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

Hello NHLGamers, Welcome to another edition of "Who's Hot and Who's Not". A format first introduced this summer during the ECL Summer Cup, the "Hot or Not"-column was a source of much emotion and debate during its first tour of duty... so naturally we decided to bring it back! This time around the lists will be a bit shorter (we have atleast five times more teams and three different divisions to cover) but hopefully just as accurate and prone to create debates. I have enlisted @nylanderi to help out with the list for Elite while I myself will handle Pro & Lite. As always, we have the great @OxtreeLAT providing some terrific art for both the cover and the different sections within the article. The column will be a weekly occurence just like before so look for it on Sundays during the season. Before we begin I'd just like to direct a few short words to those of you who are struggling with our new match reporting system, the EA API. We are tracking your error reports (keep producing as detailed reports as possible) and those on the staff with technical skills are also working towards improving the systems functionality. What you can do meanwhile is this; - Have patience. Sometimes a game will not appear in the API system for a few hours (we've had reports of delays up to 5-6 hours) so games might have to be reported the day after. If the game hasn't showed up for you the next day efter playing, please contact us to see how we can be of assistance. - Do not report games in the old tool unless absolutely neccessary. If your games were completed without disconnects, wait for the game to show up in the API instead of reverting back to the old tool. We understand everyone wants the games reported as soon as possible (hell, we do too!) but for now we ask for your patience. - Be careful. Before completing your game report - check your input one extra time. The system isn't working at 100% yet, but just by being extra careful when reporting you are helping us all out alot. Thank you. - Home team reports their game so 1 report each. Now, let us get to the lists! by nylanderi WHO’S HOT - ELITE Forward: Vilupoika, SKY What a start it has been for Written in The Stars. They have won 11/12 of their games, and Vilupoika has 15+15=30 in those 12 games. Written has been a really good defensive team as well, so we know that Vilu has been really important in the defensive aspect of the game also. Runner-ups: Kingofapes_, SKY - Just barely edged out by Vilupoika, both these forward and their teammates have been big contributors in SKYs torrid start. Ape actually has 31 points but one goal less than Vilu. I_Eki_I, MUK - The total points leader with 32 points, however two more games played than Ape and Vilu. Defender: Totalii, SKY - Written has conceded the least goals in the league, so Writtens defense lead by their captain has been rock solid! Totalii has also contributed with 8 points in the 1st week, and leads dmen’s scoring race. Runner-up: vSilenttio, SIK - Goal scoring leader for all defenders in Elite (5), hats off to SIKAs captain and catalyst. Goalie: Danielcadabra and s_w1ld_RUS, SKY - These goaltenders are both in the Top-5 for Wins while maintaining Save Percentages over 80% and combining for 5 shutouts. Nuff said. Runner-up: Ranta83, WHO - The goalie leader for Wins in Elite. WHO'S NOT - ELITE Forward: ReDMisTi, RTL - Refuse To Lose' start to the season has been real tough. They have had lots of problems in the offense and Misti has only scored 2+8=10 in 10 games, with a massive -22. Defender: puke85, GRR - Aapon Taikasauva was ranked as one of the best defensive teams in the league by me, so it was a suprise for me to see puke85 with -4 after 8 games. Aapons defense has to step it up if they wanna succeed. Goalie: juha96, RV - RV has had a real rocky start. You should never blame your goalie but we all know that Juha could do a little better after his great performances in previous tournaments... (Editors Note: was written before juha96s departure from RV) by The_Alpha_Furyan WHO’S HOT - PRO Forward: Stefan_397, ICE - This accurate sniper from Inter Iceland has certainly lived up to his title of a "Player to watch", having celebrated 30 goals in just 16 games so far. Even more impressive then that he not only leads the goal category but also the points category by a margin of 7 points with 46 points in 16 games. Runner-ups: jm__98___, UB - Second in goals (26) and points (39) - a no-brainer pick. IbjonoI, 112 - Third in points (39) and with the most GWGs in Pro (4). Defender: entii112, SSG - 15 points in 6 games seems like an impossible feat at this level but this defender has done it so far! Warms my OFD-heart to see defenders scoring points. Well done enti! Runner-up: Tanski87, RB - Tied to be goal scoring leader for all defenders in Pro (5), this monstrous defender also leads the Pro division for hits by a defenseman with 81. Look out for this double threat on the blueline, pro teams. Goalie: LastMandalorian, 112 - The goaltending leader for Wins with 14 Ws (13 regulation, 1 OT) in 18 games played also has 4 shutouts (nobody else has more than 1) and a GAA at 1.77 with a save % close to 80. A solid foundation for 112 to build on. Runner-up: hoigga, CAT - This goalie has not yet lost a game (14 wins in 14 games - 10 regulation, 4 OT) while maintaining a save % over 80% and a GAA under 2. If he can keep this up, CAT looks set for a long playoff run in Pro. WHO'S NOT - PRO Forward: friskaviljor, SHO - With just 5+5=10 in 9 games as a forward, friskaviljors production is certainly OK. That -18 is a bit tougher to ignore though. Defender: Duran93-, KNS - Bare Knuckles needs a little bit more than 1+4=5 and a -11 in 10 games from one of its top defenders. Goalie: Siickan, TBB - Sporting an 0-6-0 record and some tough statistical numbers, The Beagle Boyz is in need of Siickan to channel his inner Hasek for the rest of the season to bounce back. by The_Alpha_Furyan WHO’S HOT - LITE Forward: moilanenC, JPT - 31+21 for 52 points in 12 games are some completely insane numbers. The whole line for JPT has been unreal (currently sitting at 1-2-3 in the scoring race) but moilanen gets the nod for #1 due to his goal scoring prowess. Runner-ups: makeee76, JPT - Point scoring leader with 25+28=53 in 12 games. mikihoo, JPT - With 16+24=40 in 12 games, one would have to imagine mikihoo is the defensive catalyst on the JPT line. Defender: jonezki26, JPT - The JPT dominance continues here with jonezki delivering 3+21 for 24 points in 12 games. A points per game average at 2 for a defender, combined with a +42, commands respect. Runner-up: Zuominen, PAP - On that notion the top defender for Papat, Zuominen, is no slouch himself with 18 points in 8 games, including 4 goals and 60 hits. Goalie: jjuhao, JPT - Finishing the sweep for JPT is goaltender jjuhao with his 11-1-0 record, 2 shutouts and solid personal statistics. Runner-up: Nebelparder55555, HHC - This goalie would probably have had a great shot at being #1 for this edition of the column (his numbers with save % almost at 90, GAA at 1 and 3 shutouts certainly raises eyebrows) but sadly misses out due to just competing in 8 games so far. Look out for Nebel on next weeks edition though! WHO'S NOT - LITE Forward: Reaper-80, 666 - Once again, the +/- is a leading statistic when putting together this column and A Dream Valhalla is another team that is struggling. Reaper-80 is putting up some numbers, 6+4=10 in 13 games as a winger, but needs to up his +/- and pot a few more points for 666 to stay afloat. Defender: xsakux99, BHC - Blues HC have had a real tough season so far, hopefully saku and friends can turn it around but for now he finds himself on this list with 4 points and a -36 in 11 games. Goalie: Hujunake, VEM - While I have no doubt this goaltender with the great name, Pablo Escobar, is trying to smuggle out as many wins as he can, a few more than 3 in 13 is needed. See you next week - later skaters/ The_Alpha_Furyan & nylanderi for NHLGamer.com