markalla2

Since we don't know how they've tuned the abilities or if they've tuned them at all it's very hard to decide. However, there was a reason why certain abilities were banned and it was done in a rather successful manner one might say: players could still use abilities, just the most OP/fun-killing abilities were banned. My thoughts on the banned abilites and what's to come: I don't see a scenario where Truculence wouldn't be a pain in the arschloch come NHL24. Based on beta, hitting is already OP once you learn the slapshot type of hit. l also don't see enabling Big Tipper gaining popularity among the community. Apart from positioning, deflections aren't done manually. Close Quarters was annoying for goalies from the very beginning of NHL22, but the goalie skill gap has increased (at least on paper) and good goalies can actually outplay CQ with the new guessing system? Time will tell, but silver CQ will most likely open later in the skill tree and will we have enough time to make a conclusion before ECL starts?

Thank you sir! To each their own I guess, I find statistics fascinating. Might do some more if there's an interesting topic. I literally had no idea Big Tipper wasn't available day one. I've always played D/G so probably that's why. That sure explains a lot 😄

…sooooo I did some stats! At first I was just interested who was right on what’s gonna happen if some X-Factors are to be banned – the comment section was on fire before ECL Spring Probably the easiest way to check it was to compare the ECL 23 Winter & Spring stats in the Elite Division. I chose to analyze these equal sample sizes by average aggregates from both leagues: Regular season games only Forwards: TOP50 skaters in Points total (manually deleted defenders from that list) Defensemen: TOP30 in Games played Goalies: >14 games played Let’s go through the banned abilities one by one and see what the numbers look like. All Data © SportsGamer “If you ban Close Quarters, you need to ban goalie abilities too” If the goalie abilities remain the same, less shots go in when CQ is removed? Well… kinda, yeah! Forwards certainly had less point production and a lower shot percentage while goalies had better stats across the board after the ability bans. Especially breakaways SV% increased significantly, though goalies face far less than one breakaway per game on average. But does it mean that the goalie abilities are too OP? A 0,7 %-unit increase in SV% might not be it. Some goalies made the argument that “banning CQ removes the shit goals” and that seems to be the case by the numbers. Some personal observations: at the time of the ban polls and heated conversation, nobody was using the Shnipe or Make It Snappy traits and probably didn’t realize that those would, to some degree, balance out the end result. Goalies have used the same builds all the time. “Banning truculence makes the game more enjoyable” This one is a tough one to solve in numbers - how do you measure enjoyability? Some said that you lose the puck constantly on small bumps and the energy loss is devastating. So, let’s look at it this way: did defensemen have less hits and takeaways? Did the forwards have less giveaways and more time with the puck? LOL the decrease in hits for defenders! Man I wish there was a record for pokes… Or if someone actually knows what the “interceptions” stat for skaters is, please let me know if it also counts for pokes and not just intercepted passes. Defenders’ takeaways remained the same, only a 0.05 increase per game and could be the result of the meta change, I don’t really know. Also, the TwP/G is up by 13 in-game seconds – more control breakouts? Less forecheck? Let’s keep in mind that not only defenders were using Truculence, quite a few forwards had it equipped as well. Forwards had the puck for 5 in-game seconds more and gave away the puck slightly less per game. Those average aggregates aren’t much but proving a point: the game is more enjoyable for forwards after the ban. “Big Tipper” No-one was against banning the Big Tipper ability. After all, deflections aren’t done manually and banning the even more superior deflection abilities seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately, there isn’t a stat for deflection goals, only the deflections per player. A deflection usually comes from a defender’s shot attempt resulting in an assist for the defender – is there a decrease in assists for defensemen? Let’s take a look…. Interesting to say the least! Defenders shot the puck far less per game but their shooting % went up by 2 % and scored nearly equal amount of goals per game - did the meta change to defenders joining the rush more? Or did they shoot from the blue line as usual but more of the shots weren’t tipped and went in straight? I prefer the latter. This one I find even more interesting: the amount of deflections per game for centers across different leagues. Even without Big Tipper, centers were making far more deflections in Spring vs Winter; tips are very good even without the extra ability and Elite teams know it. The meta change is even more evident when you look at the historical change from NHL22 to NHL23. League-wide stats Δ% means the % difference from the row above When comparing NHL22 to NHL23, I think you can see the “more fun” aspect here. The penalty minutes were down by a massive margin, causing more up-and-down even strength hockey to be played. Shot attempt totals show how the deflections had a huge buff and the gameplay changes buffed offense. The huge increase in hits shows how dominant Truculence before it was banned, resulting in total hits being lower in 23 Spring than 22 Spring. Conclusion of the ability bans Banning the Close Quarters ability had the biggest direct impact of all the bans. It buffed goalie stats and nerfed forwards’ shooting percentage, but it was also the easiest to calculate without a huge margin for error. The previous meta was replaced by a slightly more balanced meta, one could argue. Without Truculence defenders had far less hits, which however didn’t result in any less takeaways. Forwards had the puck for longer and didn’t give away the puck as often. The ban definitely took away the "crazy hits and bumps that make you lose the puck" but hitting is still a big part of hockey. Deflections are somewhat OP even without Big Tipper ability and the stats confirm it. Bonus stats for shits and giggles: “NA vs EU” 🔥 These stats won’t tell you who is better, NA or EU, but they are here to showcase the different playstyles of NA and EU. In NACL 23 Winter the skill difference between teams was quite massive, which means that the top teams in NA scored far more against the bottom teams than in ECL Elite. I think it would be better to merge ECL Elite & Pro (maybe even Lite and Core) team stats together to represent EU as a whole and then do the comparison - maybe even decide who’s better - but I didn’t have the time to do it. Maybe next time!

Free G, 50-50 or backup. Division doesn't matter as long as the team doesn't split in a week after the season ends. DMs open markalla2 PSN/Discord 👋

FYI self sauces and passes along the boards lower a player's pass percentage so I wouldn't trust it religiously. But it does give some hint of the stat though. Great article once again 🔥

Yes there's always going to be a meta with custom builds. But if you ban the most OP, fun-killing and unreal abilities, the new meta should be a bit more balanced and diverse, right? That's what this whole conversation is about - balancing. IMO even if the new meta is a miss, it's still something new and fresh for the remainder of NHL 23.

It's just so, so sad that the game is in a state where the community has to have this conversation. But since there hasn't been any balancing to the abilities mid-season, we are left with no other choice. I would ban the most OP ones (the top 3 of the vote) meaning both gold and silver abilities. The general idea of X-Factors is good but at its current state there are abilities that are either unrealistic, kill the fun or force everybody to use it (golden EE) if you don't wanna be in a disadvantage all the time.

This, all of this. 👏

Good stuff: -increase to base speed attribute for many builds -manual saucer pass assist is a nice touch -basically everything feels more responsive, fast and agile, just the way icehockey is these days -shot and pass speed increase across the board, I like it -human goalies can actually stop onetimers and breakaways. BUT let's see again when everybody has Close Quarters unlocked 🤡 Bad stuff: -while the pokecheck nerf is a step in the right direction, it is like a deathblow now to even slightly touch it as the puck carrier got a speed increase at the same time -hits should just a tiny bit more often result in a stumbling animation for the puck carrier or at least separate the puck -many of the X-factors are completely useless (third eye, tape to tape, send it, magnetic) due to the gameplay changes -AI goalies are carbage 1on1 but they save nearly every wide open onetimer or cross-crease. A little balancing needed there

Free G for FCL and beyond. Mainly looking for a starter / 50-50 role in Lite-Pro but I'm open for all exciting offers - I could continue playing as RD/LD too. Preferably a Finnish speaking team. I have found myself playing between the pipes more often and I've been loving every bit of it. I read plays well, keep the kulma kiinni and rarely get outplayed. I trust my teammates and give credit where credit's due ✌️ Off the ice I'm very active and follow the scene constantly. What you'll get from me is an experienced, humble guy that has a very big heart for this game and hunger to learn more. I can play Sun-Thu PSN markalla2 Discord @markalla2#0737 E: signed

Up! ☝️

Free C/D/G for WECL, 50/50 or backup works too. Experienced and all around positive dude from Finland. I can curse in multiple languages. HMU Discord markalla2#0737, PSN markalla2 or here @rapitzin

@Ma26one sitä limppua lapaa 😍

Lite license...?

Sticklifters | ECL Core, FCL Our starting roster for ECL13 Core is complete, but we want to give new players in the NHL competitive scene a chance to develop and learn. We are looking for a backup player, icetime during practice games guaranteed. Your role is to play as a winger / defender. We don't expect you to have superb skills but what we are looking for is • ability to cope with 30+ yo guys • being able to play between 20:30-22:30 • basic understanding of icehockey as a sport • preferably Finnish language skills • mastering both handedness is a huge + What we have to offer is • Discord server for chatting (with a NSFW channel) • chill group of guys with a competitive mindset • good place to learn Interested? Send us a message here @rapitzin // on Discord @Rapitzin#0737 // on PSN rapitzin // on Twitter @Sticklifters Recruiting process: a few messages, tryouts x2, signatures, boom. P.S. Our only goal for next ECL is to regain our spot in Lite EDIT: POSITION FILLED!

Missing the Settings tab in WOC (Camera etc) -Pass receptions: Adjust a tiny bit so that people are not forced to use the Magnetic XF/SA but using the Magnetic has a tiny advantage. Now that ability is way too OP or the pass reception ease needs a slight overall buff -Pass assist: don't touch anything -Pass interceptions: don't touch anything -DS4 doesn't occasionally vibrate on a successful bump, sticklift, poke or stick sweep. But when it does, the vibration is also too low. -In defense, holding L1 while skating full speed should result in a gliding shotblock on one knee (and player should be able to decelerate the glide with holding L stick against momentum) -Poke checks: A single tap of R1 should result in a poke check directly outwards of the controlled player's hips, not automatically towards the puck -Augmented reality: During breaks, don't show stats that are either 100% and/or 0% (empty stats) -Add an option to mute the Chel Lady -the height/weight impact on physical play needs to be higher. In the beta you can knock a puck loose from a Chara looking fella with a Nathan Gerbe lookalike way too often.

To our (and many others') surprise StickLifters faced relegation from Lite to Core after a decent run in Lite for a few seasons. We went through a rebuild earlier this year and our only goal for ECL 13 is to get our spot in Lite back. We have a very motivated team going forward and the upcoming NHL22 with its big gameplay changes seems to suit us extremely well. However, the puzzle is still missing its last piece. We are looking for a defender. Your role: As a member of this amazing squad you will play a crucial role in developing our game and turning tight games to huge Ws. There are two defenders in our current roster and you would have plenty of ice-time in both practice and league games as a third (2/3 cycle). You will also get a chance to have some off-ice responsibilities (Twitter, streaming, Discord stuff etc.) if you wish, as we like to share those duties. Our dream is to play the whole NHL22 season with the same roster, so the deal would be a long-term commitment from both sides. You don't need to have exceptional skills all over the ice - what we expect is willingness to learn from mistakes and providing feedback to others. #oppimisprosessi We do expect a thing or two... Finnish language skills (a must) Basic understanding of ice hockey as a sport Ability to play on 3-4 days per week Age 21+ and a sense of humour At least one full season in Core or above Mastering both handedness is a huge + ...but we offer a few as well! A private and very active Discord server for organizing everything (with a NSFW channel!) Ice-time guaranteed Tons of joy and laughter Highly motivated captains About us: We are a fun-loving group of guys from all over Finland, aged 22-40. We don't take things too seriously but we do our best to win every game. Our roster consists of 4 Fs, 2 Ds and 2 Gs. Usually we play Mon-Thu + Sun from 20:30 to 23:00 EET. Previously we have played in FCLs and ECL Lite. Next tournament we will participate in is the ECL 13 Core. At the moment we are spending the off-season working on set plays and chemistry. Feel free to check out our tweets on Twitter. Any questions? Or would you like to come and see what it's like to play with us? No strings attached. You can PM me here / PSN rapitzin / Discord @Rapitzin#0737 😊 The final decision will be made by 20th of September or as soon as we find the right candidate.

StickLifters (FCL, ECL Core) IN: @Bro_killer_ We are so glad to have you back 💪 OUT: @Kydveeny Best of luck in the future man! 👏 Great guy with skill

🏒🥅 StickLifters OUT: @J0rdi__29 - thanks for everything and good luck in your future! ✌️ IN: @Moneygunx - Welcome to the team you mad lad 😎🔥

Great job and thank you so much for listening to the community 👌 If only the game developer catered more towards the community that almost entirely creates their UGC... Maybe some day!

Yes.

Why on earth teams that should be in the Lite qualifiers get a direct Lite spot???? Why not just fill the rest of the free Lite spots based on last ECL's success then? FFS

StickLifters IN @Henkkaheinone from Old Farts OUT @rekkajulle to free agency

The teams that win or lose in the Lite qualifiers - do they automatically signup for Lite or Core after the qualifiers or do they sign up in advance for both Lite and Core?

Last two paragraphs gave me the goosebumps