l-Furyan-l

Hello NHLGamers, Today we bring you a different kind of news story, albeit a very welcome one. We are very happy to announce we've received word that our fellow NHLGamer member, previous ECL championship winner and immensly talented NHL 17 player @Hansulinho has signed a contract with well-known e-Sports organization ENCE eSports. First of all, a big round of applause to Hansu for what we're sure is an insanely exciting opportunity. Second of all, this signals there is growing interest in creating an eSports scene using the NHL series as a platform. With trailblazers like Hansulinho and other profiles in the community leading the way, this could hopefully lead to some great opportunities in the future. We had a chance to talk to Hansu for a few minutes to find out his reaction to the new contract; NHLG: First off, congratulations Hansu! So, tell us about ENCE! Hansulinho: Thank you! Well, ENCE is basically a Finnish eSports organization. They have their own CS:GO & Overwatch teams and Starcraft and Heartsone players. Now they are expanding to console sports and want me to be their "NHL-player". So what does this mean, practically? Practically, they want me to improve mine and their visibility in the eSports scene. This also means representing them in upcoming tournaments and events! Quite an opportunity, huh? Honestly, this is a project full of opportunities! I believe this will bring my "career" quite a large boost and I can't wait to see what the future brings - exciting times. What are your thoughts on NHL and eSports in the future? In my opinion it's definitely growing. To be honest, so far it's been growing in baby steps, but there may be big changes in the future. I'm sure many of us would like to know, what made you so successfull in the Versus game mode? Basically, many years of experience and having played in so many important games. The tolerance of stress grows from the experience and it has given me the ability to win tight games consistently. The ECL quarter finals are under way - how is the atmosphere in the Laser HT locker room regarding your matchup with Northern Ascendancy? Feels great, getting to play against dear enemies and friends again. Hopefully we'll be able to win this one! (Editors note: After 3 games, the matchup is 2-1 Laser) Finally and most importantly, what is the secret to beating last years finalist in the Finnish Championships, @Kenu, in Versus? Well, it's not that hard really. Just score more goals than him... Hansulinho Fact Box [Player Profile] 4-time Finnish National Champion in Versus Participated in all 3 ECL tournaments, twice for Nordic Blizzard (champions of ECL 1) and now Laser HT 117 ECL regular season points in 29 games and 67 playoff points in 22 games Favors the RW position in EASHL Read the full announcement article at: http://www.ence.gg/article/welcome-hansulino/ Finnish speakers may appreciate this article: http://www.iltasanomat.fi/digitoday/esports/art-2000005041322.html On behalf of the NHLGamer staff - later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan

Hello NHLGamers, The regular season is at an end and the ECL 3 playoffs loom large. Who will be the last team standing this time and join the ranks of Nordic Blizzard and MUKIMIEHET as ECL Champions? It all starts in this Round-of-16 where the 32 best teams on the European side of EASHL do battle in grueling Best of-7 series. As I've stated in previous articles, I do love a good preview/review/prediction/analysis when it comes to EASHL so this is an article I've been looking forward to writing. To create a more nuanced approach, I've enlisted the help of SIKA Captain and Truth of Hockey podcast host, @vSilenttio. If you haven't gotten around to checking out the podcast yet, make sure to do so. I have no idea what is being said as the podcast is broadcast in Finnish, but from what I've been told, it's a fun ride with lots of opinions, controversy and analysis. Also, please note that these are just supposed to be fun, speculative predictions from two members of the community. These predictions do not in any way reflect the official opinion of the NHLGamer staff or the website as a whole. The predictions were written yesterday, before the start of the playoffs, without discussing the series' with each other beforehand. Anyway, without further ado, presenting... the ECL 3 Playoff Preview: Northern Stars - Free From Rodents Alpha: To me, this series is pretty much a lock. Northern Stars had an incredibly impressive regular season (better than I thought they would have even), have crazy chemistry built up over almost a decade of playing together, plus one of the best goalies in the league right now in MZK-TrophyHunter. Free From Rodents made the playoffs by winning 10 games less than they lost (atleast in the final standings, not counting the deleted teams). It is impressive for this team to have made the playoffs amongst many tough teams in Group 2, but sadly for them I predict their journey ends here. 4-0 NOS. Silenttio: One of the best teams from ECL 3's regular season faces team that I personally never thought that could make it to the playoffs. Journey to the finals begins easily here for NOS, as they win this series. 4-0 Northern Stars. Written In The Stars - Nordic Nosebleed Alpha: Same case here as the series above really. I believe the offensive firepower of the Bugimir - ADETIKKI - FlyerKungen line will be too much to handle for Nordic Nosebleed. Written In The Stars had the 2nd most goals for in Group 1 and NNB allowed the 5th most goals in Group 2... I think this one could be a bloodbath. 4-0 series win for Written In The Stars. Silenttio: Written is still Written here, as they have their top forwards still in the game with them. Their forwards combined together are one of the most skilled and dangerous trio offensively in the whole Europe. You dont wanna give space to those guys. NNB started well this season, but something happened as in my view their status dropped from surprising challenger, to team that almost didn't even make the playoffs. 4-0 SKY. X Factor vs. Kattiautomaatti Alpha: This is an interesting one. X Factor certainly were impressive during the regular season but Kattiautomaatti is a decent team that I think has another gear. If Kenu manages to take a break from sipping on banana-flavored cocktails - maybe Katti can pull off an upset. X Factor does have very good chemistry though and will most likely take it, not without a fight though. Final prediction, 4-1 X Factor. Silenttio: Oh boy, oh boy. Kids of new era facing the old, legendary Xbox team which used to go far in playoffs - not even long ago. X Factor is a Top 3-team on my list. Huge skill, huge awareness of the game, and lots of games under their belts. I'm afraid that this series will turn ugly after first couple tighter games. Katti has good players, for sure. I'm just not quite sure if are they playing? After tbnantti went to Finnish Roosters, Katti haven't been the same. They have the top Finnish defensemen of the Xbox Era out there in Slaivonen and Sumppi, good chemistry between the wingers but I gotta ask; Who is their leader? Or brick wall goalie? Haven't seen none of these two guys in months - that will be the key differencemaker in this series. Also, I gotta' say that I've heard that Katti has stood up well recently in the EASHL games. Lets hope so. 4-2, X Factor Finnish Roosters - Alliance HT Alpha: The Roosters were always good (they certainly showed me that personally - eliminating the Coal Miners 4-0 in the ECL 2 playoffs' first round) but the addition of tbnantti really pushed them into "Top Team-territory". With tbnantti setting up the always dangerous sniper pleemaker, the Roosters have one of the most dangerous 1-2 punches in the league. However, Alliance have certainly impressed me. As one of the few russian teams in the league, I didn't know what to expect but they've proven their mettle through this tough regular season by downing some big teams. As I said, impressive. Still, 4-2 Roosters. Silenttio: Just like Nordic Nosebleed, Alliance started well as they were one of the best teams of Group 2 in October and November. What happened? All I can say is that they know how to play D, they have a very impressive goalie but guess they haven't found their chemistry in the offensive zone yet. On to FR then - one of the best teams right now. In my honest opinion, they have Europe's best goalie and a Top-5 offense as well. These guys know how to score goals! You turn your back for them for one second and they will score - just like that. I would like to see AHT challenging FR with their defense but after thinking about it - no chances. 4-1, FR. Nordic Blizzard - Murohoki Alpha: Murohoki perplexes me. In the EASHL games I've played against them, they've crushed my team 7-0 one game with impenetrable defense and quick zone exists, only for the next game a few days later to end with us winning 5-1. This could of course have to do with different lineups, or it could have to do with the fact that muro has a very high "top level" as a team... If that is the case, they need to make sure they're firing at that level all playoffs long to be a challenge for Nordic Blizzard. NBz, former champs of ECL 1, delivered a solid regular season and will be looking to once again conquer the crown. Lots of talent and routine in this team and when the stakes are high - this should be the deciding factor. 4-1 Blizzard. Silenttio: Uhm, I gotta admit that I haven't seen these teams play much recently but on the paper - should be all Blizzard here. Muro lost their best player to Nordic Lightning, and that is big kick to the nuts for Muro when the game gets tougher. Even one win for Muro would be surprise here but not impossible. Still, Blizzard should take this home easy with routine effort. 4-0, Blizzard. Dynasty - Knight Aces HC Alpha: One of the very top defensive squads of the league (Dynasty) versus a fast, dynamic, agressive team like Knight Aces is a fun matchup. The expression "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" seems appropriate here, even if I don't always subscribe to that theory. If the Aces can get their offense going they have a shot here but thats easier said than done with Haldeem and Snapu patrolling the blueline (like they did every game of the regular season). However, I just got this feeling and I think we might have the first upset of the playoffs here. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say; 4-3 Knight Aces HC. Silenttio: Not even long ago, I liked Dy... excuse me - I played there. If some finnish team is built for playoffs, it's Dynasty without a doubt. What they have is defensive line-up with touch of smooth skill and great goaltending as they have not only one, but two top goalies. I'm too lazy to check stats as I write this but didn't Dynasty have one of the best GAA on ECL 3? Sums up their team pretty good. Knight Aces HC is smart and fast team. They dont maybe play the most beautiful hockey there is but hey, who cares? Shoot, skate and hit - oh and little bit good luck and Knight Aces might have chance to make this series one of the best in round 1. Just because Aces stole 3pts from SIKA in the regular season, I'll go with.... 4-3 Dynasty. Refuse to Lose - TIKI TALK Alpha: Refuse To Lose will have to shut down TIKI TALK captain and leading scorer, itspardytime, in this series to be successfull. If they can do that though, they should be able to advance past this round. RTLs first line of ShaneC27 - RedMisti - Hanssoni has been dynamic and really carried the team while their defenders have focused on defending and shut quite a few teams down. However, rumors say that Hanssoni might miss the first round of the playoffs... Lets see who comes out on top, TIKI TALKs fast transition attack or Refuse To Loses puck possession game in the offensive zone. 4-2 RTL. Silenttio: Very interesting match-up again, I'm thinking about Game 7 already! Both teams have offensive upsides in the game - then again I'm not so sure about their defenses as units. If RtL controls the cherry picking TIKI forwards, they should be fine here. Hard to say which team will take this as I see it very even match-up on the paper. Game 7 decision here but for who? I'll go with RtL. 4-3, Refuse to Lose Fat Cats - Inter Iceland Alpha: I really like Inter Iceland for this one. I know very little of them but what I have seen when playing them is a team that could surprise greatly. Fat Cats is a good, disciplined team but somehow I just got a strange feeling for this one. 4-2, Inter Iceland. Silenttio: If the date would be somewhere in October, I'd go all in with Inter Iceland but damn that Fat Cats has improved during this season. I really like their team and see them as one of the dark horses of these playoffs. Many have spoke about them being aggressive, playoffs-looking team and I have nothing against that. Inter Iceland - I see them as other version of Nordic Nosebleed - started well but long season has done its job for these guys as well. Even though I prefer Fat Cats here, I wouldn't be surprised if we see another long, tight series here. 4-2 Fat Cats. White Trash - Northern Ascendancy Alpha: White Trash is a good team - they proved that by positioning themselves well in Group 1 - but will not be a match for the skilled playoff performers of Northern Ascendancy, IMO. 4-1, Northern Ascendancy Silenttio: Have to say that WT is full of question marks to me. I only know couple skilled players from there and that's it. Have also heard that they've been annoying opponent to play against so there is that. NOR, on the other hand, is full of experience and that's something you cant just underestimate. Foppatofflan is the ultimate forward, one of the best ever, and I think that this is going to be his show. NOR didn't play that good regular season when you look at their roster but that team is built for playoffs and we're going to see that in this series. 4-1, Northern Ascendancy. Warriors of Kongo - Nordic Nightmare Alpha: Warriors of Kongo had a good performance in the games I played against them, so I am high on their chances in this series. However, Nordic Nightmare was one of my predicted top teams before the start of the tournament and I stand by that - despite their somewhat uneven regular season (by their standards). NN steps up and wins this one 4-2 NN. Silenttio: Warriors of Kongo has surprised everyone. Going from low tier team to dangerous mid-level team is something we dont see happen that often. Nordic Nightmare had problems during the regular season keeping their level after great start. However I see them as better team here, and by playing his with routine they shouldn't have any problems. Suutu_jo is their leader off and on the ice, and he will be the difference maker in this one and make things easier for NN. 4-1, NN. HC Checkmate - MUKIMIEHET Alpha: Another former champion in MUKIMIEHET looking to reclaim the ECL title, up against surprise team HC Checkmate with ECL Summer Cup leading scorer Selanne8. On paper, this looks like a MUKI win. They have the experience, they have the skill, they have the passion. However, Checkmate have proven resilient, overcoming many teams towards the end of the season to secure good playoff positioning. I expect MUKI to struggle more than they think this series. 4-3, MUKIMIHET. Silenttio: One of the least interesting pairs in first round as I dont see anything in CM that could even try to turn this series. Muki is solid, experienced, skilled... well, everything. Plus they have two elite goaltenders so, yeah... this one will be: 4-0, Muki. Sjukstugan - Nordic Lightning Alpha: THE series of Round 1 - I know for sure I will be watching this and I am sure I'm not alone in thinking that. Two of the best Swedish teams out there do battle! It's a bit of a shame that it had to happen as soon as Round 1, but what a matchup it creates. The speed and skill of NL versus the toughness and defense of 112... look for this one to go 7. In the end I think it will come down to a battle of wills between the two captains, Bjono and JaromirSniper68. Sniper is the stronger offensive performer but the leadership and iron will of Bjono cannot be underestimated. Still, I will go with... 4-3, Nordic Lightning. Silenttio: Then we have the biggest pair of first round as two traditional swedish teams face eachothers in big rivalry series. Huge match-up to start with. 112 has the defense where NL has the offense. If you want to watch just one series in the first round, watch this. Goalies have big roles as well here, and I see 112's robbin974 winning this series for them. C'mon boys, show us some love. 4-3, Sjukstugan. Rynnäkköviikset vs. SIKA Alpha: SIKA has impressed me during ECL 3 - it seems like their game is finally firing on all cylinders, both offense and defense, which should make them a dangerous contender in these playoffs. Rynnä had a strong start to the season but faltered a bit towards the end. Still, they are a skilled team with the capability to surprise. 4-1 SIKA. Silenttio: First two games have been played while I'm writing this, and the series is 1-1. Earlier I guessed that this will be 4-2 for us, SIKA, and I still do believe so. We have our problems in starting our engines and it did happen tonight again so no surprises here personally. Rynnäkköviikset play fast and simple, and that it all you need to know about them. Their goalie is underestimated, as I see juha96 as their best player who can turn this series for them. 4-2, SIKA. Silver Sword Griffins - Synergy Alpha: Tough series to predict containing two very tactically skilled teams. Every player from both squads understand the game extensively and we will likely see two teams that are very well-prepared, having scouted their opponents before game time. Synergy is another team that has impressed me this season - they have always been good but I'm not sure I would have pegged them to finish 3rd in the very competitive Group 2. This gives me confidence they could turn in their best playoff performance yet and go far this tournament. 4-2, Synergy. Silenttio: Oh boy, oh boy. SSG got Synergy with their last minute walkover situation and I have strong feeling this might turn ugly. Synergy has turned better and better, week by week. SSG has one-timers, Synergy has the whole package. Not gonna say more than this. 4-1, Synergy. Falun Coal Miners - Aapon Taikasauva Alpha: They say that hope is the last thing to leave you before you die, and maybe thats true here as well. Regardless, I wouldn't be much of a captain if I didn't atleast believe in my teams ability to win so I will ruffle some feathers here and predict another upset. One that will consist of a 7-game series where Aapon wins one game 6-2, we win next 1-0 in OT and on it goes like that until FCM's #1 Defensive defenseman, Meeertz, scores on a shot from the point in Game 7 OT. 4-3, FCM. Silenttio: This is pretty much like NOS vs. FFR, even though FCM has better upside to turn this series to game 7 showdown. These guys have playoffs experience from earlier years, and by defending Aapo's super offensive gameplan well, who knows if we have biggest surprise in this series? Then again, we're talking about Aapo. They have Joukki, they have Puantso, they have Indi. Tough, tough boys to defend against one time per night and I can just imagine what FCM D has in their minds facing Aapo for several games in a row (Note from Alpha: Nightmares...). However, Aapo's D-men are their weakspot but gladly they have elite goalie between the pipes. So yeah, might turn ugly again. I'm very excited to see Aapo's playoff journey and this will be good test for them. 4-1, Aapon Taikasauva. No Guts No Glory - Laser HT Alpha: Laser is, to me, without a doubt the best team in this tournament and the world right now. I predicted them to win the entire tournament before it started and I stand by that. Regardless of lineup, Laser is a force to be reckoned with and unless No Guts pull off a miracle here - this will be the first step of a long playoff journey for Dominointi and crew. 4-0 LHT. Silenttio: No glory here for NG2, for sure. Laser is definitely in the overall Top 3 of on-going season and they will handle this series, even with their lefties. Good luck, NG2... 4-0, Laser HT. Pheeew... That's all from us, for now. Feel free to leave any and all feedback in the comment section below. Let us have it! Good luck in the playoffs to all teams and have fun out there. // The_Alpha_Furyan & vSilenttio

Hello NHLGamers, Going to keep it short and sweet for now by presenting the ECL 3 Playoff Pairings for Round 1. A playoff tree will be up tomorrow to provide you all with a visual guide for how the playoffs are progressing. Also, @Kenu will have further details for you regarding how the final weeks of the regular season shook out in a post tomorrow (including information on cases and rulings) but for now the staff would like to thank all the participants of this enormous tournament for giving it your all. Words were said, frustrations vented but above all - great hockey was played. That final ingredient is only going to get better in the coming weeks so without further ado, here are the teams battling for the ECL 3 Trophy: (Group 1 teams left, Group 2 teams right) Northern Stars - Free From Rodents Written In The Stars - Nordic Nosebleed X Factor - Kattiautomatti Finnish Roosters - Alliance HT Nordic Blizzard - murohoki Dynasty - Knight Aces HC Refuse To Lose - TIKI TALK Fat Cats - Inter Iceland White Trash - Northern Ascendancy Warriors of Kongo - Nordic Nightmare HC Checkmate - MUKIMIEHET sjukstugan - Nordic Lightning Rynnäkköviikset - SIKA Silver Sword Griffins - Synergy Hockey Falun Coal Miners - Aapon Taikasauva No Guts No Glory - Laser HT Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more great (hopefully not mediocre) stuff when me and @vSilenttio will be predicting the playoffs in a Playoff Preview post. Lots of great action to look forward to in other words, even besides the games. Good luck in the playoffs. // NHLGamer Staff

Hello NHLGamers, With just one week left before the start of the ECL 3 Playoffs, we have a few more administrative matters to announce. As some of you may have noticed in the community chat, the staff reached out to a number of teams that had been unresponsive in the last few weeks. They were given one more day to respond and state their intentions before being removed from the tournament. One team, Terrific Tigers, wanted to remain but three others did not (or did not respond at all). The teams in question are the following: Origins (Group 1) Bone Breakers (Group 2) Ice Bros (Group 2) Like before, this means that the Captains and Assistant Captains of these teams will not be allowed any further participation in ECL 3, as per the rules. As the Transfer Deadline has passed, no other team members are allowed to participate in the rest of the tournament. The above teams will be completely removed from the ECL 3 database with all their games and stats wiped clean. One or two minor statistical errors are currently displaying for Group 2 (some of the teams that were removed earlier in the tournament accidentally popped back up) but rest assured that @Kenu is on top of it and that the standings should display correctly later today. We would like to remind all teams that the absolute last day to finish your regular season games are Sunday, December 18th as the playoffs start Monday, December 19th. We expect all remaining teams to finish out their seasons. On a final note, look for a playoff preview on monday as I will be enlisting the help of @vSilenttio to predict the outcomes and potential surprises of the ECL 3 Playoffs! On behalf of the NHLGamer Staff, The_Alpha_Furyan

Hello NHLGamers, This will be a rather short post but we just wanted to get the message out to you all before the start of the playoffs. First of all, a number of teams that have been unresponsive in the last few weeks have received messages giving them a window to 23:59 CET tonight to state their intentions on whether to finish their season or not. We will have more news for you regarding this in the coming days. Anyway, it is soon time to move into the playoffs for this third European Championship League season and below you will find the playoff structure First round - Group A vs Group B A1 vs. B16 A2 vs. B15 A3 vs. B14 A4 vs. B13 A5 vs. B12 A6 vs. B11 A7 vs. B10 A8 vs. B9 A9 vs. B8 A10 vs. B7 A11 vs. B6 A12 vs. B5 A13 vs. B4 A14 vs. B3 A15 vs. B2 A16 vs. B1 The games will, as per usual, be played best-out-of-7. The last day of the regular season schedule is Wednesday December 14th. In an ideal world, all teams would be done with their games by then and we could start the playoffs on December 15th. We are ready to do this, should the regular season be completely finished by then. Most likely though, there will be games remaining on the schedule so we are looking at a Playoff start date of December 19th. This takes us awfully close to Christmas and the usual stress that comes with that. Therefore, we are making the First Round two weeks long - December 19th to January 2nd (2017). This should help all teams to have those seven games in the first round done by then. The following four rounds will be just one week each, leaving us with a winner crowned for ECL 3 before Februaruy 1st. Round 2 and onwards Moving forward, the teams will be reseeded based on regular season points per game after each round to ensure the regular season standings continue to hold merit. The time allotted for every round in the playoffs (after the first round) is one week and the default scheduled days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sunday should not be used for scheduling - only as a last resort to get the games played. This will allow us to have everything set up and for the next round to start on time. Kind regards, The NHLGamer Staff

Hello NHLGamers, First of all, we would like to thank you all for the tremendous amount of reactions, thoughts and comments on the proposed Division system. Mondays post is already our most commented news story on the website and among the most viewed ones as well. Keep dishing out the feedback and know that we are reading all comments and suggestions closely. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Please note that today (7/12-2016) is the final day for transfers during ECL 3, meaning all potential "trades" and free agent signings need to be made before midnight tonight. If you want, feel free to post your confirmed deadline moves in this thread so that the community can follow the activity: Confirmed ECL 3 Transfers/Trades/Free Agent signings (2016-12-07) Good luck in your signing efforts Captains and make sure to throw an additional look at the rulebook below to make sure all transfers are legit. Transfers "The rules in this section only apply during a league/tournament. The deadline for transfers is set to 23:59 GMT, 7 days before the end of the regular season. Teams are allowed to recruit free agent members of NHL Gamer up until the trade-deadline. Both the player and team must mutually agree to being picked up from the free agents. Teams are allowed to release a player from their roster, provided this doesn’t violate the roster minimum rule. Released players cannot go back to the team that released them and their next move is considered a transfer from the team that released them to their new team. Team captains and assistants are not allowed to transfer during a league/tournament. Regular players are allowed to transfer once per tournament from a team to another, unless the move would put their initial team under the 8-player limit. Players are not allowed to transfer to a team they had previously left during a league/tournament. Teams may add up to 3 transferred players for the duration of the league/tournament. If a team is disqualified its managers are banned from the league/tournament. The other roster players are free to transfer to another team, unless they were proven involved in the disqualification of their team, in which case they are also banned. " // NHLGamer Staff

Hello NHLGamers, We hope the cold Fall weather is treating you all well and that you are enjoying as much hockey as possible, both real and virtual. What is new in ECL Season 3? Well, we’re past the halfway point of the season and this is where things are really starting to heat up. The playoff race is on and many teams are currently battling for playoff position already. Sadly, not all teams have made it this far. It is with regret that we here at NHLGamer are announcing that a total of 3 ECL teams have officially thrown in the towel and removed themselves from the tournament. The teams in question are the following: Ice K1ngs (Never participated) Los Bombers (Group 1, 16GP) Destined For Greatness (Group 2, 16GP) What this means is that the Captains and Assistant Captains of these teams will not be allowed any further participation in ECL 3, as per the rules. Other members of these teams are to be considered available as Free Agents up until the final week of the regular season, again per the rules. Furthermore, in the interest of fairness, the above teams will be completely removed from the ECL 3 database with all their games and stats wiped clean. This means that the teams that have already played their games versus the removed teams will have their results and stats removed for these particular games. We understand it is not a perfect solution and that team/personal stats are important, but it is the only way to make sure the process works fairly and that no team gets “extra” points for being one of the first teams to play a team that ended up leaving the tournament. @Kenu has already removed the games played, the results and the standings points involved and will begin to remove the individual stats in the coming days. As this is the finishing stretch of the regular season, we ask all teams to make every effort to stay on schedule as best they can the whole way through. On a final note, look for a post regarding DIVISIONS in the near future. This concerns all teams (regardless if you make the playoffs as the #1 seed or finish last in your group) and should bring about an exciting future for the competitive EASHL community in Europe! // NHLGamer Staff

Hello NHLGamers, We are roughly halfway through this ECL season, the third of its kind, and it is time to take a look at some of the bigger moments of the season so far. We've had some surprising teams, some disciplinary cases and some expected domination from the bigger "franchise teams". All in all, it's been a solid month of virtual hockey and with half the season to go - there is a lot more good stuff coming up. But first, let's take a look at the first half. The expected If you would have told me before the season started that some of the top teams at the head of both groups would have been Written In The Stars, Northern Stars, Finnish Roosters, Aapon Taikasauva, SIKA, LASER - I would have said "What else is new?". These franchises - and I do say franchises because they have made names for themselves by consistently staying together and winning games - are known to many in the community at this point. Known just as much for their high scoring as their stingy defenses, these top teams have lived up to every expectation placed upon them before the start of the season. Even among all these expected success stories, one team in particular has to be considered the strongest starter thus far. I am of course talking about Aapon Taikasauva. With a record of 24-0-0 with 71 points through their first 24 games, they are the only team yet to have been defeated in the entire league. Having only failed to aquire the full 3 points in a single game (How did you manage that, Bone Breakers? Impressive!) this team has to be considered the halfway "champions" of the ECL. Besides from their lofty team totals, Aapon boasts some of the best individual stats as well. Currently in possession of places 1, 2, 3 in the scoring race - Aapons first line of indi969, joukki13 and Puantso have combined for over 300 points so far. Finally, with #1 goalie Zande95 sporting a 85% save percentage and a 1.14 GAA, this team is currently on a run for the record books, both individually and as a team. Can they close out the season without losing? Time till tell. The surprises Part of the group usually labeled as "Mid tier", quite a few teams have strived to prove themselves and to take that final step into Top Team territory. Nowhere has this been more evident this season than with two teams (one from each group); Nordic Lightning and Refuse To Lose. These teams were both considered good before the tournament started, but I am not sure anybody expected them to be this good. Refuse To Lose currently resides at #2 in Group 1 while Nordic Lightning comes in at #7 in Group 2. On another note, late arrival Northern Ascendancy (with new signing/Summer Cup playoff MVP Fopptofflan and Captain MartindalexC leading the way together) has also been a pleasant surprise coming in at #4 in Group 2 with a record of 19-4-1. That said, many people (including myself in the preview) knew success follows this team as they have proven they know how to make good signings to bolster the team at just the right time. The most shocking surprise though, is new team Alliance HT. Coming into the season this team were an unknown commodity on the NHLGamer site but with an impressive #8 rank in Group 2, look for this Russian team to try and maintain momentum going into the second half of the season. However, the most charming surprise thus far has to be Elämäm Kiekko. This rookie team came into ECL with no previous experience and as with any completely new team, it has certainly been a rude awakening at times. Through it all they have maintained an incredibly positive attitude, gaining quite a few fans and friends in the community along the ride, and after finally holding their first lead and winning their first games, this team is on an upward trajectory. Look for them to improve even more in the second half of the season. The stats Finally we get to one of my favorite parts, the stats! I've included the Top 5 in quite a few categories here so for now, enjoy: TEAM Most goals scored 1. Aapon Taikasauva, 163 2. Written In The Stars, 131 3. Finnish Roosters, 129 4. Nordic Nightmare, 113 5. Nordic Lightning, 104 Least goals allowed 1. Dynasty, 27 2. Silver Sword Griffins, 30 3. Northern Stars, 34 4. Alliance HT, 35 5. X Factor, 36 Most hits 1. Rusty Blades, 453 2. HC ParempiTarjous, 458 3. Fat Cats, 408 4. HC Soittorasia, 402 5. Nordic Lightning, 401 Most PIMs 1. HC Soittorasia, 245 2. HC ParempiTarjous, 200 3. La Suede, 142 4. Rusty Blades, 137 5. Nordic Lightning, 137 INDIVIDUAL Most goals 1. joukki13, 58 (Aapon Taikasauva) 2. PleeMaker, 58 (Finnish Roosters) 3. indi969, 49 (Aapon Taikasauva) 4. Bugimir, 46 (Written In The Stars) 5. FlyerKungen, 46 (Written In The Stars) Most assists 1. Puantso, 80 (Aapon Taikasauva) 2. indi696, 61 (Aapon Taikasauva) 3. joukki13, 57 (Aapon Taikasauva) 4. Penatski, 56 (X Factor) 5. tbnantti, 55 (Finnish Roosters) Most points 1. Puantso, 115 (Aapon Taikasauva) 2. joukki13, 115 (Aapon Taikasauva) 3. indi696, 110 (Aapon Taikasauva) 4. Bugimir, 98 (Written In The stars) 5. tbnantti, 96 (Finnish Roosters) Most hits 1. Tanski87, 188 (Rusty Blades) 2. PleeMaker, 125 (Finnish Roosters) 3. Rankaisija_, 111 (Fat Cats) 4. PatzyDrake, 110 (Falun Coal Miners) 5. Resnais2012, 107 (Silver Sword Griffins) Most points by defender (at least 75% games on D) 1. JParola, 49 (Finnish Roosters) 2. SadaPoika, 41 (Written In The Stars) 3. jtorro123, 35 (Aapon Taikasauva) 4. Totalii, 34 (Written In The Stars) 5. Gustafsson7, 34 (Sjukstugan) Most wins by a goalie 1. Lankreeni, 19 (Written In The Stars) 2. FinKonna, 18 (Finnish Roosters) 3. SpiderRoyal, 17 (SIKA) 4. s_w1ld_RUS, 15 (Alliance HT) 5. DUNZA, 15 (Synergy Hockey) Best save percentage (at least 50% of teams games played) 1. a_pantera, 85.71 % (TIKI TALK) 2. hanzy91, 85.71% (Silver Sword Griffins) 3. loncelot84, 85.12% (Northern Stars) 4. Zande95, 85.04% (Aapon Taikasauva) 5. RingDaKing30, 82.37% (BraZZers) Best Goals Against Average (at least 50% of teams games played) 1. Zande95, 1.14 (Aapon Taikasauva) 2. hanzy91, 1.35 (Silver Sword Griffins) 3. loncelot84 1.50 (Northern Stars) 4. Lukkolinho, 1.58 (Dynasty) 5. DUNZA, 1.68 (Synergy Hockey) As always... later skaters // The_Alpha_Furyan

Hey NHLGamers, You are getting two news stories tonight, albeit one of them shorter. We, Kenu primarliy, are receving many PMs with various questions and reports on matters regarding ECL 3. This is good, we encourage constructive communication and we do need reports of what goes on. However.... Game reports - mistakes The reporting of mistakes made in the game reports are getting better but always remember two things - be as precise as possible and always include a link of what game you are talking about. This helps tremendously with troubleshooting and fixing. Links, gentlemen, links. PMs Furthermore, any PMs with requests for walkovers, reports concerning rule violations and things of the sort will not be read if written in any other language than English. The staff is fluent in Finnish, Swedish, German and Profanity (haha) but will not respond to these matters unless communicated so that all can understand. Therefore, it is important that any and all communication to the staff is in English AND that it goes to Kenu, Lurkins, gzell60, Ranksu and The_Alpha_Furyan in the same message. This keeps us from having to translate messages around and shortens the time it takes for us to get back to you. We are aware that English is not everyones first language and we have the utmost respect for that. It does not have to be a perfectly written message and we will of course help as much as we can if there are language difficulties. That is all for tonight. Ps. I will try and write something a bit more fun this week - like a "Mid-Season Review" but this is ONLY possible if we are not overloaded with disciplinary matters to attend to. So again, please try and work with each other moving forward. On behalf of the NHLGamer staff, The_Alpha_Furyan

Hey NHL Gamers, Another week, another disciplinary post. We would like to once again remind all teams and captains to try and work with each other as much as possible and use the rules combined with a heavy dose of common sense. We understand sometimes rules are simply broken and some situations cannot be resolved… but again, it would be much appreciated if every team and captaincy squad could make that extra effort to not only respect the rules, but also respect their opponents. This is especially true for the scheduling of games. Set a standard of professionalism and your opponent will learn from you. Anyway, let us get to the rulings. On the matter of incorrect arena configuration for Warriors of Kongo vs. HC Checkmate (Scheduled for October 13th) You might remember this case from last weeks post, if not read about the situation here. Turns out Warriors of Kongo were not able to play at the time that was agreed upon as the replacement game time. Rule #6 of the NHLGamer rulebook states that: ”If a team is more than 15 minutes late to a game, the opposing team has the right to request a walk-over win. These requests will be looked at by the NHL Gamer staff.” Warriors of Kongo did not show up to play on the agreed upon replacement game time, therefore the staff has come to the following conclusion: - Both teams accepted the ruling of a re-scheduled game. HC Checkmate were ready at the correct time. Warriors of Kongo were not. The staff rules that HC Checkmate is awarded a walkover win for the game in question. On the matter of TIKI TALK not showing up for the games vs. HC Marilyn (Scheduled for October 26th) The staff was made aware that TIKI TALK were not available at the scheduled time for the games against HC Marilyn on October 26th. TIKI TALK did communicate that they would not be able to play on the default game time the day before (the 25th) at around 7 in the evening, and instead suggested that same day at 9 as a replacement time. Naturally, HC Marilyn had some difficulties rallying the troops on just a two hour notice and were unable to play. HC Marilyn then suggested multiple different time for the teams to play that TIKI TALK were unable to comply with. TIKI TALKs suggestion in return was that they would play at an unspecified time the following week and that “there would be time to play, no worries”. Rule #6 of the NHLGamer rulebook states that: ”If a team is more than 15 minutes late to a game, the opposing team has the right to request a walk-over win. These requests will be looked at by the NHL Gamer staff.” Now, it is to be made clear that HC Marilyn has NOT requested a walkover win, but instead turned to the staff for further advice on the situation. On that basis, the staff has come to the following conclusions: - HC Marilyn were available at the default scheduled game date and time, TIKI TALK was not. - TIKI TALK did communicate that they would not be able to play at the default game time and did produce an alternative, albeit a very difficult one for HC Marilyn - HC Marilyn is to be considered having gone to greater lengths than TIKI TALK in their attempts to schedule the games Based on the above mentioned information, the staff rules that these games will be played during the following 7 days - meaning no walkover losses are to be handed out to TIKI TALK. That said, TIKI TALK showed a lack of respect for both their opponent and the default game day in not making a greater effort to be available on time. The default game time is to be considered the offical time to play and is to be respected. The staff furthermore rules that TIKI TALK is to be considered warned for their conduct and will be subject to harsher punishment if similar situations occur where they do not make an effort in regards to the game scheduling. Finally, the games are to be scheduled by HC Marilyn the following 7 days, at a reasonable time. Failure from TIKI TALK to respect this, will result in further discipline. Attempts from HC Marilyn to book games where they ”know” TIKI TALK are not available (like when they already have games) will not be accepted. On the matter of the delay of Origins vs. No Guts No Glory (Originally scheduled for October 12th) The staff was made aware of difficulties in the booking of games between Origins and No Guts No Glory. Issues first arose when No Guts No Glory were unable to play at the default scheduled game day. Both teams did decide on a replacement date though and things appeared to be fine. On that day though (the 21st), the PSN network was completely down - something we here at NHLGamer.com cannot influence. From here, the stories vary with regards to who was available to play and when. These teams are now missing the deadline by quite a bit but considering the circumstances, the staff rules that a date for these games needs to be decided within 24 hours. This date needs to be in the next 7 days and it needs to be communicated to the staff by message. If a game has not been scheduled within 24 hours, the staff will set a game time that both teams will have no choice but to accept. If one team is not available at this time, this team will be given walkover losses. Both captains have now received messages regarding this. On the matter of the games that were scheduled between Rusty Blades and Refuse To Lose (October 27th) The staff was made aware by both captains of these respective squads that a situation had arisen between these two teams on the default scheduled game day. The teams did not have any communication at all before the default game time (which in itself is highly unusual and is not to be recommended) at 20 CET. Rusty Blades at this time were available in the dressing room and made Refuse To Lose aware of this fact. Refuse To Lose had taken the lack of communication as an indication that the games would not happen that day and were not ready at 20 CET. RLT then indicated they could make some calls and have players ready at 21.15 CET at the very latest and did produce a lineup at that time but Rusty Blades had gone to great lengths to be ready at 20 CET (calling in players that were sick) and did not accept this, instead opting to request walkover wins. Rule #6 of the NHLGamer rulebook states that: ”If a team is more than 15 minutes late to a game, the opposing team has the right to request a walk-over win. These requests will be looked at by the NHL Gamer staff.” After plenty of discussion, numerous screenshots and various other communication – the staff has come to the following conclusions: - First of all, both teams are to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror with regards to communication. Even though it is not part of the official rulebook, it is still custom in the ECL world to atleast contact your opponents before you have games scheduled. The fact that this did not happen here is highly unusual and should be improved upon in the future. If nothing else, to keep us from having to settle matters like this that could have been decided by a quick message here at NHLGamer or even the PSN Network. Bad all around. - That said, Rusty Blades were ready in the dressing room at the appointed time (with sick players even!) and Refuse To Lose were not. - Refuse To Lose did adapt quickly to the situation and could produce a lineup within roughly an hour. Rusty Blades claimed to have been exhausted from waiting in the dressing room for 45 minutes and opted to play “relaxing” 6v6 club games with their ECL roster for the rest of the night, instead of having to re-apply focus more than one hour after they were first ready. Based on all this information, the staff rules that these games shall be played within the 7 days. This means that, just like in the earlier case with TIKI and Marilyn, WO wins are not to be handed out. Both teams are to be considered negligent in regards to communication. However, Rusty Blades did produce a lineup at the appointed time and is therefore cleared of any wrongdoing within the boundaries of the rulebook. Refuse To Lose, like TIKI TALK, is given a warning with regards to scheduling where any further matter involving them and games unattended could result in heavier discipline. Rusty Blades should be commended for being ready on time but should also be reminded that we are all in the company of fellow NHL Gamers here. Refuse To Lose did show a lack of respect in this situation but Rusty Blades had the opportunity to pay this back by applying sportsmanship and chose not to. If the case had been that they were simply unavailable that would have been one thing, but as they kept on playing regular EASHL games with the same lineup that would have been used for ECL, that is another thing entirely. Finally, Rusty Blades are to decide when the game is played during the following 7 days, at a reasonable time for both teams. Failure from Refuse To Lose to respect this, will result in further discipline. Attempts from Rusty Blades to book games where they ”know” Refuse To Lose are not available (like when they already have games) will not be accepted. Individual warnings An individual warning is handed out to @Viiktor, captain of Kattiautomatti, for making his team leave their game against Muruhoki when one of Kattiautomattis players were dropped. This decision is to be made by the opposing team, Murohoki in this case, per the rulebook. Additional Info - Game Reports (as of 2016-10-31) Finally, the following games need to be reported immediately as they are well outside of the 24-hour reporting rule. Continued negligence will result in warnings and/or possible bans. (Bone Breakers) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1622 (October 19th) – 2ND REMINDER. FIX IT! http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1770 (October 26th) (ICE BROS) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1723 (October 24th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1729 (October 24th) (HC Checkmate) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1798 (October 26th) (Knight Aces HC) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1819 (October 27th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1825 (October 27th) (Los Bombers) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1534 (October 14th) – 2ND REMINDER. FIX IT! http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1535 (October 14th) – 2ND REMINDER. FIX IT! http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1686 (October 21st) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1829 (October 27th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1830 (October 27th) (Mpire) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1820 (October 27th) (Nordic Lightning) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1814 (October 27th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1813 (October 27th) (Nordic Nightmare) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1718 (October 24 th) (Sektion K) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1840 (October 28th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1841 (October 28th) (TIKI TALK) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1818 (October 27th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1818 (October 27th) http://nhlgamer.com/match.php?matchID=1832 (October 27th) Thank you for your time. Sincerely, The NHLGamer Staff

Hey NHLGamers, Did everyone have time to check out the ECL 3 launch stream yesterday? If not, check it out here. Last night's broadcast was one hell of a way to kick off a season! Nearly 250 viewers on Twitch and almost the same amount of people browsing the forums. Congratulations to @Kenu and @Lurkins on a great show with some fun surprises and thank you all for joining us on the stream and in the chat box. So, ECL 3. The third and biggest (so far!) edition of the European Championship League of EASHL gaming. This tournament will of course take place on the NHL 17 platform which I know you all have gotten quite familiar with. New format The new format, with two large groups (conferences) instead of many smaller ones, has spurred on some great discussion in the comment section with some members doubtful and some members loving the design. As always, we here at NHLGamer value your opinions and the feedback you provide us with – we read it all and try to reply as often as we can. For now, know that your voices have been heard (both praise and doubts!) and will be taken into consideration going forward. That being said, the conference system for ECL 3 serves two important purposes. One, it provides NHL gamers with the most complete and extensive EASHL tournament this website has ever provided. The regular season will now “feel” more like an actual NHL season with teams going on hot streaks and breaking out of slumps on a weekly basis. Two, this tougher regular season ensures that it truly is the top teams that emerge and make the playoffs. Some of these teams will then make up what will become Division 1 of the ECL – the top division in our new division system. Once the Divisional system kicks in (from ECL 4 and forward) there will be relegations and promotions on a tournament-to-tournament basis, ensuring that teams that stay together to build franchises and create legacies are the ones who will reign supreme. New teams will of course be welcomed with open arms here at NHLGamer.com but will now have to earn their place and work their way up in the world’s most competitive online hockey gaming tournament. The exact plans for the divisional system are currently safely stored in the NHLGamer vaults but will be presented further during the tournament by our very own @gzell60. For now, if you have any questions about our plans – fire away in the comment section so we know exactly what you are curious about when we present our plan. Let the games begin! Predictions Two tough groups. Two very, very tough groups. In group 1, you’ve got ECL 1 champions Nordic Blizzard, EASHL top ranked Dynasty, X Factor and Written In the Stars. Combine that with experienced, hard hitting teams like Sjukstugan and Silver Sword Griffins and you’ve got quite the nest of vipers. And that’s not even mentioning old Xbox behemoths Northern Stars who dominated the 360 scene for a long time and have a tendency to step up their game once the big tournaments roll around… With lots of new teams coming in as well, there is really no telling how this group will end up but my prediction for the Top-3 of this group will be 1. X Factor 2. Written In The Stars 3. Nordic Blizzard The teams of Group 1 Dynasty Elämäm Kiekko Falun Coal Miners Fat Cats Finnish Roosters Ganja Bonanzas HC Checkmate HC ParempiTarjous HC Soittorasia Ice K1ngs Infinity La Suedé Los Bombers Mpire No Guts No Glory Nordic Blizzard Northern Stars Origins Refuse To Lose Rising Phantoms HC Rusty Blades Rynnäkköviikset Sektion K Silver Sword Griffins Sjukstugan Voodoo People Warriors of Kongo White Trash Written In The Stars X Factor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On to group 2, where the currently #1 ranked team in the world, Laser HT, resides. Made up of players from various top teams, this legendary Xbox team has been resurrected for ECL 3 and they would have to be considered favourites for the championship win at this point in the tournament. That’s not all though, group 2 also features the highest ranked Swedish team Synergy Hockey, ECL 2 champions MUKIMIEHET, insanely skilled Nordic Nightmare, team play masters Nordic Lightning with late addition and potential underdog, Northern Ascendancy – featuring ECL Summer Cup Playoff MVP, @Foppatofflan. My prediction for the Top-3 of group 2 then becomes 1. Laser HT 2. Nordic Nightmare 3. Northern Ascendancy The teams of Group 2 Aapon Taikasauva AK-47 Alliance HT Bare Knuckles Hockey Bone Breakers BraZZers Destined for Greatness Drop Zone EN HUND Free From Rodents HC Marilyn HC Solhem ICE BROS Inter Iceland Kattiautomaatti Knight Aces HC Laser HT Lunatic Lions MUKIMIEHET Murohoki Nordic Lightning Nordic Nightmare Nordic Nosebleed Northern Ascendancy SIKA Synergy Hockey Terrific Tigers TIKI TALK VC Hockey This truly will be a tournament for the ages and in my opinion, our best one yet. From all of us here at the NHLGamer staff – good luck and may the odds ever be in your favour. Yes. I went there. Later skaters // The_Alpha_Furyan

Hey NHLGamers, Be sure to check out our big ECL 3 Twitch live stream tonight (October 9th) at 22 FIN/21 SWE time! Our charming website owners KenuFHR and Lurkins will host the stream - announcing the groups, presenting the tournament structure and above all, providing some quality entertainment. The tournament is starting tomorrow (check out the Welcome to ECL 3-post here) so be sure to check out the stream tonight to know all the details before you start setting up games tomorrow. This is the link, be there in two hours time; NHLGamer Official Twitch Channel

Hello NHLGamers, It's time for ECL Season 3 and here is how the regular season will work: Regular season Teams have officially been created by Kenu so to all you Captains, get out there and start adding your players! Barring any sudden setbacks, the start of ECL Season 3 will be on Monday, October 10th - aligning quite well with the start of the actual NHL regular season. With almost 60 teams signed up, we are creating a longer regular season with two separate groups, or "conferences" - each containing roughly 30 teams. These teams will then play each other twice (within the conference) for a full regular season of about 54-58 games - depending on the exact number of teams that end up actually playing. Groups will be pre-seeded without a lottery to make sure both groups are even. However, we will seed teams into different clusters which will then be "drawn" on a Live Stream on the websites Twitch channel, look for it this Sunday (9/10). Playoffs The first 16 teams in both groups advance to the playoffs. In the first round, both groups will play against each other (A1-B16, A2-B15…). Afterwards, it’s strongest against weakest team (according to our regular season tiebreakers). There are a few more surprises coming Sunday in regards to the playoffs and one more thing. At this point I will just say the word "Divisions" and let you speculate a bit on your own... Hope this was enough to whet your appetites for now and until Sunday and on behalf of the entire NHLGamer staff: Welcome to ECL 3! Later skaters // The_Alpha_Furyan