Keuschemisch

SportsGamers, not only Division 1 hockey was played in the DACH area! The Swiss NLA team of Ambri eSports secured the Division 2 title in the German Championship League and secured promotion to the top 16 of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Despite starting into the playoffs as the lowest seed, the Swiss outfit managed to cruise through the postseason including two sweeps and a breathtaking game 7 drama in the semifinals. Ambri Forward Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano secured the topscoring title in the regular season (26G + 35A in 16GP) aswell as the playoffs (24G + 25A in 15 GP). On behalf of the whole SportsGamer community we would like to congratulate Ambri eSports and a warm thank you to all other participants in Division 2! Ambri eSports' road to the Championship: #8 overall seed from group 2 with the record 8-6-2 Quarterfinals: vs EV Duisburg (1) 4-0 Semifinals: vs Old Primates (2) 4-3 Finals: vs EHC Olten eSports (3) 4-0 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #39 Roman @FrenchGoalie Lefebrve DEFENSEMEN #85 Samuele @Bergente85 Del Curto (A) #89 Brendan @JPBROO Laroux (C) FORWARDS #9 Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano #10 John @x-bluewhite-x Leclair #21 Sakari @Sekotettu Kaulaote #24 Giulio @Giulio2497 Costa #69 Hector @flamingo81403 Savage (A) #70 Crazy @Barclay11 Machete We wish all DACH teams good luck in the upcoming ECL'23 Spring!

SportsGamers, the GCL9 semifinals have arrived! 16 teams started into the season and now we have come down to only four remaining. We have seen some exciting ehockey action in the quarterfinals and are looking forward to see which two teams will pave their way to the finals! In the following we venture a look at the upcoming two semifinal matchups. ZSC Esports (1) vs. Red Bull Munich eSports (6) (written by @OGjahajaha) The back-to-back champion faces another well known opponent from the regular season: Red Bull Munich eSports. The Swiss ECL Elite playoff quarterfinalist clashed with the Red Bulls from Munich on matchday one of the regular season and grabbed full points with two convincing wins (10:3 & 4:0). In the meantime RB Munich eSports brought in Lauri @Lamsa Lamsa (11G+7A) on the right wing and improved their game massively. Underlining their ambitions with a solid 4:1 series victory against the Predators (1:2OT, 4:2, 5:0, 7:3, 4:2) in the first round of the postseason, the Red Bulls will be keen on creating a big upset against the title favorites from Zürich. The virtual Swiss Lions faced Deggendorfer SC Esports in the quarterfinals and it is safe to say that we have seen one of the most dominant playoff performances in GCL history with a 4:0 sweep - three massive wins (12:1, 7:3 & 11:0) followed by an absolute blowout to close the series in game four (24:1). Without any surprise these results catapult the Lions offense to the top of the leaderbords with Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg (15G+27A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (23G+16A) and Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (12G+22A) in just four games played. Both goalies can play a very important role in the upcoming semfinals. While Alex @IDangledYouOut(I_Alex28_I) Wagner sits on top of the table with four wins, SV 87,8% and a GAA of 1.25, he is followed by Red Bulls goaltender Marcel @Capitano_82 (Houddel_RBM) Houdelet who records a more than solid 88,16% and a GAA of 1.8. Houdelet can become the decisive factor in this series considering the fact how many shots he is going to face. Between the pipes RB Munich eSports can lay the foundation for their success but have to be very effective up front to hurt ZSC eSports in their fast pace playing style. If the Swiss juggernauts are able to continue their dominant performances they will advance to their 4th consecutive GCL final! Player to watch: Kevin @KeuschemischBerg & Marcel @Capitano_82(Houddel_RBM) Houdelet Prediction: 4:0 ZSC Esports Deadly Phantoms (2) vs. Team NGU (5) For the 2nd time in a row we are seeing the Deadly Phantoms facing Team NGU in the semifinals of the German Championship League! Last year the Phantoms swept their ECL Pro counterparty on their way to the finals. This season NGU will be keen on beating the German powerhouse and make their first GCL final appearance possible! In the quarterfinals the Phantoms managed to beat the Düsseldorfer EG eSports 4:1 (6:2, 1:4, 3:0, 3:2, 5:1). After a shaky start into the series the 5-time German Champion adapted really well and beat the DEG in very solid fashion. Tim @Timasy Hess moved into the lineup for the last two games and could be a decisive factor for the game of former “Team LEISURE”. Denis @CCBow-501 Roethele is the current topscorer in the team (5G+6A), sharing that spot with Austrian old hand Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss (9G+2A). Just as in the regular season the linups of the Deadly Phantoms have seen quite some big rotation. In the matchup against the eSports team of the Düsseldorfer EG they were still able to show their qualities and maintain their position as a German juggernaut - no matter the lineup. We can expect Team NGU to be a more competitive opponent in this semifinals series. The squad around Akin @DaMan(Akin_Penta) Isik (6G+8A) and Bryan @CuteTerminator7 Bolliger (6G+10A) managed to beat Swiss outfit SC Bern eSports in the first round (4:2 series) despite their lower seed (4:1, 5:4OT, 1:2OT, 4:3, 0:1, 5:4OT). Forward and loanplayer Patrik @Winci Wenzel (6G+5A) is the player to watch in the upcoming series. The Czech is a great addition to the roster and can decide games with his individual skillset and hockey-IQ. Now they have the chance to show if they drew the right conclusions after being swept in the semifinals of GCL8 by the same opponent. Due to the roster changes for the Deadly Phantoms and the experience Team NGU earned in last ECL’23 Winter we can expect a closer series than in GCL8. Small details will make the difference and decide who will pave their way to the GCL9 finals. Players to watch: Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss & Patrik @Winci Wenzel Prediction: 4:2 Deadly Phantoms On top of that Quarterfinals of the GCL9 Cup were drawn. The matchups have to be played until Thursday the 23rd March. Play hard and smart! HC Lugano Esports vs. ZSC Esports Lions Academy vs. Deadly Phantoms Düsseldorfer EG Esports vs. Team NGU Old Primates vs. SCB eSports

SportsGamers, The regular season of the 9th iteration of the German Championship League is done. While the two DACH powerhouses ZSC Esports and Deadly Phantoms secured the top seeds for the postseason, we have seen a few new faces stepping up causing quite some surprises in the regular season. Now it is time to take a closer look at the upcoming Best-Of-7 Quarterfinal series in GCL 9! ZSC Esports (1) vs. Deggendorfer SC Esports (8) (written by @OGjahajaha) The back-to-back Champion from Switzerland will face a familiar opponent: DSC Esports. The two teams already met in the regular season with two spectacular goalfestivals (10:6 & 11:2 W for ZSC Esports). While the Swiss juggernauts grabbed the #1 overall seed with a perfect record (14-0-0), the Bavarian underdogs grabbed the last playoffspot with two important wins on their last matchday. While Deggendorf is well known for their quick counterattacks they need to find a way to stabilize their defense. 67 goals conceded in 14 games is the worst defense out of all 16 GCL teams. On the other hand ZSC Esports scored the most goals (104) and conceded the least goals (22) in the whole league. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg (31G+50A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (34G+29A), Max @Toneee9 Tonitz (6G+47A) and Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (20G+26A) can all be found among the top 4 scorers of the league. For Deggendorfer SC Esports it will be a mammoth task to breakdown their offensive game. Players to watch: Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi & Tobias @blechi12 Blechinger Predicition: 4-0 ZSC Esports Deadly Phantoms (2) vs. Düsseldorfer EG eSports (7) Two of the most experienced teams in the DACH-Community will face each other in the quarterfinals of GCL9! While the Deadly Phantoms have seen quite a few changes to their roster, melting into one team with former ECL Lite Quarterfinalist “Hyperion”, DEG eSports are still led by their two veterans Steffen @Seibertus94(Leuch-T) Leuchtenberger and Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Göpfert. While the Phantoms grabbed rank 1 in group 2 of GCL 9 with a record of 10-1-3, Düsseldorf managed to secure rank 4 in the same group on the last matchday. The matchup in the regular season of these two teams could not have been any more contrary. A 7:0 win for the Phantoms in game 1 faces a 6:5 OT win for DEG eSports in game 2. The key factor for this series will be consistency. The Deadly Phantoms used 12 different players during the regular season while their opponent relied on the same lineup most of the times. Especially DEG topscorer Alexander @Fire_019 Eder (16G+14A) can hurt the German juggernaut on counterattacks. If the Phantoms find their lineup, consistency and rhythm for the playoffs they should advance to the semifinals. Players to watch: Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz & Alexander @Fire_019 Eder Prediction: 4-1 Deadly Phantoms Predators (3) vs. Red Bull Munich eSports (6) Surely on of the biggest surprises in the 9th campaign of GCL hockey are the Predators! @LTorro managed to create a very balanced team of experienced and very talented young players. Playing all 14 games in the same lineup shows the consistency and is surely one of the reasons for their recent success. Especially Slovakian loanplayer Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec (12G+19A) is an exciting player to watch who adds the needed scoring touch to their offensive game. Their regular season record of 10-3-1 on rank 2 of group 2 underline their solid performances. But will they be able to maintain their game in the post season? Red Bull Munich eSports had a tough start to the season but came back on track thanks to a 5 game winning streak in the middle of the season, giving them that decisive push to the playoffs. The experienced Lauri @Lamsa Lamsa added that needed scoring ability. The Finnish loanplayer is always able to create danger around the opponents net and makes his teammates better. While Predators were more consistent during the season, the Red Bulls dropped many points in tight matchups. This can be the x-factor in a long and tight quarterfinalseries. Players to watch: Florian @Flo_goes_grazy(flgr93) Griechbaum & Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec Prediction: 4-3 Predators SCB eSports (4) vs. Team NGU (5) Another very tight and exciting series in the quarterfinals of GCL9! The Swiss Esports Squad from Bern managed to secure a strong rank 2 in group 1 right behind their countrymen of ZSC Esports. Winning 7 out of their last 8 games it seems like SCB Esports have found their scoring touch right in time! The ECL Pro Qualifier participant of Team NGU once again added loanplayers Jani @Jaks_10 Sallila and Czech ECL Lite Champion Patrik @Winci Wenzel to their squad. Team NGU recovered from a four game losing streak and finished with a record of 9-4-1, winning even one more game than their quarterfinal opponent from Switzerland! While the Esports team of the “Schlittschuh Club Bern” used 11 players during the regular season, we could find mainly the same lineup for Team NGU on the other side. Akin @DaMan(Akin_Penta) Isik (9G+9A) and Bryan @CuteTerminator7 Bolliger switched roles which seemed to have worked quite well towards the end of the season in combination with one of their two licenseplayers on the other wing! Despite their lower seed but due to their experience on higher level Team NGU should be able to win this series and advance to the top 4 in GCL 9! Players to watch: Bryan @CuteTerminator7 Bolliger & Yves @Bille123(Bille1990) Bill Predicition: 4-2 Team NGU

Our Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! Three weeks before the release of NHL 23, we are back with yet another iteration of our Player Spotlight-series! You voted and we listened, so here we are with a closer look at Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner, dubbed by your favorite commentary guy Paul @Cyn Anderson as "the player with the biggest set of arms in ECL Elite". He is known as a hard hitting forward and part-time EBUG for the Swiss back-to-back GCL Champions ZSC Esports! 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I think this goes way back to NHL 11. Back in the days I used to play with Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle who is also one of my best friends in real life. We started playing 2v2 where the remaining positions were played by the AI until one of our opponents messaged us if we want to join them. My first competitive 6v6 games was when I joined UKnighted HC roughly one year later. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club ZSC Esports? I really like our determination and positive mindset. No matter the result our biggest strength is to stay positive at all times and push ourselves. Most of our team have been playing in the same squad for a long time now. This and the fact that we all know each other off the virtual ice as well can surely give us the edge in many moments. 3. You are one of the few German players that have been here since ECL Season 1. What is your favourite NHL Gaming memory so far? There were many great memories made on the journey. My first ECL Elite Shutout as a goalie and getting promoted to ECL Elite with ZSC Esports three seasons ago. But If I had to choose on specific moment I had to choose winning the GCL 7 title against our "eternal" rivals Deadly Phantoms. Finally being able to beat and especially sweep them in the finals was a big relief. Being able to defend our Championship in GCL 8 really tops things off - especially with the way we played and dominated. 4. You started playing competetive 6v6 as a Goalie. Which things do you like most about playing as a Goalie and as a Forward? The thing I love most about playing as a Goalie is being one of the most important x-factors in the team. Working together with your D-pair can be very decisive if you perform well or not. But being able to decide games with important saves is an amazing feeling. As a Forward or Defender I like making creative plays. Always trying to find new ideas and solutions for certain situations in a game and working with your teammates to improve is why I love playing this game. The rewarding feeling to see how you build up chemistry and improve your results is also one of the main reasons for that. 5. You are GM for one day and can pick your perfect starting six. One GCL Lineup (only DACH players; you are allowed to pick 2 players from your own team) and one ECL Lineup: ECL Lineup: LW: @xLeikku C : @Patzlaf RW: @NikkeDangles                     LD: @xDoumi RD: @loimmu                                    G: @Faze91- GCL Lineup: Obviously I would love to pick all of my current teammates because in my opinion they all belong to the best players in the community. But to mix things up I am going to pick following players: LW: @Stefan_397 C : @IiVAPOR100iI RW: @DangledYouOut(TIUINIA)                              LD: @Reutschner16nhl RD: @Spezi                                                      G: @Hasek100 6. Which team do you support in real hockey? I support my hometown club EV Füssen who are currently playing in the "Oberliga Süd" (3rd German division).  7. Do you play or have you played hockey? When we were younger we always used to play Inline Hockey in the Summer and Ice Hockey on the frozen lake in Winter. Unfortunately I never played actively in a club. 8. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? Most of the time you will find me in the Gym. When I'm not lifting weights you will most likely find me watching videos of Markus Rühl*. Apart from that I love to spend time with my friends, drinking a beer and having good conversations. I'm also a big fan of listening to podcasts. At the moment my favourite podcast is "Einfach mal Luppen" by Toni and Felix Kroos. *Explanation to our non-German readers: Markus Rühl is a famous German bodybuilder. 9. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? If I had to choose one specific player I would pick Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala. The combination of offensive and defensive awareness, Hockey-IQ and vision on the virtual ice is just fun to watch. How he masters the game mechanics on both ends of the ice is something I really look up to. 10. Who's the best player in the GCL according to you? I have to pick my current teammate Max @Toneee9 Tonitz. In my opinion he is the perfect combination of ideal defensive awareness and offensive abilities. He is irreplaceable for our game. 11. How did you come up with your PSN ID? My PSN ID is an "homage" to one of my former teammates: Jürgen @DangledYouOut(TIUINIA) Kloster. He is one of my closest friends and at one point in time he changed his ID (to TIUINIA) and so I asked him if I can take his nickname instead. For me he is one of the most underrated forwards in the DACH-community. 12. Describe your perfect breakfast. Oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pancakes, EAA'drink, whey clear isolate and I'm ready for the day! 13. If you had to choose: being the best player in EA SPORTS NHL or an average hockey player in real life? To be honest I would pick being an average hockey player. To witness the atmosphere created by the fans in the arena must be an amazing feeling. Even if I was able to "only" play for my local 3rd division team EV Füssen. 14. You are DJ in the dressing room and can play one song to hype up your teammates. Which song are you playing? Limp Bizkit - Rollin'. 15. What’s your best hockey memory? This has to be when my local club EV Füssen gained promotion back into the Oberliga (3rd division). It was an amazing away day and securing promotion on that day away from home is something I will never forget. Apart from that another special moment was the World Championship quarterfinal in 2021 when Eisbären Berlin forward Marcel Noebels sent us into the semifinals with a cheeky one-hander against our favourite enemies from Switzerland. 16. What's the most important goal you have scored in a competetive 6v6 match yet? To be fair I cannot remember any specific goal. But one of my best performances has to be securing a shutout in ECL'22 Winter against Conquer Gaming after being called up as an "emergency goalie" for our team and being a bit shaky in the warmup games. 17. If you had to choose to play only one position for the rest of your virtual career. Which position would you pick and why? I think Goalie is my "most natural" position since I also stand between the pipes in real life when playing football or hockey with my friends. This position was always most fun to play for me. But currently I would prefer playing as a Forward especially due to the broken matchmaking in the game, playing as a Goalie can be quite ungrateful. 18. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? I'm rather uncomplicated in those things. Pizza Margherita is the way to go. 19. Who do you want to see featured next in Player Spotlight? I think it's finally time for Joshua @Hasek100 Plattner!

SportsGamers, After a long season in NHL22 we are able to present to you your first GCL 1v1 Champion: Max @Toneee9 Tonitz wins the title in our inaugural German Championship 1v1 league and beats Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle in a tight and exciting Final! The Austrian manages to secure his "GCL Hattrick" after winning the 6v6 GCL8 league and cup title with ZSC Esports. Which team did you choose on the way to your Championship? "I choose the Tampa Bay Lightning. Good mixture of star players such as Kucherov and Stamkos, as well as big defenders to bump opponents off the puck like Victor Hedman who is without a doubt the meta in NHL22." What has made you such a dominant player during the season despite not spending much time in the 1v1 mode? "Right after the motto defense wins championships I focused on defense first. Not conceding is always a good fundamental to success. Another important aspect in my game is patience in both ends of the ice but at the same time driving to the net and always looking for that scoring opportunity. In the end I am very happy that these traits which are important in 6v6, also lead to success in 1v1!" Let's take a look back at @Toneee9's road to the Championship: Group Stage record: 16-0-0 (#2 seed) Round 1 vs @Player-Chris1992 3-0 Round 2 vs @Palawatsch 3-0 Quarterfinals vs @CuteTerminator7 3-0 Semifinals vs @cpt_dirtyDangler 3-1 Finals vs @Kevinator-373 3-2 SportsGamer would like to congratulate Max @Toneee9 Tonitz on a tremendous season and winning his first Championship. A big thank you to all players of the DACH-Community who participated and made this tournament possible!

SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other!   GCL8 is just about to finish! We have seen many favourites maintaining their position in the league as well as supposed smaller teams tripping up the juggernauts of the DACH-Community. Right in time we are back with yet another player spotlight. This time we are glad to present to you Thomas @newman_2909 Neumann. Captain for the Eisbären Lauf - on and off the virtual ice! 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? My first experience was back in 2012. Since I started to play in 1994 on the Super Nintendo I always played EA SPORTS NHL quite regularly. Most of the times I used to grind Franchise Mode with a friend until I fell in love with Be a Pro and World of CHEL. 2. How did you end up in the 6v6 community? Due to the lockdown caused by Covid in 2020 we decided to found our Offline team (Eisbären Lauf) in World of Chel. In the beginning we played with 2 or 3 players and the other positions were played by the AI. After grinding 5v5 games with an AI goalie we decided to sign up for ECL 12 Neo and were in need of a goalie. Due to the fact that we were quite new to the community most of the Free Agents declined our offers to join us. Luckily two friends of our team decided to join us as our first goalie tandem in 6v6 EASHL! Looking back it was a big surprise that we managed to reach the ECL Neo Playoffs in our first season. 3. Describe your perfect day! Spending time with my friends and family while being on vacation. I would love to stay at the seaside, lake or pool! The day starts with a relaxing breakfast. Good conversations or board games are accompanied by a cold beer! A good BBQ session in the afternoon is completed by a live sport event at the evening. 4. Do you play hockey in real life? Yes, I play Goalie since 2008 for the Eisbären Lauf. We were able to secure four consecutive DNHL titles before Covid stopped the league operations (DNHL = Die Nordbayern Hockey Liga; similar to Beer/Hobby League). I hope that we are able to secure the 5th title in a row as soon as the season starts! 5. What's the biggest similarity between virtual and real hockey? Details matter. Just as in real hockey the small details will make the biggest differences in EASHL, too. In my opinion small things are extremely important to perform well. Feeling good with your equipment and setup is the foundation to be succesful. I also like to watch and try other players loadouts especially from the Elite and Pro Division to improve myself. But in the end it is very important that you feel comfortable - on and off the virtual ice. 6. As mentioned before you are between the pipes in real hockey. What do you prefer playing as a forward or defender in EASHL? In my first competitive seasons I played as a Defender since it was the only option in our team. I like playing as a defender because you are always under pressure and can be the deciding factor to your team on both ends of the ice. Since the start of this season I started playing as a Center. I really like being involved in almost every offensive and defensive play on the virtual ice. It starts with winning faceoffs which can be the x-factor in tight matchups and ends with being the transition man from defense to offense. 7. You are GM for one day and can pick your perfect starting six. One GCL Lineup (only DACH players; you are allowed to pick 2 players from your own team) and one ECL Lineup: ECL Lineup: LW: @PleeMaker C : @Beniittto RW: @Eken45jr       LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Bobiraataja(nikhaa27)                               G: @McSavid The ECL Lineup is a bit more tricky for me to pick. Even though I watch as many ECL Broadcasts as possible it is difficult to pick certain players due to the high performance density in the league. But above mentioned players have always been very remarkable to me. GCL Lineup: LW: @Keuschemisch C : @PlaymakerSJ RW: @IDangledYouOut                         LD: @GERxVillain RD: @CashAllGreen                                                G: @Hasek100 Due to the fact that the density in the DACH-Community is not that high, picking 6 players is a bit more easy for this lineup! Both wingers have proven themselves in the Elite Division and shown what they are capable of. @PlaymakerSJ and @Hasek100 have been institutions in this community for years now! And I really like both D-men and their capabilities on the offensive end of the ice! 8. You are quite new to competetive 6v6. What is your favourite NHL Gaming moment so far? There are two moments I'd like to highlight. Making the playoffs in our very first ECL Neo season as well as winning our first playoff series in this years ECL'22 Spring Core! 9. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? As a child I always wanted to become a policeman or pilot. Unfortunately for both jobs my vision and eyesight were not good enough. Nowadays I'm working as a client advisor for a private bank. 10. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I love playing real hockey and spending as much time as possible on the rink. Apart from that I like visiting sports events such as hockey, football or handball games. 11. Who is the best player in the ECL and GCL? ECL: Definitely @Eki. There can't be any discussion about someone who secured several consecutive 1v1 European Championships. GCL: @Original-SnuS and @PlaymakerSJ are both extremely fun to watch. Their experience and skillset in 1v1 and 6v6 is something to look up to. But even though we are doing this interview I have to pick @Keuschemisch. In my opinion there is no other player in the whole community who invests so much time into the game to improve. His record and Championship in the eDEL and performances in 6v6 underline that. 12. High scoring game or OT drama? OT drama all the way. Those are the games that everybody wants to see. 13. What was your favourite team in real hockey? Chicago Blackhawks. Tony Amonte was the first player that I watched on TV. I was totally blown away and became a fan of the Blackhawks! 14. What are your goals in the next ECL in NHL23? In the next ECL '23 Winter Core we would like to make the playoffs again. We want improve step by step and perhaps secure Home ice advantage in round 1! Maybe we are capable of winning two consecutive playoff series next season! 15. What do you like most about being a captain on and off the virtual ice? Apparently I am not that bad at organizing. Since I always captained the team off the ice it was obvious that I would to that on the virtual ice, too. I really like to create a good environment so that everybody in the team feels comfortable. Building a good philosophy for the whole squad and having good conversations with all of my teammates is something I really appreciate. Seeing a good development of a certain player makes me really proud! 16. What’s your best real life hockey memory? Two Championships with the Eisbären Lauf! One decided in Overtime and the other one with a shorthanded GWG at 59:58. Absolute scenes! Apart from that I enjoyed watching my first live NHL Game back in May 2019. Game 5 between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks! I wrote an article for nhl.com/de and was able to interview the German goalie Philipp Grubauer after the game. 17. Pizza with or without pineapple? Obviously without. If I'd put pineapple on Pizza I won't be able to go on vacation in Italy anymore. 18. Who would you like to see next in Player Spotlight? I would love to see Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer in the next Interview!  

SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other!   GCL8 action is on its way and we have a special guest for our next "Player Spotlight". Justin @JS_1510 Schütz - Player for EHC RB München in the DEL and Captain for The Real Rookies on SportsGamer.gg! Let's take a closer look at the German international and if there are similarities between virtual and real hockey!   1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I started playing NHL casually back in 2017.   2. Which team did you support when you were younger? Pittsburgh Penguins have always been my favourite team!   3. Describe your perfect holiday. I'm a big fan of a relaxing All-inclusive holiday. Lying at the pool, spending time at the beach with my girlfriend or good friends and enjoying life! 4. In real life you are playing in the highest German division (DEL) for EHC RB München. In your quite young career you already played over 100 league games. What is your best memory yet? My best memory yet is the first game of the season in 2019/20. I scored the gamewinning goal against Augsburg in what was only my 4th league game. This season is also really special because it was my first full season in the league! 5. How do you prepare yourself for a DEL match? Having good lunch, relaxing while playing some videogames, catching some good sleep and arriving early at the Arena. I like to be quite early in the dressing room to prepare my equipment for the game. 6. You are GM for one day and can pick your perfect starting six. One lineup consisting of EASHL players of the DACH-community and the other one of DEL players in real life: DACH-Lineup: LW: @Keuschemisch C : @Domi_PENTA RW: @Timasy              LD: @GERxVillain RD: @Franky__2768                                   G: @RPH_31 DEL-Lineup: LW: Cedric Schiemenz C : Taro Jentzsch RW: Yasin Ehliz                  LD: Zach Redmond RD: Marco Nowak                             G: Mathias Niederberger 7. How do you like to spend your sparetime? Obviously hitting the practice rink to improve in real hockey. But apart from that I love spending time with my girlfriend, family and friends. 8. You are DJ in the dressing room and can play one song to hype up your teammates. Which song are you playing? Jorge Quintero - 300 Violin Orchestra 9. What other sports do you follow beside hockey? I love watching football, tennis and Formula 1! 10. Where are the biggest similarities between real and virtual hockey? The biggest similarity between virtual and real hockey is that it's always very important to stay creative also while being under pressure. Surprising moves and good decisionmaking gives you the edge in tight games in EA SPORTS NHL aswell as on the real ice! Having a gameplan and believing in it is also a really important aspect in both games. Sticking to the tactics and gameplan is the key to success. 11. Pizza with or without pineapple? Definitely without. 12. Highscoring game or OT drama? OT drama! 13. Who was your hockey idol when you were younger? I always looked up to Sidney Crosby and his Hockey-IQ. 14. What are your goals for this GCL8? We definitely want to perform better than in ECL'22 Winter and Spring. One of the most important factors for us is having fun but obviously we want to get as far as possible. Making the playoffs should be doable and maybe we can provide some upsets! 15. If you had to choose: Champions in the CHL or winning the German Championship in the DEL? I think I would choose winning the CHL. Being the best team in Europe sounds good to me. 16. What is your favourite dish? To be honest I do not have any favourite dish. I'm uncomplicated. 17. Which is the most important goal you have scored yet in your career? My most important goal has to be the OT GWG in the CHL Quarterfinals 2021/22 against Lukko Rauma. Scoring the winner in OT and advancing to the semifinals in the CHL is really something special! 18. Which player would you like to see next here? I would love to see my The Real Rookies teammate @OlafjenneJR (Eichelkratzer10) soon! Thanks for having me.

SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! Right in time we are back with yet another Player Spotlight! The first week in the 8th season of the German Championship League is on its way - so it's the perfect time to take a closer look at Reto "eTschitsch" (@afc_Tschitsch) Ulrich. Goalie of the reigning GCL champion ZSC Esports from Switzerland!   1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I started playing in NHL09 with Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni. We started playing 2v2 where all remaining positions were played by the AI. After a few years I stopped playing until Claudio contacted me in 2018 again. They were in need of a Goalie for the former "The Black Jacks". That's when I started grinding again.   2. What do you value most in playing for ZSC Esports? It makes me extremely proud to be part of this team and represent one of the biggest clubs in the country. Furthermore ZSC is my childhood club. So it's even more special to me.   3. Describe your perfect day! Sleeping until 11am. Have a good workout in the gym and spending the rest of the day in Zürich, enjoying the sun and having good dinner.   4. You are GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team. Who is in your perfect ECL lineup and GCL lineup (only DACH-players)? ECL Lineup: LW: @NikkeDangles C : @Eki RW: @FlyerKungen         LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_)                         G: @uhNikke   GCL Lineup: LW: @IDangledYouOut C : @PlaymakerSJ RW: @Freeman7187                              LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Haldeem                                          G: @PLA77NER     5. Do you play hockey in real life? I played 14 years for ZSC Lions Youth teams. When I was 18 years old I had to end my career due to an injury.   6. What's your best hockey memory? There are several moments I like to remember. I was able to play with great players who paved their way to the NHL. Such as Kevin Fiala, Jonas Siegenthaler, Denis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto and many more. But apart from that my biggest highlight was winning the Swiss Youth Championship back in 2012 and finishing as the top scorer of the league.   7. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I love doing sports and having a good time with my friends. Spending time with my family is really important to me as well as travelling as much as possible.   8. Pizza with Pineapples. Yes or No? NO!   9. What song do you listen to while playing an intense match in ECL? Currently my favourite tune is "Good Vibe" by R.I.O. & Kyanu.   10. What's the background story to your PSN ID? As a kid I fell in love with the Croatia kit at the World Cup 1998. My father bought me one and due to the fact that most of Croatias players name ended on "-cic" he told me that 'Cic" has to be my new name. A few friends started calling me that nickname and so it started its course until it eventually became "Tschitsch" instead of "Cic".   11. Who is the best player in the ECL? This is a really tough question to answer. There are many great players and talents out there. But if I had to choose one I would pick @Eki. He is almost always able to make a difference and give his team the edge over the opponents.   12. What's your favourite dish? As a Swiss there can be only one answer: cheese fondue.   13. What are your goals for this GCL and next ECL in NHL23? For this GCL I will take the role as a backup goalie to have Mike @burban26 Müller and Christian  @Fightlocke3 Schubert's back. But our only goal for this season has to be to defend the title. In the next ECL I would love to participate in the playoffs. In the past seasons we improved steadily and making the playoffs has to be the next step.   14. High scoring game or OT drama? Since I'm a Goalie I will obviously take the OT drama. And personally I feel like I perform best when being under pressure.   15. What are your NHL career highlights so far? My biggest highlight has to be winning the GCL7 title in the finals against Team LEISURE (now Deadly Phantoms again). After falling short in four finals it was a big relief to finally beat them. On top of that we were able to secure the title with three sweeps in a row and personally securing five shutouts in the postseason felt really good! The ECL 7 Lite title was also really special to me aswell as making it to the top of the ECL and playing there now for the 4th consecutive season.   16. Who should be featured next in "Player Spotlight"? In the next spotlight I would love to see my Swiss fellowman Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi!     Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series. Also, if there are any questions you'd like us to add to the arsenal, let us know!