have the caliber of players needed already. Great experience and a group of good players will come into play when playing the decisive games of the season. Their form doesn't say much here, their preseason have gone alright, losses and wins against Pro teams. Pata Hellalla (Current 6vs6 record 56-42-12) – Captains: @kungenkurwa, @Tetrejev, @Laraque The former Elite Team had to swallow their bad season as they were relegated but will try to turn things around this season with nearly the same roster. They will for sure be a team to talk about when it comes to playoff potential as they have the needed experience but it could probably be a rollercoaster kind of a season. Their pre-season gives us a hint with some tight games against all divisions and it could probably come down to the daily form. Pohjoista Voimaa (120-98-22) - Captains: @nessron, @rjounila, @Johtava Another Lite quarterfinalist will try to prove that their run last season is grounds for them being promoted. Nearly all of their starters will try to take the step into the higher tier and it seems to be an up and down season for them if we look at their preseason as they mostly losing against their new competition. It will be interesting to see if they will have a learning process or if they have to fight tooth and nail to stay in Pro. Raging Monkeys (Current 6vs6 record 53-27-8) – Captains: @Buffy, @DaMan, @AndreasLeafs The Raging Monkeys finished 8th in their group last season and were eliminated with a first round sweep against the later champion Monarchs. A few offseason changeups including a nearly whole new defensive squad shall turn out into a better playoff position. The potential to keep up with the best in the Pro division is definitely there, but let’s see if they can handle the loss of their former starting goaltender @Trollstivegen. Resurrection (Current 6vs6 record 88-62-18) - Captains: @Veikkonator, @J0HTAJA, @Jiihooo86 Another new founded team, who got the chance to skip the Lite division as they were deemed to have potential to prove their skill at the Pro level. They have the talent and knowledge for sure as for example winger @Artuzio placed 6th in the NHL Gaming World Championship, but it isn't that easy to transfer versus skill to a high 6vs6 level. Their pre-season against Pro teams is filled with ups and downs, winning and losing. I guess these guys will adjust to a higher level as we go further into the season. Sektion K (Current 6vs6 record 69-52-12) - Captains: @HambergD, @minokin, @nyllah Sektion K lost three starters in the offseason, two of them were their most productive players in the points department and they also had to look for a new starter between the pipes. Referring to the preseason, they will have a hard time to stay in the Pro division as they won mostly against Lite teams but lost most of the matchups against other Pro teams. @Shift497 and @Freakmund will have their work cut out for them in net. Silver Sword Griffins (Current 6vs6 record 67-46-6) – Captains: @Joshua Plattner, @ProMinx24, @xLVxRitchey After a horrible season in the Elite division (Finished 16th), the name of the team itself remains the same, but the identity and players are quite different. @Joshua Plattner (Darth-SidiouzZ) is now in charge of the team and a lot of new blood came into the team. It'll be interesting to see if the new additions with mostly Lite experience can keep up with the pace in Pro, but it isn’t unthinkable if the workhorses from last season, which are still on the team, can lead the group to glory. Their pre-season displays that pretty well as they are hard to beat but have to create more chances in the offensive zone to be a playoff-type team. The Visionaries (Current 6vs6 record 77-57-12) - Captains: @Mikka, @Heero, @EvgeniFlower The halfway rebuild of the former Banterfield Battalion will try to recreate a very solid start, alike the one they had in ECL 6 (7-3-0) and to forget the terrible ending (2-8-0). Will the additions to the roster click with the old guys and can they build up a positive start for the new team? Seems to be a little bit tough as they haven't been in that great form so far, as they are losing against most of their Pro competition. @Panarinzs favourites to do well in group 2: Born with it Deadly Phantoms HC Nordic Stars Underdogs: Le coq Sportif Resurrection Players to watch: @RaNtA, Goaltender, Nordic Stars Mr Joe Labero (the magician) himself has the experience from both Elite and Pro games, he knows how to handle pressure. Watch him show his magic and make some jaw-dropping saves. @gzell60, Defenseman, Deadly Phantoms HC The reliable defenseman Gzell60 showed what he's capable of last ECL with him leading Deadly Phantoms to a playoff spot. He can provide offense, but it's in the defensive zone he excels. You can find him at the top of the plus/minus ranking. @edson, Forward, Born With It Former top forward Edd138 has come back from a long break from ECL and would surely want to make an impact quickly. Watch out for his name in the scoring race! There you have it! Our preview of all Pro teams for ECL 7 and some sprinkles on top! Special thanks to @Mannheimer1938 who co-wrote this article with me! PS: @Panarinz wrote the Deadly Phantoms related text and @Mannheimer1938 wrote the one about Style. Thanks for tuning in and from all of us to all of you: have a very me... great ECL season (and good luck to all teams)!

Salute NHLGamers, It's finally time for the 7th edition of the European Championship League, the best EASHL 6vs6 league there is (in our unbiased opinion)! This time we beat another record! Last year we had 108 teams, now it's up to 123. That's a BIG increase from last season and it seems to be the trend moving forward. Lets make sure we are as welcoming to new members as possible to make sure we continue on this path. ECL Lite and ECL Pro will start playing today, Monday 15th of October and ECL Elite will start a week later, on Monday 22nd of October. The schedules for all divisions are available through the menu both on the main page and here on the community side. Without further ado, here's all you need to know: ECL 7 Rules As usual, we have fine-tuned our ruleset, so we suggest you give them a good read before the season start! The rules for ECL 7 can be found here: League Administration All league related verdicts will be decided by the League Administration. To open up a case, visit the new Support section on the forums. Please note: before contacting League Administration, teams are expected to solve issues they might have on their own. Familiarize yourself with our rules first, as they include lots of guidance for different issues. League Administration is always to be used as the last resort to solve any disagreements. In which division can I find each team? ECL 7 Elite 14 teams confirmed their participation for ECL 7: Almost Famous Dynasty Falun Coal Miners FILADELPHIA Gotham Knights Northern Ascendancy Northern Stars Radical Rusty Blades Sjukstugan Symphony Team Frosty Unlucky Boys HC Written In The Stars As ECL Elite was missing two teams, League Administration decided to promote two teams according to rule 4.3, "Similarly, if the number of open spots in ECL Elite exceeds the number of promotions from ECL Pro, these additional spots will be filled with additional teams from ECL Pro according to the following factors from the previous season: Playoff wins" SIKA (7 playoff wins) Butterfly Effect (previously known as Red Machine, 6 playoff wins) We would like to congratulate Butterfly Effect and SIKA for making it to ECL Elite! ECL 7 Pro 25 teams confirmed their participation for ECL 7: Baltic Sea Eagles Bellizzi Bone Breakers Butterfly Effect Checkmate CLUB ONE Cowabunga Hockey Deadly Phantoms EN HUND EV Duisburg Free From Rodents Le coq Sportif Murohoki Nordic Nosebleed Nordic Stars Pata Hellalla Raging Monkeys Sektion K SIKA Silver Sword Griffins Speedy Bros Hockey Style Synergy Hockey The Visionaries TIKI TALK Wasps Gaming With Butterfly Effect and SIKA getting promoted to Elite, we now had 9 open spots in ECL Pro. According to the rule 4.2, "...If the number of open spots in ECL Pro exceeds the number of promotions from ECL Lite, e.g. due to ECL Pro teams disbanding, these additional spots will be filled with teams that applied during the sign-up phase according to the following factors: Priority for ECL Lite quarter-finalists from the previous season, Franchise history, Roster composition, EASHL record" First of all we looked at the Lite quarter-finalists from last season, which also had said "Yes" to apply for a Pro spot in their registration. These three teams fit the criteria: Ghetto Firebirds (QF) Pohjoista Voimaa (QF) Unity (QF) These three teams will play in Pro this season, congrats! For the 6 remaining spots, we were looking at teams who applied for ECL Pro in their ECL Lite registration. Based on the previously listed factors the League Administration decided to promote the following teams: Born With It Bucketeers Checkmate Raccoon Rampage Resurrection Saints Congrats to these teams as well, you will all play in Pro this season! ECL 7 Lite The remaining 75 teams that applied for ECL Lite will play in ECL Lite this season. ECL 7 Groups: On Saturday evening we streamed the group lottery for our divisions in ECL 7. Below is the complete list of the teams participating this season and in which groups they will play. Due to Crusaders deciding to not participate at last minute and our staff being informed after the lottery, we had to make a balancing adjustment to even things up and this moved Infinity into group 5. Here are your ECL 7 groups: ECL 7 Lite - 8 Groups ECL Lite will be played in eight groups consisting of 9-10 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in an 16-18 game regular season for each team in which the top 8 teams out of each conference will go to the playoffs (64 teams total). Group 1: Cancun Pirates HC Dark Alligators HC Keskikalja Inter Iceland Last Period Mentula SKA Nearbird Fighters Niederrhein Canucks Rusty Bulls The Black Jacks Group 2: Gents of Fortune Kalamasu HT KulmalaHengaus Nordic Vipers Rajatorpan Mafia Stayhard Stallions Team France TEHOTTOMAT TeQuila SunRise The Next Gen Group 3: BoneHeads Freddie Mercury Institute HC Finlandia Kaukosen Luistin Red Devils HC SPARTANS Unknown Ice Breakers We Kings WESTEROS HC Group 4: DEG eSports Elämäm Kiekko Etelan Vetelat FarmiNaattori Fuularinsat Melting Point Outrageous Falcons Perttilan Kommandot Prowlers SEVERSTAL Group 5: Bare Knuckles Hockey Dubnation Gaming Falcons Infinity K A R H U T Kouvola Screaming Eagles Lehmannens Badboyz Pink Panthers HC The Dudes Group 6: Clowns On Ice Finnish Hockey Legends HC Corsair Poston Fruits Red Light Zone SHECANGO SKA Swedish Match HC Team Bidon Group 7: Bombers Hockey Clusterpuck HokiDogit Magic Mushrooms Nuggetz Puck Panthers Saucer Hockey Supernatural Supremacy Group 8: Blackdawgs Finnish Snipers HARDCORE NAPPIAIVOT HC Aurinko Hockey Hooligans HT White Sharks Rising Phantoms HC Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat Suomen Sonnit Schedule: ECL Lite schedule ECL 7 Pro - 2 Groups ECL Pro will be played in two groups consisting of 16 teams each. With two games against each opponent, this results in a 30 game regular season for each team in which the top 8 teams out of each group will go to the playoffs (16 teams total). Group 1: Baltic Sea Eagles CLUB ONE Cowabunga Hockey EN HUND EV Duisburg Free From Rodents Ghetto Firebirds Murohoki Raccoon Rampage Saints Speedy Bros Hockey Style Synergy Hockey TIKI TALK Unity Wasps Gaming Group 2: Bellizzi Bone Breakers Born With It Bucketeers Checkmate Deadly Phantoms HC Le coq Sportif Nordic Nosebleed Nordic Stars Pata Hellalla Pohjoista Voimaa Raging Monkeys Resurrection Sektion K Silver Sword Griffins The Visionaries Schedule: ECL Pro schedule ECL 7 Elite - 1 Group As usual, ECL Elite will be played in one group, where the teams face each other twice per opponent. This will result in a 30 game regular season for each team in which the top 8 teams go to the playoffs. Almost Famous Butterfly Effect Dynasty Falun Coal Miners FILADELPHIA Gotham Knights Northern Ascendancy Northern Stars Radical Rusty Blades SIKA Sjukstugan Symphony Team Frosty Unlucky Boys HC Written In The Stars Schedule: ECL Elite schedule Thank you all for joining our stream on Saturday, if you missed it, you can see it here: Team management tools All teams have been created, the team management tools on the main page (click on your username in the top right corner to access them) have been unlocked for the team captains. All players need to be invited to the team rosters ahead of your first game. Please note that all invited players need to accept the invitation (there will be a popup alert on the main page for them) before they show up on the team roster and can start playing! In case you have further questions, feel free to use the comment section below this article. We hope everyone has a great ECL and good luck to all teams! On behalf of the ECL staff, @Panarinz