OGjahajaha

NHLGamers, Some weeks ago, the IIHF announced their Esports Fan Championship, that is meant to be a replica of this years cancelled IIHF worlds, but taking place online on EA Sports NHL 20. At this point, the qualifiers for each nation have been held and a participant on both PS4 and Xbox have been chosen for each nation. The teams have been placed into a bracket and will play from a round of 16 onwards, starting May 29th. Here's a link to the tournament schedule & bracket. At NHLGamer, we're incredibly happy to see a strong community representation in the tournament as 13 (that we know of) out of the total 32 participants have earned their stripes in leagues organised by us. We're especially sending our good luck wishes to the following gamers representing their countries in the tournament: 🇱🇻 @PSchibra 🇱🇻@JLopatko 🇸🇪 @SebbeLarsen86 🇸🇪 @Eken45jr 🇮🇹 @Tron1x90 🇨🇿 pepcastachurcik 🇷🇺 @Serg1vratar 🇨🇭 @Original-SnuS 🇳🇴 @Larsto50 🇫🇮 @rottadee 🇫🇮 @Eki 🇬🇧 @MartindalexC 🇩🇪 @Timasy 🇩🇰 @vibholm10 Some exciting clashes in the round of 16 will obviously be the headline matchup between Canada and USA, but also some of the more non-traditional hockey markets have solid representation. The battle between Germany and Denmark will feature NHLGamers Tim @Timasy Hess and Martin @vibholm10 Vibholm in a heated battle on the PS4 side, whereas Swiss native Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi will go head-to-head with Norwegian Lars Petter @Larsto50 Stø. We reached out to some of the gamers for comments about the tournament: Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi, Swiss player on PS4, captain of ZSC Esports First of all, what does it mean for you personally to represent your country in a historic tournament like this? - It's an awesome feeling. I went into this tournament without any ambitions whatsoever. Having a versus record of 2-0-0 going in, I definitely wasn't expecting to go all the way in the qualifiers. Now I'm training hard to represent Switzerland to the best of my abilities in the tournament. A lot of new names are getting a shot at the big stage in this tournament. Do you know the players well and would you like to highlight any underdogs? - I know a few players from seeing them on the ECL ice. I think a great underdog would be Mirco @Tron1x90 Salvi, who is playing for Italy - Sweden better watch out in the first round! Also I think @PSchibra had a great qualification run for Latvia. What do you think about the tournament format and did you know your teammate from before? - I Think it's a great format and highlights the teamwork aspect in hockey. Reto @Haldeem Haldemann was playing on Xbox and the goal was to have two ZSC players represent our country, but Marco came out of the blue and won the finals against Reto on that side. I didn't know him from before but I'm confident in his talents. Sergei @Serg1vratar Filippov, Russian player on PS4, Captain of Blackdawgs What are your thoughts on the tournament format and did you know your teammate from before? - I really enjoy the format and it's cool that the IIHF was bold enough to bring something new to the competitive community. The thing i dislike a bit is that several top players from PS4 are switching over to Xbox just for the sake of these kinds of tournaments, making the contest less balanced. I didn't know my teammate from before, but from a short discussion we had I understood that he's a quite casual player. As there's a lot of new exciting names in the tournament, who would you want to highlight with the potential to cause an upset? - I have to say Czech Republic looks promising and I think they could have a real chance to compete. Also Switzerland has one of the strongest squads in the tournament. If we're looking at exciting players, I'd keep an eye on Sebastian @SebbeLarsen86 Larsen representing Sweden. He's already put his name on the map from performances in Linkoping and Vesa Pompa though. @rottadee for Finland is an exciting name too, he's overcome the likes of @Artuzio and @Hansulinho, which shows that there is a high level of talent there. Finally, I'd point out that the Czech pepcastachurcik is a talented guy with extremely good puck skills that have impressed me. We're excited about the tournament moving forward and will be following the progress of our community members. More info about the tournament can be found on the IIHF Esports Fan Championship website.

NHLGamers, As in all of our divisions, the playoffs are also underway in our entry level Neo division, and have been for a while already. We're currently in the third round with 16 teams remaining. It's a long way that these teams have come and there's still a good part left to push, purely looking at the effort in terms of games played in order to win it all - Neo is one of the divisions that require the most consistent effort and we all respect the teams who are able to grind through it. Here are your third round matchups: Ringette HC (1) - EIS Force Hockey (43) Pahat Pommittajat (2) - Evolution HC (41) Taavetin Starat (3) - Beastie Boys (32) Jarnkaminerna (4) - MAXIMUM EFFECT (31) ScandinavianFishingGroup (6) - Masiina (21) Suomen Dynamo (9) - Wisby Islanders (20) Veikkolan Veikot (10) - NHL4you Gaming (18) Polarbears HC (11) - Otukset (12) As always, play hard - have fun!

NHLGamers, We're advancing on to the most exciting games of the season in our ECL Pro division. As we're down to four teams remaining, all of the teams left in the battle will earn a chance to fight for a promotion spot as the season comes to an end but the marching order still has to be determined and obviously the biggest price at stake is being crowned the ECL 10 Pro champion and being granted instant promotion. Here are the semifinal matchups of ECL 10 Pro: (1) Black Horse vs HanaaHC (14) Series score 2-0 Black Horse is a force to be reckoned with and seems to be absolutely unstoppable so far into the season. The team faced disappointment before the season when they were unable to advance trough the Elite Qualification Series but have bounced back nicely. @Tapparafan is leading the club from the front with solid backup from @Pasi Modry who recently made the switch over to the center position from his more familiar defensive post while @PCJP is a wall at the back end with an outstanding SV % of 85,11. Whereas Black Horse was considered a team able to qualify for Elite before the season, HanaaHC was among the group of Lite teams that were up for Pro consideration. After getting and proving a deserved promotion, the team has now risen out of nowhere into actual title contention. @Hazard-laser has proven to be a scoring weapon and is leading the team with his experience. Players to watch: @Pasi Modry (10+15=25) Black Horse @Hazard-laser (13+11=24) HanaaHC (9) Reality Check vs Enigma (10) Series score 0-2 Reality Check is a team that alike Black Horse that had to face disappointment before the season when being unable to advance in the Elite Qualification Series, but the consistently strong squad has been given second wind and are running with their chances. Their regular season performance granted the team a 9th seed into the playoffs, which has led them to going up against a very tough challenge in Enigma in these semifinals. Enigma is a group of guys with plenty of Elite experience both at the back end and in their forward department. Being one of the more high-scoring groups, Reality Check will have their work cut out for them. I'd keep an eye out for the battle between Enigma scoring leader @Nieppii and Reality Check goalie @Jann3_67_. Players to watch: @jorma2001 (12+10=22) Reality Check @Nieppii (11+13=24) Enigma Both series are already underway, but there's hopefully a whole lot of good hockey left to be played. As always , have fun - play hard!

NHLGamers, You've worked hard and come all this way. Now it's only time to work harder. "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.. Then you'll be a man, my son.". The iconic poem If by Rudyard Kipling addresses the reader in an attempt to build faith. If you believe, then you will also more likely succeed - all four remaining teams will want the trophy in a few weeks time. In the upcoming semifinals, we'll be in for some interesting battles and some exciting storylines, as both Swedish and Finnish esports fans will have something to cheer for as one matchup showcases SHL teams Linköping HC and Färjestad BK, whereas the other one is a clash between finish esports organisations HAVU Gaming and hREDS. Here are the matchups for the ECL 10 Elite semifinals: (2) Linkoping HC vs Farjestad BK (8) PLAYOFF RECORD 4-0 (Roots) vs 4-1 (JYP Jyvaskyla) TOP SCORER Erik @Eki Tammenpää (3+7=10) vs Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg (6+2=8) GOALTENDER Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (4 W, 87,88 SV%, 1 GAA, 1 SO) vs Johan @Rundqviiist Rundqvist (4 W, 86,44 SV%, 1,6 GAA, 0 SO) Let's start off by acknowledging the incredible feat of upsetting the number 1 seed that Farjestad BK pulled off to start the playoffs. It's something out of the ordinary and has last happened back in ECL 4 in a matchup between #1 seed MUKIMIEHET and #8 seed Limitless, a series in which now dear teammates in Linköping, Erik @Eki Tammenpää (MUKIMIEHET) & Paul @PleeMaker Arontie (Limitless) took part on opposing sides of the ice. Having such an upset occur at an early stage can throw off the playoff picture a bit, which it has in this case too. Linkoping is a tremendously consistent team, which is easily proven by the fact that they've been either title holders or contenders ever since surfacing at the Elite level in ECL 7. This season, the team has been on a record-setting streak with both a forward (Plee) and a defenseman (Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta) setting all-time scoring records. In the quarters, the white lions laid a beating on Roots by sweeping the 7th seed in convincing manner. Now, in comparison Roots and FBK are two very different opponents. Actually FBK entertains a playing style unlike any other at this level. The team has been looking for stretch passes up the boards and the coined "Pelimies"-play up the middle all season long, and have seemingly found space to create other plays due to the constant threat of a stretch pass. That combined with a solid defense and goaltender Johan @Rundqviiist Rundqvist making a solid case for being among the top goaltenders in the world is what led to the team overcoming heavy favorite JYP and now being a solid contender. (3) HAVU Gaming vs hREDS (4) PLAYOFF RECORD 4-0 (BRAYCE Phantoms) vs 4-3 (Unlucky Boys HC) TOP SCORER Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (4+8=12) vs Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (5+11=16) GOALTENDER Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (4 W, 90 SV%, 1 GAA, 2 SO) vs Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (4 W, 83,91 SV%, 2 GAA, 1 SO) HAVU Gaming and hREDS are a somewhat expected pairing at this point of the season, as both of these powerhouses were predicted to finish among the top teams in the standings. HAVU is the more established team and obviously some heavy expectations rest on those shoulders - nothing the guys aren't used to. On the other side, hREDS is the home to some of the most exciting talent in the game right now, but the team being more of a combination of talent from various sources isn't as coherent of a unit - at least yet. We've seen a number of surprises in the playoffs over the years and this season has been no exception to that, so maybe hREDS can overcome the odds? With certainty we can say that this battle will determine who is the greatest gaming org in the ECL at the moment, and a victory will surely provide the prevailing side with some social media ammo for the foreseeable future. For HAVU, the team has been led from the back by Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen, who as usual has been a beast in net and will continue to pain the forwards facing him. The REDS have the offensive tools to match HAVU with Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen leading the way over the course of the season, but they need to focus on staying out of the box, 5 on 5 hockey is what they need as much as possible of if they want to walk away as winners. How to watch? The games will be broadcasted at NHLGamer's Twitch-channel according to the schedule below: Monday, May 25th 20:00 CEST Series 1: Games 1-2 (puck drop around 20:20) Farjestad BK vs Linkoping HC 21:30 CEST Series 2: Games 1-2 (puck drop around 21:30-22:00 - but only after the above games are finished) hREDS vs HAVU Gaming Wednesday, May 27th 20:00 CEST Series 3: Games 3-4 (puck drop around 20:20) Farjestad BK vs Linkoping HC 21:30 CEST Series 4: Games 3-4 (puck drop around 21:30-22:00 - but only after the above games are finished) hREDS vs HAVU Gaming Thursday, May 28th 20:00 CEST Series x: Games 5-7 (puck drop around 20:20) AFTER THAT Series y: Games 5-7 (only after the above games are finished)

NHLGamers, We're rolling on with the playoffs also in our Neo division! The largest out of our divisions still has a total of 32 teams left in the 2nd round. In best of 5 series, every game matters! Here are your second round matchups: Ringette HC (1) - Arctic Blaze (60) Pahat Pommittajat (2) - ALLSTAR TAMPERE (50) Taavetin Starat (3) - Redlight Jokers (49) Jarnkaminerna (4) - Morganchipsen HC (48) ScandinavianFishingGroup (6) - Bauer Rangers GmbH (46) Grilli Tulille (7) - EIS Force Hockey (43) Bahamas Mamas (8) - Evolution HC (41) Suomen Dynamo (9) - Vemppaosasto (40) Veikkolan Veikot (10) - Charleswood Chiefs (38) Polarbears HC (11) - Bull Dozer (37) Otukset (12) - Russian Lightning (35) EV Duisburg (13) - Beastie Boys (32) Niederrhein Canucks (14) - MAXIMUM EFFECT (31) NHL4you Gaming (18) - The Mighty Skunks (29) Wisby Islanders (20) - UKnighted HC (26) Masiina (21) - Thunder United (23) Games can start already tonight, as always play hard - have fun!

NHLGamers, We've come a long way from where we began, as we started out with 16 teams at the same line, all with one goal in mind - hoisting the trophy and cashing in to cap off the historical ECL 10 Elite season. Now, obviously things don't always go as planned and I'll be the first to attest the truth of that statement. Some stories didn't go as planned, but to those teams we say thank you for a good fight and we truly hope to see each and every one of those back in the competition as soon as possible. To the eight fiercest competitors who have come all this way - now the real fight begins. It is time to see who will perform under pressure. Here are the matchups for the ECL 10 Elite quarterfinals: (1) JYP Jyvaskyla vs Farjestad BK (8) RECORD 26-2-2 vs 13-14-3 TOP SCORER Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen (32+37=69) vs Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson (12+38=50=42) GOALTENDER Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (26 W, 85,86 SV%, 1,43 GAA, 8 SO) vs Johan @Rundqviiist Rundqvist (13 W, 75,44 SV%, 3,27 GAA, 1 SO) I'm doubting it can be called a surprise that JYP eventually secured the number one seed with how dominant they looked from time to time. The former Symphony squad had a massive deviation from their normal form in ECL 9 as they nearly missed out on postseason action, but managed to sneak in and eventually lost in the quarterfinals. Having recruited defensive superstars Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and Ilmari @iilmarii Töyrylä, offensive force Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola, and capping that off with a backstop the caliber of Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos the black and red look more powerful than ever and are certainly sending a storm surge the way of Farjestad BK ahead of their clash. Much alike JYP, Farjestad also had a rather comprehensive makeover before the ongoing ECL season, the team acquired two new wingers, overhauled their defense and also brought in a goaltender. New faces Sebastian @eBasstian Nagel, Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg, Harri @Totalii Joona and Johan @Rundqviiist Rundqvist have all fared well so far into the season, but JYP and their smothering physical play can be a difficult beast to overcome for the hard striking offense and quick-footed wingers of FBK. (2) Linkoping HC vs Roots (7) RECORD 26-3-1 vs 15-10-5 TOP SCORER Paul @PleeMaker Arontie (58+35=93) vs Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen (22+22=44) GOALTENDER Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (26 W, 80,67 SV%, 1,53 GAA, 5 SO) vs Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari (15 W, 81,73 SV%, 2,4 GAA, 2 SO) "At NHLGamer, we're all about setting records..", yes, that's something we wrote in our first ever tweet about the 10th iteration of the ECL. It seems that Paul @PleeMaker Arontie didn't just rest on his laurels, but took this as literally as can be and put up a record-setting goal total of 58 notches in 30 games. Scoring nearly two goals per game as an individual at the highest level of competition is entirely unheard of, but this is where we've come and boy, are we happy to be on that ride! Let's not forget that the reigning champions have a roster full of other superstars too and that will cause trouble for Roots in a best-of-7 series. The fresh organisation hailing out of Kerava, Finland will have their work cut out for them in when taking the ice against one of the most successful teams in ECL history. Roots made a trademark out of keeping scores low, which was a recipe that worked out for them for long stretches of the season. A majority of Roots games were one goal battles and if they can keep that same trend going against LHC, they could very well be able to steal some wins. (3) HAVU Gaming vs BRAYCE Phantoms (6) RECORD 26-3-1 vs 17-11-2 TOP SCORER Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (29+44=73) vs Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker (19+31=50) GOALTENDER Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (26 W, 83,26 SV%, 1,33 GAA, 7 SO) vs Patrick @RPH_31 Braun (17 W, 75,79 SV%, 2,18 GAA, 6 SO) The clash between HAVU Gaming and BRAYCE Phantoms is not only a battle of the 3rd seed and the 6th seed of ECL 10 Elite. It is also a battle of nations, with the full roster of HAVU hailing from Finland while BRAYCE is flying the German flag high. Furthermore, it is a clash between two different styles of play. Both squads enjoy keeping the puck within the team but whereas HAVU prefers keeping it in the offensive zone, BRAYCE is just as happy patrolling the neutral zone – patiently waiting for the correct spot to send in main offensive threat Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker with the puck through the center lane. Both teams have championship experience. BRAYCE has brought home the German championship on four separate occasions (GCL 2-5) and stand as the reigning champions of that tournament. HAVU has collected three separate titles (ECL 8, eSM 2019 & IS Cup 4 – four titles including Spring League) in the span of about a year, with the same six players on the ice for each one. Captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha usually finds a way to motivate his players for the big games. And it does not get any bigger than the Elite playoffs. Expect HAVU to come out firing right away in Game 1. (4) hREDS vs Unlucky Boys HC (5) RECORD 19-9-2 vs 17-10-3 TOP SCORER Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (25+45=70) vs Antti @Anhel Kuru (23+21=44) GOALTENDER Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (11 W, 75,6 SV%, 2,28 GAA, 2 SO) vs Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen (10 W, 84,48 SV%, 1,93 GAA, 2 SO) Prior to the season a top four was predicted in many sources and the turnout was exactly as expected, probably just not in the order as expected. The big bad red is one of the stronger teams in the league but from looking at the regular season, there still is a gap between them and the top three that set themselves apart with a quite clear 13-point margin. Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen continues on the path to stardom that he started last season in the now defunct Butterfly Effect. 70 points in total matches his last season totals and earns him a 4th place finish in the scoring race. Unlucky Boys HC is stepping up against the hREDS skilled offense in this battle. UB had very fittingly an incredibly tough start of the season and their first ten games yielded only two wins. It took some time to fins their stride, but the mid-season acquisition of goaltender Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen seems to have sparked the fire, that pushed UB to one of the hottest runs in the league to finish the season. How to watch? The games will be broadcasted at NHLGamer's Twitch-channel according to the schedule below: Monday, May 18th 20:00 CEST Series 1: Games 1-2 (puck drop around 20:15) (1) JYP Jyvaskyla vs Farjestad BK (8) 21:15 CEST Series 2: Games 1-2 (puck drop around 21:30 - but only after the above games are finished) (2) Linkoping HC vs Roots (7) Wednesday, May 20th 20:00 CEST Series 3: Games 3-4 (puck drop around 20:15) (4) hREDS vs Unlucky Boys HC (5) 21:15 CEST Series 4: Games 3-4 (puck drop around 21:30 - but only after the above games are finished) (3) HAVU Gaming vs BRAYCE Phantoms (6) Thursday, May 21st 20:00 CEST Series x: Games 5-7 (puck drop around 20:15)

NHLGamers, The playoff train in our Pro division is chugging along and we surely saw some interesting turns of events in the first round! One of these surprises were definitely HanaaHC outplaying the #1 seed Leksands IF and advancing with a series score of 4-2. The same storyline applied in the series between Nordic Stars (#2 in their group) and Children of Ice (#7), where the experienced group in Children of Ice took the series home in a game 7 finish. We await with excitement if the underdogs will prevail again! Here are the quarterfinal matchups of ECL 10 Pro: Black Horse (1) vs Children of Ice (15) Players to watch: @PCJP (4 W, 87,18 SV%, 1,43 GAA, 2 SO) Black Horse @Jorma Parola (8+10=18) Children of Ice Team Frosty (3) vs HanaaHC (14) Players to watch: @imosi (4+7=11) Team Frosty @Raikkoneeh (2+7=9) HanaaHC Reality Check (9) vs Blackdawgs (13) Players to watch: @Jann3_67_ (4 W, 90,54 SV%, 1,4 GAA, 1 SO) Reality Check @Serg1vratar (4 W, 85,71 SV%, 1,5 GAA, 1 SO) Blackdawgs Enigma (10) vs Vaxjo Lakers (11) Players to watch: @Nieppii (4+7=11) Enigma @Hullued (4 W, 94,74 SV%, 0,5 GAA, 2 SO) Vaxjo Lakers Unfortunately the we didn't have the resources to generate an in-depth preview this time, but will aim to provide for the semifinals. The quarters start tonight, so good luck to all teams - play hard, have fun!

NHLGamers, As discussed in last weeks recap, the battle for the top-seed was and is still running hot as the big trio JYP (50pts), HAVU Gaming (49 pts) and Linkoping HC (47 pts with two games in hand) are all within striking distance for that top spot. Based on point average, Linkoping is in the lead and the reigning champions still have matchups against Lulea Hockey and Gotham Knights to go this week - an expected four win run but you never know with these games. As you might expect, these three powerhouses have managed to pull away from the rest of the pack, but the battle for the rest of the playoff spots is still running fierce. Most notably, Unlucky Boys HC has been on a tear as of late, losing only single games against SJ Gaming and Checkmate in their last 12 bouts. The only team in the middle of the pack that has a notable amount of games in hand on others are hREDS, who are in 4th place with a mere 24 games played. At the moment of writing, 33 points would be required to secure a playoff spot and Roots together with BRAYCE Phantoms are close to that limit. In immediate proximity of the playoff line, we have an absolute free-for-all. Five teams in total all have four games left to go, and are within a 3-point range of each other. At the bottom of the standings, Vesa Pompa and Gotham Knights still technically have their playoff hopes intact although these teams would have to win a majority of their remaining games with some help from teams ahead in the standings. Vesa Pompa has shown some good form as of late an are still to play Unlucky Boys HC, Almost Famous and BRAYCE Phantoms which means that a cinderella story is not entirely out of the question, albeit unlikely. Almost Famous is in dead last with not much to cheer about, the club have solidified their position in no man's land for a few seasons now, but complete full-team defensive lapses have plagued their season leading to multiple vicious beatings despite putting forth solid efforts in singular matches. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK Last week, we were close with 46, but now we've got a new record with 52 total goals in the name of Paul @PleeMaker Arontie. With four games still to go in the season, Plee has set the bar extremely high and rising for future superstars and scoring machines alike. FORWARD OF THE WEEK Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen, JYP Jyvaskyla JYP had a power week with a total of four scheduled matchups in which the team won 6/8 games. Centerman tbnantti played all of those games and picked up 22 points in the process. Having added a few last night, he is at 4th in scoring overall right now. DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen, JYP Jyvaskyla Doumi is has been one of the up and coming defensemen for a long time already, but this is the season he seals the deal and puts his name right up there with the best in the game. Eight games last week yielded the young defenseman 14 points. GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK Joonas @Jombb- Koivukoski, Gotham Knights Honestly, picking a goalie of the week wasn't easy this time. It would be a safe decision going with anyone stopping pucks for a team in the top three, but Jombb- has been doing a great job for an underdog team like Gotham Knights. Jombb dressed for four games last week in which he kept an average save percentage north of 85% and a GAA of 2.

NHLGamers, With the cancellation of the beloved hockey carnival that is the IIHF World Championships, we received news last week that an Esports Fan Championship will be hosted. It's an exciting way of involving fans around the world and putting the tournament in your hands - EA Sports NHL players from each country will represent their nation in an effort to take home the championship, in addition, IIHF have put some amazing prizes such as game tickets and pucks on the line for the competitors. What? The IIHF Esports Fan Championship is a virtual counterpart to the world championships. The tournament is played with a 1v1-format in the online versus game mode. Each of the participating nations will host open qualifiers to determine a player on PS4 and Xbox that will represent their respective nations. These qualifiers will kick off starting May 15th. After the online qualifiers are done and each nation has their participant on each console, the playoffs will commence on May 29th. The playoffs are played in a classic knock-out format, where one matchup is decided based on the result in four individual games (two on each console), out of which the aggregate score will serve as a final result in that respective matchup. For the playoffs, the IIHF have applied a special rule in order to ensure competitive integrity. The rule is a rotation rule, where players are only allowed to use each national team once over the course of the playoffs. This ensures diversity in the matchups and allows for some more strategy on this front too. When? The open national qualifiers start May 15th, but signups are open right now! Head over to https://esports.iihf.com/ in order to sign up for the qualifiers of your nation. Here's a full schedule for online qualifiers: Kazakhstan - PS4 & Xbox One - 15/5/2020 Belarus - PS4 & Xbox One - 15/5/2020 Denmark - PS4 & Xbox One - 16/5/2020 Latvia - PS4 & Xbox One - 16/5/2020 Czech Republic - PS4 & Xbox One - 17/5/2020 Italy - PS4 & Xbox One - 17/5/2020 Switzerland - PS4 & Xbox One - 18/5/2020 Slovakia - PS4 & Xbox One - 18/5/2020 Norway - PS4 & Xbox One - 19/5/2020 Finland - PS4 & Xbox One - 19/5/2020 Great Britain - PS4 & Xbox One - 20/5/2020 USA - PS4 & Xbox One - 21/5/2020 Germany - PS4 & Xbox One - 21/5/2020 Canada - PS4 & Xbox One - 22/5/2020 Sweden - PS4 & Xbox One - 22/5/2020 Russia - PS4 & Xbox One - 22/5/2020 How? The IIHF has released a short info video on what it's all about, also, check this page for all additional instructions.

NHLGamers, In an incredibly exciting start to the last week of the ECL 10 Elite regular season, we'll get to see some intense top tier virtual hockey as JYP Jyvaskyla takes on Linkoping HC in a brawl for the top playoff seeds. In the second game of the night, Farjestad BK and Lulea Hockey meet for the rivalry between Swedish organisations in the top division. Dynamic duo @Tougie24 and @Cyn will be casting the action tonight. JYP Jyvaskyla vs Linkoping HC RECORD 23-2-1 vs 22-1-1 TOP SCORER Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen (28+34=62) vs Paul @PleeMaker Arontie (52+30=82) GOALTENDER Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (13 W, 86,54 SV%, 1,35 GAA, 8 SO) vs Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (22 W, 81,68 SV%, 1,46 GAA, 4 SO) JYP and Linkoping meet in a battle that plays a massive role in determining how the top 3 of the regular season turns out. Both of these squads have been on impressive runs as of late and show no signs of stopping. League-leading scorer Paul @PleeMaker Arontie has surpassed his own all-time goal-scoring record, whereas Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos is two shutouts away from surpassing Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen for most shutouts in a regular season. Either way, this is a battle your'e not going to want to miss. It's been about record-setting all season and this night is no exception, let's go! Farjestad BK vs Lulea Hockey RECORD 10-11-3 vs 7-12-5 TOP SCORER Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson (9+33=42) vs Ville @hpkfani Luukkonen (13+12+25) GOALTENDER Johan @Rundqviiist Rundqvist (10 W, 76,45 SV%, 3,04 GAA, 0 SO) vs Ville @Supreex Korhonen (7 W, 76,83 SV%, 2,5 GAA, 4 SO) In the second matchup of the night, our two Elite division Swedish hockey clubs will clash for bragging rights. Both teams have slightly underperformed and are in dire need for some wins if they are looking for postseason action. Playoffs are in hand for both teams and a double win tonight will drastically change the trajectory for either one of the clubs. It is notable that Lulea is the lowest scoring team in the division, but FBK on the other hand have a higher GAA, which might mean there will be some chances opening up both ways. Tune in for all the action starting tonight at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer, alternatively ISTV, and Ruutu for our Finnish viewers.

NHLGamers, Tonight's games are offering up a bit of everything. The middle pack in the standings are desperately fighting for points to solidify their playoff spots and that's exactly the kind of battle we'll be in for tonight. In the first matchup, Roots are facing Checkmate whereafter we'll see hREDS go head-to-head with Lulea Hockey, who seem to have been finding a good run of form as of late. Dynamic duo @Tougie24 and @Cyn will be casting the action tonight. Roots vs Checkmate RECORD 10-8-4 vs 9-11-2 TOP SCORER Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi (12+19=31) vs Jonne @TackleControl Nikkinen (19+10=29) GOALTENDER Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari (10 W, 82,37 SV%, 2,23 GAA, 2 SO) vs Juuso @Juizki Nikkinen (9 W, 79,67 SV%, 2,77 GAA, 0 SO) The first matchup of the evening sees two teams effectively battle for the same spots above the playoff line. Roots have fallen on a losing path but look to turn things around after quite surprisingly taking 3/4 points out of their matchup against JYP last night whereas Checkmate are in a similar situation, recently having turned around a starting losing streak. Both of these teams have a realistic opportunity of making the playoffs and will fight tooth and nail for all points up for grabs. Roots are known for making games low-scoring, whereas Checkmate have had a tough time converting on chances with only a 1,77 goals for average. Might that be one of the key factors in the game or will we see something entirely different from these teams that are frantically trying to claw themselves into playoff position? Lulea Hockey vs hREDS RECORD 7-10-5 vs 12-6-2 TOP SCORER Ville @hpkfani Luukkonen (13+12+25) vs Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (20+18=38) GOALTENDER Ville @Supreex Korhonen (7 W, 78,3 SV%, 2,32 GAA, 4 SO) vs Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu (4 W, 81,97 SV%, 1,83 GAA, 2 SO) Lulea Hockey and hREDS will be offering some exciting virtual hockey in the later matchup of the evening. The two teams come into these games from rather different angles, as Lulea has been struggling mightily for a long time, but seem to have found some run of form to mount a final playoff push. The REDS, on the other hand were expected to finish among the top teams and have mostly performed accordingly. Their team offense was suffocated completely in their two latest games against JYP, so the big bad red will be itching to get their engines revved up again. Lulea have scored the least goals out of all teams in the division (1,45 GF average), which is a beast that might come to haunt them when facing hREDS and veteran goaltender Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu, who is making his 7th and 8th appearances of the season in these games. Tune in for all the action starting tonight at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer, alternatively ISTV and Ruutu for our Finnish viewers.

NHLGamers, Tonight's broadcast starting 20:00 CEST offers up a treat like no other, when the two matchups will showcase all of the current top 4 teams in the league. Each and every one of these teams are on hot streaks unlike any other and will be heading for the playoffs with high seeds in mind. In the first clash of the evening, hREDS face storm warning, as they will take on JYP Jyvaskyla. The second matchup features dear rivals HAVU Gaming and Linkoping HC, who are showcasing what the current top two in the league has to offer. Dynamic duo @Tougie24 and @Cyn will be casting the action tonight. hREDS vs JYP Jyvaskyla RECORD 12-4-2 vs 17-0-1 TOP SCORER Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (20+18=38) vs Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola (21+22+43) GOALTENDER Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (8 W, 74,77 SV%, 2,33 GAA, 1 SO) vs Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (17 W, 87,77 SV%, 1,28 GAA, 5 SO) In the first matchup of the night, hREDS and JYP Jyvaskyla will be battling it out for which franchise is the bigger, badder red in the league. In our most recent broadcast, hREDS indicated the kind of skill that the team possesses by overpowering HAVU Gaming in two straight games, causing the surefire title contender their second and third losses of the season. The team played experienced winger Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen at LD for his first games of the season, which turned out great. It'll be interesting to see if he is their choice for that spot again, pending his availability of course. JYP, on the other hand seems to have been mowing down opposition like the hurricane they are. The team has suffered only one loss this season and has exhibited stellar defensive play combined with the best goaltending in the league, resulting in a GAA of only 1,28. Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos in net is the man to keep an eye on for JYP. HAVU Gaming vs Linkoping HC RECORD 19-3-0 vs 19-1-0 TOP SCORER Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (24+34=58) vs Paul @PleeMaker Arontie (46+25=71) GOALTENDER Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (19 W, 81,1 SV%, 1,41 GAA, 5 SO) vs Casper @ICappeI Lundgren (19 W, 81,01 SV%, 1,5 GAA, 3 SO) HAVU Gaming and Linkoping HC have built a strong bond and a rivalry between the two clubs. Names and colors might have changed, but the fundamentals do not differ as we still remember these two juggernauts going head-to-head in a multitude of competitions over the years. Most recently, LHC has managed to pull the longer straw and is now the reigning champion, but HAVU Gaming are fighting tooth and nail to retake the throne. HAVU suffered two losses last Thursday at the hands of hREDS in a set of games where they looked a bit out of focus, so a determined group of guys will be taking the virtual ice tonight. The white lions of LHC have the highest scoring offense in the league by a wide margin with Paul @PleeMaker Arontie leading the way and chasing his own all-time ECL Elite goal scoring record of 49 notches (currently at 46). We should be seeing a low-scoring affair, which ultimately will come down to which team can better capitalise on the oppositions mistakes. Tune in for all the action starting tonight at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer, alternatively ISTV, and Ruutu for our Finnish viewers.

NHLGamers, In the broadcast tonight we've got some heated action for you guys! Starting in just a few hours some of the very best will face off against each other, when Finnish esports talents HAVU Gaming and hREDS clash for the title of which org gets the bragging rights until next time. In the second matchup of the night, Lulea Hockey and BRAYCE Phantoms go head to head in a battle between two teams desperate for points. Dynamic duo @Tougie24 and @Cyn will be casting the action tonight. HAVU Gaming vs hREDS RECORD 19-1-0 vs 10-4-2 TOP SCORER Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (23+34=57) vs Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (18+17=35) GOALTENDER Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (19 W, 82,43 SV%, 1,3 GAA, 5 SO) vs Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (6 W, 72,22 SV%, 2,5 GAA, 1 SO) The stakes in this one are high and they extend way beyond just points in the ECL standings. HAVU Gaming and hREDS will enter a heated battle on the ice, fighting over who gets the bragging rights between the Finnish esports orgs in the ECL. HAVU has delivered according to their usual level, which is at the very top night in and night out. Captain Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha leads the scoring way (57 points) and finds himself in third place overall for the season, but the challenge in playing HAVU is that each and every player can be a threat from pretty much any position. Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen will have a tough night in net and needs support from his defense if they are to challenge HAVU in this matchup. Interestingly enough, hREDS have chosen to switch things up tonight by including Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen at the LD spot for his first games of the season. The man is a mystery both at the position in question and in terms of form, as he has been spending his days in the service of the Finnish armed forces. Lulea Hockey vs BRAYCE Phantoms RECORD 4-10-4 vs 7-7-2 TOP SCORER Ville @hpkfani Luukkonen (10+11=21) vs Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker (9+16=25) GOALTENDER Ville @Supreex Korhonen (4 W, 74,86 SV%, 2,56 GAA, 2 SO) vs Patrick @RPH_31 Braun (7 W, 73,81 SV%, 2,75 GAA, 1 SO) The matchup between Lulea Hockey and BRAYCE Phantoms is a big one for both teams. It might not shake the Elite standings at their core regardless of the outcome, but for the teams themselves it's huge. Lulea needs the full four points to shock their abysmal season back to life and give themselves a fighting chance at both avoiding relegation and sneaking into the playoffs as one of the latter seeds. For BRAYCE, collecting four points would mean breaking a minor losing streak and putting themselves right back in the playoff hunt for seeds 5-8. Luleas main problem all season long have been scoring goals and with 12 games remaining, time is running out on getting their offensive woes (1,39 goals scored/game – last in the league) fixed. Ville @hpkfani Luukkonen leads the team in goals (10) and points (21), but he also leads the entire league in PIMs (28). Thankfully for Lulea, their PK has been one of their few strengths this season – coming in at 4h overall in the league (82,76%). For BRAYCE, the opposite rings true. With a staggering 42,86% efficiency rate, their powerplay stands as the best in the league (tied with KOVA). Leading the charge is playmaking center Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker with three PP goals. The center also leads the entire team in assists (16) and points (25). Tune in for all the action starting tonight at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer, alternatively ISTV, and Ruutu for our Finnish viewers.

NHLGamers, Our first broadcast of the week sees us crossing the midway point of the regular season and we've set you up with some interesting battles. In the first matchup, an underperforming Unlucky Boys HC goes up against a tough team to beat - Roots. In the second matchup, energetic KOVA Esports will take on a desperate Almost Famous. Dynamic duo @Tougie24 and @Cyn will be casting the action tonight. Unlucky Boys HC vs Roots RECORD 6-8-2 vs 8-3-3 TOP SCORER Antti @Anhel Kuru (12+7=19) vs Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi (10+11=21) GOALTENDER Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen (4 W, 85,19 SV%, 2 GAA, 1 SO) vs Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari (8 W, 85,55 SV%, 1,79 GAA, 2 SO) Unlucky Boys HC have had an uphill struggle all season long. We're used to seeing them in playoff spot contention, but the ream led by centerman Antti @Anhel Kuru had a catastrophic start to the season. Familiar face Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen returned to guard the crease last week and might have been what the team needed in order to turn a corner. 4-2-0 in his first week show signs of improvement. Roots, on the other hand, have been a steady performer. The black and green have played a bunch of low-scoring games this season, a feat that can be attributed to their great and very organized game, but in their own end also to at times sensational play by goaltender Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari. In this matchup, I would keep my eye on the guys between the pipes. KOVA Esports vs Almost Famous RECORD 7-7-2 vs 3-9-2 TOP SCORER Valeri @Valluxet Reihel (18+9=27) vs Eemi @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli (11+10=21) GOALTENDER Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck (7 W, 83,33 SV%, 2,44 GAA, 2 SO) vs Joni @Jonitski Rintamäenpää (3 W, 77,83 SV%, 3,36 GAA, 2 SO) Both of tonight's matchups start in very similar situations. In this one, KOVA Esports has the edge as they have despite having a multitude of fresh faces in their roster, performed very well in the first half of the season. Their scoring has lied heavily on the shoulders of power duo Valeri @Valluxet Reihel and Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen, but we all know that they have depth in their lineup too. Almost Famous hasn't been able to get going at all. After a turbulent offseason, the struggles have piled on as they can't seem to find consistency and have currently fallen into last place. However, their last broadcast showing resulted in 3/4 points against SJ Gaming, maybe tonight will be the turning point for their season? Tune in for all the action starting tonight at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer, alternatively ISTV, and Ruutu for our Finnish viewers.

NHLGamers, Just a few weeks after the French professional team Grenoble Brûleurs de Loups entered competition, a new French organization continues the nations ECL surge. From this day onward, Hawks Olympique HC becomes Remparts de Tours Esport. As we know, the French community is a rather small part of the NHL Gaming scene, not being as dynamic or widespread as the community in say Finland or Sweden. The fact remains that things are progressing, and they have been doing so rather quickly. In the wake of Grenoble BDL Esport, a new professional team is entering the competition. The Remparts of Tours, Division 1 club (first national level after the Magnus League) therefore become the second French club to enter into agreements with a collective of gamers and to join the ECL. "It's a big day for the Remparts de Tours", states Stéphane Raisin, Chairman of the club. "We are proud to be the first D1 hockey club to invest in esports, the second in France. Like Grenoble, we are enthusiastically approaching this new adventure allowing us to explore an exciting territory. Our online team will be supported and considered in the exact same way as the one that thrills the Tours arena in the French championship." Our French community members are excited but also quite surprised that things can move so quickly. "Our community has existed for several years, on the initiative of Hawks HC first and later the Cancun Pirates.", explains Yann @Virtual_Saku Maillet. "Let's say that everything really started to come together two years ago and I must admit that in recent weeks, a certain frenzy has started to surface. Almost all of us are grouped into a Facebook messenger group. Before ECL 10 we were about 40 and we are almost 80 now. It is unexpected to see this craze, but it is also a pride to see that our arguments manage to convince professional clubs and allow us to generate added visibility. This, in turn, has led to discovering new players that we did not even know a few weeks ago." For the Hawks and their captain Freddy @Izzo Baribeau, it is above all a feeling of pride that prevails. “The arrival of the Remparts de Tours is excellent news for French esports, it is a continuation of Grenoble BDL Esport. Frankly, I am very proud. The whole team was immediately excited and very motivated. The project was presented to us in a very professional way, which proves that the French gaming community is taken seriously. The Remparts de Tours is a popular club with a very strong fan base, and a plan to get involved and to make the most of their notoriety in esports too. We can't wait to start under our new colors. Thanks to Yann for helping make this happen and to Kenneth @Kenu Lehtinen of NHLGamer for the help behind the scenes." Remparts de Tours Esport will be playing their very first games under the new colors this evening, at 20:30 CEST against Slightly Below Average, 15th in ECL Lite Group 2. Follow the games on the Twitch channel of Remparts de Tours Esport.

NHLGamers, We’re a passionate community of gamers and fans that are constantly growing - it’s with great pleasure we tonight announce the first Danish traditional sports club to join the ECL! Herlev Eagles will effective immediately be assuming the place of Kouvola Screaming Eagles in ECL Pro. KSE is a team with history dating back to ECL 5, when they debuted in the Lite division. The team recently gained promotion to the Pro level and has been giving competition a run for their money so far into their first season at that level. We reached out to team captain Oliver @oSandello Sandell for some comments regarding the contract: How was the contact with Herlev initiated and what factors attracted you to the club the most? “Without a doubt, we can give all credit to our Danish superstar Martin @vibholm10 Vibholm. He has represented Herlev in multiple Danish championships with great success, which gave us a line of communication to the organisation. He also used to play real hockey in their second team. The rest of the team was really excited when Martin came to us with this idea of putting together the first professional Danish NHL esports team, and it all went smoothly from there. Furthermore, both sides agreed that a Danish eagle species combining with Finnish eagles could only be a good thing.” As you'll now be representing an organisation, how do you think it will resonate with your gameplay and mentality, if at all? “I don't think we will change anything gameplay wise. We have always prided ourselves with solid team play and will continue to play the same brand of hockey. Mentality wise this was obviously a great boost to the team morale. It feels great to know that the organisation has put faith in our talent, and we are looking forward to showing that we are worthy of their investment.” "Our entry into esports contributes to strengthening and expanding the foundation on which we have worked purposefully to build over the past few years. It provides increased opportunities for both sponsorship revenue and creating a greater community around Herlev Eagles. This basically helps to strengthen our brand and make us even stronger." - Statement by Herlev Eagles Herlev Eagles Herlev Eagles is a Danish hockey club founded in 1968. The team has been competing at the highest tier in the nation (with some stints in lower divisions) for a majority of their history. In 2019-2020, the Eagles were on track for one of their most successful seasons in recent history, but due to the pandemic their eventual playoff push was cut short.

NHLGamers, After the second week of ECL 10 Elite action, we still have two teams continuing their perfect run and an expected top four to lead the pack. The two teams in the hottest form are HAVU Gaming and JYP Jyvaskyla, who are continuing their perfect streaks with 10 and 8 wins respectively. Reigning champion Linkoping HC suffered a 2-3 loss at the hands of KOVA Esports in a somewhat surprising outcome, whereas hREDS are currently sitting at fourth place after a shaky start that they've slowly started turning around with the lead of especially wingers Joakim @Joukki Nyholm (7+10) and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (10+3), who really revved up their offensive engines this past week. The most active team besides hREDS has been SJ Gaming, who are in 5th place with 13 acquired points in 12 played games. SJ is a squad that narrowly missed the playoffs in ECL 9 and has been eager to show what they are capable of in their new fresh colors. The teams performances so far have been consistently inconsistent, but staying at a point average pace of 1.1 would indicate securing a playoff spot based on earlier seasons. Teams such as KOVA Esports, BRAYCE Phantoms and Roots can be found in the middle of the pack, but in a tight division, changes will and are expected to happen quickly. Some interesting stories are also emerging from the bottom half of the table, where we somewhat surprisingly find a team like Unlucky Boys HC, who have arguably had a particularly difficult schedule and should improve in the coming rounds. An interesting note from Thursdays matchup against Farjestad BK is that UB recruited superstar winger Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen to fill in for their mainstay LW Joona @JimBoo Muona who had some technical difficulties. GHETTO FIREBIRDS on the other hand have expectedly had a tough time, but managed to take a number of games into overtime which would be a great thing if they could convert these into victories. The overtime curse seems to have been overturned last night when GHETTO successfully snagged their first full set of points with a 1-0 OT win and 4-2 win against Lulea Hockey, who have been underperforming to start the season. PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK On Wednesday, Roots matched up against Linkoping HC and managed to steal a point in a tight battle. Goaltender Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari kept the game even with seconds to spare with this massive save: DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Frank @Mannheimer1938 Münch, BRAYCE Phantoms The captain of German pride BRAYCE Phantoms has really risen to the occasion after a tough last season and some turbulence that the team has experienced. With six points in four games this past week, this experienced gamer earns himself the spot as our defender of the week. Honorable mentions: Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen (LHC) GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari, Roots Swag has made a name for himself in the community by utilizing a very aggressive playing style, which once again is showcased in the performance of the week shown above. His performances this season has secured his team some important points and having a top tier backstop combined with stellar defensive play has led to only conceding 14 goals in 8 games so far. Honorable mentions: Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (JYP), Joonas @Jombb- Koivukoski (Gotham)

NHLGamers, Our broadcast of the night will as per usual feature some of the very best that NHL 6v6 has to offer, this time in the form of an ECL bout at the very highest level when undefeated JYP take on the juggernaut and equally undefeated HAVU Gaming in our first matchup of the night. In our second matchup of the night, we'll see two teams who are desperately trying to jumpstart their seasons when Farjestad BK go up against GHETTO FIREBIRDS. Dynamic duo @Tougie24 and @Cyn will be casting the action for the duration of the night. HAVU Gaming vs JYP Jyvaskyla RECORD 10-0-0 vs 10-0-0 TOP SCORER Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (15+18=33) vs Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola (15+10=25) GOALTENDER Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (10 W, 86,21 SV%, 0,8 GAA, 5 SO) vs Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (10 W, 89,19 SV%, 1,2 GAA, 3 SO) This is going to be an interesting fight between the two top dogs of the division and we're expecting two tremendously skilled teams to go to war in this double-header for the top spot of the league. Both teams have shown equally strong performances as of late, but if an advantage has to be given, it would be a slight one for HAVU because of the sheer experience that their group has of playing together. JYP made some major changes to their squad in the offseason and have proven themselves to be a serious contender this time. @kriketski17 has turned out to be the perfect addition to their already strong forward core as his craftiness has been a great asset so far. Farjestad BK vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS RECORD 3-4-1 vs 3-3-4 TOP SCORER Sebastian @eBasstian Nagel (8+7=15) vs Jere @Jertsicc Sirviö (6+7=13) GOALTENDER Johan @Rundqviiist Rundqvist (3 W, 75,23 SV%, 3,38 GAA) Jere @Jeresti Kulju (3 W, 73,79 SV%, 2,7 GAA, 1 SO) Both Farjestad BK and GHETTO FIREBIRDS can be found below the playoff line. FBK especially is expected to play better than that and needs to get their game going if they want to deliver on their promises of success. The Swedish team has experienced a great amount of player turnover and some growth should be seen as they grow together as a group. GHETTO on the other hand has been performing close to their expected level and as a club in their first Elite season, they shouldn't be feeling the pressure of having to make playoffs. Last night, they managed to snap their overtime curse and grab their first OT win against Lulea Hockey. Will GHETTO continue on their path of beating down on Swedish teams or can FBK turn the corner and start racking up some points? Tune in for all the action starting tonight at 20:00 CEST over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer or IS TV and Ruutu for our Finnish viewers.

NHLGamers, JYP Jyvaskyla is a traditional hockey club hailing from Central Finland and with their announcement today, the club is becoming the first Finnish Liiga-club to venture into NHL esports. “We’ve been planning our entry into esports for a long time already, it was really a matter of opportunity and Symphony struck us as a very potential team that wanted to work with us. We wanted to spice up our marketing with something new and an own esports team in the NHL scene is the perfect way to go in the current state of things. This allows us to present new opportunities in cooperation for our partners and serve our customers in a multitude of new ways.” - Taneli Maasalo, JYP Jyvaskyla about entering the NHL esports scene. “JYP is a prestigious club that has created a great brand. When they showed interest in us, we quickly found a similar note and decided to go ahead with the partnership. It’s also great to represent the first Liiga-team in NHL Esports.” - Team captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin The roster that will be representing JYP is that of former Symphony, which received a major overhaul since ECL 9, which wasn’t up to standards for the team that usually pushes far into the postseason. Most notably, the team boosted their left flank by adding left defenseman Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and left wing Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola to their lineup. “Our NHL roster has a lot of likeness to our Liiga squad, where we have a bunch of veteran expertise combined with youthful talent. Symphony has established themselves as a playoff contender in ECL Elite and we want to be there in helping them take the next step. There’s a lot of potential, which is proven by earlier performances like the 2nd place in ECL 7 for example.”, says Maasalo. Follow JYP Jyvaskyla on social media: Twitter / Team Twitter Facebook Instagram