CHEL Intel — May 3

May 3, 2022

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Scotiabank, Honda, Navy Federal Credit Union and Great Clips Return as 2022 NHL Gaming World Championship Corporate Partners

While 2022 NHL® Gaming World Championship™ action continued in Europe this past weekend, the big NHL GWC news happened off the virtual ice. The NHL today announced that League corporate partners — Great Clips, Honda, Navy Federal Credit Union and Scotiabank — have returned for the 2022 NHL Gaming World Championship campaign.

Chris Golier, NHL Vice President of Business Development and Innovation, expresses his excitement for the blue-chip partner line-up heading into the NHL GWC’s most exciting stage:

“The League is proud to welcome back Scotiabank, Honda, Great Clips and Navy Federal Credit Union, four committed corporate partners who have been a big part of making the NHL Gaming World Championship a great success. Collectively, we have built this powerful platform to engage younger hockey fans around the world, and in its fifth season has become the most dramatic and competitive hockey championship off the ice. This season, our sponsors will bring world class content to the community around our virtual and in-person events to show the passion of fans — whether they are ‘EA SPORTS NHL 22’ players or virtual spectators.”

* * * *

Over the weekend, 16 of the best EA SPORTS™ NHL® 22 players in Europe booked their ticket to the Console Semifinal. Four players in each of the PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox X brackets will play for a chance to move on to the European Championship.

On the other side of the pond, North American players were putting on their General Manager hats and assessing their team-building skills to draft players for their HUT (Hockley Ultimate Team) Championship teams. Players will use their new HUT teams for the remainder of the North American Club Championship.

The NHL GWC North American Xbox Console Semifinals drops the puck on the 2022 NHL® Gaming World Championship™ live stream schedule beginning on Saturday, May 14 at 12 p.m. ET on NHL and ELEAGUE TV Twitch.

Did you Know?

* Over 50,000 GWC matches have been played to-date from the European Qualifiers and Online Open Play in Europe and North American through the Quarterfinal games on all four consoles in both Regions.

GWC CORPORATE PARTNERS

Navy Federal Credit Union enters its third year as an official NHL GWC U.S. partner. NFCU serves all branches of the military, veterans and their families, and has over 11 million members worldwide. Navy Federal’s partnership with the NHL Gaming World Championship reinforces the credit union’s mission to share exciting moments with its members. Esports fans and Navy Federal members share values like sportsmanship, competition and comradery, making the partnership a natural fit. For more information, visit here.

Great Clips enters its fourth year as an official NHL GWC partner. Today, Great Clips has over 4,400 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world’s largest salon brand. Great Clips is 100 percent franchised, and salons are owned locally by more than 1,200 franchisees who employ nearly 40,000 stylists. Great Clipssalons provide convenient, value-priced, and high-quality haircare for men, women and children. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit here.

Honda, the Official Automotive Partner of the National Hockey League in the United States, is committed to creating memorable and engaging experiences for NHL fans and the hockey community. Honda has supported the NHL’s esports initiatives since the inception of the NHL Gaming World Championship™ in 2018 and continues its strong presence in gaming and esports as the exclusive automotive partner of Team Liquid, Twitch and Red Bull partnerships, and more. Honda’s esports initiatives help the brand to grab the attention of Millennial and Gen Z, first-time and multicultural customers by tapping into their passion for gaming. For more information, visit here.

Scotiabank is an exclusive Canadian partner of the NHL Gaming World Championship and has been a partner of the tournament for five consecutive years. Scotiabank is the Official Bank of the NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs (who play at Scotiabank Arena), Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames (who play at Scotiabank Saddledome), and Edmonton Oilers. The Bank also supports the Montreal Canadiens and is a sponsor of Hockey Canada and the PWHPA. Scotiabank believes Canada’s game should be for all Canadians. That’s why they are on a mission to make hockey more diverse, more inclusive and more accessible for all. Learn more about Scotiabank.com/hockeyforall.

GWC TOURNAMENT PARTNERS

The NHL partnered with DreamHack Sports Games (DHSG), the global leader in organizing and producing sports gaming tournaments and live events, in February 2021. DHSG continues to produce all NHL Gaming World Championship™ content including cutdown shows, game highlight packages and live broadcasts as well as all elements related to the in-person European and North American Championships. DHSG also hosts Europe’s biggest Sports and Gaming Festival, GG22, that will be home to this year’s European Championship on June 4 & 5.

Battlefy is serving as theofficial tournament platform and administrator for the competition, providing seamless registration in multiple languages and an interactive news and content hub that will allow fans to follow along with both North American and European tournaments in real-time. Battlefy is the leading global esports platform, powering over 230 thousand esports tournaments and leagues for Triple AAA game developers, consumer brands, sports organizations, colleges & high schools, professional teams, streamers, gaming communities, and fans. With competitions across every major game title, our mission is to help everyone with a passion for esports build an amazing and authentic experience for their fans, customers, employees, and friends. Visit battlefy.com/services for more information.

NHL GWC Europe

* After this weekend’s competition, four players in each Console remain in contention for the European Championship and $15,000 USD first place prize.

* Four European Countries remain represented by the final 16 players including Finland (11), Sweden (3), Denmark (1) and Czech Republic (1).

* The PS4 bracket hosts two underdogs – No. 36-ranked Teemuyy and No. 42-ranked TTUSE98.

* The Xbox One bracket is the only console that features the top 4 ranked players.

* Finland’s Kibeeex is the only player to win his country’s European Qualifier and continue to compete with a berth in the Xbox Series X final four.

PS4

J-_-Jamaltheman: Jimi Rönkkönen (Finland)

Teemuyy: Teemu Polttila (Finland)

TTUSE98: Teemu Lehtimäki (Finland)

XxBrothets-91-01: Oskar Hautala (Finland)

PS5

xDoumi: Aaro Ruuhinen (Finland)

pikkuroger: Roope Bergström (Finland)

Beniittto: Perttu Kemppainen (Finland)

Dzouvi_: Adam Mensik (Czech Republic)

Xbox One

ENCEKI: Erik Tammenpää (Finland)

xProAm69x: Martin Vibholm (Denmark)

Lehmannens: Johan Lehmann (Sweden)

Repsej0218: Jesper Jonsson (Sweden)

Xbox Series X

Eken45jr: Henrik Eklund (Sweden)

IOLL1: Olli Sorsa (Finland)

Kibeeex: Tommi Lehtimäki (Finland)

Vkims#1722: Valtteri Kimmo (Finland)

North America HUT Drafts

What is HUT?

Administered by EA, the HUT Drafts for GWC North America took place over the weekend. Players now have a new HUT team comprised of 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, 2 goaltenders, and 5 additional skaters, with each console (PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X) drafting in separate pools.

Full rosters for each player are available here.