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NHLGamers, The first few gamedays of ECL 10 Elite are in the rearview and boy, have we been treated to some exciting action already! There's lots more to come and the same goes for out preview series, in which we overviewed "Contenders, Swedes and Newcomers" last time around. In the third and last part, we'll discuss the remaining teams, which consist of: Brayce Phantoms and Almost Famous both saw disappointing results in ECL 9 by finishing 15th and 14th – both relegation spots. To make matters worse, both teams were defeated by hungry Pro teams in the promotion/relegation series; Brayce by Vesa as mentioned in our previous article and Almost Famous by Gotham Knights. But these teams weren’t going down without a fight. With the situation unclear for a number of teams going into ECL 10 Elite, two eventually decided they wouldn’t participate in the season due to disbandment: PARRU and Butterfly Effect. This led to a scramble to fill the two spots – resulting in the ECL 10 Elite Qualification Series. Brayce Phantoms, Almost Famous, TIKI TALK, Leksand IF, Växjö Lakers, Reality Check, Black Horse and Kaupallinen Yhteistyo were all given another chance to prove they belonged in Elite. Brayce, Almost Famous, Kaupallinen Yhteistyo and Reality Check qualified from the group stage which led to the matchups: Brayce vs. Kaupallinen, and Almost vs. Reality. Here the former Elite teams really stepped up and won their series 4-1 and 4-0, respectively – displaying an impressive amount of psychological strength after being “down and out” for such a long time. As for the teams’ rosters, much of Brayces gameplay still revolves around playmaking genius Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker at center, but the recent addition of Stephan @Krinke Krinke at LW could prove to be an interesting one as the man has proven to be a dependable goal-scorer in recent times. For Almost Famous, the players behind its revival are primarily assistant captains Janne @jahajaha93 Tarvonen and Joni @Tzon93 Tuovila whereas captain Aaro @Ikavalko Ikävalko will be spending the rest of the year serving in the Finnish military. Not only are they both skilled and capable players on the ice, their contributions off the ice should not be underestimated. Jahajaha93 brought the team back from death’s door through sheer force of will after a turbulent offseason. The team with new recruits tzon93, Samu @Ojamoska Ojamo, Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli and Lassi @Lazzio Hirvonen battled through the ECL 10 Elite Qualification Series with the energetic winger tzon93 instantly taking a supportive leadership role and bringing additional fire to the team. Brayce Phantoms and Almost Famous have been in playoff mode for the past months already – could that help them in ECL 10? It wasn’t just hReds and JYP Jyvaskyla who entered the NHL 6v6 scene ahead of ECL 10 Elite. ECL 9 teams Miracle and POGGERS each secured contracts with Finnish esports organizations; Miracle became KOVA Esports and POGGERS turned into SJ Gaming – both well-known and respected franchises in the Finnish esports scene. For KOVA, the team will look to build on their playoff finish last season while captain Kimi @Zip player Nordberg will be eager to prove that the mid-season additions of Mattias @iSvamp Björck and Amadeus @amadee21 Carlsson in ECL 9 wasn’t the driving factor behind the teams resurgence in the back half of that season. Miracle represented another esport organization, Swedish SHL club Djurgården Hockey, during eSHL but when a split occurred between the Finnish and the Swedish parts of the roster – eSvamp and amadee21 took on the Djurgården name whereas ZipPlayer quickly got to work securing a deal with the prestigious KOVA organization. SJ Gaming finished 12th last season in Elite but missed the playoffs by a mere two points, suggesting they are close to being a playoff contender. Captain Tero @Terodee Dahlström had a very impressive run in ECL 9 Elite, scoring 26 points in 26 games and finishing third overall among defenders in total points. This season he will look to build on that performance and lead his team to the playoffs. Unlucky Boys HC, Roots and Checkmate are returning to Elite after all performing well last season. Roots made the playoffs as the 4th seed, Unlucky Boys as the 6th and Checkmate just barely missed the playoffs, finishing 9th with the same point total as 8th seed Symphony. Being teams of supremely high ambitions, all three have made key changes to their rosters to take the next step in their evolution. Unlucky Boys have made two significant changes to their roster from ECL 9. Goaltenders Rami @ramseyy2 Rissanen and Janne @Jann3_67_ Saari were brought in to replace Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen, while Brayce Phantoms forward Tim @Timasy Hess joined as the primary RW with Veeti @Wenger Paloneva moving down to assume the RD position. For Roots, goalscoring legend Lauri @Lamsa Lämsä left the team and Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen joined. Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen was placed on “inactive status” due to joining the Finnish military services, leading Miko @Migo_boo Nurmi (who just came back after fulfilling that very same commitment) to assume the role of main center after acting as the teams backup for more than a year. The loss of Lamsa is a significant one as he had been the team’s leading goal scorer every single season Roots (Rusty Blades) has participated in ECL competition, but with captain Juhani @Tanski87 Tanskanen leading the team in a more balanced direction – having every player contribute equally on the offense – the team looks just as strong as last season, where they finished an impressive 4th during the regular season. Finally, Checkmate also made some key additions as “the Nikkinen brothers” (captain Jonne @TackleControl Nikkinen and assistant captain Juuso @Juizki Nikkinen) signed Markus @Makeaxl Lahti from Symphony and Ville-Petteri @vviljo Särmä from Butterfly Effect, both highly sought after, to act as the teams main defensive pairing. As 1v1 star Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan continues to ascend the rankings of “Elite 6v6 forwards”, Checkmate looks poised to build on last season and make the Elite playoffs. With this final preview part, we've taken a look at all 16 of the ECL 10 Elite teams to some extent - some more than others. The intent of this preview has not been to rank the teams in any way, but to create an understanding for the various situations that each of these teams are in. As we've stated numerous times before, we're extremely excited to get this season started! ECL 10 Elite continues tomorrow, Monday 13th of April with two matchups at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. SJ Gaming will go up against Almost Famous and Checkmate in our featured matchups.

The arrival of the global pandemic known as COVID-19 has brought about quite a few changes to life as we know it. While these changes – the arrival of the phenomenon “social distancing”, for example – won’t be permanent, they have certainly had an impact on most of us, if not all of us. Perhaps you have a friend or relative that has fallen ill. Perhaps you yourself have been battling the virus. Perhaps you’ve lost your job as a consequence of the radical changes in consumer behavior around the globe. Perhaps you’ve even lost someone close to you. In short, things aren’t great. And what’s worse is that no one can accurately predict how long we’ll be in this predicament. Still. As Harvey Dent of The Dark Knight (2008) would say – you know, before he turned all evil and homicidal – “The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you: the dawn is coming”. As we wait for the sun to come up and illuminate our path forward, we could all use a distraction. Something to take our minds off headlines of pain and suffering. So, with every sport from Formula 1 to curling canceled or put on indefinite hold – not to mention our favorite sport of ice hockey – and guidelines in most countries suggesting that we stay at home as much as possible, what could be better than some competitive esports? I mean, not to make light of the current situation but… as gamers, we’re kind of used to staying inside and maintaining distance to people. No? All kidding aside, with the whole world essentially put on pause we can and should consider ourselves lucky that we are still able to do what we love on a daily basis: play and compete in NHL 20. And who knows – while we are busy battling our rivals for supremacy in the four separate divisions of the European Championship League, we might even be able to offer a sliver of happiness to someone who is going through a tough time; be it a spectator or a player. If you ask me, that’s not "nothing". The competitive aspect should of course not be forgotten. After all, this is NHLGamer and 6v6 EASHL hockey is what we do. So, let’s talk competition. For the purposes of this article, that means taking a long, hard look at the 16 teams set to participate in the premier division of European 6v6 gaming, ECL Elite. For the seventh edition of this ultra-tough division – the first three seasons of ECL did not feature divisional separation – we begin by taking a look at two teams that are no strangers to winning. Teams many would say stand the best chance of claiming the coveted title of ECL Grand Champion. And so, without further ado, what better way to start than by focusing on… THE BIG TWO Their dominant run as we know it began in November of 2018, in IS Cup 3 (eSM 2018). That’s when the team known as FILADELPHIA secured their first championship title. They did so by defeating a team known at the time as Written In The Stars. Make a mental note of that because the rivalry of these two teams had only just gotten started. Mere weeks after winning the IS Cup 3 title, “FILA” added another trophy to their collection – none other than the ECL 7 Elite title: their first championship win in Elite. Only this time their opponent wasn’t Written In The Stars, it was newly established team Symphony. However, as the calendar year of 2018 ended and 2019 began, the balance of power shifted. ECL 8 Elite saw FILA face off in the finals against Written In The Stars; a re-match of the IS Cup 3 finals. Only this time it was “SKY” who brought home the championship. SKY proceeded to win the “just for fun”-tournament Spring League and followed that up by signing a contract with professional esports organization HAVU Gaming. Next up was the last event of EA SPORTS NHL 19; the summer tournament of FCL (eSM 2019). Once again, we were treated to a matchup in the finals between FILA and HAVU. The now green-and-black HAVU continued their dominant end to NHL 19 by defeating FILA and bringing home their third straight tournament win. Picture: HAVU Gaming celebrating FCL Championship 2019. Photo credit: SEUL / Arttu Kokkonen Along came the fall and EA SPORTS NHL 20 – but HAVU weren’t done winning. The first tournament of NHL 20, IS Cup 4, saw HAVU bring home their fourth (!) straight title – defeating newly created team Delusion in the finals. FILA finished a (for them) disappointing third and with that decided changes needed to be made. Delusion goaltender Casper @ICappeI Lundgren was brought in to replace previous net-minding stalwarts Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos and Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu. With that, it was time for the balance of power to shift once more. With the arrival of ICappeI, FILA proceeded to sign an esports deal with Swedish hockey organization Linköping HC of the SHL – the highest tier of professional hockey in Sweden. Switching from the orange stag of FILA to the White Lion of Linköping, LHC dove head-first into ECL 9 and decisively mopped the floor with most opponents. Sporting an ECL Elite-record 27-2-1 (tied with SKY from ECL 6), LHC claimed the #1 overall seed in the regular season and worked their way through Symphony and Luleå Hockey in the playoffs to reach the finals… where none other than, you guessed it, HAVU awaited them. With HAVU up 3-1 in the best of-7 series, LHC dug deep and found another gear – turning the series around and winning their first title since ECL 7. Linköping surfed their new-found wave of success all the way to winning the inaugural eSHL championship – including a win in the finals against a Malmö Redhawks team that featured HAVU players Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (RW), Risto @Dominointi Järvi (C), Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (G, reserve) and Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen (LW, reserve) on loan. Picture: Linköping HC celebrating eSHL Championship 2020. Photo credit: Elias Gammelgård To summarize: in the last eight tournaments organized by NHLGamer (not including the differently formatted Summer Cup or the inaugural edition of the SCL where neither team had a chance to participate), FILADELPHIA/Linköping HC have won four and Written In The Stars/HAVU Gaming four – including four finals where they’ve been pitted directly against each other. That’s a near unprecedented dominance not seen on the NHL esports scene since Swedish teams Northern Stars and Unknown were lining up tournament wins in the previous gen (pre-NHL 16) of the game. The way Linköping and HAVU have made competitive NHL 6v6 gaming a two-horse race in the past 18 months (or NHLs 19 and 20, for those keeping track) almost defies explanation – bringing about comparisons to the famous rivalry in Spanish football league La Liga between standout clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. And wouldn’t you know it? Whenever these two behemoths of NHL gaming get matched up against each other, especially in the playoffs, you will usually find at least 5-10 comments in the NHLGamer Twitch stream – because let’s face it, their matchups should never not be broadcasted – calling the matchup the “El Clasico of NHL gaming”. It does have a nice ring to it. And the rivalry is just as fierce. I’m talking about the battle between bearded beasts ICappeI and Hansulinho in net, the two-way talent in two of the strongest defender pairings of all time (Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto & Wille @willekunq Juntunen for HAVU; Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta & Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen for LHC) and the matchup of six of the best forwards NHL esports have to offer: the above mentioned trio of FlyerKungen, Dominointi and Puantso facing off against Erik @Eki Tammenpää, Paul @PleeMaker Arontie and Joonas @Juunas Paatiala. With ECL 10 fast approaching and both teams looking as strong as ever, can anyone really be blamed for predicting another matchup in the ECL Elite finals between HAVU and LHC? I certainly wouldn’t put it past them. Next up; the second half of the ECL 10 Elite preview where we break down the remaining 14 teams. The challengers, the new arrivals and which teams and players to keep an extra eye out for.

NHLGamers, We've reached the final bout of the ECL 8 Pro season! After being treated to yet another eventful season, the eventual crowning of a champion is at our hands. Yet again, the playoffs have left us in awe from time to time. This season, 1st overall seed The Next Gen had a convincing group stage and pushed through the first two rounds with ease, after which they hit a brick wall and got eliminated in 4 games by Black Horse. A less surprising feat is seeing 2nd seed TIKI TALK paving their way to the finals. TIKI seems to have found their winning way and look to retrieve a spot at the highest level of ECL hockey by overcoming their opponent POGGERS in the finals. On top of these two, Black Horse and Checkmate also fought their way to the Semi-finals, which allows them a chance to battle for promotion to ECL 9 Elite. This season, it's worth noting that only the Pro champion gains direct promotion, as the 2nd place team will face Synergy Hockey in a relegation matchup. These are your ECL 8 Pro finalists: (2) TIKI TALK vs. POGGERS (9) Going into the ECL 8 Pro finals with a slight hint of favourite status we have TIKI TALK, who have managed to build an astonishing legacy for themselves by powering on for what seems to be an eternity through thick and thin. Before and even during the season, they've made some changes in hopes of pushing their team onto the right tracks and it seems as if they've managed to pull it off as of late. As stated, the team is one of the most long lived ECL franchises, having been there ever since the start of the new era of NHL gaming here at NHLGamer. It's a familiar sight seeing captain @itspardytime leading the team in scoring, which he has done ever so dominantly this season again. Another notable steady performer is goaltender @PCJP, who now in his second season with the team has got in the groove of stopping pucks quite efficiently, arguably being one of the most underrated netminders in the league. TIKI TALK is never an easy team to face, they play a fast paced style of hockey, which sometimes can be regarded as a bit chaotic. Stay alert at all times, TIKI is looking for the cup. POGGERS on the other hand is a new acquaintance. Although they are formed around the shell of last seasons Wasps Gaming and consist out of several very experienced players, they are the youngins by far in this matchup. My instinct would be to say what they lack in experience as a team, they more than make up for in skill. Offensive trio @Yoloberg-@JaKurrii-@Chafak are no strangers to tough matchups and all of them possess that x-factor that could make the players beside them so much better. The newly founded team struggled a bit to start the regular season, but once they have solidified their starting six, there has been very little stopping them as they have taken down strong teams such as Raccoon Rampage, Gotham Knights and most recently Checkmate in the playoffs. POGGERS has also been getting some decent goaltending for all of the ongoing season, as @Janne Hietala(Hassu85) has played an outstanding season and is surely looking to push his name into brighter lights. Prediction: POGGERS win 4-3. Schedule for the finals: Game 1: Wednesday, 6th of March 20:30 CET TIKI TALK vs POGGERS Game 2: Wednesday, 6th of March 21:00 CET POGGERS vs TIKI TALK Game 3: Wednesday, 6th of March 21:30 CET TIKI TALK vs POGGERS Game 4: Thursday, 7th of March 20:30 CET POGGERS vs TIKI TALK Game 5: Thursday, 7th of March 21:00 CET TIKI TALK vs POGGERS Game 6: Thursday, 7th of March 21:30 CET POGGERS vs TIKI TALK Game 7: Thursday, 7th of March 22:00 CET TIKI TALK vs POGGERS Tune in for broadcasts of the games at our Twitch channel! Tonight, yours truly and @Kenu in the booth! Your NHLGamer Editor, @jahajaha93

It's time, gamers! The pinnacle of the season is here! We've reached the end of the line with only the two best teams in all of Europe remaining. It is the ECL 8 Elite final between Written In The Stars and FILADELPHIA. These are two teams that definitely aren't strangers to each other, in fact what we will be treated to at LanTrek is a rematch of their IS Cup 3: 6vs6 best of 3 final at GameXpo 2018. Only this time, we're back bigger and better than ever before! Together with Dr Oetker Rustica, we're bringing you the first ever ECL live final and what better way to do that than with a guaranteed thriller of a matchup. SKY and FILA will face off in a best of 7 series, starting Friday, 1st of March, 2019 at 17 CET. How we find ourselves here For the first time in Written In The Stars franchise history, they have gained entry to the ECL finals. Thanks to one of, if not the, most dominant regular season displays ever seen, as well as a similarly commanding playoff showing thus far. FILADELPHIA on the other hand, come into this season’s finals as the reigning champions, and with an almost identical record compared to that season to boot. So, as far as finals go, this is no doubt shaping up to be one of the best we have ever seen. But how exactly does each respective team find themselves at this point? Let’s turn the clock back and find out. Picture courtesy of SEUL ry, Jääskeläinen. Taken at GameXpo 2018. (1) Written In The Stars Regular season record: 26-3-1 Playoff record: 8-0-0 As Written in the Stars are currently the favourites to take this ECL championship (albeit by a mere 16 votes at the time of writing), what better team to start this segment off with then? SKY History I think though, to properly set the scene we should take a trip (perhaps reluctantly for some) down memory lane. Specifically, all the way back to ECL 2 when SKY was first created. Just as a point of reference, the only player on the roster at this time who is still a feature in the current one was @FlyerKungen. In their first 6v6 competitive season Written posted a fairly decent record of 7-2-1, paving their entry to the playoffs where they were eventually bounced in 5 games by Infinity. A result that I’m sure was no doubt frustrating for those involved, but for an inaugural season you can definitely do worse. For ECL 3, SKY took off and recorded a 39-4-3 season with three players passing the century mark in points. Despite this impressive total, SKY only managed to proceed to the quarters before getting swept by the eventual runners up. Again, probably frustrating as all hell to be a part of, but as a far as trends go, their playoff performances are lasting longer and longer. Where the wheels begin to fall off is with the advent of ECL 4. Once again, SKY put up a fairly impressive season total of 18-6-4, good for 4th in Elite. However, they drastically underperformed and got beat in 5 games to a Dynasty side who eventually ended up being just 2 goals away from the championship title. ECL 5 then rolled around with SKY notching another impressive regular season. This time, they got revenge on Dynasty as they swept them in the first round, but experienced an unfortunate 2nd round exit to end their season. Sure, in hindsight it may have been another potentially wasted season from SKY, although with that said, getting past the first round in Elite is no small feat. Especially as they have been going in as the 4th seed in the past two seasons at this point, effectively guaranteeing that they would run into an extremely tough opponent. In response to these middling results SKY came out and posted the highest regular season point total on record (27-2-1). They then dismantled their first-round opponent in NOS in 5 games, setting up their best chance to make the finals and win a title up to this point, as their semi-finals opponent (NOR) was a team who had struggled massively in their first round appearance against Unlucky Boys, just about winning in 7 games and consequently prompting a positional / personnel change. Written then lost in 5. For ECL 7, they seemed to take a step back and ‘only’ racked up a record of 20-4-4, good for 3rd in Elite, proceeded to show some promise in their first-round matchup by disposing of their opponent in 5 games, then got swept by, you guessed it, the eventual runners up for the 4th consecutive season. At this point, I doubt few would call into question the idea that Divine Providence surely must be at play, given SKYs playoff opponents. Indeed, one could even go as far to call them the gatekeepers of the finals, guarding entrance to the stage, but never setting foot on it. ECL 8 So with that, we move into ECL 8 and the possibility of redemption for the much-maligned side. Indeed, starting the season with a blistering pace of 15-0-0 should have made abundantly clear to all onlookers that SKY surely meant business this time around. Not only were they winning games in their usual fashion of effectively sieging teams down, but they were doing it with startling efficiency compared to years past. Couple this with some slight, but noticeable, tweaks in how they set up offensively, as well as defensively, and it’s no wonder SKY have finally got over the hump of never making it to the ECL Elite finals. That is not to say that SKYs journey has been without fraught. Indeed, they seem to have a tendency for their offense to somewhat dry up from time to time, and thusly rely on their defence to carry a lot of the burden. This can be seen somewhat frequently throughout the regular season, with 2-1 / 1-0 wins over AIK, Bucketeers, Synergy and Deadly Phantoms HC. Sure, the optimist would say that SKY winning these games shows that their defense can be relied on and clearly, they would not be wrong per se, however the teams listed all had fairly disappointing seasons offensively, meaning that against other more offensively gifted teams SKY could easily have been in trouble. This is an admittedly minor issue, but couple this with the fact that FILA managed to snag both wins in their regular season matchup and there's little wonder why SKY do not have an overwhelming majority favouring them to take it all despite having such an obscene regular season and an 8-0 record in the playoffs thus far. Written In The Stars starting lineup reviewed by FILADELPHIA: LW @Buantso 8GP, 9+12=21 A great player and an even better guy. Puantso is a tremendously skilled player who has finally started playing up to his full potential in SKY. Is dangerous with the puck all the time, sometimes makes surprising decisions and doesn't force his game too much. Is a bit of a wildcard on the ice, you never know what he'll come up with. Torro's greetings: "Mä tuun pitään sua". C @Dominointi 8GP, 10+10=20 Dominointi is without a doubt an important piece of any team he is a part of. As his name suggests, a dominant presence at center. Has the desire to control and be the difference maker in games, which sometimes turns to a disadvantage. Needs to trust his teammates more. RW @FlyerKungen 8GP, 7+13=20 The heart and soul of SKY. He is a 200 foot player, a real workhorse. Made the switch back to RW after playing at center last season, so his style changed a bit with that. Seppo might be more important on the ice, but you can't underestimate this guy. Has improved his game without the puck a lot lately. LD @Nassustelija 8GP, 1+6=7 A defensive defenseman. Plays well in his own zone and has shown that he can compete at the highest level. The most unexperienced player in Written, @FinKonna will be targeting him especially at the hotel. RD @willekunq 8GP 1+9=10 Admirably calm with the puck. Is responsible for most of SKY's breakout plays and has done that tremendously well this season. Without a doubt one of their best players in IS Cup 3: 6vs6. G @Hansulinho 8GP, 8W, 85.71 SV%, 0,75 GAA, 4 SO The most experienced player of the finals and it shows in his game. Very calm in net and never overplays the puck. He's an OK goalie but not better than ours. Picture courtesy of SEUL ry, Jääskeläinen. Taken at GameXpo 2018. (2) FILADELPHIA Regular season record: 23-6-1 Playoff record: 8-1-1 FILA history Moving on to the other half of the finals we find FILADELPHIA. A team that has accomplished a lot in a very short period of time. In their inaugural season FILA was placed in Pro for ECL 6, much to the chagrin of many who felt that they had not earned their place and should have been placed in Lite. Well, FILA went on to post the best regular season record in Pro across both groups, then advanced to post a playoff record of 12-1-1 before being toppled in 7 by Monarchs, solidifying their spot in Elite for the upcoming season. In that season, as I am sure most of you can remember, FILA ended up going all the way and beat Symphony by the combined score of 4 games to 2 in the ECL 7 Elite finals. Since then, FILA have also picked up more hardware in the form of an eSM title where they beat none other than Written in the Stars. ECL 8 FILAs road to the finals this time around has been anything but easy though. Perhaps the largest transfer that occurred over the past off-season was the loss of their stalwart defender in @vatalisti to military duty, and the subsequent pickup / replacement @jtorro1233. Early on it seemed as the hole left by this change was perhaps a little too big to fill. In fact, as far in as 8 games it looked as though FILA were looking almost decidedly average in a way, ‘only’ managing to pick up 9 points in 8 games with a record of 4-3-1. Granted, they had played a top team in Symphony, on the other hand they had dropped points against teams such as Resurrection who would end up propping up the league table, something which, for a reigning champion at least, was fairly beneath them. The slow start could easily be explained by a somewhat lackluster season preparation by FILA, which goes to show that even the best of teams can't compete without practice. Despite or because of their start, FILA began to find their play, and racked up a combined 19-3-0 to finish the season, a pace somewhat close to that of Written’s. As far as hitches go however, that’s ‘all’ that FILA have had to deal with this season. Sure, thus far in the playoffs they may not have gone the perfect 8-0-0 that Written have, though going 8-2-0 is nothing to scoff at. In fact, despite losing two more games than Written, FILA have the superior goal differential with +30 compared to SKY's +22, showing the raw scoring ability that this roster still harbours. Therefore, it stands to reason then, that if FILA is able to open up the game and get their offensive weapons involved going forward, rather than being shelled for 8min a game, they have a very good chance of being the first team in ECL history to ever win two championships, and naturally the first to do it in back-to-back seasons. FILADELPHIA starting lineup reviewed by Written In The Stars: LW @PleeMaker 10GP, 12+15=27 Wouldn't believe it from what you see on the ice, but the youngin in the group. Very slippery on offense, their hardest player to face 1-on-1 and a pain in the ass with occasional cherrypicking. C @Patzlaf 10GP, 14+11=25 The beating heart of FILA, Mr. Selke, El Capitano - A dear child has many names. Rumour has it that he's a skilled dangler. High hockey IQ. RW @Eki 10GP, 9+13=22 The world champ. A friendly and pleasant guy to be around. Throws sauce better than everyone else, defends better than everyone else. Lost to Ippe (@Buantso) in Sampi Cup. LD @Janzuh 10GP, 0+9=9 A true FILA veteran. Janzuh is a hard hitter and a tough defender to face any given night. RD @jtorro1233 10GP, 1+8=9 Judas Iscariot of FILA. Loves the puck more than his teammates. G @sibeelius 8GP, 7W, 92.69 SV%, 0,37 GAA, 6 SO FILA's shortest player. Has proven to be a winning goaltender and handles the pressure well in tough spots. A former SKY player, who's been spotted at the training facility in a snakesuit on weekends. How to watch the finals? Preferred option: Show up to the live event at LanTrek on Friday, 1st of March, 2019. Puck drop is at 17CET, so be there early! Follow our stream at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer. Arttu Hämäläinen and Jani @Jiihooo86 Hetta will be commentating all games live from Tampere. Schedule:* Game 1 17:00 CET Game 2 17:40 CET Game 3 18:20 CET --------------------------------------- BREAK 18:55-19:55 CET --------------------------------------- Game 4 20:00 CET Game 5 20:40 CET --------------------------------------- BREAK 21:10-21:20 CET --------------------------------------- Game 6 21:25 CET Game 7 22:05 CET *ECL Staff withholds the right to alter the schedule if need be. Who do you think will win? Will you be joining in on the action at LanTrek or through the stream? Let us know in the comment section! ECL Elite Writing Team, @MartindalexC & @jahajaha93

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

The end of the line. That's where we've come. Season 7 of ECL Elite consisted of 15 teams in total, fighting tooth and nail for each and every point available. The regular season was tougher than ever - no, that isn't an overstatement. We were treated to exciting matchups all the way to the end as the last regular season matchups were decisive for the outcome of the regular season winner, as well as regulation matchups and the very last few available playoff spots. Your ECL 7 Elite Final matchup: (1) FILADELPHIA - Symphony (2) In competitive matchups, FILADELPHIA and Symphony have gone head-to-head a total of six times within the last few months, game wins being tied at 3-3 as it stands currently. FILA managed to overcome SYM in two games during the Finnish Championship Semifinals, but it's worth noting that SYM has swapped centerman @ADETIKKI for @tbnantti since. Their more recent ECL games ended 2-0 and 3-2 in favor of SYM, meaning FILA is yet to win against Symphony 2.0. @Eki and @PleeMaker of the FILA lineup have a big weekend behind them, with some tight 1vs1 games in the Finnish Championships that eventually had the pair meet in the Finals, where Eki was able to come out on top and win the title. We'll see if the wear of grinding live games for a day straight is still taking its toll as the big ECL games start tonight. It's an interesting game FILA plays, as their tasks are rather nicely divided on the ice. They have a more defensive defenseman in @Janzuh, who controls the pace of the game at appropriate times whereas his partner @vatalisti is the more offensive part we get to see more of on the breakout. Wingers Eki and Plee link up beautifully while "Mr. Selke" @Patzlaf hangs back and provides danger coming in the second wave. @Zande95 has been the brick wall we are used to seeing in net. Symphony's gone through an intriguing development during the season. They went from being just a shell of the former SJK eSports to an Finnish Championship (IS Cup 3) bronze medalist to an ECL Finalist. Some would call that a decent development curve, which is exactly what I'm doing in this preview. Their opponent is absolutely stacked to the gills with talent, but so is Symphony. Goaltender @ICappeI has been dominating the competition, setting a new Elite regular season record of 8 shutouts in 10 games. I don't regard their defense with @vSilenttio and @Ilmari_30 as balanced as FILA's counterpart, but the duo has still proven that they can swing against the best of them. @tbnantti at center seems to be what the doctor ordered for Symphony as the team has consistently improved since his addition. A few interesting notes stat-wise are that Symphony is the more physical team of the two, with especially Puantso and vSilenttio leading the way in that department. The explanation for this might be that FILA is controlling the puck more in most of their matchups. FILA seems to shoot slightly more than Symphony, as the shots for differential is 110 to 92 in favor of FILA in the playoffs so far. This is really a tough battle that can go either way and neither team winning would be an upset. FILA has, however managed to build quite the winning culture both as a team and for their individual players and head into the series as the favorite. Our prediction: FILADELHPIA wins 4-2 FILADELPHIA starting lineup evaluated by @ICappeI LW @PleeMaker 9GP, 7+12=19 FILADELPHIA's best player. Always a threat when he has the puck. C @Patzlaf 9GP, 7+5=12 Mr. Selke. Great two-way player. RW @Eki 9GP, 6+10=16 Also a great two-way player, who’s linking up good with Plee. LD @Janzuh 9GP, 0+3=3 Their most experienced guy. A calm player who doesn’t do a lot of mistakes. RD @vatalisti 9GP, 1+5=6 The best offensive d-man in the game. Will be interesting to see if he can handle Hans Moleman. (Puantso) G @sibeelius 7GP, 7W, 91.89 SV%, 0.42 GAA, 4 SO Amazing G! Looking forward to play against him. I think that both of us is going to face our most difficult challenge of the season in this series. Vatalisti scored the decisive goal of the Finnish Championship 6vs6 finals. (Picture courtesy of Mika Tuononen) Symphony starting lineup evaluated by @Eki LW @Buantso 9GP, 6+8=14 The best player in symphony and one of the best players in the game . You can see he was born in a hockey family 🙂 C @tbnantti 9GP, 7+10=17 Symphony started playing better as soon as Antti started playing. Is that a coincidence? I don't think so. RW @indi969 9GP, 7+4=11 Solid two way forward. Very easy player to play with. LD @vSilenttio 9GP, 0+11=11 Good sense of humor. RD @Ilmari_30 9GP, 2+5=7 Very good offensive defenseman, one of the best in the game. But could improve defensively. G @ICappeI 7GP, 7W, 94.44 SV%, 0.57 GAA, 4 SO The 2nd best goalie in the game. Haven't really been tested this year so I'm interested to see how he does in the Finals. Symphony finished 3rd in the Finnish Championships and have a chance to go all the way in ECL 7. (Picture courtesy of Mika Tuononen) How to watch the finals? All of the ECL Elite Finals will be broadcasted with English commentary on our Twitch channel, which can be found at twitch.tv/NHLGamer, be sure to join us for the action! Schedule for the finals: Game 1: Monday, 17th of December 20:30 CET Symphony vs FILADELPHIA Game 2: Monday, 17th of December 21:00 CET FILADELPHIA vs Symphony Game 3: Tuesday, 18th of December 20:30 CET Symphony vs FILADELPHIA Game 4: Tuesday, 18th of December 21:00 CET FILADELPHIA vs Symphony Game 5: Thursday, 20th of December 20:30 CET Symphony vs FILADELPHIA Game 6: Thursday, 20th of December 21:00 CET FILADELPHIA vs Symphony Game 7: Thursday, 20th of December 21:30 CET Symphony vs FILADELPHIA Tonight's matchups for games 1 & 2 What are your expectations for the games? Let us know your thoughts below!

Hello NHLGamers, It's 'final-ly' time for the Pro Finals! After yet another exciting season full of interesting events and lots of surprises, the time to crown a winner is nigh. The playoffs have certainly left us gasping for air at times, with surprises like ECL 6 Lite silver-medalist Cowabunga winning their group, seeding in second place into the playoffs only to be eliminated in the first round by 16th seed Pata Hellalla. Bucketeers, another newly promoted team also seemed to find their stride this season, pushing far into the playoffs and reaching the semifinals for a shot to make Elite through a relegation battle. Our final two isn't maybe the most predictable matchup, but certainly two well-rounded teams that have been strong performers all season long. Here's how our final matchup stacks up: (1) Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey (4) In this iteration of the ECL Pro Finals, we'll have a somewhat rare sighting as neither finalist is Finnish. I even believe neither team has any Finnish colour in their roster. Refreshing, to say the least! After a great semi-final round against Bucketeers in a thrilling and even series, the deadliest of Phantoms have yet again stated their claim for an Elite spot and are looking to get that big trophy as well. They've been one of the great storylines this postseason, as they've had to overcome adversity not many teams in the community has faced. From having their play style under scrutiny in the first round to switching up the lineup throughout the playoffs, they have prevailed every time. Synergy Hockey has really gone back to their roots and found the strong play we're so used to seeing from the veteran Swedes. They're a strong defensive unit that doesn't put on a show on the ice, but is tremendously effective at everything they do. The team has had everything go their way this season, starting all the way from the back end, where the marvelled @DUNZA has been taunting forwards on a nightly basis. Synergy has had a rather convincing playoff run so far, as they've dropped only two games in the three series played so far. Prediction: Deadly Phantoms HC in 7. Head-to-head: TOP SCORER The_Rayman80 (17GP, 17+11=28) vs Isindar (14GP, 9+13=22) GOALTENDERS RPH_31 (17GP, 12W, 83.81 SV%, 1.64 GAA) vs DUNZA (14GP, 12W, 91.00 SV%, 0.64 GAA) Schedule for the finals: Game 1: Monday, 10th of December 21:00 CET Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey (1-2 OT) Game 2: Monday, 10th of December 21:30 CET Synergy Hockey vs Deadly Phantoms HC (2-3 OT) Game 3: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey Game 4: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Synergy Hockey vs Deadly Phantoms HC Game 5: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey Game 6: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Synergy Hockey vs Deadly Phantoms HC Game 7: Thursday, 13th of December TBA Deadly Phantoms HC vs Synergy Hockey That's all for now gamers and as always, be sure to check out our twitch channel for streams on these games and from our other leagues, that's got some exciting playoff action for yall. PS: Stay on the lookout for our ECL 7 Pro Season Recap article, it might be posted sooner than you think... Pro Writing Team @jahajaha93 & @Panarinz

Salut NHLGamers, After a thrilling round 2 featuring at least one major upset as 5th seed Wasps Gaming was knocked out by 8th seed Bucketeers, we're now at the semi finals in Pro! All of the remaining four teams will stand a chance for promotion, either directly or through a relegation faceoff against SIKA or Gotham Knights. Here are your matchups for the Pro Semi-Finals: (1) Deadly Phantoms HC vs Bucketeers (8) Preview courtesy of @Panarinz After a controversial 1st round that at last ended 4-3 to the Phantoms, they swept Pata Hellalla in the 2nd round and made it clear that they are going for that Elite spot and maybe even a Pro win. Here we have a pretty defensive series. Phantoms are known for their solid defense, as they very rarely concede more than a goal against. The same can almost be said about The Buckets as well. Solid defense with strong goaltending make them a hard team to score against. Some might call them an underdog this series. But don't let that fool you, as they know how to win tough games which they very well proved in the second round against Wasps Gaming. However, in my humble opinion, this series will be decided by the Phantoms x-factor. They have incredible offensive firepower in their lineup and I won't leave out top regular season point and assist man @Playmaker and top goal scorer @Rayman, who both showed that they can win games on their own, even though it's a team game. One that shouldn't be underestimated is @Demski13 in the Bucketeers lineup, though (2nd in points during the playoffs). He's really put up points left, right and center during the playoffs. Definitely a decisive factor to look out for on the Bucketeers side. (4) Synergy Hockey vs Resurrection (6) Preview courtesy of @jahajaha93 This is a great matchup in a sense that there are many fundamental differences between these teams. The Swedish Synergy, being a very experienced and defense reliant team facing off against the Finnish Resurrection, who mostly consist of young, very individually skilled players who are hungry to prove their capabilities in the 6vs6-scene. Synergy had a convincing regular season and have continued on the same path in the playoffs, dropping only one game out of their total nine so far. As per usual, @DUNZA in net has been as solid as ever amassing six shutouts in the process of outclassing the opposition. On the other hand, the team has struggled a bit offensively, managing to net under 2 goals per game in the offensive zone. Arguably, that isn't too much of a worry if you let in none. The slight underdog in this series is Resurrection, their lineup features one of the more effective offensive trios in @Artuzio, @J0HTAJA and @xKeskitalo, who so far have combined for 30 goals in 13 playoff games. It'll remain to bee seen wether the more experienced Johtaja can guide his young wingers to the path of victory. That'll be all for now, gamers. We sure have some exciting games ahead and they won't be over anytime soon. Be sure to follow our twitch channel for our broadcasts on these matchups and keep following these exciting matches on our website. Your Pro Writing Team, @Panarinz & @jahajaha93

What's up NHLGamers, 28 games later, right? That's where we stand now compared to where we started off in mid-October. As always, there's been no shortage of action and interesting events during the regular season in Elite. Unfortunately, we saw a team fold this season, nothing you'd want to see on the very highest level but sometimes our minds don't think alike and conflicts prevail. This time around, we were treated to suspense all the way to the end, as no playoff matchups were solidified prior to the last round. Also, a tight battle was being fought over the last playoff spot, as Northern Stars needed a mede 2 points from their matchup against Rusty blades to overtake Unlucky Boys for the final spot. The outcome sure was unlucky for the Boys, as Northern Stars rose to the occasion and clinched a spot in the playoffs. With all this being said, the ECL 7 Elite Playoffs start today, Tuesday November 27th of November 2018. Teams are allowed to start scheduling games immediately and the games of the first round have to be finished by Tuesday December 4th, 2018. As you guys know, the series are played with a best-of-7 system, meaning the first team to reach four wins advances to the next round. As we had one team fold this season, only the team placed 15th will face automatic relegation. This season, Falun Coal Miners is the team that is facing relegation. On top of that, we have two relegation battles that will commence once the Pro playoffs have been played. The ECL 7 Elite teams heading into these battles are SIKA (14th) and Gotham Knights (13th). These are the matchups for the first round of our ECL 7 Elite Playoffs: (1) FILADELPHIA vs. Northern Ascendancy (8) Courtesy of @vSilenttio The Finnish Champions of FILADELPHIA surely weren't joking when they stated in their 16 in 16 that they'd be the team that is going to take home all of ECL 7 Elite. We know it's only the regular season but so far, so good. Of course they had their own problems during the regular season just like every other team out there but when it comes to FILA, these guys know how to handle those situations and how to move on, being even better going further. Stat-wise FILA's players were on at their best when the games mattered the most. Four out of their five opening roster guys were in the scoring top 20 after 28 games - and the remaining guy who's not there is @Janzuh, who is known as one of the best D-men of the whole next gen era. You could say no wonder things went well for these guys. The main offensive trio of @PleeMaker, @Patzlaf and @Eki was dominant as they scored 55 goals together which sounds pretty crazy when you compare it to other Elite teams who made the playoffs - teams such as Northern Stars (40GF), Northern Ascendancy (53GF) and Sjukstugan (58GF). So their offense is fine, their defensive pairing is perhaps the best in all of Europe and they have two top goaltenders who can bail them out if they end up being in a tough spot. On the opposing side we have ECL 6 Elite's finalists Northern Ascendancy. They didn't have the easiest road to the playoffs, that's for sure. The team had a really slow start as they managed to win only 3 out of their first ten outings. Granted, their schedule was on the more difficult end. With one win less they would have placed 9th in the final standings and thusly falling short of a playoff spot. After somewhat surprisingly losing a few games against non-playoff teams such as Unlucky Boys and Almost Famous and having a rather shaky vide to their game, the veterans in NOR found a way to make the playoffs. Experience is the key word I believe. At one point they even started rotating their roster for some reason, D-men playing offense and vice versa. FILADELPHIA simply has to be the team coming out on top in this series. I predict a series score of 4-1. (2) Symphony vs. Northern Stars (7) Courtesy of @jahajaha93 This matchup is going to be something of a Finland-Sweden battle. As far as I know, at least all NOS skaters are Swedish and SYM on the other hand is all Finnish except for netminder and assistant captain @ICappeI, who managed to set an ECL Elite record by amassing 8 shutouts in just 10 games in the regular season. Symphony has had a great season so far. Despite losing @ADETIKKI after a disappointing third place finish in IS Cup 3 6vs6, the team managed to bounce back and find an even better run of form towards the end of the season. SYM quickly patched up the hole left by ADETIKKI, as @tbnantti joined. Antti is an experienced player, whose importance for his team this season couldn't be stressed enough. He immediately commanded the centerman position and has been a good force to build the teams play around for the remainder of the season. We'll have to hope he can keep up his good form going into the playoffs. I would dare to say that the strength of Symphony lies in their offense. Antti at center is a good balancing factor to the offensively talented winger duo @indi969 and @Buantso, they are also getting some good secondary scoring from down low as @Ilmari_30 chips in on the offensive side quite often. The underdog in this series is without a doubt Northern Stars. Not by a massive margin, though. The Swedes have been playing a solid game for the whole season, while being able to go toe-to-toe with the best of teams in the Elite division. However, they have suffered some surprising losses against Team Frosty and Falun Coal Miners to name a few. One worrying factor for the Stars in this matchup has to be the fact that they are facing one of the hottest goaltenders in the ECL right now, and they haven't directly had an easy time putting the puck in the net so far. 40 goals scored during the regular season is by far the least out of all playoff teams. Experience is the strength of this team though, and hopefully they will utilize that in order to overcome their opponent in tight matchups. All in all, I think this might be an interesting matchup to keep your eyes on, although there's a risk of it being over rather early in the series. Unless NOS manages to completely shut down Symphony and score a few goals here and there, I predict a 4-0 sweep for Symphony. (3) Written In The Stars vs. Butterfly Effect (6) Courtesy of @Serg1vratar Written In The Stars has one of the best offensive lines in the entire league, a feat easily exhibited by the sheer quantity of goals this team scores - 89 for a goals per game average of 3,18, stats in which they are topping the Elite division. two out of their three main forwards made their way intp the top 3 scorers of the regular season, as @Dominointi amassed 59 points for 1st place and Flyerkungen put up 54 points for 3rd place. Talking about SKY, you can't simply forget the weapons they are packing in terms of offensive defensemen, as @jtorro1233 has been terrorising the Elite division from his point for several seasons now. Torro took a long step and ran away from FILADELPHIA's @vatalisti in the race for most points by a defenseman in the regular season with 31 points in 26 games. No ECL team could win without a sufficient backstop, though. SKY has two elite level goalies in @JanneK. and @Hansulinho. Butterfly Effect has had a great start in ECL Elite and one of the game changers for them is definitely @Vilupoika who has 49 points in 28 games. Pair him up with a talent like @RutonMosse (42 points in 24 games) and good things will happen. @JimBoo (jm__98__) joined FLY a bit into the current season and while not topping the scoring boards, he has made his way into the top 3 within his team. There's been some talk about FLY being the minor affiliate of Written, and that surely sets a nice rivalry tone for this matchup, as David is making a stance against Goliath. We could also look to the rosters to find a rivalry, as @eissi83 was a SKY netminder last season, but will now try to take on his old teammates and prove what he is capable of. During the regular season bouts, Written In The Stars won both games (2:1, 6:1). I predict a 4-2 series win for SKY. (4) Dynasty vs. Sjukstugan (5) Courtesy of @MartindalexC Making up the fourth and final matchup in Elite we have Dynasty & Sjukstugan, the only series where, in my honest opinion, both teams 'realistically' have a chance of winning. Both have similar GF/GP (2.25 vs. 2.07) and GA/GP (1.32 vs. 1.39) averages with Dynasty edging out Sjukstugan in both, albeit slightly. Both have 18 wins on the season. And both are coming into the playoffs with fairly decent L10 records (6-2-2 vs. 6-3-1). Therefore, with such similar statistics one should perhaps expect a frugal affair where most, if not all, games in this series are decided by one goal. Especially so with the knowledge that teams tend to play even more conservative once the playoffs come around, so at the very least this series should offer up a level of parity between the two opponents that potentially won’t be seen elsewhere. Regarding who could break this ‘inevitable’ deadlock my votes of confidence are directed towards Dynasty’s dynamic winger in @hpkfani, as well as Sjukstugan’s playmaking head-honcho in @Tacterz, these two alone has exhibited the ability to change any given game more so than any other player on their respective rosters. On the other hand, a factor that should not be disqualified is the familiarity of this scenario that each team has, or rather, the disparity between them. Dynasty have been through this many a time before, with them reaching the Elite playoffs every single season thus far. Sjukstugan however are entering largely unchartered territory as only three players (one of which being a goalie) are making their return to the Elite playoffs from last season’s first round exit, the rest are new to this situation and one must wonder how impactful those ‘early series jitters’ will be, and more importantly, whether it will cost them the chance of progressing. In summary then, despite both teams seemingly being a pretty decent match I have to seriously question whether Sjukstugan can carry their play into the playoffs, especially as recently they have faltered against some fairly subpar opponents. Ergo, I feel that Dynasty should best Sjukstugan four games to two. Whilst 112 may cobble together two wins I simply don’t see Dynasty dropping the four games required for a Sjukstugan advancement, nevertheless despite this all games should be very close and this series will certainly be entertaining to watch. There you have it, gamers. Let the first round begin! Let us know in the comments section if you agree with our predictions and opinions about the teams. See you on the ice, ECL Elite Writing Team

Hey NHLGamers, The first round of the ECL 7 Pro Playoffs sure offered some drama! We're in for a treat as the playoffs continue with round 2 starting Monday November 26th, 2018 and goes on until Sunday December 2nd, 2018. As before, series are played with a best-of-7 format, meaning that four wins are required to advance to the semifinals. Also worth noting is that from this point on, teams are seeded based on PPG from the group stage. Without further ado, here are your ECL 7 Pro Playoff matchups for round 2: (1) Deadly Phantoms HC vs Pata Hellalla (16) Oh boy, did we ever se an exciting series in the first round between Deadly Phantoms and Saints! The first three games were a little slow, ending in DPH victories after which we saw a gigantic uproar and a lot of controversy regarding their play style, which was discussed widely in our community. Things got rather nasty, but let's leave it at that here. DPH lost the next three and the decisive game 7 was played Sunday night. The Phantoms seemed to have overcome their demons and advanced to round 2. The decisive effort in round 1 for DPH was seen by LW @Rayman (The_Rayman80), who managed to get on the board in each of the 7 games played so far. Skating up against the Phantoms, we have an underdog by a large margin - Pata Hellalla. This is surely the series to watch in the second round, as Pata Hellalla definitely isn't a team to toy around with. Pata managed to send group 1 winner Cowabunga Hockey packing for vacation to end the first round. All in all, this series has a nice storyline to it. DPH, who have faced the cold shoulder of (some of) the community, going up against the very likeable underdog PTH. We'll have to wait and see if the Phantoms can overcome adversity and harness it to their strength or if Pata will send yet another top seed packing. (4) Synergy Hockey vs CLUB ONE (12) Synergy is surely having a bounce-back season after a disappointing ECL 6. These guys have successfully regrouped and let no questions arise in the first round as they completely shut down their opponent Born With It, a team with serious playoff aspirations of their own. Goaltender @DUNZA has been standing on his head all season long and there is no reason to doubt him going forth to the second round. CLUB ONE on the other hand has had quite a fluctuant season as they haven't really strung together series of victories, but still managed to stay well above .500. The team managed to cause an upset in the first round, by outclassing 4th seed Checkmate in a series ending 4-1. Centerman and captain @epelis is leading his team into what they hope is a long playoff run. (5) Wasps Gaming vs Bucketeers (8) This will be a tough and grindy series. Mark my words. After quite a surprising season from the Bucketeers, we know better than to underestimate them! Definitely keep your focus on sniper @Daniel Gadd (demski13), with 6 goals in 6 games so far in the playoffs. Watch out for their goalies too, doesn't matter who's in the net, no easy way to score will be found. In Wasps, we have a well experienced side who knows how to win tough matchups. Lots of Pro experience in their squad. Worth a mention is @JaKurrii, who's had a great season, making his way onto our Team of the Week several times during the regular season and is expected to continue his strong outings in the playoffs. (6) Resurrection vs Speedy Bros Hockey (7) As a newly established team, Resurrection has managed to pave their way quite far into the big games. With a mix of you talent like @xKeskitalo and @Nikmes7 combine with prime leadership in @J0HTAJA and @Jiihooo86 has proven to be a good recipe for these boys so far. Having a dominant winger in @Artuzio isn't a bad addition to top it off. Resurrection managed to overcome a strong TIKI TALK with a series score of 4-2 in the first round. SBH on the other hand has already established themselves in the pro division. They haven't had any mentionable success so far and their regular season was on the average side. They have a hard-hitting defense and a very prominent scoring duo in @Tzon93 and @mir02k1 on their wings, so let's see if they'll be able to get it done in this series. There are some exciting times ahead, and games are only going to get tougher from this point on! Check our site and social media for any broadcasts coming up in the next few days. Until next time, @jahajaha93 & @Panarinz

*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)!

Hey there NHLGamers, Last night we saw the kick-off of the first ever ECL Elite All-Star Week with the draft stream. Eight captains drafted players in three rounds which in the end determined our ECL All-Star teams. The first draft round was an expansion round, as captains were limited to drafting players from the 8 teams not yet represented in the All-Star Week. The stream topped off at around 110 viewers and on behalf of the staff I'd like to thank you all for showing up. This All-Star Week is a completely new concept that we've been putting a lot of work into, so it's going to be really interesting to see how the games turn out and what kind of feedback we'll receive. It'll certainly be a nice bonding experience for all of the players participating, as they will be put into completely different scenarios with new teammates. Personally, I'm expecting lots of breakaways and different kinds of skill-moves on the ice. We certainly will have some magicians out there so we'll see what the guys will come up with. If you aren't familiar with the concept, or you'd like to refresh your memory with more info on the All-Star Week, have a look at this article. The point of this post, however is to preview and showcase the teams that were drafted yesterday, so without further ado, below you'll find the draft events, a listing of the randomly generated groups and a few words about every team - let's get to it: 1st Round #1 Supreex, Team cHIIMEERA #2 Danielcadabra, Team Vatalisti #3 Ranta83, Team FlyerKungen #4 serg1vratar, Team Norpee #5 The_Alpha_Furyan, Team ICappeI #6 Isumpppi90l, Team SepiDN #7 OxtreeLAT, Team TehhAhola #8 Kungenkurwa, Team MartindalexC 2nd Round #9 Penatski, Team MartindalexC #10 Foppatofflan, Team TehhAhola #11 Puantso, Team SepiDN #12 tbnantti, Team ICappeI #13 SadaPoika, Team Norpee #14 KingOfApes_, Team FlyerKungen #15 Nampa77, Team Vatalisti #16 jtorro1234, Team cHIIMEERA 3rd Round #17 indi969, Team cHIIMEERA #18 Anrh17, Team Vatalisti #19 Ilmari30, Team FlyerKungen #20 JParola, Team Norpee #21 Lamsa, Team ICappeI #22 koojiikoojii, Team SepiDN #23 Zande95, Team TehhAhola #24 Hullued, Team MartindalexC GROUP 1 - Broadcasted on Wed 21st from 20:30 CET Team cHIIMEERA I believe there really was some thought put into the drafting of this team. First round pick @Supreex makes for a brick-wall in net and @jtorro1233together with @indi969 are ECL 5 champions from Aapon Taikasauva. Joined by captain @cHIIMEERa on the ice this team will certainly be interesting to watch. Team TehhAhola We'll be seeing a group of highly skilled guys going at it with @Zande95 in net, @OxtreeLAT on D and @Tehh joined by @Foppatofflan up front. The question here is whether the forwards will click, as the duo represent rather different playstyles in their respective clubs. If they find a way to connect, they will surely be producing some highlights for us. Team SepiDN Sepi has drafted a team that will certainly be solid on the defensive end, having @sumppi90 and @koojiikoojii in their roster. I think the big question is how their playing style will translate into the 3v3. @SepiDN in net will definitely be making gamesavers and @Buantso will be keeping the puck on a string, that's for sure. Team ICappeI This team has the Swedish connection in the own zone with cap @ICappeI picking biscuits in net and @The_Alpha_Furyan throwing sauce breakouts up to his forwards @tbnantti and @Lamsa who certainly know what to do with the puck on the offensive end of the ice. GROUP 2 - Broadcasted on Thur 22nd from 20:30 CET Team MartindalexC Captain @MartindalexC is expected to feel right at home in fast-paced 3v3 hockey. Most of us also know that @Penatski is magical in the offensive zone. Joined by one of the best goalies right now in @Hullued and @kungenkurwa, the press-release genius from Pata Hellalla, this team will definitely be entertaining to watch. Team Norpee Well, @SadaPoika and @Norpee is certainly a skilled forward-duo who we can expect to create some beautiful plays for us to drop our jaws on. Having the experienced Dynasty defenceman @Jorma Parola on the back won't hurt the team either. In addition, the guys will be joined by @Serg1vratar in net. Team FlyerKungen @FlyerKungen's first round pick was also a very solid goaltender in @RaNtA, who is one of the more experienced top-level netminders in the scene. On defence we'll find @Ilmari_30 who prevails with solid decision-making on both ends of the ice. Flyer's forward pair will be @Tuukka.R who most likely will fit like hand-in-glove on the 3v3 with all the space and time to make moves. Team Vatalisti Team Vatalisti consists of four established Elite level players. @Danielcadabra in net will be hungry to show some highlight-reel stops, Carlsberg captain @vatalisti will be assisting him with the defensive duties and good two-way play. @anrh17 and @Nampa77 on offense will aim to generate quality scoring chances in flashy manner. It'll be a pleasure to watch the first ever All-Star Week at NHLGamer unfold. Let's all try to make this into something beautiful and an enjoyable experience for every party. Take this as an opportunity to bond as a community, much like the very well received Summer Cups. Next time we'll be live with some All-Star-action for you guys on Wednesday evening at 20:30 CET with three matchups from group 1. Matchups will be announced closer to the broadcast.

Good evening NHLGamers, Me - The_Alpha_Furyan - and the rest of the NHLGamer staff bid you welcome to another installment of our ECL Season Preview. To get an idea of what we will be doing in these previews, you can check out our previous one for Season 3. While that preview focused more on listing all the participating teams and predicting which ones would come out on top from the regular season, this one will try to dig a little deeper and supply a more in-depth look at each and every division - something the community has been vocal about in their feedback to our writing staff. After looking at both the Lite and Pro divisions, we've now reached the final 16 teams of ECL 4, the Elite Division. Just like during the Pro preview I have @nylanderi, our newest content creator here at NHLGamer.com, and his excellent eye for team- and player scouting by my side for this one. Let us get to it, shall we? Main text, scouting and predictions by nylanderi Text editing and additional reporting by The_Alpha_Furyan Art by OxtreeLAT Prediction for the Regular Season Top - 5 1. Unknown WHO is a team that rely on solid team defense and counter attacking to win games. Unknowns defense, lead by isvamp, has been really good every time I have played against them in regular EASHL lately. Foppatofflan and MartindalexC on the wings have the skill to create a bunch of great scoring chances in every game. If they can play at their highest level during the entire regular season, they will definitely finish high - possibly even first in the regular season. Their goalie situation is probably their biggest weakness since they are currently still searching for a starting goalie as far as I know. I am aware that Ranta83 is really good between the pipes, but if he's not able to play that much they will need to find a reliable goalie. 2. Limitless Last seasons champions X Factor, with a new name and some new roster aquisitions from Finnish Roosters. The offense - on paper at least - is truly something to behold with all three starting forwards finishing in top 10 for scoring during ECL 3. One of the biggest transfers this offseason was Limitless' acquisition of Haldeem from Dynasty. The plan is for Haldeem to form a defender partnership with myself (nylanderi). If the defense clicks and FinKonna puts up the good performances he is capable of it should be really hard to score against Limitless in ECL 4. If this team is able to string together solid performances they will most likely be one of the powerhouses this season. 3. Aapon Taikasauva Last seasons offensive powerhouse team has changed a lot. They lost Joukki13 and Puantso, but acquired some new forwards. Bugimir, Nampa77 and Chafak are all really good additions to the team, and I believe they will go far this season as well. Bugimir and Indi are both great two-way forwards, and I believe that Aapon will be one of the best defensive teams this season because of it. 4. Laser HT After last seasons disappointing finish, Laser has changed quite a lot. They made some big moves during the offseason and you can be sure they will be one of the top teams once again. Their team might not be as good on paper as last seasons squad but if Dominointi gets his team going you can expect great things. 5. Written in The Stars Kinda like Limitless, Writtens lineup has changed a lot. They have acquired KingOfApes_ and Vilupoika from X Facto with both players expected to bring a lot to their offense. Totalii leads their defense but they also got a new LD, Defmaxou, from Alliance HT so it will really interesting how he will do for SKY. If everything works out as planned, these guys can challenge for the ECL Elite championship. Championship favorite I would say Limitless, but I dont really want to have a big target on my back from the rest of the Elite division... so I will pick Aapon Taikasauva. Aapons roster this season fits playoff hockey perfectly. They can shut it down and they have some really tricky players up front. Aapons starting goalie is still a mystery to me so that could potentially be something that messes up their season. However, if they have an active goalie who can hold his own in net you better watch out for this team. Players to watch 1. Norpee, Synergy, LW/C Talk about a player who can do it all, Norpee will continue to do wonders for SYN this season. He scored a whopping 152 points during the ECL 3 regular season but I still feel that he is actually quite underrated. Terrific two-way skills combined with top hockey-IQ, I think he will continue to cause all sorts of problems for Elite opponents. 2. Anrh17, Unknown, C/RW iSvamp let us know in the Unknown thread that Anrh17 is quite busy with his IRL hockey, but whenever he has time to play you can expect big things. Unknowns #1 center often flies under the radar because of their skilled wingers, but this guy has been excellent every time Limitless has matched up against them and should continue to be a difference maker during ECL 4. 3. Gendlik, SIKA, C SIKA truly aquired a great player from Nordic Blizzard this offseason. Gendlik is known for his silky smooth hands and he should be a great fit for SIKA. Watching them last season I felt that they really needed one more pure skill forward. Gendlik can quarterback SIKAs offensive game and take that team to another level. 4. s_w1ld_RUS, Written In The Stars, G In my opinion a Top-3 goalie in the game and he really proved it last season in Alliance and recently whenever I have matched up against him in EASHL. With this goalie, Written has a chance to be one of the better defensive teams in the ECL Elite division. 5. Puantso, Dynasty, LD/C I was quite surprised when I heard about this signing. Puantso has been a wonderful player for Aapon the past few seasons. Now he plays for Dynasty but I am not sure about which position he will occupy. I feel like he could be an offensive juggernaut for Dynasty as a C, but I have heard rumours that he might play LD. That’s not bad either since Haldeem left and I know for a fact that Puantso is really good at defense. If he does play D, he will for sure form one of the better defensive partnerships in the game with Snapu and Dynasty will most likely continue the tradition of being one of the top defensive teams. Teams to watch 1. Nordic Lightning “New” NL is a really interesting team. They are back in ECL 4 without their captain JaromirSniper68 but in EASHL games their defense has been really good and their fast counter attacks have caused all sorts of problems. Tactical_Face is a great goalie as well so I think these guys can really surprise a lot of people this season. 2. Dynasty They really impressed me last season, but I think Dynasty will be even better this season. They're a team who truly plays great in every area of the ice and will be a tough assignment for every opponent to break down. Dynasty, lead by Snapu, is looking for a long playoff run at this point and their recent EASHL performances show that they have a good chance to achieve just that. 3. Northern Stars During an off-season where it felt like everyone and their mother changed teams, NOS made the bold choice to stand pat - only mixing up their lineup internally with some possible position changes. This could prove to be a wise choice as many other Elite teams will be scrambling to find chemistry in their lineups while NOS will have many years of experience to lean on. Lets see how this decision works out. This was our full 3-part preview for ECL 4 and we hope that you enjoyed it. As always, feel free to leave to leave your thoughts in the comment section. Now, let's get back on the virtual ice and play some hockey! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan & nylanderi for NHLGamer.com

Good evening NHLGamers, Me - The_Alpha_Furyan - and the rest of the NHLGamer staff bid you welcome to another installment of our ECL Season Preview. To get an idea of what we will be doing in these previews, you can check out our previous one for Season 3. While that preview focused more on listing all the participating teams and predicting which ones would come out on top from the regular season, this one will try to dig a little deeper and supply a more in-depth look at each and every division - something the community has been vocal about in their feedback to our writing staff. After giving you the preview for the ECL 4 Lite division yesterday, we now move on to the ECL 4 Pro division. To assist me with this preview I have enlisted the help of a community member who needs no introduction (but will still get one). After finishing up the previous ECL tournament as the captain of the championship winning team Limitless, this Finn wanted to contribute more to the community in the form of reporting. Therefore, it is with great joy we here at NHLGamer.com - through this article - introduce our newest content creator and Staff member, @nylanderi. So without further ado, I now turn the mic over to nylanderi for this preview. The predictions and words are his, my contribution is solely some editing and additional thoughts. Let's go! Main text, scouting and predictions by nylanderi Text editing and additional reporting by The_Alpha_Furyan Art by OxtreeLAT Prediction for the Regular Season Top- 5. 1. Carlsberg Carslberg HC is a team who would quite possibly be my pick for even the ECL Elite Championship - so this choice was pretty much a no-brainer for me. I expect this reunited team to dominate the regular season, possibly even finishing their whole run without any losses. Carlsberg truly are amazing in every zone on the ice, with almost no weaknesses to their game. Especially look for joukki13 and Patzlaf to most likely finish #1 and 2 in scoring for the Pro division. 2. Sjukstugan I will say that Sjukstugan has made some really interesting moves in the offseason - acquiring Filariou, The_Alpha_Furyan and LastMandalorian. From what I have seen when recently playing against 112 in EASHL games they have really taken their game a step in the right direction. Honestly, if they can defend as a team in ECL they could challenge CAR for the ECL 4 Pro title. In my opinion their team offense is their biggest source of strength, but forwards will have to make sure to also defend if they want to find themselves in ECL Elite when NHL 18 shows up and ECL 5 kicks off. 3. Unlucky Boys HC One of the more underrated teams out there, I think UB is really going to impress a lot of people this season. They have great players upfront in Anhel_kuru and Ilmari30 but also share a weakness with many other Pro teams - their defense. In UBs case, especially defending together as a team. If this team wants to succeed they will have to be able to shut other teams down. Their offense can score goals against pretty much anyone, but it will not help them if they let in more than they score. 4. Kattiautomatti This is a team that I am quite familiar with, seeing as how we faced them in the ECL 3 playoffs. Overall I think Katti is a really good defensive team, but they are somewhat lacking in offensive power. If they can find a way to score a few extra goals per game, look for them to go real far this season but if not, it could be a tough season. Good luck guys and again - thanks for the playoff series! 5. Silver Sword Griffins To me, it was kind of a big suprise last season to see how good SSG did. Their defense and goaltending is usually their strength (it has always been their trademark) but how they are going to score their goals is usually the big mystery. SSGs goals often come from low point shots with deflections and that style of play definitely requires luck if they want to go far. A big responsibility will be on the shoulders of #1 center and top scorer, ProMinx24. Will also be interesting to see how OxtreeLAT handles going from goaltender to defender - from what I have seen it should work out really well. Championship favorite It is Carlsberg. For me, as I said in the regular season predicitions, this was never in doubt. Maybe one of the other teams pull off an upset and somehow sneak by Carlsberg... but if they do not win the Pro division (or at the very least make the finals) it would have to be considered a failure. Players to watch 1. Janzuh, Carlsberg, D I have heard many people state that Janzuh is one of the very best LDs in the competitive NHL gaming scene, and I totally agree with that notion. Janzuh is rock solid in his own end and with his amazing hockey IQ I am sure he is going to have a huge role in Carlsbergs offense as well. 2. Ilmari30, Unlucky Boys HC, Forward One of the better playmakers in the game for sure. He makes things easy for him and his teammates. His definitely gonna quarterback UBs game, and take them far this season. 3. Stefan_397, Inter Iceland, Forward Stefan, just like the rest of Inter Iceland, is some kind of mystery to me (and to the community I think). I dont really know that much about him to be honest, only that he can score a lot of goals. If he can keep that kind of scoring up (65 goals last regular season) we can expect great things from Inter Iceland this season. 4. Kaneyh, White Trash, Forward Kaneyh is one of the best Versus/HUT players to come out of Finland and based on his stats from last season, his talents has carried over to 6v6 as well. If WT is able to shut down their opponents and Kaneyh manages to continue his skillfull terror upfront - watch out for him and for this team. 5. Juizki, Checkmate, G Juizki is one of the most underrated goalies in the game and everytime I have faced him in EASHL, he has been really good, bordering on amazing. Checkmate as a team has acquired a whole bunch of new players and with Juziki backstopping them, this team is going to be really interesting to watch. Teams to watch 1. White Trash We faced them last season and from what I could tell then (and now) their offense is truly elite level. But again the same story as most of the Pro teams comes back - they really lack unity in their own zone. If they can sort that out, these guys are going to be scary good. 2. HC Checkmate Building on what was said above in "Players to watch" with Juizki, Checkmate is a team to look out for this season. While maybe not at the very top of the predicted Pro teams, they still feature a lot of skill and massive amounts of chemistry. Their offense, led by BiggestEight on LW, also features speedcell104 and TackleControl - forming a line whose speed and creative attacks is enough to send the opponents heads spinning. Couple that with Juizkis play in net and new signing IYouShallNotPass on defense and you have a real interesting team. 3. Nordic Stars This is a team filled up with some great players. However, I have not yet faced them in EASHL competition so I couldn't really put them in the top 5 prediction this time. This team has the potential to be really good in every zone though and actually dominate the pro division - possibly even challenging CAR and 112 for the championship. 4. Baltic Sea Eagles Don't forget about these veterans. BSE has been around since before Jesus (not talking about the Company of Geeks captain... or am I?) and has amassed a lot of experience. This will be their first entry into the ECL scene from what I understand and it will be interesting to see how they handle the tempo of ECL competition. That is it for Pro, leave your thoughts in the comment section and give nylanderis first contribution to the website the attention it deserves. See you all tomorrow for the ECL 4 Elite preview! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan & nylanderi

Good afternoon NHLGamers, Me - The_Alpha_Furyan - and the rest of the NHLGamer staff bid you welcome to another installment of our ECL Season Preview. To get an idea of what we will be doing in these previews, you can check out our previous one for Season 3. While that preview focused more on listing all the participating teams and simply predicting which ones would come out on top from the regular season, this one will try to dig a little deeper and supply a more in-depth look at each and every division - something the community has been vocal about in their feedback to our writing staff. Text, scouting and predictions by The_Alpha_Furyan Art by OxtreeLAT We kick off our 3-part installment by looking at the Lite division, where we find a total 32 teams (one more team was allowed late entry to even out the amount of Lite teams) - lots of them new to the community and to myself personally. This preview might be a bit biased towards the teams I know and have seen before but that should also provide some great motivation for all other teams to prove me wrong and fight for those top seeds. Prediction for the Regular Season Top- 5. 1. HC Ancient Warriors This team is on par with most Pro teams out there and should without a doubt be a contender to win the Lite title. If not the champions, they are likely to gain a top seed in the regular season and make their way through the playoffs to secure one of the promotion spots. 2. Bone Breakers I will admit to not knowing the full story of this team outside of their appearance in ECL 3 where their participation didn't extend all the way through the season. From what I've been told by multiple sources though, they were quite the force to be reckoned with back in the Consolehockey days and could be one of the top contenders for the ECL 4 Lite title. 3. DEAD END KINGS Featuring quite a few former players from Elite division team Synergy, DEAD END KINGS will be looking to establish their own legacy with this new team. Keep an eye out for this team right from the start as I predict they will come out of the gates hungry to prove that they belong in the Pro divison. 4. iNF4M0US Any team that is good enough to beat Laser HT under any conditions has my respect and that is just what this team did. No idea what the circumstances were for that game but like I said, beating LHT certainly establishes some credibility. 5. EN HUND Able to keep most of their roster together after a disappointing end to the ECL 3 season, EN HUND should be rejuvenated playing in the Lite division. Featuring many former members of Elite division team SIKA, EN HUND has both the experience and chemistry neccessary for both a strong regular season and a long playoff run. Championship favorite Going with my top pick for the regular season here as I predict HC Ancient Warriors to win the Lite championship. They're one of the best Lite teams I have personally played against and have been practicing hard ever since ECL 3, trying to get themselves ready for ECL 4. Getting past some of the other more experienced teams won't be a walk in the park though and who knows - we might see a complete upset coming out of Lite. Players to watch 1. esdor15, Lavetten, Forward One of the very best HUT players NHL 17 has to offer makes his ECL debut for team Lavetten and it should be an interesting one. With the right mindset, willingness to improve and translation of his Versus/HUT skill to EASHL - esdor15 could easily be one of the breakout players from ECL 4 Lite. At this point I am not sure what position he will occupy in the lineup but my guess is forward to maximize his offensive skill. 2. Stylez-Hadez, HC Ancient Warriors, C/RW/LW The captain and leader of my predicted ECL Lite championship team, HC Ancient Warriors, deserves a mention here. Stylez is originally from the Versus side of NHL 17 where he has been a Top-100 player for quite a while while only getting his first taste of ECL last season with Sjukstugan. When playing against Ancient Warriors in EASHL lately they've been very competitive and I have to believe that is largely due to their captain. 3. Nephenzy, DEAD END KINGS, C/LW Another captain on this list, Nephenzy is an experienced ECLer with two seasons in Synergy and one season in Northern Ascendancy under his belt. While capable of playing everywhere (as evidenced from last season where he played every position in the lineup for NOR), we will most likely see Nephenzy lead his team to a top seed in Lite from the center position. 4. PatzyDrake, Falun Coal Miners, LW One of the more experienced ECLers in the entire ECL Lite division, PatzyDrake has amassed exactly 60 goals and over 100 points through 3 ECL seasons thus far. A constant presence on the FCM left wing, this sniping powerforward is just as effective ripping a one-timer as he is dangling his way to the net. Will try to juggle his IRL career as a semi-professional handball player with his responsibilites as the go-to guy for FCM - remains to be seen how many games he will be able to play for ECL 4. 5. TEAMSEILA, EN HUND, D TEAMSEILA, the hardest hitting defender in ECL, barely missed out on winning the "Most Hits" trophy for ECL 3. While his strenghts lie in his physical game and defensive awareness, this ex-SIKA defender is also a capable leader with the ability to chip in offensively when needed. Will try to lead his team EN HUND to ECL Lite glory this season. But seriously, what is with the capital letters - both username and team name?! Teams to watch 1. Lavetten This team will feature many experienced Versus and HUT players with parts of the squad getting their EASHL feet wet in ECL 3 for team HC Solhem. While that adventure didn't turn out the way the team had hoped, look for the members of that squad to want revenge while playing this time for Lavetten. With the signings of esdor and dallinhoo, Captain (and winner of the Swedish Versus championships) juniorzalaz has put together a strong team. 2. Falun Coal Miners Got to give a shoutout to my old team here as well. With brothers and FCM owners/captains The_Alpha_Furyan & LastMandalorian both leaving for Sjukstugan - this team of real-life friends will be looking to prove themselves in ECL 4 Lite. Led by ECL veterans Meeertz (D), onecorner95 (G), PatzyDrake (LW) and iscojr94 (C), Falun will first be looking to establish a new team identity without the ever-constant crack of the whip from their previous captains. Look for this team to take a while to gel before taking off in the back half of the season. 3. Elämäm Kiekko The sweetheart team of ECL 3, these happy-go-lucky Finns certainly displayed a tremendous attitude during their first season. Despite losing more games than they won, they kept their spirits high and made sure to entertain the community as much as they could. Lets see what their sophomore season brings in terms of success on the ice! That is all for Lite. Look for our second part of the ECL 4 Season preview, Pro Division, tomorrow. For that installment (and for the Elite preview on Sunday) I will be enlisting the help of a new mystery Staff member-in-training... Keep an eye out! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers Today we bring you a preview of the ECL 3 Finals or as Gandalf would put it: "So, we come to it at last... The great battle of our time". The featured teams in this spectacular finish to our longest season yet will be Finnish Roosters and X-Factor - two teams that have lived up to their hype before the season and navigated their way through some of the toughest teams in the world to reach this point. But enough hype, let us move on to the show: [Research (statistics) and matchup analysis by Ranksu] [Additional text, player interviews and editing by The_Alpha_Furyan] [Art by OxtreeLAT] X- FACTOR Projected lineup Vilupoika - Penatski - KingOfApes_ nylanderi - F-B-I__A-N-D-Y_ Danielcadabra Statistics (Forwards): Vilupoika Regular season: 44 GP [55G + 55A] 110 P / +127 / 8 PPG / 2 SHG / 148 HITS Playoffs: 23 GP [17G + 17A] 34 P / +14 / 2 PPG / 0 SHG / 87 HITS Penatski Regular season: 46 GP [70G + 95A] 165 P / +134 / 9 PPG / 1 SHG / 129 HITS Playoffs: 20 GP [17G + 21A] 38 P / +18 / 3 PPG / 0 SHG / 49 HITS KingOfApes_ Regular season: 46 GP [48G + 63A] 111 P / +134 / 9 PPG / 0 SHG / 135 HITS Playoffs: 23 GP [13G + 17A] 30 P / +14 / 0 PPG / 0 SHG / 97 HITS Statistics (Defenders): nylanderi Regular season: 40 GP [14G + 38A] 53 P / +87 / 3 PPG / 1 SHG / 38 HITS Playoffs: 23 GP [3G + 12A] 15 P / +14 / 1 PPG / 1 SHG / 19 HITS F-B-I__A-N-D-Y_ Regular season: 8GP [4G + 10A] 14 P / +19 / 0 PPG / 0 SHG / 40 HITS Playoffs: 22GP [2G + 17A] 19 P / +14 / 0 PPG / 0 SHG / 59 HITS Statistics (Goaltender): Danielcadabra Regular season: 28GP / 18 W / 6 L / 4 OTL / 79.38% / 1.67 GAA / 5 SO Playoffs: 23GP / 16W / 5 L / 2 OTL / 78.67% / 1.95 GAA / 5 SO How did they get here? X-Factor reached to finals by defeating the top-notch team Aapon Taikasauva in Game 7 in the 3rd round. This is X-Factors first appearance in the ECL Finals. X-Factor and Finnish Rooster faced each other in the regular season with the following results: 1-3 to FR and 0-4 to XF. How will they win? X-Factor signed F-B-I__A-N-D-Y_ at the ECL Trade Deadline which was in my book easily the best acquire at TDL. "Andy" is well known for playoff performances and is considered a "big games player". He's going to face the FR top scoring forward PleeMaker, who had yet another outstanding regular season and an even better post-season. If "Andy" can win that match up, that would be huge for X-Factor. Finally, I believe they will win if Penatski can break down Finnish Roosters redline trap and find the holes for it. How will they lose? X-Factor can sometimes be too reckless offensively which will put their D pairing in awkward positions - knowing the fast break game Finnish Roosters will execute. We saw it in game 6 against Aapon Taikasauva (1-5 to Aapo). It will be hard for X-Factor if they don't keep up nylanderi's game philosophy and trust his gameplan. X-Factor will lose this series if they can't find a way to deal with FR's hard blueline trap and can't find a way to shut down PleeMaker. You could say this set-up is almost the same like against Aapo were they needed to shutdown Joukki13 and they did. However, this time they are facing more defensively oriented 5-man team who will heavily lean on offensive mistakes and lurk around for fast breakaways. * * * FINNISH ROOSTERS Projected lineup PleeMaker - tbnantti - johtaja699 JParola - ktewjh FinKonna Statistics (Forwards): PleeMaker Regular season: 46 GP [83G + 56A] 139 P / +137 / 10 PPG / 2 SHG / 251 HITS Playoffs: 19 GP [29G + 11A] 40 P / +24 / 8 PPG / 1 SHG / 125 HITS tbnantti Regular season: 46 GP [68G + 84A] 152 P / +137 / 7 PPG / 6 SHG / 11 HITS Playoffs: 19 GP [17G + 20A] 37 P / +24 / 4 PPG / 0 SHG / 22 HITS johtaja699 Regular season: 44 GP [39G + 42A] 81 P / +118 / 9 PPG / 0 SHG / 81 HITS Playoffs: 19 GP [5G + 13A] 18 P / +24 / 1 PPG / 0 SHG / 44 HITS Statistics (Defenders): JParola Regular season: 36 GP [5G + 60A] 65 P / +87 / 3 PPG / 0 SHG / 67 HITS Playoffs: 19 GP [1G + 23A] 24 P / +24 / 0 PPG / 0 SHG / 36 HITS ktewjh Regular season: 46 GP [8G + 40A] 48 P / +137 / 2 PPG / 1 SHG / 104 HITS Playoffs: 19 GP [2G + 11A] 13 P / +24 / 0 PPG / 1 SHG / 46 HITS Statistics (Goaltender): FinKonna Regular season: 52 GP / 43 W / 8 L / 1 OTL / 80.88% / 1.82 GAA / 10 SO Playoffs: 19 GP / 16 W / 2 L / 1 OTL / 83.78% / 1.57 GAA / 3 SO How did they get here? The Roosters reached the finals by first beating Alliance HT, only to enter a tough battle with Nordic Blizzard. After narrowly defeating the Blizzard in an entertaining Game 7 they moved on to Written In The Stars - a team many thought would go far in the playoffs. However, Written were missing some of their players and the Roosters played a great series to win 4-0. After such a morale booster, they went on to dethrone championship favorites Laser HT in 4 straight games. How will they win? The Roosters will win by unleashing their offense while maintaining their tight team defense. The key is for johtaja699 to keep doing the terrific two-way work he has been doing together with defenders JParola and ktewjh and for Plee and tbnantti to work their offensive magic on a somtimes reckless X Factor squad. FinKonna also needs to be his usual talented self. How will they lose? The Roosters will lose if they can't get that offense going and also if they underestimate the X Factor offense which at times can be really dangerous. If FinKonna should falter or have a bad series, this could also spell doom for the Roosters because even if they have a truly impressive offense, their defense and goaltending is what has gotten them this far. * * * 5 things to look for, in general: 1. Both teams have 1-2 punch, Penatski - Ape and tbnantti - Plee. 2. Both teams have a guy who can change the series in Plee vs. Ape. 3. FinKonna vs. Danielcadabra - who will step up and who will melt down? 4. Finnish Rooster has the best powerplay % from regular season 35.4%, compared to X-Factors 21.6% 5. tbnantti has the most SHG in regular season by 6 goals - look out! * * * 5 Questions with X-Factor Captain nylanderi and Finnish Roosters Assistant Captain PleeMaker Give us a few words on your opponent! Nylanderi (X Factor): Roosters is a great team with good mixture of offense and defense. They got forwards who can score and defenders who work really well together. With FinKonna being one of the top goalies in the game, it is certainly going to be really hard to score against these guys. PleeMaker (Finnish Roosters): XF is a great defensive team with a lot of individual skill. They have two top quality defensemen and a great goalie. And they also have three really high skilled forwards - Penatski is a top center and the wingers Vilupoika and Kingofapes_ can score goals thanks to their great talent and stick handling. Who would you consider to be the toughest player to defend on the opposing squad? Nylanderi (X Factor): Tough question! PleeMaker and tbnantti are both really dangerous, and it is going to be really hard to keep that tag team from scoring. PleeMaker (Finnish Roosters): Penatski is, in my opinion, the best player of XF so I would consider him the toughest opponent to defend. I would say he is one of the best playmakers in this game with maybe the best hands out there. Tell us a little bit of your playoff run so far Nylanderi (X Factor): I did expect us to go pretty far, especially since our game has developed a lot throughout this tournament. We had our fair share of problems, but I am still really happy with our performance in this ECL. I feel like we could have maybe done even better (considering a couple of our series went to game7) but since we have made the Finals I can’t really complain, can I? Haha. PleeMaker (Finnish Roosters): Our goal was champion so it's not surprise to me that we are playing finals. Our first round opponent was Alliance HT and I think it was kind of a warm up round for us, but they are actually the best Russian team that I have ever seen so, well played. The 2nd round against NBz - that was close. I will tell you more about them in the next question! Then the 3rd round against Written In The Stars. That was… well, much easier than I was expecting before the games. After Adetikki and Flyerkungen left for the army, they have started to play with a "weird" style. Lot of shots and always trying to go for rebounds. But anyway, well played SKY. As for the semi-finals against Laser HT - 4 tight games against them. They have lot of skill but team defense was their weakness in that series. So 4 tight wins to us (I think it was 2 OT wins?) and we managed to get our spot in the finals. Which series gave you the most amount of trouble? Nylanderi (X Factor): I would have to say… either Aapon Taikasauva or Dynasty. To be honest, those were two totally different kind of teams and especially Dynastys defense was one of the best I have ever seen in this game. On the other hand, Aapos offense was really hard to defend. Really hard to decide actually, but in my opinion Dynasty was the tougher series. PleeMaker (Finnish Roosters): Nordic Blizzard was the toughest opponent for us in this tournament so far. Great team defense and truly a dangerous offense. If you have players like Gendlik and Hooneli, your opponent will always give you a hard series. It was actually close that NBz beat us, when the 3rd period of Game 7 started NBz was leading 1-3 but we managed to get momentum with a 2-3 goal and then it was our game after that… Well played NBz and it is a shame that it seems you can't get a team to next season. What key factors should the community be on the lookout for in this series? Nylanderi (X Factor): Both teams have rock solid defensive strategies, so I think that will certainly be one of the deciding factors in this series. Also, in my opinion, tbnantti and Penatski are both Top-3 centers overall in this game so it will be nice to see who can put on the greatest performance and lead their team to victory. PleeMaker (Finnish Roosters): I think the key factor in finals will be which team can break their opponents great team defense! I think the finals has the two best defensive teams in the ECL so I acutally think that we won’t see so many goals this series. Anyway, good luck in the finals XF and good luck to next season everyone! * * * The series goes live at 20 CET/21 FIN tonight so be sure to check it out! For NHLGamer.com, The_Alpha_Furyan

Hey NHLGamers, Did everyone have time to check out the ECL 3 launch stream yesterday? If not, check it out here. Last night's broadcast was one hell of a way to kick off a season! Nearly 250 viewers on Twitch and almost the same amount of people browsing the forums. Congratulations to @Kenu and @Lurkins on a great show with some fun surprises and thank you all for joining us on the stream and in the chat box. So, ECL 3. The third and biggest (so far!) edition of the European Championship League of EASHL gaming. This tournament will of course take place on the NHL 17 platform which I know you all have gotten quite familiar with. New format The new format, with two large groups (conferences) instead of many smaller ones, has spurred on some great discussion in the comment section with some members doubtful and some members loving the design. As always, we here at NHLGamer value your opinions and the feedback you provide us with – we read it all and try to reply as often as we can. For now, know that your voices have been heard (both praise and doubts!) and will be taken into consideration going forward. That being said, the conference system for ECL 3 serves two important purposes. One, it provides NHL gamers with the most complete and extensive EASHL tournament this website has ever provided. The regular season will now “feel” more like an actual NHL season with teams going on hot streaks and breaking out of slumps on a weekly basis. Two, this tougher regular season ensures that it truly is the top teams that emerge and make the playoffs. Some of these teams will then make up what will become Division 1 of the ECL – the top division in our new division system. Once the Divisional system kicks in (from ECL 4 and forward) there will be relegations and promotions on a tournament-to-tournament basis, ensuring that teams that stay together to build franchises and create legacies are the ones who will reign supreme. New teams will of course be welcomed with open arms here at NHLGamer.com but will now have to earn their place and work their way up in the world’s most competitive online hockey gaming tournament. The exact plans for the divisional system are currently safely stored in the NHLGamer vaults but will be presented further during the tournament by our very own @gzell60. For now, if you have any questions about our plans – fire away in the comment section so we know exactly what you are curious about when we present our plan. Let the games begin! Predictions Two tough groups. Two very, very tough groups. In group 1, you’ve got ECL 1 champions Nordic Blizzard, EASHL top ranked Dynasty, X Factor and Written In the Stars. Combine that with experienced, hard hitting teams like Sjukstugan and Silver Sword Griffins and you’ve got quite the nest of vipers. And that’s not even mentioning old Xbox behemoths Northern Stars who dominated the 360 scene for a long time and have a tendency to step up their game once the big tournaments roll around… With lots of new teams coming in as well, there is really no telling how this group will end up but my prediction for the Top-3 of this group will be 1. X Factor 2. Written In The Stars 3. Nordic Blizzard The teams of Group 1 Dynasty Elämäm Kiekko Falun Coal Miners Fat Cats Finnish Roosters Ganja Bonanzas HC Checkmate HC ParempiTarjous HC Soittorasia Ice K1ngs Infinity La Suedé Los Bombers Mpire No Guts No Glory Nordic Blizzard Northern Stars Origins Refuse To Lose Rising Phantoms HC Rusty Blades Rynnäkköviikset Sektion K Silver Sword Griffins Sjukstugan Voodoo People Warriors of Kongo White Trash Written In The Stars X Factor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On to group 2, where the currently #1 ranked team in the world, Laser HT, resides. Made up of players from various top teams, this legendary Xbox team has been resurrected for ECL 3 and they would have to be considered favourites for the championship win at this point in the tournament. That’s not all though, group 2 also features the highest ranked Swedish team Synergy Hockey, ECL 2 champions MUKIMIEHET, insanely skilled Nordic Nightmare, team play masters Nordic Lightning with late addition and potential underdog, Northern Ascendancy – featuring ECL Summer Cup Playoff MVP, @Foppatofflan. My prediction for the Top-3 of group 2 then becomes 1. Laser HT 2. Nordic Nightmare 3. Northern Ascendancy The teams of Group 2 Aapon Taikasauva AK-47 Alliance HT Bare Knuckles Hockey Bone Breakers BraZZers Destined for Greatness Drop Zone EN HUND Free From Rodents HC Marilyn HC Solhem ICE BROS Inter Iceland Kattiautomaatti Knight Aces HC Laser HT Lunatic Lions MUKIMIEHET Murohoki Nordic Lightning Nordic Nightmare Nordic Nosebleed Northern Ascendancy SIKA Synergy Hockey Terrific Tigers TIKI TALK VC Hockey This truly will be a tournament for the ages and in my opinion, our best one yet. From all of us here at the NHLGamer staff – good luck and may the odds ever be in your favour. Yes. I went there. Later skaters // The_Alpha_Furyan