@Nation87
What do you mean by "new" Elite ranked players? I haven't played 2s in awhile so I'm not sure if smurfing is more of an issue there than 4s, 5s and 6s. Regardless, my D1 club regularly sees teams with a mix of sub P1 and P3+ players. These could be newer players that were found through drop-ins. They could be friends of others on the club that picked up the game when it was released on gamepass/PS+. Also, it really does come down to skill. Even low level players can have the skill to compete with P1+. Especially in 2s where they can take advantage of the AI. I'm just not seeing how smurfing is a big issue in NHL. Maybe I'm wrong though. This is also the first report I've seen of it. Unlike Apex where it's been a big issue the community regularly talks about.