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Hello NHLGamers, For this season of ECL Elite we are tweaking the recurring segment that looks to detail the ‘hottest’, ‘coldest’ and… ‘mildest’? teams in Elite over the past week. There will be more of an emphasis towards the quantitative approach, so expect more graphs and fewer walls of text. Each article in this series will be released on Mondays and will thusly be based on the days in between each power ranking iteration. In addition to this it should be noted that each ranking will invariably be in some way biased as it is, at the end of the day, a subjective list. Note: Each article will be based off of results starting from the Monday, all the way up to (& including) Friday. Ergo, any games played over the weekend will generally end up being a week 'late' so to speak. The logic behind the ranking is admittedly a sort of internal subjective ranking that weighs up results, opposition 'strength' as well as thoughts on the general play during some games. As such a ranking is not 100% quantifiable in nature there will be some bias that creeps in. One thing I would like to make abundantly clear however is that points are not the be all and end all within these rankings; for instance, just because 3 teams have the same record does not mean they won't be ranked wildly differently, as the context behind said results are of great importance and simply cannot be understated. 1. Written in the Stars (6-0-0) 2. AIK Hockey (3-1-0) 3. Unlucky Boys (3-2-1) 4. Team Frosty (3-1-0) 5. Butterfly Effect (2-1-1) 6. Bucketeers (3-3-2) 7. Symphony (3-3-0) 8. Deadly Phantoms HC (2-1-1) 9. Resurrection (3-1-2) 10. HC Wildcard (3-3-0) 11. Northern Stars (2-2-2) 12. Dynasty (1-1-0) 13. Synergy Hockey (1-2-1) 14. Rusty Blades (2-2-2) 15. Almost Famous (1-3-0) 16. FILADELPHIA (0-0-0) Standings Timeline *The "playoff cut-off point", as well as the "relegation zone" lines are rough estimations of where the respective areas of Elite will fall once the regular season has been wrapped up. So, in other words, if a team is able to get over the green line, they 'should' stand a very good chance of making the playoffs, whilst if a team cannot make it past the red line, then there is a good chance that they will have to fight a relegation battle in order to assure their Elite spot for next season. Analysis Anyway, on to the mess. As I'm sure you can see, this early into the season teams have not been afforded the chance to really differentiate themselves from each other, as such it is generally pretty tough to spot many teams as they overlap with each other. That said, there are some things we can pick out. Namely, Written In The Stars are already the only team still unbeaten in regulation (sans FILA who are yet to play at all), quite an anticlimactic feat given that most teams have only played 4-6 games. Additionally, we can see that Bucketeers have clearly dispelled any notion that they would not be ready for Elite, as they have stormed out of the block and posted a very respectable point per game average over 8 games. Sure, at that pace they're unlikely to make the playoffs, however it certainly offers up the opportunity for them to make a run at a playoff berth, a position I'm sure that they're more than happy to be in right now. As far as slow starts go though, there seems to be quite a heavily amount of parity at the moment as all teams (who have played), already have at least a win on the board. If we have to name and shame however, the most anaemic start would go to Almost Famous who are currently 1-3-0, not great, but even this would put them on pace for 15pts which is should be alarming for those from the AF side, yet they've played just 4 games, so do not read too much into this at the very moment. - With that all of this in mind, we are now finished for the first edition of ECL 8 Elite's power rankings. Next time we'll have a projection and a (belated) prediction of how the standings will fall once the dust has settled, as well as (hopefully) more trends to discuss. ECL Elite Writer @MartindalexC

Hi NHLGamers, We are back with a small look into the first week into the Pro division. Last season we ran a team of the week segment, but this season we are mixing it up a bit as we now try to highlight one player, whose week was outstanding. In addition to this, we will make also a small interview with our nominee and try to get to know him better and maybe get some insights of the team or some kind of a trash talk. Without further ado we would like to present you our first Player Of The Week: @kriketski17 PSN-ID: kriketsi17 Team: The Next Gen Position: Center Games played this week: 6 (vs Speedy Bros Hockey, Black Horse and Raccoon Rampage) Goals: 8 Assists: 10 Points: 18 +/-: 13 Our writer @Panarinz was sent out to get a few comments from this weeks main man: Hi @kriketski17, Lets start of with a recap of the first week. How do you think the start of ECL 8 has been for you personally and for your team The Next Gen? - We had a good week but personally I can still bring a lot more to the table. What is goal for this season, both team and individual? - To win the Pro title and personally I want to be the best forward in Pro. How did you come up with your PSN ID kriketsi17? - Cant remember anymore In your opinion, what is the best player build in this version of the game? - It depends on what kind of player you are. In attack I prefer using a two way forward or a power forward. On defense, the grinder and two way defenseman are my go-to's. What is your biggest strength as a player? - My understanding of the game. Finally, the question everyone wants an answer to: Which team will win ECL 8 Pro? - Hopefully us or Gotham Knights. We thank Kriketsi17 for his answers and wish him and his team the best of luck for the rest of the season! It will be interesting to see if Kriketsi17 can continue that success and lead his team through the next weeks. We all know how a center has to be that game-changer in all three zones. Did we get the pick right, which other players would have deserved to get mentioned here? Let us know in the comment section! Signing off for now, ECL Pro writing team @Panarinz and @Mannheimer1938

NHLGamers, A week has been played in the ECL Lite division and we in the ECL Lite Writing Team have decided to choose a player of the week, making it a weekly thing. This weeks player has shown a lot of individual skill and managed to rack up a total of 40 points in just 6 games during the first week of competition in ECL 8 Lite. The guy we’re talking about is @Basstian23 (JaromirSniper68) and down below you can see his stats this past week. PSN-ID: JaromirSniper68 Team: Dynamic Position: Center Games played this week: 6 (vs HC Slapshot, Slapshot Club Germany and Niederrhein Canucks) Goals: 15 Assists: 25 Points: 40 +/-: 19 I sat down with JaromirSniper68 and asked him a few questions: You have been awarded this weeks Player of the week award. How do you feel about that? - I’m very happy. I would like to thank my teammates. Without them, this wouldn't have happened. Describe yourself as a player. - I would say that I’m a skilled two way player who sees the ice very well. I consider myself more of a passer. I'd rather pass for an open net for my teammate than take the shot. Why does it work out so well for you? - It’s about my teammates. They’re making it easy for me to score and to get assists. To be honest though, the opponents so far haven’t been the best and I have so much more to show. A BIG thank you to JaromirSniper68 who took the time and answered our questions. As the season moves on and the opponents get tougher, it'll be exciting to follow the progress of JaromirSniper68. It'll remain to be seen if Dynamic can stay in form and the man himself can keep scoring. Until next time! On behalf of the ECL Lite Writing Team, @Willander97

Hey NHLGamers! Welcome to our ECL 8 Elite season preview, and let us start off by stating this is going to be one to remember! Our Prize pool is now 10 000€, which makes ECL the biggest 6vs6 tournament worldwide both measured in team amount, player amount and prize pool by far! We're happy to have all of you back for another season of this greatness. In the last few days we've dropped some exciting news on you guys, such as the involvement of AIK Hockey into ECL and our new partnership with Dr. Oetker Rustica and Elisa Viihde. Now, let's not keep you guys waiting any more than we have and get into the team run downs. AIK Hockey New Swedish pride AIK Hockey enters with a bang as they were announced just before the start of the season. Not many changes have happened over the offseason, as the former Sjukstugan look to continue their strong efforts with the same lineup as in ECL 7. The most notable change is in the goaltending department, where @ICappeI is replacing @Hullued in a switch-up that turns AIK into an all-Swedish team. Both netminders are some of the very best the league has to offer, so the decisive factor here is the flag on their passport. A player to keep your eyes on this season is @Tacterz. The young and tremendously skilled winger was a welcomed addition to the teams offense in ECL7 and is only expected to improve from here on. Almost Famous Almost Famous were, well - famous for their offensive style of hockey in their previous seasons, but last season there were some serious problems. Troubles to score called for somewhat of a re-build. This season will be better for them, because their team leaders gained experience from ECL7 in Elite and bringing in fresh blood from Cowabunga Hockey (Pro) who are hungry to prove everyone tthat they can compete at the Elite level. Players added were G @Jonitski, LD @Makeaxl and RW @Sokkelo__. All of these players are in for their first season at the Elite level. Let's not forget that aF lost their defensive leader @Aze to Team Frosty, this might take it's toll but the new addition Make seems to possess some talent as he put up 24p in 30 games in ECL 7 Pro. Bucketeers As one of the five new teams in Elite for this coming season the emergent Swedish team should have some level of familiarity in the opponents that they will be playing. Of course, if they want to make a statement and assure themselves of Elite level play for longer than just one season, then they will have to take the next step in their startlingly fast rise through the ECL structure (Lite in ECL 6, Pro in 7 and now Elite in 8 ) and move outside their comfort zone in order to grind out the invariably close games that often characterise Elite. Regarding where the Bucketeers are predicted to finish, personally I think they will most likely end up somewhere around 10th - 14th place, simply based on the fact that there a lot of unknowns in some of these new teams. As long as the Bucketeers are able to stay above .500 against these aforementioned teams, they should be in a decent enough spot. Butterfly Effect It's gonna be really interesting to see how FLY plays this season, since they've underwent a major roster shake-up. The team formerly known as Red Machine gained Elite promotion before ECL 7 due to the folding of Evolution. In their inaugural season in Europes best division, the team put on quite an impressive showing. After clinching the sixth seed they made the playoffs, in which they lost in five games to big-time contender Written in the Stars. From last years team only three players stayed: Captain @jergelii, @Crisu_rottis and @Roisto999. These good-looking insects lost their most dangerous players in @Vilupoika and @RutonMosse. It's up to the newly acquired duo of @xDoumi and joukki13 (@Joukki) to replace some of the lost offensive capacities. They also acquired veteran defenseman @Totalii which should give them more quality and flexibility on the blue line. With the addition of Goalie @JanneK.(JANURI98) their GAA shouldn't be a problem anyway. Expect these guys to give their all and fight for one of the higher spots in the Elite standing. Deadly Phantoms HC DPH managed to claim the ECL 7 Pro title in stunning fashion after a very tough season facing some adversity early on in the playoffs. This is surely the season for redemption as the team will now compete at the highest tier. Their roster underwent no changed but a small downscaling as they now look for all of their players to take the step to the next level. It'll certainly be interesting to see how these guys will find their form and how they stack up against some of the more established teams. DPH could very well surprise, but an expected finish would be around 8th-12th. Dynasty The temptation when faced with adversity is to change too much (or even too little), with the consequence being that you take a step backwards. After x seasons in Elite, along with x trips to the playoffs and x semi final appearances, one would certainly expect some growing irritation that they have been so close, for so long, with little to show for it. Regardless of this, Dynasty are coming into the season having made probably the least changes to their roster amongst the teams of Elite, in fact the only changes appear to be the loss of @Filariou and the pick up of familiar face @Haldeem. All in all, barring a massive shift, Dynasty should easily clinch a playoff berth by finishing somewhere around 4th place (+/-: 1), beyond that however, your guess is as good as mine. FILADELPHIA All they do is win - no matter what. That seems to be the case with Finnish juggernaut FILADELPHIA. In their first season in the Elite division they immediately clinched the top seed for the playoffs after finishing with a record of 23-4-1. In the playoffs FILA kept on torching their opponents and ultimately finished with an incredible postseason record of 12-3. In the finals they had to battle though, beating Symphony in six games. I_Eki_I (@Eki) scored the championship-clinching goal in double overtime while teammate @PleeMaker grabbed the Playoff-MVP trophy after racking up 29 points in 15 playoff-games. Taking a look at FILADELPHIAs roster for ECL 8, they were able to keep their most impactful players and added top-tier defenseman @jtorro1233 from rival SKY. Captain @Patzlaf will still be flanked by the aforementioned and highly skilled wingers Eki and PleeMaker with @mikaasi providing the much needed forward-depth. The defensive-trio of @Janzuh, jtorro1234 and @vatalisti is arguably the best in the game. Both goalies, Zande95 (@sibeelius) and @FinKonna, are well-experienced guys and know how to handle pressure. It's hard to find any flaws in the star-studded finnish roster. The question is: Do they have what it takes to to build a dynasty (no pun intended) and become the first ever consecutive champion? HC Wildcard HC WILDCARD aka veterans squad. They appeared in ELITE filling the spot of Northern Ascendancy after a few interesting turns of events but they surely can pose a difficult opponent on any given night. Even though it’s their first season in ELITE they boast a squad with lots of experience. They signed the notorious Kinnunen brothers as known from Rusty Blades, @kinnun3 came from there, but @kikiukko came from Almost Famous where he had a short stint. Let's also not forget the recent addition of experienced offensive threat @Nampa77, who pent last season in aF with kiki. These signings increase their chances to stay put in Elite, but it surely won't be an easy fight. Northern Stars Much of the same is the modus operandi for this storied team. After another playoff appearance (and quit exit) NOS were faced with a similar question that Dynasty have been tasked with answering, in essence, what is the next step? Dynasty attempted to remedy the situation by picking up a new defender, whilst NOS appear to have done the same with the acquisition of @Nieppii, after that however the similarities drop off for the most part. This is due in part from NOS apparently going nuclear and trying out a, let’s just say, unorthodox lineup with @ma0niii (long time RD) playing C and Chimera being moved over to RW. Whether this pays off is yet to be seen, but at the very least this change (if they stick to it of course) should give them some new looks offensively, as Chimera will be allowed to take more risks given that he won’t have as much defensive responsibility to deal with. As for where I think they’ll finish, I’m going to say 8th place, not because I necessarily think they’ll end up there (they could easily finish one spot higher for instance) but rather I want the ‘yo-yo’ from them to continue since they’ve finished in 7th, 8th and 7th for the last three ECL seasons now. Resurrection It's name reflects it's programme. The team formerly known as Monte Carlo will now participate in ECL Elite - just a couple months after applying for ECL Lite. Yep, you read that right. Captain @Jiihooo86 and his squad put together a decent first season in the Pro division. He was the biggest difference maker himself, recording 3 shutouts and a save percentage of 82,38% during the playoffs. After losing 7 of their last 10 games in the regular season, they definitely resurrected in the postseason before losing to Synergy Hockey in the semifinals. They bounced back (again) from some bone-headed plays (bad one, I know) and defeated SIKA in the relegation series. The offensive line of @Artuzio, johtaja699 (@J0HTAJA) and @xKeskitalo was pretty much clicking constantly. The same can't be said for the defense though. Even though @Nikmes7 had a strong regular season, the team barely got any production from the blue line in the playoffs. The majority of the team felt a change was necessary, leading to @Veikkonator getting replaced by the rugged defenseman TheFakiiR1(@FakiiR1). It will be interesting to see if the new D-pairing will be able to hold their own against some of the best forwards in the game. Jiihooo might need to play out of his mind on a daily basis if Resurrection wants to compete. Rusty Blades Rusty Blades made one of the most interesting acquisitions of the off-season when they managed to secure the services of the former NOR duo @MartindalexC and @Foppatofflan. On top of this, they added @The_Alpha_Furyan to bolster their ranks in defense. The preseason games of Rusty have showed some promise as it seems they have kept their identity of playing a simple game, but the new additions have added some speed and offensive ability that wasn't there before. The combination of the two have turned into a dangerous mix that could quickly turn the opposing teams night into a bad one. Rusty could very well see their best season yet, as they should now finish in the top 8. Symphony This season they start as runner-ups of ECL 7 where they lost to FILADEPHIA in game six of the finals. The main story going on now is, will they be able to take the last step towards becoming the Champ? Could very well be, because they have made some great updates to their squad recently, even though they lost some of their leaders they got an equal trade for them. For example they lost top goalie @ICappeI, who went AIK Hockey, but they stole another great G from Gotham Knights in @swagx88. They also added the talented @RutonMosse from Butterfly Effect, who is now walking in his brothers footsteps and finally looking to overshadow the older one. A great point is that SYM managed to hold on to their amazing defensive trio @entii112, @vSilenttio and @Ilmari_30. Expect these guys to be contenders again. Synergy Hockey Joining Elite as one of the two automatic promotions from Pro due to a finals appearance we have the Swedish side of Synergy. As far as similarities go with Synergy and the Bucketeers, well, both are Swedish and that’s about it. Of the newly promoted teams, no other has the same amount of Elite experience as Synergy. For instance, their projected starting line-up (sans goalie) contains three players who have each played two full seasons in Elite previously (@Normark, @Supremski & @Egyptologen), so there should not be that big of an issue of players not being sufficiently prepared for the level of Elite, mentally speaking of course. All things considered then, I think that SYN, as well as DPH, probably have the best chance of making a claim towards a playoff position out of the new teams. Although, I think if either of them do end up doing as much, it will not be by a large margin. Ergo, I can see Synergy finishing being a fringe team on the ‘outside looking in’ so to speak, somewhere around 9th - 10th place. Team Frosty @Vilupoika, @Penatski and @Aze. That's a trio that when added to any team in the league would certainly provide a welcomed boost! After a tough first Elite season, captain @Zip player was a man on a mission for their return in ECL 8. He made the biggest and most spoken-of signings of the off-season and didn't waste any time in getting his team going for ECL 8. The preseason has been a bit up and down for Frosty, but we expect the experienced lineup to get it together come the first puckdrop. Aze will be their defensive leader, but it'll remain to be seen if @After8 (will_yo7) will manage to fill the shoes of a consistent performer at the Elite level. TF will be a playoff team. Unlucky Boys HC The veteran team built around Anhel_Kuru (@Anhel) missed last season's playoffs by a lone point. Yeah, that's rough. Not as rough as being Cody Parkey (NFL reference) these days, but still. That bad break should solely ignite some new desire to get back to the postseason, especially because they completely kept their core. One of their biggest struggles last year was their lack of offense. UB only scored 40 goals in 28 games, despite having a decent powerplay. It will be interesting to see if they can make the right adjustments without really changing anything significant in their roster. Expect the horseshoes in the playoff hunt once again. Written In The Stars Written is always a contender, but they never fail to provide a let down come playoffs. For 3 seasons straight away they are among the best regular season teams, but they are always coming short of being the best in Europe. Last season they already reached the semi-finals, where they lost to Symphony 1-4. They lost some good players like @jtorro1233, who went to FILA, @Bugimir who announced his retirement, @JOHTAJAVIRTANEN who turned his talents to FIFA Pro clubs, and one of the best goalies in the scene: @JanneK. to Butterfly Effect. SKY needed to quickly make up for their losses, which seemed not to be a problem at all. The team signed @Buantso from Symphony and @Nassustelija from Butterfly Effect in quick succession. To help out in net@poliskontroll from Northern Ascendancy was added. Follow this team during the current season, because their time to win should be due. Well, there you go, gamers. We're happy to have brought you yet another preview for yet another season. Some teams change, some remain the same. We'll see who the champion turns out to be! Don't forget to tune in to our broadcasts this season on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Finnish at Elisa Viihde Sport or the Elisa Viihde Twitch-channel. Broadcasts will also be available in English or without commentary at the NHLGamer Twitch-channel. Signing off for now, Your ECL Elite Writing Team @MartindalexC, @Serg1vratar and @Tim_FlyersFan

Guten Tag and välkommen NHLGamers, We'd like to welcome you to another exciting ECL Pro division season! It's only three weeks ago that we saw the grand finale of ECL 7, but here we are again, the short waiting is over and we are hyped to see the road to Elite starting over again. Can the promoted teams make a direct impact? Are the relegated former Elite teams capable of a bounce back season? Time will tell but here are some teams, that should be watched and followed for sure: Teams to watch - Group 1 Checkmate Checkmate had an impressive ECL 7 - the defensive minded team were hard to beat last season and didn't hesitate on the chances they got. 47 Points (23-6-1) were good for the second place in Group 2, so the pressure was high on the team for a decent playoff run. Unfortunately their offense struggled a lot in the elimination to CLUB ONE in 5 games, as they got shut out three times. They have kind of a rebuild as they lost three of their starters where two of them were their top scorers. It will be interesting to see if they can handle this situation with fresh blood for another playoff campaign. Gotham Knights After a disappointing season in ECL 7's Elite, the Gotham Knights are back into the Pro division where they don't plan to stay for long. They were one point shy of no-mans land so the relegation was quite unlucky. Nevertheless they didn't fall apart as many relegated teams - most of the guys stuck together to prove that they are better than what they showed last season. Their one and only goal for this team should be an instant Elite promotion, and with the addition of another Elite experienced player in @selänne8 this time, for good. SIKA SIKA was a late promotion to Elite before ECL 7, but many of us thought they will handle the higher division pretty well as they were very strong in the pre-season. Well, 23 losses later we now are aware that maybe they couldn't handle the pressure properly. Alike Gotham Knights, SIKA will also try to bounce back in the Pro division of ECL 8. Therefore SIKA decided to turn back the clocks and rebuild together with former members of EN HUND (SIKA members from way back). It will be fun to watch how the hounds and pigs will hunt together for points. Underdog The Black Jacks The ECL 7 champion of the Lite division will try to make a direct impact in uncharted territory. Their brutal offense will still be the key factor in their game and they will score some goals, but it will be interesting to see if they can handle the more defensive powerhouses and find some new ways to get the puck to the back of the net. Without any noticeable additions, these Swiss guys are trusting their core players to step up into the new level of competition. Teams to watch - Group 2 Speedy Bros Hockey The Speedy Bros had a decent playoff run after finishing 4th in Group 1 of ECL 7. They were even next in line to get an Elite promotion but after they lost their starting center just at the doorstep of the season, they stepped down to this and will try another run in Pro. By adding @LastMandalorian they get a player with Elite experience and the top scorer of ECL 7 @Tzon93 will try to have another outstanding season to get his team back for another deep playoff run and maybe a chance for a direct promotion. Cowabunga Hockey After a disappointing playoff campaign, Cowabunga got swept by Pata Hellalla in round 1, Cowabunga will try to repeat a nearly perfect regular season (finished 1st in Group 1) and guess who's back? Their former ECL 6 top scorer @Fin_torspo90! Will he be the final piece in the puzzle for success? They surely have a lot of fresh faces in their line-up, can @Tinkesakara get his team together for another exciting season? Born With It After struggling at the beginning of ECL 7, Born With It showed their talent at the end of the season were they had an incredible playoff push. Most of their starters stayed together and they added with @FIN_Potilas to bring some leadership to the squad! They will be in the mix for the Pro title for sure. Born With it have learned from their mistakes of last season and come back stronger than ever motivated as can be. Underdog The Next Gen The runner-up of ECL 7 Lite is ready for another great season and taking the next step. The key factors of their success are still there and they added some Elite/Pro experienced players on their way to avoid hanging around the relegation talk, instead they will aim for a high seed and a deep playoff run. These young guns know what's have to be done to be successful. Players to watch - group 1: Forward - Gotham Knights - @selänne8 (BiggestEight) In a struggling Falun last season in Elite, the big(gest) 8 still managed to put up some points and help his team in the way he does best, score and assist. With another type of opposition in games that can be more open, he will surely get back on his typical ECL Pro form, where in, earlier years, he has put up almost 250 points in 101 games. Defender - Gotham Knights - @eyebiz Yet another player from Gotham is joining our players to watch list, but for good reason. The defender has played 4 seasons in Elite, including a final in ECL 6 with Northern Ascendancy, talk about experience! He will bring that solidness to Gothams defense and can help them on their way back to Elite. Goaltender - Nordic Stars - @Tomsuu (a_pantera) There were a few candidates for this spot, as there are some great goaltenders in group 1! With that being said, a_pantera can be that game changer Nordic Stars need. He joins after a solid season in Checkmate, 84 SV% and 1.75 GAA in 16 games shows what he's capable of. Players to watch - group 2: Forward - Speedy Bros Hockey - @Tzon93 His stats speak for themselves. In ECL 7 he was the top scorer, counting both regular season playoff scoring. He reached the 100 point mark and scored goals from seemingly everywhere on the ice. I'd be shocked if Tzon wouldn't make our "Top 6 of the season" after this season as well as leading his team to a long playoff run. Defender - The Next Gen - @oGBioLan Former Elite winner and Pro silver medalist joins the newcomer and will provide that stability at the back end that every new team would love to have. oG has the ability of a top defenseman in NHL 19 and if he sees more icetime than last season, only 6 games with FILADELPHIA, I would already predict a ECL 8 Pro "Norris" season from him. Goaltender - Born With It - @Masapunda (octobussy) The guy with the great PSN had an incredible season in ECL 7, over 85 in SV%, a GAA of 1.80 and 7 shutouts during the regular season. If it wasn't for the toughest of competition he would've made the top 3 goaltenders list. Maybe he could snag that award this season? Wouldn't surprise me. For your reference, here are again the Groups of the ECL 8 Pro division: Group 1: Checkmate Tiffen The Black Jacks Supernatural Silver Sword Griffins SIKA Rajatorpan Mafia POGGERS Nordic Stars Murohoki Gotham Knights God Tier GHETTO FIREBIRDS EV Duisburg Clowns On Ice TIKI TALK Group 2: Bellizzi The Next Gen Style Speedy Bros Hockey SPARTANS Reality Check HC Raccoon Rampage Pata Hellalla Mentula SKA Horror Hockey Freddie Mercury Institute Cowabunga Hockey Born With It Bone Breakers Black Horse Virtual Horizons eSports That's all for now NHLGamers, be sure to follow our teams during their streams on Twitch and hopefully this season will turn even better as season 7! Signing off for now, ECL Pro Writing Team @Panarinz & @Mannheimer1938

What’s up NHLGamers, We’re in the last days of downtime before a new season and teams are gearing up for battle come January 7th and the first puckdrop of ECL 8. One team that has certainly been busy in the last months is Sjukstugan, who has decided to join forces with AIK Hockey to create a new NHL gaming franchise. "It is with great pleasure we welcome the prestigious AIK Hockey organisation to NHLGamer and ECL Elite.” -NHLGamer founder Kenneth Lehtinen on AIK Hockey joining ECL AIK Hockey will be obtaining the ECL 8 Elite spot of the long-lived Swedish juggernaut Sjukstugan, as the traditional sports club is making a grand exploration into the esports world. The Swedish club is one of the most followed European sports franchises and is certainly eager to take on this new challenge. Their hockey club is the second club worldwide to venture into NHL gaming. - The growth of such esports as basketball, football or F1 hasn’t gone unnoticed. The NHL has already made indications that clubs are going to invest in NHL esports in the near future. We view this as an opportunity to step into an uncharted territory with massive potential. It’s nice to be the first Swedish player in this field but it’ll be important to have this step on our competition, states Sevve Saberi from AIK Hockey. - AIK as an organisation is the epitome of passion, professionality and innovativity and we’re convinced that these exact traits will also be the trademark of their team in ECL Elite. I was welcomed to visit the AIK offices during the negotiation phase and was struck by their attitude and drive for this project, says NHLGamer founder @Kenu. The eighth iteration of ECL kicks off in just a few days and the addition of AIK Hockey to our NHLGamer ranks is definitely a welcomed boost to start the season. Competition in all our division is expected to be ramping up as the stakes will only be increasing from now on. Last season, Sjukstugan finished in 5th place after being eliminated in the quarter finals against Dynasty. Now rebranded as AIK Hockey, captain @Bjono says the team is more motivated than ever: - As soon as we heard about their interest, it was full throttle from there! We have an outstanding opportunity in a growing esports environment like NHL gaming. Our entire team is extremely thrilled about this. We’re all even happier about the team being AIK, as they’re one of the biggest clubs in Sweden. Both Kenu and Bjono are praising the level of involvement and drive from AIK’s side, which really tells a lot about the organisation. When asked if the players were AIK fans prior to the acquisition, the team captain has a humble response: - Our goaltender @Pippo is a hardcore fan! We were all extremely happy to have caught the attention of one of the biggest clubs in Sweden. Hopefully this is only the start and many more will follow. What’s the outlook for AIK Hockey like in ECL 8? - With the involvement of AIK, we’re more motivated than ever! The team has been working relentlessly and even focusing more on the tactical aspects of the game. We’ll be entering the new season well prepared and ready to put forth the best effort possible. Our long-term goal is obviously to bring the title to our side of the Baltic Sea, says captain Bjono. AIK will enter ECL 8 with a very similar roster as their one for last season. The only change is in the goaltending department, where they have dropped the extremely skilled @Hullued, but added an equally competent @ICappeI. The main purpose of the move seems to have been going for an all-Swedish team identity. AIK AIK is a Swedish sports club based in Solna. The club was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Sweden. AIK is also known by the nickname Gnaget - Rodents. The nickname rumours to have been given in the 1920s, when the teams black jerseys were so worn out that they resembled a grey rat colour. The ice hockey department of AIK has seen tremendous success during their long history. Currently the club competes at the second highest tier HockeyAllsvenskan, where they are in 2nd place a bit past the halfway point of the season. You can read AIK's own story here: https://www.aikhockey.se/artikel/nwziajqhw-1bbi1/aik-blir-forst-i-sverige-att-starta-ett-e-hockeylag

Hey NHLGamers, ECL 7 was the biggest season for our community yet! That's both in terms of registered teams, players and the newly introduced price pool. Once again, we were treated to some incredibly exciting action as skillful teams and players went head-to-head in all three divisions. We'll be kicking off our look in the rearview mirror with this season review of ECL 7 Lite, which included a total of 73 teams divided into eight groups. Group 1: The Black Jacks The eventual champions surely had a season to remember! This Swiss-based team went into their second ECL season with one goal in mind only: promotion. Their offensive trio of @Krinke-@Original-SnuS-@Freeman7187 was unstoppable and proved incredible dominance all season long as the fast-paced passing ice hockey seems to have been absolute poison to the opposing teams. With their promotion it'll be interesting to see if they'll be sticking together to continue on the same note in the Pro division. Arguably, their breakout game and defense will need to step up in order to compete on the next level. The Black Jacks managed to string together a row of excellent performances all season long, seeding 3rd into the playoffs and being in the driver seat through most of their playoff matchups too. Their second round opponent Lehmannen Badboyz proved to be a difficult obstacle to overcome though, as the series went into game 7 and nail-biting overtime before captain @Original-SnuS sent the Badboyz packing. All in all, the performance put up by TBJ this season was nothing short of perfection, as they absolutely crushed the whole division and put forth a very convincing run to the championship. Mentula SKA Mentula SKA was a team that a bit surprisingly battled their way to a promotion spot. They're in their third season of ECL competition already without any mentionable prior success. However, this season was one to take note of. The team has managed to stick together for a few seasons and seemed to find some consistency this year. Also the acquisition of their top scorer and rookie @Meiccimoi seemed to have been a key factor in their success. Group 2: The Next Gen Newly established TnG was an interesting team all season due to their roster including lots and lots of 1vs1 talent and some young, potential players. Their talent seems to have translated well into 6vs6 play as the team managed to pave their way through to the finals, where they suffered a tough 4-2 series loss at the hands of The Black Jacks. Rajatorpan Mafia Rajatorpan Mafia put up a respectable fight this season, finishing 2nd in their group and going on until round 3 in the playoffs before being eliminated by Dubnation Gaming. The team has an extremely strong defensive game, showcased by their 0,94 GA/GP in the groupstage. Lack of firepower ended up being their demise in the playoffs. Group 3: We Kings We Kings consist of some veteran players who are making a very welcome comeback into the scene and being rather successful in doing so. The team went undefeated for a large part of the group stage, falling just short of a perfect run in the closing rounds. Captain @Hbnzo and everyone's favourite tactician @pelimies80 were the most important building blocks in the success of the team this season. SPARTANS Newly formed SPARTANS had a strong showing in ECL 7, managing to pave their way into the quarter finals where they fell one win short against Supernatural. When watching this team, don't miss LD @Drunkendefender, who accounted for 1/4 of the teams total goals in the regular season and led his team in scoring in the playoffs. Talk about an offensive defenseman! Group 4: Prowlers Swedish team Prowlers did good in the groupstage, but ended up falling short in a disappointing round 3 exit against the lower seeded Infinity. In fact, Prowlers were on fire offensively and managed to seed 6th into the playoffs while scoring a total of 71 goals. Their top scorer of the regular season was @RullAthor1991, who amassed 60 points in 18 games. Farminaattori Farminaattori is a new acquaintance for me, personally. The team is rumoured to play a fast paced hockey, the kind some might call straight up wild. Their game seemed to work out fine in the group stage, pushing them into the playoffs at 7th seed, a push which ended rather quick in the second round at the hands of community sweethearts Elämäm Kiekko. Group 5: Dubnation Gaming Dubnation is a team full of young potential players. They don't play a flashy game, but it is effective in securing points. You could say they have a more mature playstyle than you'd expect from a new Lite team. Despite not scoring a tremendous amount of goals, the team managed to do very well throughout the season, which didn't end until the quarter finals when they came up against the eventual champions The Black Jacks. K A R H U T The roster of K A R H U T include some veteran names such as @Ubula (RuttuBerse), the team was placed in an arguably easy group 5, which they handled very well, ultimately seeding into the playoffs at 23rd. Winger @Jii1984 led the team from the front all the way into the 3rd playoff round, where they were knocked out by Supernatural. Group 6: Clowns On Ice I think we can call Clowns On Ice a veteran team by now. They're a common sight on the ice and have managed to string together a few good seasons recently, making the playoffs of ECL Pro last season. However, the team lost captain @Tim_FlyersFan in the offseason and decided to step back a bit. They must feel rather dissappointed about the outcome though, as a convincing groupstage wasn't enough, they fell short in the playoffs against Supremacy in the 3rd round. Poston Fruits Led by veteran Lite player @Jobeyz, Poston Fruits were making their inaugural appearance in the ECL and did so on a successful note. Although being eliminated in the second round by SPARTANS must sting, we'll be hoping for a comeback in ECL 8. Group 7: Supernatural Supernatural is a team consisting of several experienced players who haven't really managed to find a home for themselves in an established team. We were surely aware that this was a skilled group of guys, but I must say they put up a far better performance than I expected. The team seeded 8th into the playoffs and kept their level of play high in the playoffs, eventually faltering in the semifinals against The Next Gen. Supremacy Former Soldiers of Odens consists of some very skilled and potential players who seem to be playing the game rather casually. I know the skill level and potential is there to see some success in ECL games too and they started showing signs of that in ECL 7. Supremacy finished 3rd in their group, seeding 24th into the playoffs, but took their minor underdog status and ran with it all the way to the quarter-finals, where they didn't manage to surprise The Next Gen. Group 8: Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat Hinkkaajat has been grinding it out in Lite for some seasons already, often having a decent group stage campaign but quickly running into trouble in the playoffs. This season showed some promise as they were able to win their first two playoff matchups, but ended up falling short against The Next Gen in round 3. Finnish Snipers Finnish Snipers looked great in the groupstage and through the first round of the playoffs, as they dominated group 8 and seeded 2nd into the playoffs. Hockey Hooligans was no match in the first round but groupstage opponent Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat sent them home in round 2. Under the radar: Freddie Mercury Institute FMI is a tough team to play due to their tight defensive trap, but they've had trouble converting in the offensive zone. This season they ended up in a quite tough group together with the likes of We Kings and SPARTANS, eventually finishing 3rd in the group and seeding into the playoffs at 13th. The team managed to make their way into the quarter finals, where they suffered a devastating loss against Mentula SKA. AWARDS Playoff MVP: @Original-SnuS Most Points: @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games Most Goals: @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games Most Assists: @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games Most Hits by a Forward: @Enerfity, Finnish Snipers, 142 Hits in 16 games Best +/-: @Freeman7187, The Black Jacks, +62 in 18 games Most Points by a Defenseman: @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games Most Goals by a Defenseman: @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games Most Assist by a Defenseman: @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games Most Hits by a Defenseman: @kenamo28, Outrageous Falcons, 92 Hits in 24 Games TOP 3'S OF ECL 7 LITE Top 3 Forwards Regular Season: 1. @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games 2. @Freeman7187, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 36 Assists, 73 Points in 18 games 3. @Krinke , The Black Jacks, 27 Goals, 37 Assists, 64 Points in 14 games Top 3 Defenders Regular Season: 1. @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games 2. @Koppipelaaja, The Next Gen, 3 Goals, 25 Assists, 28 Points in 16 games 3. @pelimies80, We Kings, 5 Goals, 19 Assists, 24 Points in 14 games Top 3 Goaltenders Regular Season: 1. @ramseyy2, The Next Gen, 16 Wins, 87,36%, 1,27 GAA, 5 SO in 18 games 2. @PeeloJombb, Mentula SKA, 15 Wins, 87,50%, 1,22 GAA, 4 SO in 18 games 3. @mythThor, Prowlers, 15 Wins, 86,34%, 1,55 GAA, 2 SO in 16 games Top 3 Forwards Playoffs: 1. @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 39 Goals, 48 Assists, 87 Points in 32 games 2. @Krinke, The Black Jacks, 42 Goals, 42 Assists, 84 Points in 32 games 3. @Freeman7187, The Black Jacks, 36 Goals, 39 Assists, 75 Points in 32 games Top 3 Defender Playoffs: 1. @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 18 Goals, 31 Assists, 49 Points in 21 games 2. @Koppipelaaja, The Next Gen, 6 Goals, 21 Assists, 27 Points in 32 games 3. @burban26, The Black Jacks, 3 Goals, 22 Assists, 25 Points in 16 games Top 3 Goaltenders Playoffs: 1. @ramseyy2, The Next Gen, 22 Wins, 89,78%, 1,50 GAA, 9 SO in 32 games 2. @PeeloJombb, Mentula SKA, 17 Wins, 83,68%, 1,70 GAA, 3 SO in 27 games 3. @afc_Tschitsch, The Black Jacks, 15 Wins, 84,91%, 1,94 GAA, 3 SO in 18 games The controversial 'Top 6' of the season is making a comeback! What this means is a selection of six players in a starting lineup, that have showed exceptional skill and played a good season. Please note that all selections are subjective and they are made by community members who have been keeping an eye on ECL 7 Lite. Without further ado, here's the top 6 of our Lite division in ECL 7: @Krinke (The Black Jacks) - @Original-SnuS (The Black Jacks) - @Freeman7187 (The Black Jacks) @Drunkendefender (SPARTANS) - @Koppipelaaja (The Next Gen) @ramseyy2 (The Next Gen) The NHLGamer staff congratulates The Black Jacks for winning the Lite division and furthermore The Next Gen, Mentula SKA and Supernatural for their promotions to the Pro division. We want to thank all participating teams for their efforts and hope you all enjoyed the season! If you have any suggestions on how we could improve our website, please let us know by contacting any staff member. The recaps of our other divisions will be published soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Hey NHLGamers, The ECL 7 Lite Final has now been played and we have a winner! In their second ECL season, The Black Jacks set an objective that was very clear - promotion. Very well, they certainly had a season to remember and succeeded in accomplishing their goals set. Their offense dominated the Lite division all season long, finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the top scorers department by amassing 246 points between their three top forwards @julmi21 (Original-SnuS), @Freeman7187 and @Krinke. The trio continued their scoring in the playoffs, being one of the decisive factors for the success of TBJ this season. They marched on convincingly through almost every playoff matchup, the only team to really surprise them was Lehmannen Badboyz, who took their round 2 series into game 7 overtime. Captain Original-SnuS bailed TBJ out with arguably the most important goal of the season to push them forward, ultimately all the way. If you missed any of the action, you can check the games out on Twitch. These are the results of the final series: Game 1: The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks 6-7 Game 2: The Black Jacks vs The Next Gen 2-1 Game 3: The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks 3-2 Game 4: The Black Jacks vs The Next Gen 2-3 Game 5: The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks 1-2 Game 6: The Black Jacks vs The Next Gen 2-1 The Black Jacks - Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #22 @afc_Tschitsch #30 @NHLDennis86 DEFENSEMEN #7 @Cami_7 #66 @Bille1990 #77 @Tornado.hr #88 @burban26 FORWARDS #6 @Krinke #13 @Freeman7187 #15 @Tron1x90 #16 @RudY51 #21 @julmi21 (Original-SnuS) TBJ's road to the cup: 16-2-0 during the regular season, seeding 3rd into the playoffs. 24-5-3 in the playoffs. Round 1: 4-0 VS HC Keskikalja Round 2: 4-3 VS Lehmannen Badboyz Round 3: 4-0 VS Infinity Quarterfinals: 4-2 VS Dubnation Gaming Semifinals: 4-1 VS Mentula SKA Finals: 4-2 VS The Next Gen Congratulations to TBJ on behalf of the whole NHLGamer staff! Thanks for tuning in NHLGamers! Be on the lookout for the season recap article, up soon. Your NHLGamer Editor jahajaha93

Hey NHLGamers, The ECL 7 Pro Final has now been played and we have a winner! After a long season with a total of 52 games played, we're able to crown Deadly Phantoms HC the champions of ECL 7 Pro! DPH had an excellent playoff run, where they were able to overcome adversity and power on until the end. They really made a statement in the finals by dominating opponent Synergy Hockey. The final series were expected to be very tightly contested as both teams play a very conservative game, leaving very little to chance and defending well. Synergy had a tough time figuring out the German defense and fell short this time. Both teams are promoted directly to ECL Elite for season 8. Congratulations to the teams! If you missed any of the action, you can check the games out on DPH's twitch channel. These are the results of the final series: Game 1: Synergy Hockey @ Deadly Phantoms | 2-1 OT Game 2: Deadly Phantoms @ Synergy Hockey | 3-2 OT Game 3: Synergy Hockey @ Deadly Phantoms | 2-3 OT Game 4: Deadly Phantoms @ Synergy Hockey | 1-0 Game 5: Synergy Hockey @ Deadly Phantoms | 1-2 Deadly Phantoms HC - Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #30 @RPH_31 DEFENSEMEN #23 @gzell60 #27 @Mannheimer1938 #40 @willywonkaaa #83 @steveERC #90 @Jeason99 FORWARDS #11 @neymar92ftrio2 #13 @Rayman (The_Rayman80) #16 @Tim_FlyersFan #87 @Daniel Thenextone (XxTHENEXTONE89xX) #96 @Playmaker (Playmaker1010) DPH's road to the cup: 27-3-0 during the regular season, seeding 1st into the playoffs. 16-4-2 in the playoffs. Round 1: 4-3 VS Saints Quarterfinals: 4-0 VS Pata Hellalla Semifinals: 4-2 VS Bucketeers Finals: 4-1 VS Synergy Hockey Thanks for tuning in NHLGamers! Be on the lookout for the season recap article, up soon. Pro Writing Team @Panarinz & @jahajaha93

73 teams down, two remain standing. It's been a wild ECL 7 in 'The Jungle' formally known as ECL Lite. As we know, the Lite regular season is probably not as tightly contested as in our other divisions simply due to the fact that a vast majority of teams will make the playoffs. The playoffs, however, are an absolute free-for-all. With 64 teams making the playoffs, we've now weeded through five rounds in order to make it to the finals, that's a lot of games right there. Number one seed The Next Gen has played a total of 25 playoff games so far and the opposing number 3 seed The Black Jacks have fought through a total of 26 playoff battles. Here's what our ECL 7 Lite Final matchup looks like: (1) The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks (3) As previously stated, both teams have fought a long way to make it to the final. There's still a lot of hockey left to play, so let's hope their tanks don't run empty and there is some hunger left to claim the very top spot of ECL 7 Lite. Seeding first into the playoffs, we have the favourite from Finland, The Next Gen. The offensively strong team started off with a 'bang', sweeping Bombers Hockey in the first round. After this, they've ran through their opponents at a rather steady pace (Pink Panthers HC 4-2, Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat 4-0, Supremacy 4-2 and Supernatural 4-2). You could see that the opponents were getting tougher as the games went on, but the playoff favourites still managed to engine their way on. By advancing to the semifinals The Next Gen gets to enjoy a promotion to ECL Pro for season 8. On the opposing side is a team from small Switzerland, The Black Jacks. TBJ has had a similar playoff run as their final opponents, but they ended up with a close scare in round 2 against Lehmannen Badboyz. Their round 2 went into overtime of game seven until captain and center @julmi21 (Original-SnuS) scored the decisive goal. This is the complete run of TBJ: HC Keskikalja 4-0, Lehmannen Badboyz 4-3, Infinity 4-0, Dubnation Gaming, 4-2, Mentula SKA 4-1. Alike their final opponents, TBJ has secured promotion to ECL Pro for season 8 by advancing to the semifinals. It'll be interesting to see these teams go at it, as we without a doubt have two highly skilled opponents going head-to-head. The Next Gen packs a massive amount of individual skill and holds several young and potential players, whereas The Black Jacks are probably more reliant on their routine and some set plays in their game. Both teams like to use their center as a target player to set up their game, so it'll be a battle of who can execute said strategy better. My personal opinion is that TnG has a slight advantage in skill level but TBJ is a more coherent unit. Margins are small and I expect a tightly contested series. My prediction is TnG in 7. Head-to-head The Next Gen The Black Jacks C NikkeDangles C Original-SnuS LW Ninjawiq LW Krinke RW thounidinho RW Freeman7187 LD koppipelaaja LD Bille1990 RD lambu89 RD Cami__7 G ramseyyy2 G Afc_Tschitsch TOP SCORER Thounidinho (25GP, 22+23=45) vs Krinke (26GP, 34+39=73) GOALTENDERS Ramseyy2 (25GP, 19W, 91.75 SV%, 1.24 GAA) vs Afc_Tschitsch (12GP, 11W, 87.57 SV%, 1.66 GAA) Schedule for the finals: Game 1: Wednesday, 12th of December 20:15 CET The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks 6-7 Game 2: Wednesday, 12th of December 20:45 CET The Black Jacks vs The Next Gen 2-3 Game 3: Wednesday, 12th of December 21:15 CET The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks 3-2 Game 4: Wednesday, 12th of December 21:45 CET The Black Jacks vs The Next Gen 2-1 Game 5: Monday, 17th of December 20:15 CET The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks Game 6: Monday, 17th of December 20:45 CET The Black Jacks vs The Next Gen Game 7: Monday, 17th of December 21:15 CET The Next Gen vs The Black Jacks The games will be streamed on: twitch.tv/gameturniertv and twitch.tv/tbj_hockey unless otherwise informed. Good luck in the finals for both teams! Thank you to @julmi21 for reaching out and assisting with this article. All opinions are my own. Your NHLGamer Editor

*Article written by @Panarinz and @Mannheimer1938 Guten Tag and välkommen NHLGamers, Man, how all of us were hyped up when the Beta was coming out - what a brilliant game NHL 19 would be! We had the feeling that nearly all virtual hockey cracks are purchasing the Legends and Ultimate Editions to lace up their skates in this beautiful masterpiece as soon as they can. We were not disappointed - a fresh new list of soundtracks, well, it was definitely needed as you are waiting in the dressing rooms for hours in case of the broken matchup screens, but hey, at least you can now play 3s alongside 6vs6! Who cares about clicking through five (5 - F I V E) menu screens after every disconnect or locker room error as long as you can see your fancy styled player coming into the scene over and over again. There's much wrong with the product we have - but we don't want to talk about things that annoy us, so we'll rather change the subject to something that hypes us up - ECL IS BACK! With over 120 teams registering we broke the record for registered teams again! I, together with @Mannheimer1938 have today the pleasure to give you some insights from our second tier division. We'll discuss some changes made in the offseason and try to give you some thoughts about how the teams probably will perform. The Pro division is surely stacked with tons of talent, a fact that was displayed pretty well last season as all Pro teams won their promotion/relegation battles against the Elite teams. If you look into this bunch of teams, you will see everything the EASHL club scene has to offer: ECL 1 veterans, well-established teams, hungry promoted teams and promising start-ups. There will be some really tight matchups and everyone has to fight for every single point - there are no giveaways! With that being said; here is our little roundup and predictions: SPOILER ALERT - It's going to be fun to watch! Group 1 Baltic Sea Eagles (Current 6vs6 record 64-37-11) - Captains: @Thounimeister, @Heksaa, @swe best sniper After their 5th place finish in group 1, Baltic Sea Eagles had a pretty good start into the playoffs but had an end put to their run in the quarterfinals after five games against Almost Famous. They took some tough losses in their line-up as their top scorer of last season @vilperi90 left along with another starting lineup player. Currently it doesn't seem like they can handle the changes too well as their pre-season form is not too impressive. They've had some tough losses against both Elite and Pro opponents. CLUB ONE (Current 6vs6 record 104-73-18) – Captains: @epelis, @Pursuitti, @makichuk Former Penalty Box got a brand new look in the offseason by changing nearly everything – their name, their captain, their defense and offense! The four season veteran epelis, having some Elite experience under his belt is now in charge for the restart of this team and will try to lift the team up into the playoff race as their last season started with such hopes (6-3-1 record) but then the team had to go trough some hard times with more downs than ups. Finishing in no man’s land, (13th in Group 2) they are desperate to do it better this time. Their pre-season is likely similar to their last ECL season, but with more positives, they've won some and lost some to Pro and Lite caliber teams. Cowabunga Hockey (Current 6vs6 record 68-45-6) - Captains: @Tinkesakara, @Sokkelo__, @Jonitski Here we have a strong newcomer to the Pro division with almost the same exact squad as the one that took last seasons Lite silver medal. They added some depth and will continue playing their fast paced passing hockey. How this tactic will work in Pro we'll see. They've had a strong preseason with more ups than downs, winning against good teams and losing almost only against Pro and Elite teams. EN HUND (Current 6vs6 record 41-27-1) - Captains: @Lurkins, @Dooberi, @Hammaroid The seasoned veterans had a pretty quiet off-season. Nearly all starters are still in the team, "only" their starting goaltender left. It seems that @Dooberi will try to flash his glove for most of the season but I guess they will split some starts around a few guys. They don't have that much of a record to show for (looking at games played), but the games they played are quite good as they were winning most of their games against Lite and Pro teams. EV Duisburg (Current 6vs6 record 42-32-9) - Captains: @FoxGoalie, @GreatOne139, @ShawnMcNeil Last seasons Lite champions Duisburg has a lot to prove this season. It still pains me (@Panarinz) to say it, but they deserved their gold (might have something to do with them knocking out my beloved Style in the semis). No question about it. With last seasons MVP and captain @FoxGoalie they have the best chance to stay in Pro out of all promoted teams. As I said both during and after the semifinals against EV Duisburg, "their goalie can't ****** concede a ******* goal". So Pro teams, take note. No big difference in their squad compared to last season and an alright preseason doesn't change my theories. EV Duisburg are here to stay. Free From Rodents (Current 6vs6 record 7-6-0) - Captains: @Volano, @AndreasNo, @Guscharov The last-minute sign up Free From Rodents will try to get another run at a playoff-spot as they were missing it last season with only one point behind Quality. Loosing three starters could potentially hurt the team and they have to be replaced appropriate. There nearly non existent pre-season is a hint of a very tough start as they have to deliver right from the start with nearly no playing time. GHETTO FIREBIRDS (Current 6vs6 record 86-39-17) - Captains: @KepakkoFIN, @Vilze, @Sakkem One of the first ever European teams to sign with an esports organisation gained promotion due to some open spots and their former quarterfinalist campaign in ECL 6 but I would in no way say that the Firebirds don't belong in Pro. They proved at the beginning of NHL 19 that they definitely belong in the mix of a playoff-contender with a sweet record and a very good record in their last 10. They won some matchups against the higher tier and can be a tough opponent for every Pro team out there. Murohoki (Current 6vs6 record 80-42-13) - Captains: @Malcowich, @jjonij, @MovaaN What comes first? The chicken or the egg? ECL or Murohoki? In this case the answer is a little bit more clear as Murohoki only missed the starting season on NHLGamer but after that they were participating in every ECL season! Quite an effort for a team while many many teams are getting renamed, disbanded, created - is there any kind of receipt to their long time club history? I will bet that these guys will be in the talk of the playoff teams but let's see if they can build some more legacy - even a run at a promotion? Currently bad form, almost only losses in their last 10 games. Before that slope, they won against top Pro and Elite teams. Raccoon Rampage (Current 6vs6 record 51-24-5) - Captains: @Ojamoska, @Eemeli31, @VesqGame Beware of the Raccoons! These scary guys with one of the nicest logos around here will be flashing their teeth hunting for scalps more than you are thinking. Their pre-season record is pretty impressive and they will immediately make their presence felt in the Pro division. Dark Horse maybe? Make sure to have them on your list of the playoff contenders. Saints (Current 6vs6 record 96-76-23) - Captains: @Hazard-laser, @Pasi Modry, @Nakkertoni The last but not least team to gain direct promotion from the Lite division because of the open Pro spots. The leader of this group of guys @Hazard-laser is a true veteran and has experience over all divisions and he will try to give his guys all the help he can in order to exceed expectations. Their pre-season displayed that the potential is there, as they were winning against Pro teams but also losing against some Lite teams. It could be the daily form which is the decicive factor in taking 2, 1 or 0 points. Speedy Bros Hockey (Current 6vs6 record 78-49-14) - Captains: @Ampuhaukka, @Tzon93, @riihimaenharski After an alright season finishing just out of the playoff spots in Pro, Speedy Bros have made a lot of changes to their squad, even though their core still remains. One very welcome addition is the return of @mir02k1, who is known to put up points against tough opponents. The form of Speedy Bros has been great as of late, winning games against a few Elite teams and they seemingly has a great strategy against top teams. That being said, they've still lost some games versus Lite and Pro teams too. You will probably see this team in the playoffs this season. Lets see how "Speedy" they can be during this season and if all stars are aligned they can do even more than go to the playoffs. Style (Current 6vs6 record 64-23-4) – Captains: @mayX-swe, @Panarinz, @LegendenKurtz_ The Swedish club gained promotion after a semi-final exit in 6 games against the later champion EV Duisburg and is thirsty to prove that they are Pro caliber right from the get go. With only a few off-season changeups the core of the team remained the same so there should be some chemistry in the early games of the season. The key factor will be if the addition of @Mrantonn as the new number 1 between the pipes will work out for them, he has experience as a starter after one full season with the Stayhard Stallions under his belt. Their pre-season so far is quite impressive, as they are winning most of their matchups against Pro and Lite teams, even winning some games against Elite teams such as the Rusty Blades. Synergy Hockey (Current 6vs6 record 47-23-5) - Captains: @Windblad, @Supremski, @Egyptologen All key players for Synergy will try to get another shot at a potential Elite promotion this season. As their chemistry seems to be quite good because of the nearly nonexistent changes, they are going strong in the preseason with a sweet L10 record (9-0-1) with a lot of goals scored in their last 7 wins. Even some Elite teams had to suffer some losses. TIKI TALK (Current 6vs6 record 100-47-7) - Captains: @itspardytime, @Fuhrer Vuorio, @PCJP After a dissapionting end to their season in ECL 6, the former Elite team will find strength and fight back! They have played in every single ECL season, but with a lot of changes in their squad on the way. Newly signed goaltender @PCJP might be key for this team during the regular season. We should see this team back in the playoffs for sure. How far they will go though, I can't tell. They've had a great preseason, only 2 losses in their last 20 games is a big statement. Unity (Current 6vs6 record 59-21-7) - Captains: @esskay, @Lainzndr, @Sampa88 The former MotherPuckers also gained a spot in the upcoming Pro season due to their quarterfinal campaign in ECL 6. As they are trusting most of their starters of the last Lite season, all they acquired was a new starting goaltender. Their pre-season record is pretty impressive so far, winning against all kinds of opponents day in and day out. Unity has a chance to not only be an underdog but also achieve some sweet unexpected victories and fight their way to the top of the group. Wasps Gaming (Current 6vs6 record 62-29-5) – Captains: @Yoloberg, @Wickedtah69, @TheArska Former Quality got a similar restart as CLUB ONE, where only the captains @Yoloberg and @Wickedtah69 stayed from their last season team. One of the reasons might be being signed by the esports organization WaspsGaming. The team finished 8th in their group and had to call it quits in the first round as they lost in 5 games to the later runner-up FILADELPHIA. The goal for this season should be to qualify as a higher seed into the playoffs in order to avoid the strongest teams in the first rounds. They have potential, which is clearly visible in their pre-season, as they are impressing with wins over a few Elite teams. @Mannheimer1938s group 1 favourites to go far this season: Baltic Sea Eagles Tiki Talk Synergy Hockey Underdogs: Raccoon Rampage Unity Players to watch: @FoxGoalie, Goaltender, EV Duisburg The Lite-Playoff-MVP of ECL 6 will be the key factor for his team and it will be interesting to watch, if he could repeat such an outstanding performance. Is he capable of it? His defense is nearly unchanged and in our preseason matchups he's still very hard to beat. Keep your eyes on his ability to track the puck and you will have a guaranteed highlight on the defensive side of the game. @swe best sniper, Defenseman, Baltic Sea Eagles After one season with a lot of icetime for Arctic, IYouShallNotPassI is back for the Baltic Sea Eagles and he will try to continue on the same note as he was 5th in the scoring department for defenders in ECL 6. I believe he will be an important factor for BSE this season as good offense always starts with a nice breakout pass. @itspardytime, Forward, TIKI TALK Is there even a party without Pardy? The man, the myth, the legend. Did anyone see TIKI TALK play without him? He's a Day 1 veteran with a lot of experience and he never lost his scoring touch. With the general improvement of the team, Pardy will lead his crew to an outstanding season and will try to crack the top 5 in the scoring department. You can try to cover him, but he will find those small cracks and bust through any defense. Group 2 Belizzi (Current 6vs6 record ?-?-?) - Captains: @iLLu_8, @Bellizzikunkku, @SikkiParkki Bellizzi will start their 4th season in Pro as they managed to get into no man's land with the 11th place in group 2 of ECL 6. With most of their core players staying in the team, they should surely be some chemistry right from the get go. They will fight for their lives to stay in Pro another time and this should be their goal - but not without scrapping together some points from the "favourite" teams. They had a rough pre-season with many losses and only 2 wins out of their last 13 games where they got handed some losses against all kinds of teams. Bone Breakers (Current 6vs6 record 74-34-12) - Captains: @rotta__roteva, @PuukAesi, @Lupachuk With a bottom finish in group 2 and almost the exact same squad as last season you will see a team that'll be fighting for their lives to stay put in Pro. With 4 seasons of ECL experience and great firing power on the offensive side of the game, they could be an underdog that surprises us this season. Their preseason is filled with both ups and downs, winning vs Elite teams and losing vs Pro and Lite teams. Born With It (Current 6vs6 record 60-24-6) - Captains: @Takajeejee, @xSG8LFCx, @Jesse6115 This new founded team gained promotion due to the open spots of the Pro division and has to prove right from the beginning that they have the talent to keep up with the bigger clubs. @Kenu told us in the group lottery stream that some guys of this roster has the talent and skill as they are "born with it". Their pre-season record is good so far but they have a lot of losses against the teams they have to compete against now. It'll be interesting to watch if they can adapt their talent and stay in the Pro division. Bucketeers (Current 6vs6 record 92-43-13) - Captains: @Carlsson-91, @SolenX86, @Daniel Gadd Another Team that claimed a free spot during the registration process but those guys are far away from not deserving it. Personally I think these guys have a direct chance for a playoff spot if they continue to roll like in the pre-season as they were winning most of their matchups against Pro teams. Can they make the transition in real competition? Let us know what you think in the comment section! Checkmate (Current 6vs6 record 82-31-8) - Captains: @TackleControl, @janbonator, @vilperi90 Checkmate, former Arctic lost their captain to the Falun Coal Miners and @TackleControl is now in charge for the basically new team. Their pre-season is not bad as they have wins and losses against Pro teams and some tight matchups with Elite teams but also some losses against current Lite teams. It'll be interesting to see if they can recreate their success of last season where they qualified for the playoffs. Potential underdog? Deadly Phantoms HC (Current 6vs6 record 120-26-9) - Captains: @Mannheimer1938, @Rayman, @gzell60 The Phantoms have started NHL 19 in a wonderful way, currently ranked 3rd overall in EASHL (4th overall 6v6)! With that kind of stats, very few changes in the team from last season and great experience in their squad in mind these guys could be a contender for a semi-final place, or maybe even an Elite promotion after this season (you heard it here first!). The Phantoms are known for their solid defense and stability in tough games, plus they never seem to have a bad period. In their last 20 EASHL games their record is 19-0-1 (wins against Elite teams included). Le coq Sportif (Current 6vs6 record 14-4-1) - Captains: @Khemnos, @Nexhztah, @Isidor1891 After a great regular season, 2nd in group 2, former Alliance HT saw themselves going out of the playoffs in the 1st round vs Deadly Phantoms. Now that a new season is upon us, Le Coq Sportif will try to improve on last season's disappointing end. To do just that, they signed a few new players and let go of some of the old guys. With another season in Pro under their belt and many new interesting signings, they could surprise us during season 7. Nordic Nosebleed (Current 6vs6 record 72-56-11) - Captains: @Cherry, @Lidaas79, @dgsson Last seasons relegation survivors (winning against J P T J 4-0 in a relegation battle) would want to come out stronger into this season. They have added a few new names to their roster, see @Willander97 for example, a goal scoring forward that will certainly boost their offense. That was their weakness last season, having the least amount of scored goals in ECL Pro with 35 in 26 games. The current form in the preseason doesn't tell us much though, with both wins and losses against Pro teams and a small improvement seen in the last few days. Will they have to play a relegation series this season as well? You tell me in the comment section. Nordic Stars (Current 6vs6 record 41-21-6) - Captains: @Seahyena, @taemtaem, @Amigo After being relegated from Elite (losing the relegation battle versus White Trash) the Stars have changed their lineup quite a bit. Adding @Pair4You will probably be the main factor in a possible promotion run back to Elite. Otherwise, they have the caliber of players needed already. Great experience and a group of good players will come into play when playing the decisive games of the season. Their form doesn't say much here, their preseason have gone alright, losses and wins against Pro teams. Pata Hellalla (Current 6vs6 record 56-42-12) – Captains: @kungenkurwa, @Tetrejev, @Laraque The former Elite Team had to swallow their bad season as they were relegated but will try to turn things around this season with nearly the same roster. They will for sure be a team to talk about when it comes to playoff potential as they have the needed experience but it could probably be a rollercoaster kind of a season. Their pre-season gives us a hint with some tight games against all divisions and it could probably come down to the daily form. Pohjoista Voimaa (120-98-22) - Captains: @nessron, @rjounila, @Johtava Another Lite quarterfinalist will try to prove that their run last season is grounds for them being promoted. Nearly all of their starters will try to take the step into the higher tier and it seems to be an up and down season for them if we look at their preseason as they mostly losing against their new competition. It will be interesting to see if they will have a learning process or if they have to fight tooth and nail to stay in Pro. Raging Monkeys (Current 6vs6 record 53-27-8) – Captains: @Buffy, @DaMan, @AndreasLeafs The Raging Monkeys finished 8th in their group last season and were eliminated with a first round sweep against the later champion Monarchs. A few offseason changeups including a nearly whole new defensive squad shall turn out into a better playoff position. The potential to keep up with the best in the Pro division is definitely there, but let’s see if they can handle the loss of their former starting goaltender @Trollstivegen. Resurrection (Current 6vs6 record 88-62-18) - Captains: @Veikkonator, @J0HTAJA, @Jiihooo86 Another new founded team, who got the chance to skip the Lite division as they were deemed to have potential to prove their skill at the Pro level. They have the talent and knowledge for sure as for example winger @Artuzio placed 6th in the NHL Gaming World Championship, but it isn't that easy to transfer versus skill to a high 6vs6 level. Their pre-season against Pro teams is filled with ups and downs, winning and losing. I guess these guys will adjust to a higher level as we go further into the season. Sektion K (Current 6vs6 record 69-52-12) - Captains: @HambergD, @minokin, @nyllah Sektion K lost three starters in the offseason, two of them were their most productive players in the points department and they also had to look for a new starter between the pipes. Referring to the preseason, they will have a hard time to stay in the Pro division as they won mostly against Lite teams but lost most of the matchups against other Pro teams. @Shift497 and @Freakmund will have their work cut out for them in net. Silver Sword Griffins (Current 6vs6 record 67-46-6) – Captains: @Joshua Plattner, @ProMinx24, @xLVxRitchey After a horrible season in the Elite division (Finished 16th), the name of the team itself remains the same, but the identity and players are quite different. @Joshua Plattner (Darth-SidiouzZ) is now in charge of the team and a lot of new blood came into the team. It'll be interesting to see if the new additions with mostly Lite experience can keep up with the pace in Pro, but it isn’t unthinkable if the workhorses from last season, which are still on the team, can lead the group to glory. Their pre-season displays that pretty well as they are hard to beat but have to create more chances in the offensive zone to be a playoff-type team. The Visionaries (Current 6vs6 record 77-57-12) - Captains: @Mikka, @Heero, @EvgeniFlower The halfway rebuild of the former Banterfield Battalion will try to recreate a very solid start, alike the one they had in ECL 6 (7-3-0) and to forget the terrible ending (2-8-0). Will the additions to the roster click with the old guys and can they build up a positive start for the new team? Seems to be a little bit tough as they haven't been in that great form so far, as they are losing against most of their Pro competition. @Panarinzs favourites to do well in group 2: Born with it Deadly Phantoms HC Nordic Stars Underdogs: Le coq Sportif Resurrection Players to watch: @RaNtA, Goaltender, Nordic Stars Mr Joe Labero (the magician) himself has the experience from both Elite and Pro games, he knows how to handle pressure. Watch him show his magic and make some jaw-dropping saves. @gzell60, Defenseman, Deadly Phantoms HC The reliable defenseman Gzell60 showed what he's capable of last ECL with him leading Deadly Phantoms to a playoff spot. He can provide offense, but it's in the defensive zone he excels. You can find him at the top of the plus/minus ranking. @edson, Forward, Born With It Former top forward Edd138 has come back from a long break from ECL and would surely want to make an impact quickly. Watch out for his name in the scoring race! There you have it! Our preview of all Pro teams for ECL 7 and some sprinkles on top! Special thanks to @Mannheimer1938 who co-wrote this article with me! PS: @Panarinz wrote the Deadly Phantoms related text and @Mannheimer1938 wrote the one about Style. Thanks for tuning in and from all of us to all of you: have a very me... great ECL season (and good luck to all teams)!

ECL Elite 16 in 16 is a season preview series we're implementing ahead of ECL 7. The idea was conceived by @chavelski, but due to time constraining the man himself, the project is now being carried out by the rest of our Elite writing team. The series will be released in 16 parts, one article for each team. The teams have been ranked by all team captains, and articles are being released in order from predicted last place finish to predicted champion of ECL 7. The objective of this series is to give an idea to the community of who is representing which team, added by a small insight into the team with an interview of the team captain. We're starting off our 16 in 16 with a team that is new to competing at the highest tier. The team has been battling and establishing themselves in the Pro division for a few seasons now, and after a successful campaign in ECL 6, they managed to gain promotion. I'm of course talking about the former White Trash, now turned Team Frosty as the NHL team signed a deal with an esports organization bearing the same name (We'll address this in a later article, no worries!). This is a squad that has been grinding it out for several seasons now under the lead of captain @Zip player. Some of the men alongside him have changed, but the strive for success has remained relentless. The team didn't get a lot of confidence from the captains, being predicted to place last in Elite at the end of ECL 7. They surely have a steep hill to climb, but if the form they have shown in some of their preseason games continue, I believe these guys could surprise. IN KenuFHR <-- Monte Carlo Obagol <-- Arctic Chaostive <-- Ea Logic xXSinCosTanXx <-- Nordic Stars IiSvampI <-- Monarchs Jyrkkis_ <-- Gotham Knights OUT Kaltsone --> N/A rGinnu --> N/A plymalkin --> N/A pro-m99 --> Military Service Current roster: Forwards ZipPlayer (C) Kaneyh KenuFHR Chaostive Toukoo01 Defensemen TheFakiiR1 (A) jyrkkis_ IiSvampI xXSinCosTanXx Goalies Mehiiss (A) Jahuuu88 Obagol Interview with captain @Zip player: The team experienced something of a makeover during the summer, what are the underlying reasons and how would you describe the Team Frosty we'll see on the opening night of ECL 7? I suppose that statement is true. In my opinion, the main reason is that we advanced to the very highest level in the ECL. When doing so, a team needs to comply with the level of play in the highest tier. Some of our older players are less active nowadays so we decided to take action immediately. The goal was to renew the team while maintaining the old foundation. On the opening night of ECL 7, you'll see a Team Frosty that trusts their process and we hope to bring our very best to the ice each and every night! Talk a bit about the aggressive recruiting process you guys had going during the summer. Was it a conscious decision to try out so many players? We wanted to be vocal and catch the attention of players. We saw a lot of players along the course of the summer and at some point even our own players were confused about the situation as we were constantly bringing in new guys. I'd say it was our conscious decision to try players who were interested and now I think we have a good group of guys put together. How do you expect your starting lineup to look? I'd like to emphasize that we play as a team. I wouldn't want to speculate on the starting lineup yet, but we're going by the principle that the players who can help the team will play and of course activity will be rewarded. Each of our players have different strengths and one of our main objectives were to build a versatile team that can adapt to any situation. ECL 7 will be the first season with an actual prize pool. What are your thoughts on this? I'm really excited about the growth of the community, both in-game and back office developments have been very positive lately. It would certainly be something, if we one day could have anything even close to a professional league. I believe that money will increase the competitiveness, but currently we aren't talking big numbers so no one will be getting rich yet! It is good for the community regardless. For my final question, I'd like to ask you for a prediction of ECL 7 in the eyes of Team Frosty. What do you think? I'm notoriously bad at predictions, but I'll set some objectives for us. Our first and most important objective is surely to maintain our spot in the Elite division. We'll do everything we can to prove that we belong. Our dream is to make the playoffs on our first season. The road will most likely be long and difficult, but we're up for the challenge! Big thanks to ZipPlayer for his short interview and the best of luck to Team Frosty in their first Elite season! Stay tuned for our next article in the series, in which we showcase a team coming from a very different situation, but according to our Elite captains, are fighting for the same positions as Team Frosty!

How's it going, gamers? You might have seen us post recruitment posts looking for writers and artists some time ago. That's not all we need, though. NHLGamer is growing and there's demand for more and more content that is of higher quality than ever before. We're looking to take some big steps and need the help of our community. Therefore, we're now reaching out to you guys looking for broadcasters. This mainly means we are looking for people to do play-by-play (think "Doc" Emrick) and commentary (think Eddie Olczyk), but we are also looking for some high caliber streamers that can share the responsibility of making our Twitch channel the best place for NHL gaming action with content every day. As a broadcaster you will have a very visible role on our Twitch channel.Your tasks will include commentating on matchups that are being streamed and engaging with the chat while doing so. We also hope that you'll have new creative ideas to bring to the table as we're constantly looking to improve out content production. We hope that you have some experience in using Twitch and Discord. Streaming experience is beneficial too. We are mainly looking for English speaking broadcasters, but are also interested in learning about Finnish and Swedish broadcasters, so don't hesitate to let us know if that is the case. For the English broadcasting, we expect you to have a good spoken English and some knowledge about the league and it's players. However, let's not forget the most important trait we value: enthusiasm. If you're interested, please send a small intro about yourself (links to your previous work is appreciated!) to @Kenu and we'll get going from there. If it's not for you but you happen to know someone who might be suitable, please refer your friend!

The German hockey club Düsseldorfer EG will branch out on to the virtual ice in the near future. As the first club of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the club with tradition dating back to 1935 will soon go into competition mode with its own esports team that will be taking part in several online leagues. The team "DEG eSports" currently consists of twelve experienced online ice hockey players from Germany and Austria. DEG eSports is now looking to follow in the footsteps of SJK eSports in taking a shot at establishing a successful franchise in the 6vs6 community. The team, established by long-time DEG fans Tobias Anton and Steffen Seibert, will mainly focus on competing in the ECL and GCL but also aim to compete in other leagues as opportunities present themselves. All of the teams games will be streamed live on the DEG eSports Facebook page. The members will be representing Düsseldorfer EG both virtually and in real-life events, which will be announced later. The club also promises that various other representatives of Düsseldorfer EG might join in on the fun from time to time. Stefan Adam, Managing Director of DEG Eishockey GmbH: "Esports is a young and dynamic sport, it's a community that is gaining more popularity among hockey fans. We are pleased to announce that we are pioneers with DEG in this environment, with our own esports team. It is a very interesting development in a completely new environment for us, which we are very excited about actively pursuing." Tobias Anton, team captain of DEG eSports: "It's a great thing for us to be the first official team of a DEL club. Our goal was to build an ambitious troupe of DEG fans, but also involve skilled players without the regional background. Our goal is to gain success as fast as possible in the ECL and play for the title in the GCL." Prior to the press conference held by Düsseldorfer EG, I had the pleasure of discussing this new venture with team captain Tobias Anton: Hi there, Tobias! We're very happy to hear about your new opportunity and you must be just as excited. I'm very interested in how the project took off. Could you please comment on that a bit? Well, it all started in June, when we made the suggestion to the german hockey club Düsseldorfer EG. I made a nice presentation with all interesting stuff about esports, questions like "Why esports?", "Why with us?", "Why is it a win-win situation?". They quickly invited us to present our concept live in their offices and after a short negotiation, they finally agreed to go ahead with this project. Now, here we are at the end of September, as representatives of DEG eSports. How did you come up with the idea? Actually, I got this idea after EV Duisburg won ECL6 Lite - they've played together for years, however they aren't an official part of the Duisburg hockey club. I liked the idea to make a team for my favourite hockey club, but I wanted to be serious about it. I am a kind of person who likes to think big, always on the lookout for the next cool thing I could launch. I started off by writing a post in a DEG facebook group, hiring players for a team with the idea of becoming an official esports team one day. Most of the reactions were negative. "You'll never do that', or "Maybe start smaller and not with big ideas like that" - but one guy immediately had the same fire, so we started this club together. I took more of a back-office role in writing to the hockey club and making a presentation as my teammate recruited more players - he knows the community better than I do. So, where do you go from here? How will you be co-operating with Düsseldorfer EG? On social media, we will run our own Facebook page and Twitch channel, but work together with DEG's official press department. So, some of our posts will be presented on their channels (FB, IG, Twitter...), we will have a presentation in the stadium and many more things planned so stay tuned! Today, we're having the press conference and if things go our way, we'll be airing our first training matches on our Twitch channel on Wednesday and Thursday. Do you think the club will expand into other esports in the future? After all, I don't think that the club will expand into other games or sports - it's a hockey thing, it's a regional thing, and there are no plans to do more than that at the moment. Thanks for your time Tobias and good luck in your future games to the team! Congratulations on behalf of the NHLGamer community to @Tümä and the boys!

Dear NHLGamers, As you all know, the new season of ECL is closing in on us. We'll have an exciting competitive season to look forward to. In addition to just playing, we're looking to create the best content yet for you guys to enjoy. Therefore, we're now looking to boost our ranks with some artists! Artist What is expected of you? You'll be working in tight co-operation with the rest of the ECL staff to create various types of art required for the site. Examples could be (but not limited to) various images for streams or special events, pictures for articles or even some cool animations to be used on social media. We're hoping that you have some previous experience in image editing and have a small portfolio to showcase to us in your application. You will also need to have access to software required for completion of your tasks. If you're interested, please contact @Kenu by private message here on NHLGamer.com. Also feel free to refer a friend if it's not for you!

Dear NHLGamers, The time for yet another exciting ECL season is nigh, This year we are hoping to bring you even more action and excitement, and let me tell you, there has been some interesting developments. With more stuff going on around the ECL, there will also be more work and therefore we’re now recruiting some potential journalists to join our team! WHAT WE NEED ECL Lite Journalist x 2 ECL Elite Journalist x 2 You will be working within your writing team to create articles such as season reports and matchup previews about the division under your responsibility. In addition you will have the opportunity to pitch content ideas you'd like to create to the writing team and editor-in-chief. Good knowledge of the English language would be preferred, but the most important feature we are looking for in you is enthusiasm and the willingness to create content. In case you became interested, send us a short application for one or several of the positions mentioned above. If you have previous journalistic references, please attach them too. Please contact me (@jahajaha93) or @Kenu directly via private message here on NHLGamer.com. If it's not for you, perhaps you know someone who would be the perfect fit - let them know!

With the Summer Cup and the NHL19 Beta behind us, we begin to shift our full focus towards the upcoming ECL season and decided to put together an official list ranking the European teams based on ECL 6. The final order of the teams is determined by playoff wins, after which the regular season standings are considered. From now on the ECL ranking system will be updated regularly and you can find the updated list right here at NHLGamer.com. Without further ado, here are the ECL Ranking as of August 5th, 2018: 01. Carlsberg HC 02. Northern Ascendancy 03. Written In The Stars 04. Dynasty 05. Unlucky Boys 06. Sjukstugan 07. SJK eSports 08. Northern Stars 09. Evolution 10. Gotham Knights 11. Rusty Blades 12. Falun Coal Miners 13. Nordic Stars 14. Pata Hellalla 15. Kattiautomaatti 16. Silver Sword Griffins 17. Monarchs 18. FILADELPHIA 19. Almost Famous 20. White Trash 21. SIKA 22. Red Machine 23. Baltic Sea Eagles 24. Deadly Phantoms HC 25. Clowns On Ice 26. Alliance HT 27. Shameful Knights 28. Synergy Hockey 29. Arctic 30. Monte Carlo 31. Quality 32. Raging Monkeys 33. Speedy Bros Hockey 34. Tiki Talk 35. Free From Rodents 36. Bellizzi 37. OG Royals 38. Murohoki 39. Penalty Box 40. Banterfield Battalion 41. Old Farts 42. En Hund 43. Breakers Of The Bone 44. Nordic Nosebleed 45. JPTJ 46. The Beagle Boys 47. EV Duisburg 48. Cowabunga Hockey 49. Style 50. Sektion K 51. Ghetto Firebirds 52. Freddie Mercury Institute 53. Pohjoista Voimaa 54. MotherPuckers 55. Bare Knuckles Hockey 56. Bucketeers 57. Hippo Rangers 58. Etelan Vetelat 59. Korpens Finest 60. SGWEER United 61. Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat 62. Suomen Sonnit 63. HokiDogit 64. 5th Line Heroes 65. EaLogic 66. Elämäm Kiekko 67. Roistot 68. The Black Jacks 69. Finnish Hockey Legends 70. Soldiers of Odens 71. ICEBREAKERS EAGLES 72. Rusty Bulls 73. Kaksikymmentaseitseman 74. Club De Caballeros 75. DELIRIUM 76. Cancun Pirates 77. KulmalaHengaus 78. Slapshot Club Germany 79. Lucky Strike 80. Taidottomat Lupaukset 81. Sorvankylan Pastorit 82. Rising Phantoms HC 83. Last Kings 84. Saucer Hockey AB 85. Last Period 86. Nearbird Fighters 87. Finnish Prospects 88. Ice Phoenix 89. Mentula SKA 90. Squad Vilttiketju 91. Eratauko Hockey 92. Trinidad Tobago 93. Kouvola Screaming Eagles 94. Kaukosen Luistin 95. Sedinsisters 96. Prometheus 97. Unfinished Business 98. Olympic Athlete from RUS 99. Stayhard Stallions 100 . Pink Panthers HC 101 . Puck Panthers 102. Asserklubi 103. Kisumaa 104. Burns Beardy Bastards 105. Ice Aliens HC 106. HC Piranhas Indicates that a team was relegated at the end of ECL 6. Indicates that a team was promoted at the end of ECL 6. With about two months left until ECL 7 we are grateful to all of the 106 teams and their players for participating in ECL6 and strongly believe that our player base will continue to grow as we get closer to ECL 7. Enjoy the rest of August, everybody and we'll see you on the ice!

Hi there NHLGamers! You might have spotted some social media posts some weeks back about founder @Kenu being interviewed for a broadcast on Aito Hitti – A Finnish radio station, part of a network that according to their website has around 800 000 frequent listeners. Unfortunately, the interview was done only in Finnish and we felt that we shouldn’t exclude our international audience from learning what our founder had to say. Therefore, in this article I’ll briefly be recapping some of the main points discussed in the almost 20 minute segment about NHLGamer. The interview focused on some basic things about NHLGamer, such as the conception of the community and the idea behind it and the ECL. Besides that, also some of the hottest topics in the community were discussed - such as money tournaments in the scene and the evolution of these. Some of our community members have been with NHLGamer all the way since late 2015 when the site was released to the public. However, the idea was conceived already in 2009, when EA Sports discontinued their NHL-series for PC. Kenu had been creating popular mods (SM-liiga Pack, later FHR) for the PC version of the NHL-series for around 10 years together with a small group of people. When the possibility to create such mods was suddenly missing, there was a need to start doing something else. After creating the Finnish Cup's and taking a brief stint at the EHL-series at ConsoleHockey, Kenu and @Lurkins decided to combine forces in creating what we now know as NHLGamer.com. This domain wasn't always theirs, though - a guy called Petri Wathén, PW, had a platform for organising NHL tournaments at the start of the century, but as his interest faded, some of the remaining staff decided to acquire the domain. In recent years, NHL gaming has come a long way and as mentioned above, one of the topics discussed was the introduction of money tournaments into the NHL gaming scene. A good example of this is the NHL Gaming World Championship, which was introduced this spring. The qualifiers for this tournament are currently in progress, with community members @Hansulinho and @FlyerKungen already advancing to the regional qualifiers in Stockholm, Sweden. (After the interview took place, also @Erkki, @plee999, @Kane and @Nieppii have secured their spots in Stockholm. That's 6/6 for our community. Keep it up!) Currently, the EASHL community hasn't seen major money tournaments, but rest assured - they will be coming right here on NHLGamer. For those of you that are able to understand the interview without a translation, you'll find the interview above. The current ECL season was also discussed. Kenu mentions the increase in teams within the last few seasons and the fact that games are tighter than ever. All of the divisions hold very talented teams and the divisions framework introduced in ECL 4 has worked very well in assigning teams to appropriate skill levels - creating tighter matchups and more interesting and exciting seasons. It's been great to see the growth of our community with new members joining every day. It's also been great to witness how people are coming together and building lasting friendships. A beautiful sense of belonging was present at the recent IS Cup (November 2017), where we saw some tough competition but also how close our community members actually are. An interesting question briefly discussed was wether the Finnish Liiga has shown any interest in NHLGamer. At this stage there have been no talks, says Kenu, but it's absolutely not out of the question. Professional ice hockey teams such as Ässät, HIFK and Pelicans - to name a few - are active in the gaming scene. No teams are currently represented in virtual ice hockey, but as money is starting to be discussed in the scene, interest might spark. The consensus at the end of the interview was that the future for NHLGamer and virtual ice hockey is bright. As sponsors and organisations are getting the smell of money, it will create more interest. It's now up to us to show what we as a community can do in order to make this bright future happen.

Hello there NHLGamers, We are getting closer and closer to the finals and after this round we know which teams will get promoted to ECL Pro. Get ready for some exciting playoff action with, some might say, a few unpredictable matchups. Our Lite division is going on to it's third playoff round, also known as the Quarter Finals. This means that the best 8 teams, that remain in the Lite division get to compete for the title and promotion to the Pro division. The winners in this series will get an instant promotion to Pro. The quarter final matchups are: (2) Cowabunga Hockey vs MotherPuckers (19) Both of these teams 2nd round series' went to game 7 and both 1st round series were sweeps. This will be an even and tight set of games. Cowabunga have a strong but small squad, the same lineup played every night in these playoffs and the regular season with only one exception, 2 games where @Sokkelo__ didn't make it. Strong offense with good defense and a game winning goaltender in @Jonitski. MotherPuckers on the other hand have a deep squad and rely on their defense to win games for them. Motherpuckers need to defend well to get a lead in this series, once they get that they would probably not lose it. Keep an extra eye on @Lainzndr, as he is used to big games and if he gets an opportunity, he will captialize. This can really go either way, I will put my bet on MotherPuckers here - they have showed us that they can cause a upset before. Prediction: 3-4 Motherpuckers. (7) GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs Sektion K (15) Firebirds knows what it takes to beat strong teams in the Lite playoffs and they have a season in Pro that would showcase their experience in tight games. With a good mix of strong offense and defense they are a force to be reckoned with this series. Watch out for internal leader in points and assists @GreventiousFIN. Their goaltender TessunTorpeedo (@Tero Lehtiö) made a few classy saves last playoff round as well and knows when he needs to shut the door. Sektion K caused a big upset when they eliminated Sqweer United from the playoffs last round, and in what manner - it only took them five games to get into the 3rd round. They can not be underestimated here. With leading goal and point scorer @Edhoolm97 and a strong overall defense don't be surprised if they come out on top after this series is finished. I'm gonna go with my gut on this one, Sektion K have caused an upset before and will do this time around again. Prediction: 2-4 Sektion K. (8) EV Duisburg vs Pohjoista Voimaa (13) Duisburg showed in their past 2 playoff series' that they have a solid defense that can win the games for them. Pohjoista Voimaa is a similiar kind of team - they heavily rely on their defense. Both teams have strong goaltenders with amazing stats during these playoffs in @FoxGoalie and @meiha, both averaging around 1 goals against and 90 in save percentage. Expect this series to see a lot of games going to overtime. Prediction: 4-3 Duisburg. (11) Style vs Freddie Mercury Insitute (12) (prediction written by @jahajaha93) We'll have a hard fought series on our hands with Style taking on Freddie Mercury Institute. The Swedes have established a winning culture by topping their domestic league the past two seasons prior to joining ECL. However, this time they will be facing FMI, who have been grinding it out in the Lite division for some time now and are surely hungry to show what they can do. Style top scorer @Panarinz will be looking to edge out his FMI counterpart @kApollo in the scoring battle. In net we see @Gunde021 for Style, looking to be matched by @hulkamaania. These two teams will most likely be battling the series at least into a game six. The deciding factor will be the depth players - meaning the less visible individuals of the team who are not putting up the numbers but doing meaningful work night in and night out. Prediction: 4-2 Style. We would like to wish all the remaining teams the best of luck and hope that you, the NHLGamers, will follow their games on their respective Twitch channels. The third round is going to be played from 30th March until 7th April 2018. No extra time will be given! Special thanks to @jahajaha93 for assisting with this article!

Hey NHLGamers, It's time for some more ECL Pro Playoff action tonight! Starting at 20:00 CEST, be sure to join our ECL Playoff stream, as we continue two very exciting matchups tonight. The first one will be the battle between ECL Pro favorite FILADELPHIA and Quality. Below you'll find out original prediction for this series: The teams clashed together three times so far and FILADELPHIA is up in the series 2-1. You can watch the three first games here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/245816953. Games so far in the series (home team to the right): Game 1: Quality - FILADELPHIA 0-3 Game 2: FILADELPHIA - Quality 3-5 Game 3: Quality - FILADELPHIA 1-4 The series will continue tonight with up to 3 games, so we might see FILADELPHIA walk away with it, or leave the teams and wait for an exciting game 7. Don't miss this matchup tonight! After this, we jump right over to another exciting ECL Pro pair as Alliance HT and Deadly Phantoms HC continue their series. The teams have agreed to finish the series tonight and the puck drop for game 5 will be at 21:00 CEST. You can read our original prediction about the series below: The played the first four games so far and contrary to our prediction, Deadly Phantoms HC is already up 3-1 in the series. Can they get that one last win to move on to round 2? You can watch the four first games here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/245819765 Games so far in the series (home team to the right): Game 1: Deadly Phantoms HC - Alliance HT 3-0 Game 2: Alliance HT - Deadly Phantoms HC 1-0 Game 3: Deadly Phantoms HC - Alliance HT 2-0 Game 4: Alliance HT - Deadly Phantoms HC 1-2 The games will be broadcasted on the NHLGamer Twitch channel, at twitch.tv/NHLGamerTwitch. The games will be broadcasted by @Kenu, who's still looking for a commentary partner for tonight. Get in touch. Teams, we are still missing your starting line-ups for tonight, with the exception of FILADELPHIA, who has submitted theirs. Please let us know as soon as possible.

ECL All Stars The first ever ECL All Star week has come and gone, leaving us with a single winner but multiple fond memories. The week began with a draft, broadcasted live at NHLGamerTwitch, as the eight captains came together to select their teams. Every team was to be comprised of one goaltender, one defender and two forwards. At the same time, all of the 16 teams from ECL Elite were to be represented by at least one player. In the end, both the draft and the live broadcast proceeded smoothly and set the tone for future events to come. Once the drafting was complete, many viewers made sure to single out and praise @cHIIMEERa, @FlyerKungen and @vatalisti for putting together strong teams. The eight teams were randomly seeded into two groups of four. The group stage was played over a stretch of two days (Wednesday, Thursday) with each group taking center stage for one day each. You can watch the recorded streams by following the below links: Wednesday stream, Group 1: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/245812315 Thursday stream, Group 2: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/245813540 Here are the results of that group stage: GROUP 1 1. Team ICappeI - 3 GP, 6 P (3-0-0) 2. Team cHIIMEERa - 3 GP, 5 P (2-0-1) --------------- 3. Team TehhAhola - 3 GP, 2 P (1-2-0) 4. Team SepiDN - 3 GP, 0 P (0-3-0) GROUP 2 1. Team vatalisti - 3 GP, 4 P (2-1-0) 2. Team FlyerKungen - 3 GP, 4 P (2-1-0) --------------- 3. Team norpee - 3 GP, 4 P (2-1-0) 4. Team MartindalexC - 3 GP, 0 P (0-3-0) With the first stage of competition complete, it was time for the playoffs. Four teams had qualified; Teams @ICappeI, cHIIMEERa, vatalisti and FlyerKungen. Team @Norpee was also tied in points with Team vatalisti and team FlyerKungen in Group 2, but after the tie-breakers, the goal difference ended up being the deciding factor and putting the other two in front. During the qroup stage, Group 1 seemingly focused more on defense (perhaps not truly in the all star groove yet?) as the second group outmatched the first in terms of goals scored by quite a wide margin. Would it be defense versus offense in the playoffs? To the delight of every viewer who tuned in for the playoffs - it would turn out to be a full-out offensive war. You can watch the recorded stream with both of the Semifinasl and the Final here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/245814928. SEMIFINAL 1 Team ICappe vs. Team FlyerKungen 4-3 This game started out as the @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) show, with the highly skilled winger scoring two dazzling goals in the first period. Captain Cappe managed to wake his team up in the second period as defenseman @The_Alpha_Furyan scored two goals to tie the game at 2 before the third period. "Apes" completed his hat trick in the third period and seemed poised to lead Team FlyerKungen to a 3-2 victory... until @tbnantti stepped in with just three minutes remaining. First, he tied the game up and then - with just 55 seconds left on the clock - he scored the game-winning 4-3-goal. What a finish! SEMIFINAL 2 Team cHIIMEERa vs. Team vatalisti 6-7 If you thought the first semifinal was intense, boy you were in for a treat with this one. Before the game started, both teams were forced into some lineup changes. Due to the unavailability of @jtorro1233 and @Nampa77, @taemtaem and @SadaPoika stepped in as defender and forward for the respective teams. The game featured vatalistis team putting on a show with the captain himself scoring four (!) goals while new recruit Sada supplied a hat trick and playmaker @anrh17 dishing out 6 assists. Team vata held a 7-2 lead with just 8 minutes remaining and things seemed hopeless for cHIIMEERa and his team. Then, the veteran captain got his team moving. With four unanswered goals in the last few minutes, all of a sudden we were back to watching a one-goal game. Despite this, Team vata managed to hang on and secure a 7-6 win. Phew. Surely the finals couldnt top this? ALL STAR FINALS Team ICappeI vs. Team vatalisti 5-6 (OT) You had to know that the ONLY overtime game in the entire All Star-event was to take place in the finals, right? It was just too good to be true. Team vatalisti once again got out to a comforting lead by going up 4-1 - paced by two goals and two assists from the captain himself - before Team ICappeI even knew what hit them. Even though @Lamsa scored a nice goal to get the game to 4-2, things seemed hopeless with just a single minute remaining of the game. Thats when Team ICappeI scored twice to knot the game at 4. Incredibly enough, with a mere ten seconds remaining they scored again. 5-4 Cappe with 19.50 on the clock! Surely this was it? Nope. Team vatalisti won the faceoff, came down on one final rush and tied the game at 5 with SadaPoika dishing an incredible pass to anrh17 who scored. At this point, @Kenu and @Panarinz were going nuts in the broadcasting booth. In the overtime, Team vatalisti was the stronger team and took home the first ever ECL All Star-win through a goal by captain vatalisti. Congratulations to Team Vatalisti for taking home the first ever ECL Elite All-Star Week win! Thanks to all participants and viewers for a great event that is sure to come back again in the future. Below you will find the full stats and logos for each team: Team cHIIMEERA G, Supreex, 4GP 2W 71,1SV% 2,75GAA D, jtorro1234, 3GP 4+3=7 D, taemtaem, 1GP 3+2=5 F, indi969, 4GP 5+6=11 F, cHIIMEERa, 4GP 2+8=10 Team TehhAhola G, Zande95, 3GP 1W 69,56SV% 2,33GAA D, OxtreeLAT, 3GP 0+2=2 F, Foppatofflan, 3GP 2+1=3 F, TehhAhola, 3GP 3+1=4 Team SepiDN G, SepiDN, 3GP 0W 70,96SV% 3,00GAA D, Isumpppi90l, 3GP 1+1=2 F, Puantso, 3GP 1+1=2 F, koojiikoojii, 3GP 0+1=1 Team ICappeI G, ICappeI, 5GP 4W 70SV% 2,4GAA D, The_alpha_furyan, 5GP 6+6=12 F, tbnantti, 5GP 6+8=14 F, Lamsa, 5GP 5+7=12 Team MartindalexC G, Hullued, 3GP 0W 38,09SV% 4,33GAA D, MartindalexC, 3GP 0+2=2 F, Kungenkurwa, 3GP 2+2=4 F, Penatski, 3GP 4+2=6 Team Norpee G, poliskontroll, 3GP 2W 53,33SV% 4,66GAA D, JParola, 3GP 0+8=8 F, SadaPoika, 5GP 12+11=23 F, Norpee, 3GP 5+3=8 Team FlyerKungen G, Ranta83, 4GP 2W 51,43SV% 4,25GAA D, Ilmari30, 4GP 4+6=10 F, KingOfApes_, 4GP 10+4=14 F, FlyerKungen, 4GP 4+7=11 Team Vatalisti G, Danielcadabra, 5GP 5W 48,98SV% 5GAA D, Vatalisti, 5GP 12+13=25 F, Anrh17, 5GP 7+20=27 F, Nampa77, 3GP 9+6=15

Hey NHLGamers, I hope you're as excited as we are about the ECL Playoffs that are underway in the Lite and Pro divisions at the moment. Tonight, starting at 19:30 CEST, be sure to join our ECL Playoff stream, as we start things off with some ECL Lite action, as GHETTO FIREBIRDS and Korpens Finest finnish their battle to figure out who will move on to the quarter finals. We anticipated an even series between these two and so far that prediction has been spot on, as the teams start from 2-2 in wins, going into game 5. You can read our prediction below: See all Lite Round 2 predictions here. After these two have decided their series, we will jump into some ECL Pro action, as Alliance HT and Deadly Phantoms HC play their first Playoff games of the season. The teams have agreed to play a total of four games tonight and the action starts at 21:00 CEST. You can read our prediction about the series below: See all ECL Pro Round 1 predictions here. The games will be broadcasted on the NHLGamer Twitch channel, at twitch.tv/NHLGamerTwitch. The games will be broadcasted by @Kenu, @nylanderi and @Panarinz. Check out the starting line-ups below: