Ninjas in Pyjamas included Natus Vincere academy player Daniil “headtr1ck” Valitov on their seven-player lineup for their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups, according to a report by Dexerto.

Ninjas in Pyjamas and Natus Vincere have yet to make an official announcement, however.

headtrick, an 18-year-old from Ukraine, is expected to take the place of benched Danish player Patrick “es3tag” Hansen. The latter was benched on Dec. 21 and given permission to explore his options.

While headtr1ck most recently has played for the NaVi junior team, he played for the youth team for five months in 2021 until his promotion to juniors in August 2021.

Per the report, academy platers Linus “nilo” Bergman and Max “maxster” Jansson also are on the list submitted by Ninjas in Pyjamas for BLAST Premier Spring Groups.

The tournament, which runs from Jan. 19-29, will mark the beginning of the 2023 season.

–Field Level Media