Mikka

Teams from Group 1 were quite dominant in the first round of the ECL 12 Pro Playoffs, with the number one seed Conquer Gaming being the only team from Group 2 to advance. It is now time to get ready for the quarterfinals though, so without further ado let’s get into the preview: (1) Conquer Gaming – Team LEISURE (12) Conquer Gaming have been impressive throughout the whole season and are not thinking about easing up before the mission is complete. Their first round series against Bjorkloven Esport ended convincingly 4-1, with every game being close and getting decided by only one goal except for their single loss (0-5). Team LEISURE on the contrary did not have an easy time with Conquer’s Group 2 runner ups Sulkavan Sudet, only getting the job done in the deciding game seven. In the other series that included cross-server gameplay, the home team ended up on top in 12 out of 13 games, meanwhile in Team LEISURE’s series it was the away team that won every single game. This could be interpreted as a sign of the teams’ ability to adapt to the higher ping, or just as a random occurrence. We will see how it shapes out in this series. Both teams have similar public images as squads that value strong team play and defence. Both of them are also former Elite teams looking to get back to where they once were. The prior statements are starting to get pretty repetitive after being copied and pasted into quite literally every Pro article this season, but do not worry, you will not have to bear it much longer: one of these two teams is finally going to be able to start their summer vacations next week. For now, it seems more likely that it will be Team LEISURE as they are the ones that have had the tougher time thus far. Could they possibly use their recently gained momentum to gain the edge over Conquer? It is not completely off the cards, so definitely check in on this battle to find out. Team LEISURE may also be able to benefit from playing a tighter first series, meanwhile Conquer Gaming has been steadily plowing through the competition for the whole season without many mishaps. Prediction: Conquer Gaming 4-3 (2) HV71 – Blackdawgs (10) Despite a few big margin losses, Blackdawgs were able to win the game seven against Patience to advance to the quarterfinals. The stat line did not seem to flatter them, with their opponents often having the lion’s share of time on attack and for example the deciding game ending with Blackdawgs scoring four goals on four shots. They found the four wins anyway though, which speaks volumes about their resilience and perhaps even skill on defending against the most dangerous of chances. HV71 was on the other side of this equation in their own series, having a lot more puck possession than their opponents Inter Iceland. The Swedes ended up on top with a 4-2 series score, and are now looking to repeat it against a team that they have already won twice this season: Blackdawgs lost (1-3, 2-4) in both games between them during group play. HV71 had a strong regular season and are not looking to take their feet off the gas pedal just yet. They already have the experience of beating the current Blackdawgs roster, along with the added confidence boost of winning against a team with a somewhat similar playing style in the first round. To hope to extend the series and eventually triumph, the underdogs on the other hand need to have learned their lessons in the weeks that have passed since the regular season matchup, in addition to coming up with some fresh elements to their game after the last playoff round. Unless the ‘dawgs find those new tricks up their sleeves, this one should go quite clearly in HV71’s favor as they march on towards the top four. Prediction: HV71 4-1 (4) BoxinElite – VISU Gaming (7) BoxinElite did not have as convincing of an appearance in the first round as anticipated, with the French SPARTIATES X MCES taking the series all the way to, yes, once again, a game seven. Was it just a case of not being used to playing on the Central servers, or was it a warning sign that they could be taken down with some solid, patient defending? They won every home game, but also lost every away match. Fellow Group 1 team VISU Gaming performed about on par with the expectations, stopping short the season of Pata Hellalla 4-2. They showed their strength of character in game six by evening up the score just 14 seconds before the final horn and then wrapping up the hard fought series in overtime. @Pettersson12 and @Jjmakkeli (JussinSisko) split the playing time, with the former going undefeated, so it is going to be interesting to see whether this arrangement continues or if one of them is going to claim the starting spot for good. VISU was the only team going through from the first round that did not stick with the same starting six for the whole series. Similarly to the HV71 - Blackdawgs matchup, these teams have already played against each other this season, though more recently. Barely a week and a half has passed since the regular season finale, where BoxinElite bounced back in the second game with a 3-2 score after losing to VISU with a hefty 2-6 in the first one. BoxinElite will surely be looking to get revenge as the loss prevented them from winning the group, but their opponents seem to have been getting their early season groove back on. VISU also ended up on top (with a clean 4-0 sweep) when the two faced each other last season in the Lite quarterfinals. Both teams have changed around half of their respective rosters since then, so that result should not be read into too strongly except for the mental side of things. BoxinElite need to step up and find the same spark that made them blossom in the regular season, or otherwise this could result in a rather unpleasant flashback to last season on their part. A bit like the Sulkavan Sudet - Team LEISURE matchup in the first round, this is a series where an apparent underachiever meets a strong regular season team in a clash that many think favors the playing style of the former. Prediction: 2-4 VISU Gaming (5) Djurgarden Hockey – Kiekko-Espoo Esports (6) Written by @viivimaria Kiekko-Espoo Esports faced Dynastia in the first round of the playoffs. The match series was very eventful, as it included very great goals and one marathon match, in which the decisive goal wasn't found until in the sixth overtime period. The most important characters of Kiekko-Espoo were the team captain @Hazard-laser and perhaps @sMiika, who stepped up when called upon a bit surprisingly. Both players strapped the team to their backs in tight situations. Swedish team Djurgården meanwhile, won against Hotbox by a pure 4-0 sweep in the first round of the playoffs. A much tougher struggle is expected from the upcoming quarterfinals, rather than another overpowering by the Swedes. One of the absolute top characters of the Swedish team was also goalkeeper @Sorsa103. After the first round of the playoffs, both goalkeepers of this match pair can be found in the top positions in the statistics and are relatively superior in comparison to the competition. Although sMiikaG did very well in the opening round of the playoffs, it is still to be expected that @jg697000(Gresu__), who played as the team’s top goalie, will return to the playing lineup in the next matches for Kiekko-Espoo. What is certain, is that the blueshirts have two great goalkeepers, either of which can be put on the ice as the playoffs progress. A very steady fight is expected from the upcoming semi-final series, and a great team will advance regardless of the outcome. Special teams and the conversion of scoring chances are also further emphasized Prediction: 4-3 Djurgarden Hockey That wraps up the preview! As always, do not be afraid to post your own predictions to the comment section below. Enjoy the games, we will be back with another preview when we have our top four sealed in a week’s time.

Almost three and a half months have passed since Enigma was crowned the ECL 11 Pro Champion, but it’s getting close to showtime again! The upcoming season has seen the new qualifier system being implemented and has resulted in a big team turnover, which is sure to stir the pot we’ve come to know. While the Pro division only saw six new squads last season compared to the previous one, this time is different: compared to ECL 11, there are a total of 16 teams that either played in a lower division or simply didn’t exist at the time. The ECL 12 Pro Qualifier didn’t see a single prior Pro outfit being able to retain their spot at the second highest tier of competition in Europe, with multiple mainstays such as Södertälje SK and TIKI TALK facing relegation to Lite. With the exception of the newly assembled Hawaii Hockey, all of the teams finding their way through the qualifiers played in Lite last season, meanwhile Ducktales BK and noRex Gaming end up back there following only a season of Pro competition. With star-studded powerhouses like Enigma getting promoted after last season, some may say that Pro lacks in true top team talent that is already close to or even at the Elite level of play. That might be what it seems like on paper, though it leaves the path open for new contenders to emerge from the shadows. We’ll see by the end of the season how the teams that finish at the top perform against Elite competition in the battle of promotion to - or relegation from - Elite. It’s harder than ever to accurately predict the standings due to the sheer amount of new teams that are still unproven at this level, but we’ll take a look at the groups overall and highlight a couple of teams from both ends of the table: ones expected to put up a challenge for the title and the ones that could be facing relegation unless they manage to right their course. Without further ado, here are the groups along with some analysis: Written by @Keuschemisch As stated before, we find many new teams in Group 1, who now have the chance to prove themselves on the Pro level for the first time. ECL 11 Lite Champion Bjorkloven Esport will be keen to establish themselves in Pro after beating VISU Gaming (former Exerceo) in a thrilling 7 game series to cap off their most recent campaign. With the likes of the Russian squad Nearbird Fighters as well as Rogle BK and the freshly founded Hawaii Hockey we find three teams that made it all the way through the Pro Qualifier and even the Wildcard Battle to secure their place in the second highest tier. Will players like @Kumbik or @Hair be able to perform up to the standards they've set at the Lite level? How big will the influence of experienced players like @cHIIMEERa and @Lamsa be for Rogle BK? For those teams it will be even more important to perform as a good unit to avoid relegation or even pave the way for a possible playoff appearance and it can't be stressed enough how important it is for freshly promoted teams like BoxinElite or Sinister to play good defensive hockey to lay a good foundation for their future. Teams like Herlev Eagles with their top scorer @vibholm10 or HV71 with their well established unit surely want to take advantage of that situation and have the quality in their roster to secure one of the top spots of their group. Experienced teams such as Djurgarden Hockey, Finnish Roosters, RCTIC and Kiekko-Espoo Esports are favorites for yet another postseason appearance. DIF winger duo @Birkedal96 and @amadee21 can be the difference makers for the 16-time Swedish National League champions from Stockholm. Kiekko-Espoo’s defenseman @Raikkoneeh as well as Blackdawgs’ fresh forward acquisition @Valluxet have shown their quality and value in the past seasons and will play important roles in ECL 12 to lead their teams. Without a doubt it will be a hard battle - whether to secure home ice advantage in the playoffs or to avoid relegation back to ECL Lite. Especially at the Pro level nearly any mistake will be punished right away and in Group 1 of ECL 12 Pro there is no leeway - no stone will be left unturned in the look for success. Championship contenders: HV71 The Swedish ensemble captained and built by @Demski13 has grown stronger by the season and is now looking at peak form after making arguably one of the biggest additions of the offseason by signing @Rubituss from Farjestad BK and adding @Putteekiing on top of that. The two will definitely boost the offense of the blue and yellow, while hopefully maintaining the defensive strength that the team has built their reputation on. Herlev Eagles After being one of the success stories in the regular season of ECL 11 Pro, Herlev Eagles faltered at the hands of Rookie Mistakes in the first round of the playoffs. Now, a largely unchanged roster of Eagles look to return to action with that experience in mind and nothing but an even better result in sight! Team LEISURE What goes up, must eventually fall down - that has been the story of German powerhouse Team LEISURE, who proudly carried the German flag with the very best of them in European virtual hockey for four entire seasons. Furthermore it will be interesting to see how @Flo_goes_grazy(flgr93) or @xDurchf4ll_- will be able to replace @Krinke on the left wing. @PlaymakerSJ remains a big piece of their puzzle and he needs to connect the defense with offense and set up his teammates for open looks, as they are used to. With the experience and individual class within Team LEISURE’s squad they might have the recipe for success at the tip of their fingers. Under relegation threat: Nearbird Fighters The Russian squad has pushed their way through a long and bumpy road ever since ECL 5 Lite in the steady charge of captain @Hair. After a successful run in the ECL 12 Pro Qualifiers, they will now see Pro contention for the first time and look to solidify their place at the second highest level. They are very inexperienced at this level, so a tough season is to expect. Sinister Sinister is a new team at the Pro level, consisting of several experienced gamers that now combine for an ensemble that like a fast paced game and know how to score when given the chance, but lack experience of success at higher levels of competition. They will need to mature their game if they want to see another season at the Pro level. BoxinElite BoxinElite is a team of young players with tremendous potential that like spending time with the game and know the ins and outs of the mechanics related to it. As a young squad, their season can be a hit or a total miss, widely depending on how they are able to combine and gel together as a team. We know they have offensive firepower - but the pro level requires strong team defence, which we hope they can develop! Written by @Mikka This group only has 15 teams after Supernatural (previously RPEAT ESPORTS) ceased to exist just prior to the season start, though there’s still as many (eight) newly promoted teams as in Group 1. After the ECL 11 Elite season, Conquer Gaming got relegated following three seasons at the highest level, and are now joined in the same group by two other teams with prior Elite experience in Pata Hellalla and Sjukstugan. Sjukstugan and Conquer Gaming have forayed into the transfer market in search of a stronger squad to boost them back to the top sooner than later, meanwhile Pata Hellalla have seemingly only shuffled around the positions without making any new signings after left winger @vizka13 departed to play in the Core division. They’re always an interesting team to follow in their search for consistency, sometimes beating top teams with ease but other times struggling to get points from weaker opponents. Some of the other teams promoted from Lite alongside Sjukstugan include the teams that finished 3rd and 4th in Hotbox and SPARTIATES X MCES, the regular season 2nd seed PENTA and the Russian outfit METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK. The two Central European squads PENTA and SPARTIATES X MCES trust their respective processes and have only had minimal new signings, meanwhile the Russians and the Finnish Hotbox have had a bigger roster turnover. PENTA’s wingers @Wowa_1995 (Wowa_PENTA) and @DaMan (Akin_PENTA) will have a tough time replicating the kind of scoring they had in Lite with the stabilizing force @domii_ecn (Domi_PENTA) in the middle, but the prior Pro experience from within their squad especially with Akin’s success will help with the jump in level of play. Even if it remains to be seen how much they play, METALLURG MAGNITOGORSK’s new signings @ilikkaa, @CMB-wf- and @mons3223 all have high level experience as well. Company of Geeks, Sack Brothers and Rookie Mistakes have all been in Pro for some seasons now, and will be looking to continue their journeys on that path. Company of Geeks will most likely have a hard time after changing big parts of their roster, meanwhile Sack Brothers and Rookie Mistakes seem to only have gotten stronger in the offseason with bolstered defense and goaltending departments. We’ll see if a familiar lineup or some bigger name acquisitions at the cost of chemistry end up being more effective in the end, but last minute roster changes have rarely been a sign of anything good. Although Lekstugan HC did actually find their way through the ECL 12 Pro Qualifier with only two players remaining from their ECL 11 roster playing a part, similarly to Patience who, along with their name, changed everything except the captain @N44TTI_16 ahead of this season. Both outfits consist of largely unproven players, so they have a lot of work ahead to establish themselves in Pro. Patience will get a ton of help from the former Elite goaltender and ECL 10 Pro champion @PCJP (Pelkoneen), who can surely steal them some tight games between the pipes and keep them out of the bottom places. Time will tell who will rise and who will fall, so be sure to catch up on the games and see for yourself! The only newly promoted team still left unmentioned is Dynastia, who are a tough one to predict after facing the last minute departures of @Wpaanane (wpaananen) & @valta15. They were convincing in the qualifier, but we’ll see if the team will be able to rebound quickly enough with the lead of captain @Majuri20 (Diktaattori62) and veteran @FakiiR1 (TheFakiiR1) to avoid relegation or even aim for the playoffs. Another team that has its level of play up in the air is Inter Iceland, who have struggled in the domestic GCL and the ECL Warmup after losing to lower ranked RCTIC in the ECL 11 Playoffs as the 2nd seed following a promising regular season. The Germans haven’t made much changes to their roster despite losing assistant captain @x Holtbeast (Reutsch_PENTA) to PENTA, so it will be up to the long time goalie @PLA77NER (Hasek-39--) and forward @Stefan_397 to try to carry their team back and beyond where they finished earlier on in the year. Sulkavan Sudet lost their best scorers in @Stiffenhoand @Janski (jansku23) to Dynastia and Elite team POGGERS, respectively, but still got decent results in the Warmup and so seem to be right on track for another fight around the final playoff spots. Championship contenders: Rookie Mistakes Coming into their 3rd ECL Pro season, Rookie Mistakes have always been an offensive minded team, but have now gotten significantly stronger on the other side of the puck with the signings of defensemen @bot_dole and @tominointi, who played against each other in the Pro finals just a few seasons ago. They will also be adding the skilled allrounder @James (Jamechkin) to their defense from Lite after his roster lock in Reality Check HC ends on May 27th, which gives them three good options there. The playing time in net will be shared 50-50 by @Ilezki_ and newly added, Elite-experienced @Jonitski, meanwhile the forward core sees an original player at the LW position in @Flopper71 being replaced by @Jondeezz and leaving for Conquer Gaming. As previously stated, Rookie Mistakes have only gotten stronger and the path to the top appears to be open for them, they’re most likely the strongest team in Group 2. Sack Brothers Similar to Rookie Mistakes, the strength of Sack Brothers has always been offense. Also similarly, their forward core stays the same meanwhile they acquire two new goalie options in @Randomjanne and @Tuhmakalastaja91 in addition to some newly signed experienced defensemen. @IKarkkiI comes back to Pro after a season of Elite competition with Dark Horse, meanwhile @Katunarski looks to achieve what he couldn’t in his previous team Nordic Stars: turn regular season prowess into playoff success and eventually advance to Elite. If Sack Brothers manage to gel together well enough, they’ll be one of the stronger challengers to Rookie Mistakes in Group 2. Conquer Gaming Although they didn’t perform up to expectations in the ECL 12 Warmup, there’s still hope for a bounceback. Their best players @Jeresti and @Jertsicc are still in the squad and the longtime captain @KepakkoFIN has managed to sign experienced @jahajaha93 to be his defensive partner, in addition to @Flopper71 coming over from Rookie Mistakes to provide offense in the traditionally defensive minded roster. Losing @Sakkem and @Valluxet prior to ECL 11 was a tough blow and resulted in Conquer Gaming being relegated to Pro, but could jahajaha93 and Flopper71_ be their new Sakke & Vallu? It remains to be seen, but what we know is that KepakkoFIN already led this team to Elite once after getting first relegated from Pro to Lite, so never count on them giving up after a lackluster season. Their track record still indicates them being one of the top teams this season, five out of six players in their starting lineup have Elite experience as well. Sjukstugan An original ECL 1 team, Sjukstugan played four consecutive Elite seasons before going on a hiatus and restarting from the bottom in ECL 10. After two Lite seasons they’re now back in Pro, adding goaltender @poliskontroll, defenseman @Sluibaaja_88 and forward @Tzon93 in the offseason. Poliskontroll is a great goalie who keeps the games close and is able to steal some, meanwhile tzon93 is one of the most effective counter attacking goal scorers in Pro history. They’re an annoying team to play against with their stellar net front turtle defence, and while they may not dominate in time on attack, they will punish on breakaways and odd-man rushes with a high percentage. There’s plenty of examples of similar teams thriving in Pro, especially during the regular season, but we’ll see how far they get in the playoffs. Under relegation threat: Company of Geeks They got into the playoffs pretty comfortably last season, but the high roster turnover and rumours about their level of off-season preparations cast a suspecting light on the longstanding team’s future. Higher prestige recruits could have given a different impression, but the new signings aren’t ones to rock the media sphere: @pinppikeisari and @Eric Perdjaks (Taskig) come from Lite and @Okke40 (hifk_FANI) from Neo, although he does have Pro experience. The last piece of their renewed roster, @xLeikku, only got his first taste of ECL hockey this season in the new Core division. Maybe they’re hidden gems that will instantly produce, but captain @Jesus (eJezuz) along with his long-serving assistant @Varabajare (eCeleste31) will have to put their knowledge to the table to ensure the relatively unknown signings end up adjusting to the Pro level quick enough, otherwise they’ll find themselves in the relegation spots. Hotbox Hotbox hasn’t been that impressive during the offseason and is facing sudden roster changes just before the season. They went on an amazing run in ECL 11 Lite playoffs after a mid table finish to end the regular season, but a lot has changed since then and they will have to prove themselves again at the higher level. @Jann3_67_’s prior Pro experience will be handy, but what will their roster come puck drop look like? Lekstugan HC Another team with a largely different roster compared to last season, the only returnees when looking at the Pro Qualifier were @Daniel Asplund (Dasplund_) and @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus). The now-captain and assistant captain suited up as winger partners instead of a d-pairing like they did last season in Lite. They also appear to have lost their top scorer and probably best player in @Pappen to Lite team Unwanted after the qualifiers, so it remains to be seen how they plug that hole on their quest to establish themselves in Pro. All in all, even with the addition of @denkaan_from HV71, Lekstugan HC seems to be a prime candidate to go straight back down if they don’t quickly find a replacement center and get a hold of the Pro game from the get go. A bad start could spiral into something worse for an inexperienced and unproven squad. SPARTIATES X MCES The French outfit switched organizations during the offseason, but what they didn’t switch was their roster. The only new signings are presumed backup player @julien-meudon (Julien-peltier) who played in Neo last season, and goalie @Darcam (Darsivo) who played last season with PENTA’s squad. Their starting lineup is still intact, but it remains to be seen if the already built up chemistry and stellar team play is enough to retain their long chased Pro spot. It’s refreshing to see a French squad in ECL Pro once again three and a half years since Hawks Hockey Club disbanded, but that sighting may only last for this season unless the ex-Hawks HC goalie @Trollstivegen (Trollstivegen28) can reach the level he was at a few years ago and steal some serious points. Left winger @Adri1_SCP (AdriF_23) seems to be their best bet on scoring, which they will need. With that, we wish all participating ECL 12 Pro teams good luck in their respective campaigns! Remember to post about your games on various social media platforms using the tags #NHLGamer, #NHL21 and #ECL12 in order to get noticed and for other community members to find your posts.