Image credit: AGO Rogue (for Czekolad) and LoL Esports (for Dan) - Composite
Excel Esports are reportedly signing two players to League of Legends European Championship (LEC) roster for 2021 according to Esportsmaniacos' Pablo "BloopGG" Suárez: AGO Rogue's mid laner, Paweł "Czekolad" Szczepanik, and Fnatic Rising's jungler, Daniel "Dan" Hockley.
The moves would put an end to Excel Esports' offseason, as they sought to sign a mid laner and a jungler. Indeed, Joran "Special" Scheffer's contract was expiring, and jungler Marc Robert "Caedrel" Lamont has opted to retire as a professional player.
Czekolad's arrival in the LEC would follow a successful 2020 campaign as AGO Rogue's mid laner in the Ultraliga, where he crushed opponents in Poland and in the European Masters circuit. The player arrives as one of the most touted prospects across the board and was held in high regards ahead of the 2020-2021 offseason. He and two of his teammates are reportedly moving to LEC teams: Adrian "Trymbi" Trybus to Rogue's LEC lineup, and Mathias "Szygenda" Jensen to Team Vitality.
As for Dan, the player toiled in the Challenger and European Regional circuit since 2014. Despite a lengthy career, he was unable to break through to an LEC lineup until 2020, instead playing in the Unicorns of Love while studying (before their promotion in 2015); Fnatic Academy (later Fnatic Rising); and a few stints in mousesports, Wind and Rain, and Team Kinguin.
Of the two hires, Dan's ability to thrive in the LEC is the most uncertain. Czekolad's champion pool evolved throughout the year and included control mages and assassins, providing AGO Rogue with a level of flexibility. However, Dan played against BT Excel in the United Kingdom and is a known quantity, both for Excel and for then-Fnatic head coach Joey "YoungBuck" Steltenpool.
The news would bring Rogue's track record of building talent to the forefront. Indeed, the team's 2019 academy lineup later transferred to the LEC, reaching the World Championship in 2020. With three of their current players out of five (so far) moving to the LEC, Rogue's academy team would have nurtured the growth of eight players out of 14 — not counting Paweł "Woolite" Pruski, who briefly returned to the LEC level in 2019.
