As if the $100,000 prize pool wasn't enough, the 2022 championship will return to in-person events with the North American Club Championship to be held in Montreal and the European Championship at the GG Festival at MECC Maastricht, Netherlands.
"Montreal has a huge gaming community and having it there will certainly generate excitement," NHL vice president of business development, technology partnerships Chris Golier said. "Many of our top gamers come from Canada and specifically Quebec, and with the (2022) NHL Draft taking place (July 7-8) as well in Montreal, it should be a little extra added excitement for players this year."
The previous live, in-person championship was held in Las Vegas during the 2019 NHL Awards. Play has been remote the past two years due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
There will be four roads to the GWC final this year, with play commencing on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 consoles.
The format from last year will remain mostly intact with a North American champion being crowned in Montreal and a European champion in the Netherlands this summer. There is an added wrinkle this year: a loser's bracket giving a player who lost one more chance to play their way back in.
There are additional wrinkles that gamers should find interesting. One is a double-elimination bracket starting in the Console Finals round that will give a player who lost one more chance to play their way back in.
"It's a welcome change that the community has suggested in the past," Golier said.
Also returning are players being able to represent NHL teams.
Matthew Grenier (aka Gren-35-), who represented the Dallas Stars in 2021, is the defending North American champion. The Houston native defeated Boston Bruins fan Justin Reguly (Ez_Regs) in a thriller, scoring in the final minute of the deciding Game 3 for a 4-3 win.
