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NHLGamers, Once again we are heading towards an exciting ECL Pro season. We've got a new game with new features and mechanics that will make predicting the upcoming season really challenging and the first weeks will truly tell us which teams and players have mastered the new meta of NHL 21. Because of the current server system, it’s also the first time for most of the teams, that teams from Northern Europe will be facing some teams on the Middle European server in NHL 21, which will make the season even more unpredictable. It feels like an eternity ago that Black Horse were crowned champions after beating Enigma in a tight final series. Last season we saw that winning the competition won’t be easy and even getting to the playoffs will require a great amount of work and commitment from the whole team. As the Elite division is getting even more competitive after every season, winning the promotion gets harder and harder each time for teams currently at the Pro level. None of the Pro clubs that played in the Elite relegation battle after last season managed to beat their opponent and this has been addressed in many teams: It’s not enough to be only a good Pro team, you have to be at the level of Elite teams. This has also shown on the transfer market. To summarize: This time there will not be teams in the Pro division that were relegated from ECL 10 Elite since Almost Famous disbanded and SJ Gaming, Northern Ascendancy (Luleå Hockey) and Gotham Knights were able to beat their opponents in the relegation battle. Teams that earned the direct promotion (top 4) from ECL 10 Lite to ECL 11 Pro are the champions Sack Brothers, runner-up Ducktales BK and semifinalists GOONS (HUIPPUPASSI). The fourth team in the top 4 was Angry Cats but unfortunately the team disbanded before the new season. After the registration period ended, there were three spots to fill in the Pro division. NHLGamer staff accepted applications from noRex Gaming, HV71 and RCTIC for the open spots in ECL 11 Pro. All of these three teams were in the top 8 of ECL 10 Lite. Team name changes from ECL 10: Team Frosty -> Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa Riven Johdolla -> Tunnel Vision Children of Ice -> Finnish Roosters The Syndicate -> Södertälje SK (SSK Esports) MOCKBA -> Perttilän Kommandot Cheers Hockey -> UNI Gaming (UNI) Exen esports -> Alliance HT Shooting Stars -> Inter Iceland EBR eSports Official -> noRex Gaming GENESIS -> RCTIC HV71 eSHL -> HV71 Here are the groups of ECL 11 Pro. Like in the previous tournaments we decided to take a look at the groups, some of the teams and players and give the basic information and predictions to keep an eye on when the season starts and during it. Group 1 Blackdawgs Company of Geeks Ducktales BK HanaaHC Herlev Eagles HV71 Inter Iceland Leksands IF Perttilan Kommandot Sack Brothers SSK Esports TIKI TALK Tunnel Vision Vaxjo Lakers We Kings ZSC Lions Tunnel Vision Enigma is maybe considered as the favourites at the start of the season but Tunnel Vision is a team with the greatest potential to cause an upset for them. Compared to last season's roster when Tunnel Vision was still called Riven Johdolla, the team has seen many changes in its lineup. However Tunnel Vision played with the current roster in FCL where they enjoyed an excellent campaign. Team went all the way to the quarterfinals where they were beaten by future champions FILADELPHIA in a tight series 3-1. Individual talent in this roster is outstanding and the former HAVU Gaming defender @Eemil (eKoskii) is a massive boost to their already strong defense. @Pikkardz and @Sokkelo__ will also bring the Elite experience to the lineup that could become really valuable especially in the playoffs. Tunnel Vision had a little setback before the season when @Vattu__ moved to Elite team JYP Jyväskylä and recently recruited goalie @ITemeIto go with him. There is no doubt that @BensaPoju (Jerskayy) can fill the forward spot just fine, but the goalie situation remains more of a mystery. Confidence must be high in this team after a successful FCL campaign, which will carry the whole team to another great season. Tunnel Vision can end the regular season topping group 1 and stats tables as well. Placement after regular season: 1-2 Player to watch: Even though every individual is worth following in this team this season, eyes will be on @BensaPoju (Jerskayy). He will fill the boots of Vattu__ in an attacking trio that had already found the perfect chemistry during FCL and his fitting to this lineup will play a key role for the teams success in the offensive zone. Leksands IF When you hear people talking about excellent chemistry on ice, Leksands IF always works their way into the conversation. Something that has become a staple for most of the top Swedish teams is the disciplined teamplay especially in the defense and Leksands IF is mastering this style. This added to the fact that Leksands IF is alway dangerous when they get the puck to the offensive zone is a scary combination for their opponents. In ECL 10 Pro this team was on top of their group after the regular season ended but faced fast elimination against HanaaHC in the first round of the playoffs. Leksands IF also had a good SCL season where they were beaten by future champions Vesa Pompa HC in the semifinals. @Supremski and @berbaboon17 will once again form the defensive pair that can stop even the most slippery individuals on the ice. However it's notable that this time Leksands IF will start the season without the long time serving goaltender @DUNZA. It’s really interesting to see how goalkeepers @relikab and @Mesimaki will cover the spot though it’s believed that playing behind Leksands IF defense isn’t the worst place to start your Pro career. This season Leksands IF will continue from where they left off and fight for the top spot of group 1. I believe last season's early exit has motivated the team and this will show in the playoffs as well. Placement after regular season: 1-3 Player to watch: @fearfulnasu (RAKKAUSPAKKAUS-) had a really good first season with Leksands IF in SCL and it seems he’s settling in really well in the squad. With the help from @Mumsi- and @Isindar he will improve his game even more this season and become one of the top forwards in the league. Södertälje SK - SSK Esports I want to say it before everyone notices: This team will be one of the biggest surprises this season. SSK esports, or Södertälje SK played with the name The Syndicate in ECL 10 Pro where they were left just under the playoff line. After the season ended, Södertälje SK did the opposite compared to other mid table teams who became more passive during the summer. Södertälje SK sharpened their style of play and is now ready to become a playoff team and even more if everything goes well. Also signings center @el_tacobag and forward/defender @svetidaje made the team more complete and dangerous. Södertälje SK advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of SCL where they lost to bronze medalists Växjö Lakers in a series ending 4-1. Compared to other teams that were close but under the playoff line last season, Södertälje SK has improved the most during the summer and will clinch the playoff spot and maybe even challenge for the top of the table at the end of the regular season. Fast paced hockey with accurate passes in the offensive zone is the deadly combination that this team excels in. Södertälje SK is definitely the team that is currently flying under the radar and will surprise many teams during the season. Placement after regular season: 4-7 Player to watch: You can’t leave any room for @Strumpan87 at the left wing since his hockey IQ is one of the best in the league and will give a massive boost to SSK esports attacks. It will actually get a lot harder for SSK esports if this guy is kept in the shadows by the opponent, but good luck with that everyone! Herlev Eagles Last time in ECL 10 Pro, Herlev Eagles were left out of the playoffs by some margin. Since then everyone who has faced them during the off-season have noticed clear improvements in their playing. Herlev Eagles roster played under the name Kouvola Screaming Eagles in the FCL and did a brilliant job finding their way to the playoffs, leaving teams like HanaaHC and ECL 10 Lite champions Sack Brothers behind them. In the first round of the FCL Playoffs Kouvola Screaming Eagles faced Elite team KOVA Esports and were very close making a surprise when the series was taken all the way to game five (BO5) where eventually KOVA Esports was relieved when they saw the puck going in to the Eagles net in overtime. This was definitely a massive confidence boost for Herlev Eagles and it will show in ECL 11 Pro as well. The core of the team hasn’t changed much during the years and if you watch through the player cards, you will notice that most of these guys have been in the team from the very beginning. This means they are really enjoying playing together and have been able to improve season after season and individuals have taken big steps forward along the way. One of the new signings that should keep an eye on is former Vesa Pompa HC winger @Spearzz_ who played his first games with this group in FCL and will bring more firepower to the team's offense. In ECL 11 Pro Herlev Eagles will take the next big step and become a strong playoff candidate. Placement after regular season: 5-8 Player to watch: Since his arrival to Herlev Eagles in ECL 10 Pro, @vibholm10 has been the best offensive player for his team. Especially in the FCL regular season he was in the top 10 of points stats with an outstanding 73 points in 20 games. We might very well see this player doing the same thing again in ECL 11 Pro. Perttilän Kommandot Team that was called MOCKBA in ECL 9 and ECL 10 decided to go back to their old name for this season. Perttilän Kommandot was unfortunate to be just of the playoffs by three points in ECL 10 Pro. In FCL they faced another setback when they were left out of the playoffs there as well. After FCL their beloved goalkeeper @sumskoy26 decided to join his countrymen in Alliance HT and the team was left without a goalie. Former Almost Famous goalkeeper @Jonitski was signed to the team to cover the net and help in the defender position as well when it’s needed. Other than that the team has remained the same as before. Several sources have been saying that the team hasn’t yet been able to climb to the level they once were. As we know the race for the playoff spots will be more fierce than ever before this season and if Perttilän Kommandot can’t find the confidence and balance they had in ECL 9 Lite and ECL 10 Pro, this season could very well become one to forget for them. However underdog status could fit for the team and they should not be underestimated. Experienced defender @riihimaenharski and their best goal scorer @ROUHEEE will play the key role for the team this season. If these two guys can play at their limits, the playoff dream isn’t buried completely just yet for Perttilän Kommandot. Placement after regular season: 9-13 Player to watch: Captain @Jarmonen will have to motivate his troops after a difficult preseason and show an example on and off the ice. The experienced center will balance the team both up and down the ice since it’s known that Perttilän Kommandot’s defenders like to play physical game that will sometimes open dangerous attacks in their own half and that’s when @Jarmonen is needed. Sack Brothers Lite champions will always be interesting to follow when they start their first season in Pro. Sack Brothers had an unforgettable ECL 10 Lite season where they were clearly the best team of the season and were crowned as the champions. Right after the successful season Sack Brothers lost two of their best players @luosttin to HanaaHC and @Kucherov86 (Jalkkin-) to Blackdawgs. These losses hit the team pretty hard. In FCL Sack Brothers were given a tough group and couldn’t challenge for the playoff spot. To cover the spot that Jalkkin- left behind at the defence Sack Brothers signed @Tuulimylly91 who has the Pro experience with God Tier in ECL 8 and Freddie Mercury Institute in ECL 9. One of the biggest questions is can he and @Jjomppa who was clearly too good for ECL 10 Neo fill the big boots of luosttin and Jalkkin- . It’s expected that it will be a hard first season for Sack Brothers compared to other teams that were able to earn the promotion this season and they could very well be one of the teams that will have to fight for their Pro spot at the end of the season. However it’s a long season and a couple of big wins at the start of the campaign could turn the wind completely. Getting to the playoffs is maybe a bit too big of a task for a team with not much previous Pro experience but not impossible. Placement after regular season: 13-16 Player to watch: @snippystatue played a big part in his teams success in ECL 10 Lite and got even better the as the season progressed. He was also the best player for Sack Brothers in FCL and every point that he will make this season will be vital for his team. Every counter attack will be important this season and snippystatue has the individual talent to convert them into goals. Group 2 Alliance HT Djurgarden Hockey Enigma Finnish Roosters Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa GOONS Kaupallinen Yhteistyo Nordic Stars NoRex Gaming Orebro eHockey Pata Hellalla RCTIC Rookie Mistakes RPEAT ESPORTS Sulkavan Sudet UNI Gaming Enigma I think it’s fair to say that on paper this team looks absolutely terrifying. Last season's runner-up Enigma has again gone through lots of changes during the off-season. Former captain and center @MozjaTG moved up to Elite team YMCA Esports and both starting defenders are out of the roster. To cover these major spots Enigma signed former Almost Famous center @Ojamoska, JYP Jyväskylä defender @Makeaxl and Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa defender @zNico. With these new signings Enigma has all the potential to do even better than last season. Despite the slow start in ECL 10 Pro Enigma was able to find the right balance on ice which led them all the way to the finals where they were eventually beaten by Black Horse in game seven. Another setback came against Gotham Knights in the Elite relegation series where they faced another game seven defeat. With the experience from last season and hunger that has been building up from last season's setbacks, Enigma will start the ECL 11 Pro as the favourites and should see themselves on the top of the league table after the regular season. Placement after regular season: 1-2 Player to watch: Aside from the new signings, like in the previous season @Nieppii will be on the spotlight in this season as well. Left winger who will now carry the ‘’C’’ on his chest was the points leader in ECL 10 Pro playoffs and is expected to have another great season. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa If Leksands IF is the Swedish masters of disciplined teamplay then Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa is the Finnish version of it. Formerly known as Team Frosty had an excellent first season in ECL 10 Pro where they were really close to topping their group after the regular season and moved all the way to the semifinals in the playoffs. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa also had a really good run in the FCL. They were able to advance to round 2 of the playoffs after beating Elite team SAWO ESPORTS in the series 3-1 but eventually lost against future champions FILADELPHIA. Despite the positive run in FCL, the team lost defenders @zNico to Enigma and @Patsberg_ to Rookie Mistakes. Also captain @imosi announced before the season that he’s moving to free agent. Dark clouds were on the horizon but the new signings turned this team really interesting to follow this season. Forwards @Ikavalko and @JesseL2002 brought a great amount of individual talent to the team's attack and experienced defender @MrNiceguyEddie was brought to pair with captain @MCH_98 at the back. Watching through the roster I would say that the balance in this team is at great level right now. Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa is ready to take the next step and become one of the best teams in the Pro division. Placement after regular season: 1-3 Player to watch: @Naikou88 is the leader on the forward for this team. As the center he’s maintaining the balance of the formation on ice, which is one of the main strengths of Frosty Kiekko-Vantaa. It’s also interesting to see what is Naikou88’s role when @Ikavalko is playing since both are natural centers. GOONS I don’t think many people expected much success in Pro for former HUIPPUPASSI after last season's ECL or FCL but then things started happening. Team that might had been considered as the fourth best team of ECL 10 Lite suddenly turned out to be maybe the fourth best team of ECL 11 Pro. Signings such as @xKeskitalo , @Tzon93 , @Miika (MiiQu81-), @SanteriAK47 (santerichristian) and most recently @kriketski17 gave this team a massive boost at least on paper and many sources are telling that things are working out pretty well on ice as well. Yet still the new signings won’t be the only thing that makes this team one of the top teams and interesting to follow. Young fellows winger @bergsti (pikkuroger) and defender @viba2008 will most likely make their breakthrough this season to be considered as one of the most promising rising stars in the Pro division and in the whole community. There won’t be any room for underestimating when playing against this team. If GOONS can get their motors running and defence stable they will be one of the top teams after the regular season. Placement after regular season: 4-7 Player to watch: @bergsti (pikkuroger) played his first competitive 6vs6 games in ECL 10 Lite and was one of the best players of the whole season. Since then he has shown great progress through the year and it’s really interesting to see how he will do at the Pro level. He is already doing very well in the versus scene and could do the same in EASHL as well. Pata Hellalla This team has been in the scene for a long time, they deserve the title: Legendary. Team that has been playing at the Pro level since ECL 4 had a really difficult season in ECL 10 Pro. They finished the season in 14th place and were forced to play in the relegation series. Pata Hellalla was able to keep their Pro spot by beating Bellizzi with a score of 4-1 and since then good things started happening. In the FCL Pata Hellalla played really good hockey and with the record 13-4-1 advanced to the playoffs. Along the way they took some big victories against teams like KOVA Esports, Gotham Knights and one of the Pro favourites this season: Enigma. From ECL 10 Pro the teams roster has become more compact which can really help with the chemistry and the new addition from ECL 10 Pro champions Black Horse @PasiPuukäsi (bot_dole) will make a fine addition to their team. Fast paced hockey is expected when playing against Pata Hellalla and the team will start the season well and advance to the playoffs. Placement after regular season: 5-8 Player to watch: This time Pata Hellalla has a clear number one goalkeeper when @Nixa_da_fck will be the final lock for his team. This guy showed real character in the beginning of the FCL tournament against Gotham Knights where he saw the puck ten times behind his net in the first match but gathered himself and allowed only one goal in the second match while recording a 90.91 save percent to help his team split the points. The same good form continued to the end of the tournament and will probably continue in ECL 11 Pro as well. NoRex Gaming The team that was previously named EBR eSports Official in ECL 10 Lite and in GCL 6 is now called NoRex Gaming. German ehockey is on the rise and NoRex Gaming is showing the way to other teams dreaming of playing in Pro and even Elite someday. In ECL 10 Lite NoRex Gaming had an excellent season and went all the way to the quarterfinals where they were beaten by GOONS (HUIPPUPASSI) in a tight 3-4 series. They will now have the chance for revenge as both teams will play in the same group in ECL 11 Pro. In GCL 6 NoRex Gaming was the second team on the table after regular season only a couple of points behind the German giants BRAYCE Phantoms. However ZSC Lions, who were actually beaten twice by NoRex Gaming in the regular season, turned out to be too strong for the team at the semifinals of GCL 6 and NoRex Gaming was sent home with a score of 4-0. None of the players in the current roster have Pro experience, so it’s expected that this first season will be a learning process for them. This will also have a positive effect as the excitement of playing on the higher level will help the team avoid relegation this season. Placement after regular season: 9-13 Player to watch: @Keuschemisch has been the top points man for his team since joining the club in GCL 4 and ECL 9 Lite and now we will see how well he can do at the Pro level. In ECL 10 Lite he was among the best attackers in the league and has the individual talent to put the puck in the net if given the chance. Definitely a player that none of the defenders playing in the league should underestimate. UNI Gaming In ECL 10 Pro UNI Gaming, or formerly known as Cheers Hockey was able to avoid the relegation series by two points after the regular season. Despite the disappointing season UNI Gaming was able to gather themselves and put up a fight in FCL where they found their way to the playoffs. UNI Gaming faced HAVU Gaming in the first round and couldn’t do the ‘’impossible’’ losing the series 3-0. After FCL things started happening. The team faced a little crisis when both alternative captains @Borjendahlen and @Vilisopanen15 (Ruandalaine) announced that they will leave the club for new challenges. They also lost both of their goalies and every defender. The team was ay a crossroads and captain @Black1Eagle1 had to make a big decision whether to rebuild and continue in Pro or just give up. Players who remained in the team decided to stick together and keep fighting. Numerous new signings found their way to the roster and especially former Symphony keeper @Lauri (Laurilion) is a great addition to the team. To cover the spot that Borjendahlen left in the offense, UNI Gaming recruited @juusto18 who played a major role in Angry Cats success in ECL 10 Lite. The UNI Gaming defence is covered with many new faces with only a little Pro experience and this might raise questions before the season starts. UNI Gaming has the chance to write the best fairytale of the whole season if they manage to take big wins and even challenge for the playoff spots. However these roster changes might have hurt the team a bit too much and UNI Gaming will be one of the teams that are potentially playing in the relegation series after the regular season. Placement after regular season: 13-16 Player to watch: Team captain @Black1Eagle1, who will most likely also play the center role for his team is going to play a big role on and off the ice with the new roster and choosing the lineups for each game. He’s also the player that is expected to put up most of the points for his team during the season and help his teammates to get used to Pro level hockey. As always, we hope you enjoy the new season. Feel free to comment about these predictions or other interesting points that should be watched when the season begins. Don’t forget to follow our Pro teams on social media to get to know when the games are being played and where you can watch them. There will also be match lineups, game results and other useful info directly from the teams. Play hard and fair, let the season begin!