An Athlete Aged 19 Wins The NHL 23 World Championship

The NHL 23 global title finals were held at EA Sports and DreamHack Sports Games, bringing the NHL global title back for the first time in four years.

The tournament did not do as well as its 2019 counterpart, but given that the esports sector has been enlarged and renamed in 2023, it was a respectable (re)start to life.

Top esports players from North America and Europe battled on June 27 in Nashville, Tennessee, for a $28K prize pool in the ice hockey simulation video game.

Joseph “Jos x 10” Olmstead of Troy, Michigan, won the championship at the Bridgestone Arena, defeating Erik “Eki” Tammenpaa of Helsinki, Finland.

Peak viewership for the NHL 23 World Championship finals was 20K, attained in Round 1 of the NHL competition when Teemu “Temppanen” Karvonen defeated Samuel “Cadcooks” Landry 2-1. Over its five hours of airing, it also garnered 17K hours of viewing and 3K average viewers.

English was the only language during the live broadcasts of the action because it was known that this tournament was only played amongst competitors from Europe and North America.

Twitch has a 91.26% market share, making it the most popular platform, with YouTube taking the remaining 4%.

The event for NHL 23 on the red platform was the only one aired on the official NHL English channel, and it ended up being the second most viewed and well-liked one among fans. The matching official English Twitch account held the top spot on both counts, with ELEAGUE—which connects fans to the most awesome content from high-end esports competitions and the gaming community—finishing third for both measures.

Tournaments Viewership Comparison

The NHL 23 World Championship All-Star Open, NHL 23 World Championship Stadium Series Open, NHL 23 World Championship North American Finals, NHL 23 World Championship European Finals, NHL 23 World Championship Console, and NHL 23 World Championship were all events that took place prior to the high-profile competition.

The top gamers were pitted against one another in these sequential qualifications to choose the top four athletes to battle for the top prize. And with that, NHL esports fans started their betting spree on GG Bet on their favorite players making the tournament more intense.

The Generation 4 and Generation 5 tournaments on the consoles included the top two competitors from each event competing in the regional finals for their respective areas. They essentially served as qualifiers for the competition’s following phase, which resulted in booking two spots from each area at the World Championship.

The NHL 23 World Championship North American Finals, which reached 8.4K PV, performed the best when these events were compared. After being the only one to surpass the 15K threshold, its European relative ended up being the one that received the most viewers.

More Information About the NHL 23 Esports Scene

The NHL esports new season ushered in a flurry of activity, notably in the newly renamed EA Sports NHL 23 World Championship.

This season not only saw the start of new conflicts but also increased the number of competitors and matches.

The tournament featured 65 times more games than its real-world equivalent, with players representing all 32 NHL clubs, providing fans with a multitude of competitive matches.

Almost 80,000 games were played throughout the regular season alone, demonstrating the esports competitors’ incredible devotion and expertise.

The World Championship coincided with numerous key events on the NHL calendar, adding to the excitement.

NFL Draft hopefuls made special appearances during the competition, entertaining fans and mingling with the esports community.

This one-of-a-kind convergence of real-world sports possibilities and esports demonstrated the growing interconnectivity of the two spheres, producing a sense of excitement among conventional sports fans and esports enthusiasts.

The tournament structure was changed, with online open tournaments introduced in North America and Europe. This update sought to provide gamers from other regions greater opportunities to engage and compete. The championship was extended from December 2022 to June 2023, providing a spectacular and protracted season full of epic clashes, dramatic comebacks, and unforgettable moments.

At the end of it all, the four greatest NHL esports players—winners and runners-up from Europe and North America—had a chance to win the $51,000 prize, of which $28K went to the victor.

It’s interesting to note that Eki was the only athlete to compete in the events in 2019 and 2023. Erik is the 2018 NHL GWC World Champion.

Also known as “Eki,” his upbeat and optimistic nature shows through his broadcasts and YouTube content.

He has shown himself several times domestically and internationally, but his need for more has not diminished.