Recent Discussions
Does Anyone else agree..........
I honestly feel they should package CHEL and HUT together and put everything else(Franchise,Season,B.A.P,3s and ofcourse Creation)under the current title! I personally don't care how crazy that would be cause I firmly believe that those aforementioned 2 modes are the reason progress and lots of advancements don't happen with the original AKA: bread and butter.What do u all think?
A few more things.....If you'll indulge me What do you think of more attributes like 1.Slapshot Quickness 2.Wristshot Quickness 3.Leadership 4.Flexibility So many of us would like to see way MORE options for uniforms and MORE templates for jersey,pants etc and the idea of having more than just 3 Uniforms! We would like to have like maybe a heritage jersey a reverse retro,stadium series sweater. Then also much more discretion on how a jersey is designed including spelling out the user team's city or the team name for example my current team is the Jacksonville Rampage so I would like to have the option to spell out Jacksonville whether it's horizontal or vertical or maybe even diagonal. Also one of the biggest issues I have is Created Players and The Draft. I would like to have more than only 4-5 years to place my Created Players on the draft! Say perhaps maybe 7 years out or 8. More hairstyles & beards and when it comes to beards how about texture and how about more levels instead of only clean-shaven and 4 after that. How about clean-shaven and 6 levels of Quickness. More skates,More Of them cool stick wraps,More face shields and more colors plus now that you've given us mirror...how about jet black for a face shield? Just a few more ideas More to comehow in the world did EANHL just do a WOC deep dive and not bring up matchmaking?
Just feels like a complete and total slap in the face. Utterly disgusted watching the game I once loved fall off this hard. Oh well. Here's to hoping we use some common sense for 27, cause this is about to be a generational flop.NHL26 All NEW FACE SCANS NEEDED!
List of all Face Scans that need be added based on breakout seasons, stats, draft pedigree, contracts, current nhl teams depth charts etc. Full authentic real scans needed Lane Hutson (confirmed from first trailer) Macklin Celebrini (confirmed from Gameplay Deep Dive) Matvei Michkov Will Smith Dustin Wolf Ivan Demidov Mathew Schaefer Wyatt Johnston — should be upgraded from AI to full scan the generic hair given is completely wrong AI-Generated Scan Needed (EA’s system using player likeness with generic hair) Zeev Buium Michael Misa Cutter Gauthier Sam Colangelo Jackson LaCombe ( confirmed generic from gameplay deep dive) :( Martin Pospisil Jason Dickinson Frank Nazar Alex Vlasic Artyom Levshunov Yegor Chinakhov Dmitri Voronkov Thomas Harley Simon Edvinsson Vasily Podkolzin Matthew Savoie Alex Laferriere Kaiden Guhle Mike Matheson Will Cuylle Will Borgen Fabian Zetterlund Noah Cates Pius Suter Matias Maccelli Filip Chytil Nils Hoglander Connor McMichael Aliaksei Protas Ryan Leonard Josh Doan Michael Kesselring Ryan McLeod Jiri Kulich Jack Quinn Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Connor Geekie Mavrik Bourque Zachary Bolduc Dalibor Dvorsky Jimmy Snuggerud Dylan Holloway Jake Neighbours Philip Broberg Yaroslav Askarov Zayne Parekh Oliver Moore David Reinbacher Rutger McGroarty Denton Mateychuk Alexander Nikishin Fabian Lysell Jackson Blake Gabe Perreault Likely to Have Generic Face Quentin Musty Beckett Sennecke Tij Iginla Sam Dickinson Konsta Helenius Cole Hutson Danill But Dmitri Simashev Berkly Catton Axel Sandin-Pellika and many more.... rest of 2022-25 drafts likely to have generics if missing from game alreadyFaces for AI-Generated Players
In NHL 26, we need faces for AI-generated players. Games such as 2K, Madden, FIFA, and CFB 25 all have this, so it should be relatively easy. It just kills immersion in franchise mode and should have been fixed in NHL 25 with the franchise overhaul. It makes no sense why we don´t have this feature. The only hope is that it gets added next year with GM Connected, if that ever actually comes. 😞The Future of NHL — A Living, Constantly Evolving Hockey Experience
I think it’s time for the NHL series to move beyond the “annual release with minimal tweaks” approach and become a true living hockey experience that grows all year. Right now, the game mainly caters to the same loyal crowd every season. But if EA made an NHL game that was so exceptional that it kept those fans and pulled in new players who don’t even normally play sports games, it could become one of the most respected sports titles in the industry. Hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the USA and with recent expansion in non-traditional hockey markets drawing in more non-sports-watching fans than most sports, EA should and could capitalize. With today’s technology — especially openAI — there’s no reason this series couldn’t be the most authentic and immersive hockey game ever made. Continuous Live Updates Instead of drip-feeding features year after year, contract out the best dedicated developers to work with your current team and give them the budget to build the best version possible now — and update it all season with the assistance of AI. Move to a subscription-based model so the game keeps evolving without needing to buy a new copy every September. Instead the game is so good you just pay your yearly subscription to keep playing. Weekly roster updates, evolving new animations, improved AI, and presentation tweaks rolled out year-round, pausing only from July–August with the big new drop in September. Maintain yearly hype and bigger rollouts in August/September to work with the NHL and NHLPA for buzz and marketing — while still keeping the game alive all season. AI-Driven Player Realism & Complete Face Scans Every player at every level — NHL, AHL, CHL, national teams, and top prospects (with NCAA integration if possible) — scanned and updated regularly. AI generates accurate skating stride, posture, shot release, and puck-handling animations for every player using real-world tracking and broadcast footage. No more generic skating styles — every player moves and plays like their real-life counterpart. Updates dynamically during the season as players evolve their style. Extend to goalies with realistic stance, movement, and save selections tied to NHL EDGE data. New commentary with authentic NHL broadcast crews, intermissions, and player interviews. Expanded customization for player body types, equipment, and style — from Tkachuk’s baggy pants to realistic shin pads, helmets, hair length, and facial hair. On-Ice Authenticity Realistic skating & physics tuned with player tracking and motion-matching, accelerated yearly with AI assistance. Smarter AI that adapts to tactics and real NHL systems. True-to-life puck pickups, physical battles, and special teams execution. Off-Ice Immersion & Storylines Dynamic season narratives shaped by trades, injuries, rivalries, and playoff races. Cinematic cutscenes for locker rooms, press conferences, draft day, award shows, and celebrations. Behind-the-scenes features like training camps, player charity events, and contract negotiations. Social media & fan reaction systems that respond to your season’s successes and controversies. Franchise Mode Expansion: Full team practices, drills, and coaching feedback integrated in-season with practice jerseys. Chemistry and likability systems that actually impact team performance and culture. Player interactions off the ice — rivalries, morale boosts, and storylines between teammates. Powerplay and penalty kill units developed through practice and game chemistry instead of static menus. Adaptive Presentation Commentary that reacts to win streaks, rookie debuts, milestone goals, and playoff scenarios. Historic callouts before records break, not just after. Authentic crowd and arena behavior tied to game momentum — chants, boos, or explosive reactions. Expanded Game Modes & Events World Juniors, World Cup of Hockey, and Olympic hockey. Outdoor games like the Winter Classic and Stadium Series with unique visuals and ice conditions. Integration of leagues like the PWHL alongside NHL, AHL, CHL, and international tournaments. Fan-Requested Additions Pre-game cinematic intros, reactive crowds, and dynamic attendance in Franchise mode tied to performance. Smarter AI teammates with organic passing and positioning. Dynamic fighting engine with emotional context and momentum shifts. Signature player celebrations and idle animations. Legends/Era mode with historic teams and players. Skills competitions built into All-Star and career modes. Return of GM Connected — live Franchise mode reflecting the real NHL day-to-day. PC Release — with full crossplay support, HUT integration, and modding/customization communities. Why This Model Works Higher value = more loyalty = more money for EA. If the game was exceptional and developers had freedom to build what fans have been asking for, players would gladly pay a higher initial price and stay subscribed. Steady revenue from subscriptions + HUT reshapes EA’s business model while giving fans what they want. Seasonal content drops, commentary updates, and ongoing fixes = constant engagement. Flexibility to grow into new leagues, events, and innovations without yearly resets — while still preserving the annual NHL/NHLPA marketing hype in September. NHL could lead the sports gaming world with this model instead of waiting for competition to force change. If the game was truly next-level and constantly evolving, most of us would gladly pay to keep playing it year after year. This is how EA could earn more revenue while finally delivering the hockey game fans have been asking for. What do you all think?Community Request for Current Real Scans and AI generated Scans?
Hey everyone I've already made a list of players that need to be added for NHL26 that weren't in NHL25. Would the community want a master list of everyone who has a scan(real vs AI genertard) from NHL25? Happy to take the time to compile that list if enough people respond and request it before the launch next Friday. CheersPresentation and gameplay
Hey there! I was wondering if we are gonna see more on ice projections this year for other teams? Also for gameplay is this the year handshakes are improving for the playoffs? Can it at least be acknowledged that it needs a fix… it’s annoying seeing for each round before the final that players don’t have their helmets on during the handshake line and even after the Stanley cup final is over that some players on the losing team have their helmet off… also sometime an opposing player is on the wrong team during the handshake line…. Can this please be addressed and fixed for this years game 😭🙏🏻EA_AljoHow do you gain X-Factors in Be A Pro?
I was wondering how do you gain X-Factors in Be A Pro mode? is it the same as NHL 25? I hope it's different in the way you gain them in NHL 26 Be A Pro. One X-Factor that doesn't make sense is the One-T I think you have to play a few years or something to get the One-T, should be based on successful One Timers in my opinion.Is there going to be any more news before the game drops?
We've had two deep dives so far and the game releases next week (early access) so I'm assuming that's all the info we're getting prior to release. That seems... not great. Last year had a full deep dive release schedule with 5 main info dumps. The stark lack of info this year just makes me think there's not much else to show. Hoping I'm wrong obviously and maybe they secretly added stuff to Franchise mode they aren't telling us about (please no grey silhouettes) but it doesn't look like it.
Player ratings
I'm a bit confused. I saw a comparison between Drew Doughty in NHL 25 and 26, and one with Adam Fox. Drew Doughty had plenty of changed ratings (lower speed among other things), but when it came to Adam Fox, he looks exactly the same, every rating I believe. This raises some questions for me. Does it mean he was already adjusted to the NHL Edge data before, or has his skills not been updated on the page? The latter strike me as more likely, but then why even show them? And if he was already adjusted in NHL 25, it would mean some were and some weren't? Which doesn't make sense either... so what does make sense? 🤔 As one who will do plenty of editing, it would be nice to know which ratings can be trusted. What are the odds that Adam Fox has the same ratings in NHL 26 with NHL Edge data and NHL 25 without (at least not officially)? I'm just curious, since most years the ratings are not final at this point. Any information to share on this? Are the ratings we can see here accurate or will things be adjusted? Bonus question! With the possibility of this player being in a team near you in a year or two, will it be possible to create bigger players anytime soon? 😅Do You All agree?
In my humble opinion I feel the game play and the graphics are very good other than some bugs here and there so with all that being said I personally think that one of the things that is most important is REALISM!!! I'm a huge proponent of the more realistic the better which would entail many different things but one would be unique and a diverse array of reactions! One of my issues with the game is that the players skate around like Androids(No emotions other than when they score on a Celly). I want the players to come alive and behave LIKE THEY WOULD IN A REAL ATHLETIC contest. Wayyyyyyy more animations would be needed which wouldn't be nearly as tough as it would've been with the new technologies. The other component would be MORE and that's more of everything(Uniforms,Logos,Fonts,Skates,Helmets,Visors,Colors,Stick Wraps ,etc.) What say you?Goalie masks and face scans
Is it possible that we can finally have more goalie masks updated? Half the teams still have the same ones for the last 5 years…. Also Sergei’s face needs to be rescanned I’m sorry but it looks terrible and I am sure he ain’t the only one…. Please let the devs know and maybe hopefully have an answer if there are new ones coming for both masks and scans?EA_Aljo also are coaches face scans going to look a little bit better? I noticed like Paul Maurice looks young in nhl 25 but like others are not even close… thank you
