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SportsGamers, Let the Semifinals begin! It's been an exciting postseason thus far, with Granit Gaming causing the biggest upset by overcoming #2 seed SAWO ESPORTS in the Quarterfinals. We're all astonished by the resilience of the teams at this stage, after overcoming obstacle after obstacle, pushing onwards toward the ultimate goal - an ECL '22 Winter Championship and a ticket to the Grand Finals. Today we start the action in our broadcast over at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG as usual, make sure to tune in at 19:45 CET!      hREDS (1) vs  Granit Gaming (7) TOP SCORER Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen 4 GP, 4+4=8 vs Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 6 GP, 4+7=11 GOALTENDER  Filip @Faze91- Azri 4 GP, 4 W, 76,67 SV%, 1.75 GAA, 0 SO vs Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen 6 GP, 4 W, 85,25 SV%, 1.5 GAA, 0 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 25-2-3 vs 18-10-2 REGULAR SEASON SERIES 4-1, 4-1 hREDS were able to sweep GOONS in the first round of playoffs. Even though the series ended in four games, it perhaps doesn't tell whole story of how the games went. Only one goal separated them in every game and in three out of four games some overtime action was required. It's a clear showcase of the tenacity of this team as they are not rushing to get the game winning goal but when the chance comes they will score. REDS did continue where they left off when it comes to scoring because also in the quarterfinals every guy from the red jerseys were able to score important goals for their team. In the regular season games against Granit, both hREDS wingers were able to score a hat-trick so we will see if the Swedish guys can keep up the coverage better this time around. One fun fact is that hREDS is now the only Finnish team among the semifinal teams but of course Frölunda's core is also from Finland, despite the organization being Swedish.  Granit Gaming wasn't a favorite against SAWO ESPORTS, who were second in the regular season. Despite that, they were able to pull an upset against the young Finnish guys with a 4-2 series win. Granit was able to put SAWO in a tough spot by winning all three games in the series opening night. A clear strength in the series for Granit continued from their regular season campaign, the fact that all of their players are a scoring threat. The teams left winger Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund is leading the entire league in playoffs scoring with 4 goals and 7 assists. One guy you have to bring up from Granit's last series is their goalie Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen. There is no denying that this experienced netminder stole a couple of goals in the first round from SAWO. It looks like the talented Swedish group have found a new level by combining individual skill and teamplay.  This upcoming series will be interesting to watch in many different ways. Granit managed to upgrade their game a lot to the quarterfinals but even though they were able to handle SAWO, in the semifinals they will face the best team in Europe right now.  It's hard to go against the reigning champion but it's obvious that Granit will make this series hard for hREDS. Knowing the fact that Granit and REDS are very similar when it comes to having scoring power in every position, the main thing will be the defensive effort in both ends of the ice. It's of course expected that REDS will dominate with puck possession so Granit will have to make their decisions wisely when they get to the offensive zone. The goaltending battle will be fun to watch as both have hot goalies. Despite a great first round, this challenge will be too much for Granit, and hREDS will make their third consecutive finals run with a 4-1 series win.     Frölunda HC (3) vs  Färjestad BK (4) TOP SCORER Erik @Eki Tammenpää 4 GP, 3+4=7 vs Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg 6 GP, 8+1=9 GOALTENDER Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 4 GP, 4 W, 82,76 SV%, 1.25 GAA, 0 SO vs Johan @McSavid Rundqvist 6 GP, 4 W, 87,04 SV%, 1.17 GAA, 2 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 22-5-3 vs 22-7-1 REGULAR SEASON SERIES 3-4, 4-5 OT On paper, it was a dominant showing for Frölunda HC against their dear rival HAVU Gaming in the Quarterfinals. The Indians managed to sweep HAVU, despite the black and green being in the drivers seat for the entirety of the series. Frölunda HC seem to have mastered the current meta and are able to convert on chances from the dirty areas. All of their games against HAVU were very low scoring, which we're definitely used to between the two. The most impactful player thus far for Frölunda could very well be Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, who has managed to find alternative ways to help his team despite not yet finding that finishing touch we're used to seeing. The left winger is one of the more aggressive players on his team, meaning that from time to time he will force things to happen in a stalemate game. Despite not always being on their game, it seems like Frölunda HC is the most resilient team around, and they always find a way to turn games in their favor, especially the bigger the stakes on the line. Look for Erik @Eki Tammenpää to step up with some big goals when needed the most. On the other end of the series, we're finding Färjestad BK, who have paved their way to the Semifinals once again with a great team effort. They had to extend a bit longer than Frölunda in their Quarterfinal matchup against IQUE, who had a sensational regular season. With their 4-2 series victory, they move on to this SHL-team rivalry on the virtual ice. As previously stated, the former Färjestad BK has relied a lot on Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg on that left wing to make things happen, but with their acquisition of André @Foppatofflan Liljegren, they have seen a big upgrade to their offense, turning it to a true triple threat situation. Färjestad definitely showcased their defensive efficiency in the quarterfinals against IQUE, and kept every game low in scoring against the very offensively talented Finnish squad. Look for a similar trend to continue against Frölunda in this bout. If the duo down low Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen and Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján can find opening for their quick forwards, that is the opportunity to strike for FBK. In this exciting SHL-rivalry tilt, we can expect Frölunda HC to lead the way with possession, but Färjestad BK will cause them trouble with their fast counter-attacking and triple threat offense. Frölunda HC is undeniably the better unit and should be able to control play across all three zones consistently, which should lead to them having a considerable advantage in scoring chances. The goalie duel is also an interesting one, in which we see the arguably two best Swedish goalies go up against each other. Statistically it's a tough call to differentiate between Casper @ICappeI Lundgren and Johan @McSavid Rundqvist, but I'd give the edge to Cappe due to his wider understanding of the game mechanics - he also has experience of playing forward at high levels. Despite Färjestad managing to win the regular season series, I wouldn't expect them to continue on a winning path too much further. They can grab one or two wins, but Frölunda will advance in the end, let's say 4-1.    

 NHLGamers, Time for Round 3 of the ECL Core Playoffs! Some exciting matchups are on the table and we recommend staying up to date on any streams and results by following the teams on social media. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The second round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 20th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 25th of February 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Core playoffs: Round 1 6.-11.2 Round 2 13.-18.2 Round 3 20.-25.2 Quarterfinals 27.2.-4.3 Semifinals 6.3-11.3 Finals TBA For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Click here to view the matchups for round 2 of the ECL '22 Winter Core Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

  NHLGamers, We've seen some very exciting playoff action thus far in the ECL Neo division, and the games keep getting tougher! Only eight teams remain as we enter the Quarterfinals. In Neo, the playoffs consist of the top 6 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 20th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 25th of February 2022.     Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Neo playoffs: Round 1 6.-11.2 Round 2 13.-18.2 Quarters 20.-25.2 Semis 27.2.-6.3 Finals TBA For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-five and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Here are the matchups for the Quarterfinals of the ECL '22 Winter Neo Playoffs:   Latvian Hockey Federation (1) vs Caterpillar HC (17) Uudenmaan Oilers (2) vs HC JEUSSEN (9) Old Hogs (4) vs Unknown Heroes (7) Swiss Mountaineers (5) vs Huimat (6)   Good luck for everyone!

 NHLGamers, After some all-out brawling in the first round of the ECL '22 Winter Core Playoffs, it's now time to move on into the second round! Some exciting matchups are on the table and we recommend staying up to date on any streams and results by following the teams on social media. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The second round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 13th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 18th of February 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Core playoffs: Round 1 6.-11.2 Round 2 13.-18.2 Round 3 20.-25.2 Quarterfinals 27.2.-4.3 Semifinals 6.3-11.3 Finals TBA For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Click here to view the matchups for round 2 of the ECL '22 Winter Core Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

 NHLGamers, We're well underway in the postseason of ECL '22 Winter Neo, and some interesting results came out of the first round of playoffs. In the second round, it's time for the higher seeded teams to enter the action now, after a bye week in the first round. In Neo, the playoffs consist of the top 6 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 13th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 18th of February 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Neo playoffs: Round 1 6.-11.2 Round 2 13.-18.2 Quarters 20.-25.2 Semis 27.2.-6.3 Finals TBA For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-five and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Here are the matchups for round 2 of the ECL '22 Winter Neo Playoffs:   Latvian Hockey Federation (1) vs Starbulls Esport (22) Uudenmaan Oilers (2) vs The Flying Elbows (20) RAUTANE REMMI (3) vs Caterpillar HC (17) Old Hogs (4) vs Pirates eSports Origins (15) Swiss Mountaineers (5) vs London Lightning (14) Huimat (6) vs GKS Tychy Esports (12) Unknown Heroes (7) vs Oldies Hockey Club (10) The Black Pirates HC (8) vs HC JEUSSEN (9)     Good luck for everyone!

 NHLGamers, The ECL '22 Winter Core Playoffs are here and we have got some very strong teams that are ready to go to war in the postseason. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 6th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 11th of February 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Core playoffs: Round 1 6.-11.2 Round 2 13.-18.2 Round 3 20.-25.2 Quarterfinals 27.2.-4.3 Semifinals 6.3-11.3 Finals TBA For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Click here to view the matchups for round 1 of the ECL '22 Winter Core Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

NHLGamers, The ECL '22 Winter Neo Playoffs are here and we have got some very strong teams that are ready to go to war in the postseason. In Neo, the playoffs consist of the top 6 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 6th of February 2022 and end on Friday the 11th of February 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Winter Neo playoffs: Round 1 6.-11.2 Round 2 13.-18.2 Quarters 20.-25.2 Semis 27.2.-6.3 Finals TBA For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-five and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team. Here are the matchups for round 1 of the ECL '22 Winter Neo Playoffs: (9) HC JEUSSEN vs Absolute (24) (10) Oldies Hockey Club vs Engerau Pythons (23) (11) Team IronFist vs Starbulls Esport (22) (12) GKS Tychy Esports vs EHC Kaernten (21) (13) SWISS TIGERS vs The Flying Elbows (20) (14) London Lightning vs Black Wings HC (19) (15) Pirates eSports Origins vs Crocodiles Hamburg eSports (18) (16) EC Bad Nauheim eSports vs Caterpillar HC (17) Good luck for everyone!

NOTE: This article was written on Monday, 31st of January and reflects the situation prior to the matchups that evening. We started off the week with a very hot matchup in the broadcast, as SAWO ESPORTS and HAVU Gaming clashed. Both teams are currently in great form and the games had both big points and pride at stake. SAWO have started off with an explosion and surged towards securing a playoff berth with the lead of Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen and Jere @jxrska Laukka on the wings, whereas HAVU Gaming have slowly found their winning ways after an exceptionally slow start to the season. Eventually, it all came down to the clinic that SAWO ESPORTS goaltender Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen put on display to clinch wins in both games for his team, earning him one of the best performances of the week already on Monday evening.  Atop the standings we can still find hREDS, who suffered their first few losses of the season over the course of the last week. It was a tough week to say the least for the big, bad REDS, who faced IQUE, Frölunda HC and GOONS with three wins, two losses and an OT loss as the outcome. Frölunda HC currently stand back in 5th place, but have some games in hand on the teams ahead of them. The Indians are looking strong as usual and won all of their four games over the past week, despite extending to overtime against both hREDS and Roots Gaming. Especially the big wins against hREDS will give them a big boost of confidence if the two end up clashing in the postseason eventually. Around the middle of the pack, it's great to see that Swiss outfit ZSC Esports have managed to mount a formidable playoff push by racking up a nice four wins in their six games of the week, including two massive OT wins against Örebro Hockey. Big efforts by captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi and his winger turned backup goaltender Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner have propelled them on an upwards trajectory that might just be enough to reach into the playoff race. There's still a lot of work left to be done, but things are looking good if they can keep their form up. One team that started their season in great form, but has cooled off quite fast is Örebro Hockey. The team managed to win great teams like Frölunda HC and IQUE early on, but have now fallen into a losing fashion, faltering in games against ZSC Esports, Conquer Gaming and Färjestad BK lately. There's still a case pending investigation by the League Administration regarding their home matchup against Färjestad, so the end result for that one is yet to be determined. Either way, Örebro will need to course correct sooner than later if they want to sneak into the playoffs this season.  In addition to Örebro, another team that started their season in great shape but have since slipped into losing ways in GOONS, who have only collected four points out of their eight latest games. They have had some minor issues with scoring, but also with possession play to some extent, not in terms of being outpossessed, but they are having some trouble setting up plays from time to time and have to resort to counter attacking a bit too much as a result. This week will bring games against Roots Gaming, Örebro and ZSC Esports, so GOONS are hoping to turn their ship around and rack up some much needed points in these games.  HAVU Gaming had an excellent week as a team, but individually, Juho @RutonMosse Kinnunen (Juigelson) seems to be heating up too. The younger Kinnunen brother is now cashing in on the potential and all the hype surrounding him over the years. With 19+19=38 points in 18 games at this point of the season, the winger is on track for a career season and is manning the #1 spot in league scoring at the moment. Our newest site update has brought some new individual statistics, bringing new layers to statistical analysis. Among skaters an interesting notion is that IQUE forward Janne @Nieppii Niemelä sticks out like a sore thumb as the forward with the most possession time by far. This further emphasizes the importance of Nieppi for his team, but also raises some questions about the style of play that IQUE are enforcing. An impressive stat going along with that possession time is the fact that Nieppi has drawn the most penalties league-wide with 17 infractions by opposing players toward him. It's been an equally impressive week for both HAVU Gaming defensemen Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto and Wille @willekunq Juntunen, who are currently manning the #1 and #3 spots in point production for defensemen. Especially Nassustelija boosted his stat line with a good 11 points in the past six games. Young Niko @vVoDee Vottonen continues impressing for Roots Gaming, despite not topping the tables in any statistics, he has been very active all around the ice by laying the body causing turnovers, and jumping in on the offense when given the opportunity. He is an early nominee for rookie of the season in my mind. 

It's been a wild first week of Elite action in the ECL and we've seen quite a few surprising outcomes. Still, the defending champions hREDS remain the sole undefeated squad and we'll be left to follow how long that streak will extend. On the other end of the spectrum, HV71 and Northern Ascendancy are still in pursuit of their first wins of the season. Some exciting matchups were on display right from the get-go as the season opener broadcast featured four team expected to make the playoffs. The new Swedish superteam Granit Gaming met with Färjestad BK in their newly formed rivalry and shared wins in their low-scoring bouts, after which HAVU Gaming and GOONS did just the same in their games. The dynamic between HAVU and GOONS is also interesting, as HAVU is that long time contender on the decline, whereas GOONS is emerging to take their place at the top in contention with the likes of Frölunda HC and hREDS. Speaking of Frölunda HC, the former FILADELPHIA had a great start to the season, but didn't quite find their scoring form early on. Despite overwhelming Northern Ascendancy with attack throughout 120 minutes of play, a combined 43 shots including more than a few high-danger chances yielded only five goals for their first night of play. The same dominant offensive pressure continued against the notoriously good defensive team HV71 and the total opposite in Örebro Hockey, who tend to play a fast paced counter-attacking style. Although not converting on chances to the best of their abilities yet, Frölunda HC are still the second highest scoring team in the league at this point - one goal behind GOONS. On top of that, Erik @Eki Tammenpää, who's been involved in nearly every goal they've scored sits at #2 in scoring with 18 points in total. A bit of an unexpected outcome of the first week is the fact that IQUE has seemingly managed to patch some of the defensive gaps that they struggled with last season. They currently sit at #7 in the league with an impressive GAA of 1.17. However, they've not yet been that productive on offense either, which should pick up if they'll want to stay in their current playoff position in the standings. In that department, especially experienced winger Jere @jergelii Jortama will need to up his game, as he has currently only amassed 1+2=3 points in the first six games. One of the most exciting stories early on could be that of Roots Gaming, who managed to sneak into the European top 16 at the expense of the former SAWO ESPORTS roster that ended up disbanding in the preseason. Roots have a tremendously skilled ensemble that plays a fast passing style of play that can dismantle any defense in the league when given the opportunity. These young guns currently sit at #8 with only four games played. Tonight's matchup against hREDS will be a big test for them, and especially captain Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen holds a big role in anchoring his team ahead of their first big games in the bright lights. The ECL 12 Pro Champions Djurgarden Hockey were also expecting a type of learning curve with their first Elite experience, but it has perhaps been a bit steeper than predicted. Like so many other squads in the bottom half of the standings, they've struggled mightily with scoring, which is looking like it might be a theme for the season if the same trend continues. Djurgarden have, however, managed to grab their first win of the season at the expense of established Elite squad YMCA Esports, who haven't started out on the right foot. Undeniably, YMCA's schedule wasn't too favourable as they met both GOONS and hREDS in their first few bouts, so they are expecting a bounce back as the season moves on. At the bottom of the standings, we find HV71 for now. The newly promoted club hailing from Jönköping didn't quite find their stride in the first week of competition, but we'll admit their schedule wasn't too favorable either. Having kept the games close against Örebro and Frölunda is already a good start, and getting a point out of their matchup against GOONS will send them on their way towards a hopefully bigger catch in the second week. Individually, GOONS youngster Roope @pikkuroger Bergström has been at the top of his game early on this season. The left winger leads the league in scoring after six games at a total of 13+6=19 points and a contribution to almost all of the goals scored by his team. As mentioned previously, also @Eki has started off hot and is in second place. The man is used to topping the scoring tables, but has now taken on the role as the main finisher for Frölunda, a position usually occupied by teammate Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, who we're expecting to heat up later on. Among defensemen, the most productive players have been Frölunda RD Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta at 0+9=9 and hREDS' Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen at 1+7=8 points. However, as defensive individuals perhaps surprisingly Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen from YMCA Esports and Putte @Putteekiing Unasin from HV71 stand out as the most effective at separating offensive players from the puck. Rimpe leads all defenseman at 25 takeaways, while Putte leads the league in hits at 45. Both of these guys represent teams who have struggled early on and will benefit from these guys keeping their form going. Transfers It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, and to this point nothing ground-breaking has happened during the first week of action. The rumor mill is also running on fumes, so this one will be up to you guys - post your transfer rumors in the comments section! Remember to tune in for tonight's ECL Elite broadcast at 19:45 CET! Tonight we'll get to enjoy Conquer Gaming vs IQUE and hREDS vs Roots Gaming. Join us at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer.

NHLGamers, We would like to remind every team that the transfer window for ECL '22 Winter Neo, Core, Lite and Pro expires on Monday, January 17th at 23:59:59 CET. Originally the deadline was on Sunday, 16th of January, but due to a mistake where the wrong month was mentioned in the rulebook, LA has decided to allow an extension of two days. Please remember to make sure your trades are in line with the rulebook before making them and check with support if you aren't sure. Remember, only one transfer per player is allowed per season - unless the player has played 0 games (overall, for any team) the entire season, which is covered in rule 14.1. If you're a player still looking for a team or a team still looking to add to your roster, please head to the Free Agents section or the Clubs Looking For Players section on our forum. Please post any last-minute transfers in the comments section below so everyone can enjoy them. 

Hampus & Johan, Johan & Hampus - They are your new dynamic duo in the ECL. This duo excel at joining the rush and quarterbacking plays from the point, but never sacrifice their defensive responsibilities in the process. They are now joining great company as the ECL's first ever duo Cover Gamers. Trust us, the accolades don't stop there. Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann and Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt are also the first defensemen to be honored as ECL Cover Gamers, and the second and third Swedish players to get that title. ECL 12 was a home run for both players, but especially so for Lehmannens, who was crowned the best defender in the ECL and the best offseason transfer. Furyan, on the other hand, holds the position as the all-time leader for points by defensemen in the ECL. Last season, we saw something beautiful when these two came together with Färjestad BK and seemed to click right away. It seemed like we were featuring Lehmannens every week in our reports as he eventually finished the season with a career high 43 points in the regular season. A career high 34 points was also the case for Furyan, who is a season 1 veteran and now enters his 8th season at the Elite level. After their joint breakout season, the duo combined with Vesa Pompa stars Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund and Adam @dzouvi Mensik and brought with them Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander from Färjestad to create the new Swedish superteam, now signed to Granit Gaming. The squad started their story off with a Swedish championship in the SCL. Former ECL Cover Gamers: ECL 8: Erik @Eki Tammenpää ECL 9: Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen ECL 10: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren ECL 11: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha ECL 12: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen It's quite evident that Furyan & Lehmannens are now joining some absolutely Elite company as Cover Gamers. We reached out to the duo for some thoughts and feelings about the honor: First, a classic. What are your thoughts on being named the ECL Cover Gamers and what do you feel that title entails? "As someone who’s been in the community since the very beginning of the NHLGamer era, it’s hard to put into words just how much of an honour this is - especially considering all the incredible players who have previously been featured on the cover. Playing in these tournaments and being a part of this community has been a huge part of my life for years, and so it truly means the world to me to be a part of the ECL in this way. Not to mention how special it is to be able to do it together with a close friend like Johan", Furyan comments. Lehmannens quickly chimes in with a similar statement: "I could have never imagined being in such a prominent setting when I started off my career back in ECL 7. I'm truly honoured to join such a prestigious group of previous cover gamers, all of whom I have the utmost respect for. Being the first defenders to feature on the cover and doing so together with my brother in arms Furyan makes it feel even better." You guys are the first duo to be featured as cover gamers after an excellent first ECL together and championship-caliber continuation in the SCL. What is the secret behind your great chemistry? Lehmannens states that it's tough to believe they've spent less than a year on defense together: "This has been the pattern from day one, things just clicked, and it seemed like our way of playing was in sync right out of the gate. In a way for me, it was the sense of being unlocked in the way I play, based on trust towards my D partner in every scenario. Along the way I have realized this doesn't just apply for gaming, but in general terms as well - resulting in a highly valued friendship off the ice as well." It's obvious that there is a lot of mutual respect between the two defensive greats, and Furyan also emphasizes how much they learn from each other: "It’s been quite a crazy ride this past year, from ECL 12 to eSHL and finally SCL, but one constant during this time has been how much fun we’ve had playing together. We hit it off right away in Färjestad and just kept building towards this partnership that today feels like the most natural thing in the world. Gameplay-wise, I’ve learnt a great deal from Johan and continue to draw inspiration and motivation from the way he is able to transition from defense to offense." A couple of thoughts on the upcoming season, who do you think will be contenders? Any interesting new outfits to look out for? "First of all, it’s great to see the increase in Swedish teams and players in Elite this season. Seeing HV71 and Djurgården reach the highest level of European virtual hockey is great for the Swedish-speaking side of the community. With POGGERS becoming Örebro and FILA becoming Frölunda, the Swedish side is certainly well-represented this season. As for contenders, the usual trio of hREDS, HAVU and Frölunda is never a bad bet. It will be interesting to see if a team like GOONS can continue their ascent and challenge the Big Three. Finally, Conquer Gaming and Roots Gaming both look to be interesting additions - with the potential to do some damage - to Elite this season", both guys agree. You can see Granit Gaming take the ice for the first time in ECL Elite in our broadcast on Monday, January 10th at 19:45 CET. They'll be facing off against fellow Swedish contender and a club they've got a lot of history with - Färjestad BK. Tune in on Monday to our Twitch channel!

Frölunda HC is one of the most prestigious Swedish hockey clubs especially since the turn of the century, and the club hailing from Gothenburg in southwestern Sweden is now entering the esports scene with a similarly ambitious initiative. That entails that NHL gaming powerhouse FILADELPHIA will in the future dress in red, green and white for the Indians. In addition to signing the most accomplished roster in the history of the sport, Frölunda also launches an academy team for upcoming talents and a regional team comprised of local players, both receiving coaching and advice from first team captain Casper @ICappeI Lundgren. "For me, personally, this is a dream come true since childhood. I've grown up with Frölunda and watching hockey at their home arena Scandinavium", says @ICappeI, who is the starting goaltender for the team and also recently joined the Frölunda HC organization in the role of esports manager. Naturally the club also starts their esports journey with the game Cappe is most familiar with, EA Sports NHL. "I feel like we (FILA) have wanted to be very patient in regards to finding the right fit with an organization. We've had several opportunities but chosen not to pursue any of them in favor of finding the perfect fit, where we have similar long term goals that align. When Frölunda made it known to us that there was interest, the entire team got an incredible boost of energy. They have a vision of pushing the entire NHL gaming scene forward and are showing that initiative by having three full squads join the upcoming season of ECL", the captain continues. Most recently, FILADELPHIA were crowned FCL champions, to end another successful season of NHL gaming, capping off their NHL 21 campaign. Now they're excited to start their NHL 22 journey in their fresh new jerseys and are doing so with a virtually unchanged roster, only adding experienced Mattias @Tacterz Hjelm as a utility player to help them out in tight situations. The initiative of having three rosters represent the club right from the get-go is unheard of in the NHL gaming scene and the idea came from Cappe as he got to work in his new role at Frölunda. "I believe that this is the way to do it and it's totally in line with what Frölunda are working towards with their hockey operations. I also think that other clubs will pick up on this and follow our lead, focusing more on the depth in their organization. It's very important to focus on the youth and younger players, there are lots of players out there with the ambition of one day representing Frölunda but perhaps don't have the physical capabilities to do so." Christian Lechtaler, club president for Frölunda HC expresses his excitement about the clubs new branch: "Esports is a new challenge for Frölunda. I'm excited to follow Caspers initiative to combine an elite squad with two local teams. The set up is totally in line with what we're working on on the hockey side - youth, academy and first team." In addition to playing for the regional team, Robin @Robin Barbosa Barbosa will be putting his skills to the test as a content creator for the organization. He has already built a following with his NHL videos on Youtube and is now connected with the competitive gaming scene in order to horizontally integrate. "I'm very happy to have Robin on board working on content related to his Youtube channel. He is a very devoted local guy from Gothenburg who I'm glad to have connected with the competitive gaming scene.", Cappe finishes.

Prima eSport, an ambitious esports organization hailing from Stockholm is the next big name to join NHL esports and they will be doing so by acquiring an experienced lineup hungry for success in the near future. As we know, ice hockey is one of the most dominant sports in Sweden and with that sentiment in mind together with the recent growth and progress made in NHL gaming over the past few years, we've seen a surge of Swedish organizations and traditional hockey clubs into esports. That has also been the thought in the back of the head for Prima eSport CEO Martin Mårtensson since the first discussions with their newly acquired team: "As someone that has been within the hockey industry for many years this recruitment feels great in so many ways. With the team and with Mattias (@iSvamp), we instantly felt that this was a great match both ways and we couldn’t be happier with the result. Our goal right now is to make this team even tighter and making ourselves a force to be reckon with in the future." Robert Ribba, who is the organizations Esports Manager is quick to chime in: "Raised on the rink and as someone that to this day holds the game of hockey close to his heart, when presented this fantastic opportunity of recruiting this team I couldn't hesitate for a second. We are proud to enter this scene with the roster we now attained and are very excited for what the future brings." The roster itself has most recently completed an SCL campaign that ended in the Quarterfinals under their former name AiKnown and leader Mattias @iSvamp Björk feels that the team is in a very good place moving forward, with bigger and better things in sight: "It's extremely fun an exciting to start this new journey with Prima eSport. Since the first contact with the organization, I've had a good feeling about this and everything has worked out perfectly throughout the conversations and meetings we've had. The entire team is very eager to get this thing started!" After their recent proof of strength in the SCL, the newly signed Prima eSports squad is heading into future leagues with a very similar roster, that is now condensed to the very core. On offense, they consist of experienced offensive powerhouse Sebastian @eBasstian Nagel and dynamic duo Daniel @Daniel Asplund (dasplund_) Asplund & Philip @Philip Deemus (PHDeemus) Deemus, while the defensive corps holding down the fort will be Mattias @iSvamp Björk and Alexander @snusetskonung Arvidsson. In net, Dennis @denkaan_ Stendal and Viktor @Klangen Klang will be their tandem. Especially with the fact in mind that the squad only had a few days of play in hand together before the SCL, things are looking good moving forward. "We're definitely ambitious and have set goals for both ECL and SCL campaigns in the future. On the ECL side, like any other team, out ultimate goal is to one day play among the best in the Elite division. However, in the near future we hope to be able to establish ourselves as a solid ECL Pro level team and set new goals from there on out. We are humbled before our mission and realize that there are 40-50 teams out there with similar objectives and capacity, meaning that our journey won't be a walk in the park. We'll be giving it all we've got from the time the puck drops this fall." - Mattias @iSvamp Björk  

NHLGamers, In 2019 it was HAVU Gaming lifting the trophy. In 2020 FILADELPHIA wrestled it from HAVU's hands. In 2021, hREDS will be trying to do the same to FILA. Will they be successful? Or will FILA manage to become the first Champion to defend their title? Can KOVA finish their underdog success story by snatching the bronze under the noses of the impressive GOONS? And how will the players be effected by finally, finally being back in a LAN enviroment the games kick off at the magnificent Game Cave in Espoo, Finland? Ladies and gentlemen, you'll have your answers tonight. Welcome to the 2021 FCL 6v6 Finals event. Here is the full schedule for the night: 17:00 CEST Broadcast starts -------- 17:20 CEST Bronze - Game 1 17:50 CEST Bronze - Game 2 18:20 CEST Bronze - Game 3 (if necessary) -------- 19:00 CEST Finals intro 19:15 CEST Finals - Game 1 10:45 CEST Finals - Game 2 20:20 CEST Finals - Game 3 20:55 CEST Finals - Game 4 (if necessary) 21:30 CEST Finals - Game 5 (if necessary) (2) hREDS vs (1) FILADELPHIA This is it. Truly your matchup of matchups between the two best teams in not just Finland, but in Europe as well at the moment. Having faced off recently in the ECL 12 Elite Finals, these two teams are intimately familiar with each other - and not a single roster change has taken place since then. While FILA likely feels their true revenge against hREDS lies in re-claiming the coveted ECL Elite trophy, defending their FCL title and becoming the first champion in FCL 6v6 history to do so (Artuzio defended his title in 1v1 just yesterday), would be as good an opportunity as any to re-establish dominance over hREDS. Don't think the hREDS side are likely to just sit back and let that happen, though. Made up exclusively of young guns hungry to continue their winning ways, hREDS will be entering this one brimming with motivation and energy to add a Finnish Championship to their ever-expanding trophy room. The last time these two teams met in competitive circumstances, hREDS seemed to catch FILA off guard with their picture-perfect trap and their well-executed pokechecks. This time, FILA will have seen that trick before and will be prepared to adjust even before first puck drop. Even so, it'll be a tough task for the multi-champs to defend their title against such a hungry pack of wolves. Prediction: 3-1 hREDS (10) KOVA Esports vs (8) GOONS The GOONS have had a strong run since their formation in the ECL 11 Pro division. Losing in the finals and securing a league promotion, they followed that up by making the playoffs right away in the über-competitive Elite division and here they are; top-4 in the FCL after having eliminated 2019 FCL Champions HAVU Gaming among others. Safe to say, GOONS will look to end NHL 21 with a bang, rather than a whimper. They'll face stiff competition from KOVA Esports though, Coming into the FCL with a revamped roster (at least on the ice), KOVA have taken down some big fish like JYP Jyväskylä and POGGERS on their way to this bronze battle. Their quick counter-attacks have been proven lethal before, will they be again versus GOONS? Most of the players in this matchup haven't tasted the LAN enviroment before so seeing how that plays out could add an extra wrinkle to this already exciting matchup. Prediction: 0-2 GOONS Tune in to www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer tonight at 17:00 CEST to find out which team will claim the medals in this exciting LAN finish to the 2021 FCL season.

NHLGamers, It's been a wild ride thus far and we're still in for some interesting matchups to say the least! With only four teams remaining, the stakes are getting higher and the intensity of the action is ramping up to levels previously unheard of. Defending champion FILADELPHIA is still going strong along with fellow surefire contender hREDS, but the two juggernauts are being challenged by KOVA Esports and GOONS respectively, and the challengers aren't ready to back down without a fight.      (1)  FILADELPHIA vs KOVA Esports  (10)  FILADELPHIA is heading into this one as a heavy favorite, while KOVA Esports have seemingly managed to defy all odds throughout the duration of the season - the organization, now proclaimed the kings of Jyväskylä after beating local rival JYP back in the 3rd round are now up against an entirely different beast. An interesting notion though is that KOVA Esports is exactly the kind of squad that FILADELPHIA have looked vulnerable against in some previous matchups. The reigning champions have heavily dominated possession play and scoring chances for, but been put on the defensive and even looked slightly uncomfortable at times against fast counter attacks from their opposition, which is one skill that KOVA Esports have made their bread and butter over the course of these playoffs.  However, with a spot in the FCL Finals on the line and with the chance to repeat as champions within their grasp, expect FILA to come out firing. Prediction: 3-0   (2)  hREDS vs GOONS  (8) The Helsinki-based organization hREDS seem to be on top of the world currently. The reigning ECL Champions went 16-0-0 through the regular season, claimed the highest seed possible for them in FCL (#2) and quickly disposed of Powerhouse HC, Kouvola Screaming Eagles, FILADELPHIA ACADEMY and SAWO ESPORTS in the playoffs; winning each series 3-0. The teams' combined 28-game winning streak will be put to the test against fellow ECL Elite team GOONS, though. The GOONS squad did manage to win their group, but dropped two games in the regular season and found themselves as the 8th overall seed. The somewhat dissapointing playoff seed did seem to light a fire under the black, white- and red who have since come out firing in the playoffs. GOONS swept VANHAT KYLJYKSET and Rusty Blades, before coming across two Elite teams in consecutive matchups. Tunnel Visision was defeated by a series score of 3-1 in Round 3, but the standout performance of the tournament came in the Quarterfinals where GOONS defeated former FCL Champions HAVU Gaming 3-1 in games.  You can be sure hREDS were put on alert after that performance and won't be taking GOONS lightly going into this matchup. Prediction: 3-1   Tune in to www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer on Monday and Thursday in order to follow these tight bouts and find out who will eventually make it to the grand final that is played on Saturday, 2nd of October over at Game Cave in Espoo, Finland. 

NHLGamers, It is time to crown the next Swedish Champion in the third iteration of the SCL! Tomorrow, Saturday 25th of September, Färjestad BK is challenging the reigning champion Granit Gaming for the throne in a full seven game series for not only the title, but also a hefty amount of cash to go along with it. NHLGamer together with our main sponsor Svenska Spel and partners SESF and the Swedish Ice Hockey Association are very excited for whats to come this weekend. Join us for all the action on our Twitch-channel, starting 16:45 CEST!   (1)   Granit Gaming vs Farjestad BK   (2) Tale of the tape (Reg. season record) 16-0-0 vs. 14-0-0 (GF/G) 7.94 vs. 7.43 (GA/G) 0.81 vs. 1.43 (Special teams %) 124.06 vs. 122.73 (Top scorer - season total) Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 29GP, 63+68=131 vs. Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg 29GP, 71+39=110   After all, it's not a massive surprise to see the #1 seed go up against the #2 seed in the finals, especially since both Granit Gaming and Färjestad BK are such established organizations that have been at the top for quite some time already. What ramps up the heat of the finals even more is the fact that these teams really know the ins and outs of each other due to their experience of playing together in various constellations. The fact is, that 50% of the lineup that Granit Gaming is expected to ice for the finals played for Färjestad this past ECL season, just a few months ago - and saw some impressive success while doing so. Farjestad, on the other hand were forced to reinvent themselves a bit. As stated in previous previews, the team acquired a set of new defensemen and a winger, which has worked wonders for the squad.  As the 1st and 2nd seed of the playoffs, both of these teams have had rather similar paths to the finals, where neither team saw too much trouble until the later rounds. Färjestad BK was challenged slightly by Ice MachineZ in the Quarterfinals, but managed to overcome the team with several old acquaintances, whereas Granit Gaming had a minor scare against HV71 in the Semifinals, where they were down 2-1 after the first set of games.  The teams are very evenly matched, as the statistics would suggest, the main difference being Granit Gaming and their slightly more stable defense. Special teams are definitely deadly for both parties and despite both being very strong on the PK, some powerplay scoring shouldn't be out of the question. In net, we're expecting to see Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg for Granit, whereas Johan @McSavid Rundqvist will strap on the pads for Färjestad. Throughout his career, Runqvist has seen far more action and therefore is statistically inclined to stop a higher percentage of pucks shot at him, but Thunborg has a history of winning big games and coming up clutch when his team really needs him. It's almost impossible to give an advantage in that department.  So far this season, it has seemed like Granit Gaming is the more well-rounded team largely due to their chemistry from before and due to their dynamic levels of high-end talent all around the ice. Färjestad is a team that also performs close to the same level, but lacks the similar ability to switch gears and find alternative solutions in a similar way. The fact is, after all, Ljungberg is their go-to-guy on far more than 50% of their offensive chances and despite their success so far, Granit should be a team of a high enough caliber to put an end to that show. Prediction: 4-2 Join us tomorrow for the SCL 6v6 Finals over at www.Twitch.tv/NHLGamer! The broadcast starts at 16:45 CEST and will feature Adam @esdor Ericson together with Johan @Zalaz Nilsson in the booth.

NHLGamers, After a long Friday night with a lot of 1v1 action, we are able to present to you - STILL the Swedish 1v1 NHL Champion, Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund! The youngster hailing from Örnsköldsvik surfaced a few years ago and quickly made a claim as being one of the most talented players around, and rightfully so - he has now secured a third consecutive Swedish Championship and has the chance to do so in both the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes this weekend. What has made you such a good player over the course of NHL 21? "I feel like my defensive game has been very strong this year and I'm very confident with that. That is also what has separated me from the competition on many occasions this year." Now with another title down and some change in your pockets, what will you do with the prize money? "I think I'll spend quite a lot this weekend with the Granit Gaming boys in Stockholm, probably a bit on HUT packs but what's left after that I'll put into the savings for sure." Let's take a look back at @Eken45jr's road to the championship: Group stage record: Invited straight to the finals stage Finals group stage record: 5-1-0 (#3 seed) Quarterfinals vs @Jacob70 3-0 SemiFinals vs @Lehmannens 2-0 Finals vs @antoniomannen004 2-0 The top 3 of SCL 1vs1 are: 1. Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 2. Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander 3. Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen NHLGamer would like to congratulate Eken on a tremendous tournament and the championship!

NHLGamers, The time has come for the Quarterfinals of this years FCL and we've got some juicy matchups on hand for sure. Already tonight, we'll feature two games of the very tight POGGERS vs KOVA Esports-series, after which we'll see the fabled STADI vs LANDE-rivalry between hREDS and SAWO ESPORTS. The Quarterfinals are to be played between Today, 20th of September and Thrusday, 23rd of September. (1) FILADELPHIA vs Otukset eSports (16) The defending champion goes up against the true sensation of the season - Otukset defied all odds when going up against #3 seed IQUE and taking them down with a sweep. They've now had a week to prepare for the upcoming challenge that is FILADELPHIA and we're all waiting with excitement for what's to come. On the other hand, FILADELPHIA finished a dominant outing against Conquer Gaming on Thursday last week and are coming into this matchup with a similar outlook - anything but a dominant win is a surprise. Expect FILADELPHIA to put on heavy pressure and Otukset to strike on counter attacks when given the chance. Prediction: 3-0 (2) hREDS vs SAWO ESPORTS (11) STADI vs LANDE. This matchup can't be hyped up enough and if you look at social media you'll almost certainly run into some banter around it. Unfortunately for an otherwise very exciting rivalry, we might be looking at a rather one-sided ordeal on the ice. The undisputed fact is, after all, hREDS is the reigning European champion and undefeated throughout their FCL campaign so far, whereas SAWO ESPORTS is a great team in their own right, but not at the level of hREDS currently. As a matter of fact, despite their #11 seed, SAWO hasn't really faced that real top-tier competition yet this season. We should see a back-and-forth battle that is largely controlled by hREDS, but if SAWO can convert on their opportunities and keep the scoring low, grabbing a win isn't entirely out of the question. Prediction: 3-0 (4) POGGERS vs KOVA Esports (10) This could end up being an exciting one and the series to follow in the quarterfinals. POGGERS have played an outstanding FCL despite having some minor hiccups early in the playoffs, they are now facing KOVA Esports, who is a squad that they've traditionally been battling for similar positions with in European competition. If that's anything to go off of, we're going to see a very well matched series. Both teams enjoy employing a fast-paced offensive strategy that aims to crash the net more often than not, but also possess the skill and patience to stay with the puck when required. We saw KOVA Esports beat JYP in an underdog status by converting on seemingly every counter attack they got, so if that continues, we could see them grab yet another series win. Prediction: 3-2 (5) HAVU Gaming vs GOONS (8) HAVU Gaming might have gone under the radar a bit this season due to not having a seed at the very top but make no mistake - they are definitely ready to challenge anyone when it boils down to the biggest games of the season. This might in fact be one of those, as GOONS are coming in with a slight underdog status but could very well be among the hottest teams around as they've taken down Rusty Blades and Tunnel Vision already with relative ease and with that should be in great form. We could end up seeing a very tight series extending the full five games if HAVU has some trouble to get going, but if they are able to come in strong fro the get-go and utilize their experience they'll make a strong case for themselves in this dispute. Prediction: 3-1 Join us tonight for two exciting matchups, first POGGERS and KOVA Esports clash, after which we see the STADI vs LANDE-rivalry between hREDS and SAWO ESPORTS. In the booth, Arttu Hämäläinen and Julius Sorjonen! Tune in for the action at www.Twitch.tv/NHLGamer starting 19:45 CEST. Before the main broadcast, we've also got a STADI vs LANDE pre-show featuring a BO3 1v1-challenge between hREDS GM Christer Kasurinen and SAWO ESPORTS GM Arttu Hämäläinen - the puck for this drops at 18:00 CEST!

NHLGamers, Only four remain in the 2021-edition of our Swedish Championship League and those four squads are now going into all-out battle for the title and the cash! Perhaps to no surprise, we've got the seeds 1-4 from the group stage entering this point of the league as a result of stellar play all around, but also by overcoming adversity and finding new ways to flourish in some cases. Let's take a closer look at our matchups and the schedule ahead! Here are your Semifinal matchups: (1) Granit Gaming vs HV71 (4) Schedule: Sunday, September 19th: Games 1-3 @ 20:00 CEST Tuesday, September 21st: Games 4-7 @ 20:00 CEST Another interesting factor in these semifinals is also that we have two established Elite squads going into the series as favorites, whereas both HV71 and Djurgården have seen promotions at the end of ECL 12 and are heading into their matchups as the underdogs. In this clash against Granit Gaming, HV71 are without the slightest hint of doubt facing the toughest opposition possible in this tournament, and everything will need to click for them if they are looking to advance. Without their captain @Demski13, they have already managed to overcome that massive obstacle and play for their leader in two matchups, going undefeated in the playoffs so far. It seems like their entire roster have been able to elevate their level as games have progressed and stand-in @Joppe_ hasn't looked at all out of place - instead going head-to-head with the best of them like it's just another day at the office. On the other side of the ice, we've got Granit Gaming - the Swedish super squad with some Czech spice in the form of @dzouvi. As expected, they have truly earned their #1 spot and have gone undefeated throughout the league so far. Anything but a championship would be a disappointment and they're not taking that mission lightly. This roster holds an abundance of individual skill that combines for a beautiful hockey symphony on ice, anything can and will happen when Granit takes the ice, and so far it's been a victory train for them. Prediction: 4-0 (2) Farjestad BK vs Djurgarden Hockey (3) Schedule: Sunday, September 19th: Games 1-3 @ 21:30 CEST Wednesday, September 22nd: Games 4-7 @ 20:00 CEST Despite being forced to reinvent themselves slightly in the offseason between ECL 12 and the SCL, Färjestad have managed to retain their high level of play and have proven that throughout the duration of this season. The quarterfinals against Ice MachineZ were their first true test, which they managed to come away from unscathed. They should have taken some lessons away from that matchup though, as Djurgården Hockey is surely a more coherent unit that will strike without mercy when given the chance. We're expecting to see a back-and-forth battle between two rather evenly matched teams, where Färjestad will be relying slightly more on their offensive instincts and quick counter attacks through @affelj96, whereas Djurgården Hockey will be trusting their team play and try to control the pace of the game a bit more. Prediction: 3-4 Tune in to twitch.tv/NHLGamer tonight at 19:45 CEST to get the Semifinals started as both series will be featured! Adam @esdor Ericson and Casper @ICappeI Lundgren will be in the booth for all the action!

NHLGamers, We're now down to the top 16 teams in the FCL and really boiling down to those most meaningful games of the season. It is at this point we'll be starting to see some really interesting clashes and we truly recommend following along with the action on twitch and social media. The third round of playoffs is to be played between today, 13th of September and Thursday, 16th of September. The playoffs are played in a best-of-five manner.   (1)  FILADELPHIA vs Conquer Gaming  (23)  FILADELPHIA haven't really gotten their engines started properly yet, with only six rather easy-win games in the rearview, opposition is now starting to get increasingly tougher. Conquer gaming is a team they've met before in various competitive settings but recent memory doesn't hold an occasion where Conquer would have left as the victor, even in a single game. With that in mind, FILADELPHIA should be set for success in this series too. Conquer Gaming find themselves in this position as the result of their own doing, after a rather underwhelming performance in the group stage, they are now stuck with the lowest seed in the playoffs and face a tremendous uphill battle. Expect an onslaught from FILADELPHIA and Conquer will attempt to weather the storm and counter when given the chance.  Prediction: 3-0   (2)  hREDS vs FILADELPHIA Academy  (22)  We're used to seeing hREDS and FILADELPHIA clash in big time battles, but this time it's the FILA Academy team that is making waves around the community. The academy team has shown their potential and are now starting to play true to their level, attempting to challenge reigning European champion hREDS in this series. So far, the big, bad Reds are the only remaining team to go undefeated in the league and being the highest scoring squad around while doing so. While it was rather evident that they weren't going on full steam in the first two playoff rounds, it'll be interesting to see if they are coming out with the goal to crush the affiliate team of one of their biggest rivals in this one. Prediction: 3-0   (3)  IQUE vs Otukset eSports  (16)  These two got the action started early on Sunday evening already and we ended up seeing the first real shocker of the 2021 FCL playoffs. After going undefeated through the group stage and the first round, IQUE had some minor issues with Tohtorit in the second round and came to a grinding halt in the third round against Otukset eSports, who completely shut down the party.  Result: 0-3   (4)  POGGERS vs Sack Brothers  (15) POGGERS is another one of the teams that had a great group stage, going undefeated. They had some trouble against Nordic Knights in the first round, but quickly redeemed themselves in the second round against Blacklist. We know POGGERS as a high-scoring team with rather fast offense, a style that also Sack Brothers like to employ when given the chance. In the end, we will see two rather similar squads match up, but POGGERS hold a higher standard and will be coming out as the winner.  Prediction: 3-1   (5)  HAVU Gaming vs Kiekko-Espoo Esports  (14) While they've maintained their spot among the top teams around, HAVU have been in a seemingly vulnerable position for quite some time already. In this round, Kiekko-Espoo Esports are the ones posing the challenge. Kiekko-Espoo are an interesting team, who possess some top-tier talent and have the ability to create witty plays on offense, but their form tends to be very fluctuant. Although HAVU hasn't been able to rise to their best level recently, their baseline is still above that of Kiekko-Espoo and they should be able to walk away from this one unscathed.  Prediction: 3-0   (6)  Dynastia vs SAWO ESPORTS  (11)  Now this could be a tough battle. We've been pumping the tyres of Dynastia for quite some time already and it's definitely deserved, but now they'll be running into a SAWO ESPORTS, who have slightly underperformed so far. These two clashed in the group stage already, where they traded wins, but Dynastia walked away with an extra point from an OT loss. Despite their high seed, Dynastia haven't had a cakewalk in the playoffs and have seen some issues especially in the first few games of series. They'll need to be alert in this one, or else SAWO could run them over early.  Prediction: 2-3   (7)  JYP Jyvaskyla vs KOVA Esports  (10)  This series features two squads where we could see a bit of a rivalry forming - or at least could wish for it on the sidelines. Both clubs hailing from Jyväskylä in central Finland fought in the relegation zone of ECL 12 Elite and are now clashing for the first time since those fierce battles. JYP have slightly retooled, adding 1v1 champion @Artuzio on their left wing, while KOVA have been sticking with their guns, true and tested. The history between these clubs suggest low-scoring games that will sway either direction based on opportunities converted from mistakes. It's a matchup to keep an eye on for sure! Prediction: 3-2   (8)  GOONS vs Tunnel Vision  (9) In that mid-tier matchup at this point of the playoffs, GOONS and Tunnel Vision are going to fight it out. Both squads are in a similar position, having established themselves as Elite level squads after their first campaign in the European top 16 and now looking for success in the domestic FCL. While GOONS have largely remained in a similar composition, Tunnel Vision have seen some changes since their Elite campaign, however, it looks like they could be a stronger team than before. GOONS is a more aggressive team that likes to attack the net more and put a heavier pressure on puck carriers, which could tip the scales in their benefit for this series. If Tunnel Vision can find a way to bait penalties or match that aggression, they could pose a serious threat. Prediction: 3-2   Make sure to join us tonight for two exciting matchups, first JYP Jyvaskyla and KOVA Esports clash, after which HAVU Gaming take on Kiekko-Espoo Esports. In the booth, Arttu Hämäläinen and Oskari Koski! Tune in for the action at www.Twitch.tv/NHLGamer starting 19:45 CEST.

NHLGamers, It's time for the quarterfinals of the SCL 6v6 league and with that we're now down to only eight teams left. We've got some very interesting matchups incoming, including some rivalries from the group stage, which is always nice. The quarterfinals of the SCL are to be played between Today, 12th of September and Wednesday, 15th of September. The quarterfinals will be played in a best-of-seven format. Here are your Quarterfinal matchups: (1)   Granit Gaming vs IK Oskarshamn  (10) A true case of David vs Goliath on display. Despite having a positive development curve and being able to overcome Södertälje SK in a tight battle in the first round, IK Oskarshamn is in over their head in this one. The reigning champions have plowed through opposition without the slightest sign of weakness throughout the league so far, and are not expected to stop any time soon. To put this matchup into perspective - IK Oskarshamn overcame SSK in a very tight seven game series, whereas Granit managed to beat that same team in the group stage with ease by 4-1 and 6-0. Although an upset would shake the scene to the core, this is not the matchup where that will happen.  Prediction: 4-0, Granit advance (2)  Farjestad BK vs Ice MachineZ  (9) We could be in for an interesting one right here. Farjestad BK is the established runner-up, but Ice MachineZ are surely up for the challenge. Both teams consist of experienced players in slightly new found constellations. The biggest advantage in advance can be found in net, where FBK have @McSavid, who we all know as one of the greatest Swedish netminders around. On the other side, we've got @Provokacija for the Ice MachineZ, who hasn't proven his level yet against high level clubs on a regular basis - now is his chance. This matchup will most likely boil down to which team finds the better flow on ice and which goaltender will manage to elevate their level of play better. A minor advantage for Farjestad BK. Prediction: 4-1, Färjestad advance (3)  Djurgarden Hockey vs Björklöven Esport  (6) Seed #1 and #2 from group 1 clash again. In the group stage, these teams played two low-scoring battles, which both ended in Djurgården wins and Björklöven were left with only one point for an OT loss. The history between these two teams call for a very tough fight that could extend to the full seven games, and scoring should be hard. Both teams are extremely strong defensive units that have the ability to explode on offense when given the chance, and both have a secret weapon on that defensive LD spot - @Jungledonk for Djurgården and @Supremski for Björklöven. Keep an eye on these two! Prediction: 4-2, Djurgården advance (4)  HV71 vs AiKnown  (5)  These two also met already in the group stage - HV71 finishing #1 and AiKnown finishing #2 in group 3. Back then, points were shared. Statistically, the teams are very similar and play with a defense first mindset, but it could be argued that HV71 is a slightly better assembled machine due to their experience together at the forefront. That is not to say that AiKnown would be any lesser of a team and they definitely stand the chance to cause trouble in this matchup for their opponents, especially with the notion in mind that HV71 heart-and-soul @Demski13 will be absent for his team in this matchup. That means a small shuffle for HV71, where @Rubituss takes the center spot and @Joppe_ enters the lineup - having done so well with 10 points in their first matchup against Illumination. This is a tight matchup that is very tough to predict, you'll have to see it first hand! Prediction: 2-4, AiKnown advance Tune in to www.Twitch.tv/NHLGamer tonight at 20:45 CEST to get the quarterfinals started with some tough clashes between HV71 and AiKnown! Adam @esdor Ericson and Casper @ICappeI Lundgren will be in the booth for all the action!

NHLGamers, As the league moves on, we've now also entered the playoffs in the 1v1 format of the FCL. Currently we're down to the top 120 players and closing in on the 2nd round with only 60 players remaining. Invitees Arttu @Artuzio Mustila and Erik @Eki Tammenpää will enter in the third round and the group stage with the top 32. Here's the full schedule for the playoffs: Follow the bracket on the league page and the players on social media in order to stay updated with what's going on and who is moving closer towards the ultimate goal of being crowned the next Finnish Champion and taking home the biggest slice of our 4500 EUR prize pool!

NHLGamers, We're moving on with the playoffs also in the 1v1 format of the SCL and with that we are by now already down to the top 30 since the postseason has already started a few days back. Some of the highest seeding players from the group stage have received a bye round for the first round of action and will enter back into the battle on the second round. here's the full schedule for the playoffs: Follow the bracket on the league page and the players on social media in order to stay updated with what's going on and who is moving closer towards the ultimate goal of being crowned the next Swedish Champion and taking home the biggest slice of our 35 000 SEK prize pool!