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NHLGamers, If you missed the first part of our ECL 11 Elite Preview, check it out here! The battle for the last playoff spots is often ruthless and like we've seen over the past couple of seasons the difference lies in the smallest details. In ECL 10 we saw an entire 5-team squad within the margin of a point at the finish line whereas the season before was almost equally as tight. It speaks volumes about the toughness of the league when that is the case season in and season out at the ECL Elite level. Now, getting stuck in no-man's land can be a bittersweet sensation. On one hand, you might be a team narrowly escaping relegation and whereas that can't be considered a successful campaign by any means, after 30 games played that is probably a position true to your level of play. Then again on the other hand, this no-man's land also holds those teams that find themselves left hanging, just short of the postseason and that's when it can really sting especially if you're out by the strand of a hair. Extending your season into playoff action from the bottom half seeds (5-8.) in ECL Elite has been difficult lately. It almost certainly means you'll be going up against either one of the juggernauts HAVU Gaming or FILADELPHIA, who haven't lost too many playoff series as of late. If you're not facing them, you'll be thrown into action with another team equally capable of dismantling just about any squad in the business. However, we've seen the odd exception of slight underdogs creeping through in recent history, such as Lulea Hockey (5) overcoming Roots (4) in the ECL 9 Elite quarterfinals and who could forget the major upset of last season when Farjestad BK (8) destroyed heavy favorite JYP Jyvaskyla (1). These stories among others go to show that despite there being a long road ahead and some obstacles along the way, the challenge is never too tough and in all reality just about anyone could walk away with that title in the end. ***** 5. JYP Jyvaskyla (ECL 10 Elite: 1st - Quarterfinals) JYP Jyvaskyla have experienced massive changes in comparison to their bronze-winning lineup from FCL. Gone are three of the teams six starters; goaltender Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos who transferred to HAVU, left defender Markus @Makeaxl Lahti who is trying his luck with Enigma and Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola who will be plying his trade for GOONS. Replacing the trio are Elite rookies Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen (G) and Valtteri @Vattu__ Virtanen (LW), with Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen (LD) returning to active duty for the first time since ECL 10 after a period of internal conflict with the team. With a peace treaty signed, Doumi once again takes his place to the left of Ilmari @iilmarii Töyrylä – re-uniting what is arguably the most high-risk, high-reward defensive pairing in the Elite division. Even with one of the team’s new players being a familiar one, having a roster turnover of 50% in relatively close proximity to the season starting is hardly ideal. JYP will certainly go all-out to prove themselves in the coming weeks but with multiple significant pieces in the team machinery replaced, its only natural to wonder if JYP could have difficulties achieving a top-4 spot this time around. Player to watch: Valtteri @Vattu__ Virtanen The young star has made a name for himself in the community and his quick ascent to stardom hasn't gone unnoticed. After a good campaign with Tunnel Vision in ECL 10's Pro division, now is the first time @Vattu__ truly finds himself in competition with the big boys. In a team like JYP, the backup is certainly there and with experienced players such as Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and Santeri @indi969 Pendolin by his side, this one could prove to be a career season for him. 6. YMCA Esports (ECL 10 Elite: 5th - Quarterfinals) The former Unlucky Boys HC have had a couple of good runs in their past few tournaments, but haven't been able to get over the hump and as a result has ended up on the outside looking in on several occasions. Their biggest problem has been quite apparent as of late - staying composed until the final whistle in crucial moments. We all remember the heartbreaking events in their game 7 quarterfinal against hREDS in ECL 10, when YMCA held the lead while gaining an offensive zone faceoff with 30 seconds on the clock. The rest is history, but a crash course of it would tell that YMCA's campaign ended in that game. Having lost arguably their most important player in Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru to the Finnish Defence Forces, the team will need to scramble and have added Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen to take the winger role while Tim @Timasy Hess will be playing center. One would think that these moves weaken the squad - at least until they can find their flow. Player to watch: Tim @Timasy Hess Some say he is the best German player in the game. Seeing him join the former Unlucky Boys HC a while back was a shock to the scene and surely to his former teammates too, but the fact is that it's been a successful road for @Timasy so far. It is rumoured that he will be taking on the center role in the captains absence so it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the new position. 7. KOVA Esports (ECL 10 Elite: 10th) KOVA Esports has seen by far more player turnover throughout the past few seasons than any other team in the league. There's no telling what the reason is but it's clear as day that captain Kimi @Zip player Nordberg does not hesitate to pull the trigger if something feels off in the squad. Going into ECL 11 the team is sporting a strong looking lineup with old-timer Hannu @hooneli Markkula making a return after years away from the game. He will be flanked by the captain on the left and comeback kid Valeri @Valluxet Reihel on the right. Defensively the team has added Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, who takes a leap of faith moving away from GHETTO FIREBIRDS (now Conquer Gaming), where he earned his stripes. Player to watch: Hannu @hooneli Markkula @hooneli makes a long awaited return to ECL action after taking his last strides on the competitive ice back in ECL 5 when playing for SJK eSports. In ECL 4, he hoisted the cup together with the same squad, then called Laser HT. It's not like the skill would fade away and big things should be expected from the new center of KOVA Esports - at least the man knows what it takes to win big games. If @hooneli can get going, he will be the decisive factor for KOVA. 8. Farjestad BK (ECL 10 Elite: 8th - Semifinals) Farjestads roster has seen some minor changes since their last outing in the SCL, turning the team into a fully Swedish ensemble which has been something of a trend among the top Swedish teams lately (also done by Vaxjo Lakers HC). The team has condensed their roster into three forwards, three defensemen and two goalies out of which the starting six should be quite clear any given night. Most notably, Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt and Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander will be wearing the green jerseys moving forward, which will only emphasize FBK's quick counter-attack offense that has been so lethal for the past few months. Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg is a staple of their play with his quick winger build and although people talk about stopping him, it rarely seems to work so well in reality after all. Player to watch: Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander The former Vesa Pompa HC defenseman takes a step up the wing and joins the forward corps of Farjestad for some new winds in his career. The skill is certainly there but it isn't always easy transitioning from defense to offense - especially at the level we're talking about. 9. Northern Ascendancy (ECL 10 Elite: 14th) Having played the worst season in team history in ECL 10, Northern ascendancy led by Connor @MartindalexC Martindale is back looking for redemption and having put together an interesting ensemble in doing so. The rejuvenated Northern Ascendancy includes blasts from the past such as the Kinnunen brothers Juho @RutonMosse and Aleksi @ADETIKKI and even more interestingly former Written In The Stars winger Jake @Bugimir Jyväsjärvi. Naturally Ville @Supreex Korhonen is found in net and their success will certainly not depend on him not performing. There's talks about Northern Ascendancy employing a playing style rather reliant on counter attacking utilizing the offensive toolset that both of their wingers have. Both @RutonMosse and @ADETIKKI are some of the most creative players in the game but their defensive mentality can be questioned. Player to watch: Juho @RutonMosse Kinnunen He is one of the great talents in the game and has been for years already. @RutonMosse has all the tools to become a true legend but never seems to take the game seriously enough in order to get to the next level. On the ice, he is an artist and can either provide jaw-dropping plays or stay completely out of the picture for games on end. 10. Gotham Knights (ECL 10 Elite: 15th) This pick might surely (among others) raise some eyebrows since Gotham Knights seem to have put together a great roster to be honest. They've got lots of skill combined with experience, but that experience is quite largely limited to playing outside of the ECL Elite playoffs except for a few odd men who have seen those bright lights. It's also been proven on several occasions that having the most mechanically skilled guys out on the ice doesn't always translate to success. Gotham is one of the most long-lived ensembles in the scene and under the watchful eye of captain Joni @ReDMisTi Kaikkonen, the team has been through thick and thin. The team has been out of the Elite division and back again, only to be forced into yet another fight for their spot in a relegation battle to end ECL 10. Player to watch: Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen @Rimpe is a real juggernaut of the scene and has been seen with several ensembles throughout his years of play. He's seen some moderate success but surprisingly called it quits with Roots while pretty much at the peak of his career this past summer. Granted - a long tiresome road with Almost Famous followed by a disappointing first round exit in his first ECL Elite playoff showing since ECL 5 must wear on you. However, @Rimpe is now making an exciting return to play with his old friends in Gotham, this time as a defenseman, which is a new position for him. It'll be interesting to see whether his skill and IQ will translate well to jumpstarting breakouts and shutting down opposing scorers. ***** It feels like we say it every season and we probably will even in the future, but ECL 11 Elite should be one of the most exciting and wild rides in virtual hockey to date and you won't want to miss any of the action! We're kicking off the season already today with the first broadcast of the season at www.twitch.tv/NHLGamer starting 19:45 CET. Tune in for the action, we'll see you there!

NHLGamers, The ECL Elite holds the very best teams in the business and there's no denying the prestige that all of these 16 teams hold. It's no easy feat making it to the top and it's even harder gaining that ultimate prize - the championship. When someone wins, others lose and that's the way it's always been in sports. In the end there are no win-win situations and in a 16-team division there will always be several teams that face disappointment when it's all said and done. It's just the way it has to be. Despite playing at the highest level and actively being considered one of the 16 best teams in Europe - why not even in the World, losing always stings and it feels the exact same regardless of the level of play. It wears on players and teams, eating away at their chances to succeed. Getting stuck in a losing mindset can be detrimental to a team and if that happens, the tide can be hard to turn. The fight is never over though, there will always be chances to bounce back and continue the fight. In this first part of our ECL 11 Elite season preview, we'll be going over six teams that we are expecting to be found towards the bottom of the table this upcoming season. These teams all have their place among the top 16, but various reasons lead us to believe that they would be having a tough time overcoming their opponents at a rate that would push them to see the more important games of the postseason. One of the combining factors for these teams outside of the fact that they are undoubtedly among the best in the business is that they might be among the group of teams that will be stuck in no-man's land or even worse - in the relegation zone. Being at the receiving end of several losses will effectively push down a team in the standings and finding yourself in the relegation zone is not a fun thing at all. While it is a chance for second breath as long as you avoid being dead last. It is unfortunately often the time when the core of a team is left to their own devices. What happens after a difficult season or how you deal with adversity is ultimately what defines you as a team. Being a part of this list is not a sentence, it is a challenge - game on! ***** 11. Vesa Pompa HC (ECL 10 Elite: 11th) Vesa Pompa HC has seen some great domestic success by being the back-to-back SCL champions and they've completed an impressive rise to the top in the ECL in that time span too. The Swedes made their first ECL Elite appearance last season and had a rather turbulent campaign at that. Vesa Pompa struggled mightily to start the season but after going 4-10-0 through the first half of their run, they recruited scoring legend Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen to the rescue. ECL 11 sees the return of @Vilupoika and together with the skilled Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund and Jere @jergelii Jortama, the trio should pose a serious offensive threat at the top tier of ECL competition. Vesa Pompa HC went 9-5-2 to finish ECL 10 with @Vilupoika in their roster and should be able to continue on that same path. This season the competition is much harder though - will Vesa Pompa be able to improve along with the rest of the pack? Player to watch: Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen Despite taking some time off, @Vilupoika proved that he still possesses the scoring touch that we saw back in his times with Butterfly Effect. Now reunited with good friend @jergelii, simply going through the motions should guarantee a solid amount of success, but if he wants to really battle for those playoff spots with Vesa Pompa, even a prolific scorer like him will have to step it up. 12. Team Leisure (ECL 10 Elite: 6th - Quarterfinals) The former Deadly Phantoms HC have been the proud torchbearers of the German NHL esports community for quite some time already and are already experienced players at the Elite level going into their fourth season with the big boys and seeing playoff action in each of their previous campaigns. They're a tough team to play for anyone as proven by their success so far, but there are clouds on the horizon. As usual, Team Leisure has seen limited action against other Elite teams due to their geographical location and the fact that one team would be at a disadvantage either way, but the server selection feature of NHL 21 will even out the score allowing Team Leisure to play their home games at the Central European server whereas away games will most likely be played at the North European server. It's not a matter of decreased skill in the ranks of Team Leisure - they're as strong as ever, but their opposition will be tougher this time, at least in 50% of the games this season. Player to watch: Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker Having started his career with Team Leisure (then Deadly Phantoms), @PlaymakerSJ has consistently been one of the teams go-to guys when talking about generating offense, but the fact is that he is also a tremendously reliable player in his own end. Leisure is somewhat known for a disciplined style of play that evidently has been working for them. There's no room for slack when doing so and @PlaymakerSJ will be the last man to go easy on the opponent in that department. 13. SJ Gaming (ECL 10 Elite: 13th) Having escaped relegation after a 13th place finish in ECL 10 Elite, SJ Gaming might be finding themselves in a similar pickle to end this season again. The SJ Gaming of ECL 11 has been overhauled drastically, having renewed two forwards and a defenseman in their roster. As it seems currently, their defense will consist of captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström and Henri @Kusimaakari Raittinen, who steps down the flank from his more familiar forward position. Young talent Jiska @Jorma Näppä will be centering their dangerous offense but the question will ultimately be if they can hold up in their own end. We know for sure that these guys can score but alike last season, they have the occasional collapse defensively and letting in 5+ goals in your own net will not be sustainable if you're looking for success among the best in the business. It will be up to SJ Gaming as a unit to prove us wrong and instead of getting stuck in the relegation zone start improving on their performance from last season. Player to watch: Jiska @jorma2001 Näppä The youngster spent a total of four seasons playing at the top of the Pro division but somehow promotion always seemed to escape the teams he played for. After a short stint and some valuable experience in KOVA Esports, @jorma2001 is now ready to take on a leading role in the Elite division and will do so with ease. Playing alongside Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi and Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen, the newest addition should be en route to a successful Elite debut season that will unfortunately be cut short if SJ Gaming makes the playoffs due to @jorma2001 heading into military service. 14. SAWO Esports (ECL 10 Elite: 9th) Formerly known as Checkmate, SAWO had a disgruntling start to their run in their crisp new black and yellow colors as they first dominated their group in the FCL, but faced a quick exit at the hands of rival Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa in the first round. Since then, the team has seen some changes mainly on the back end when letting Vesa @VesKuLiNe Voutilainen go in favor of signing Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta, who has a lot to prove this season going into his first ECL campaign ever in a starting role. SAWO as a whole will also need to rise up to the challenge this season, as they are going into their third run at the Elite level and have barely missed playoffs twice. The unfortunate thing this time is that their roster - at least on paper - looks weakened in comparison to ECL 10 and their recent competitive performances have clouded the sky for SAWO a bit. Player to watch: Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä @Mehukatti10 joined SAWO Esports goalie corps after spending most of his ECL career as a forward in various teams around the Lite and Pro region. As one of the teams newer members, he quickly found his groove in net and could be the one to steal the starting spot from his colleague Juuso @Juizki Nikkinen. Despite being green in net when it comes to ECL, this guy is not a newbie to the sticks at all and has nerves of steel. 15. Dark Horse (ECL 10 Pro Champion) Dark Horse managed to gain direct promotion through winning the ECL 10 Pro championship and rightfully deserves their spot among the very best teams in the scene. They've got a very experienced core of players that has been strengthened by the addition of Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen, who lead the team in scoring in the FCL and will be flanking the teams successful duo Markus @Pasi Modry Vanhala and Mikael @Tapparafan Virtanen. The back end of Dark Horse has seen an overhaul since their last ECL stint and as it looks right now, it is largely up to Ville-Petteri @vviljo Särmä to take the lead in the teams own zone. The first season at the top level is always full of excitement and it is really a season to prove themselves for several of the players, some have kind of been drifting around for a couple of seasons and others are taking their first strides on the Elite ice. In fact, one of the main concerns there is with the Dark Horse squad is their lack of experience at the highest level of competition in the ECL - the team has a combined ECL Elite experience of only 161 games between two players, out of which @vviljo has racked up 137. Player to watch: Kristian @Krisutus Räsänen There's no reason why this kid shouldn't have a proper breakout season in his first Elite showing. @Krisutus has quickly paved his way through the masses of players and become one of the most exciting talents in the game. There are still some flaws, but the potential is undeniable. In his first competitive league (FCL) with Dark Horse, he already led the team in scoring throughout the regular season and provided a much needed second wave to captain @Tapparafan in the playoffs. 16. Conquer Gaming (ECL 10 Elite: 12th) Conquer seems to be one of those teams that never get a chance in these previews, right? They still end up surprising a bunch of teams and proving how little we know about ECL Elite after all. If we were to talk about teams facing adversity in the offseason, Conquer Gaming would be around the top of that list without a doubt. Things were looking up for them, impressing in their ECL Elite Premier and continuing it into the FCL, where they challenged JYP in the quarterfinals and just barely missed advancing. However, disaster struck like lightning from a clear sky when both Valeri @Valluxet Reihel and Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma would be leaving for KOVA Esports in one of the biggest steals of the offseason. The fact is that both @Sakkem and @Valluxet were massive pieces of the machinery in the play of the team. As a great squad does, Conquer did not waiver and have been pushing forward with the assets at hand. Their disciplined style of play should be exactly what they need to enforce in order to see some success this season - they've got a roster of guys who know each other well but are at the moment somewhat limited in terms of skill when compared to the rest of the division. Player to watch: Jere @Jertsicc Sirviö The centerman has evolved as a player alongside his team since joining GHETTO FIREBIRDS back in ECL 7. After a true career season in ECL 9 Pro, he was doubted by many going into his first Elite campaign, but together with the solid unit that the former FIREBIRDS had built, they managed to show all naysayers that they were a force to be reckoned with. We're hoping to see a repeat of that this time, but the signs are not looking up for Conquer or @Jertsicc for that matter. ***** Despite the even somewhat harsh words uttered about the teams above, we cannot stress it enough that we are talking about some of the very best in the business. Naturally we hope that these teams will do better than this and show all the doubters what they can really do in the world of NHL esports, however perhaps you get the picture based on this piece - the struggle is real.

NHLGamers, We're a mere few days away from the start of the ECL 11 Elite season and tonight we're able to announce that the former GHETTO FIREBIRDS will be heading into their second ECL Elite season representing Conquer Gaming. The team that's grinded through the ECL divisions framework started back in ECL 4 Lite and have since come a long way largely with the help of the same guys that are still running the show for them. Their roster still features club founders Keka @KepakkoFIN Muyima, Joni @GreventiousFIN Tanttu, Joonas @Taettonov Siira and Ville @Vilze Systä, which showcases the kind of roster sustainability that is virtually unheard of in the NHL esports scene. "We've been looking to partner with an organization more or less actively since we went our separate ways with YMCA and we finally got in touch with Conquer Gaming. As the deal was inked, I can't be more satisfies with the organization we signed for - Conquer Gaming seems to run things like pros and the people are nice." - Captain Keka @KepakkoFIN Muyima on the new deal Conquer Gaming will be conquering an entirely new niche of gaming when heading into NHL esports. The Finnish organization was founded in 2016 and have since sported teams or representation in several games - however currently competeing exclusively in CSGO and NHL. The organization also has an active streamteam featuring Tomi "Kung" Arola and Kiri "Kirdez" Kylmälä to name a few. "We have been following the Finnish NHL esports scene for a while and we have seen that potential in the Finnish scene is huge. In addition to that we are excited to have another team beside our CSGO roster and to give our contribution to NHL esports." - Jyri "Jyppe" Karvanen, CEO Conquer Gaming ECL 10 was the time that GHETTO FIREBIRDS made their first run at the Elite level and after being given zero chances in previews and such, the resilient team proved doubters wrong by almost pushing for playoffs. However, the team suffered some massive losses to end their latest campaign when both right winger Valeri @Valluxet Reihel and right defenseman Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma announced their departure for KOVA Esports. "Our roster saw some drastic changes as we were forced to rebuild our entire right flank after our FCL run. Especially the departure of Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma stung as he had been a part of our team for such a long time. Eventually we found the right pieces for us as founding member Joonas @Taettonov Siira took on the challenge boosted by acquiring a better internet connection. On defense we managed to snag Niklas @Talonmies69 Tamminen, who shows great potential." "I'd be lying if I said the changes haven't affected our team. However I feel like our game has improved each day and have been able to play at the level that is required from us. I also think that the atmosphere in our group has improved drastically when comparing to the FCL which will help us in achieving our goal for the season - reaching the playoffs."

A brand new esports organization UNI Gaming takes part in the ongoing ECL 11 Pro and doing quite well at it so far, going 3-1-0 through their first games in group 2. UNI Gaming founder and owner Tommi @Dominik Uni Ranta-Eskola has played many seasons in the ECL but now the man between the pipes has become the man behind the desk. Ranta-Eskola has been working full time on the esports scene for a couple years. UNI Gaming is the founder’s dream come to reality. The organization’s CS:GO team has been competing in the ESEA league. Now its’s time for some competitive NHL. "The competitiveness of the NHL scene brought UNI to the ECL. We want to pursue success in many games. The first NHL game in 93-94 was also one the first games I had on a floppy disk", says Ranta-Eskola. The NHL team of UNI Gaming has their roots in the former Cheers Hockey. The captain of Cheers Hockey Harri @Black1Eagle1 Tervonen has taken his captaincy and Pro league spot to UNI. Ranta-Eskola and Tervonen have known each other for a long time and have played along each other in previous teams. The team leader in hands on matters is Markus @Maki-san2 Leskinen who has also taken the jump from playing to managing the team. He was the backup goalie when Cheers Hockey got their ECL Pro spot. Another piece from the Cheers roster is assistant captain Samuli @samblenegger Repola. "We played about two years with the same roster as Cheers Hockey, but now we’ve got a new group put together around me and Samuli. It goes without saying, that we have challenges ahead this season. But I have full confidence in our team and organization. Every challenge that comes our way, we take as an opportunity, not as a threat", says the team captain. The starting lineup of UNI has some familiar faces from past ECL seasons and some possess more experience than others. Many players also have a background in traditional sports, even on a semi-professional level. "I believe that our strength will be in playing a balanced game in unison. We’ll proudly stand for UNI Gaming and we’ll respect any opponent we play against", says Tervonen. Sustainability is a key value to the newly formed organization on the way to success. "Developing a competitive and flexible team is a goal in the long run. Our ultimate objective would be gaining promotion to ECL Elite in our first year, but not maybe in this first ECL. For now, we need to learn and get some experience", states founder Ranta-Eskola.

NHLGamers, Hockey in the southern parts of Finland has long roots and fans are used to seeing success with the big clubs such as HIFK and Jokerit, but the teams in the surrounding areas such as Vantaa and Espoo have been doing tremendous work growing the sport and expanding into new areas which can be proven by Kiekko-Vantaa getting into esports now being followed by Kiekko-Espoo partnering with ECL Pro powerhouse HanaaHC. Game Cave Espoo will be providing the esports team with top-of-the-line facilities and equipment to realize their full potential. Kiekko-Espoo is especially known for promoting growth in Finnish junior hockey and being the club where hockey legends such as Jere Lehtinen and Juha Ylönen among others took their first strides at the professional level. Since then, the history of the club has been somewhat turbulent as they spent several years with the name Espoon Blues, but the teams was eventually defunct in 2016 due to financial issues. 2018 saw the return of Kiekko-Espoo to fill the void at the mens level of hockey in the Espoo area and the teams secured a spot in the Mestis (second tier of hockey) for the 2020-2021 season. "We'll be taking this one step at a time but believe that a sustainable partnership could develop into great things for both parties. Together with the esports team, we'll generate added value to the entire Kiekko-Espoo organization. We believe in the growth of esports and want to be a part of it." - Antti Manninen, COO of Kiekko-Espoo Oy. After good efforts in ECL 10 Pro, but a tough FCL stint, the Kiekko-Espoo esports roster is now set on seeing the success that they believe they are capable of achieving. NHLGamer reached out to captain Jere @Hazard-laser Korte for some insight: ECL 10 Pro was a good run, but you struggled at times too - what are some things you've changed or put time into during the offseason? "Firstly, we were forced to make some changes to the LW position since Mikael @Mikka Alaheikka started his military service, but Toni @Borjendahlen Karjaluoto has been a great addition to our squad. We also acquired Tomi @tominointi Mäkelä from Enigma. Last season was our first run in the Pro division and I believe the experience has made us a better team. We've practiced hard and believe in ourselves." What's the story behind partnering with Kiekko-Espoo in particular? "When looking for organizations to partner with, we wanted to find a partner that shared our ambition and values. Kiekko-Espoo is an organization with heavy focus on development and we're really happy with how they handle their business." What are your goals in your first season representing Kiekko-Espoo? "I can't say enough how glad we are to represent Kiekko-Espoo. It will give us a great boost going forward that we hope we can turn into momentum this season. Our roster has seen some changes and we believe that we have to keep working hard in order to reach our final goal - a promotion spot." Kiekko-Espoo Esports can be seen in action in group 1 of the ECL 11 Pro, that starts already tonight! Follow the team on social media in order to stay up to date with their schedule. Twitter Twitch.tv Instagram

NHLGamers, The completed version of the ECL 11 rulebook is out now and can be accessed here. You can also always access it through the league menu. In ECL 11, we will use the rule book from ECL 10 as a foundation. In addition to this, we have tweaked some rules based on feedback from ECL 10 and subsequent tournaments. As always, it is very important for us to be as clear as possible regarding League Administration procedures, as such if you have any difficulties understanding specific rules then feel free to contact us via the support tool! We ask every team to familiarize themselves with and memorize the different sections. Team captains must be aware of the entire ruleset, as it includes lots important guidance that stays relevant throughout the entire league/tournament. Regular players on the other hand should be aware of member registration requirements, etiquette, fair play and game rules. Here's a snapshot of some of the major adjustments / additions compared to ECL 10: Added rule 2.6, the player card name must match a player’s in-game name Updated rule 3.2, team signup requirements (specifically that a Neo signup must have 8 players on the team) Added rule 11.2, server selection in challenge games Added rule 11.7.1, player customisation (specifically CHEL gear) Added rule 13.1.7, Elite players and the use of their IRL name in-game Updated rule 10.7.1, specifying that teams must stick to the home/away split as dictated by NHLGamer Finally, there will be a further update coming soon to the rulebook (as well as an article to help explain the rationale) concerned with the promotion structure from ECL 11 to ECL 12. Please stay tuned! Play hard, play fair and have fun!

NHLGamers, The year was 2017 and one of the most successful (to that day) Finnish esports organizations announced that they were stepping down for the foreseeable future. RCTIC Esports had been one of the pioneers in Finnish esports since 2008, with over 70 trophies in various games throughout the years, but the time had come to take a step back - at least for a while. In the summer of 2020, RCTIC announced their return by signing rosters for Fortnite and CS:GO together with backup personnel and a couple of streamers. The organization was making a comeback and were here to stay this time. This week, RCTIC also announced the signing of an NHL roster, when GENESIS will be assuming the name and colors of the organization. Jere Alanen, COO of RCTIC Esports talks about the signing as follows: "The interest towards virtual hockey has increased greatly since the summer when we started cooperation around the eFutisliiga. NHL as a game is close to heart for us and we've received lots of inquiries from various clubs in the scene this fall. GENESIS seemed to tick all the boxes and was eventually the only one we got into negotiations with. The guys in GENESIS shared values and ambitions with us, which led us to inking a deal in the end." "It feels great to make the comeback to console esports and more specifically the NHL series with GENESIS. All of us value long-term commitments and developing from the ground up which will allow us to take our own, sustainable path towards the highest level of competitive console gaming", Alanen continues. In various NHLGamer organized tournaments, GENESIS has been making waves for the past year or so, really taking off in the last few months after adding Joona @Hullued Saarinen at the center position, where the former top goaltender has found a suitable spot for himself not only elevating his own game but helping the team do so too in the process. The teams latest placements have been a quarterfinal exit in ECL 10 Lite and a similar outcome at the hands of HAVU in the FCL. Jani @layout Laakkonen is the right defenseman and acting captain of the team, he knows that partnering with RCTIC adds to the pressure, but their objective is still clear: "When it comes to our objectives on the ice, they have remained unchanged. Our aim is to play at the highest level and eventually be one of the best teams. I believe that we are on the right track and can already challenge the best teams in Europe." The captain further iterates that the teams strength lies in unison: "In the FCL our main strength was a tight five man defense and that is something we want to take with us into future tournaments. The biggest improvement areas are in our offensive game and we have strived for faster puck movement and better utilization of all five skaters."

NHLGamers, Ak Bars Kazan is a traditional ice hockey club that has been competing at the highest level of the Russian KHL since the leagues inception in 2008, when a total of 20 teams moved over from the former Russian Superleague. The word Ak Bars means comes from the Tatar language, spoken in the Tatarstan region in the southwest of Russia and means snow leopard, a vicious creature that is showcased on the logo of the club. It is the swift movement and vicious attack that the club also looks to emulate on the ice. It's a joy for us to report that AK Bars is among the first KHL clubs to officially announce their esports involvement by signing the roster of EHC Tatneft Ak Bars, formed out of former Arctic Lightning players. The team consists of a rather inexperienced group of players that have earned their stripes in the Russian competitive gaming scene and are now looking to take their success into the European ice by moving up in the ECL ranks. "We had a long discussion about the forming of an esports team for Ak Bars, and the club was fully on board with our ideas, so there weren't really any difficulties in that regard. Our goal is to be competitive at the European level and at the highest Russian level. We're going to start working our way up from ECL Neo and hopefully will qualify for Lite after our first season under the AK Bars colors." - Captain Ivan @Ivanjunior34 Schetina The roster has come together over a longer period of time, when captain Schetina brought together the most skilled players from his former team Arctic Lightning that saw a second round exit in the most recent Russian RCL Cup. "Ehc Tatneft Ak Bars will be fully operating under the Ak Bars organization, the club will be backing us and helping us on our way to hopeful success even on the European ice. We are really happy to be working with such a professional organization." - Schetina on their cooperation with Ak Bars Interestingly enough, Ak Bars will be one of the first clubs to issue a cooperation between two teams at the ECL and RCL level, when EHC Tatneft Ak Bars will be serving as the KHL clubs first team in the esports scene and their second team will be EHC Tatneft Bars. NHLGamer leagues do not allow back and forth transfers between teams during leagues, but according to the club, the objective of their second team is allowing fans of Ak Bars Kazan to get acquainted with esports hockey in a low-pressure environment.

NHLGamers, EHC Amur is one of the newer clubs to be put on the esports map and they're doing so with a bang in representing the famous KHL club Amur Khabarovsk. Located in the city of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, the team takes their name from the Amur River. The logo of Amur is a Siberian tiger, sometimes also referred to as the Amur tiger. Due to their geographic isolation from competitors in the KHL, it's been hard for Amur to get proper rivalries going, but that's going to change, since they are together with EHC Tatneft Ak Bars now the two new KHL clubs joining esports competition. The two Russian powerhouses will now be able to fight for the throne of best KHL club on the virtual ice, hopefully with lots of other competition following close behind. The esports roster of EHC Amur has in fact already participated in a few leagues under the KHL clubs name, but their entry to the european ice will be when they really look to come into their own. Captain Taras @Taras Nosulko informs NHLGamer that their roster has been heavily overhauled, with the possibility to still recruit some additional strength if required: "We have quite heavily renewed our team. Several guys were unhappy with their role in the team and we wished them well in future endeavors. Me, Stepan @SteBastian Belyakov and Semyon @Sokollito Sokol are the remaining original members of the club. In net this season I think we have one of the most underestimated and talented goalkeepers in Russia - Vadim @Vadim87 Losev. We're still on the lookout for a strong defenseman to help our journey in the Neo division and in the RCL. Of course I would like to sign one of the talented Finnish or Swedish defenders on the market and we'll be trying our best to accomplish that." "We have to understand that representing HC Amur in the ECL is a privilege and we simply cannot afford to perform poorly. We've already established ourselves in the Russian scene over the summer by conceding minimally to a top team like Exen and imposing a fight on Nova. We always prefer training against high level opponents from the Lite and Pro divisions in order to ready up for the ECL season." Nosulko believes that their cooperation with the KHL club allows their team to up their level on social media and increase visibility also on other channels. The objective is translating this into recruiting better players for the team.

NHLGamers, What a wild ride it's been, not only the FCL but the entire NHL 20 competitive season. We had an exceptionally long time with the game due to the delay of the NHL 21 release, but we sure took advantage of the time we had. This past weekend featured the finale of NHL 20 with the grand finals of the FCL. Alike our other leagues, also the FCL showed great growth by almost doubling the amount of participating teams from the first FCL season in 2019. Let's keep going and continue the growth into ECL 11! With the FCL and SCL championships being played for on consecutive weekends, we now also have some players that have secured a championship in both of those tournaments within the span of one week. Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen played defense for both Vesa Pompa HC and FILADELPHIA, whereas Casper @ICappeI Lundgren has made history and set a record that will definitely be tough to break. The man secured a SCL championship on the left wing of Vesa Pompa HC first, after which he stopped pucks for FILADELPHIA, winning the FCL championship in net. Winning a championship by playing both in net and as a skater is something that legendary Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen has previously accomplished back in ECL 4 with Laser HT, but doing so with two different teams on consecutive weekends is something that most likely won't be happening again for a while. Group stage With the large amount of teams participating and the restricted time to complete the tournament, the playoff picture this year was arguably rather unforgiving, with only four teams from each group and the three best fifth placed teams making it to the postseason. We'll be focusing on the advancing teams when taking a closer look at the playoff matchups, but let's take an overviews of some teams that didn't make it in this section. Group 1 saw two excellent teams face disappointment, as both HanaaHC and the recent Lite champions Sack Brothers didn't qualify for the postseason. Despite good performances throughout the season, especially Sack Brothers ended up dropping decisive points against lower seeded teams such as Kiekkonapalmi. HanaaHC ended up being the 5th placing team, which wasn't quite enough to put them through this time. HC Wildcard faced a similar end result to HanaaHC in their respective group. Despite putting up decent numbers and being just a point behind the 4th place Sulkavan Sudet, they fell short and wasn't seen in the postseason. We were pleasantly surprised to see Oulunsalon Pallo push through to the playoffs in group 3, overcoming experienced teams such as Mockba and the greatly improved HUIPPUPASSI. Group 4 showcased a tough three way battle for 4th place between Angry Cats, Cheers Hockey and We Kings. Those three teams eventually finished in that order based on tiebreakers, after which Cheers Hockey made the postseason as the 3rd best 5th placing team. In group 5, SJ Gaming was seen as a team that should advance, but they didn't do so without hickups, dropping important points against Hokurit right out of the gates and putting forth slightly shaky performances throughout the group stage. SJ managed to find their stride a bit later on and got into the playoffs as the best 5th placing team. The 5th place battle was up to Gotham Knights and Armada Hockey in group 6, where the Knights finally managed to gather enough points to make the postseason, but didn't do so without trouble as they lost some matchups that they wish they had back along the way. The 7th and final group featured the three way Mestis rivalry between SAWO, Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa and TuTo Esports out of which the two first pushed through to the playoffs. The experienced Murohoki came very close, but didn't find enough points to go through from their 5th place. Playoffs A bit under half of the participating teams qualified for the playoffs, making it a run to the finish line for only the very best clubs in the scene. Right out of the gates we saw some interesting matchups as some high level teams struggled in the group stage, putting them at lower seeds than perhaps expected. The most exciting first round matchups were definitely the unexpected clashes between FILADELPHIA and Gotham Knights, YMCA Esports and SJ Gaming and finally the Mestis rivalry vol. 2 between SAWO Esports and Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa, out of which all offered some juicy storylines. Actually, from the second round on it wasn't until the finals that a lower seeded team came away with the victory in a series. During round two, the lower seeded teams managed to extract only two wins, which are credited to the names of Nordic Stars and Kaupallinen Yhteistyo. Moving on, the quarterfinals were played in a similar manner except for JYP Jyvaskyla vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS, where the Birds came close to an upset, faltering only 3-2 to the strong JYP squad. The semifinals offered action in the form of a HAVU Gaming - JYP Jyvaskyla thriller and a high skill free-for-all between FILADELPHIA and hREDS. Now HAVU and JYP were extremely tightly matched and ended up going to an exciting fifth game where HAVU had to make a roster substitution when Eemil @Eemil Koski took the ice at an unfamiliar LW position in the place of HAVU's mainstay winger Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen. The youngster put forth a convincing effort in a tough spot, ultimately securing the second consecutive FCL final spot for HAVU Gaming. Going into their series against FILADELPHIA, hREDS were looking sharp and had their offense firing on all cylinders, but ended up falling short against a FILA that looked stronger than eve Finals The finals were hyped up a lot this year and that was definitely for a reason. We've been calling it the El Clásico of NHL gaming and these two teams are yet to disappoint. It's always a joy to watch with the sheer overflow of skill that's present when HAVU Gaming and FILADELPHIA meet on the virtual ice. In this years iteration of the FCL playoffs, this classic featured a full five game series with lots of back and forth action. The scoring was kept low as expected, but we didn't have to extend for overtime in any of the games this year. Game five in the extremely tough series ended up being a thriller, having FILADELPHIA in a 3-1 lead until the dying seconds, when HAVU managed to push back, but being left just short putting the final score at 3-2 for FILA, as also the final score of the series. We crowned a new champion! If you happened to miss the broadcast, check it out here:

NHLGamers, What a journey it has once again been! A competitive tourney is a taxing experience for all parties involved - players, teams and staff. The end, however is always equally rewarding as we see the eventual champions hoist the cup. Unfortunately this time, the hoisting had to be done virtually, but that didn't take away from the excitement and integrity of the victory that Vesa Pompa HC claimed for the second year running. For the second year of Swedish competition, we're happy to have almost doubled the participating teams, which shows great initiative from our Swedish community and the increase in interest toward what we see as the pinnacle of virtual hockey - competitive 6v6 leagues. We're hoping to see all of these teams and even more in the upcoming ECL! Svenska Spel and Svenska Ishockeyförbundet has decided to award caster Adam @esdor Ericson as the fair player of the tournament. Adam has showed an exemplary attitude throughout the duration of the season and has met the audience and his peers with respect, warmth and humor each day. He also competed in the 1v1 tourney, narrowly being eliminated form the top 8 due to tiebreakers. Adam is a role model in the community and has done great work to grow the sport. The 2020 fair player award consists of a 5000 SEK cheque and an official Tre Kronor jersey. Congrats Adam! Group stage The SCL group stage featured four groups with 9-10 teams each this season. As usual, the teams faced each other in double-headers, being awarded a maximum of two points for each win. Out of each group, three teams would advance directly to the playoffs, whereas the teams placed 4-5 in each group would meet in a play-in round to determine the fourth and final playoff spot. The defending champion and therefore invitee Vesa Pompa HC decided to reject a direct invitation to the playoffs in favor of participating in the groupstage and building chemistry throughout the tournament. The defending champions passed with flying colors, being the only undefeated team and dominating their group 1 like only a champion could. Overall, group 1 featured a multitude of talented teams but it seemed like experience really prevailed, as Sjukstugan managed to snag second place and SSK Esports came in third leaving Almtuna IS eSport and HockeyProfessorn HC to battle in the play-in round. Group 2 featured two clear favorites with more established rosters in comparison to the competition. Northern Ascendancy and Djurgarden Hockey fought for the first place, with NOR eventually claiming the spot. Bask Nation came in third with their exciting ensemble of players from various backgrounds and levels of experience - only three losses and a victory stolen against NOR shows that they are a team to be taken seriously. Viper HC and Rogle BK were left to fight in the play-in round. We saw an eSHL-dominant group 3, also including a total of six teams representing traditional Swedish clubs. Clear favorites were Farjestad BK and Leksands IF, who also finished in that order, but HV71 eSHL is never a team to be counted out and managed to challenge the top adequately. Places 4-6 were a tight three way battle between Orebro eHockey, Unwanted and Hammarby Hockey, out of which the last eventually was the odd team out. Group 4 was Vaxjo's for the taking, and the clear favorites ran away with the victory leaving Company of Geeks and Studspoikarna SWC to battle for second place with an eventual one point differential. IK Oskarshamn showed a great improvement since their last competitive run, coming in 4th ahead of the experienced Nordic Nosebleed. Play-in round The play-in round was something new in NHLGamer leagues and added to some more excitement to the final battles for the last places in the postseason. By playing each other already in the group stage, these teams were able to build some minor rivalries, going up against one another in a high-stakes best of five to start the playoffs. These were the play-in series and their respective results: (4) Almtuna IS eSports vs HockeyProfessorn HC (5) 1-3 (4) Viper HC vs Rogle BK (5) 0-3 (4) Orebro eHockey vs Unwanted (5) 3-1 (4) IK Oskarshamn vs Nordic Nosebleed (5) 0-3 Playoffs Once the playoffs commenced, we were left with the 16 top teams in Sweden who all believed in their chances at a title shot - at least to some extent. Obviously, there were favorites who should have advanced throughout the rounds unwaivered and that is to a large degree what we saw. The first round offered little in terms of surprises, but number one seed Vesa Pompa HC suffered their first loss in the tournament at the hands of Nordic Nosebleed, after which the champs ran away with the series. Some lower seeds that managed to push through were HV71 eSHL who went up as a 12th seed against Djurgarden Hockey at seed 5 and SSK Esports, who as seed 11 won seed 6 - Company of Geeks. The quarterfinals didn't feature too much in terms of surprises either with one major exception. Despite being close in terms of seeding, Farjestad BK was coming into the SCL with an upwards trajectory after a successful run in the ECL and some time to practice even more in between tournaments, whereas Leksands IF was expected to have fallen out of their prime a bit after peaking early spring. Perhaps the oldest team in the tournament - Leksands showed us that not all can be predicted, when they beat the favorite surprisingly easily with a score of 4-2. By upsetting FBK in the quarters, Leksands punched their ticket to go up against Vesa Pompa in the semifinals - a task that proved to be all too much. Four straight losses put LIF's run to a rather anticlimactic end and sent Vesa Pompa to the finals. The other semifinal matchup showed us more action that we could've wished for as Vaxjo Lakers HC and Northern Ascendancy took it all the way to a game seven that ended in a gruelling way for VLH, who after an immense pressure in the last five minutes came just short this time. Finals Vesa Pompa HC and Northern Ascendancy were the ones going at it in the finals this year. The biggest share of 100 000 SEK on the line and the right to call yourself a Swedish Champion for the next year was at stake and these two did not disappoint. Throughout the day of the finals, Vesa Pompa and NOR traded blows, going back and forth in both flow of game and series leads, until we eventually reached the inevitable - a game seven decision. Game seven brought the drama and everything we could ever wish for in a hockey game, if you're doubtful just check in at the six hour mark of the broadcast below! The last minute of game seven featured two goals, but eventually the game winner came from the stick of Casper @ICappeI Lundgren at 59:06. Vesa Pompa was able to hold off the strong attack of NOR and secured their back-to-back title run! If you missed the finals, you can check in on the broadcast here:

NHLGamers, On Saturday, we showcased the El Clásico of NHL gaming between HAVU Gaming and FILADELPHIA. It's a final series we've been treated to on several occasions before, and got to see once again. The defending champions HAVU Gaming took the ice in great form after having been tested hard by JYP in the semifinals. FILA on the other hand joined the finals on a run that took off after a difficult start. Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari is known for stopping pucks but took the community by storm hopping into the booth with Julius Sorjonen and passing that test with flying colors. The final series between the two juggernauts was definitely up to par with what we expected as we saw some back and forth action and eventually an exciting new champion that regains the throne as a winner between the two. Congratulations to FILADELPHIA! Here's FILADELPHIA's road to the championship: Group stage record: 20-0-0 Round 1: vs Gotham Knights 3-2 Round 2: vs Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs Tunnel Vision 3-1 Semifinals: vs hREDS 3-1 Finals: vs HAVU Gaming 3-2 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #71 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren DEFENSEMEN #27 Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta #40 Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen FORWARDS #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie #86 Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants. See you in NHL 21! If you missed the broadcast, you can rewatch it here:

NHLGamers, The past weekend featured a worthy finale for NHL20 with the FCL finals with some of the worlds best talent for show in both 1v1 finals on Friday and 6v6 finals on Saturdays. Although we're tremendously happy to have some of the most dominant players and teams on our platform, we're excited to announce that we have crowned new champions on both the 1v1 and 6v6 sides! Friday featured a top 8 grand final, starting at the quarterfinal stage. We were certain that we would crown a new champ as the defending champion Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola was narrowly eliminated in the top 16 stage. Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan, Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen, Erik @Eki Tammenpää, Arttu @Artuzio Mustila, Joona @Hullued Saarinen, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen, Sami @buranaburana Piiparinen and Roope @Pikkuroger Bergström all lined up and squared off in their respective best of three quarterfinals. We cut down to four gamers remaining, after which @Artuzio and @NikkeDangles were in the finals and @Eki would meet @MrNipsuli in the bronze game. Eventually, @Artuzio would be out new FCL 1v1 champion! Congratulations on behalf of the entire community. Group stage record: Invited straight to the finals stage Finals group stage record: 5-1-0 Quarterfinals: Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen 3-1 Semifinals: Roope @Pikkuroger Bergström 2-1 Finals: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen 2-0 Here is the top 3 of the FCL 1v1: 1. Arttu @Artuzio Mustila 2. Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen 3. Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan If you missed the broadcast, you can rewatch it here: Once again, congratulations!

NHLGamers, El Clásico, in the football world has been known for an eternity as the heated bout between the two Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two juggernauts have battled through a total of 277 official games since the 1902 Copa de la Coronacion and stand incredibly even in wins and competitive games are tied at 96 wins each. Currently, there's arguably no better rivalry in football - some might say in sports altogether. Some of you might already know where we're getting with this, and it's something that's been talked about before. The two greats of virtual hockey will be going at it once again as they have paved their way through the multitude of challengers in this years FCL. HAVU Gaming and FILADELPHIA perhaps do not possess the history and social status that their football counterparts do, but comparing the two matchups inside their respective sports isn't completely out of place and has been done before even here at NHLGamer. Above is an excerpt from the ECL 10 Preview by dear friend and occasional colleague Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt, who put it into beautiful words how dominant HAVU and FILA (then Linköping HC) have been in the past couple of years of NHL gaming. It is an undeniable fact that both HAVU and FILADELPHIA have dominated the playing field in virtual hockey over the course of the past few years, a reign that you could argue started with the ECL 6 Elite championship for Carlsberg HC and has extended through a multitude of competitive tournaments since. In fact, since the beginning of 2018, these two clubs have clashed 35 times in competitive games, out of which FILADELPHIA in various compositions have won 18 and HAVU during their history have taken home 17. These two teams have gone head-to-head in a total of five times in final series, at the end of which HAVU has hoisted the trophy three times. During these two years, both of these teams have won five trophies in various tournaments. The last time we saw competitive games between these two teams was in the ECL 10 Elite finals in June, when FILADELPHIA was heading for a surefire victory that HAVU stole from them in a dramatic game seven. We are without a doubt talking about the most successful teams in virtual hockey history to this point. (2) FILADELPHIA vs HAVU Gaming (1) TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (16+17=33) vs Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (11+21=32) GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (87.5 SV%, 1 GAA, 6 SO) vs Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (82.30 SV%, 1.43 GAA, 2 SO) Despite quite some time passing since the last time we saw HAVU and FILA take the ice simultaneously, not much has changed for these teams. We are expecting the exact same rosters to go to war and what better way to do so than in a final series once again. Just last weekend, a number of these players played in the SCL finals which could possibly have some effect on the readiness of going into such a high stakes game. Three out of four players that participated are on the FILADELPHIA side, however. That coupled with the fact that HAVU hasn't played an FCL group stage and has at least some time less in game over the last few weeks could also be an impactful factor heading into the weekend. We all know that the base level of these players is at an extremely high, and in these high stakes series, the winner is usually the one who can raise their ceiling even higher. Seeing the SCL finals last weekend, a player that really impressed was Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen, who really came into his own and was on a completely different level with puck calmness and possession play. On HAVU's side, the one player that has seen the most action lately is captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha and as usual there is no doubt whatsoever that this guy wouldn't bring it come the decisive games. HAVU will however need their supporting cast to step up even more if they wish to retain their FCL title. Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen is still one of the greatest wingers in the game, Risto @Dominointi Järvi is still one of the greatest centers in the game, but will they be able to elevate to championship level once again? The weekend will show who wants it more. Here's the community vote result for the series: In the bronze series (BO3) we will see two teams that are constantly improving and closing in on the two finalists - but had to settle for fighting for the bronze this Saturday. (5) JYP Jyvaskyla vs hREDS (4) TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Santeri @indi969 Pendolin (23+14=37) vs Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (18+26=44) GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (81.63 SV%, 1.80 GAA, 3 SO) vs Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (81.93 SV%, 1.50 GAA, 1 SO) Tune in for the finals on Saturday! The upcoming weekend will be an absolute NHL gaming carnival, with the FCL 1v1 finals coming up on Friday, we'll continue with the El Clásico of virtual hockey on Saturday! Make sure to tell your friends and tune in at twitch.tv/NHLGamer for some quality virtual hockey!

NHLGamers, This weekend it's time for the grande finale of the NHL 20 year. With the release of the new game closing in, we're capping off the season with the FCL finals! Eight of the best Finnish 1v1 players will fight for the title and the cash during Friday and two of the best teams will do the same on Saturday. It is now also clear that we will have a shift in power on the 1v1 side, as reigning champion Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola was eliminated based on tiebreakers in the finals group stage. Out of the two invitees, Arttu @Artuzio Mustila still continues in the quarterfinals. Still at this point of the tournament, both Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan and Erik @Eki Tammenpää continue undefeated, looking to be on unstoppable runs so far. Who's the immovable object - who's the unstoppable force? Friday evening will be featuring a number of quarterfinal games, both semifinal series, a bronze game and a best-of-three final series. There's a lot on the line and at the end of the night - we'll crown a new Finnish champion. Here are the quarterfinal matchups: (1) Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan vs Joona @Hullued Saarinen (13) (2) Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen vs Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (12) (3) Erik @Eki Tammenpää vs Sami @buranaburana Piiparinen (10) (6) Arttu @Artuzio Mustila vs Roope @Pikkuroger Bergström (9) Tune in for the finals on Friday! The broadcast on Friday will commence at 18:20 EEST and will feature your very own Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen and Julius Sorjonen in the booth! You can find the broadcast on twitch.tv/NHLGamer. Here's the preliminary schedule for the night: 18:20 Broadcast start 18:30 Quarterfinals (BO3) 19:30 Semifinal 1 (BO3) 20:30 Semifinal 2 (BO3) ——— SHORT BREAK ——— 21:45 Bronze Game (BO1) 22:30 Finals (BO3)

NHLGamers, With the events of the long SCL season and a whole seven game final series in the rearview, we are happy to announce that Vesa Pompa HC is your SCL champion! After seeing superstar winger Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund going back-to-back last night, also the club was determined to pull off a similar feat. Vesa Pompa HC's road to the championship: Group stage: 16-0-0 Round 1: vs Nordic Nosebleed 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs HV71 eSHL 4-1 Semifinals: vs Leksands IF 4-0 Finals: vs Northern Ascendancy 4-3 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #27 Philip @Pippo Johansson #93 Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg DEFENSEMEN #26 Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen #40 Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen #50 Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann FORWARDS #19 Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund #71 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren #91 Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha 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, We've arrived! A long season has now reached terminus, as we're still left with four great teams out of which two will be battling for the title and a hefty slice of cash in the grande finale whereas the others will be going for what they can salvage in a bronze game. Ultimately, we've got the four most skilled teams in Sweden showing up tonight and we hope you do too! (1) Vesa Pompa HC vs Northern Ascendancy (3) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (28+23=51) vs Erik @Eki Tammenpää (29+27=56) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg (82,22 SV%, 1.14 GAA, 3 SO) vs Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström (80.8 SV%, 1.5 GAA, 2 SO) These are the two best teams in Sweden right now and all that remains is to determine an order in a gruesome best-of-seven final series. Both of these teams have gone through somewhat similar paths on their way to the final, although Vesa Pompa has came through with arguably an easier effort so far, which naturally is justified for a #1 seed. To go through some background, last year Vesa Pompa HC secured the title as the first ever 6v6 Swedish champion and are eagerly defending that throne whereas Northern Ascendancy faced defeat in the semifinals and finally also in the bronze game leading to utter disappointment. So, we've got two tremendously skilled teams heading into battle with similar, but also very different starting points. Simply looking a few rows up at the top scorers of these teams is telling me this is going to be a legendary series. On Vesa Pompa we've got do-it-all superstar Casper @ICappeI Lundgren, whose capability of playing bigger games on the wing I somewhat doubted in the semifinal writeup, but the man proved all doubters wrong continuing his run and scoring cold-blooded snipes such as the one below in the process. While @ICappeI looks to keep sniping, we're sure that his long-time teammate now playing on the other side, Erik @Eki Tammenpää looks to do just the same for his Northern Ascendancy. @Eki has been enjoying the legendary dishes of comeback kid Andre @Foppatofflan Liljegren who is once again proving his worth and elevating the game of his dear club, together with a partially renewed roster including lots of old acquaintances. Despite the immense star power that both of these clubs have an abundance of, we cannot forget the supporting cast that has played an important role in the success of both of these clubs this season. Besides the scorers and superstars, also players doing the work that's not as quantifiable in statistics will play an important role in the finals. Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann is the long time leader and captain of Vesa Pompa and has played through a multitude of situations, possessing experience from a variety of situations on both the 6v6 and 1v1 sides of the game. The captain has a balancing role to counter his superstar d-partner Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen and is doing that work extremely well. On the Northern Ascendancy side we've also got an interesting character on defense - Mattias @iSvamp Björck has been in the community for what seems to be an eternity and has compiled an impressive amount of titles in that timespan, granted that the last time the man hoisted a trophy is quite a while ago. The defensively exceptional right defenseman of NOR looks to get back in his winning ways and doing so with an incredibly strong squad that has all the possibilities of taking a title. Here's the community vote of the final series: (2) Vaxjo Lakers HC vs Leksands IF (7) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander (17+21=38) vs Johan @Isindar Jonsson (15+16=31) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Filip @Fcoy_faze Azri (85.29 SV%, 1.56 GAA, 4 SO) vs Kimmo @DUNZA Sunnari (75.31 SV%, 2.5 GAA, 1 SO) Before we get going with the final games of the season, we're in store for some additional top tier hockey shown in the bronze game, which is played as a best-of-three series between Vaxjo Lakers HC and Leksands IF. Despite facing disappointment in the semifinals, both of these squads will be coming to play when the puck drops and are looking to secure that 3rd spot and some hardware in their closets. Vaxjo is coming into the bronze game in good form after losing to Northern Ascendancy in a game seven in which they arguably outplayed their opposition at times, but the result has to be respected nevertheless. If their most recent performances are any indication, I'm predicting a tough time for Leksands IF who had a tough time getting their game going against Vesa Pompa in their semifinal matchup. Tune in for the finals tonight! We'll be broadcasting all the action during the day, with your favorites Adam @esdor Ericson and Johan @Zalaz Nilsson in the booth as usual. The stream will be going live at 17:30 CEST and we'll kick off with the BO3 bronze game series. Make sure to tell your friends and tune in at twitch.tv/NHLGamer for some quality virtual hockey! Here's a preliminary schedule for the night: 17:30 Broadcast start 17:40 Puck drop for VLH-LIF 19:10 Bronze winner interview and recap 19:15 Finals intro 19:30 Game 1-3 of finals ------BREAK------ 21:15 Game 4-5 of finals ----- SHORT BREAK ---- 22:30 Game 6-7 of finals See you in the chat, gamers!

NHLGamers, We're now at the stage of the SCL 1v1 where only the best remain. Last year, we saw 16 of the best Swedish players show up at the LAN finals in Uppsala, but this time we're taking things online due to the pandemic and restrictions coming with it. The goal of this article is to give an idea of how the tournament has went and who the remaining players are. We're also taking a shot at overviewing who has the best shot at advancing to the finals. Anyways, here's a quick rundown of the tournament structure: Group stage - around 90 participants 9 groups with 10 players One game against each opponent Six players from each group advance together with the six best 7th placed players (60 players in total) 2nd round - BO5 playoffs (60 players left) players were seeded into the playoffs based on the following tiebreakers: group stage placement, head-to-head result, goal differential, goals for and wins in regulation. Third round - BO5 playoffs (30 players left) Fourth round - Finals group stage (16 players left) <--- WE ARE HERE! Invitee Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund joins the tournament at seed #1 Players are placed into four groups with four players each Two games against each opponent Two players from each group advance into the top 8 Finals - 2nd of October @ twitch.tv/NHLGamer (8 players left) Who's still in? Lots of familiar names are in competition at this stage, but we've also got some fresh faces like @lidman1 and @Henka0009, who somewhat surprisingly are pushing through to the top 16 after upsetting @Frompa- and @Foppatofflan respectively in the 2nd playoff round. The reigning and defending champion Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund joins the competition at this stage and immediately jumps into action in a tough group 1 together with none other than dear teammate Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann. Above: SCL 1v1 Champion 2019: Henrik "eken45jr" Eklund We talked with the defending champion @Eken45jr to get an understanding of his mindset going into this tournament at this stage: How do you feel about joining at this stage when the others are already warmed up, do you think it adds to the difficulty? - It feels great to get going with competitive games once again, especially when joining the top 16. Watching the others play really got my itch to compete going. I don't think they have an advantage, I'm usually good to jump right into the thick of things. What's your usual routine for keeping up the form? - The recipe is simple, really. I just try to play some games every day against the best opposition I can get. Which players would you suggest keeping an eye on in the tournament? Is there any player that you wouldn't want to face moving forward? - I feel that especially Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen, who showed off his talent at the IIHF tourney earlier this year is an interesting name in the tournament, he is really good. Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander has also looked great this year but has struggled in tournaments so it'll be nice to see if he can make it this time. Naturally we also have the usual suspects Robin @Rubituss Söderqvist and @Lehmannens who aren't to be counted out. I don't think theres any players I wouldn't want to face, if I can reach my highest level, I'll beat anyone! Once again, due to my very limited knowledge of the versus-scene, I turned to a fellow gamer and community favorite caster Adam @esdor Ericson for some insight into who to keep an eye on: Note that the predictions were made in the afternoon of September 29th before any games were played. Group 1: Advancing: @Eken45jr The players fighting for 2nd place are @Lehmannens and @Tmybror, unfortunately for @lidman1 the group is too tough for him. Group 2: Advancing: @Rubituss Obviously, this is Esdors own group and he would like to advance himself, but if the other guys were to be evaluated, @Henka0009 is slightly ahead of @amadee21. Group 3: Advancing: @SebbeLarsen86 Behind the clear winner, the group is wide open. @Thunborg5 has some skill but is prone to letting his emotions get the best of him. @JoeeelOD flies a bit under the radar and can surprise. @xwirran isn't one to be counted out, he completed a reverse sweep against @Kingen_86 before the top 16. Group 4: Advancing: @antoniomannen004 All the press is on Ante to take the 1st place but he has struggled in tournaments this year. @Hockeyjohannes or @oggezed is the pick for the 2nd spot. Who is your favorite to win it all this year? The finals are on already tomorrow, so don't forget to tune in for that event!

NHLGamers, The versus sides of our leagues are equally important compared to the 6v6 games that our community is more known for, but unfortunately are rarely covered in news stories and articles as much, due to the enormous amount of players and the quicker pace of the tournaments. Therefore, it's now suitable to take a moment to overview where we're currently at in the FCL 1v1 tourney. This years FCL 1v1 started off with around 200 participants, and it's a joy to see so many eager to challenge for the biggest prize in Finnish 1v1 NHL. Naturally, such a big number of players calls for some infrastructure in order to weed out the eventual top contenders. Here's an overview of how that was done this year: Group stage - around 200 participants 15 groups with 13-14 players One game against each opponent Eight players from each group advance (120 players in total) 2nd round - BO5 playoffs (120 players left) players were seeded into the playoffs based on the following tiebreakers: group stage placement, head-to-head result, goal differential, goals for and wins in regulation. Third round - BO5 playoffs (60 players left) Fourth round - Finals group stage (32 players left) <--- WE ARE HERE! Invitees Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila join the tournament Players are placed into eight groups with four players each Two games against each opponent Two players from each group advance into the top 16 Fifth round - BO5 playoffs (16 players left) players are seeded into the playoffs based on the following tiebreakers: group stage placement, head-to-head result, goal differential, goals for and wins in regulation. FINALS - Friday, 9th of October @ twitch.tv/NHLGamer - BO3 playoffs (8 players left) The tournament structure was changed from a top 4 final event to top 8 - the finals will be online and streamed through NHLGamers Twitch-channel. Who's still in? I'm not going to make intricate predictions of the tournament simply due to the fact that I have no clue about how the 6v6 skill of some of these guys translates to the versus-side and I personally haven't touched that game mode since NHL 19 or 18. Despite that, We're going to be able to highlight the performances of some probable contenders based on their runs so far in the tournament. Obviously we need to note that the defending champion @kriketski17 and the European GWC champion @Artuzio are now joining the competition to fill out the remaining player pool to the full 32 players. I'm unaware of how much these guys have played, but at least Artuzio has recently also qualified for the top 16 in the eLiiga Näytön Paikka-tounament, beating some solid opposition such as Vainö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen and Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli along the way. I caught up with invitee @Artuzio for some quick questions about entering the tournament at this stage: Is entering the tournament midway more difficult in some way and how did you stay in form when the others played their FCL group stage games? - I don't think it's harder at all, maybe even the opposite. I kept up my form by playing wagers against other top players after my GWC run. I think that's a good way to practice since you have something to play for that will spur you to give your best. You started off good with two wins, is there someone you wouldn't want to face moving on and who is your biggest challenger? - There's no one I'm really worried about facing, but the biggest challenger in this tournament is definitely @Eki. This far into the tournament, we've also got two players who remain undefeated throughout the group stage and the playoffs. To no surprise one of these guys is Erik @Eki Tammenpää and the other one is equally skilled Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan. Players who have pushed through to the top 32 against some heavy odds are Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen after finishing 6th in the group stage and going into the playoffs with seed 81. Also Niko @Naikou88 Heikkilä can be seen as making a surprise run so far, placing 5th in the group stage and entering the playoffs at seed 70. Due to my limited knowledge, I decided to consult someone who's actually played these guys in order to get an understanding of who could be the guys to look out for and who are some black horses. Here are the predictions for the finals group stage by Jiska @jorma2001 Näppä: Note that predictions were made in the afternoon of the 29th of September, before a majority of games were played/reported. Group 1 Advancing: @kriketski17, @Oxdogolli (Dementoitunu) @Pikkuroger stands a good chance at surprising. Group 2: Advancing: @Artuzio @buranaburana, @Emppa988 and @Xteemuz are fighting for the second spot with equal chances. Group 3: Advancing: @Kemppane_ @OsquuG and @JesseL2002 are both solid players who can take the second spot, whereas @Wpaanane has the skill but needs to be consistent. Group 4: Advancing: @MrNipsuli, @Spearzz_ @Hullued has been in great form as of late and has a shot at advancing. Group 5: Advancing: @Eki No clear favorites to take the 2nd spot. Group 6: Advancing: @xDoumi, @Krisutus @Limu95 and @Borjendahlen are good players that are skilled enough to advance, but the favorites are clear nevertheless. Group 7: Advancing: @NikkeDangles and @Beniittto are favorites. @luosttin is more of a wild card than @viba2008, but the youngster stands the chance of a total upset. Group 8: Advancing: @Vattu__ has been in great form as of late and should advance. The remaining three players share equal chances of taking the 2nd spot. Above: Last year's TOP3: #2 Erik "Eki" Tammenpää, #1: Kristian "kriketsi17" Veijola & Tuukka "@FlyerKungen" Kuha | Photo credit: SEUL ry / Arttu Kokkonen What are your thoughts on the remaining players? Do you think @kriketski17 will be able to defend his title or will we see a shift in power?

NHLGamers, We're movin' on! Only the absolute elite remain as we're closing in on the final games of the FCL season and the teams can smell victory around the corner. Some of the teams we see at this stage of the competition are old acquaintances that are expected to play at this level, but it's also a joy to see a few younger teams push through the initial playoff rounds. (1) HAVU Gaming vs GENESIS (10) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Risto @Dominointi Järvi (7+11=18) vs Joona @Hullued Saarinen (8+12=20) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (81.40 SV%, 1.33 GAA, 0 SO) vs Teemu @Vaporik Jokinen (83.46 SV%, 2.33 GAA, 1 SO) Throughout their reign, HAVU Gaming has been the absolute toughest team to beat in the scene and they look to continue on that path remaining undefeated throughout their first two playoff rounds. Despite going directly into the playoffs, there is no rust to be found on these guys and their play has been clicking nicely. If something, I'd expect their possession play to elevate moving forward and goalie @Hansulinho to improve on his already steady level of play. The most surprising and refreshing team of the FCL season would be GENESIS for me. They've paved their way into the quarters and are setting up a success story like no other. On the Swedish side we've seen goalie legend @ICappeI potting goals for Vesa Pompa, but in Finnish competition Genesis' @Hullued is doing just the same, is there something these guys can't do on the virtual ice? The challenge is tough for GENESIS, and I'm agreeing with the community on this one - HAVU will advance, most likely staying undefeated. (2) FILADELPHIA vs Tunnel Vision (9) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (6+15=21) vs Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen (5+10=15) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (90.57 SV%, 0.63 GAA, 4 SO) vs Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen (75.86 SV%, 2.00 GAA, 0 SO) This matchup showcases yet another juggernaut versus a clear underdog and a somewhat surprising team to see at this stage of the tournament. We all know what FILA is capable of and the routine that these guys have cannot be stressed enough, but the fact is that most of them have spent time with other teams in other tournaments alongside the FCL and it surely has to impact their play in some way, no? Despite the speculation, FILADELPHIA has some of the most dominant players of the tournament both up front and in net and are expected to rely on their sheer skill in order to overcome Tunnel Vision in this series. The younger, inexperienced but perhaps hungrier team will definitely need to find that next level in this series, if they look to advance past the 2nd seed FILA. Their goaltender @ITemeI has proven his talent in net but will need to step up big time and make those one or two decisive saves more, whereas the unit needs to gel better and improve as a whole. The community consensus is that FILA should advance quite clearly and I agree despite wishing for an upset. The fact is that Tunnel Vision isn't at FILA's level as a team - yet. (4) hREDS vs KOVA Esports (7) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (13+19=32) vs Kimi @Zip player Nordberg (7+16=23) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (83.33 SV%, 1.00 GAA, 1 SO) vs Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck (77.36 SV%, 2.67 GAA, 1 SO) The incredibly skilled hREDS remains undefeated through their first two rounds of playoff hockey while they have outscored their opponents 39-10 in that same span of games. Granted, the REDS ran over CRY IS FREE in one of their games, scoring 15 goals but nevertheless their total is impressive. I might have mentioned their forward trio before and I'll do it again, since they possess the skill to do just about anything on the ice when they get into the flow. hREDS also have decent depth in their roster and it remains to see which combination they choose mainly on defense. When talking roster depth, we naturally can't forget about KOVA Esports either. The team has plowed through the first two rounds in a somewhat inconsistent way, dropping a few games but impressively rotating players at even unfamiliar positions. Through the grapevine it's been heard that some internet issues have affected roster decisions but KOVA hasn't let that stop them to this point. The community agrees that hREDS will run over KOVA in this series, but I object - KOVA will pose a challenge to the best of their abilities (note that the author represents KOVA). (5) JYP Jyvaskyla vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS (6) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola (10+10=20) vs Valeri @Valluxet Reihel (11+8=18) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (91.67 SV%, 0.66 GAA, 2 SO) vs Jere @Jeresti Kulju (76.00 SV%, 2.00 GAA, 1 SO) I know one thing to be certain about the series between JYP Jyvaskyla and GHETTO FIREBIRDS - one of the teams in this series will be facing their first playoff loss to end the first game. Personally, I feel like JYP has put forth one of the most balanced playoff performances so far - their goaltending is league leading, they seem to be able to score at will while keeping their opposition away from high danger chances. Granted, they haven't faced a team anywhere close to the caliber of GHETTO in these playoffs yet, so this will be their first real challenge as a team, in fact since being eliminated by Farjestad in the ECL 10 playoffs. As stated before, during 2020 GHETTO FIREBIRDS have really came into their own and have found a style that somewhat differs from other Elite teams but keeps them competitive at the very highest level. The return of @Valluxet on offense has given them that bit of extra firepower up front, pushing them to the next level. The community sees JYP advancing, but the votes aren't as lopsided as in the other matchups. I'm actually expecting JYP to struggle with GHETTO, and wouldn't see it as a surprise if the slight underdogs were to advance. Tune in for the playoffs tonight! The quarterfinals start tonight as we'll see the starts of two series (KOVA Esports - hREDS and GENESIS - HAVU Gaming) in a broadcast commentated by Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen and Erik @Eki Tammenpää, starting at 18:45 CEST on twitch.tv/NHLGamer.

NHLGamers, We are on our way to the finals and this week we'll find out which teams are to push through into the biggest games of the season with everything on the line. We're down to four contenders remaining and despite there being underdogs and favourites, realistically the title is anyones for the taking. Stay alert on social media in order to follow the finale of the SCL season this week! Here are your semifinal matchups: (1) Vesa Pompa HC vs Leksands IF (7) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (24+17=41) vs Johan @Isindar Jonsson (14+13=27) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg (78,38 SV%, 1.33 GAA, 2 SO) vs Kimmo @DUNZA Sunnari (75.68 SV%, 2.25 GAA, 1 SO) The all-star lineup that defending champion Vesa Pompa HC is running has been clicking well so far into the tournament, putting the team at a 24-1-1 record throughout the season including their playoff push so far. The fact right now is that their leading playoff scorer is best known for stopping pucks than putting them into the back of the net. It's not a massively worrying factor since @ICappeI has surely proven capable of doing both and superstars Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund and Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha have no problem stepping up when required but it just makes you wonder if such a setup really can carry them all the way. Another fact is that their upcoming opponent Leksands IF is a squad that for years have honed their defensive play that they are so well known for, but are definitely no slouches on offense either. I've seen Leksand pull of impressive one-touch passing plays on several occasions and they possess the skill to capitalize when given the opportunity. Experienced defenseman Jonas @Supremski Söderlund is the man to keep an eye on in white and blue, since he can play up and down the ice and has the skill to get some really nasty pucks on net at the most opportune moments of big games. The goalie matchup in this series should also not be understated. Vesa Pompa has the option to go with either @Thunborg5 or Philip @Pippo Johansson, who despite seeing less ice time has been statistically superior in net in these playoffs. Leksand on the other hand has gone with their mainstay @DUNZA who has struggled a bit and still needs to get his percentages up and averages down. Which goalie will manage to turn it around? It might be the decisive factor in this series. (2) Vaxjo Lakers HC vs Northern Ascendancy (3) TOP SCORER (playoffs) Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander (13+17=30) vs Erik @Eki Tammenpää (23+21=44) GOALTENDER (playoffs) Filip @Fcoy_faze Azri (88.06 SV%, 0.89 GAA, 4 SO) vs Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström (80 SV%, 1.22 GAA, 2 SO) Personally, I see Vaxjo as somewhat of a surprise pushing this far into the postseason, but the team has proven to find prime form during SCL and has made some fitting acquisitions to help them along the way. Former defenseman @antoniomannen004is doing well on the wing and inexperienced but very talented goaltender @Fcoy_faze is topping statistics and playing the game of a bona fide Elite-level netminder to keep his team battling through any opponent. Last year we saw Northern Ascendancy crumble in the semifinals, resulting in a massive disappointment to cap off the tournament but that is surely something that the largely renewed squad is looking to change. @Eki currently leads the playoffs in scoring and surely hopes to keep up the same pace, but now needs to get past the hottest goaltender in the league in order to do so. So far into the tournament, NOR hasn't really been tested yet and has only seen two losses at the hands of Bask Nation and Sjukstugan, I'm expecting them to have an increasingly tough time overcoming Vaxjo especially if the goaltending stays at a high level. In this series, the men who decide the outcome will be @Fcoy_faze and @Eki. It's your play, guys. Let's cap this article off by taking a look at the community consensus about the series. We put out a poll on Twitter and you guys answered as follows: During the twelve hour voting period, a good amount of gamers found their way to Twitter and casted their votes for their respective favorites to take both series. We've got two quite clear candidates to advance, but as stated above, surprises aren't unheard of in this business. Tune in for the playoffs tonight! The semifinals start tonight as we'll see Leksands If and Vesa Pompa HC go head to head in a broadcast commentated by Adam @esdor Ericson and Johan @Zalaz Nilsson, starting at 20:30 CEST on twitch.tv/NHLGamer.

NHLGamers, The past year has brought a multitude of organizations into the NHL esports scene out of which a vast majority are Swedish traditional hockey clubs which is a joy to see. The latest addition to this group of clubs is going to be Sodertalje SK, who will be competing as SSK Esports in NHLGamer organized tournaments and have in fact pushed into the quarterfinals of the SCL already, where the team will be facing the very strong Vaxjo Lakers HC in a series that will be starting tonight and is broadcasted at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. "Now is the time to act on this and we've been impressed with the quick growth of esports in general. Basically every SHL club is represented in esports and we wanted to jump on that train in also establishing a HockeyAllsvenskan presence in esports. We welcome our esports team with open arms and will be doing everything we can to back them in their efforts going forward. It's especially heartwarming to be represented by true supporters of SSK on the virtual ice." - Club director Robert Andersson The roster of SSK Esports consist of several experienced Swedish players with some Norwegian spice in the form of Henning @el_tacobag Drange. The captain trio of David @HambergD Hamberg, Philip @Strumpan87 Ström and Asko @minokin Grön have all played through their own paths and ended up crossing paths in the former Syndicate, who they now have turned into SSK Esports with a few interesting acquisitions, mainly their Norwegian addition and Tobias @svetidaje Karlsson to help out on defense. We had a few words with captain @HambergD ahead of tonight's games against Vaxjo: You've been doing well so far into the SCL and are now heading into a massive challenge facing Vaxjo, what's your gameplan going into this series? - We've been trying to stick to our guns as much as possible and in general it's been working well for us. In order to fight our way tot he semi's we'll keep doing just the same - trusting that we truly can challenge even the best teams and offer a good fight in all three zones of the ice. Vaxjo is a tremendously skilled team that you have to make it hard for to enter your zone. They're at their best when setting up around the net so we'll really have to give our all in every situation in order to top that. Take us through your roster a bit, what are some of your strengths? - I believe we're quite the pain to play against as our system is built on puck cycling offense with lots of movement up front. Our defenders also play a big role in creating offense. We know that we can trust our defense since on top of our two regulars, we've got former defensemen up front who definitely know how to handle themselves without the puck on their stick. If you were to pick out one team that you definitely want to beat, who would that be? - If I were to mention one, I'd say Company of Geeks. We managed to keep a high level throughout that series and were glad to be able to take home that victory. When looking ahead, I'd say Vesa Pompa HC has to be the team everyone wants to beat. They've got the ability to do such unexpected things on the ice and possess all the skill in the world. We felt that we challenged them well in the group stage, so we're definitely eager for a rematch if the opportunity should present itself. Sodertalje SK Sodertalje SK, also known as SSK hails from the east coast of Sweden as Södertälje is located just south of the nations capital Stockholm. The club currently competes at the second highest tier of Swedish hockey - HockeyAllsvenskan and is among the older clubs in the country, as SSK was founded in 1902 and started their hockey operations in 1925. Follow SSK Esports on social media here: Twitch Twitter The team also has an open Discord-server for fans, please request an invite from a team member if you wish to join.