NHL 26 be a pro wishlist/suggestions
I wanna start by saying I have been playing the NHL video games since NHL 11, and have been an active be a pro player since NHL 17. Through my experiences of playing the game I have come up with changes/additions that will greatly improve the mode.
Before getting drafted: As it stands there are only 3 options, the CHL, euro league, or go straight to the NHL. I don’t have a problem with the CHL or euro league being in the game but there should be more options, such as the USHL and College hockey teams, around 10-15 of the top tier programs. And if you decide to choose an option that isn’t getting drafted right away allow the real players who got drafted that year to be in the draft pool too, part of the reason I choose not to do the Chl is because there won’t be michkov or celebrini in my sim. That needs to be addressed immediately. Allow me to start between ages 14-17, which decides the type of grind and start I want. If you start at 14 you have more time to increase rating (but you should also start lower), and build offers from colleges teams, through highschool. College should be 10-15 of the best programs and should consist of around 20 games a season with the option to play up to 4 college seasons, giving more time to increase nhl readiness and overall. Highschool doesn’t need to be realistic teams, just do something as simple as a AI generated 16 team youth league that has a 12 game season or something, in which you can also get scouted for junior league drafts along with college offers.This will allow players time to get their attributes up, but it takes longer. If I start at 17 I get a select few college offers or I could go straight to the draft. Not every prospect should be 70 overall, if I’m getting selected top 5 I should be 75+ and if I’m a 4th round or later I should be below a 70. Make the years before the nhl mean more than draft position. For the draft itself add a cutscene for it, not just a photo of me in full gear of my team. Show me sitting and allow me to choose my reaction to getting drafted and show me walking onto the stage.
Attribute upgrade system: Revamp how you upgrade your player, make it like mlb the show where you can earn points through a much simpler way.
Increase Immersion and depth once in NHL: Besides the rookie year, once you are in the league there is nothing new. Cutscenes are repetitive, too few cutscenes and interviews, forced interactions with my teammates that are often dumb, my teammate chemistry shouldn’t go down because I’m forced to commit to putting 20+ shots on net. Things like these really make the mode hard to keep playing after 1 season. Increase interviews, after a really great or really poor game allow me to speak to the media, or decline. All which could impact fan rating. Allow me to walk around my locker room and see my player more often. Let me go to practice and do warm up skates before games. Maybe during these you could give fans souvenirs like your stick or pucks which increase or decrease fan likeness if u refuse. Let me feel like I’m in the NHL. Along with that let me be sent down like was an option in previous years in you are under performing. Allow me to become alternate captain as well. If I’m a top player on the team and have a high teammate rating, obviously I should be honored with some form of captaincy but I shouldn’t be able to take the C away from Ovechkin just because I scored 200 in my rookie season. For crying out loud add the ALL STAR GAMES AND WINTER CLASSICS does anything else need to be said, you already track how many all starts we’ve been selected to. Allow me to check in on social media for roster moves, and trades or just what fans have to say. Make an award show as well, let me see my player with the trophy, let me see the Stanley cup parade, eafc already has these.
Revamp contract signing: I shouldn’t only see contracts once and be forced to make my decision then. Allow me to negotiate throughout my final year of my contract, you already have the gm’s office in the game, use it. If not this, just allow the offers to build up in the offseason and allow me to stall offers or try to increase the value. I shouldn’t be forced to make a decision right away. Make the money mean something as well, allow me to see my player arrive to the arena in the car I just bought, allow me to see myself in my house or on the vacation I paid for during the offseason. Let me see my player do things.
Graphics upgrade: Upgrade player faces. I’m pretty sure the face options in be a pro of have been the same for 5+ years and they all have terrible texture, they look very dull and not like a real face. Teeth also faze through the skin when your player opens their mouth. Hair also needs an upgrade. Add more hairstyles for African Americans and make them with the new gen texture. Of the very few hairstyles that fit black people in the game they all look dry and don’t move, along with majority of the other hairstyles in the game that are stiff and are form nhl’s 5+ years ago.
Equipment: This is much smaller but add more equipment options, specifically visors, in the nhl and all hockey leagues today you see a lot more players having curved and different types of visors. The only curved option in the game right now is very big and not like the one used today.
