NHL 26 Custom Team Crash
So, for the last few years, I’ve only been buying these games for 1 reason and that’s to make and play games using my custom teams made in the creation zone. I’m not using any created players, or Franchise Mode or a Custom League or anything like that, just the creation zone and play now, as well as playoff mode. My issue is, I have 50 created teams and when I go to save the 51st, the game completely crashes and restarts. I’ve heard that EA said there was a limit of 80 teams so I’m incredibly confused. Is it just me? Is there a way to fix it? I’m on Xbox Series X and I had the same problem with the last NHL game I bought (NHL 23) except it stopped at 48 teams rather than 50.My candid thoughts on NHL 27
Well,weve all had over a month to digest NHL 27 and all of its new features and heres what I have to say....... The New presentation package is ONLY alright but admittedly an improvement nonetheless VERY LITTLE improvement in Creation Modes which is VERY disappointing The game has actually taken a step back in gameplay Its harder to score! The game is like a pinball machine where you cant get any natural flow going. Everytime you turn around theres another of your opponents hitting you and it doesnt take much to knock you down! The defenders always seem to close the gap no matter how faster your player is then them, which is unreal! It used to be the odd man rushes like 2 players against the goalie would ALWAYS result in a goal BUT NOW it very rarely results in a goal.Successful SLAPSHOTS are almost totally gone! The backhand sometimes seems to be the only goal that is successful! I have many fast and quick players and NO matter what they cant seem to evade their defender. My opponent(CPU teams) always seem to complete their passes while my team constantly has incomplete passes which is unrealistic. My team will be lucky to have a 80% passing completion rate while my CPU opponent team routinely has in the 90% completion rate which is also NOT realistic either. In past titles like 20-21-22 and so on my players would be as good as their ratings showed but now,even players with a 90 rating struggle to score. I would so like to talk to the development team about many ideas I have and I have talked about some of those ideas before but its only talk! I want to see my ideas which would greatly improve the realism of this game!Still on NHL26…
Is there a way to edit rosters/player movement/the draft once you start a new franchise? I downloaded a recent custom roster, but guys like McKenna/Stenberg/Bjork are still in junior/international, and it says they are too young to be added to an NHL/AHL team in the roster customization.Chel Lobbies
Dear EA , it has been Years with constant bugs in Chel lobbies. And apparently each years just adds new bugs. me and friends play 6s almost every day for years and we have gotten so used to lobbies being broken -“invite failed” when inviting friends lobby glitching out during search and not finding anything, then we have to reset it with private game search or leave the lobby and come back. as of late we get constant issues with error “lost connection to Ea servers” right before game starts. If opponent Goalie leaves the game and we go back to lobby its high chance that we would need to reset lobby becouse its not finding oponent during peak hours, once we reset it then opponent appears almost instantly. but year by year- month by month it really gets tiresome that theese things arent adressed. those who play 6s know about theese issues and it not fun to organise 6people and play lobby simulator for better part of the evening just trying to get it to work.Hitting
So is the delay of the Be A Pro player character to hit going to get changed in 2027? I feel like when I try to hit( even when I am in top of a NPC) it’s deliberately delayed so I miss. Yet I can speed by a defensman and somehow they still are able to get just a piece still hit and/or destroy the Be A Pro player for a big hit. So unfair as it has happened for many years. Maybe not the big hits but always not being able to just use speed like regular NHL Players.Issues with the AI "balance"
The in-game AI feels as though its consistently manipulating gameplay in ways that break immersion and fairness, tilting matches in its own favor. Instead of providing a fair challenge, these behaviors create frustration by undermining player skill and consistency. Including various behaviours such as; AI defenders frequently engage in consecutive shoves that escalate into clear cross checks, yet no penalties are ever really called—even when these actions could not be anymore exact on what the rule is for(cross checking and tripping are the seemingly most egregious offenders, countless times a poke has tripped me on or close to a breakaway and no call, let alone a penalty shot like it should be). Defensive AI recover far more quickly from contact than human players unless laid right out, and are seldom slowed down by actions that would impede a user-controlled skater or cause them to stumble in similar situations. AI opponents display abnormal, nearly instant acceleration to cut off problematic movement or passing lanes deemed severe threats, with no reliable warning or visible pattern for when this will occur. The AI abuses movement priority, intentionally maneuvering to block or mirror player movement, often actively bodying into and shadowing the user in ways that feel unnatural and excessively obstructive. Light shoves from opponents reliably knock the player off the puck or stun them, while forceful contact from the player has little impact on the AI under similar circumstances. None of these behaviors “make the game harder” in a skillful way—the AI shifts in responsiveness or aggression with no consistent logic, making its actions not necessarily "unpredictable", but "enough to predictably ignore various methods to strip them of posession The AI’s skating logic is especially problematic: CPU players will suddenly skate full tilt directly into walls, abruptly hard-stop, then accelerate backwards with the same momentum they hit the wall with, especially when the user gains control of a nearby defender. Attempting to mix up defensive or offensive approaches—including feints and direction changes—has very little effect, as the AI matches every movement in perfect unison regardless of pattern or number of changes. The AI’s skating agility while moving backwards seemingly suffers no penalty, letting it perfectly maintain gap control and mimic player actions from optimal distance with no visible disadvantage. Lunging the opportunity a player makes a move or crosses an arbitrary threshold Rather than introducing fair errors or realistic unpredictability, the AI “compensates” for its rare mistakes by inconsistently draining player stamina or otherwise handicapping the user, which feels arbitrary and unnecessarily punishing or frustrating. AI contact often feels as if players are treated like + and - magnets; whether or not “magnetic” attraction results in a successful hit or separation is determined by the AI’s arbitrary decision of what constitutes an acceptable collision. Heavy hits rarely result in lost possession and sometimes several defenders are needed to stop a puck carrier, with possession conveniently transferring to nearby AI attackers afterward. Puck battles in crowded areas seldom feel authentic—instead, entering a scrum typically means unsuccessfully trying to shove opponents out of the way or waiting for a player to locate the puck in his feet and get a stick on it. Predictably, the nearby AI immediately anticipates this and your stick gets lifted immediately. While opponent AI routinely uses logical man-to-man defensive systems, AI teammates on the user’s side routinely fail to provide this same support, especially during HUT Challenges; defenders instead allow attackers to breeze past them repeatedly with little to no attempt at coverage or resistance. A fair and sensible experience would involve AI behaviors that align with realistic hockey dynamics and give an equitable sense competition, without having to erode a level playing field. Physical contact should consistently impact puck possession and player stability regardless of which side initiates it and if minor shoves carry stun/slow effects on them, they should apply both ways, with both AI and human players equally vulnerable to momentum shifts, mistakes, and recoveries. Defensive AI should properly execute man-to-man coverage as an option for both teams that provide support and prevents attackers from repeatedly breaking through uncontested. Player skill and strategic variations—such as feints, positioning, and timing—should meaningfully influence gameplay outcomes, rather than the AI reacting with robotic precision or arbitrary stamina penalties. Overall, success should feel earned through authentic effort and less "luck based" feats, predictable hockey logic that rewards anticipation, smart decision-making, and adaptability, making gameplay challenging but transparent.
In BAP form scores are useless.
So I have found the it doesn't matter what your playstyle is for your player the only way to keep your form score up is to score goals and win. I play games where I'm graded a B+ because I didn't score. Form score drops. And why does simulating destroy your form score? Doesn't matter your overall. You don't play your games, your form score is toast. The no sim penalty setting doesn't work for crap either.
NHL 27 Face Scan Priority List. Tiers.
These are guys that are playing real NHL minutes, have real roles, contributing big stats and should actually look like themselves in the game. Many of them EA has already scanned before at rookie showcase LOCKS Ivan Demidov (MTL) Beckett Sennecke (ANA) Jack Quinn (BUF) Josh Doan (BUF) Noah Ostlund (BUF) Matthew Savoie (EDM) Ryan Leonard (WSH) Jimmy Snuggerud (STL) Zeev Buium (VAN) Alexander Nikishin (CAR) Artyom Levshunov (CHI) Jackson LaCombe (ANA) Lian Bichsel (DAL) Oliver Kapanen (MTL) Denton Mateychuk (CBJ) Bobby McMann (SEA) Lawson Crouse (UTA) Christian Dvorak (PHI) Collin Graf (SJS) Goalies Jesper Wallstedt (MIN) Lukas Dostal (ANA) Dustin Wolf (CGY) Spencer Knight (CHI) Logan Thompson (WSH) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) Filip Gustavsson (MIN) Porter Martone (PHI) confirmed Confirmed scanned: James Hagens (BOS) confirmed, added next roster update Cole Eiserman (NYI) confirmed if he makes NHL Gavin McKenna confirmed if he makes NHL LIKELY WILL BE ADDED (almost all scanned already at NHLPA rookie showcase) Cole Hutson (WSH) Dalibor Dvorsky (STL) Axel Sandin-Pellikka (DET) Peyton Krebs (BUF) Fraser Minten (BOS) Gabe Perreault (NYR) Berkly Catton (SEA) Sam Dickinson (SJS) Matthew Wood (NSH) Justin Sourdif (WSH) Easton Cowan (TOR) Gage Goncalves (TBL) Mackie Samoskevich (FLA) Jackson Blake (CAR) Anton Frondell (CHI) Emmitt Finnie (DET) Kiefer Sherwood (SJS) Benjamin Kindel (PIT) Sam Maliskin(COL) Vasily Podkolzin (EDM) Goalies Jet Greaves (CBJ) Daniel Vladar (PHI) Scott Wedgewood (COL) FRINGE BUT HIGHLY DESERVING (big miss by EA if left out) many of theses players should have already been added by now Zachary Bolduc (MTL) Oliver Moore (CHI) Zayne Parekh (CGY) Igor Chernyshov (SJS) Emil Heineman (NYI) Alex Turcotte (LAK) Alex Newhook (MTL) Will Borgen (NYR) Shakir Mukhamadullin (SJS) Marat Khusnutdinov (BOS) Calum Ritchie (NYI) Michael Amadio (OTT) Kailer Yamamoto (UTA) Ryhan Poehling (ANA) Logan Stanley (BUF) Ryan Greene (CHI) Wyatt Kaiser (CHI) Sam Rinzel (CHI) Parker Kelly (COL) Ben Chiarot (DET) Goalies Joseph Woll (TOR) Joel Hofer (STL) Yaroslav Askarov (SJS) Joey Daccord (SEA) Karel Vejmelka (UTA) Anton Forsberg (LAK) This is not about adding everyone. Just make the game match what we are actually watching. If a guy is playing top minutes, top lines,starting in net, or putting up significant stats he should not still have a generic face, especially if EA already has a scan or he is a veteran. Curious as to who people think I am missing or who should be moved up or down. Thanks!
Bring NHL to PC already!
How is it possible that EA has FC, Madden and basically every other major sports franchise on PC, but NHL is still missing? PC players have been asking for NHL for years. We already have cross-play, modern anti-cheat technology exists, and PCs today are more than capable of running the game. I don't want to buy an Xbox or PlayStation just to play one EA Sports game. I want to buy NHL on PC, play it natively, and use my own hardware. Please stop giving PC players the same excuse every year and actually bring NHL to PC. There is clearly demand for it. We want NHL on PC.Idea
Hey, my just rlly desperate atp. I don't know why it's so appealing to me but for the past 3 NHL's I've been trying to get mascots to fight not knowing it's not a feature and it's not possible. I wanted to suggest they add it as a feature to NHL 26 and 27. It gives more appeal to younger fans, and it's a fun tweak that I think people will really like. It's a little silly but it sounds cool to me for some reason. And it would benefit the younger fanbase a lot. It's a goofy request but I've been trying for so long. Another thing is editing mascots. You should be able to edit mascots in threes circuit like you can edit players in franchise mode. Just a couple suggestions for threes. Thank yaCPU Strategies and Poor Logic
I’m going to throw this in here since I’m still playing ‘26. I’ve noticed a lot of good discussion regarding cpu teammates being too aggressive offensively on the pk while being too passive on the pp. Essentially, the strategy is reversed. Well, I’d like to add that this applies to the strategy late in games as well, even five on five. We’ll be up by a couple and my forward linemates are super aggressive. That’s not the bad part because I’ll play as F3 and make sure I stay back. What is frustrating is when we’re down by a goal or two and I’m the only guy forechecking. I’ll separate the man from the puck but I don’t have a teammate anywhere around to pick it up and help. They invariably pull back to the blue line and watch. That’s honestly one of the most frustrating aspects and I have a feeling that ‘27 hasn’t addressed this. In addition, when the goalie is pulled, your defense will back in and back in and let the opponent get within ten feet of the net for an empty netter. Stuff like this is why I’m on blood pressure meds. Lol. Yes, I’m old.
Big BAP problems
There seems to be few big issues with BAP this year. When I play as a goalie, my team (Stars) can't score more than max 2 goals a game. Skaters make weak shots, if they even are able to make the shot. Slap shots which they take in stupid situations especially take for ever and the puck is usually picked by opponent. If they can make some weak shot they are hitting the posts in a rate that is ridiculous. Defence makes so many own goals (both ends) that it just kills immersion. After 80% of rebounds they try either move the puck to a goalie who is still recovering from the save. Sometimes they just shoot the puck against goalie and if the puck is free on the crease the own defender is the biggest threat. After one season as a goalie I've yet to see any saved situation by my defenders but dozens of own goals. Pass interceptions by opponents are ridiculous when I play as a skater. It doesn't matter if opponents are facing the puck or not, they will intercept every puck without even seeing the pass. They never miss. They must have some kind of bat radar? Whereas BAP player development was maybe a bit slow grind in previous games, now it is too fast. After one season, I'm already OVR 94 goalie... Sure I took the starter position at the latter half, won Stanley cup and received Conn Smythe but still. Ceiling is coming on very quickly. P.S. Last update 1.2.0 Improved many things. Form Score improvements and play time adjustments in lower lines was great improvement. NHL Goalie Jerseys got a bit better. They a still pretty hideous but a LOT better than they were. So thank you for those EA. Now try to balance the game play in BAP Skater and BAP Golie and I will be a happy camper since the core BAP game (I never play any other mode so I wouldn't know their problems) is a big improvement from last year.
Full Pay to Win
You guys really made a broken overpowered build that has both perks and stats which are unobtainable for free builds and the ONLY WAY to get the build is to PAY MONEY TO EA. DISGUSTING. Ive been a top player each year and I wont be purchasing next year if this structure remains. Game is just being soullessly destroyed.
Goalie Create a Player option request - Vintage and no mask options please!
With the sale of EA Sports, who knows what is in store for this franchise now. Because next year is anyone's guess, is there any way you could add the option to have no goalie mask (like some Alumni goalies within the game) and the option to use one of two vintage goalie masks within the create a player section for goalies? I've inserted pics of the two masks that some of the Alumni goalies wear (that are included with the game). Please add these to the masks available within the create a player section. The community has been asking for this option for many years. I politely ask again to have this added to a future patch. You gave us the no helmet option for players last year so I was sure we'd get this for goalies within NHL 26. I was bummed that these options weren't included. It's frustrating that we can't have the no mask option along with at least two vintage goalie masks when creating other Alumni goalies not included within the game as it was released. Thank you in advance for your consideration! Much appreciated!
Wishlist from an offline-only hardcore player
Disclaimer: I only play Franchise Mode, Play Now and Be A Pro (a bit) so if things are missing, go ahead and make your own wishlist New Options Mascots on/off X X-Factor on/off X Pressure System on/off X Pressure System board graphics on/off X New Features (General, Franchise Mode & Be A Pro) Make skaters glide more both in user controlled and cpu controlled state. They stop like the ground surface is gravel CONFIRMED Make superstar cpu defenders react harder on opposition forwards cutting into the slot. (Quick flick right stick right to left or vice versa). Right now it's very overpowered to skate fast along the boards and then deke/cut in to the slot to expose defenders and goalie. It result in a goal about 50% of the times, even with goalie sliders set to 100/100 X In older games some players like Patrick Kane was really fun and reactive to manual deke with. Today it's much less creative and more bound to sequenced animations (click button > deke animation plays). It was really fun in Shootout Mode online. People created youtube videos and shared their deking skill with others much more. A good balance between now vs then (nhl 12-14) X Goalies should stop more simple dekes like backhand forehand dekes at a higher rate X THIS IS STILL NOT FIXED CONFIRMED THROUGH TRAILER/ARTICLE New custom jerseys and logotypes in create a team X You removed the ability to edit created team during post season in Franchise Mode? Why? BRING IT BACK Updated standard goalie masks (all modes where you can edit players) X Increased length of handshake line after completed playoffs series, right now it's about 3-5 seconds long X More replays showing close-up player reactions to near goals, shot blocks leading to pain, etc X Store Stanley Cup winner team picture to watch later through the menus (if the user won) X Tunnel walkout cutscene during playoffs in Franchise Mode CONFIRMED Let users customize hairstyle and eyebrows in Franchise Mode X Present starting goalies in game intro CONFIRMED Present and compare the two team's top players in game intro (can be based on career stat if veteran players or current season stat for others, milestones, etc), like in a real broadcast X NOT ADDED CONFIRMED THROUGH TRAILER/ARTICLE Three stars of the game cutscene after a game X Show team walk out from tunnel and crowd reactions during game intros CONFIRMED Updated crowd models and animations (also fix the crowd clapping with freezed towels in playoffs). CONFIRMED The outdoor settings/rinks are incredible in pro-am/woc, make use of them in franchise and be a pro (some event or something) X Team practice in Franchise Mode and Be A Pro (maybe outdoor practice during post-season?) X Outdoor Stadium games X Stop showing promo popups in main menu, it is very frustrating and makes most of us wanting to stay away from online modes even more X Remove female refs in men's leagues X Add more grit to how players interact with each other (yelling at ref or opposition, talking trash, etc) NOT REALLY A THING, EA ADDED SOME YAPPING PLAYER MOUTH ANIMATION IN PENALTY CUTSCENES UI panel showing last game three stars and game result in Franchise mode and BAP (right now you have to navigate a lot to see that - box score) X Generate 3D headshots for all auto generated players in Franchise Mode (add option to enable/disable when starting a franchise). It's ok if this takes a long time generating each season, but if it slow down menus, then maybe not worth it X PC release would be great X More context after goal scored. Next whistle talk about or show graphic for the goal scorer and cut to player in camera. Context could for example be: "1st goal after 5 games cold scoring streak", "1st point after returning from injury", etc X More random timing for when cpu coach pulls the goalie. Right now cpu opposition coach pull goalie with around 00:50 left in the period. Also only if they are losing with min 1 goal or max 2 goals SEMI-CONFIRMED OPPOSITION COACH NOW CALL TIMEOUTS BUT HAS NOT YET CONFIRMED PULL GOALIE TIMINGS In goal replays, remove the slowmotion to real-time in the middle of the replay. It doesn't look that good, we do not need fancy hollywood effects and a giant blue marker highlighting the puck, we see it anyway. Same with X-factor replays, but at least we can turn those off. X EDIT (ADDED JULY 18TH 2026): Added green labels to improvements that seems to be in NHL 27 EDIT (ADDED SEPTEMBER 9TH 2026): Added green labels to improvements that seems to be in NHL 27 and corrected things confirmed not being in the game after I played the trial. Added X to items confirmed not being in NHL 27 Fixes Fix poor positioning of cpu teammates blocking slap shots from the blue line NOT CONFIRMED Fix slow update of header player information (large headshot with name and other info) when hovering players in lineups, player lists, etc in Franchise Mode X Fix lag occurring with 1 minute left in each period X Still can feel it but it's less lag now Fix show mascot on/off in create a team (it's always on in-game, even if saved "off" in create a team for expansion draft in Franchise Mode) NOT CONFIRMED Fix mascot drumming cutting off arena music during faceoffs CONFIRMED Improve coaches body models and fix clipping of glasses (for example Dan Muse) CONFIRMED Tune hitting to be more realistic. If players are prepared for a hit, then don't make them go down this easily as now. Same with players getting hit into the bench, happens too much now. X System & Experience System: Xbox Series X Experience: Owned every NHL game since NHL 2000 I play with sliders set to punish my own players and be in favor of the cpu players. Standard Superstar AI is no match. Which I hope future games will change I also want to say that I enjoy the presentation added in NHL 26, but patches this release has been underwhelming
This game is so awful now it’s a disgrace even NHL on it
In the last two or three weeks, this game must be increasingly becoming the worst hockey game I’ve ever played. Right now all you play is lagging people, glitching, and exploit professionals. Once again, and four games today up by multiple goals in the third period, only to have a lag come in and suddenly my guys become mud play players, and the other team skates around the circle of scores multiple goals in less than three minutes….. And don’t get me started on the Quebec players. Same thing playing a game up to one four minutes to go, open that my guy the entire system, legs and freezes and as a spike or something, they take the puck up score 3 goals and less than four minutes…. Of course, EA will blame the signal, the Internet, the gravitational pool of the moon on the Earth today. But they do not take any actions against absolute cheats, cause this is rampant with cheaters and laggers and explorers. you catered to the people that buy packs only to keep these people happy and that’s the problem…..this game has become pathetic
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