ENCE have announced their return to Counter-Strike with Finnish star Aleksi "allu" Jalli at the helm of the project.

Aleksi "⁠allu⁠" Jalli has signed a two-year deal with ENCE, with the move marking his return to the Finnish organisation after being part of their previous team, which he left after seven months to join FaZe.

The 25-year-old was on the lookout for a new team following his brief tenure with OpTiC, whose squad he helped to 5th-6th place finishes at IEM Oakland and at the offline finals of ESL Pro League Season 6 and ECS Season 4.

allu makes ENCE return

After an unsuccessful first stint with ENCE, allu admits that "being part of a Finnish team that can compete for titles" remains a "goal" of his.

"I have now decided to return home, and I look forward to representing ENCE and Finland going forward," allu said in a statement. "We have been able to put together a roster with some of the most promising and talented players our country has to offer, and I hope we can prove Finland has what it takes to be one of the top nations in the game."

Along with allu's unveiling, ENCE have announced a strategic partnership with Finnish hockey club Lahden Pelicans that will see the two organisations "combine their efforts within marketing, sales and event production."

"Esports is a fast-growing industry," said Lahden Pelicans CEO Tomi-Pekka Kolu. "Examples from all around the world indicate that the future of esports looks very bright and many of the biggest sports teams globally have already gotten involved in the business. "We are very privileged to enter into a partnership with such a high caliber esports organization."

allu is the only team member confirmed so far, with the rest of the roster due to be announced in the "coming weeks", according to ENCE.