And it looks like you missed my point that a new team should absolutely always start from the lowest level. It's not encouraging that you don't have to start from the bottom with a new team? If there is division that you can just skip with your new team because you've played in a good team in the past? Does all new teams start from this new division or just some? If not all, how do you differentiate who gets to start from where? Face value?
Looking forward a bit, if that new division has a team limit, such as 32 or whatever was suggested, someday that's going to become full like Pro is now. So do we then start to drop teams already there to Lite or don't let Lite champions promote, when by that same criteria (again; face value ?) one of these allegedly new better teams gets formed again and they should get to skip Lite and go straight to this new division? Or do we then just make 5th division to circumvent this exact same "problem" again? Or do we close our eyes and ears and believe hard enough that when number of teams and players rise, number good players doesn't and this will not be problem again in the future?
I think that new teams should start from bottom of division table, and if they are good enough, they will get promoted. If they don't, then they clearly ain't good enough or as good as they think. Almost all teams got into playoffs last season in Lite, and i don't believe you can win or lose whole best-of-7 playoff series entirely by luck.
3 divisions and if there is 3rd ECL season in a future, it's possible to make it into Elite in the same NHL game's lifespan.