Julie Young | NHL Public Relations
January 31, 2023
CHEL Intel – Issue No. 1
Welcome to CHEL Intel, the newsletter that keeps fans and media up to date on everything happening in the 2023 EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 World Championship™, including registration deadlines, corporate partnerships, tournament news, schedule and bracket updates, tune-in details, player profiles, and more.
The NHL’s premier global esports competition is back for its sixth season and offers more opportunities to compete and win than ever before.
The new-look, rebranded 2023 EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 World Championship™ features the best European and North American EA SPORTS™ NHL® 23 players, competing to take home their share of the more than $150,000 USD prize pool and ultimate bragging rights in the world of Chel. This year’s expanded calendar of events includes 32 dedicated NHL Club tournaments, four Open Play events (two in Europe and two in
North America) and the return of the popular in-person World Championship.
Registration for the tournament and ancillary events now is open.
EA SPORTS NHL 23 World Championship Corporate Partners
Great Clips enters its fifth year as an official North American NHL esports partner. Great Clips has more than 4,400 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world’s largest salon brand. Great Clips is 100-percent franchised, with salons owned locally by more than 700 franchisees who employ more than 25,000 stylists. Great Clips salons provide convenient, value-priced and high-quality haircare for men, women and children. For more information about Great Clips or to find a salon location near you, visit here.
Scotiabank is an exclusive Canadian partner of the 2023 EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 World Championship™ and has been a partner of the tournament for six 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, the PWHPA and the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Scotiabank believes Canada’s game should be for all Canadians. That’s why Scotiabank is on a mission to make hockey more diverse, more inclusive and more accessible for all. Learn more at Scotiabank.com/hockeyforall.
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.
2023 Broadcast Team
The NHL23WC broadcast booth welcomes back some back familiar faces this season, including gaming expert and play-by-play announcer Cameron ‘NoSleeves’ Halbert, gaming enthusiast and Los Angeles Kings reporter Carrlyn Bathe, and color analyst Anthony ‘GrizGoal’ Scibilia III. The trio also was front and center for last season’s console Finals as well as the European and North American Championships, keeping fans engaged and informed of all the action happening on the virtual ice.
EA SPORTS NHL 23 All-Star Open
In the first NHL LAN event of the 2023 EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 World Championship™ season, the inaugural EA SPORTS NHL 23 All-Star Open will feature top NHL gamers and elite hockey superstars held at Fort Lauderdale Beach during the Truly Hard Seltzer NHL All-Star Beach Festival on Thursday, Feb. 2. Beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET – and streamed live on the NHL’s Twitch Channel beginning at 2 p.m. – fans will be able to watch hockey superstars Alex Carpenter, Emily Clark, Hilary Knight and NHL 23 cover athlete Sarah Nurse as they compete in a friendly gaming competition and interact with the crowd, followed by matches with the four finalists to determine the EA SPORTS NHL 23 All-Star Champion.
On Jan. 14 and 15, the 16 top-ranked players for each console (PS4, PS5, Xbox, Xbox X/S) from EA SPORTS NHL 23 All-Star Open Play competed in a best-of-three, single-elimination tournament to determine who would be eligible to move on to the All-Star Open Final. The top finishers in each console bracket (four total) automatically qualified for the North American Console Final as well as a trip to 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in South Florida. The Final format will consist of best-of-three bracket play (1v4, 2v3), followed by the Championship. All matches will be played on the PS5 console.
Based on points earned in the Online Open Play phase, the finalists for the All-Star Open Final are as follows:
Xbox One Winner – Dunkindeli (Ben Pasqua)
Representing the New Jersey Devils
No. 1 seed (2,073 points)
PS5 Runner-up* – gren-35- (Matthew Grenier)
Representing the Dallas Stars
No. 2 seed (2,067 points)
Xbox X/S Winner – Polgz (Ethan Kerr-Polgar)
Representing the Washington Capitals
No. 3 seed (2,063 points)
PS4 Runner-up* – un-insta1i (Ben Thompson)
Representing the Edmonton Oilers
No. 4 seed (2,034 points)
* Winner unable to attend in-person event
EA SPORTS NHL 23 European New Year’s Open
The EA SPORTS NHL 23 European New Year’s Open, played on the Xbox Series X/S console, featured a four-day Ladder where players competed in matches during a four-hour window each day. At the conclusion of the Ladder, the top 32 players on the Leaderboard advanced to the knockout stage, which took place on Jan. 21 and 22. The knockout round was a best-of-three, single-elimination tournament to determine the top four players, who then automatically qualified for the Console Finals of the EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 European Championship. The following gamers advanced:
1. xJ0eNHL – Paavo Pitkäaho (Oulu, Finland), ranked No. 1 after Open Play (24-1 record)
2. pohjavirta – Niclas Grundström (Sastamala, Finland), ranked No. 6 after Open Play (11-1 record)
3. DD2JK#7484 – Jonathan Karlsson (Kungsör, Sweden), ranked No. 4 after Open Play (23-12 record)
4. OGxN72ege –Lauri Enström (Helsinki, Finland), ranked No. 2 after Open Play (24-7 record)
Club Championships
Open Play Registration:
NHL23 WC North America Online Open Play registration is open until March 9.
NHL23 WC European Online Open Play registration is open until March 2.
* * * * *
Upcoming Events:
Feb. 2 – EA SPORTS NHL23 All-Star Final (twitch stream beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET)
Feb 4-5 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: San Jose PS5
Feb. 9-26 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 European Chel Showdown
Feb. 10 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Tampa Bay Xbox (in-person)
Feb. 10-11 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Buffalo PS5
Feb. 11 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Nashville PS5 (in-person)
Feb. 11 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: New York Islanders Xbox (in-person)
Feb. 11-12 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Boston Xbox
Feb. 11-12 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Colorado PS5
Feb. 11-12 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Los Angeles PS5
Feb. 11-12 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Philadelphia Xbox
Feb. 18 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 Stadium Series Final (live in-person & streamed on Twitch beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET)
Feb. 18-19 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Chicago Xbox
Feb. 18-19 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: Florida Xbox
Feb. 18-19 – EA SPORTS NHL 23 – Club Championship: St. Louis PS5
North American Tournament Format:
European Tournament Format:
The EA SPORTS NHL 23 All-Star Open Final will be co-streamed live on the NHL’s Twitch Channel and ELEAGUE TV on Thursday, Feb. 2, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
Tournament content also will be available on the NHL’s digital platforms and platforms of broadcast partners in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Players and fans can stay up to date and follow the action on the official tournament website and on social platforms using #NHL23WC.
Official Website: Full rules, regulations, registration details, prize pool allocations and tournament schedules are all available on the tournament website.
Explainer Video: Discover all of the new features for this year’s EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 World Championship™, with a format recap video: Tournament format explainer video (4:38)
NHL 23 HUT Deep Dive: Players will compete in all EA SPORTS™ NHL 23 World Championship™ qualifiers for the North American Console Final and the European Console Final using Hockey Ultimate Team (“HUT”) mode. NHL 23 has many new innovations that can change the way you play this year and HUT is no exception, thanks to new, exciting, live service narratives, and all new additions to HUT rivals.
More about HUT: https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/news/hut-deep-dive
Cross-Platform Matchmaking: Allows players to square off against their opponent if both players are on the same console generation, resulting in shorter matchmaking times.
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/i/status/1563255085743755264
FAQ: https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-23/cross-platform-matchmaking-faq
Let’s take a look back at the 2022 NHL Gaming European & North American Club Champions:
Reigning 2021 European Champion and the most decorated NHL Gaming World Championship player added another European title to his stellar GWC resume on June 4, 2022, in front of a live audience in Maastricht, Netherlands. EKI also took home the Championship trophy, first-ever GWC belt and a check for $15,000 USD. A full-time YouTube and Twitch content creator and EA SPORTS™ NHL® 23 expert, Tammenpää is no stranger to the GWC main stage, winning the inaugural NHL® Gaming World Championship in 2018 as well as the 2021 and 2022 editions. He also won European Regional titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
The 22-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., captured his second North American Championship in three years after qualifying for the GWC Final for the third consecutive year. Along with CHEL bragging rights, the Championship trophy and the first-ever GWC belt, Reguly was presented a check for $26,000 USD. The 2021 NHL GWC North American Runner-up, Regs’ impressive gaming resume includes the 2020 NHL GWC Canadian Championship and 2018 NHL GWC Regional Finalist recognition. He has won several NHL Club gaming events over the years, including Caps Gaming, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and Leafs Gaming League.
COURTESY NHLmedia.com
