I think a lot of the changes are positive. The game is noticeably slower but I think that's a good thing. The new "avoidance" animations are a great addition. The removal of elite edges from custom builds was also a great decision.
It might seem trite, but my biggest complaint so far is the skating sounds. I hope that you are receiving feedback on that because it's is very distracting and unrealistic, and that's something I suspect could be fixed easily. I haven't seen much improvement in terms of the AI in CHEL, but at least it isn't worse than last year.