The Academy roster will become ENCE’s interim main roster
As we started planning ENCE’s refocus on Finnish Counter-Strike, it was clear we wanted to begin the process by examining our ENCE Academy Program and using it as the foundation for the new main team. This is why today marks a shift in our Academy Program: We are putting the ENCE Academy team on hiatus, and the roster will continue to compete as ENCE’s main roster for the time being.
However, this roster is only considered to be an interim transition-period roster while we evaluate and plan potential further changes. This transition period allows us to dedicate more resources to the team and gives the current players a chance to better showcase their skills and earn their spot on the roster. During the time, we will also be scouting and trialing players outside of our own roster.
Evolution of ENCE Academy
The ENCE Academy Program was initially unveiled in the Spring of 2022, and our first ENCE Academy roster was announced later in July. Since its inception, ENCE Academy has remained one of Finland’s top teams across its many roster iterations, while also showcasing flashes of brilliance in both international online and LAN tournaments.
Over the last four years, ENCE Academy has been represented by 12 players, most notably Paavo “podi” Heiskanen and Ville “myltsi“ Vilkman, who were promoted to the ENCE main CS2 roster in 2024 and 2025, respectively. While the Academy roster has included a few international players—such as our current in-game leader, Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze—it has always focused primarily on developing Finnish talent. With the main team now shifting focus toward Finland, it makes sense to consolidate our efforts and resources.
ENCE’s Head of Academy and Senior Team Manager, Eemeli Ikonen, will be leading the team-building operation. Ikonen is a natural fit for the role, as he has managed the ENCE Academy Program since its founding and has developed a deep understanding of the Finnish scene and its players.
“The past four years have been a valuable learning experience, and we’ve succeeded in shaping a professional gaming culture together with many talented young players.
All of this experience will undoubtedly benefit these players, who are now given this great opportunity to showcase their potential wearing the main team’s jersey.
Now it’s time to look ahead and begin building a new era for ENCE. Now more than ever, we need your support, fans—let’s create something new and unforgettable together.” - Eemeli Ikonen, Head of Academy & Senior Team Manager
HENU is officially back
As we move to the transition-period roster, we are bringing back a proven, experienced ENCE Academy alumnus, Henri “HENU” Ylilehto. Over the past few weeks, HENU has already been playing with the team as a temporary stand-in—now he will officially join the roster, replacing Matti “Matz” Alatalo. Matz will move to free agency and is fully available to pursue new opportunities.
However, due to previous roster lock deadlines, Matz has agreed to play out the remaining ESL Challenger League Season 51 Europe Cup 3 matches with the team.
The current ENCE roster in full:
Niki “Cliqq” Kinnunen
Aleksi “millert” Lehtopuu
Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze
Teemu “teme” Korva
Henri “HENU” Ylilehto
Coach: George “Whitey” White
ENCE Prospects
ENCE Prospects team will continue as is, remaining as our primary youth development team and competing in the Finnish youth league, NUKE-Liiga.
Taking our time
As this is a significant change for us, we want to take our time with the building process and do it as meticulously as possible, avoiding any rushed decisions. We are committed to keeping both our players and our fans up to date on the process as the plans move forward.