Antti "tbnantti" Kuittinen, 30, Oulu, is the team's oldest player whose flips are as tasty as passes to the back post.
Where do you come from?
I moved to Oulu in 2011, originally from Kurika in South Ostrobothnia.
Why JYP?
Cooperation with JYP was interesting, because JYP is a traditional league gang on the side of the lake. Jyväskylä as a city is also a familiar region, because several of my friends have studied there. We have spent time in Kortepohja.
How long have you been playing?
I've been playing the EASHL game format since its launch in NHL 09, so I guess it's the 12th year running. NHL 09 was also the first NHL game whose gameplay could already be called competitive. At least goal-oriented.
Where would you like to be in the future?
A broad question, but I would be interested in some kind of role in e-sports after my playing career. Not necessarily for work, but maybe I can stay in some role on the scene.
Why the NHL?
The NHL has always been the game that has been played the most, so it's a logical continuation.
Do you have experience in the sport as a player?
I've never played in the team, but at one point I got angry after watching it carefully. In recent years, there has been less and less people watching, and the vacuum left by it has been filled by fudis.
How do you prepare for games? How much of the opponent should be observed / scouted before the game?
We prepare for the games by training normally. Some opponent-specific adjustments are made, but the basic palette remains the same. The playing styles of the opponents are known, and the opponent may have some general patterns, which are good to know. In the big picture, however, their impact on the game is quite small, but of course we try to take every advantage that can be taken.
How many drivers go during the season?
You probably need 2-3 controllers per game edition. In DualShocks, pressing the left button in particular breaks quite quickly, which causes the player to skate hard. Of the replaced controllers, 99% will be replaced because of that defect.
How many game hours will there be per week?
There will be a few game hours depending on the week, 10-20 hours. This year, I haven't played the 1v1 game format terribly, but when playing it, the hours might be something like 30 hours. You can only play 6v6 games for about 2-3 hours per day, because the other gangs only play in the evenings.
How is the psychological side, are there any pressures? Is it different to play the so-called at a public event than at home?
I've been playing this game for so long that, for example, playing ECL is a pretty basic set. So I wouldn't feel that there is any greater pressure. I also don't feel that playing at a public event is terribly different from playing at home, as long as the equipment is in order.
How do you train as a team?
We train Sun-Thurs approx. 2-2.5 hours a day. You can't really find games in the 6v6 format like in the evenings, so that's a reasonable amount.
Do you have a role model or idol?
There is no role model or idol. If someone had to say, yes Kenneth "Kenu" Lehtinen has practically single-handedly raised the scene to the level it is in Europe at the moment.
Where does your nickname come from? Is there some kind of story behind it?
TBN stands for The Breakaway Network, which is an old hockey forum I used to visit. I will in the forum gang, I actually started EASHL, on Yankee servers. Antti is my first name, which my mother and my fathers gave me when they baptized me.