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NHLGamers, The seventh season of the German Championship League has been concluded and while it's bittersweet to see long-time torchbearers Team LEISURE have to give up the throne, we are happy to crown the Swiss ZSC Esports our new champions! It's been a long time coming for the Swiss club captained by Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi, as the squad has grinded their way up the European ranks and seem to be peaking at just the right moments as of late. On behalf of the entire NHLGamer community - congratulations! ZSC Esports - Road to the championship: Regular season record: 24-1-1 (1st) Quarterfinals: vs Hyperion 4-0 Semifinals: vs PENTA 4-0 Finals: vs Team LEISURE 4-0 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #22 Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich #26 Mike @burban26 Mueller DEFENSEMEN #5 Eetu @Raikkoneeh Räikkönen #9 Max @Toneee9 Tonitz #13 Reto @Haldeem Haldemann FORWARDS #4 Juergen @DangledYouOut Kloster #21 Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi #28 Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner #71 Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni #84 Tim @Timasy Hess If you missed the finals, you can rewatch the broadcast below:

NHLGamers, We're glad to have concluded a great first season of the WECL bringing competitive hockey to a collective of several smaller markets contributing to the growth of the sport we all love. 19 teams went to battle in season one and we're only looking to grow from there, thank you all for participating and welcome back next season! The finals were played last night (Wednesday) between #2 Grenoble BDL Esport and #4 Silver Sword Griffins. As the teams went to battle, it was evident that the games were extremely tight, which led to three games ending up in overtime. Despite their best efforts, Grenoble weren't able to overcome their opponents for a win and ended up at a 4-0 deficit, awarding the championship to the Latvian squad Silver Sword Griffins. Silver Sword Griffins - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 1 - 15-2-1 (3rd) Quarterfinals: vs Remparts de Tours eSport 3-0 Semifinals: vs Dynamo Dragons 3-0 Finals: vs Grenoble BDL Esport 4-0 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #15 @Janikka #95 @snaasigi DEFENSEMEN #5 @jurisc1989 #8 @kazams17 #49 @NEGAISS #95 @MAYZIIX FORWARDS #10 @ProMinx24 #18 @PSchibra #23 @xLVxRitchey #77 @CMB-wf- #98 @N44TTI_16 If you missed the finals, you can rewatch the broadcast below: Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community!

NHLGamers, Today we're pleased to welcome VISU Gaming to a hopefully successful and long-lasting venture into NHL Esports. The Helsinki-based organization had thought about entering the NHL scene for quite some time and finally found the right match when their path crossed with that of Exerceo, ran by Mika @Saviinainen Raivisto, Saku @Sagee95 Björn and Markus @Pettersson12 Pettersson. Despite being a rather new team, these guys have extensive history together. The trio first met back in 2019 while playing for the legendary TIKI TALK, but didn't band together for their new team until late 2020, when Exerceo was founded. Since the inception of their new squad, the roster hasn't seen much turnover, with their only additions being Nico @vVoDee Vottonen after their debut in FCL and Joonas @LE1PAKONE Nordman ahead of the upcoming ECL season. Moving forward as VISU Gaming, the squad hopes to be able to harness the professional attitude and backup they now have from a strong organization in order to reach their goals of one day being a true and tested top team in the scene. "It feels great to be able to represent a large organization alike VISU Gaming! After our initial call i felt, that VISU would handle things professionally and could provide us with the kind of support that we need to take the next step on our careers. I'm satisfies with our deal and can't wait for what the future holds for us", states @Saviinainen. "I'm really excited about our new team! As soon as i met @Saviinainen, I knew that this team has the potential and desire it takes to fight their way to the top in the NHL scene." - Patrik Sulonen, VISU Gaming Chairman of the Board. About VISU Gaming VISU Gaming is a community reaching tens of thousands of young gamers with services like coaching, tournaments and events. Their newest endeavor is their kouluturnaus.fi-league, that currently hosts esports tournaments for schools, with already 100 schools in participation. The organization has a widespread array of teams that have seen great tournament performances in games such as Valorant, Fortnite, Rocket League and CS:GO. In addition to hosting online-events, VISU Gaming allows their signed gamers access to the VISU Gaming House in the Helsinki city center.

NHLGamers, Upon having gauged interest for a warmup tournament ahead of the ECL 12 season, we saw a clear interest from teams of various skill levels to play some more competitive "friendly" games before the puck drops for the real deal. That is why NHLGamer is now bringing you the ECL 12 Warmup Tournament - a friendly tournament with two tiers for teams to get into the competitive mindset, without the heavy structure that comes with the real ECL divisions framework. As stated, the tournament will be hosted in two tiers without any major restrictions expect for the ones mentioned below. Elite & Pro teams - sign up here! Lite & Core teams - sign up here! *Neo teams also welcome, but note that your season starts April 25th. Signups are open until Monday, April 12th at 12:00 CEST. Edit: Sign-ups extended

NHLGamers, ECL offseason has recently meant that we're going to see a new organization or two entering our scene, which is a great sign of how the sport is growing and getting noticed both by Esports orgs as well as traditional hockey clubs. Today we have the joy of showcasing the newly signed PENTA Sports NHL squad, formerly known as ECDC Memmingen Esports. These guys have spent a long time together, grinding their way up the ranks and establishing themselves as one of the strong emerging German teams around. Since joining the PENTA lineup, the team has significantly slimmed down their roster and are going for a more streamlined approach to achieving their goals, which are gaining promotion to the ECL Pro division and solidifying their place as one of the most successful German teams within the next year, says captain Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle. Their latest league showing and actually first campaign under the PENTA flag was the GCL 7, in which they eventually came short in the semifinals against Swiss powerhouse ZSC Esports. The all-German ensemble feels that their biggest strength is their long-lasting friendship and experience together, and the new deal gives them a good outlook on the future. "For us it's a pleasure to play for such a big name organization. With their reach we hope to generate more enthusiasm for esports, especially NHL", @Kevinator-373 says. PENTA Sports PENTA Sports was founded in 2013 and has since established themselves as one of the biggest German esports organizations with a wide variety of representation in various games throughout the years. Currently the org is represented in CS:GO, Crossfire, Clash of Clans, Rainbow Six Siege and EA Sports NHL.

NHLGamers, With the addition of our new ECL Core division comes a transition period, which takes time and to allow for that change we are now launching signups well ahead of the league start. The signups are now open, so tell your friends and get ready for the greatest NHL gaming experience to date! Signups will be open until Wednesday, 7.4 OR Monday, 19.4 at 23:59 CET depending on division. Sign-up period 1: 23.3-7.4, applies to ECL Elite ECL Pro ECL Lite ECL Pro Qualifier ECL Lite Qualifier Sign-up period 2: 23.3-19.4, applies to ECL Core ECL Neo Divisions framework The divisions framework for the ECL 12 will follow the same logic as for previous seasons with the addition of Core in between the Neo and Lite divisions. We will have a total of five divisions with the following team allocation: Elite 16 teams, Pro 32 teams, Lite 64 teams, Core 128 teams and Neo 32+ teams. ECL Elite: 16 teams Sign up: ECL Elite eligible teams Regular season: One group Playoffs: 8 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Monday Wednesday Thursday Prize pool: TBA ECL Pro: 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Open spots will be decided based on Qualifiers Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Monday Tuesday Thursday ECL Lite: 64 teams Sign up: ECL Lite eligible teams Open spots will be decided based on the Qualifiers Regular season: 4 Groups of 16 teams Playoffs: 32 teams Best-of-7 Gamedays: Tuesday Wednesday Sunday ECL Core: 128 teams Sign up: Without restrictions (but capped at 128) Regular season: 8 groups of 16 Playoffs: TBD Best-of-7 Gamedays: Tuesday Thursday Sunday ECL Neo: 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Regular season: TBD Playoffs: TBD Best-of-5 Gamedays: Wednesday Sunday Preliminary schedule for the ECL 12 season: ECL Pro & ECL Lite Qualifiers 12.4-29.4 Regular season kick-off ECL Neo 25.4 ECL Core 2.5 ECL Lite 9.5 ECL Pro 20.5 ECL Elite 24.5 Playoffs ECL Neo 30.5-4.7. ECL Core 6.6-16.7 ECL Lite 13.6-18.7 ECL Pro 28.6-28.7 ECL Elite 5.7-31.7. What is the ECL? The ECL is the pinnacle of European NHL esports. The abbreviation stands for the European Championship League and it features NHL 6v6 esports in four divisions aimed at various skill levels. League games are played in the EASHL mode and the platform is PlayStation. Basic information/requirements of ECL: Regional restrictions: ECL is a European tournament format, however, we do not necessarily exclude North American or Russian players. A European server will always be used. In case of severe connection issues, we reserve the right to exclude teams or players. 6v6 tournament: ECL is played 6 vs. 6 only, using the EASHL Challenge Club game mode in NHL 21. Individual requirements: Each player needs to have an account at NHLGamer.com and create their personal player card. Roster requirements: Teams in ECL Elite need to have at least 7 players to sign up. Teams in ECL Pro, ECL Lite, ECL Core and ECL Neo need to have at least 8 players to sign up. The roster cap is 14 players. ECL Elite license: Teams in ECL Elite will be required to pay for an ECL Elite license in order to play (more details to follow). Rules: The ECL 12 ruleset will follow the same foundation as in season 11. The updated rulebook will be available before the season. *If you're an existing team that wants to change names, simply sign up with the old name and contact support for the name change. If you're having issues with signing up overall, please contact support. Don't have a team yet? Team looking for additions to your roster? If you are a free agent looking to be picked up, please head over here. If you are representing a team looking for players, please head over here. Did your team sign with an organization that is represented in the game and needs in-game unlocks? Fill in this form. (Only if your organization has unlockables available in NHL 21)

NHLGamers, The ECL 11 Elite season was an exceptional run of virtual hockey in more ways than one. Not only are we living in a time of the world where many of us are confined to staying home in an attempt to keep ourselves and the ones around us safe, but we might also me finding new interests or time to put into our existing ones. Despite COVID-19 torturing the world for an extended period of time already, it has alongside the challenges posed, opened up a great amount of opportunities for our scene and has potentially served as a growth catalyst. Not only the times are exceptional, but so are the individuals at the ECL Elite level too. ECL 11 Elite was a record-breaking parade for eventual champion FILADELPHIA, who set a new regular season wins & point total record while also setting a new regular season shutout record (@ICappeI) in the process. There's no denying how supreme the black and orange currently reign and with this season recap, as customary, we'll be taking a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of the ECL 11 Elite season. In order to serve as a baseline, here is how the teams ranked to end the season, with our season preview ranking for reference: 1. FILADELPHIA (2nd) 2. hREDS (1st) 3. HAVU Gaming (3rd) 4. JYP Jyvaskyla (5th) 5. Farjestad BK (8th) 6. Northern Ascendancy (9th) 7. Vesa Pompa (11th) 8. Roots (4th) 9. SJ Gaming (13th) 10. KOVA Esports (7th) 11. SAWO Esports (14th) 12. YMCA Esports (6th) 13. Gotham Knights (10th) 14. Team Leisure (12th) 15. Conquer Gaming (16th) 16. Dark Horse (15th) *Final ECL 11 Elite position, playoff teams ranked by playoff wins Some quite bold predictions were made, but except for a few major anomalies, the general outlook of the predictions are quite close in comparison to the final results. Now when assessing a teams performance, obviously the bottom line is the finishing position, but we need to remember that in a division like ECL 11 Elite with the 16 top teams of Europe, if not the world, the margins are incredibly slim from time to time. The topics that were discussed when it comes to the cream of the crop - namely HAVU Gaming and hREDS - prior to the season were mainly whether HAVU could keep their level of performance after making a roster change for the first time since ECL 8 and if hREDS would finally fulfill their full potential. What goes for FILADELPHIA, we knew that we'd be getting their usual solid and stable effort that seems to have reached an all time high this season. Then, when it comes to the rest of the playoff teams, there are a lot of opinions but I suppose most people have a general idea of the few "segments" in the Elite division and while we'd be beating a dead horse by continuing the discussion on that note, we'll be focusing on the trends over the course of the season. POWER RANKINGS - SEASON TRENDS The above graph describing how teams have fared in the power rankings over the course of the season gives a decent idea of the form each team managed to keep up from week to week. Keep in mind that each week is evaluated as a completely individual entity, not only amount of collected points matter, but also perceived difficulty of schedule. Regular season The first week of the regular season served as a great taste of what was to come throughout the season and it was surely good to see an unprecedented amount of talent in the booth with all of Cody @Tougie24 Tougas, Paul @Cyn Anderson, Nick @f5penguin DiMeo, Drew Golfdarb, Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen and Julius Sorjonen stepping up to provide their insight along with highlight reel calls throughout the season. Our very first featured matchup of the season unbeknownst to anyone at that point served as a preview for the finals with FILADELPHIA and hREDS going head-to-head and eventually splitting victories to kick it all off. On top of that, JYP Jyvaskyla and Farjestad BK showcased a long awaited rematch of last seasons upset rivalry, also splitting the wins, showing just how tough the battle ahead would be for all sixteen teams involved. Later on in the week, Joona @jm98II Muona scored a goal-of-the-season candidate against hREDS and Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos got his first goal of the season simultaneously being the first 6th skater goal of the campaign. FILADELPHIA, hREDS and HAVU Gaming started their seasons strong with YMCA Esports and SJ Gaming trailing close behind after an equally successful first week. All in all, a first week full of surprises led to SJ Gaming and Vesa Pompa somewhat surprisingly topping the tables. As we've seen over and over again in this division - nothing lasts forever, because HAVU Gaming or FILADELPHIA will take it away, which is exactly what happened causing the celebration of SJ Gaming and Vesa Pompa to be rather short-lived. Some highlights at this point of the season were definitely the clash between Swedish rivals Vesa Pompa and Farjestad BK that ended up being a split in a low-scoring matchup. At the top of the table, HAVU had managed to stay undefeated for eight games straight, whereas FILADELPHIA duo Erik @Eki Tammenpää and Paul @PleeMaker Arontie hovered at an impressive pace of 3 points per games and topping the stats after their first ten outings of the season. Notably, FILADELPHIA suffered their only regulation loss of the season at the hands of SJ Gaming at this point, in their fourth matchup of the campaign. Heading into the third week of the regular season, we knew that the midway point was nearing and with that also a holiday break that could do some good for some struggling teams. It was the week of goaltenders and former ones, as we broadcasted the third matchup of the season for Roots rookie netminder Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt when his team went up against YMCA Esports and the youngster did not disappoint, securing a double shutout and some crucial points for his squad. Elsewhere, it was also becoming apparent that another rookie, Vesa Pompa signing Filip @Faze91- Azri had shown up to play and stay at the top, punching his ticket for the goalie of the season race. Remember that notion about former goalies? Well, Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen topped the scoring tables - take that, doubters. Coming back from a well deserved holiday break, it was apparent that Farjestad BK were going hard for the playoffs, a big week for the Swedes skyrocketed their position in the standings and despite matching up against some lower ranked teams, they surely did their due diligence by securing the points up for grabs. At this stage, Gotham Knights also had their little rays of light in an otherwise rather forgettable season, coming off an already good third week, they managed to steal a point from FILADELPHIA and got to see their defenseman Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen top the points by defensemen-table for a while, however with Roots' Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä in hot pursuit. Rolling into the last two weeks of the season, we had a general idea of a few teams being ready for the playoffs, whereas some others were struggling mightily and were perhaps already preparing for eventual relegation battles. One of the struggling teams were SAWO ESPORTS, who hadn't been able to find their game throughout the season, but got some wind under their wings with big performances by long-time goaltender Juuso @Juizki Nikkinen, who managed to keep up a 249 minute and 17 second shutout streak, which might me an ECL Elite record. The battle for those last playoff spots was raging hard as ever and going into the last week, it was looking like Northern Ascendancy and Roots would manage to edge out the competition, being mainly SJ Gaming and KOVA Esports. As it all was said and done, no major changes in the standings occurred over the last few gamedays and we finished the season with as usual - the eight best teams going into the playoffs. Playoffs The ECL 11 Elite quarterfinals kicked off hot with a few very interesting matchups, with the one stealing most of the spotlight being the rematch between JYP Jyvaskyla (4th) and Farjestad BK (5th). The ECL 10 upset, where FBK rocked the division by eliminating #1 seed JYP was truly fresh in our memories and we were anxious to find out how the story would continue. Make no mistake - some tension was evident at the start of the series, but it was quickly made clear that this time, the story would be different and to no surprise, JYP Jyvaskyla managed to redeem themselves advancing to a semifinal matchup against none other than FILADELPHIA, who had made easy work of Northern Ascendancy (as they should have) in their quarterfinal bout. After a worrying colder run to finish off the last week of the regular season, HAVU Gaming was seen going up against Roots in the quarterfinals in the black and green battle, making quick work of the for now weaker Roots squad. The fourth and final quarterfinal matchup was also a rather one-sided show, between hREDS and Vesa Pompa, who really managed to prove us wrong this season by clawing their way into the playoffs. The semifinals were exciting all around, but the thunder was surely stolen by HAVU Gaming - hREDS, which ended up being the headline matchup. Despite their struggles, HAVU didn't look out of place at this stage of the season and had all the tools even to hoist the cup eventually, but hREDS were even better with their overpowering offensive strength and stellar play in net by experienced Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu. JYP Jyvaskyla were in over their heads trying to challenge the record-breaking FILADELPHIA squad but were after all able to keep every game close, coming just short in each battle. Eventually, two strong contenders entered the finals and if the season had been exceptional up to this point, this matchup stayed on that path. We're so used to seeing the two juggernauts FILADELPHIA and HAVU battle it out that hREDS were a very welcome breath of fresh air. The games were entertaining as they tend to be when the two most skilled teams clash, but unfortunately for the audience, the series was short lived. Whereas hREDS had been named the most skilled team in the league, FILADELPHIA is the strongest unit and there's no denying that. The time spent together with that group has gelled them into a true ECL dynasty, which is what pushed them to a clear ECL 11 Elite Championship. If you missed the finals, here's the broadcast of game 4 and all the celebration that ensued: AWARDS 🏆 Top 6 of ECL 11 Elite Joakim @Joukki Nyholm - Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala - Erik @Eki Tammenpää Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen - Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta Casper @ICappeI Lundgren Most Points: Joakim @Joukki Nyholm, hREDS, 46 Goals, 55 Assists, 101 Points in 44 games Most Goals: Joakim @Joukki Nyholm, hREDS, 46 Goals, 55 Assists, 101 Points in 44 games Most Assists: Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen, hREDS, 27 Goals, 70 Assists, 97 Points in 44 games Most Hits by a Forward: Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson, Farjestad BK, 183 Hits in 36 games Best +/-: Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta, FILADELPHIA, +64 in 43 games Most Points by a Defenseman: Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen, hREDS, 18 Goals, 30 Assists, 48 Points in 44 games Most Goals by a Defenseman: Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen, hREDS, 18 Goals, 30 Assists, 48 Points in 44 games Most Assists by a Defenseman: Teemu @Xteemuz Polttila, hREDS, 8 Goals, 33 Assists, 41 Points in 44 games Most Hits by a Defenseman: Ari @FakiiR1 Palviainen, KOVA Esports, 200 Hits in 30 games Best goaltender (SV%): Johan @McSavid Rundqvist, Farjestad BK, 326 saves on 397 shots, SV% 82,12 in 36 games

NHLGamers, The 11th iteration of the ECL concluded already over a week ago with the Elite division finals, but prior to that we also saw the conclusion of the season at our entry level - ECL Neo. The Neo season was a long one and at the end the battle came down to Pinaattikone and Goosebumps, who fought hard in the best-of-five finals series. Pinaattikone's road to the championship: Group stage: 15-3-0 (6th) Round 1: Milion Plus 3-0 Round 2: Sesku Patversme 3-0 Round 3: Bauer Rangers GmbH 3-1 Quarterfinals: 5th Line Heroes 3-1 Semifinals: Vemppaosasto 3-1 Finals: Goosebumps 3-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #56 @Odexm DEFENSEMEN #22 @ziiroust #65 @Wilzu96 A FORWARDS #7 @Suxmani #10 @hapsukka C #96 @Thimpe A Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants!

NHLGamers, What a season we've had once again! It's been a long and tiring road but the feeling of accomplishment makes up for it all and we are glad to be able to thank you for showing up in such a big way throughout the season with us. FILADELPHIA and hREDS played some great virtual hockey in the Finals, displaying true skill and how great our game can be at its absolute best, but in the end we can only crown one winner. With that, we're happy to call FILADELPHIA the ECL 11 Elite champion! Not only do they secure the title, but also gain the biggest share of our 15 000€ prize pool that was divided as follows: 1. FILADELPHIA 10 000€ 2. hREDS 3 000€ 3-4. HAVU Gaming & JYP Jyväskylä 1 000€ FILADELPHIA's road to the championship: Group stage: 28-1-1 Quarterfinals: Northern Ascendancy 4-1 Semifinals: JYP Jyvaskyla 4-0 Finals: hREDS 4-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #72 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren A DEFENSEMEN #27 Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta #40 Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen FORWARDS #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää A #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie #86 Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala C Playoff MVP: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren

NHLGamers, Make sure to tune in for the ECL 11 Elite Finals that are live now at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer! Games 1-3 between the two immensely skilled teams are on tap throughout the night. (1) FILADELPHIA vs hREDS (3) TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (9 GP, 8+10=18) vs Joakim @Joukki Nyholm (10 GP, 11+8=19) GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (9 GP, 80.3 SV%, 1.44 GAA, 2 SO) vs Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (10 GP, 85.71 SV%, 1.3 GAA, 4 SO)

NHLGamers, With the ECL 11 Elite Finals being just around the corner, we thought who better to contact for some insight than ECL 11 cover gamer and HAVU Gaming captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha - he knows both FILADELPHIA and hREDS almost as well as his own team. Usually the man can be seen on the ice in the finals, but due to a stinging loss against hREDS in the finals, it is not the year for HAVU Gaming this time. Despite the disappointment, FlyerKungen is in great spirits and expects a lot from the upcoming weekend: What do you think the situation is like for these teams heading into the finals? "FILADELPHIA will be eager to get back what's theirs after the letdown and coming just short of a reverse sweep against us back in ECL 10. On the other hand, I feel like hREDS can enter the finals with a lot less pressure. In my opinion FILADELPHIA is the favorite and definitely has a lot more to lose but ultimately none of that matters out on the ice, both teams will do everything in their power to win and neither one wants to be the one left in second place." What kind of hockey are you expecting to see out of the two? "I'm sure we'll be seeing fast, entertaining skill hockey, just as in the previous ECL Elite Finals, so you won't want to miss out! It's definitely refreshing to have some new blood in the finals for once. FILADELPHIA will be leaning on their experience and strategies that have worked for them in the past - the centerman and defenders have a big role and the team knows how to utilize every player on the ice with the chemistry that they've built. I'm sure they'll be minimizing risk and stay in possession which might lead to frustration on the hREDS side. I think FILADELPHIA also utilizes their defensemen on the blueline in a better way, which has proven to be crucial in long playoff series before if they can play true to their level and avoid mistakes as best they can. " How about hREDS, do you think they'll be able to challenge? "hREDS is a team that relies way more on being able to beat the opponent with pure skill. They're easily the most individually skilled team in the league, but their style of play is widely known and not the most versatile. Then again, if they stick to their guns and are able to perform even against the best, they've always got the chance to win. I personally hope that the semifinal victory against us will propel hREDS with great momentum to be able to challenge a team as strong as FILADELPHIA. These are the moments you really cherish as a player and with that I wish good luck to both teams - we're hoping for a long, tightly contested series!"

NHLGamers, After yet another intense stretch of ECL Elite level virtual hockey, we've arrived at the end station. With only one series and a maximum of seven games left in the season, it's only right to take a closer look at how these teams have managed to pave their way into the finals. At the start of the season, we ranked hREDS as our prediction to win it all, whereas FILADELPHIA were found at the #2 spot in our season preview. It was of course highly expected to see a rematch of FILADELPHIA vs HAVU in yet another final series, but it is a welcome breath of fresh air that hREDS and their tremendous success this season brings to the table. The two finalists have both made the long trek to this point of the season, but their journeys have been oh so different. The ECL 11 Elite finals will be played on Friday, 12th of February starting 20:00 CET and on Saturday, 13th of February starting 20:00 CET. The stream will be going live at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer. (1) FILADELPHIA vs hREDS (3) TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (9 GP, 8+10=18) vs Joakim @Joukki Nyholm (10 GP, 11+8=19) GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (9 GP, 80.3 SV%, 1.44 GAA, 2 SO) vs Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (10 GP, 85.71 SV%, 1.3 GAA, 4 SO) From the get-go, there was not a doubt in the world that FILADELPHIA wouldn't have what it takes to make another finals appearance and despite having their only few hiccups to start the season, the juggernauts went on to break several records that are set to stand the test of time in the ECL as we know it. We know that FILADELPHIA is an extraordinary team not simply due to their skill in every aspect of the game, but due to their tight knit group and the experience they have built as a team - a factor that can give them the edge in any given series. When facing such a team, it's not only about stopping their top scorer, who happens to be @Eki at the moment, but making it tough for FILA entails completely eliminating your own mistakes and shutting them down as a unit, which is a feat no team has consistently succeeded in this season. Statistically their primary option on attack has been Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, but we know that despite being the most probable shooter, the left winger will also dish the puck given the opportunity proven by his league leading assist total (12) in the playoffs. With hREDS, we get to an interesting story. The team is rather fresh despite consisting of players that have been at the top for quite some time already and this season was supposed to be their true claim to fame at the Elite level - as it has been. Alike FILADELPHIA, these guys also set records this season, as former forward turned defenseman Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen scored a total of 16 goals from his RD spot. Then if we're talking about stellar goaltending on FILADELPHIA's side, we can definitely say the same about @FinKonna, who's really came into his own having taken advantage of seeing time as the bona fide starter for the first time since ECL 4 with Limitless. In this hREDS segment we'll also have to talk about @Joukki, who has the hot stick right now as he leads the league in playoff scoring (19 points) and finished a total of nine goals in the seven game series against HAVU Gaming in the semifinals. With that, the hREDS left winger is looking unstoppable at the moment. Interesting points to follow: The goalie battle: both @ICappeI and @FinKonna have been red hot, and what makes it even more interesting is the fact that both of these guys have represented the opposing team in the past, Cappe playing for hREDS back in IS Cup 4 (then Delusion), whereas Konna represented FILADELPHIA for a longer period of time, until Cappe took his place after IS Cup 4 that is. Redemption time? It's widely rumored that @Joukki would be leaving hREDS to end the season and what a parting gift it would be to bring home a championship. Seems like the team is in good spirits and Joukki is motivated to make a statement for any future club aspiring to pick him up. Throughout history, these teams have been quite evenly matched, although FILADELPHIA has taken an advantage as of late. In the total of 13 bouts between these teams, hREDS are at five victories, whereas FILADELPHIA has amassed eight, out of which two have came in overtime. The defensive ability of Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala is something else. The FILADELPHIA center currently leads the playoffs in takeaways at an average of 4.33 takeaways per game. Paired with his great faceoff efficiency, this makes for a centerman that can secure puck possession for his team. Prediction: hREDS were one of the two teams that managed to win against FILADELPHIA in the regular season. Granted, a lot of time has passed since but nevertheless it will give the challengers that bit of added confidence knowing that they have been able to overcome FILA in the past. I'm seeing hREDS as the hotter team right now especially coming off their somewhat surprising win against HAVU, and carrying that momentum they will surely be able to snatch a few wins in the finals too. However, FILA is on a completely different level as a team and if they can perform according to their high standards, they will hoist the cup. The series will end at 6 games, FILADELPHIA securing their 3rd ECL Elite title with a 4-2 series win. For a short look at how both teams have progressed to the finals, we can take a look at the playoff tree below. It's evident that as the number one seed, FILADELPHIA has had slightly more favorable matchups, whereas hREDS have had to battle a bit more. Then again, at this stage of the season no matchup is easy even if a skilled team might make it look that way. We hope you are as excited as us for the weekend! We'll see you in the chat and as always, may the best team win!

NHLGamers, Those who wait for something good never wait too long, and such is the case with the ECL 11 Neo finals that will be played in their entirety tonight. The two teams that have grinded their way through the ruthless ECL Neo season are Pinaattikone (6) out of group 2 and Goosebumps (10) out of group 3. Both have had a tremendous, long season that will come to an end tonight in either joy or sadness as the entire best of five series goes down starting at 20:00 CET. Tune in to the stream over at www.twitch.tv/ziiroust! Here are your ECL 11 Neo finalists: (6) Pinaattikone vs Goosebumps (10) PLAYER TO WATCH @hapsukka (18 GP, 23+31=54) vs @JOONAJOHIS(16 GP, 21+24=45) GOALTENDER @Odexm (18 GP, 79.89 SV%, 2.11 GAA, 0 SO) vs @Kimalahti (18 GP, 78.28 SV%, 2.67 GAA, 1 SO)

NHLGamers, It's been a long road and at the end of it, one team stands supreme, having conquered all challenges they've faced throughout the season. The ECL 11 Lite Finals were an emotional rollercoaster for both players and fans, as we witnessed Bjorkloven Esport fight back from a 3-1 deficit to clinch the championship and eventually hoist the trophy! Bjorkloven Esports' road to the championship: Group stage: 22-2-2 Round 1: Baby Goons 4-1 Round 2: Taavetin Starat 4-1 Round 3: Golden Nights 4-1 Quarterfinals: Oton Letkutemppu 4-0 Semifinals: Hotbox 4-3 Finals: Exerceo 4-3 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #32 @Kallmanius #59 @Mrantonn DEFENSEMEN #4 @MaciPapi #57 @LegendenKurtz_(AG_Jarl) FORWARDS #14 @BlizzakDevine #16 @Tacterz #93 @olgaaa71 #96 @Kumbik Playoff MVP: #93 @olgaaa71 - Bjorkloven Esport (33 GP, 41+27=68) Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants! If you missed the broadcast, you can rewatch it here:

NHLGamers, ...and then there were four. After a surprisingly lopsided group of series in the first round, we're down to the best of the best, which in all honesty weren't that tough to predict this season. FILADELPHIA, HAVU Gaming, hREDS and JYP Jyvaskyla are going to determine who will be the one to hoist the trophy this season in the most prestigious league in virtual hockey. All of these teams are viable options to win it all and we'd certainly feel good about handing the trophy over to any one of these squads - we know they are worthy. Now it's time to really bite down and go for that final push. Without further nonsense, here are your ECL 11 Elite Semifinal matchups: (1) FILADELPHIA vs JYP Jyvaskyla (5) TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (5 GP, 3+6=9) vs Valtteri @Vattu__ Virtanen (6 GP, 8+3=11) GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (5 GP, 78.79 SV%, 1.4 GAA, 2 SO) vs Santeri @Sandr0hh Reijasalo (4 GP, 80.65 SV%, 1.5 GAA, 2 SO) FILADELPHIA did as expected and overcame Northern Ascendancy with a rather routine performance in the quarterfinals. The #1 seed didn't display anything out of the ordinary and simply showed up, getting the job done - the kind of stuff you can do when you're one of the best teams around. Statistically, FILADELPHIA outplayed their opponents in each of the five games in the quarterfinals, outshooting NOR by a large margin throughout the series. @ICappeI played a major role by solidifying a series lead with two shutouts to start the series. No changes are expected or needed for that matter in the semifinals. Going up against JYP, FILA will be facing a slightly more skilled and experienced opponent, but if the regular season games are to judge by, they will not meet their match at this stage yet. I was expecting JYP to be at least slightly fazed going up against Farjestad BK in the quarterfinals, but their disappointment back from ECL 10 didn't show the slightest. Despite the series ending up at 4-2, JYP was in the drivers seat and stayed in control throughout the series. Youngster @Vattu__ took a big step up on his left wing, building on a successful regular season and now leading his team and the entire playoffs in scoring at 8+3=11. Vattu is also displaying next lefel efficiency, burying his chances at over a 50% success rate over the six games played so far. Another interesting factor for JYP is how they are going to play their goalies. Both experienced @Sandr0hh and newcomer Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen have put forth great performances, but one would imagine their long time netminder Sandro will get the start tonight. Prediction: We're going to see two very skilled teams going up against each other and we know that both of them will be able to win games when they get to stay on the puck more. FILADELPHIA is expected to drive most of the play, whereas JYP will be forced to pick their chances a bit more, when having a hot scorer like Vattu on their side might prove to be crucial. JYP will be able to take at least one victory, but I can't see them walking away with the series. FILADELPHIA wins 4-1. (2) HAVU Gaming vs hREDS (3) TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (4 GP, 6+1=7) vs Joakim @Joukki Nyholm (4 GP, 2+4=6) GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos (4 GP, 83.33SV%, 1 GAA, 0 SO) vs Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (4 GP, 87.5 SV%, 1 GAA, 1 SO) In their quarterfinal bout against Roots Gaming, HAVU managed to take their green rivals down without any sign of trouble. Yes - two of the games were extended to overtime. Yes- the games were tight, but the bottom line here is that HAVU won four straight and winning those tight battles is what it's really about in the playoffs. HAVU managed to stay on the puck for most of the series and while it didn't show on the scoreboard this time, it makes me believe that they are in good form moving forward. If anything, they will need to find some efficiency from other guys outside their top scorer @FlyerKungen as all other players except him and centerman Risto @Dominointi Järvi are still at one goal each in the playoffs. I was perhaps expecting hREDS to be able to bully Vesa Pompa in the quarterfinals, as the Swedish squad made playoffs somewhat surprisingly in my books still, but that didn't turn out happening. Despite the series score being lopsided, hREDS didn't look as strong as I expected all the time. Some games they managed to dominate from time to time, but their x-factor in the quarterfinals was really goaltender @FinKonna, who is sporting an impressive 87.5 SV% moving on to the semifinals. A high save percentage usually shows that the team has helped out their goaltender well, forcing low danger chances. If hREDS can keep that up while staying dangerous offensively, they are still a team I could see in the finals this season. Prediction: This is going to be a tough one, not just because two very closely matched squads are clashing but because I like both of these teams as options moving forward. However, it's a fact that one unbeaten streak in the playoffs will be broken at approximately 21:45 CET tonight and that will set the tone for the rest of the series. For the sake of changing things up I'll pick hREDS to win in 7. Don't miss tonight's broadcast. The first night of ECL 11 Elite Semifinals is on at 19:45 CET!

NHLGamers, after a regular season for the ages and last Wednesday's ECL El Clasico in recent memory, we are now ready for the postseason, where the stakes are as high as ever and almost nothing is sacred when it comes to what you'll do to grab those required wins. There's been countless success stories written over the years and we've seen two teams reign supreme for the past few seasons, but each postseason is an equal opportunity for the eight best teams in the business, and here we are yet again. From this point on, 12 wins is all it takes to be the one to hoist the cup at the end of the season. Joining the ECL Champion's club is something every player dreams of achieving at some point of their career, so now is the time for these guys involved to step up. As the USA U20 squad put it - one barrel at a time. (1) FILADELPHIA vs Northern Ascendancy (8) TOP SCORER Erik @Eki Tammenpää (22+46=68) vs Juho @RutonMosse Kinnunen (23+26=49) GOALTENDER Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (80.11 SV%, 1.23 GAA, 12 SO) vs Ville @Supreex Korhonen (80.59 SV%, 2.43 GAA, 1 SO) So far this season, FILADELPHIA have made it clear that no one will be stopping them from reaching their third ECL title since starting their journey with the lineup (barring minor changes) as we know it back in ECL 7. A record breaking regular season (highest point total ever, most shutouts ever) puts them at the #1 seed and we all know that if anyone, these guys will be able to handle that pressure. Eki has been the teams leading scorer this season but it should be noted that finding secondary or tertiary options is no problem for the FILADELPHIA team that looks as strong as ever. Their fiercest rivalry against HAVU Gaming looked like child's play in the second last round of the regular season, where FILA dissected HAVU and walked away with two routine wins out of the normally so tough matchup. Some questions were looming before the season about whether Northern Ascendancy would be able to handle seeing a high percentage of player turnover over the offseason, but long time captain Connor @MartindalexC Martindale has been able to pull a rabbit out of his hat and push his team to their absolute maximum performance - unless they still have some tricks up their sleeve. What clouds the sky is the fact that NOR is heading into the playoffs with a cold streak, having grabbed only 3 wins and a total of 7 points out of their last ten games, albeit most of them being matches against playoff bound teams. NOR is also by far the most penalized team heading into the playoffs and can with their 15th ranking penalty kill in the league by no means afford to sit in the box against a lethal offensive team like FILADELPHIA. Prediction: An interesting dynamic to this matchup is brought by the fact that just a few months back, Eki spent the SCL with MartindalexC and his NOR, despite NOR having almost a completely different roster by now there could be some strategic takeaway from that time spent together on both sides of the puck. Statistically, the outcome in this series is very clear - Northern Ascendancy haven't beaten FILADELPHIA on ECL ice since back in ECL 7 (in 2018) when the two teams met in a similar setup in the quarterfinals. Then, the series ended 4-1 in favor of FILADELPHIA, which I believe will be the result this time too. (2) HAVU Gaming vs Roots Gaming (7) TOP SCORER Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (25+50=75) vs André @Foppatofflan Liljegren (19+34=53) GOALTENDER Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos (78.2 SV%, 1.53 GAA, 7 SO) vs Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt (79.87 SV%, 1.88 GAA, 2 SO) HAVU Gaming saw some changes to their roster for the first time since ECL 8, when Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto joined the squad, forming their well-known championship machine. The loss of Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen stings, but at least based on what we've seen so far, Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen has done well in filling those boots. The thing is, Puantso has always been at his best in the playoffs so now is when the real test for Hansu starts. Team captain FlyerKungen is having a career season if that's even possible for a man who's seemingly won it all, so he can definitely be counted on even this season when the going gets rough. What raises some eyebrows is the fact that in the recent HAVU-FILA regular season matchup, HAVU didn't show up to play like they use to. The games were seemingly kept close, but the eye test indicates that they were outplayed by their sweet rivals. It might just be a night off and even if they would have needed to make some fixes, they've had a weeks time to do so. Now is the time to be at their best and that is what HAVU is known for in the playoffs, bring it on, they say. Roots Gaming is "the other green team" in the Elite division, but despite being overshadowed by the HAVU powerhouse, we're talking about a definite Elite title contender who can dismantle just about any team if and when the stars align. The addition of Foppatofflan has given them an added level of creativity on offense and their quick puck movement can be tough to handle even for some better teams around. Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä seems to be back in his prime and as we know is a vocal leader who can do good things for his team when he plays like he has been so far this season. When going up against a team like HAVU, it's always highly doubtful for the underdog to walk away victorious, but IF Roots were to do so, now is their time. Prediction: The black and green battle rages hard in this one and despite looking out of focus from time to time in the regular season, HAVU will be coming to play in the postseason as always. Roots is one of the few teams that managed to beat HAVU in the regular season, but wins against a team of HAVU's caliber come few and far between even for your regular ECL Elite squad. Roots are looking better than ever this season and that is why they will manage to challenge HAVU, but the defending champions will march on, 4-2 for HAVU. (3) hREDS vs Vesa Pompa (6) TOP SCORER Joakim @Joukki Nyholm (32+46=78) vs Jere @jergelii Jortama (20+20=40) GOALTENDER Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (78.6 SV%, 1.73 GAA, 7 SO) vs Filip @Faze91- Azri (80.32 SV%, 2.03 GAA, 3 SO) It's been said multiple times and should be stressed ahead of every time hREDS take the ice. They are possibly the most skilled team out there at the moment. The offensive power that the squad possesses is nearly unmatched at the moment and with that Joukki managed to grab the regular season scoring title with a stunning 78 points to his name and beside him, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen tied for most assists ever (55) in a regular season whereas Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen set a new goal scoring high for defensemen in the regular season (16). It is clear that hREDS will be able to outscore just about any opponent in the league, but the difference in them compared to champions like FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming in their prime is defensive play. If hREDS wishes to win - which I believe they can - they will need to find a way to tighten up defensively without sacrificing their number one weapon, which is their lethal offense. Vesa Pompa were one of the most underestimated teams in our season preview, but it has turned out that has indeed gelled nicely and been able to perform at a high level - as their talent packed roster would suggest. The team, being led in scoring by Finnish imports jergeli and Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen of former Butterfly Effect fame has aptly been able to climb into playoff contention in just their second season at the Elite level. Vesa Pompa has seen a lot of turnover over the years with the constant being captain Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann and winger Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund, who despite being widely considered as one of the most talented young players around is yet to truly make his claim as one of the very top players in the division. Maybe this playoff run is his time to shine? Prediction: It will be a warm reunion to start the series between former Butterfly Effect forward trio Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen on the hREDS side, whereas Jergeli and Vilupoika will be representing Vesa Pompa. The trio has been apart on ECL ice since ECL 9, when they last wreaked havoc on the division in the old purple jerseys. The difference in this series will most likely be experience in playing together. There is no doubt in the world that Vesa Pompa wouldn't possess the skill to beat hREDS, but due to the fact that hREDS have so much more time together, they will win this series 4-1. (4) Farjestad BK vs JYP Jyvaskyla (5) TOP SCORER Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson (17+30=47) vs Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen (20+35=55) GOALTENDER Johan @McSavid Rundqvist (83.09 SV%, 1.9 GAA, 3 SO) vs Santeri @Sandr0hh Reijasalo (82.07 SV%, 2.06 GAA, 2 SO) Since last ECL, Farjestad BK has turned their roster into an all-Swedish machine and are currently the lone Elite team flying that flag proudly. We're all very familiar with their style of play, but especially with the addition of Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander on the right wing the team has managed to diversify their game and give themselves more of a puck possession option whenever that might be required. Compared to the FBK we saw back in ECL 10, this team is considerably stronger defensively while being able to maintain their danger on offense, which could partially be attributed to good signings, but also simply due to evolving their play and finding better situational awareness in seemingly trivial situations on the ice. The worrysome part for them is that Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg is their number one option and has scored over 40% of the goals for his team this season. Secondary scoring surely exists but it will be interesting to see whether they need to find it or not in this series. Last season has surely not been forgotten in the JYP camp. Their roster has seen some minor, but very meaningful turnover as mainly Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola suddenly left prior to the season, and was swiftly replaced by equally talented young gun Valtteri @Vattu__ Virtanen. The thing is, though, that Kriketski is an incredibly impactful player on the ice - most of the times for good, but sometimes for bad. Losing such a player has forced JYP to evolve, just alike their opponent and despite being outplayed in the playoffs last season, this time will surely look a lot different. JYP is boasting one of the most skilled defensive pairings in the league and will be utilizing both of them to create danger and odd-man chances on both sides of the ice, and their offensive trio can very well make things happen on their own if need be. Overall, we're looking at a JYP that is more balanced than last season, but do they have that extra something that will push them on to the next round? We'll see. Prediction: Despite there being a significant amount of turnover from last season in both teams, we all still remember what happened back in ECL 10 Elite, when FBK dismantled the #1 seed and caused an incredible upset. It'll surely be a factor that could have an impact on the first few games even in this series, but as play moves on, those memories will fade. We're looking at a tremendously exciting matchup that will extend into games 6-7, and I'm hoping for the latter. JYP will bounce back from last season and advance 4-3. Tune in for ECL 11 Elite Quarterfinals tonight!

NHLGamers, We're closing in on the end of the ECL 11 Elite regular season and with that it's only natural that the noose around the necks of some ensembles is tightening, whereas some others are still scrambling for those last couple of points in order to either secure their playoff spot or put them in the best possible position for the postseason. The past week held some interesting events and even some records were broken, as FILADELPHIA's Casper @ICappeI Lundgren passed former goalie colleague turned winger Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen for most ECL Elite shutouts in one season. The former record stood at 9 shutouts replicated in both the ECL 8 and ECL 9 regular seasons, but is now at 11 with four games to go for FILADELPHIA. That means that @ICappeI has the possibility to totally deny the opposition in 50% of the regular season games, which is something absolutely unheard of and will surely be a record that could stand the test of time for quite a while in the ECL as we know it. It remains to be seen how far they can take it as a team, but the opposition in their last week will be tough as HAVU Gaming and KOVA Esports are looking to spoil the party. Another player deserving of an honorable mention and some extra pats on the back is SJ Gaming winger Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen, who announced that despite receiving terrible news about health concerns in his immediate family was able to show up to play on Thursday night against hREDS. No concerns were visible as the skilled winger took the ice, leading his team to an overtime win and an overtime loss, securing 3 points for SJ Gaming while grabbing a goal and a helper in both games for himself. Obviously there are things way bigger than the sport we're all playing, but the performance Thursday night by @EABUNKA surely is an inspirational show of determination and the support given by the community to a player in distress once again proved that we are way bigger than just the group of people playing video games for a pastime. That's an early nominee for this season's wholesome award. At the moment, most teams are at 26 games played, with Team LEISURE and SJ Gaming being the exceptions. No spot in the standings is set in stone, but a number of teams have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs at this point. With certainty we can state that a postseason among the top eight will take a minimum of 31 points, meaning that SAWO ESPORTS, YMCA Esports, Gotham Knights, SJ Gaming and KOVA Esports are still within striking range but the leash is extremely short at least for SAWO, who will have to win every game while Northern Ascendancy and Roots will have to draw blanks for the rest of the week - and even then it's up to tie-breakers. The battle at the bottom of the standings is raging tough as no one will want to be left dead last facing direct relegation. Currently in 16th place is Dark Horse, who are in for a tough last week with games against KOVA Esports and hREDS remaining, so a near perfect performance will be needed in order to get our of the trouble they've put themselves in. When it comes to scoring points, it seems like no one does it better this season than Cover gamer Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha and rightfully so. The HAVU winger has been a consistent performer throughout his career at the top level but is actually on pace to break his ECL Elite scoring personal best of 73 points this season. The two most prevalent goal scorers can be found on @FlyerKungen's line, which of course has contributed to his totals and the entire HAVU trio with Risto @Dominointi Järvi and @Hansulinho added to the mix seems to be as ready as ever for the postseason. The only player outside of your current top three teams making his way into the top 10 scorers is André @Foppatofflan Liljegren from Roots, who fits the color scheme but has also played an incredible season after taking a short stint outside the Elite division with Djurgarden Hockey back in ECL 10. Take a look at the scoring leaders for defensemen and you might think we've made a mistake but no, Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä brings glory to his dear Roots Gaming by being close to surpassing his personal best performance at the ECL Elite level (31 points back in ECL 4 Elite with SIKA) while being in a position to see postseason action with this team for the third consecutive season already. It seems like he has been teasing calling it quits for an extended time already and would be going out on a high note after an individual performance like this, but you surely can't quit now, can you!? Goaltenders - who knows anything about those? I for sure don't but as already stated, @ICappeI is out here setting records and looking good doing so. However, outside of the top 10 winningest goaltenders this season, we find Juuso @Juizki Nikkinen, who's a part of a struggling SAWO Esports but definitely helped his team out last week. The solid netminder shut out the opposition in three straight contests, keeping his own net untouched for a total duration of 249 minutes and 17 seconds, which might be some kind of record at this level if someone would be keeping track. In general, @Juizki has put forth a solid effort all season long, but his team has faced their fair share of adversity and are highly doubtful to make postseason in any other form than a relegation battle. Power Rankings The power rankings reflect games played between 11.1 and 17.1. Making a return this season will be the Elite: Power Rankings, provided by @MartindalexC. As always, the rankings are generated by weighting a team's results with the level of opposition that was faced, i.e. a team that went 4-0-0 against teams at the very bottom of Elite may very well be ranked below a team that went 0-4-0 against Elite's very finest. Without further ado though, let's have a look at how teams fared over the fifth week of ECL 11 Elite: 1. HAVU Gaming (6-0-0) [+1] 2. FILADELPHIA (4-0-0) [-1] 3. Färjestad BK (3-1-0) [=] 4. JYP Jyvaskyla (5-1-0) [+3] 5. SAWO Esports (5-1-0) [+11] 6. Roots Gaming (2-2-0) [-2] 7. hREDS (3-0-1) [-1] 8. Vesa Pompa (1-2-1) [+1] 9. Northern Ascendancy (2-3-1) [-4] 10. SJ Gaming (2-1-1) [+2] 11. KOVA Esports (1-4-1) [-3] 12. YMCA Esports (2-2-2) [+1] 13. Gotham Knights (2-4-0) [-2] 14. Team Leisure (0-4-0) [=] 15. Dark Horse (1-5-0) [-5] 16. Conquer Gaming (1-3-0) [-1]

NHLGamers, Last week brought ECL action back also on the ECL Elite level and with that also pushed us past the midway point of the season. Right now we're just past two thirds through the regular season and with that being said, now is the absolute latest point for teams to start revving up those trusty old diesel engines to boost them in their playoff race or in avoiding potential relegation. The standings are finding their form and as predicted, FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming have been the juggernauts reigning lone, as usual. Both of the top two teams are currently also on impressive hot streaks although HAVU has been taken to OT more often than not in their past few bouts - some trouble keeping their eyes on the prize maybe? Vesa Pompa has been performing exceptionally well but without taking anything away from their performance, one must state that their schedule wasn't as harsh as some of their competitors' to start the season. Last week brought the reigning Swedish champs a total of five points in three matchups against some tougher opposition. If not for a few exceptions (mainly Vesa Pompa HC performing above expectations and YMCA Esports underperforming), the season preview seems to be holding up rather well in terms of predictions so far. Having pumped our own tires enough, let's get into some of the individual performances seen last week. Overall it was a week of "strictly business" when it comes to the games played, at least no highlights went viral across the community. The scoring department was virtually unchanged at the end of last week, but Monday was a breath of fresh air when hREDS managed to put on a scoring show against Team LEISURE, boosting duo Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen and Joakim @Joukki Nyholm to 2nd and 3rd in the points department with 51 each to their names. When taking a look at productive defensemen, we're seeing a somewhat surprising name topping the tables. Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen has made a long career grinding away at various forward positions but has transitioned his skills exceptionally well into the role of an offensive defenseman while not sacrificing too much in his own end either. His Gotham Knights currently lies just below the playoff line and has been able to perform up to the standards of the division as a unit. The team still has some exciting matchups remaining and will need to salvage every point they can if they want to pave their way into their first ever ECL Elite postseason. As we continue moving on to the last line of defense, we're taking a look at goaltenders, who from time to time don't get the love they deserve. We're used to seeing the likes of Casper @ICappeI Lundgren and Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos leading the league in that department but they do have challengers for the throne when talking about the best in the business. The two previously mentioned have been in the game and at the top for such a long time but admittedly playing in net for a top team like FILADELPHIA or HAVU Gaming poses unique challenges such as potentially facing a way lower shot volume when compared to other goaltenders in the league, such as for example Johan @McSavid Rundqvist or Ville @Supreex Korhonen for Farjestad BK and Norhtern Ascendancy respectively. If not for a few exceptions, the statistics below exhibit a higher save percentage for goalies facing higher shot volumes on a regular basis. A newcomer that has been making his way into the discussion of top goaltenders in the scene is Vesa Pompa's Filip @Faze91- Azri, who was talked about already prior to the season but has made a surprisingly fast ascent to the top, claiming the clear first string goalie spot for his team in the process. Power Rankings The power rankings reflect games played between 4.1 and 10.1. Making a return this season will be the Elite: Power Rankings, provided by @MartindalexC. As always, the rankings are generated by weighting a team's results with the level of opposition that was faced, i.e. a team that went 4-0-0 against teams at the very bottom of Elite may very well be ranked below a team that went 0-4-0 against Elite's very finest. Without further ado though, let's have a look at how teams fared over the fourth week of ECL Elite: 1. FILADELPHIA (6-0-0) [=] 2. HAVU Gaming (4-0-0) [=] 3. Färjestad BK (5-0-1) [+6] 4. Roots Gaming (4-1-1) [+2] 5. Northern Ascendancy (3-0-1) [+2] 6. hREDS (5-1-1) [-1] 7. JYP Jyvaskyla (4-1-1) [+3] 8. KOVA Esports (4-1-1) [+7] 9. Vesa Pompa (2-3-1) [-5] 10. Dark Horse (1-2-1) [+6] 11. Gotham Knights (1-2-1) [-8] 12. SJ Gaming (1-2-3) [-4] 13. YMCA Esports (0-3-1) [-1] 14. Team Leisure (1-4-1) [-1] 15. Conquer Gaming (0-3-3) [-1] 16. SAWO Esports (1-3-0) [-5]

NHLGamers, As in most of our divisions, playoffs are now rolling on, but the Neo division has at this point progressed the furthest and we've now boiled down to only the eight best teams remaining. The quarterfinals bring on a multitude of exciting series where some lower seeded teams still have a real chance of challenging the big guns. With the #1 seed Rahinakaukalo being long gone out of the playoffs, surprises can be expected even at this stage of the playoffs. We wish all of the teams good luck and remind you to follow their social media channels for information on upcoming games! Here's the full ECL 11 Neo playoff schedule: Find all the ECL 11 Neo Quarterfinal matchups here (2) UKnighted HC - FILA DE LA HC (26) (5) Vemppaosasto - Herforder Ice Dragons (22) (6) Pinaattikone - 5th Line Heroes (15) (8) SCB eSports - Goosebumps (10)

NHLGamers, Tonight we'll be in for a great treat in the form of virtual hockey action from the Russian scene, as the RCL 7 Pro finals will be played in full and broadcasted at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. Our Russian leagues have taken some massive development steps in recent seasons and with that the 7th iteration is also featuring a prize pool of 100 000 RUB. The RCL 7 Pro division included a total of 12 teams at the start and at this point of the season - as customary - only two remain. Seed #1 and defending champion NOVA are in the position to become the second ever team to secure back to back championships after Rusty Bulls managed to do so back in season 2 and 3. Opposing them will be #3 seed Show Time, who managed to overpower ECH Traktor Chelyabinsk in the semifinals. An outcome of the series is next to impossible to predict, as these two squads are extremely tightly matched. Their regular season clashes resulted in split points, as NOVA won the first game 3-2, whereafter Show Time secured points of their own with a 2-0 victory. (1) NOVA vs Show Time (3) PLAYOFF RECORD 4-0 (Rusty Bulls), 4-2 (Alliance HT) vs 4-2 (Nearbird Fighters), 4-2 (EHC Traktor Chelyabinsk) TOP SCORER Evgeny @Virusactive Popov (10+12=22) vs Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala (19+16=35) GOALTENDER Aleksey @Алексей Zvezdin (6 W, 80,56 SV%, 1.75 GAA, 1 SO) vs Andrey @Hrenoslon Savchenko (8W, 81,93 SV%, 2.6 GAA, 0 SO) See you in the chat tonight! Who do you think will win?

NHLGamers, We hope all of you had a safe new years celebration and are as excited as us to get started on a successful 2021! With that, the first round of the ECL 11 Lite Playoffs has also been capped off with a bunch of exciting action both in the rearview and in the future matchups. Round one was underdogs galore, as an unusually high amount of lower seeded teams managed to surprise the favorites heading into the series - one of the major upsets was the elimination of Spirit at seed #4. Taavetin Starat advanced to Round 2 and challenges Bjorkloven, who are the #1 seed and will be the ones to beat. Tic Tac Toes also eliminated one of the big favorites, when the experienced and skill packed roster of MUKIMIEHET were sent home. Several other underdogs also saw an extension to their season, such as Golden Nights, Syndrome, Nordic Nosebleed and Grilli Tulille to name a few. All of the hassle in the first round will surely be throwing off some predictions for the second and add to the excitement of it all. As said, lots of underdogs are still in the race but the prevailing forces are still the very dominant ones continuing their strong runs of form. Some teams that succeeded in the regular season that are advancing to round 2 of playoff contention included for example Bjorkloven Esport, ECDC Memmingen eSports, Nearbird Fighters and Ringette HC, out of which the three latter managed to sweep their first round opposition. Here are the full fixtures for the Round 2: https://nhlgamer.com/leagues/96/playoffs Here is the full playoff schedule for ECL 11 Lite: With the nitty gritty out of the way, we will have time for a few quick previews of some matchups to keep an eye on in the second round of action: (1) Bjorkloven Esport - Taavetin Starat (61) Regular season sensation Bjorkloven Esport goes up against playoff sensation (so far) Taavetin Starat - the two clashed in the group stage already with the double header yielding full points for the Swedes, while Starat only managed to walk away with a consolation point from an overtime loss. We're expecting Bjorkloven to bring their best as usual, but they cannot underestimate their opponent, as Starat has really gotten their game going after a tough first half of the season. The recipe for success in this series is simple, Bjorkloven needs to continue doing what they have been doing so well all season which is finding the connection between their forwards up front, whereas Starat need to find a way to keep scoring to a minimum and utilize the chances they are given. Prediction: Bjorkloven Esports advances 4-1 (3) Nearbird Fighters - Tic Tac Toes (58) Nearbird Fighters has been one of the better teams in the Russian scene for quite some time already and have in fact been grinding away in the Lite division since ECL 5 under the watchful eye of captain @Hair. The team is on a hot streak having swept their first round opponent and finding a convincing scoring touch while doing so. However, there's no question about the fact that opposition will get significantly tougher now. Tic Tac Toes seem to be waking up like a bear our of hibernation after barely making the playoffs out of the group stage but finally outclassing MUKIMIEHET in the first round. The team full of 1v1 virtuosos has translated their skill well onto the 6v6 ice and with the lead of @Artuzio, we know that they can go far this season. Prediction: Tic Tac Toes advances 4-2 (8) Exerceo - Grilli Tulille (54) Exerceo looked to be one of the stronger teams heading into the season with several players having experience in big roles from higher divisions, and they have performed up to par this far into the season. In this series, they will be up for a challenge against a group of guys who definitely know how to play, but are perhaps more used to putting a ball into the net as opposed to the puck that we all know is the central object in the game of hockey. In their first round matchups, Exerceo convincingly defeated Handu Pumpulla, whereas Grilli Tulille completed an incredible comeback ultimately defeating Hammarby Hockey in a game 7. Having built all that momentum propelled even further by a good social media hype is perhaps what GT needs to launch them into the next round. Prediction: Exerceo advances 4-1 (12) Central Hockey Canucks - Oton Letkutemppu (51) We're in for an interesting battle between two very different teams in this one. Central Hockey Canucks is one of those teams that have played in incredibly consistent season, going rather unnoticed just behind the front of the pack, whereas Oton Letkutemppu is coming in as a clear underdog, but with all the chances to cause an upset - the experienced team has shown before that they have what it takes to go all the way (ECL 8 Lite champions). The Canucks are a team that has been gathering their forces in the Lite and Neo divisions as well as the GCL over several seasons already and now is the time that they seem adamant on taking the next step. As their form seems right now, it would be a surprise if the Canucks would be at the losing end of a 7 game series. Prediction: Central Hockey Canucks advances 4-2 (18) Sjukstugan - Northern Legacy eSports (39) Swedish legends Sjukstugan are in for a challenge and have to prove that despite facing adversity, they still have the mojo that has been their bread and butter throughout the years. Having one of the deepest rosters in the division will be beneficial in a tightly contested series and that is something that Sjukstugan will have to utilize once their first line of offense starts feeling the additional pressure from the opposing defense. Nothern Legacy eSports is a team that does defense extremely well. The somewhat new roster took some time finding their game in the regular season but in the hands of experienced captain @Tinkesakara, the team seems to have found their identity as of late. Having shut down Black Sharks in the first round, NLE now moves on to tougher opposition and will need to up their game considerably if they are looking to go even further. Prediction: Sjukstugan advances 4-2 (27) AfroDunk - Beast Hockey (28) This one should be a series that can go either way and pretty much any little factor could tip the scales in one direction or the other. The two teams played very similar regular seasons statistically, with decent scoring and defensive averages, while keeping their special teams at a sufficient level. Also based on their regular season play, the difference between the two seems to be that Beast Hockey is more eager to take the body, which might turn into an advantage if that weapon is utilized correctly. Beast Hockey completed an impressive comeback from a 3-1 losing situation against RoKi Esports, which could be the momentum they need to win the series. Prediction: Beast Hockey advances 4-3 In addition to these, we've got several other great series on tap in the second round, remember to follow the teams on social media for information about scheduled games and streams. As always, have fun - play hard!

NHLGamers, The season keeps rolling on and in the Neo division we're slowly but surely boiling down to the real decisive games of the 2nd ever season in the division. With 32 teams left at this stage of the playoffs, there are some truly exciting battles on the table such as the clashes of group rivals 5th Line Heroes and Mora IK esport or #1 seed Rahinakaukalo going up against Remparts Tours eSport 2 in a matchup that potentially could break their 21 game unbeaten streak. We hope all teams have gotten enough rest over the holiday break and are as excited as we are to get back into action starting tonight! Here's the full ECL 11 Neo playoff schedule: Find all the ECL 11 Neo Playoffs: Round 2 matchups here. As usual - have fun - play hard!

NHLGamers, The third week of ECL 11 Elite action is in the bank and with that it's slowly but surely time to start transitioning into the holiday spirit, but first we'll take a quick glance into some notable events of the past week as usual. At this moment we're just shy of the midway point of the season and as action will continue after the holiday break o point will go uncontested. Interestingly enough, now also the unbeaten streak of HAVU Gaming has been broken, as the current league leaders actually dropped two games in overtime this past week - against SAWO ESPORTS and fellow black and green repping Roots Gaming. Was the well oiled machine of HAVU already in vacation mode? They sure are hoping to bounce back nicely with some time away from the game. Despite having a perhaps more difficult week in terms of performance of the team, HAVU Gaming wingers Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha and Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen have still paved their way to the top of the scoring table with 36 points each. Close behind we find FILADELPHIA duo Erik @Eki Tammenpää and Paul @PleeMaker Arontie. When it comes to goal scorers, we know that Emil @Hanssonni Hansson can hang with the best of them and currently does with 17 notches to his name, but it is something of a surprise considering that he is only two goals shy of his last total for ECL 10, although achieved in a mightily struggling Gotham Knights squad at that time. One of the most exciting performances of the week was broadcasted on Monday, as Roots Gaming goaltender and ECL Elite rookie Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt was set to play in his third matchup of the season and secured a double shutout in the games against YMCA Esports. The young goaltender had a difficult start to the season but impressed on the big stage and should be able to coast on that momentum moving forward. The weakest performers of the week were undoubtedly Dark Horse, who managed to snag two points out of their six contests during the week. Although being matched up against some stacked teams over the past week, one could state that there are some scoring issues that need solving moving forward for the squad as they only found the back of the opposing teams net 1,33 times per game on average over the last six games. Transfers It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, but some transfers have come to knowledge in the past week or so, we'll also be recapping possible movement in these reports. YMCA Esports IN Rami @ramseyy2 Rissanen, FA YMCA Esports is joined by an old acquaintance from the free agent market. @ramseyy2 does it best in net and has last taken the ice in a few games with BRAYCE Phantoms back in GCL 6. In ECL 10 Elite, he saw action in 12 games, recording a SV% of 77.30 and a GAA of 2.67. He is a solid goalie but no difference maker on the ice, but as a party presence he might be invaluable. The transfer deadline for ECL 11 Elite is on Thursday, December 31st at 23:59 CET. Power Rankings Making a return this season will be the Elite: Power Rankings, provided by @MartindalexC. As always, the rankings are generated by weighting a team's results with the level of opposition that was faced, i.e. a team that went 4-0-0 against teams at the very bottom of Elite may very well be ranked below a team that went 0-4-0 against Elite's very finest. Without further ado though, let's have a look at how teams fared over the second week of ECL Elite: 1. FILADELPHIA (4-0-0) [+1] 2. HAVU Gaming (4-0-2) [-1] 3. Gotham Knights (4-0-2) [+6] 4. Vesa Pompa (5-1-0) [+10] 5. hREDS (2-1-1) [=] 6. Roots Gaming (3-2-1) [+2] 7. Northern Ascendancy (3-2-1) [-1] 8. SJ Gaming (1-1-0) [+4] 9. Färjestad BK (2-1-1) [-2] 10. JYP Jyvaskyla (2-1-1) [-7] 11. SAWO Esports (2-3-1) [+4] 12. YMCA Esports (1-3-0) [-8] 13. Team Leisure (3-3-0) [=] 14. Conquer Gaming (2-2-0) [-3] 15. KOVA Esports (0-1-1) [-5] 16. Dark Horse (0-4-2) [=] Having plowed through half of the regular season, ECL 11 Elite takes a break for now and returns after the holidays. With that being said we wish all of you happy holidays and hope you are able to spend time with your loved ones while staying safe. See you back on the ice!

Photo credit: Jussi Jääskeläinen NHLGamers, Over the past few months, Telia Esports has been running a historical NHL esports league for the Finnish audience together with Liiga - the Finnish ice hockey elite league. The league included all fifteen Liiga organzations, represented by two gamers each in a tournament consisting of a 28-game regular season followed by best-of-three playoffs and a best-of-five final series. With a prize pool of 10 000€ on the line, all teams surely looked to give their all and over the course of the season, everyone got their fifteen seconds of fame as all teams were featured in live broadcasts from the Telia Esports studio. Here's a list of all eLiiga players for the inaugural season: HIFK: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen HPK: Perttu @Regulinho Salo, Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen Ilves: Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen Jukurit: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha, Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen JYP: Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen, Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos KalPa: Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä, Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján Kärpät: Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola KooKoo: Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi, Janne @Nieppii Niemelä Lukko: Juuso @Kemppane_ Kemppainen, Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen Pelicans: Niklas "Koivisto81" Koivisto, Niklas "TheNikez37" Karlsson SaiPa: Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen, Joona @Hullued Saarinen Sport: Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli, Jani @layout Laakkonen Tappara: Erik @Eki Tammenpää, Arttu @Artuzio Mustila TPS: Valtteri @Vattu__ Virtanen, Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen Ässät: Teemu @Xteemuz Polttila, Tapani @Tappu Anttila The past weekend featured the semifinals on Saturday, whereafter Sunday was the day for our bronze matchup and the grand finals. Eventually the top 4 teams that came to play this weekend were Tappara, Jukurit, KalPa and Kärpät and Sunday's matches featured the 3rd seed KalPa versus 7th seed Kärpät in the bronze matchup whereas 1st seed Tappara went up against 5th seed Jukurit in the grand final for the historical inaugural season championship title. The excitement over the weekend was unreal and especially Sunday's decisive games were something else. Having the dynamic of two players representing each team made for some interesting strategic choices, but the eventual final series between Tappara and Jukurit extending to a full five games ensured that each representative got to face each other. The #1 seed Tappara represented by @Artuzio and @Eki naturally held all the pressure as expectations were high from the beginning, whereas the Jukurit duo was extremely strong but paved their way to the finals as somewhat of a surprise and had the luxury of coming in as slight underdogs. Results of the final games Tappara - Jukurit Game 1: 11-6 (Eki - Hansulinho) Game 2: 6-8 (Artuzio - FlyerKungen) Game 3: 4-3 (Eki - FlyerKungen) Game 4: 4-5 OT (Artuzio - Hansulinho) Game 5: 7-3 (Eki - FlyerKungen) At the end of a full five game series, Tappara's @Artuzio and @Eki hoisted the first ever eLiiga trophy. Congrats guys! All eLiiga players and fans are surely pleased to hear that Niklas Segercrantz from the Telia Esports team has stated to Jatkoaika.com, that the team is satisfied with the success that the series has seen and that there are plans on developing the product even further in the future.

NHLGamers, After the second full week of ECL 11 Elite action, we have somewhat restored order in the kingdom and the usual suspects FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming top the tables. One of the looming questions before the season was speculation about how Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen would slot into the LW spot in that HAVU roster and now a few weeks later with his team going 8-0-0 and the man himself snagging some personal success in eLiiga along the way, I think we can at least put some of that speculation to rest. Order has also been restored in the scoring leaders department, where FILADELPHIA duo Erik @Eki Tammenpää and Paul @PleeMaker Arontie are topping the tables at the modest pace of around 3 points per game after their first ten outings. A look at the overall picture of the division shows that all teams have now managed to snag their first win of the season and only one remains undefeated - HAVU Gaming to no surprise. Despite not yet having to face any of their fiercest rivals, staying undefeated is a strong feat and shows just how formidable of a contender HAVU is yet again this season. While the broadcasted games this week didn't provide the caliber of highlights we saw in the first week of the season, we surely had some interesting turns of events and some discussion surfacing. Some eyebrows were raised during Wednesday's matchup between SAWO ESPORTS and Gotham Knights when a seemingly unenthusiastic SAWO took a beating in their first game of the night while a team member had more screen time in the Twitch chat than in the actual game. While this undeniably creates some comedic value in the chat, one must wonder how it impacts the focus on the game and perhaps more importantly, how it is valued within the team. Luckily, SAWO managed to gather themselves and bounce back nicely in the second bout but it's a tough look for the team regardless. From the lows to the highs of last week, despite suffering two consecutive losses without a goal scored against HAVU Gaming, German Team LEISURE can draw some consolation from this insane save made by goaltender Patrick @RPH_31 Braun: Transfers It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, but some transfers have come to knowledge in the past week or so, we'll also be recapping possible movement in these reports. The past week was unusually exciting at the transfer market as several teams shuffled some players around and we also ended up seeing some always controversial player poaches: hREDS OUT Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen, Tunnel Vision Having proven his level at the Elite level but taking a step back from the starter duties due to attending military service at the start of 2021, @uhNikke decided to take his talents to Tunnel Vision in Pro on a loan deal. Most likely this move will not affect hREDS competitiveness as they still have @FinKonna who is a very competitive goaltender who is capable of winning games for his team. Dark Horse IN Janne @JanneK. Komsa, Tunnel Vision The newest team in the Elite division decided to strengthen their ranks in net with an experienced goaltender as a result of @Magizam having a tough first week at the Elite level and with one matchup behind, @JanneK. seems to have improved the netminding department to some extent at least. OUT Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen, SAWO ESPORTS Dark Horse had a tough start to the season as expected and no points will be coming easy for them in their first Elite campaign. The loss of a starting forward in @Krisutus will sting despite having a quality player in @Ollizhki backing him up. It remains to be seen if Dark Horse will look to strengthen their ranks but due to transfer deadlines having passed in other divisions, they will need to poach a player from another Elite team if looking to do so. KOVA Esports IN Igor @xMotzz Motov, Nordic Stars KOVA made an acquisition that is somewhat of a headscratcher when getting another defenseman into their roster. The team already has two starters who are unlikely to be moved so it is probable that @xMotzz will not be seeing competitive ice time with his new team. SAWO Esports IN Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen, Dark Horse Finding yourself at the bottom of the standings meant that there would be a need for changes for SAWO. Whether acquiring @Krisutus was done as a result of @SUPERVIRTA leaving or not, it'll be interesting how it will affect the dynamic in the team. OUT Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta, FA The recently acquired defenseman suddenly left the squad due to time constraints. Team captain @TackleControl has been seen at the LD position since. Power Rankings Making a return this season will be the Elite: Power Rankings, provided by @MartindalexC. As always, the rankings are generated by weighting a team's results with the level of opposition that was faced, i.e. a team that went 4-0-0 against teams at the very bottom of Elite may very well be ranked below a team that went 0-4-0 against Elite's very finest. Without further ado though, let's have a look at how teams fared over the second week of ECL Elite: 1. HAVU Gaming (4-0-0) [+2] 2. FILADELPHIA (5-1-0) [=] 3. JYP Jyvaskyla (4-2-0) [+4] 4. YMCA Esports (4-1-1) [+2] 5. hREDS (3-1-2) [-2] 6. Northern Ascendancy (2-1-1) [+6] 7. Färjestad BK (2-3-1) [+2] 8. Roots Gaming (3-1-0) [+7] 9. Gotham Knights (3-3-0) [+1] 10. KOVA Esports (3-3-0) [-2] 11. Conquer Gaming (1-5-0) [+3] 12. SJ Gaming (1-3-0) [-7] 13. Team Leisure (2-3-1) [=] 14. Vesa Pompa (1-1-0) [-8] 15. SAWO Esports (1-2-1) [-4] 16. Dark Horse (1-2-1) [=]