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SportsGamer is at the Tubecon Games event at Tampere-talo this Friday and Saturday (January 6 & 7). There is plenty to play, as well as challenge games against some of the most known faces in the in the gaming influencer industry in Finland! Ilari Pro, Paqpa, Jaakko Parkkali, ZoneVD and many others will be there during the weekend! The games are tongue in cheek, intended for more casual gaming. For SportsGamer users willing to make the trip, we are able to offer a discount code for the purchase of both a day ticket and a two-day tickets, which you can purchase here. You'll find our FIFA & NHL stations in the Duetto 2 area, where you can play challenge games and small tournaments on both days, with both FIFA 23 and NHL 23 games available. Hope to see you there!

SportsGamers, League Administration has decided to revise rule 14.1 (Transfer Deadline) in the rulebook in order to make our transfer deadline proceedings more streamlined and avoid confusion in transfers across divisions. With that in mind, we would like to remind all ECL teams that the transfer deadline for ECL '23 Winter will expire on January 6th, 2023 at 23:59 CET.  Originally, the rule has stated that the trade deadline would expire 12 days prior to the end of regular season in any given division, but League Administration felt that there was a need for clarification and a more straight-forward approach. Please remember to make sure your transfers are in line with the rulebook before making them and check with support if you aren't sure. Remember, only one transfer per player is allowed per season - unless the player has played 0 games (overall, for any team) the entire season, which is covered in rule 14.6. If you're a player still looking for a team or a team still looking to add to your roster, please head to the Free Agents section or the Clubs Looking For Players section on our forum. Please post any last-minute transfers in the comments section below so everyone can enjoy them. 

With last week being full of extra festivities and due to that being shortened in terms of available gamedays, it was a slower week also for ECL Elite action. Most teams took an extended holiday break, but one team really rose to the occasion when called upon. We highlighted JANO lagging behind a bit in our latest weekly report, and now they've managed to pretty much catch up with he rest of the pack over the course of the holidays. In an exciting turn of events also rookie winger Waltteri @Wpaanane Paananen has managed to climb his way to the top of the scoring charts with 16+16=32 points in his first 12 games.  In our only ECL Elite broadcast last week, we got to see Reality Check take on Frölunda HC and Växjö Lakers take on Nordic Stars and these teams didn't disappoint! Two out of four games extended into overtime and none of the teams had to leave without points. The most exciting event of the evening, however, was Växjö's push to tie it up in the dying seconds of their second game against Nordic Stars. They had goaltender Erik @MrAllsvenskan Rotsenius out as a sixth skater with over 30 seconds to go in the third period and managed to score a goal, which was disallowed. It would take a second effort and throwing it all on net in order for the Swedes to tie it up and eventually win the game in overtime.  Standings - Week 3 1.  Frölunda HC (+1) 10-2-2 2.  hREDS (-1) 10-1-1 3.  Tunnel Vision (+4) 8-0-2 4.  Roots Gaming (-) 7-2-3 5.  Nordic Stars (+3) 7-5-2 6.  Reality Check (+4) 7-5-2 7.  Unlucky Boys HC (-4) 7-3-2 8.  ISO Esports (-3) 5-4-5 9.  JYP Jyvaskyla (-3) 7-3-0 10.  JANO (+6) 6-4-2 11.  ZSC Esports (-2) 6-8-0 12.  GOONS (-) 4-6-2 13.  Färjestad BK (-2) 3-4-3 14.  Växjö Lakers (-1) 3-7-2 15.  Falun Coal Miners (-1) 2-6-2 16.  Luleå Hockey (-1) 2-3-1 Tonight, ECL '23 Winter Elite returns for a new year with new opportunities. JYP Jyväskylä takes on Roots Gaming, whereas hREDS are taken on by the high-flying JANO in their biggest challenge yet. Join us for all the action at 19:45 CET as usual. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

The newest traditional hockey organization to sign their own NHL esports roster is EHC Kloten from the Swiss National League NLA. The club, hailing from Kloten in northern Switzerland in the canton of Zürich now joins the group of several other Swiss clubs that have entered the NHL esports scene looking for glory, with ZSC Esports leading the way in the European top 16. Formerly known as Gleumes Hockey Krefeld, the roster led by captain Manuel @ManU287 Engels is excited about their new opportunity and the development he's seen in the team over the past few seasons: "Two years ago I started the project Gleumes Hockey Krefeld with friends. In the last few months, I thought more and more about joining an ice hockey club as an eSports team. Through Kiwi @kiwison Meier, we then came to EHC Kloten and were able to take this important step. I am very happy about this cooperation and what can come out of it. We will establish ourselves in the ECL Lite division and then see what will be possible for us from there. The club has a great tradition and we will wear the colours and logo with pride". Kiwi Meier, the assistant captain and driving force in the talks with EHC Kloten is feeling good about their new organization and is excited about expanding the community to fans of EHC Kloten, and also potentially discovering a few undiscovered talents along the way. Their participation in the eNationalleague was EHC Kloten's first venture into esports and their representative Guido Wanger, who was selected through club qualifiers has fared well and slotted in the top 100 consistently on the worldwide leaderboards. A 6v6 team will be the next step for the club, building on the momentum established on the 1v1 side of things. The traditional sports club wants to attract a younger audience and capitalise on the growing popularity of eSports. The goal is to foster a sense of community and engagement among the club's members and fans, creating a more vibrant and supportive environment for all the club's activities. "For EHC Kloten, esports is a big project with a lot of potential that we want to use. We are happy that we were able to sign motivated and experienced players who represent the club and its values in the world of competitive gaming. We have been able to define initial goals and are looking forward to embarking on this mission together", Yanis Schälchli, Head of esports at EHC Kloten summarizes. You can catch EHC Kloten eSports in action already tonight in a Swiss league rivalry matchup against HC Lugano eSports. The games will be streamed live at www.twitch.tv/ehc_kloten_esports with puckdrop at 22:00 CET!

SportsGamers, The ECL '23 Winter Elite season returns from its Christmas break and with that, also the second week of action in the regular season is in the books. While some teams are quickly closing in on the halfway mark of their campaigns, JANO, who didn't start their journey until Thursday last week, will have some catching up to do. Among the teams we mentioned would have to really prove themselves in the past week were ZSC Esports and Falun Coal Miners. Now it's time to take a look at how those teams have fared in the past week, as well as look at some other trends that might have started appearing.  Since last time we checked in on the Elite division, the predicted contenders hREDS and Frölunda HC have started pulling the pack, as expected. The two title favorites even clashed this week, with points eventually being shared between the two of them. In both of those bouts, hREDS evidently put on more pressure and managed to gain an advantage in chances created and puck possession, but Frölunda were incredibly opportunistic and strongly benefitted from the scoring touch that Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen has managed to find for the red and green.  One of the more surprising outcomes of the early season is Roots Gaming and Unlucky Boys HC battling up there with the big boys in the standings. Both clubs underwent some offseason changes and were expected to at least have an adjustment period early on, but at this point, they are hanging in there with the best of them. Roots managed to sneak a point in their matchup against hREDS, whereas Unlucky Boys won one of their games in the matchup against Frölunda HC. The Unlucky Boys HC captain Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru, who dropped back to defense this season, has started very well, helping his team on the rush too with great production (2+12=14) early on.  ZSC Esports and Falun Coal Miners, who we were wishing to pick up their game a bit, haven't really shown what we know they can do yet. Both teams are seemingly struggling to keep the puck out of their own net, and Falun aren't helping their case by being one of the most penalized teams in the league on average. There's still plenty of time for both of these squads to turn things around, and we'll be rooting for them to find a way in the coming weeks! Another interesting phenomenon has been the lows that GOONS, Färjestad BK and Växjö Lakers have started their seasons on. All three teams are now past the first third of the season and are below a .500 record. While GOONS and FBK have been around for quite some time already in the Elite division, Växjö were expected to be the new kids on the block with the skill to challenge some of the better teams in the league. That has certainly not yet happened, and with their upcoming matchups being Nordic Stars and Unlucky Boys, now is a better time than ever for Växjö to pull theirselves together. GOONS, on the other hand, have been doing just that, as they seem to have rotated all of their deep roster in an attempt to find the constellation that ultimately will be able to get them wins. Top scorer Roope @pikkuroger Bergström will be entering military service in a week, so they'll need to find a way to click without him in the future.  The top plays of last week featured some Laitinen action in the Tunnel Vision vs Frölunda HC matchup, as Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen managed to steal the puck in the neutral zone, setting up an attacking chance for his team. Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen managed to find Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen open on the right flank for a clapper that hit the back of the net.    In another beautiful play this past week, JANO's Waltteri @Wpaanane Paananen threw some extra, extra sauce on the table when finding his teammate Eemil @Eeemill_ Törnvall for an easy tap in at the back post in their matchup against Färjestad BK. Standings - Week 1 1.  hREDS (-) 10-1-1 2.  Frölunda HC (+1) 9-2-1 3.  Unlucky Boys HC (+2) 7-3-2 4.  Roots Gaming (+6) 6-1-3 5.  ISO Esports (-1) 5-4-5 6.  JYP Jyvaskyla (+2) 7-3-0 7.  Tunnel Vision (-1) 6-0-2 8.  Nordic Stars (-6) 6-3-1 9.  ZSC Esports (-) 6-8-0 10.  Reality Check (-3) 5-3-2 11.  Färjestad BK (+1) 3-4-3 12.  GOONS (-1) 3-6-2 13.  Växjö Lakers (+1) 2-6-2 14.  Falun Coal Miners (-1) 2-6-2 15.  Luleå Hockey (+1) 2-3-1 16.  JANO (-1) 2-2-0 ECL '23 Winter Pro is on the table today with two great broadcast matchups! Tune in to watch IK Oskarshamn take on Bastu and Frölunda HC Academy take on Synergy Hockey. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG at 19:45CET as usual!

The ECL '23 Winter 1v1 season is rolling along nicely and with the initial Qualifiers out of the way, we've now arrived at the regular season. This is the second stage of the tournament, where all the best players are divided into groups and from there will eventually qualify for the playoffs. At this point the real road towards the Finals in Helsinki starts! Description ECL 1v1 is for players who want to test their skills against the best of the best in competitive play. The ECL 1v1 Winter season features four qualifiers, leading to group play with the top players of these qualifiers involved. The top 64 of the group stage will continue to determine the best of the best in the best-of-three playoffs with a prize pool totalling 2500€. Taking part in the ECL 1v1 seasons requires the purchase of the ECL '23 Player License. Format The league is played in three stages: Stage 1: Qualifier stage (BO1, single elimination) - Four qualifiers open to anyone, the top 32 players from each Qualifier advance to stage 2, with seeding baskets for stage 2 being determined by qualifier rank. Stage 2: Regular season (BO1) - The top players will be seeded into eight groups with 16 players each, the 8 best will advance to the playoffs from each group. Stage 3: Playoffs (BO3, single elimination) - The Semifinals and Finals will be played live at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo, Finland January 13th, 2023. Find the groups, schedule and brackets on the League page here. ECL '23 Winter: 1v1 Schedule Regular season (BO1) Tuesday 27.12. R1: 18:00 R2: 18:30 R3: 19:00 R4: 19:30 Thursday 29.12. R5: 18:00 R6: 18:30 R7: 19:00 R8: 19:30 Friday 30.12. R9: 18:00 R10: 18:30 R11: 19:00 R12: 19:30 Tuesday 3.1. R13: 18:00 R14: 18:30 R15: 19:00 Playoffs (BO3) Friday 6.1. RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 19:30CET Sunday 8.1. RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 16:30CET Friday 20.1. @ the SportsGamer studio in Espoo, Finland Semifinals: 18:00CET Finals: 20:00CET

SportsGamer and the Football Association of Finland is organizing the 2023 FIFA 23 Finnish Championships! The Championships are kicking off with two Qualifiers, that will be played on January 5th and 6th, 2023. Now is your chance to challenge for the throne and test your skills against all the best Finnish FIFA 23 players. Our National team has been taking great steps forward these recent years and you'll definitely be seeing several stars, such as Joona @Krompe Vaajala, Jeremias @jerkosz Kosamo, Anton @Anzinho8 Korvenaho and many more trying to go for the gold this year. This tournament will be played in the 1v1 FUT game mode and is open for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Stadia players. In addition to the Finnish Championship title, there is a prize pool of 2500€ up for grabs. The prize pool will be split between the Top 4 of the Championship. Schedule Sign-ups: 13.12.2022-3.1.2023 Qualifier 1: 5.1.2023 Qualifier 2: 6.1.2023 Group stage: 8.1.2023-12.1.2023 Playoffs (Top 16): 15.1.2023 Live Finals (Top 4): 4.2.2023 Find the full rulebook for the FIFA 23 Finnish Championships here. The Top 4 Live Finals will be played live at a location that will be announced leading up to the event. The full Finals event will be streamed online. What are you waiting for? Gather your FUT team and sign up now! Sign up here!

SportsGamers, It's been quite the first week of competition in our ECL '23 Winter Elite division and several storylines are already slowly starting to unfold. While some teams have been able to take off big time, others haven't been able to start off the way they drew it up in training camp. Some of the parity of the league right now really shows in the fact that not even the defending Champion hREDS were able to escape the first week lossless, as they ended up taking an overtime L against fellow contenders in their opening night matchup. Other things we got to witness right from the get-go on opening night was a true tale of two halves in the matchup between Reality Check and ZSC Esports. The newly promoted Reality Check squad laid a beating on the Swiss outfit in their first ever Elite bout and came away with a 10-0 win in which V-V @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) Lampela really popped off, recording 9 points in total. Imagine their surprise when the Swiss got their game going for game 2, this Elite campaign wasn't going to be quite that easy, boys! Zürich managed to mount a great response in their home game, returning the favor with a 3-0 win. The Swiss lions played four matchups in their first week, and at least early on it's looked like they've struggled finding their cycle game, having to resort to counter-attacking in many of their games.  We've also been very pleased to see how Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen has taken off in his new red and green colors with Frölunda HC. After a few quieter seasons with HAVU Gaming and JYP there was even some speculation of the highly skilled winger laying off the thumbsticks, but now he's back and looking better than ever. With six goals on opening night and 9+3=12 in the first week in total, Puantso is second in scoring for his team, and 11th in the entire league.  Nordic Stars is a team we were expecting to make the Playoffs based on our preview, but the squad has really been able to open their season in style with a 5-2-1 record in their eight first games. However, their schedule thus far has been fairly favorable, including Roots Gaming and ISO Esports to name a few teams that we are expecting to finish outside the Playoff picture. One of the most convincing outing for Nordic stars this past week was their absolute shutdown of Falun Coal Miners. The team managed to walk away from the matchup with a 5-0 and 6-0 win, with goaltender Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck making a total of 17 saves in the process. If Nordic Stars manage to keep up this trend and their 1.38 point average, they will make the Playoffs at the end of the season for sure.  Falun Coal Miners made another appearance with a heroic performance on Sunday against hREDS. The team has had a challenging schedule to start their campaign to say the least, but despite having to match up against bona fide contenders Frölunda HC and hREDS in the first week of competition, the Swedish outfit has still managed to cash in on six points in total, with two of them coming from OT losses against both of the aforementioned powerhouses. Tomi @Tope0090 (Mestari_tikkuuu) Heikkilä has shared responsibilities with Jonas @poliskontroll Lindström in net, and they have certainly been able to pull their weight for the team. Falun is expected to pick up their point collection pace in the coming weeks for sure.  Standings - Week 1 1.  hREDS (-) 5-0-1 2.  Nordic Stars (+6) 5-2-1 3.  Frölunda HC (-) 5-1-0 4.  ISO Esports (+10) 3-1-4 5.  Unlucky Boys HC (+10) 4-2-0 6.  Tunnel Vision (-4) 3-0-1 7.  Reality Check (+4) 3-1-0 8.  JYP Jyvaskyla (+2) 3-1-0 9.  ZSC Esports (-3) 3-5-0 10.  Roots Gaming (+6) 2-0-2 11.  GOONS (-2) 2-2-2 12.  Färjestad BK (-8) 2-2-2 13.  Falun Coal Miners (-) 2-4-2 14.  Växjö Lakers (-9) 0-2-2 15.  JANO (-3) 0-0-0 16.  Luleå Hockey (-8) 0-2-0 ECL '23 Winter Elite continues today with two great broadcast matchups! Tune in to watch Frölunda HC take on Tunnel Vision and Unlucky Boys take on Falun Coal Miners. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG at 19:45CET!

We've played through the first three qualifiers of the ECL '23 Winter 1v1 season and this weekend, it's time for the fourth and last chance to Qualify for the Top 128 group stage. If you haven't done so yet, this is your last shot at joining the best European players in playing for the first ever ECL 1v1 Championship. Here's a list of qualified players from the first three Qualifiers: Description ECL 1v1 is for players who want to test their skills against the best of the best in competitive play. The ECL 1v1 Winter season features four qualifiers, leading to group play with the top 128 players of these qualifiers involved. The top 64 of the group stage will continue to determine the best of the best in the best-of-three playoffs with a prize pool totaling 2500€. Taking part in the ECL 1v1 seasons requires the purchase of the ECL '23 Player License. Format The league is played in three stages: Stage 1: Qualifier stage (BO1, single elimination) - Four qualifiers open to anyone, the top 32 players from each Qualifier advance to stage 2, with seeding baskets for stage 2 being determined by qualifier rank. Stage 2: Group play (BO1) - The top 128 players will be seeded into eight groups with 16 players each, the 8 best will advance to the playoffs from each group. Stage 3: Playoffs (BO3, single elimination) - The Semifinals and Finals will be played live at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo, Finland January 13th, 2023. ECL '23 Winter: 1v1 Schedule Qualifier 4 Sign up period 15.11-16.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 17.12 RO64: 16:00CET RO32: 17:00CET RO16: 17:30CET Sunday 18.12 Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 16:30CET TOP 128 Group Play (BO1) Tuesday 27.12. R1: 18:00 R2: 18:30 R3: 19:00 R4: 19:30 Thursday 29.12. R5: 18:00 R6: 18:30 R7: 19:00 R8: 19:30 Friday 30.12. R9: 18:00 R10: 18:30 R11: 19:00 R12: 19:30 Tuesday 3.1. R13: 18:00 R14: 18:30 R15: 19:00 Playoffs (BO3) Friday 6.1. RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 19:30CET Sunday 8.1. RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 16:30CET Friday 13.1. @ the SportsGamer studio in Espoo, Finland Semifinals: 18:00CET Finals: 20:00CET

SportsGamer and PlayStation bring you the PlayStation NHL 23 Showdown - a Finnish 1v1 NHL 23 tournament played on the PlayStation 5 throughout January and February 2023. The PlayStation NHL 23 Showdown is for all players that are looking to test their skills in a competitive environment with the chance of winning some awesome PlayStation prizes in the process. Entry is free and in true SportsGamer fashion, we’ll be highlighting the greatest plays and most exciting games of the tournament on our social media channels and in live finals on Twitch. Tournament format The PlayStation NHL 23 Showdown will span over the course of four weeks and is going to be played fully online in four different stages. Registrations: 15.12.2022-19.1.2023 *Note that registrations for the first Qualifier will be closing on January 12th! First Qualifier: 14.1.2023 Second Qualifier: 21.1.2023 Top 16 Group Stage: 25.1-5.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 7.-9.2. Top 4 Finals: 11.2.2023 Players will have two opportunities to qualify for the Top 16 that will make the playoffs, as eight players will be qualifying on each Qualifier weekend. The Top 16 Group Stage will span over the course of a week. The winner of the entire tournament will be taking home 250 EUR in cash, a 50 EUR PSN voucher and a lot of PlayStation goodies, while the top eight players of the tournament will all receive cool prizes! Find more information and register now at sportsgamer.gg/playstationshowdown!

SportsGamers, The ECL '23 Winter Core division is kicking off on Tuesday, December 13th and it's time to get to know some of the teams and go through what this division is all about at the end of the day. ECL Core is the second level of competition, and the first level featuring a prize pool, which is going to be 3500€ this season. ECL '23 Winter Core holds 27 teams divided into two groups, out of which 8 in each group will make the Playoffs. Default gamedays are Tuesday, Thursday and Wednesday. Playoffs are played in best-of-seven manner. Head to the league page here to view the groups and game schedule. ECL '23 Winter: Core Schedule Regular Season: 13.12.2022-19.1.2023 RO32: 22.-26.1.2023 RO16: 29.1-2.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 5.-9.2.2023 Semifinals: 12.-16.2.2023 Finals: 19.-23.2.2023 The Core division was introduced in ECL 12, and thus this is going to be the fourth time we're seeing action at the fourth tier of competition in the ECL. The division houses several interesting teams representing traditional ice hockey clubs, such as HC Pustertal eSports based in northern Italy, who are in their inaugural season. Some other examples of such teams are Swiss sides Ambri eSports, EHC Basel eSports or the French Remparts de Tours Esport, who are now starting their sixth ECL campaign. Some other teams to keep your eye on would definitely be the long-lived Pirates eSports, who have been consistent in their participation, but success has eluded them. Their roster has seen some turnover throughout the years, but now most of the current squad are carrying over from last season's Pirates eSports Origins. Perhaps the most electrifying player in the entire division can be found in the roster of Capetown Kings, as @Timotei97 has joined them from GIFU Hockey. It'll be interesting to see if he will end up being in a backup role or if the former Elite and Pro winger will take the ice in the Capetown jersey. Elsewhere, FIFA superstar @egoapina could be an interesting player to follow for his Turkunummi, who are coming fresh off an ECL '22 Spring Neo Championship. ECL '23 Core competition officially starts tonight, with several teams having their opening matchups scheduled! Make sure to follow the tag #ECL23Winter on social media to stay up to date on all the latest news and gameday updates. As always, Good luck, play hard and have fun!

SportsGamers, It's been a wild offseason for lots of teams, and the new iteration of the game certainly adds a special spice to the mix. Several teams will have to push through various types of adversity on their long campaign that they all are hoping to end with ultimate glory - An ECL '23 Winter Championship and a spot in the fabled World Finals. Going into the season, it seems like one team especially seems to have a step on the competition, whereas below that and in the mid-table, we'll be seeing unprecedented parity throughout the league.  Season Information ECL '23 Winter Elite features 16 of the best NHL esports teams in Europe. Eight teams in total will make the Playoffs, which are played in a best-of-seven manner. The Champion will be punching their ticket to play the NACL '23 Winter Champion in the World Finals in Helsinki on February 25th.  Head to the league page here to view the groups and game schedule. ECL '23 Winter: Elite Schedule Regular Season: 12.12.2022-18.1.2023 Quarterfinals: 25.1-1.2.2023 Semifinals: 5-8.2.2023 Finals: 24.2.2023 (Live in Helsinki) Season preview This ranking is based on averages in a vote involving several community members.  1.  hREDS The team that won it all in ECL '22 is now back, looking as strong as ever with the recent acquisition of Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila as a replacement for Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen and a preseason tournament win already under their belts. There are little to no signs that hREDS would be letting up on their reign of dominance, and with GOONS' eHSM-winning roster disbanding in the offseason, now their closest competition is also just that much further away. Wingers Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen have been great for the team over the course of the preseason, and they are expected to continue performing with the return of arguably the best centerman in the league, Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen. It's hard to see anyone stopping the dominant streak hREDS are on currently and the competition will really have to dig deep.  2.  Tunnel Vision Tunnel Vision is looking great heading into another season after some offseason turbulence for the squad. While "offseason turbulence" could be something that makes lots of captain sweat, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen definitely managed to keep their heads cool and come out on top in this one. As much as losing offensive superstar Jere @jxrska Laukka might sting, they've found a way to replace him with another Laitinen, Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen that is. The kid has been doing great things for GOONS over the past couple of seasons, and really blossomed in the eSHM, capping things off with a title. Perhaps now is his time to shine in the ECL too? 3.  Frölunda HC Frölunda HC will be coming at us hard this season with the dream team we all wanted to see back in the NHL 19 days with peak Written In The Stars and FILADELPHIA going at it tournament after tournament, league after league. Honestly, it's a real throwback, but at the same time make no mistake - these guys still know how to play and win. In an interesting turn of events over the past few seasons, we've seen Frölunda rotate their squad and explore various outlooks for the roster that's been a lock for such a long time. Last season we saw the captain Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala take on the role of a defenseman, but this year it'll be Erik @Eki Tammenpää who is on defense as the cap swaps back to his familiar center spot. This will deifintely be an exciting team to watch, lots of storylines going on, such as the how Eki will transition into his defensive role, how newcomers Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen and Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto will fit in with the new team and if this throwback dream team really can get it done? 4.  Färjestad BK If the ECL '22 Spring season was a small step back for Färjestad, this season is going to be a great comeback for the squad. While they've lost their long-time scoring machine Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg, they've brought in a more than capable replacement in the form of Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander, who really led Setelit On Ice in the eHSM from his winger position. They've also brought in Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi from IQUE to replace Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann, who we are sad to hear will be taking a step back from competitive NHL. Up front, this is certainly the best and most balanced Färjestad team in a long time, but it'll most likely come down to how well their defensemen will play together and if Johan @McSavid Rundqvist will continue getting those timely saves in net. 5.  Växjö Lakers We're calling it - the dark horse of the season. Växjö Lakers may be a newcomer to the division with their promotion coming off their Spring season Championship, but they've been honing their skills together in the Pro division over the course of a couple of seasons already, and this will be their big shot in the top 16. One thing Växjö certainly isn't lacking is skill on the puck and they've got that in abundance both up front and down low. However, what they need to find is timely movement of that rubber piece. Stepping up to Elite can, as we've seen, be a massive leap, but we expect this team to find their stride quick since they've been on the fringe for so long already. 6.  ZSC Esports After narrowly missing out on the playoffs in both the ECL '22 Winter and Spring seasons, this Swiss outfit is eager to get the action started with one major change to their roster in the offseason as Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer will be replacing Reto @Haldeem Haldemann on defence, as the latter is heading on loan to fellow Elite squad Falun Coal Miners. These boys can soon start to call themselves seasoned vets in the Elite division, but they've remained on the fringe of the Playoffs thus far, with the expectation to be able to break that threshold finally. The only thing that might hold them back, though, is the lack of consistent practice against higher level opposition in comparison to their peers.  7.  Nordic Stars Formerly Conquer Gaming, this squad will be reverting to their old Nordic Stars branding. The familiar colors, that especially Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho and Jere @Jerax13 Hällström represented for several seasons in ECL Pro back in the days. Now, the green and yellow of Nordic Stars is making their first appearance in Elite and after a very promising Spring season outing where all expectations were overcome, these guys are ready to once again make an impact. The team has some lineup changes, with both Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko and Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen joining them from IQUE, who had a disaster of a season in ECL '22 Spring. Now, the new Nordic Stars have looked excellent in preseason, really shining with quick puck movement and flashes of the individual skill they have in abundance. What will end up being their downfall, however, is how well they'll be able to find that five man defense in fending off stronger offensive teams. 8.  Luleå Hockey Formerly known as Örebro Hockey or POGGERS, this group have now managed to sign with a new Swedish organization, Luleå Hockey from the very North of the country. Unlike much of their competition, this roster will be continuing into ECL '23 Winter virtually unchanged. Luleå will be sporting a very balanced offense with Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi, Jan-Mikael @Janski Aittoniemi and Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen. All of them have proven to be reliable scorers at this level and possess that extra flair that will keep opposing defensemen on their toes throughout the season. Captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström will pair with Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi for a very capable defense pairing, who can jump in on the rush when needed. A 4th place finish in the regular season was a surprise, but we're still predicting these guys to reach the playoffs again! 9.  GOONS GOONS were looking really strong to end the ECL '22 Spring season and were on a great upwards trajectory, but unfortunately the team seems to have fallen apart over the course of the offseason. As a result, we were even speculating about them possibly sitting out the season a mere week ago, but the captaincy group has managed to pull some patchwork on their roster and they're at least going to have a crack at it this season. Their new roster will certainly be heavily centered around captain Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola, who will be joined by three new players in their starting lineup with Roope @pikkuroger Bergström entering his military service. Jere @jergelii Jortama, Teemu @tkantola Kantola and Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen will have to get into the GOONS groove real quick if they want to stand a chance at squeaking their way into the playoffs.  10.  JYP Jyvaskyla JYP is certainly an interesting team and one to keep a look out for. Despite the fact thet they've come crashing down from their glory days, they've still managed to stay in the mix and even fight for those last Playoff spots. This season, the red hurricanes are entering with a heavily overhauled roster, keeping captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin, assistant Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen, winger Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala and goaltender Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt while replacing the entire defense and bringing in an extra backup. The worrysome factor, though? None of their new defensemen have seen a second of ice time in the Elite division before. All of their new recruits in Aapeli @Frans-Fin Landström, Jimi @J-_-Jamaltheman Rönkkönen and @obivop are rookies and it's a big ask for them to instantly make an impact at the level required to propel their team into the playoffs. Their highly experienced core will be able to help out, but this isn't the season JYP gets back to glory yet.  11.  Reality Check Reality Check have really suffered from the fringe elite curse over the past few seasons, as they've been one of the strongest contenders season in and season out in the Pro division, but never managed to gain promotion until now. The team gained their spot in a relegation battle against Stargazing and won the series in a sweep. Much credit goes to their goaltender Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, who had an excellent season and is expected to continue in great form, certainly having the experience to back him even in the Elite division. Reality Check's roster will remain unchanged with the exception for the centerman spot, at which they've now got Jesper @Niskalaukaus Aho instead of Jesse @JesseL2002 Linden, who returned to his former team Project X in the Lite division. The move has stirred up a lot of discussion, but only time will tell how it will work out for the team.  12.  JANO This is the rebranded AHJO, that you might remember from ECL '22 Spring Pro. The team pulled an excellent campaign back in that spring season, ending in the semifinals at the hands of Reality Check, who ended up taking home the silver. JANO continued their season into a relegation battle against HV71, who didn't manage to salvage their season and faltered 4-2 in the series. While JANO has players such as Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, Markus @Makeaxl Lahti and Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen, who already have made their mark in the Elite division, they have been able to strike fear into their preseason opponents in the way they'd wanted to. Much will rely on Makeaxl quarterbacking their play and starting the rush, and their forwards will just need to find a way to finish on those chances at a high enough rate.  13.  Falun Coal Miners After a long absence from the ECL ice, Falun Coal Miners returned for the Spring season with several experienced gamers such as captain Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt, Connor @MartindalexC Martindale and André @Foppatofflan Liljegren in their roster. Back then, we were certainly excited to see the beloved squad and brand return, but our predictions for them were rather grim. Now, while they've retained all of the aforementioned season 1 originals in their roster and added even more experience in the form of Reto @Haldeem Haldemann on loan from ZSC Esports, Falun is still slotting in at 13th in our preview ranking. That is not to say that the Coal Miners wouldn't be an excellent team and we certainly expect them to show some resilience and utilize all that experience in stealing points from younger teams along the way, but it's tough to predict Falun being in the drivers seat in many of their games, and their playbook might have to rely on counter-attacking a bit too much. Keep your eye on rookie goaltender Tomi @Tope0090 (mestari_tikkuuu) Heikkilä, who is coming off of a great eHSM performance with Setelit On Ice. 14.  ISO Esports The most recent Elite team ISO Esports didn't secure their spot in the European top 16 until Thursday night in the Elite Qualifier Finals against Hanaa HC. With a freshly inked contract with the organization and their recent promotion, these boys are on an impressive upwards trajectory and could be one of the most exciting teams to follow early on. The team has a very deep roster, sporting a total of 10 players, who arguably could all slot in as starters in an Elite team to some capacity. However, they are expected to run with Putte @Putteekiing Unasin & Juha @juhkis96 Katajamaa down low and Kalle @James (Jamechkin) Riihelä, Tuukka @Tukexi (MATILAISKA_) Matilainen and Valtteri @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) Yli-Olli up front. In net, it looks like Eevertti @Empuuz_24 Viljanen will get most of the starts, but as Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen has shown in the past, he can take over if need be.  15.  Unlucky Boys HC The Unlucky Boys is another brand with a great legacy in the ECL that we welcome with open arms. This is a team that played for YMCA Esports for the past few seasons and have been on a worrisome downward trajectory missing the playoffs in both ECL '22 Winter and Spring. They're one of those teams, that together with Luleå Hockey have managed to retain a rather similar roster for an extended period of time while battling in the very tightly contested mid-table of the European top 16. This season, we've heard rumblings that captain Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru might be taking a step back, with Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli taking the center spot flanked by Joona @jm98II Muona and Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen. Thus far, the burger boys have been able to escape relegation and while we're predicting them to come in at 15th this season, they'll have a chance to prove us wrong or salvage things in the relegation battle.  16.  Roots Gaming Roots is one of those teams that everyone has been waiting to take the next step for quite some time already, perhaps also one of the main reasons they originally were signed to the organization in the first place. As of right now, however, it looks like they haven't been able to find their form in NHL 23 and they really seemed to take a step back during the offseason. The team has managed to compile a roster that should be able to be competitive in the tightly contested Elite mid-tier, but they'll be having a very tough go if they take long to find their stride. One of the most interesting players this season could certainly be on Roots' roster with Miika @zMikkeez Kauppila taking a starting role besides Jere @keranee Keränen and Santeri @xleksa35 Levänen. The winger really managed to shine with Setelit On Ice in the eHSM and made himself known for flashy and sometimes even unorthodox plays on the ice. The ECL '23 Winter Elite season will kick off tonight with the season opening broadcast at 19:15 CET! We'll start things off with Cody @Tougie24 Tougas & Paul @Cyn Anderson doing their own season preview, after which the teams will take the ice. Join us for a night of the best virtual hockey in Europe at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!      

SportsGamers, The ECL '23 Winter Pro season is seeing an unusually high turnover in teams due to several squads disbanding in the offseason, which means we'll have a lot of interesting new outfits to take under closer inspection! Some of these squads include long-time Lite dwellers Arkham Asylum and Bastu, who will finally be getting a shot at the second highest tier, while we're also seeing the return of Synergy Hockey after their winning ECL '22 Spring campaign where they beat Valco, who also earned a well deserved promotion, in the Finals. Season Information ECL '23 Winter Pro will feature 32 teams in two groups with 16 teams each. Default gamedays are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Eight teams from each group will make the best-of-seven Playoffs. This season, the prize pool for the Pro division is 5500€ with the split pictured below. Head to the league page here to view the groups and game schedule. ECL '23 Winter: Pro Schedule Regular Season: 12.2.2022-16.1.2023 RO16: 19.-24.1.2023 Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023 Semifinals: 2.-7.2.2023 Finals: 12.-14.2.2023 Season Preview Group 1 Written by @jahajaha93 HOT 🔥 HanaaHC HanaaHC has been one of those teams that haven't quite been able to get over that threshold and be bona fide contenders for quite some time already. Recently they had their shot at promotion through an Elite Qualifier, but got edged out by ISO Esports in a dominant Qualifier Finals sweep, which indicates that Hanaa perhaps isn't quite ready for Elite competition yet. However, they've got a gruelling Pro campaign ahead of them now, and plenty of time to grow and gel. The desire to succeed is there, and so is the talent, now they just need to find a way to make it all work. The team's most notable additions will be Miro @Rytze_ Perho and Joonas @Jondeezz Tikkanen, who join them on the flanks of captain Jere @Hazard-laser Korte as Mikael @Mikka Alaheikka takes on a new role in defense. The team was able to perform in the Elite Qualifiers with this roster, so the indication is that they should finish among the top teams in their group. Player to Watch: @Rytze_ RCTIC Several rumors had RCTIC folding at the end of last season, and they had in fact been absent for a while, but now they’re back as a fusion with the former WannaCry, and we’re quite excited about their chances in this one! The team is sporting a deep offense with the likes of @Limbe65 and @yrjoo from the former RCTIC roster with additions @Okke40 (hifk_FANI), @Jjomppa and @IKarkkiI joining them. We’ll have to see where Karkki eventually plays, as she’s been seen both at the center and defense positions in past seasons. Young @Ricco will be their sole netminder. Player to Watch: @IKarkkiI Be a Bro Be a Bro is back with one of the most experienced rosters in the division. This roster features season 1 originals @Janikka and @imosi, who will hold leading roles despite not belonging to the captain group. The old dogs are accompanied by fringe Elite defenseman @MCH_98 and the duo @Sanezh and @ESSRV from the former Hokurit. The skill is still there for this team and their experience will certainly push them far in a division where every point will count. @Svone10 will be guarding the net for the squad, and with some decent performances in previous seasons, this could be the one he breaks out properly. Player to Watch: @MCH_98 Synergy Hockey The Swedish roster is back in the Pro division, from which they stepped back at the end of the ECL 11 Pro season. They’ve worked their way back slowly but surely and after the long grind, these highly experienced gamers can now jot down a few more experiences in their journals. @Supremski is a great offensive defenseman that could certainly slot in for some Elite teams too, while their offensive trio @Buffy, @Isindar and @Mumsi- have been around enough to know how to win games. Goaltending is also in excellent shape for this team, with one of the strongest tandems in the league. @Sorsa103 and @DUNZA could end up sharing the responsibilities. Player to Watch: @Supremski NOT ❄️ Mora IK Mora played their first ever ECL Pro season last Spring and ended up finishing 14th in their group ahead of Almtuna eSport and Pasilan SKA. They had big wins against strong RCTIC and Hokurit teams, but otherwise there weren’t many highlights to their campaign. with one more season of experience in the rearview, the leadership group has heavily overhauled the team and this time it unfortunately looks they might have gotten weaker. Time will tell, but with their recruits mostly coming from Lite squads outside of the Playoff picture, they’ll need to up their level a lot to make things happen this season. Player to Watch: @andreaskakan TTK The team that once was a finalist in ECL 9 Neo has come a long way in their development over the years, and it’s a great thing to see that their core has done their best to remain intact through some of the adversity they’ve had to face in the Lite division. Now with a step taken to the next level, all of this squad will need to elevate their level very much in order to escape relegation. They’ve traditionally been a good regular season team, which might end up working in their favor this season! Player to Watch: @juusoskari Frolunda Hc Academy Having earned their spot in the Pro Qualifiers by gaining bronze at the end of the ECL ‘22 Spring Core season, Frolunda HC Academy will be in for a massive challenge leaping over the Lite division entirely. Keep an eye on their early performances that could dictate a trend for their season. This team does have some offense to them and their force up front will be @Gustaf Olsson (gurrao10), who finished 2nd in scoring in the Core Playoffs last season. Now, they’ll need to find that defense too and really work together to make things click. Player to Watch: @Gustaf Olsson (gurrao10) Ace Hockey There’s no sugarcoating it - the playstyle Ace Hockey have employed in the past will not work against most Pro level squads. They’ve got tremendous skill and speed up the wings, but thus far they’ve been a one trick pony, which unfortunately could end up being costly for them. However, if Ace Hockey finds a way to diversify their game and get those greasy goals whenever needed, they could end up finding a mid-table finish. Player to Watch: @Dehliiin Group 2 Written by @Mikka HOT 🔥 Björklöven Esport Coming into their fourth Pro season, Björklöven has been in or around the playoff conversations since day one. Captain @Kallmanius has managed to reel in some exciting reinforcements for the upcoming campaign, with @Demski_, @Rubituss (l-Rubituss-l) and @Tkautto98 (Kautto_) joining from the now defunct HV71, who got relegated from Elite after the Spring season. They now appear to be one of the stronger squads, and should be battling not only for Group 2's top seed, but perhaps even the championship. That's a ways away though, and we'll see what the lengthy grind ahead brings them, despite the premise. Player to Watch: @Demski_ Deadly Phantoms DPH made their Pro debut back in ECL 6, and it only took them two tries to get up to Elite. They made some good runs during their four seasons in the highest division, before getting relegated after ECL 11. Getting back up to where they once were will always be the main target for any former top team, but this German side has fallen short in the first round of the playoffs twice in a row now. Even though the Phantoms haven't met their own expectations for some time, this is always a team who can compete and put up with the best of them. Though most of the old names like stars @Timasy and @PlaymakerSJ remain, the grown squad size leads one to wonder how much of a rotation we'll be seeing. Ehockey is largely based around tight knight team play, so it will be interesting to see how this could affect them. No matter what, Deadly Phantoms have surely earned the status of a frontrunner with their history. Player to Watch: @xXPsykoSkillsXx Herlev Eagles Another team to have really solidified its status as a high-end Pro team in the recent years is Herlev Eagles. They've played in the division since ECL 10, and have made it to the Quarterfinals for the past two seasons. @Dreamickie was slotted in defense for both of these runs, but now appears to be back in the center spot. With @Spearzz_ also re-joining the squad after an absence of equal length, the Eagles seem to have assembled the same @vibholm10 - Dreamickie - Spearzz_ forward trio they had for their first two Pro seasons! @oSandello's new partner will in turn be @KinQjuusto, joining from the now defunct Fiasko. While Herlev lost some extremely important pieces in @Suth98_ to Örebro Hockey and @keranee to Roots Gaming, the old chemistry seems to have been clicking moderately well in the ramp up to the season. That should bode well for their chances of at least maintaining their past level, even if trophy aspirations might still be too far off. Player to Watch: @vibholm10 Nemesis Rounding out the HOT4 is Nemesis, coming off a surprising eHSM 2022 performance. After topping their group ahead of JANO and HAVU Gaming, they further bested the former with a sweep in the third round before falling honorably 3-1 to Tunnel Vision in the quarterfinals. Even in the ECL, they've gradually moved up ever since their re-emergence last Winter: first they finished 12th, and then 10th in Spring, only two points off a playoff spot. Now is clearly the time to make a leap to the playoffs, at minimum. The only change in Nemesis' starting five compared to eHSM seems to be captain @Miska (Zundeh) stepping back into the defense, replacing Elite loan @Toneee9 as expected. A huge part of their success in goalie @Pasi (Pasi-Fism) is also absent from their roster, though @Viltzup can definitely perform and @JaxonRules93 showed decent results as part of Hawaii Hockey. As the core stays intact, it should take a step towards the top half of the table with the lead of offensive weapon @temppanen. Player to Watch: @temppanen NOT ❄️ Company of Geeks The Geeks always seem to end up on the doomy side of these previews, but a testament to their base level is the fact that they remain here to be thrown under the bus – year after year. They are already coming into their 6th consecutive Pro season, though they've only made the playoffs once during that span (in ECL 11), instead having had to fight for their divisional spot more often than not. Captain @Jesus has managed to gather some interesting names, and most notably an old friend in @BlazEm0de- (domiinnn) is making a return after a couple of seasons away. They also appear to have added defenders @Pontinho (xClaughton-) and @MAYZIIX since their shaky qualifier performance, so perhaps COG can show some growth over the season. Regardless, their number one focus once again needs to be avoiding relegation. Player to Watch: @Jesus IK Oskarshamn Having already been a long time Lite dweller with five seasons under their belt, IKO finally takes the step up to Pro after an impressive Spring season. They had a rough go at the SCL a few months ago, failing to even make it out of the group stage. Plenty of time has passed since then though, and along with a new version of the game, some recruits have arrived. RW @Chevikov (Hikoilija__) looks to finally play a proper ECL rookie season after showing some promise a year ago, while RD @Aunee95 joins after two Core seasons as captain of Guldkallan HC. @snippystatue returns after spending eHSM with Armada Hockey, bringing plenty of Pro experience to this squad which, aside from @JF1891, is desperately lacking from it. While Oskarshamn can show some flashes from time to time, their first season should mostly be about getting used to the rise in level of play. Player to Watch: @Chevikov (Hikoilija__) Team NGU NGU spent two seasons in Pro under the PENTA banner before getting relegated, and now they've made an immediate bounce back after a single Lite campaign. Their roster seems to have undergone quite a makeover, with only captains @DaMan (Akin_Penta) and @CuteTerminator7 playing games both in the ECL '22: Spring Lite Playoffs and the recent Pro Qualifier. They actually had a decent performance in the qualifier, splitting points with everyone except Lemmenvelhot, who they bested in both games. That may indicate a stronger than bottom of the table contest, but the mostly DACH area side still has a lot to prove they belong at this level. Could these rather unknown names come out of nowhere and surprise us all? Who knows, it's all up to them and their former Pro top ten scorer captain to put on a performance. Player to Watch: @DaMan (Akin_Penta) Valco One of the longest standing teams in the scene, the legendary former TIKI TALK is back in Pro! Once upon a time bouncing between Elite and Pro, this ECL 1 veteran team took their time to make it back here once facing relegation after ECL 11. Three seasons and a name change later, they made it all the way to the Lite Finals last Spring, though falling just short in the end with a clean sweep loss to another comeback-making veteran team in Synergy Hockey. Why is Valco on this side of the preview then? Well, the Finnish squad led by ehockey icon @itspardytime has always above all had a fairly unique way of playing, which shouldn't remain as effective as the competition gets tougher. Unless, of course, they manage to keep shocking their opponents similar to last season's playoff run, during which they kept on upsetting higher seeds one after another. The distinctiveness does work on their Twitter account at the very least, so there's that to look forward to even if things don't fall to place on the ice. Player to Watch: @itspardytime The season for these clubs kicks off already today, but tomorrow you'll be able to watch some of them in our weekly ECL Pro broadcast at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! Stay tuned for the broadcast announcement on our social media channels.

SportsGamers, To clear up any confusion with the start dates of the ECL '23 Winter season, we'll revisit the start dates mentioned in each of our season information articles. Schedules for each division to follow: ECL '23 Winter: Elite Schedule Regular Season: 12.12.2022-18.1.2023 Quarterfinals: 25.1-1.2.2023 Semifinals: 5-8.2.2023 Finals: 24.2.2023 (Live in Helsinki) ECL '23 Winter: Pro Schedule Regular Season: 12.12.2022-16.1.2023 RO16: 19.-24.1.2023 Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023 Semifinals: 2.-7.2.2023 Finals: 12.-14.2.2023 ECL '23 Winter: Lite Schedule Regular Season: 13.12.2022-18.1.2023 RO32: 22.-25.1.2023 RO16: 29.1-1.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 5.-8.2.2023 Semifinals: 12.-15.2.2023 Finals: 19.-22.2.2023 ECL '23 Winter: Core Schedule Regular Season: 13.12.2022-19.1.2023 RO32: 22.-26.1.2023 RO16: 29.1-2.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 5.-9.2.2023 Semifinals: 12.-16.2.2023 Finals: 19.-23.2.2023 ECL '23 Winter: Neo Schedule Regular Season: 14.12.2022-18.1.2023 RO64: 22.-25.1.2023 RO32: 29.2.-1.2.2023 RO16: 5.-8.2.2023 Quarterfinals: 12.-15.2.2023 Semifinals: 19.-22.2.2023 Finals: 26.2.-1.3.2023 This means that the season kicks off tomorrow night with the ECL '23 Winter Elite and Pro divisions, and other divisions will follow in the coming days. Groups and schedules will be released the day before the first gameday by the latest.

IIHF continues their esports initiative with the eWorld Championships for the second consecutive year. Finland is entering to defend their title, will anyone rise to the challenge this year? The IIHF eWorld Championships will return for a second consecutive year with a format similar to that of the 2022 season. All 22 participating nations will host qualifiers for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to determine two Champions that will represent each country in the final tournament.  Qualifiers will start in late January, and we'll have a new Champion in early March, 2023. The 2023 IIHF eWorld Championship is played in three stages, out of which the first is the National Qualifiers. First are the National Qualifiers, where both a PlayStation and Xbox champion will be determined, these 44 champions in total will make up the national teams for each country. After this, the final tournament starts with the Group Stage, followed by the playoffs, that will finish with the Grand Final. List of Qualifiers: Saturday, January 28th Denmark Austria Sunday, January 29th Hungary France Monday, January 30th Slovenia Poland Tuesday, January 31st Korea Italy Wednesday, February 1st Japan Ukraine Thursday, February 2nd Kazakhstan Norway Friday, February 3rd Slovakia Switzerland Saturday, February 4th USA Czechia Finland (continued on Sunday, February 5th) Sunday, February 5th Canada Latvia Monday, February 6th Great Britain Germany Tuesday, February 7th Sweden   Click your country in order to advance to the registration site, Finnish players are able to qualify right here at SportsGamer.GG. The signups are already open and anyone over 16 years of age from a participating country is available to sign up! To compete a player is required to have a stable internet connection and a console that is able to play the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version of NHL 23, so sign up now in order to help your country go for glory in the 2023 IIHF eWorld Championship! Read more about the tournament at the official site www.gaming.iihf.com.

Sign-ups for the Neo and Core divisions of ECL '23 Winter are closing on December, 8th! Now new players without a team can also register to find a beginners club with assistance from seasoned veterans. There's still time to join in on the action in the ECL's 15th season! The Winter season kicks off on Sunday, December 11th, but sign-ups for the Neo and Core divisions are still open until Thursday, December 8th 23:59 CET. New player without a club - We got you! This season, we'll be introducing a few newcomer clubs to the ECL Neo division! These clubs will be reserved for new players looking to get their first taste of ECL action, but haven't found a club yet. The newcomer clubs will have mentors in the form of experienced ECL players, who will be tasked to help running the team and helping out the captain with questions that might arise over the course of the season.  If you are a player looking to play this season, but haven't found a team yet, fill in this form for a chance to be selected for one of out newcomer squads! If you are a free agent looking to be picked up by an already established team, please head over here and let teams know you're available. ECL Neo The ECL Neo division is the fifth ECL tier and is for new teams looking for their first taste of the ECL framework, or squads that otherwise want to play at a more relaxed schedule. However, SportsGamer reserves the right to move teams deemed to have an exceptionally high skill level to the Core division. The Neo division features a full regular season and best-of-five Playoffs. Participation in ECL Neo does not require a team of player license. Thus, ECL Neo doesn't feature a prize pool. ECL Core The ECL Core division is the fourth ECL tier and is the first competitive division with prizes and involvement in the divisional promotion structure. The division is aimed at teams already familiar with the NHL game series and competitive play. ECL Core features a full regular season with best-of-seven Playoffs and a prize pool totalling up to 3500€. Participation requires purchase of a team license costing 100€ (one-time payment by team captain) and a player license of 20€ (Valid for both the Winter and Spring season). ECL Core currently has 26 teams signed up, so this is a great opportunity to get familiar with the competitive setting and have a good chance to earn a share of the prize pool! ECL Legacy ECL Legacy will be hosted for teams playing on PlayStation 4, and with 14 teams currently signed up, there's still room for more squads to challenge! In addition to the inaugural Wilhelm eHockey Tour winners Hc Raitti, we've got lots of other interesting names, such as Jurvan Liekki, Elusive Avengers and Ice Wolves esports signed up. ECL Legacy doesn't require a team license to participate, only the 20€ player license (Valid for both the Winter and Spring season), and thus doesn't feature a prize pool. The format of the league will be determined once sign-ups are closed.  

The first two Qualifiers of the ECL 1v1 '23 Winter season are in the books and with that, we've not got half of the top 128 filled! There's still two chances left to Qualify, so if you've missed out thus far, now is your chance to prove yourself by joining one of the remaining Qualifiers. Lots of games left to be played, so sign up, play hard and have fun! Here's a list of qualified players from the first two Qualifiers: Description ECL 1v1 is for players who want to test their skills against the best of the best in competitive play. The ECL 1v1 Winter season features four qualifiers, leading to group play with the top 128 players of these qualifiers involved. The top 64 of the group stage will continue to determine the best of the best in the best-of-three playoffs with a prize pool totaling 2500€. Taking part in the ECL 1v1 seasons requires the purchase of the ECL '23 Player License. Format The league is played in three stages: Stage 1: Qualifier stage (BO1, single elimination) - Four qualifiers open to anyone, the top 32 players from each Qualifier advance to stage 2, with seeding baskets for stage 2 being determined by qualifier rank. Stage 2: Group play (BO1) - The top 128 players will be seeded into eight groups with 16 players each, the 8 best will advance to the playoffs from each group. Stage 3: Playoffs (BO3, single elimination) - The Semifinals and Finals will be played live at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo, Finland January 13th, 2023. ECL '23 Winter: 1v1 Schedule Qualifier 3 Sign up period 15.-9.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 10.12. RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 18:30CET Sunday 11.12 RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 27.11. 16:30CET Qualifier 4 Sign up period 15.11-16.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 17.12 RO512: 16:00CET RO256: 17:00CET RO128: 17:30CET RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 18:30CET Sunday 18.12 RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 16:30CET TOP 128 Group Play (BO1) Tuesday 27.12. R1: 18:00 R2: 18:30 R3: 19:00 R4: 19:30 Thursday 29.12. R5: 18:00 R6: 18:30 R7: 19:00 R8: 19:30 Friday 30.12. R9: 18:00 R10: 18:30 R11: 19:00 R12: 19:30 Tuesday 3.1. R13: 18:00 R14: 18:30 R15: 19:00 Playoffs (BO3) Friday 6.1. RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 19:30CET Sunday 8.1. RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 16:30CET Friday 13.1. @ the SportsGamer studio in Espoo, Finland Semifinals: 18:00CET Finals: 20:00CET

ISO Esports is a gaming organization hailing from Ulvila, Finland with teams in CS:GO and now NHL. Their new NHL roster is currently battling in the Elite Qualifiers with hopes of gaining an open spot in the European top 16. Otukset eSports emerged seemingly out of nowhere in the summer of 2021 and made an impressive FCL Playoffs push with a roster very few expected to stand a chance against the big dogs. The squad, then featuring players with experience mainly from mid-tier ECL Pro teams or below, immediately took the community by storm with their cheeky social media strategy and great performances on the ice. Sadly, the summer project didn't continue into the ECL, as several players were recruited to new opportunities, but Otukset were to make a return again in the 2022 eHockey SM. This time, the squad won't be parting ways for the ECL, but rather they'll be getting stronger. By joining forces with ISO Esports, the new roster is looking to focus their energy on first and foremost establishing themselves in the Pro division, but also pushing as quickly as possible for the European top 16. Jani Männistö, CEO of ISO Esports has the following to say about their new acquisition: "We had the great opportunity of signing a new team, and at the end of the day, the decision was easy. Our NHL team is a dedicated group, hungry for success. The atmosphere within the team is excellent and an open and active dialogue between the team and organization will be a key factor in our development. ISO Esports has established themselves in the Finnish esports scene and now our will to develop and succeed is bigger than ever." "Absolutely we'd want to see our team reach the highest of prizes right away, but a more realistic approach for our debut season is making the Playoffs. We are looking for longevity from our team and eventually they could reach that synergy that takes to the highest level." Valtteri @Kaikkien Janoisten Sankari (Goodtobeatonttu) Yli-Olli is excited about the future for his team, especially with some of their new signings and their new partnership with ISO. "Our past few campaigns in the FCL and eHSM have been successful mainly due to the fact the fact that we are thinking the game in very similar ways, and that's what we've been trying to keep in mind when signing new players to our squad around the Otukset core. We're excited to keep our momentum going into the ECL and ever since the first contact with ISO, I had the feeling that both us and the organization have very similar objectives, the cooperation has been smooth and we're looking good moving forward." "One of the main reasons for signing with an organization was obviously getting support and sponsorship, but we also felt that this is the right time to take the next step. Our game has been in good shape for some time already and we are now ready to make an impact." Currently the squad is fighting for an open position in ECL '23 Winter Elite together with HanaaHC, RCTIC and Renascor in the Elite Qualifiers. Their prospects are looking rather good with a 4-1-1 record in their six qualifier games.

We're coming full circle by returning to the ECL's first ever cover gamer for the upcoming '23 Winter season! ECL 8 was our first season featuring a Cover Gamer, and since then we've taken a lot of big steps forward as a league and as a community. Over the course of that time, there's one player that has above everyone else managed to maintain a high competitive level and even more importantly, managed to act as an ambassador for the entire sport. That is why we're coming full circle and announcing Erik @Eki (EkiOriginal) Tammenpää as the ECL '23 Winter Cover Gamer. After some experience back in the PlayStation 3 days with good friend Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala in Carlsberg HC, and a few seasons of ECL competition in various teams, in early 2018 the youngster @Eki was recruited to a very strong and experienced MUKIMIEHET side for ECL 4 Elite, the first season in our divisional framework. MUKIMIEHET were set on a championship push with season 1 originals Ville @MuKiMaisteri Luukkonen and Atte @Aze (Atte91) Aho in their roster, combined with throwbacks Lasse @Lage (Lagezickarno) Pennola and Ville @Piri (a_n_t_a) Pirttilä and a fresh influx of talent with Eki joining the already powerful forward core. Despite their campaign not really getting the end that they so had hoped for, this season set into motion an era of competitive success at the very top level that we've yet to see an end to. A list of Eki's biggest wins 🏆: 1v1 NHL GWC European Champion 2018 NHL GWC World Champion 2018 IS Cup 3 Champion 2018 NHL GWC European Champion 2019 IIHF Esports Fan Championship 2020 eLiiga Season 1 Champion 2020 NHL GWC European Champion 2021 NHL GWC European Champion 2022 IIHF eWorld Champion 2022 6v6 IS Cup 3 Champion 2018 ECL 7 Champion 2018 SCL Champion 2019 ECL 9 Champion 2020 eSHL Season 1 Champion 2020 FCL Champion 2020 ECL 11 Champion 2020 eSHL season 2 Champion 2021 FCL Champion 2021 The accolades and trophycase that Eki has managed to build over the past four years is unmatched, and while four years seems like a rather short time in any other sport, in NHL esports, especially with the yearly release cycle of the game and ever changing meta, that is an eternity. Even when Eki hasn't been winning, he's still managed to be right there, breathing down the neck of his toughest competitors. Who are some of the toughest opponents that you've faced through the years? Paul @PleeMaker Arontie is without a doubt the best opponent I've ever faced. He's the only player that I've never had the edge on completely, even when I've been at my very best. Plee is also one of those players who always seem to elevate their game in big tournaments and that's why my respect for him is so high. Internationally, Justin @Regs84 Reguly has to be one of the better players I've faced. We've played each other once on LAN in 2019 and remember that his game was so different from anyone else. He's tough to get a read on. We'll be playing each other in New York next week also! Who are some of the players you've looked up to over the course of your gaming career, not only because of their skills but perhaps their personalities? Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala is my #1. We played together for the first time in 2012 when we were neighbors and I was just a kid. I consider him to be one of my best friends and respect him very much both as a player and a human being. We'll definitely be playing together for as long as Joonas will have me in his team. Other guys I've looked up to in terms of streaming and content creation are definitely Risto @Dominointi Järvi and Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen. These are the guys I watched while on the comeup and they really were the first ones to show what that side of the game is all about along with teaching me lost of tips and tricks on the 1v1 game. Your skill and grind are certainly big reasons that have put you in the position you are now, but what other attributes do you think a true professional needs to succeed? Success is definitely a combination of small factors and a tiny bit of luck and chance. I wouldn't even be here without the likes of Patzlaf and Mika @mikaasi Heikkilä, who managed to spark my interest for the game and made it fun for me. With that, came some timely success, which allowed me some of the opportunities I've got to this point. A tip for any player out there looking to go pro is definitely creating content centered around the game. NHL is such a small game that you'll have to generate value outside competition in order to interest sponsors and organisations. Also, keep your head cool. One tournament win will not last or get you anywhere, success will follow those who grind, so put in your hours and practice. Last but not least, a couple of thoughts on the upcoming season, who do you think will be contenders? Any interesting new outfits to look out for? The upcoming season is going to be very, very interesting personally. Our own team has seen more changes than ever before and you could almost call this squad something of an old school FILA x Written In The Stars mashup. I'm taking on a defensive role, so it'll be a learning experience at least early on. With all the changes to our own squad, it'll definitely be an exciting experience and we're definitely hungry for success after a failure to win any trophies in NHL 22. It'll be interesting to see how the standings will start to shape up. hREDS has been great as always, Tunnel Vision is right there and we're doing all we can to challenge them. One team I think will surprise is Växjö Lakers, who will be in their first Elite season, look for them to be in the Playoffs. On the 1v1 side the level is higher year by year. The young guns who have been on the comeup for some time already will definitely have success. Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Roope @pikkuroger Bergström represent the young and talented group of players to keep an eye on. Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund is another player I expect to do just as well as before. List of previous ECL cover gamers: ECL 8: Erik @Eki Tammenpää ECL 9: Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen ECL 10: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren ECL 11: Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha ECL 12: Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen ECL '22 Winter: Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann & Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt ECL '23 Spring: Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen You'll be able to see Eki in action in the upcoming ECL '23 Winter season with his Frölunda HC, where he will be playing as a defenseman alongside new recruit Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto, who has recently been recruited from the disbanded HAVU Gaming. The season starts December 11th, so there's still some time to get geared up and prepare for some of the best virtual hockey around. Sign-ups are also still open for our ECL '23 Winter Neo and Core divisions, so here's your chance to get your career started in some competitive action! ECL 1v1 also still has two more qualifiers to go until the top 128 stage, so join that too! Read more about the ECL '23 Winter season here.

The first ever NACL cover gamer is awarded to the current North American GWC Champion. Justin @Regs84 Reguly rose to public fame with his 2018 NHL GWC appearance at only 17 years old at the time. The now 21 year-old hailing from Thunder Bay, Ontario has since gained a lot of success and is now one of the most consistent contenders in any tournament or league that comes around. He started getting into NHL back in NHL 14 and quickly noticed a competitive edge against his fellow gamers. The inaugural NHL GWC in 2018 was his real coming out party as he put his name on the map despite not going all the way yet. In 2020, Regs managed to get yet another step closer to ultimate glory by winning the NHL GWC Canadian Regional Championship against the young prodigy Matthew @YungGren Grenier. The accumulated success pushed Regs to an opportunity with the gaming organization Lazarus Esports in February 2021 and he has since been trying to focus more and more on studying the game and grinding to get better every day. All of his efforts were finally rewarded when he was crowned the 2022 NHL GWC North American Champion in July of 2022. Photo credit: Lazarus Esports On the 6v6 side of things, Regs is currently representing the Gaming squad of NHL franchise the New York Islanders - IslesGT. The squad is currently signed up for their first ever NACL campaign, but have had some time to practice and build chemistry together since the very beginning of NHL 23. In fact, they've already got some wins in other tourneys under their belt. Regs will be seen in the NACL at the RD position, in which his great defensive skill stick and calmness with the puck will come in handy. Through all your success both at the domestic and international stages, who have been some of your toughest opponents and why? "Some of my toughest opponents of the year have included players such as Matthew @YungGren Grenier, Ethan @Polgz Polgar and David @JrPens Roebuck. On the international stages Erik @Eki Tammenpää has been the biggest competition for me." What would you consider being the attributes that best sets you apart from your competition? "I think the biggest attribute contributing to my success has been my vision and how I see the game. I feel like I've been able to make plays that no other person sees but myself. I also think that i have a great calmness and poise about my game that is difficult for my opponents to combat." What is your biggest motivation to continue competing and striving for success? "My biggest motivation has got to be wanting to continue to try and be the best. I've said it before, as I've gotten older my enjoyment for the game has gone away a bit but the motivation and competitiveness to compete at the highest level for championships is stronger than ever, which keeps me coming back to the game." Photo credit: Lazarus Esports Who are some of the players you've looked up to over the course of your gaming career, not only because of their skills but perhaps their personalities? "Some people I've looked at as role models have been Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag and Seth "Scump" Abner from an esports perspective. I was 13 years old when I found out about esports and playing video games for money for the best players and I aspired to one day be on a stage like these two were. I was originally going to play Call of Duty but quickly realized I had an exceptional skill for NHL and decided to pursue and perfect this game instead. On the NHL side of things, I think Eki and Gren have really shown the level of commitment it takes to be a professional and the amount of time and dedication it takes to perfect your craft." What are your thoughts on the upcoming NACL season? Any teams especially to be on the lookout for? "I look forward to the NACL tournament. This is the first opportunity for North American players and teams to travel to Europe. I know myself and the team feel very confident and that this is going to be the most important tournament of the year for us but I have no doubt that we will be in a position to fight for the chance of coming to Europe. I think Caps Gaming and Entourage have very competitive rosters and will give us great difficulty at achieving our goal. However, I believe in our roster and lineup and know what we are capable of and that’s achieving not just a North American 6s title, but a world 6s title." Watch Regs and the IslesGT team in action this NACL '23 Winter season, starting already on December 11th! You can also challenge them for the throne by signing up a 6v6 club of your own, since the sign-ups are still open until December 8th! The NACL this season is played as a crossplay division with a prize pool of 6 000€, on top of which the winning team gets the chance to play for some more cash in the World Finals in Helsinki, Finland on February 25th, 2023. Read more about the NACL and sign up here.

The first Qualifier of our inaugural ECL 1v1 '23 Winter season was held last weekend, and with that the first 32 players have now paved their way into stage two and the top 128 players that will be competing for the European Championship. Now we've got three more Qualifiers to go, so there's still plenty of chances to gain your pass to the Group Stage! Here's a list of qualified players from the first Qualifier: Description ECL 1v1 is for players who want to test their skills against the best of the best in competitive play. The ECL 1v1 Winter season features four qualifiers, leading to group play with the top 128 players of these qualifiers involved. The top 64 of the group stage will continue to determine the best of the best in the best-of-three playoffs with a prize pool totaling 2500€. Taking part in the ECL 1v1 seasons requires the purchase of the ECL '23 Player License. Format The league is played in three stages: Stage 1: Qualifier stage (BO1, single elimination) - Four qualifiers open to anyone, the top 32 players from each Qualifier advance to stage 2, with seeding baskets for stage 2 being determined by qualifier rank. Stage 2: Group play (BO1) - The top 128 players will be seeded into eight groups with 16 players each, the 8 best will advance to the playoffs from each group. Stage 3: Playoffs (BO3, single elimination) - The Semifinals and Finals will be played live at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo, Finland January 13th, 2023. ECL '23 Winter: 1v1 Schedule Qualifier 1 Sign up period 15.-25.11.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 26.11. RO128: 16:00CET RO64: 17:00CET RO32: 17:30CET Sunday 27.11. RO16: 15:00CET RO8: 15:30CET RO4: 16:00CET RO2: 16:30CET Qualifier 2 Sign up period 15.- 3.12.2022 12:00CET Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 3.12. RO64: 17:00CET RO32: 18:00CET RO16: 18:30CET RO8: 19:00CET Sunday 4.12. RO4: 16:00CET RO2: 16:30CET Qualifier 3 Sign up period 15.-9.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 10.12. RO512: 16:00CET RO256: 17:00CET RO128: 17:30CET RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 18:30CET Sunday 11.12 RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 27.11. 16:30CET Qualifier 4 Sign up period 15.11-16.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 17.12 RO512: 16:00CET RO256: 17:00CET RO128: 17:30CET RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 18:30CET Sunday 18.12 RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 16:30CET TOP 128 Group Play (BO1) Tuesday 27.12. R1: 18:00 R2: 18:30 R3: 19:00 R4: 19:30 Thursday 29.12. R5: 18:00 R6: 18:30 R7: 19:00 R8: 19:30 Friday 30.12. R9: 18:00 R10: 18:30 R11: 19:00 R12: 19:30 Tuesday 3.1. R13: 18:00 R14: 18:30 R15: 19:00 Playoffs (BO3) Friday 6.1. RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 19:30CET Sunday 8.1. RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 16:30CET Friday 13.1. @ the SportsGamer studio in Espoo, Finland Semifinals: 18:00CET Finals: 20:00CET

SportsGamers, With the new ECL '23 Winter season at the doorstep, we are happy to announce the first-ever ECL 1v1. In true ECL fashion, this league is for all the best European gamers to test their skills against their peers, and ultimately compete for a great prize pool and the European Championship League title. Description ECL 1v1 is for players who want to test their skills against the best of the best in competitive play. The ECL 1v1 Winter season features four qualifiers, leading to group play with the top 128 players of these qualifiers involved. The top 64 of the group stage will continue to determine the best of the best in the best-of-three playoffs with a prize pool totaling 2500€. Taking part in the ECL 1v1 seasons requires the purchase of the ECL '23 Player License. Format The league is played in three stages: Stage 1: Qualifier stage (BO1, single elimination) - Four qualifiers open to anyone, the top 32 players from each Qualifier advance to stage 2, with seeding baskets for stage 2 being determined by qualifier rank. Stage 2: Group play (BO1) - The top 128 players will be seeded into eight groups with 16 players each, the 8 best will advance to the playoffs from each group. Stage 3: Playoffs (BO3, single elimination) - The Semifinals and Finals will be played live at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo, Finland January 13th, 2023. ECL '23 Winter: 1v1 Schedule Qualifier 1 Sign up period 15.-25.11.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 26.11. RO128: 16:00CET RO64: 17:00CET RO32: 17:30CET Sunday 27.11. RO16: 15:00CET RO8: 15:30CET RO4: 16:00CET RO2: 16:30CET Qualifier 2 Sign up period 15.- 3.12.2022 12:00CET Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 3.12. RO64: 17:00CET RO32: 18:00CET RO16: 18:30CET RO8: 19:00CET Sunday 4.12. RO4: 16:00CET RO2: 16:30CET Qualifier 3 Sign up period 15.-9.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 10.12. RO512: 16:00CET RO256: 17:00CET RO128: 17:30CET RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 18:30CET Sunday 11.12 RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 27.11. 16:30CET Qualifier 4 Sign up period 15.11-16.12.2022 Qualifiers (BO1) Saturday 17.12 RO512: 16:00CET RO256: 17:00CET RO128: 17:30CET RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 18:30CET Sunday 18.12 RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 15:30CET Semifinals: 16:00CET Finals: 16:30CET TOP 128 Group Play (BO1) Tuesday 27.12. R1: 18:00 R2: 18:30 R3: 19:00 R4: 19:30 Thursday 29.12. R5: 18:00 R6: 18:30 R7: 19:00 R8: 19:30 Friday 30.12. R9: 18:00 R10: 18:30 R11: 19:00 R12: 19:30 Tuesday 3.1. R13: 18:00 R14: 18:30 R15: 19:00 Playoffs (BO3) Friday 6.1. RO64: 18:00CET RO32: 19:30CET Sunday 8.1. RO16: 15:00CET Quarterfinals: 16:30CET Friday 13.1. @ the SportsGamer studio in Espoo, Finland Semifinals: 18:00CET Finals: 20:00CET