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Summer is almost here but before that - good evening once again NHL Gamers! It was Carlsberg HC who managed to be the best out of 32 Pro teams as they beat Sjukstugan in the ECL 4 Pro finals. CAR-112 series results: Game 1: Carlsberg HC @ Sjukstugan | 2-1 Game 2: Sjukstugan @ Carlsberg HC | 3-2 OT Game 3: Carlsberg HC @ Sjukstugan | 3-0 Game 4: Sjukstugan @ Carlsberg HC | 1-5 Game 5: Carlsberg HC @ Sjukstugan | 3-1 Final Carlsberg HC Championship roster: G: #88 J. Sibelius (aka Zande95) D: #82 M. Nyqi (aka Janzuh) D: #7 J. Jate (aka vatalisti) F: #9 R. Grimes (aka joukki13) F: #10 P. Lehtera (aka mikaasi) F: #28 M. Scofield (aka alexbvb28) F: #30 W. Shakespeare (aka F-B-I__A-N-D-Y_) F: #86 J. Paatiala (aka Patzlaf) Carlsberg HC's road to the ECL 4 Pro Championship: 24 wins, 3 losses and 1 OT-loss during the regular season, ranked 1st of Group 1, the best PPG in the ECL 4 Pro (1,75) Round 1: 4-0 victory against Huppati HC Round 2: 4-0 victory against White Trash Round 3: 4-0 victory against Silver Sword Griffins ECL 4 Pro finals: 4-1 victory against Sjukstugan The whole NHLGamer staff congratulates Carlsberg HC for winning the first ever Pro championship - and also for taking the big step into ECL Elite next season! Same goes for Sjukstugan as they secured their ECL Elite spot by beating Kattiautomaatti in the Round 3. Kattiautomaatti also stepped into Elite as they won SIKA in the Relegation faceoff. A big congratulations to these new Elite teams! Finnish Roosters and Silver Sword Griffins are still battling for the 16th Elite spot next week. In ECL Lite, Hawks Hockey Club and J P T J are playing for the Lite championship in the upcoming week as well so there's two big match-ups remaining in the ECL 4. See you guys soon & have a nice weekend! Oh and hey - we're not done yet so just like before, stay tuned! @vSilenttio for NHLGamer.com

End of ECL 4 is nigh, NHLGamers! Couple more weeks and we're done - for a while. It's time again to look up what has happened in our community during past week. Like we announced couple days ago - Laser HT finally won the ECL Elite championship as they won Dynasty in Game 7 thriller. One more time on my behalf - well deserved guys, hats off! Carlsberg HC did what pretty much everyone expected and walked to the Pro division finals as Silver Sword Griffins simply didn't have enough what it needs to beat down CAR. In the finals, CAR will be facing good old Sjukstugan which was also predicted to be one of the most biggest dogs in the Pro and here they are - going to Elite division with Carlsberg! Sjukstugan won Kattiautomaatti in the semi's and they'll face SIKA in the relegation battle for the spot in the ECL 5. SSG will face Finnish Roosters. In the Lite, there's four teams remaining in the battle for the spots in the Pro division: DEAD END KINGS, J P T J, Hawks Hockey Club and Lavetten. It's time for last big push, guys! Once again, best of luck to every team! ELITE: Relegation faceoffs SIKA vs Kattiautomaatti, ELITE relegation round, by @The_Alpha_Furyan Cats vs. Hogs - talk about an even match-up! Legend has it the rivalry between these two franchises dates back almost a full decade, to a time where IRL meet-ups and LAN battles were the format of competition. Atleast a half-dozen years, many online matchups and the occasional thrown controller later, SIK and CAT find themselves in one of the most interesting playoff series of their careers - a battle for next seasons Elite spot. Judging by the fact that I just recently played against CAT in the playoffs, I can tell you they are good. Damn good. Defenders Sumpi and Slaivonen are excellent puck movers and CATs offense can cause myriads of trouble for opposing teams defenders and goalie if they aren't 100% sharp, all the time (Anchorman reference, anyone?). Based solely on my experience playing them, I would say Kattiautomaatti has a very strong chance here. When you combine that with the fact that they've been in ECL action up until now and SIKA has been idle, their odds grow even stronger. However, a little bird whispered in my ear that vSilenttio is pushing his troops hard in preparation for this matchup, which again makes me doubt the outcome of the series. If ShaneC27 and Nampa77 can score some timely goals, Anbtbl keep a clean house in center ice while Sile and Friilander protect a battling SpiderRoyal - then we have a hell of series on our hands. Ultimately, I have to go with my gut right now in this moment... and it actually says 4-3 SIKA. Finnish Roosters vs Silver Sword Griffins, ELITE relegation round, by @vSilenttio What a series this'll be! Does FR have anything left after long wait as they need to beat SSG in seven games to stay in the Elite - where FR belongs to in my honest opinion. SSG then in the other hand, have fought their way this far and they gotta be the more hungry side here after everything they've gone through past months. They just dont want to give up, which will be the biggest factor here. Which team has the more willpower and grit to make it out alive from this series? FR has lost some big names during past season but they still have guys like johtaja699, Janikka and Jparola taking care of their legacy. SSG does have also some good names, and I would also say that they have the momentum here as they have been playing big games all Spring. What if it's battle of individuals after all as I see both teams being strong with the teamplay stuff - although I gotta admit that I see SSG having the edge in that one. So let's make up some pairs for this one which are going to solve the winner here: johtaja699 vs. xLVxRitchey, ktewjh vs. pelimies80 & JParola vs. elvijs99. Then the goalies. SSG's Kefleri has stepped up big time this season and meanwhile FR has lost their #1 goalie to who-knows-where (OODAP), the old legendary mascot of FR, jyrkkis_ started to play between the pipes and the winner from this series will be the team with better goaltending - and because of that I see SSG taking the biggest victory of their career here from rusty Roosters as they beat them in Game 7. Finnish Roosters projected line-up: JParola - johtaja699 - zton93 NeonHum - ktewjh jyrkkis_ Silver Sword Griffins projected line-up: Elvijs99 - xLVxRitchey - ProMinx24 Entii112 - Pelimies80 Kefleri PRO Carlsberg HC vs Sjukstugan, PRO division final, by @nylanderi So the Pro Division’s grand final is here! It's a rivalry matchup: Sweden vs. Finland, Filariou vs. Joukki13 & LastMandalorian vs. Zande95. The best of the best from the Pro Division come together for one final clash this season. This is also a matchup that has some history as these two teams played each other deep in the playoffs in ECL 1, where Car managed to escape with a 4-3 series win. Sjukstugan projected lineup: Filariou - patovic_ - lBjonol The_Alpha_Furyan - Gustafsson7 LastMandalorian Sjukstugan is known for its tight defense and really fast paced and straightforward offense. It all comes down to how well 112's defense manage to play against Carlsberg offense. Sjukstugan is probably not going to have the puck as much as they want so their forwards need to capitalize on their chances. LastMandalorian is also gonna have bunch of work ahead of him from Cars shooters. Carlsberg HC projected lineup: joukki13 - Mikaasi - Vatalisti janzuh - fbi andy zande95 I actually heard some rumours that Carlsbers captain and leader Patzlaf wont be playing in the finals. Regardless, Car have a very strong team that is known for their lightning quick passing game. They need to handle the puck with care in the offensive zone, so 112 wont get those dangerous counter attacks. My prediction for this series is 4-2 to Carlsberg HC. LITE Hawks Hockey Club vs Lavetten, LITE division semifinal, by vSilenttio The stakes are surely high now - aren' they? First of all I gotta admit that I have never faced Hawks in the EASHL this year so it's pretty hard to say anything about them. All that I have heard and red about them is that people never kind of believed that they would even play these games but here they are - facing the new-old swedish team with few common names for me atleast. Pulverapa hasn't played that much this season but I did actually watch 3-4 games from Lavetten's previous series against EN HUND and was surprised to see him in Lavetten's line-up. Hope so we can see more of him in this series & in the finals as I predict that Lavetten wins this one thanks to typical, swedish style of playing with some bigger names (pulverapa, Esdor15) making sure things are going their way. 4-3 Lavetten. DEAD END KINGS vs J P T J, LITE division semifinal These guys have already played almost the whole series, and it's 2-2 while I'm writing and yeah - it seems even! Kings, team that some people would have wanted to see in Pro division, has come this far to face one of the most skilled offensive teams in Lite, J P T J. Now all they gotta do is just to prove that they belong there, and you know what - I'm 100% sure that these guys, led by superstar-Nephenzy and skilled forward windblad, will take their spot in the Pro divison next season. But still then again when you think J P T J as an team, one mistake here and there from Kings and boom - J P T J goes to the Lite finals. Ugh, really hard to say anything but if I had to - I'd go with DEAD END KINGS here taking this battle 4-3.

Hello NHLGamers, We are entering the third week of the ECL 4 playoffs and temperatures are without a doubt rising. Not only outside - where the rapidly approaching spring weather threatens to completely overtake the last remnants of winter - but also inside our many virtual hockey rinks. We are finally reaching the final stages of competition and the stakes couldn't be higher. For Elite, the ECL finals are already here. Our finalists Laser HT and Dynasty fought well and hard for an entire 30-game regular season, in what can most accurately be described as an all-out war against the 14 other Elite teams. After narrowly making the playoffs (the separation between teams #1 to #8 were only a few points), both teams continued to grind their way through challenging playoff series versus Synergy/Nordic Nightmare and Written In The Stars/Limitless. Now that they've finally arrived at their ultimate test, both of these classic ECL franchises will be looking to bring the trophy home for the first time. In Pro, we've arrived at the Semifinals where Carlsberg, Kattiautomatti, Sjukstugan and Silver Sword Griffins are the final four standing. It might not come as a surprise to long-time members of the community to see these teams among the potential finalists, even if all of them have had to be at their absolute best to advance for as long as they have. The two winners of these series will not only advance to the Pro finals, they will also have a guaranteed spot in Elite for next season. For the semifinal losers, a promotion/relegation series Versus either SIKA or Finnish Rooster awaits. For Lite, we are down to 8 teams which effectively means we've arrived at the quarterfinals. The teams that are fighting for a guaranteed spot in Pro next season (and the Lite title) are Hawks Hockey Club, HC Ancient Warriors, DEAD END KINGS, Banterfield Battalion, EN HUND, Lavetten, J P T J and Dynamo Danglers. Best of luck to all teams and remember - all 4 winners of these series will play in Pro next season. Do or die! I'd like to sidetrack this story for a bit here by giving myself a tiny pat on the back as I correctly predicted the results of 11 out of 13 series last week, even getting the series' scores right on a few of them (!). I know, I know - I'm being "that guy". Hey, all I am saying is that I would like to see some more predictions come out of the community! I know for sure there are far more knowledgeable NHLGamers out there than me - make yourselves heard. Show Alpha who the real prediction master is, so to speak. Anyway, let us get to it y'all. As always, be sure to share your comment on the news story or in the forums with your own predictions. (Predicted series winners will be marked in Bold text) ELITE Dynasty vs. Laser HT - Two teams I know quite well and also two teams I'd really like to see do well. So much for being impartial, right? I've said it repeatedly in these predictions, the time has come for Dynasty to make a run. They are going up against possibly the best offensive team in the world right now with Leksa94 and Dominointi leading the charge. Lasers quick-pass system around the net is better than it ever has been... and yet, for the duration of these playoffs I haven't been able to shake the feeling that Dynastys time is now. Therefore, I will continue to predict success for them. They win this one 4-3. Make sure to check this one out though folks, we are talking playoff hockey at its finest. Look for both team to broadcast! PRO Carlsberg HC vs. Silver Sword Griffins - The all-out Pro favorites versus a team on a mission of revenge from last seasons dissapointing exit. This should be a playoff series for the ages... which is a big reason I am inclined to pick SSG as the winners. Watching them power through one of the most intense series' I have seen in years, courtesy of "Most improved team"-candidate Rusty Blades, was nothing short of spectacular. Alas, I predict Carlsbergs desire for Elite will prove to be too strong for SSG here. I predict 4-2 Carlsberg with SSG re-loading for a hard battle against SIKA/Roosters. Sjukstugan vs. Kattiautomaatti - [Long prediction courtesy of Mr. @Ranksu - thank you for chipping in, sir!] Sjukstugan, who ended their regular season in the 2nd position for Group 1 are here faced with Group 2 winner Kattiautomaatti. Two teams who rely heavily on puck possession and also two teams that have came through this stage pretty easily (both have played just 10 games in two series). 112s all-important breakout will be depending on how well their defenders The_Alpha_Furyan and Gustafsson7 can handle pressure as puck carriers and get the puck up to forwards Ibjonol, patovic_ & 112 leading goal scorer Filariou. On the other hand, Kattiautomaatti has overall more scoring depth than Sjukstugan, in my opinion. Especially CATs Slaivone has been producing heavily from the blueline so far in the playoffs. A short word here also needs to be said about the goaltending battle, featuring two of the absolute best goalies this community has to offer right now (including Elite): LastMandalorian and hoigga. Whoever can reach their peak level in this series could potentially steal it. This series is indeed going to be hard to predict. A closer look at PP stats reveals Kattiautomaatti really has an advantage here, scoring 5 powerplay goals spread out through the roster while Sjukstugan only has two (!) goals which both came from defenders... did I reveal too much here? The faceoff dot is pretty even 50-50, but I think advantage there goes to Sjukstugan center patovic_. These are of course just small details, but in a tight series it could be a difference maker. I was almost ready to give this series for Kattiautomaatti, but seeing how much Sjustugan has developed their game throughout the season I will give them this one in game 7. Kattiautomaatti 3 – Sjukstugan 4. Projected lineup for Kattiautomaatti: xMaick82x - BiiAiDii - jnmxx Isumppi90I - Slaivone hoiggaa Projected lineup for Sjukstugan: Filariou - Patovic_ - Ibjonol The_Alpha_Furyan - Gustafsson7 LastMandalorian LITE Hawks Hockey Club vs. HC Ancient Warriors - HC Ancient Warriors surprised me by dispatching Old Farts by a score of 4-1 in games. By all accounts, their game has reached a level that most would consider truly worthy of the playoffs. Meanwhile, favorites Hawks Hockey Club might not be fully warmed up yet, with them having only one series under their belts thus far. I predict a tough battle as always but a 4-2 win for HC Ancient Warriors. DEAD END KINGS vs. Banterfield Battalion - Should be a fun series to watch with two smart, tight-checking teams facing off. DEAD END KINGS have yet to face a true test while Banterfield are a scarred and battle-hardened Battalion by now. Not to mention the inspiring effect the creative GIFs and video shorts Banterfield player @Stu has been uploading, must have on his teammates! Then again, DEK could use those same videos as inspiration to shut up their opponents... I say 4-2 BB. EN HUND vs. Lavetten - Two teams from opposite ends of the spectrum. Lavetten likes to rush and score goals while EN HUND likes to hit and shut down the opposition. If Lavetten can overcome being truly challenged by a tough defense, then this series is theirs. Meanwhile, if EN HUND can maintain their poise and calm against the most dangerous offensive squad they have faced in the playoffs, they will stand victorious. I say Game 7 and I say Lavetten wins. J P T J vs. Dynamo Danglers - Offensive beasts J P T J might finally have met their match skill-wise in Dynamo Danglers. Then again, at this point, can anyone really stand in the way of J P T Js goal-scoring machine? They have smashed their way through both the regular season and the playoffs (by scores of 12-0, 8-1 & 9-2) so far and look like a potential top Pro team for next season. I am going with a 4-1 J P T J win here. The third round of the ECL 4 Playoffs is to be played 19.04 to 25.04. Good luck in the playoffs to all remaining teams! Later skaters, @The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, We're in the middle of it now. That great time of the year when the true essence of hockey shines through. The lengthy overtime battles, the primal shouts of frustration and joy, the overpowering urge to defeat your opponent no matter what... but also, the humble "digital handshakes" after a completed series. The cordial well-wishes and genuine appreciation for a great series. The sincere respect for your opponent. All these factors is what has come to define playoff hockey in any competitive league in the world and it is no surprise to us here at NHLGamer.com that the same values hold true as we move that same playoff competition over to a digital hockey landscape. The first week of the ECL 4 Playoffs is over and what a week it was! We had some tremendous upsets (who could've guessed that all the "lower seeds" would advance in the Elite playoffs?) and some dominating performances from predicted favorites (Carlsberg HC of Pro and J P T J of Lite come to mind). Currently the Elite playoffs are at the Semifinals stage, the Pro playoffs will start their quarterfinals and the Lite playoffs kick off their Round-of 16. This means a total of 14 playoff series will begin today, with an additional 2 series (the Pro/Elite Promotion/Relegation series) waiting in the wings. Also a big round of applause and appreciation to the teams who fought hard but didn't reach their final goal these playoffs - we hope to see you all come back strong next season! But now, let us get to the teams still remaining and see if we can predict what will transpire! As always, be sure to share a comment on the news story or in the forums with your own predictions. (Predicted series winners will be marked in Bold text) ELITE Nordic Nightmare vs. Laser HT - After both teams put together impressive series wins over Unknown and Synergy respectively, these two veteran squads will face off in a what should be a memorable battle. Laser has truly found their offensive groove this season and has continued their goal-scoring prowess into the postseason. Look for them to attack Nordic Nightmares well-oiled team machine with all they've got. I predict a 4-2 series win for LHT. Dynasty vs. Limitless - It might be foolish to continue betting against last seasons winners, but I just have this feeling that the time has come for Dynasty to truly go on a run and bring home the ECL Elite trophy (on a side note, does anyone have suggestions for an official trophy name? We need something iconic! The Ramjagsingh Trophy perhaps?). Also, look for Limitless to continue surpassing the somewhat lower expectations created by their regular season. This one will most likely go 7. I say Dynasty 4-3 series win with the final game going to OT. PRO Carlsberg HC vs. White Trash - WT delivered a serious upset when they upended regular season juggernaut Nordic Stars in the first round. Their gameplan to shut down high-scoring Tapparafan- in that series will certainly come to play in this series as well with joukki13 and Patzlaf coming to town. Despite WTs early playoff heroics, I predict Carlsbergs scoring depth will be too much for them here. 4-2 Carlsberg series win. Kattiautomaatti vs. Shameful Knights - Shameful are coming off a tougher first series while Katti were able to breeze by their first round opponent. This shouldn't have an impact on this series though, as there will be no rest needed or underestimation going on - from either team. This will be a close series and Katti will be forced to face their biggest test of the season. I predict they will rise to the challenge and win this one 4-2. Sjukstugan vs. Unlucky Boys HC - [No prediction due to me playing in the series, feel free to post your predictions in the comment section! That goes for all the series in this prediction by the way - always fun to read what the community thinks.] Rusty Blades vs. Silver Sword Griffins - These two teams were built for the playoffs and this should certainly be a "series to watch" - perhaps the most even one ECL Pro has to offer. Both defensively strong teams, both lethal on the counterattack and in front of the oppositions net. Expect this one to go 7 and for most of those games to go to OT. My gut says SSG though, 4-3. Finally, congratulations are in order to Pro teams Bare Knuckles Hockey, murohoki, Nemesis and Showtime who all staved off relegation by winning their respective series. These teams, together with the teams that finished in "no mans land" and all Pro playoff teams who don't qualify for Elite, will have guaranteed spots in the Pro division next season. LITE Hawks Hockey Club vs. Ice Phoenix - The Lite overall top seed HHC enters the playoffs after sitting out Round 1. They should be hungry and eager to play against an Ice Phoenix team that impressed in the first round. Don't expect a sweep, but HHC should still win this one 4-1. DEAD END KINGS vs. EV Duisburg - Swedish "Synergy Lite" DEK will also be eager to prove their mettle and show that they belong higher up in the divisional system. Their quest to do just that begins here against German surprise team Duisburg. I predict Nephenzy and his boys to come out firing and end up with a 4-0 series win. EN HUND vs. INF4MOUS - Two strong teams with high ambitions clash in this matchup. Should be a tight battle with the physical play of ENH clashing with the defensive structure of iNF. I do predict a 4-2 series win for EN HUND here but as I said, good matchup. J P T J vs. HC Palosaari - Offensive beasts J P T J take on a Palosaari team that fought hard in their series with the Coal Miners. Anything other than a 4-0 sweep from star team J P T J here would be a surprise to me. Old Farts vs. HC Ancient Warriors - The veterans of Old Farts take on the Warriors in a matchup that I wish could be saved for further down the line in the Lite playoffs, due to the skill of both teams. However, it is what it is and I do have to predict a winner so I will go with Old Farts, 4-2 Dynamo Danglers vs. Bone Breakers - Two teams I saw as contenders to win the Lite trophy that didn't fully deliver the types of seasons I am sure they would have wanted. I predicted Bone Breakers to do well in my season preview and I am sticking with it. 4-3 BB. GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs. Banterfield Battalion - Community sweethearts and video makers GHETTOBIRDS (new official nickname) take on the Banter squad in another tight matchup. GHETTOBIRDS had their difficulties getting going in the first round but should be warmed up enough to give the Banter squad a tough time. 4-3 BB here as well. Clowns On Ice vs. Lavetten - This is THE series to watch in Lite Round 2. Lots of skill, lots of energy, lots of passion. If you have the time, check it out because this one could go 7. I predict a 4-3 series win for Lavetten in Game 7 OT. In addition we've extended this round by two days since it overlaps with Easter - the second round of ECL 4 Playoffs is to be played 10.04 to 18.04. Good luck in the playoffs to all remaining teams! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, It is that time of the year again, isn't it? You wake up one morning and the cold weather outside doesn't seem to bother you as much, the morning traffic you encounter when driving to work is suddenly not a nuisance but instead a reason to silently reflect on what is to come and that little knot of anticipation you know so well is back in your stomach. It is time for some ECL playoff hockey! For ECL 4 we had more teams participating than ever seen before in the European competitive hockey gaming scene, something that we here at NHLGamer.com are immensly proud of. Thank you to all 80 teams that signed up and a special thank you to the 78 teams who finished the season (a 97.5% completion rate) - continue spreading the word so we can try and grow this tournament even further together! Can we create a league with 100+ teams? Is the Xbox One side of the community ready for its first tournament? Only time will tell but us Staff members certainly hope so. I'd also like to take this opportunity to once again highlight the legacy of our previous ECL winners in order to inspire all participating teams to follow in their footsteps. Here they are; ECL 1 - Nordic Blizzard ECL 2 - MUKIMIEHET ECL SC - Team pelimies80 ECL 3 - X Factor Moving on to the business at hand, the ECL 4 playoffs and our traditional predictions. A total of 30 series kicks off today (26 playoff series and 4 relegation series) so I will keep the predicting to a solid one line of text for each series in order to preserve my sanity. I apologize in advance if I am not completely familiar with all participating teams. Also, expect slightly longer predictions the longer these playoffs proceed! (Predicted series winners will be marked in Bold text) ELITE MUKIMIEHET vs. Limitless - A tough series between two former ECL winners but I predict a 4-3 MUKI win here. MUKI has played a flawless season while Limitless has struggled to find the magic of their previous team version, X Factor. Synergy vs. Laser HT - Another tough one featuring two teams with a lot of history and rivalry. Going with 4-3 Synergy here as I believe they have moved past ghosts of playoffs past. Unknown vs. Nordic Nightmare - Never bet against Unknown in the playoffs. NN is a terrific squad but Unknown has some history on the line that they'd be eager to defend. 4-2 WHO. Written In The Stars vs. Dynasty - Probably the most lethal offensive squad versus the most structured defensive squad. I'll give the edge to Dynasty here as they are due for a deep playoff run, 4-3 DYN. PRO Carlsberg HC vs. Huppati HC - The #1 overall seed and predicted top team takes on an inexperienced #8. Going with 4-0 Car here. Sjukstugan vs. HC Checkmate - [No prediction due to me playing in the series, feel free to post your predictions in the comment section! That goes for all the series in this prediction by the way - always fun to read what the community thinks.] Rusty Blades vs. Royal Club - Two strong defensive squads but Rusty has grown from a playoff bubble team last season to a top ECL team. It will be a series of OT games but I think the Blades will come out on top, 4-2. Unlucky Boys HC vs. Germany's Finest - Unlucky Boys is another team who has grown stronger as the tournament progressed while GER has had some tough games towards the end. I predict an even series with a 4-2 win for UHC. Alliance HT vs. Shameful Knights - The Russian two-way machine has impressed me during the season, as have the Shameful Knights. I will go with a 4-3 win here for AHT. Silver Sword Griffins vs. Nocturnal Hunters - SSG is due for a deep playoff run. They will encounter tough opposition from NH but will most likely advance if they get their machine rolling. 4-1 SSG. Nordic Stars vs. White Trash - NS will take full advantage of the #1 overall scorer in Pro and get through a tough series with WT by a score of 4-2. Kattiautomaatti vs. ORIGINS - Another regular season giant in CAT entering the playoffs versus a bubble team. Granted, ORIGINS has ECL experience but I do not think it will be enough here. 4-1 CAT. (PRO Relegation Faceoff) Bare Knuckles Hockey vs. Company of Geeks - CoG has had a tough season but will deliver when it matters the most. 4-3 CoG. murohoki vs. Thunder Tigers - If murohoki gets their two-way game going they could run through this series. TT are no slouches however so I think this one will go to 6 games, 4-2 mur. Nemesis vs. The Beagle Boys - The Swedish dogs also went through a challenging season but could surprise here and defeat offensively skilled team Nemesis to stay in Pro. 4-3 TBB. Showtime vs. The Lights Out - Showtime had their ups and downs, struggling versus teams around them in the standings while performing great against some of the top dogs. Expect them to come in motivated to this series. 4-1 SHO. LITE (Hawks Hockey Club and DEAD END KINGS - both automatically advance to the second round) EN HUND vs. Blues HC - Time for the The Finnish dogs to create their own legacy apart from SIKA. They start in this series, 4-0 EN HUND. J P T J vs. A Dream Valhalla - Offensive powerhouse with multiple top scorers enter the playoffs with a series win, 4-0 J P T J. Old Farts vs. Pohjoista Voimaa - Experienced old bastard versus a newer team, experience wins out in the playoffs: 4-0 OLD. Dynamo Danglers vs. Vemppaosasto - Tougher to predict but the Danglers, led by lycki10, has had an impressive season. 4-2 DyD. GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs. The Youngsters - Not as well educated when it comes to these teams but the FIREBIRDS playoff hype video has me convinced, 4-2 BIRDS Clowns On Ice vs. Prometheus - Have not played against either team but Prometheus strikes me as the stronger squad here, 4-3 XKP. Lavetten vs. Die TwitchProleten - Swedish Versus/HUT giants in Lavetten grew stronger as the season progressed, just as predicted. If they can keep their momentum going, this is a 4-1 Lav win. Banterfield Battalion vs. PSHL Roadrunners - The most banter-filled squad in ECL start a solid playoff run here with a 4-2 series win. Teletapit vs. Ice Phoenix - Have only seen Ice Phoenix play (which they did well), therefore going with a 4-2 series win here. HC Ancient Warriors vs. Papat - I predicted a strong season for the Warriors and I am sticking by it. 4-2 Warriors. Bone Breakers vs. HC Scorpions - The Bone Breakers had a season worthy of Pro, I predict they start their journey there in this series with a 4-1 series win. HC Palosaari vs. Falun Coal Miners - Two teams with the same logo (the one with the factory and 3 pucks) who are both looking to improve on their regular season. The FCM boys has playoff experience though, which should weigh heavy here. 4-3 FCM. Last Kings vs. EV Duisburg - Not familiar enough with either team to accurately predict this one but my crystal ball says 4-2 Kings. Elämäm Kiekko vs. INF4MOUS - First taste of the playoffs for both teams so this should be a tight series. I predict INF coming out on top in Game 7, 4-3 INF. Good luck in the playoffs to all teams! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, Welcome to another edition of "Who's Hot and Who's Not". A format first introduced last summer during the ECL Summer Cup, the "Hot or Not"-column was a source of much emotion and debate during its first tour of duty... so naturally we decided to bring it back! This time around the lists will be a bit shorter (we have atleast five times more teams and three different divisions to cover) but hopefully just as accurate and prone to create debates. As always, we have the great @OxtreeLAT providing some terrific art for both the cover and the different sections within the article - but when it comes to the text, I will handle all the list-making myself this time. Let's get to it! WHO’S HOT - ELITE Forward: Dominointi, LHT - Laser HTs captain is usually a team-first, positionally solid two-way center who always makes sure to cover the correct passing lanes - a Selke Trophy candidate, if you will. However this season, facing the toughest competition in ECL tournament history, he's been doing all that while having a career season offensively with 66 points in 22 games. Defender: liSvampl, WHO - Unknown has certainly backed up their pre-season talk that they should be in Elite with a terrific season in the ECL top division thus far. A big part of their success has been the #1 defensive pairing of iSvamp & Terasniska. Playing in most of WHOs games thus far, both skaters are currently in the Top-10 for defensive scoring but iSvamp gets the nod due to having more goals, assists and points with his 23 points in 21 games. Goalie: Ranta83, WHO - Another component to Unknowns success has been their constant goaltender Ranta83 who, besides from having the most goaltending Wins in Elite by a mile, sports some very respectable numbers with 80.42%, 2.20 GAA and 2 shutouts to his name. WHO'S NOT - ELITE Forward: Mullweiser, NOS - A big part of Northern Stars #1 line, Mullweiser is by no means having a bad season... it just probably hasn't been all he hoped for thus far, something that goes for the entire NOS team. Relying on team defense to win games isn't a bad strategy (especially not in the playoffs) but it puts an awful lot of pressure on the teams attackers to perform using limited opportunities. With 9 goals, 24 points and a -11 in 24 games, Mullweiser gets the nod here this time. Defender: Maqruusi, RTL - Refuse To Lose gets a spot on the Not-list for the second straight edition as their season really hasn't improved that much since last time. This time they are represented by defender Maqruusi who sports a challenging -29 while managing just 1 goal and 8 points in 16 games. Goalie: octobussy, ESA - TIKI TALK is having a decent surge in the second part of their season, but octobussy still gets a nod here due to some tough personal stats. Outside of personal stats, 'Wins' is the most important metric there is for ECL goaltenders and while octobussy doesn't have the least wins per game, 5 wins in 14 games isn't quite good enough. WHO’S HOT - PRO Forward: Tapparafan-, NS - The ECL 2 point scoring champion is back in the same team enviroment that made him a star and his production has followed suit. Nordic Stars' offensive catalyst has lit the lamp an astounding 44 times in 26 games thus far and looks poised to add some more scoring trophies to his name. Defender: Janzuh, Car - Carlsberg HC has dominated Pro Group 1 the last couple of weeks, something that has led to Car top defender Janzuh running away with the defender scoring title. This sturdy blueliner isn't just a product of his team though, he is as much part of Carlsbergs success as any of their forwards or goaltenders and if you'd poll the Car players themselves - Janzuh would be a safe bet for MVP of the team. Goalie: hoiggaa, CAT - Being a runner-up on this list last time seemed to motivate Kattiautomattis #1 goalie who has continued his torrid pace ever since. Currently the leader for goaltending Wins, hoiggaa probably has his eyes set on quite a few of the Pro goaltending trophies - he just needs to stick the landing with CAT's final 6 games. WHO'S NOT - PRO Forward: XelsFIN, NEM - A league-worst -42 is enough to get XelsFIN on this list this time. His 25 points in 21 games is respectable but the plus/minus, combined with the 23 PIMs, is the anchor for one of Nemesis' most important players this season. Defender: ac_tiska, T T - Just like in the Forward-section, it's a combination of factors that gets ac_tiska on the Not-list for defenders this time. His -25, 0 goals and 16 PIMs in 15 games leaves room for improvement. Goalie: Popensans, KNS - No wins in 10 games played is a tough pill to swallow for anyone and you got to believe nobody wants that first win more than Popensans himself or his teammates. Once Pop gets that out of the way, he'll be able to move out of this spot. WHO’S HOT - LITE Forward: KattenJansson97, Lav - In the interest of having some diversity on this list, JPT will not be featured this time, even though their personal achievements remain impressive. Instead we have the 3rd ranked Lite scorer from surprise team Lavetten, KattenJansson97, getting a shoutout. The whole team has been rising steadily in the standings since the start and a big factor has been their #1 center and his 76 points. Defender: Rankaisija_, OLD - Going from Elite to Lite should mean a dominating performance and Ranksu has not dissapointed. With 50 points in 25 games, this hard-hitting defender has been just as good as expected - just like the rest of the Old Farts team. Goalie: Nebelparder55555, HHC - Being 2nd in Wins and with 82% and a GAA under 2, Nebelparder has led Hawks Hockey Club to one of the top seeds in Lite just ahead of the playoffs. That's really all you can ask for when it comes to your goaltender. WHO'S NOT - LITE Forward: rjounila, POH - A -56 and 11 points in 20 games played mostly as a forward will get you on the Not-list, sadly. Up to jounila and his teammates to bounce back in the final stretch. Defender: moitzi, 666 - Another player with a low plus/minus rating and low point totals, moitzi gets the nod here. A Dream Valhalla has a lot of work to do before the playoffs and moitzi needs to be a part of the teams' turnaround. Goalie: Vanish71, IPH - 2 wins in 14 games will get you on this list. Vanish71 needs to make sure the pucks start vanishing into his catching glove a bit more in the future. See you in the playoffs - later skaters/ The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, With the regular season behind us, we now shift our focus on the playoffs. This time around in addition to fighting for the championship, teams will also try to avoid relegation and secure promotions to higher divisions for ECL5. Before announcing the playoff parings for the first round, we need to note that some teams weren't able to play all of their regular season games, forcing us to issue walkover wins/losses. In each respective case the League Administration took into consideration the availability, communication and attempts to reschedule the games from both sides. Here are the final rulings: Unplayed games between "Clowns On Ice" and "Ice Phoenix" - two WO losses for both teams. Unplayed games between "Origins" and "The Lights Out" - two WO wins for Origins. Unplayed games between "Huppati HC" and "Company Of Geeks" - two WO wins for Huppati HC. Unplayed games between "Inter Iceland" and "Thunder Tigers" - two WO wins for Inter Iceland. Unplayed games between "Written In The Stars" and "Aapon Taikasauva" - two WO losses for both teams. After applying all the WO rulings, here's the summary for each division: Playoffs MUKIMIEHET vs. Limitless Synergy vs. Laser HT Unknown vs. Nordic Nightmare Written In The Stars vs. Dynasty Relegation Faceoff Finnish Roosters vs. #4 of Pro playoffs SIKA vs. #3 of Pro playoffs Relegation Rynnäkköviikset Refuse To Lose Playoffs Carlsberg HC vs. Huppati HC Sjukstugan vs. HC Checkmate Rusty Blades vs. Royal Club Unlucky Boys HC vs. Germany's Finest Alliance HT vs. Shameful Knights Silver Sword Griffins vs. Nocturnal Hunters Nordic Stars vs. White Trash Kattiautomaatti vs. ORIGINS Relegation Faceoff Bare Knuckles Hockey vs. Company of Geeks murohoki vs. Thunder Tigers Nemesis vs. The Beagle Boys Showtime vs. The Lights Out Sadly some teams have abandoned the tournament. Due to this there are 16 teams in one group and 14 in the other. In order to make the current playoffs format work, we've decided to merge both Lite groups, sort teams by PPG and automatically advance the two teams with the highest PPG to the second round. Playoffs Hawks Hockey Club and DEAD END KINGS - both automatically advance to the second round. EN HUND vs. Blues HC J P T J vs. A Dream Valhalla Old Farts vs. Pohjoista Voimaa Dynamo Danglers vs. Vemppaosasto GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs. The Youngsters Clowns On Ice vs. Prometheus Lavetten vs. Die TwitchProleten Banterfield Battalion vs. PSHL Roadrunners Teletapit vs. Ice Phoenix HC Ancient Warriors vs. Papat Bone Breakers vs. HC Scorpions HC Palosaari vs. Falun Coal Miners Last Kings vs. EV Duisburg Elämäm Kiekko vs. INF4MOUS Sharpen your skates as the playoffs will start on the 3rd of April and the first round of the playoffs is to be played 03.04 - 09.04., best of seven. Good luck! NHLGamer.com

Good afternoon, NHL Gamers! League Administration finalized it's ruling on 3 cases which happened during the last week. 1)Valta15: Irresponsible behavior Player valta15 decided to leave his old team and join Dynamo Danglers, where he played one game and partially finished a second one(the game was quit midway through by both parties after several connection issues). Afterwards, he wanted to go back to his old team, which is not allowed according to ECL rules: ------------------ 10. Recruitment and transfers "Players are not allowed to transfer to a team they had previously left during a league/tournament." ------------------ In a desperate journey of sending messages to League Administration, he suggested several options to circumvent this rule, which is also prohibited: ------------------ 3. Code of conduct "Members are not allowed to try circumventing the rules." ------------------ On top of that, valta15 now refuses to finish the second game for his team and also announced he was not going to play any more games for Dynamo Danglers. This is considered a breach of the Fair Play rule. Taking all the issues into account, League Administration is going to ban valta15 for the remainder of ECL 4 as well as the first 10 games of ECL 5. Furthermore, valta15 won't be allowed to act as a Captain or Assistant Captain during ECL 5. Because of this, the second game between Dynamo Danglers and Bone Breakers will need to be replayed. 2)Totalii: Personal attack against another NHLGamer member Community member Totalii made a shameless and very personal attack against another NHLGamer member in the forums. This is a violation of the following rule: ------------------ 3. Code of conduct "Registered members are required to treat each other with respect and not divert to overly abusive language. This applies to all league/tournament related conversations conducted on NHLGamer.com" ------------------ League Administration has decided that player Totalii will be banned for the remainder of the ECL 4 regular season (a total of 10 games, including today's games). 3)NYTSAKENEE: Second account It has come to our attention that player NYTSAKENEE(Huppati HC - Pro) is using two accounts, second account Ei_Baas(Teletapit - Lite). This is a clear violation of the ECL rule: ------------------ 1. Member registration "No player may have more than one account on NHLGamer.com." ------------------ After further investigation we learned that the captain of Huppati HC, Samzoni, was fully aware of this situation. League Administration has decided that player NYTSAKENEE/Ei_Baas will be banned for remainder of ECL 4 as well as the first 50% of the ECL 5 games. Samzoni will be banned for remainder of ECL 4 and won't be allowed to act as a Captain or Assistant Captain during ECL 5. @Samzoni @KerttulanKarlsson @Fobba71 @Totalii @SadaPoika @Tuukka.R @rotta__roteva @Lupachuk @Xx-Kane-X @lycki10 @Givystar @Anenthran @valta15 @Nytsakenee @Ei_Baas - League Administration

Good evening, NHL Gamers! League Administration finalized it's ruling for a case involving the teams Refuse To Lose and Silver Sword Griffins and the player Kefleri. Kefleri left RTL without agreement from the captain Hanssonni, and joined SSG to immediately play 2 games with them against HC Checkmate. This violates the following rule: --- 8. Recruitment and transfers "Team assistant captains are allowed to transfer in case the team captain agrees to a transfer. In case the team captain disagrees, an assistant captain is not allowed to be transferred to another team." --- After discussing the case with both teams and the affected player, League Administration decided on the following outcome: Both games between Silver Sword Griffins and HC Checkmate will need to be replayed without Kefleri Kefleri will receive a 2 game ban for SSG's games against Kattiautomaatti pelimies80 will receive a 2 game ban for SSG's games against Kattiautomaatti due to transferring the player, even though he was aware of the above rule pelimies80 will of course be allowed to participate in the two rematches against HC Checkmate At the time of this news story, Refuse to Lose agreed to the transfer, so Kefleri is allowed to join Silver Sword Griffins after all. We would also like to include a general reminder to all captains: You are the team leader, and you have the power to decline an Assistant Captain's transfer. However if there are personal differences involved, and the captain tries to abuse this power by tying the player to the team after damage was already done (purposefully), the Fair Play rule comes into play. Benching a player in this scenario is strictly not welcome and League Administration will investigate. @Kefleri @pelimies80 @xLVxRitchey @ProMinx24 @OxtreeLAT @Hanssonni @ReDMisTi @TackleControl @Juizki @selänne8 - League Administration

Good evening NHLGamers, What? Transfer deadline? Yes, it's that time of the season again. Some members of the community were probably caught off-guard by it due to a shorter regular season. No need to worry! As some of you may have already noticed, the staff has decided to extend the transfer deadline for ECL4 and give teams more time to fine-tune their rosters. The new transfer deadline is - 23:59 CET on March 12, 2017. This effectively means that this Sunday is the last day when teams are allowed to make any free agent signings and player transfers. During this most frantic time for both players and captains, lets not forget that there are still certain rules regarding transfers and player signings that need to be followed. -------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Recruitment and transfers The rules in this section only apply during a league/tournament. The deadline for transfers is set to 23:59 CET on March 12, 2017. Teams are allowed to recruit free agent members of NHL Gamer up until the trade-deadline. Both the player and team must mutually agree to being picked up from the free agents. Teams are allowed to release a player from their roster, provided this doesn’t violate the roster minimum rule. Released players cannot go back to the team that released them and their next move is considered a transfer from the team that released them to their new team. Team captains not allowed to transfer during a league/tournament. Team assistant captains are allowed to transfer in case the team captain agrees to a transfer. In case the team captain disagrees, an assistant captain is not allowed to be transferred to another team. This paragraph also applies if a team is not able to finish the tournament for whatever reason. Regular players are allowed to transfer once per tournament from a team to another, unless the move would put their initial team under the 8-player limit. Players are not allowed to transfer to a team they had previously left during a league/tournament. Teams may add up to 3 transferred players for the duration of the league/tournament. If a team is disqualified its managers are banned from the league/tournament. The other roster players are free to transfer to another team, unless they were proven involved in the disqualification of their team, in which case they are also banned. -------------------------------------------------------------- IN SUMMARY: Transfer deadline - 23:59 CET on March 12, 2017. Free agents and teams need to mutually agree and update their roster on NHLGamer.com accordingly. Team captains aren't allowed to transfer to another team. Assistant captains can transfer to another team, if the captain of the team agrees to the said transfer(preferably a confirmation in written form). Regular players are limited to 1 transfer throughout the duration of a tournament. In addition they aren't allowed to transfer to a team they have left during the current tournament. Teams can only add up to 3 transferred players for the duration of the league/tournament. Good luck and don't forget to share your confirmed transfer deadline deals and player signings with the community: // NHLGamer Staff

Good afternoon, NHLGamers! At 14:11 of the first period in the ECL 4 game between Aapon Taikasauva and Dynasty, indi969(Sven Tuuba) initiated a challenge for a fight with Dynasty's jumalpeku(EVGENI BULJUJÄRVI). This happened right before the face-off and as such is in violation of the following rules: --- 8. Game rules "Players are not allowed to challenge for a fight before a faceoff nor against a player who is either in possession of the puck, or would be the first one reaching a loose puck. Note, however, that if a player delivers a big hit, gets the puck and the fight challenge comes up, the opposing team is allowed to take the fight, because the player delivering the hit is regarded as initiating the fight challenge." --- 6.Fair Play ""Fair Play" is the most essential rule in regards to any games carried out within a tournament on NHLGamer.com. In general, "Fair Play" describes the act of treating your opponent the way you would like to be treated. This includes communication, but also any actions which are directly or indirectly related towards on-ice action. To give you an idea of what to avoid to comply with this Fair Play rule, here are a few examples: Do not attack your opponent with abusive language Do not exploit game mechanics or bugs to put your opponent at a disadvantage (e.g. do not make use of any player stats exploits, de-sync glitches, freezes or similar) Do not distract your opponent from playing the game (e.g. do not spam messages, do not call your opponent while he is in-game or similar) Disregarding the Fair Play rule will lead to disciplainary action depending on the kind of infraction. Less severe infractions like distractions may lead to point suspensions or game bans, while actually exploiting the game can also lead to a ban for all activities carried out on NHLGamer.com, in case the user is not interested in sharing this knowledge with League Administration. If this kind of issue comes up, League Administration will share this knowledge with EA SPORTS." --- After hearing indi969's explanation, the League Administration has determined that his intentions weren't malicious and issues him a two game suspension. As a result, indi969 won't be able to represent Aapon Taikasauva in their next two scheduled ECL games against Limitless on 27th of February. The ban is valid for this match-up only, so in case Aapon Taikasauva decide to play another opponent beforehand, the ban is not valid for that game. League Administration reminds everyone that all registered members are required to carry themselves and behave in accordance to the ECL Season 4 rules found here: - League Administration

Hey NHL Gamers, The last post on our transition to having divisions in our popular ECL tournament certainly created a buzz in the community. It is our most commented news story in the history of the website (108 comments!) and our second-most read story ever regarding ECL (second only to the ECL Summer Cup Draft review). We'd like to start off by thanking the community for contributing such a wealth of knowledge and well thought-out suggestions in the comment section - we encourage you to keep doing that. The staff reads all the comments and consider the input we receive to be invaluable. Based on the community feedback and lenghty (which is an understatement) internal Staff discussions, we have decided to tweak a few aspects of ECL Divisions. Read on to see how it works: ----- Q: How many divisions will there be? During ECL 4, there will be up to 3 divisions. Division 1 is called "ECL Elite" and will consist of the following 16 teams: Based on ECL Season 3 regular season: Northern Stars Written In The Stars X Factor Finnish Roosters Laser HT Aapon Taikasauva Synergy Hockey SIKA Based on ECL Season 3 playoff wins: MUKIMIEHET TIKI TALK Dynasty Northern Ascedancy Nordic Nightmare Nordic Blizzard Fat Cats Nordic Lightning In case one or more ECL Elite teams won't be able to participate in ECL 4, other teams will be nominated according to these tiebreakers: 1) Playoff wins 2) Regular season PPG average More tiebreakers from the ECL ruleset can be used if necessary. Division 2 is called "ECL Pro" and will be split up into two conferences to accommodate 16 teams each (to match the schedule of ECL Elite), meaning a total of 32 teams in the Pro division. ECL Pro will be open to new teams (teams which did not participate in ECL 3) as well as all ECL 3 participants which did not make the cut to ECL Elite. If there are significantly more than 48 registrations for ECL Season 4, we will introduce "ECL Lite" (read more below). ----- Q: How many games will teams play during the regular season? The amount of games will, as per usual, be 2 games against each opponent – meaning 30 games (15 opponents) each season for ECL Elite and ECL Pro, which consists of two 16 team conferences. Regular season will be done in approximately 5 weeks, by playing 3 opponents (6 games) per week. ----- Q: How will promotion/relegation and playoffs work? First off, we will have promotions and relegations. Having closed divisions is not something we are considering at the moment and we are going with the European hockey model where teams can be both promoted and relegated in the different divisions. For ECL Elite: 8 out of 16 teams will make the ECL Elite Playoffs where the Top 8 teams start off in quarterfinals, then proceed to semi-finals and finally the ECL Elite Finals where the league winner will be crowned The teams that finish #15 and #16 in ECL Elite will instantly be relegated and play in ECL Pro the following season. Teams that finish #13 and #14 will each play one ECL Pro semi-final loser in a direct competition to determine which teams will play in ECL Elite during the next season Teams that finish in places 9-12 will not play in the playoffs nor be subject to relegation In summary, this means a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 teams are relegated each season. It also means 12 out of 16 teams will see some form of post-season play and ensure that every team will be fighting all season, either to make the playoffs or avoid relegation For ECL Pro: Out of each conference of 16 teams, the first 8 teams will make the ECL Pro Playoffs, where both conferences will be cross-seeded like in ECL 3 according to our tiebreakers. In the ECL Pro Finals, the ECL Pro Champion will be crowned, and both finalists will also be promoted to ECL Elite The two semi-final losers will each face one ECL Elite team in a direct competition to determine, which teams will play in ECL Elite during the next season The teams that finish #13 - #16 in both ECL Pro conferences will play a cross-seeded pre-playoffs style series, where all losers (4 teams total) will be relegated to ECL Lite for the next season Teams that finish in places 9-12 will not play in the playoffs nor be subject to relegation In summary, this means 4 teams are relegated each season. It also means 24 out of 32 teams will see some form of post-season play and ensure that every team will be fighting all season, either to make the playoffs or avoid relegation ----- Q: How is ECL Lite going to work? ECL Lite will be the entry point for less experienced teams and provides a great platform for new players to get accustomed to the ECL in a slightly less competitive environment. The exact shape and size of ECL Lite will depend on the amount of teams signing up for ECL Season 4, but the plan is to have conferences of smaller sizes (2x8 example below, will always be adjusted so all registrations can participate) than ECL Elite and ECL Pro. Each ECL Lite team will be able to make the ECL Lite Playoffs and have the chance to go to ECL Pro. For ECL Lite: After the regular season, all teams will participate in cross-seeded ECL Lite Playoffs. While all semi-finalists will immediately be promoted to ECL Pro, the two finalists will also face each other for the ECL Lite Champions title The exact ECL Lite Playoffs format will be slightly different every season, depending on the amount of teams, and will be disclosed once final registration numbers are available ----- Q: Can an ECL Elite or ECL Pro team pause/be inactive for a season? Inactive teams will be relegated. Example: An ECL Elite team decides to skip a season. This means they will play in ECL Pro for their next season. ----- Q: What if teams split up? Who keeps the divisional spot? The staff will look at each individual case but, as a rule of thumb, the captain is considered the owner of the team. If a team has disagreements where the captain has lost the faith of his teammates, he will have to explain this case to the staff. If both assistant captains and at least 3 other members, who played for the team the season before, apply ownership of the team, they will have a strong case to claim the team with all of it's history and current divisional spot - aside of the team name, which remains the captain's property (unless agreed otherwise). If a team is completely dismantled so the requirement described above cannot be fulfilled (e.g. the Captain and both Assistant Captains each decide to leave for different teams), nobody will be able to claim ownership. In that case, the team will be removed from ECL Divisions. ----- Q: What about newly created teams that consist of established ECL players from several different teams? Where do they start? Upon signing up for ECL Season 4, teams are expected to express their wishes for their placement. If your team wants to start in the Lite division, simply state so in your registration. It is not possible to register for ECL Elite. While we will do our best to honour the wishes, whether a new team participates in Pro or Lite will be determined by the NHLGamer Staff based on the following criteria (in no particular order): Players on the team Team history Stats from previous seasons (if available) EASHL 6vs6 ranking and stats We admit there is always a risk for subjectivity, but feel like this is the best approach. Obviously this is only necessary when exceeding 48 registrations, but based on the amount of new teams we're hearing about, we expect this to be the case. Remember, ECL Divisions is all about longevity and building Franchises - consistency and good roster management are key to qualifying as one of the best professional teams on the planet. ----- Q: Is this concept final? Yes and no. For ECL 4, this post outlines the final structure: ECL Elite with 16 teams, and ECL Pro with 32 teams divided into two conferences. This structure includes promotions and relegations in both of the divisions. ECL Lite will be introduced if there is a demand for it in the form of amount of teams and will also be connected to the other divisions via promotions. ----- Q: Will there be an ECL Season 5? Will it be played during NHL 17? When will the leagues start for NHL 18? NHL 17: ECL Season 3 ends by 31.1.2017 ECL Season 4 preliminarily starts 20.2.2017 and ends 16.4.2017 Summer Cup specifics to be determined, but season start jotted in around the start of May. (This is a draft-type league) NHL 18: Releases 14.9.2017 (estimate) ECL Season 5 starts 16.10.2017 and ends 17.12.2017 ECL Season 6 starts 8.1.2018 and ends 11.3.2018 ECL Season 7 starts 2.4.2018 and ends 3.6.2018 Summer Cup specifics to be determined. (This is a draft-type league) ----- Q: I got you! When will registrations open up? This week. Stay tuned for another update! ----- For questions or any other kind of valuable input, please refer to the comments below! NHLGamer.com