NHL Gaming World Championship sets broadcast team for final rounds

NEW YORK/TORONTO - The National Hockey League announced today the broadcast team for the 2019 NHL Gaming World Championship™ Regional Finals and World Final. Arda Ocal and Andrew 'Nasher' Telfer are back for a second term, while Faizal Khamisa - who hosted the Canadian Final last year - will host the European and Canadian Regional competitions. Newcomer Carley Johnston will make her GWC debut at the European Live Regional Final.

A new 30-minute pregame show, The GWC Lobby - hosted by Amanda Soucy along with Gaming Expert Cole 'TacTix' Mogg - will debut ahead of the European Final on Saturday, May 18, at 10:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. CEST) on
www.twitch.tv/nhl
. The GWC Lobby will introduce and profile competitors, outline the gameplay schedule, break down player strategy, and check in with the players as they warm up their hands for competition. The GWC Lobby is hosted in partnership with Great Clips, Honda and MGM Resorts International.
Following The GWC Lobby and for the first time ever, fans will get to watch all the regional action live with extensive community activation, including giveaways and promotions. Fans can follow tournament play by visiting
NHL.com/Gaming
and using the social hashtag #NHLGWC.
MEET THE TEAM: BROADCAST
Arda Ocal is back for a second term as the voice of the NHL Gaming World Championship. The Emmy-nominated sports and esports commentator and host is active in the esports scene around the League, having provided play-by-play for several NHL club esports events this season, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets. A native of Toronto now living in New York, Ocal is an anchor with ESPN Esports and Cheddar Esports and acted as emcee for Ninja New Year's in Times Square as well as Ninja x iKON in New York.

Andrew 'Nasher' Telfer also is back for a second year as the analyst for the tournament's final rounds. At a young age Telfer found a passion for hockey and filmmaking through YouTube and has since built an audience of more than 250,000 subscribers. His YouTube channel hosts hockey challenges, training, product reviews, highlights and more. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Telfer served as the analyst for Blue Jackets esports and was a participant at the House of Chel during the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in San Jose.

Faizal Khamisa is a national television host on Sportsnet in Toronto and will host the Regional Finals in Stockholm and Toronto (for the second year). Khamisa grew up both playing sports and talking about them to anyone who would listen. His television coverage ranges from hockey to curling and everything in between. Khamisa has a deep affection for suits and sneakers and often can be found wearing a combination of both. Meet Faizal!
Carley Johnston just completed her second season as the in-arena host and team reporter of the Red Wings. As the GWC's 'inside the glass' reporter, she will showcase the lighter side of competitors throughout the Live Regional Finals. Johnston studied broadcast journalism at Michigan State University and is a native of Royal Oak, Mich. In her spare time, she loves to travel, listen to music, attend concerts, cycle and hike.

MEET THE TEAM: THE GWC LOBBY
Cole 'TacTix' Mogg is a 24-year-old native of Windsor, Ont., and the 2019 NHL Gaming World Championship's resident gaming expert with years of experience as an NHL YouTuber and @EASPORTSNHL GameChanger. He turned his passion for hockey and gaming into a career after starting the YouTube channel "TacTixHD," which now has more than 100,000 subscribers. His channel focuses on a variety of NHL videos related to HUT, Franchise, challenges and more.

Amanda Soucy, a native of North Reading, Mass., Soucy is a television host specializing in sports and entertainment. She currently serves as host and reporter for Dirty Water TV on the New England Sports Network. No stranger to the hockey community, Soucy previously served as in-game host for the Worcester Railers, a New York Islanders affiliate, and worked with the Boston Bruins during their 2011 Stanley Cup Championship season. A former NFL cheerleader, she enjoys staying active with the latest health and fitness trends and takes every opportunity she can to travel in her spare time.

UPCOMING DATES & WHERE TO WATCH (
www.twitch.tv/nhl
)
Saturday, May 11
United States Regional Draft
Saturday, May 18
European Live Regional Final (Stockholm, Sweden)
The GWC Lobby: 4:30 p.m. CEST
European Live Regional Final: 5:00 p.m. CEST
Saturday, May 25
Canadian Live Regional Final (Toronto, Canada)
The GWC Lobby, presented by MGM Resorts International: 1:30 p.m. ET
Canadian Live Regional Final: 2:00 p.m. ET
Thursday, May 30
United States Live Regional Final (Stamford, U.S.)
The GWC Lobby, presented by Great Clips: 1:30 p.m. ET
U.S. Live Regional Final: 2:00 p.m. ET
Monday, June 3
NHLGWC Final Draft
Tuesday, June 18
2019 NHL Gaming World Championship Final
The GWC Lobby, presented by Honda: 11:30 a.m. PT
World Final: noon PT