Create Helmetless players

Anyone got any info on this?

One of the most requested features on this forum the past year. Would be a shame if it's not included in 23.

After spending countless hours creating a roster containing NHL22 Alumni teams and other historical teams (with created players who are forced to wear a helmet when they didn't in real life back in the day), I took some time off and revisited what was always my favorite hockey game.  2K Sports NHL2K8.  The game came with a fantastic assortment of classic teams and the ability to create 5 more classic Stanley Cup teams (within each roster file).  The players in the historical rosters don't have helmets where they shouldn't so it doesn't matter that you can't create helmetless players.  They're already in the game WITHOUT helmets.  So, we have Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito WITHOUT helmets.  You just have to name them etc.  I also spent countless hours improving upon an Operation Sports shared roster for last season (I have NHL2K22 now – I shared my rosters there as well).  I'm working on the roster for my version of NHL2K23.  After playing many hours again on 2K Sport's NHL2K8 with these rosters, I played a game last night on NHL22.  NHL22 isn’t even close (control or gameplay wise).  Because I'm 95% sure that you won't be able to upload the NHL22 roster into NHL23 and that once again they'll leave out the helmetless option (while they focus on CHEL and HUT), I'm not buying NHL23 even if they offer the helmetless option in CAP.  I'm not recreating my roster from NHL22 (which I don't play anyways now).  The community managers can't tell us what the developers are working on so these posts are a waste of time too.  The devs sit behind the Oz Curtain and throw out scraps re: stuff that nobody asked for within the forums.  I.  GIVE.  UP.  Like I've said before, this series has become a virtual hockey card store with a crappy core game attached.  They never even bothered to fix the "everyone in the stands are wearing Anaheim Ducks jerseys" error/bug.  It was one of the first bugs reported.  It should have never made it past initial testing/quality control.  Especially for the $70 they're going to charge for the Series X version.  Forget that.  NHL2K23 lives!!

Now with customizable leagues being a thing it would be so much fun to recreate old eras like original 6 or the the 70's for franchise and season mode. If we could also be allowed to create players without helmets to go with that, that would be so awesome.

I think considering how popular a request this has been this past year, I'd say it's now or never for EA to give us this option. They must know by now we want it, so if they don't add it this year I don't think they ever will. 

I'm hopeful though. But man if they don't add it that's gonna be disappointing. 

Hopefully EA surprise us in NHL 23... but... hmmm... We all know that they dont want to make a great game, because they want people to come back next year and bying the game with a hope that the thing they wanted to be in the game is there, and is playable....

Its a dirty tactic, but with no other company doing a good hockey game they dont need to do a great game.... ☹️

I agree! When creating a player EA should give the option to not give a player a helmet in creation! Also bring back the vintage round helmets! Also give us more vintage goalie masks! While creating a 70’s goalie we don’t have the option of giving the goalie an old vintage mask! Also creating an arena would be cool to change the bottom colour of the boards! Montreal forum had the blue which makes it even more realistic! Please these options are easy to add for Ea ! Thank you! 

So sad that we were hoping for this in 22 via a patch, and then for it as part of the game in 23 and 24. Just look at the volume of requests over the last few years re: this option.  Each year it's the same answer (if we even get one).  "Maybe."  Never an explanation re: why the helmetless option isn't included.  I'm sure many people went on to buy NHL23 and NHL24 hoping for this to be included as well.  I wasn't one of those people.  At this point, I have more hope that a rival NHL game will be released with that option and more.  Happy New Year!