EA has revealed the cover athlete for NHL 18. Taking center stage this year is none other than Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. At only 20 years old, the Oilers captain is excited and proud to be the face of EA’s latest hockey game.
“Representing NHL 18 as the cover athlete is an incredible honor,” said McDavid in a press statement. “I’ve played EA Sports NHL every year since I was kid. To appear on the cover, something that has been done previously by so many players that I respect and admire, is very exciting. I can’t wait to play NHL 18.”
If you want to really feel old, the most recent NHL game out when McDavid was born was NHL 97. This entry was the first time the franchise appeared on the original PlayStation, and featured goalie John Vanbiesbrouck as the cover athlete.
If you want to play NHL 18 as early as possible, EA also announced a public beta fans can sign up for. The beta will begin on July 25 and feature three playable game modes: EA Sports Hockey League, standard Online Vs. and the new NHL Threes game mode. As its name would suggest, NHL Threes is a three-on-three hockey game made to give players a faster-paced and more arcade-y experience.
Also new to NHL 18, and the NHL in general, are the Vegas Golden Knights. If you don’t want to play as the new team from Las Vegas, players can hop into Franchise Mode and create a unique 32nd team to add to the NHL. This franchise mode will probably be similar to last year’s, with players able to make custom home arenas, logos and everything else an NHL hockey team would need.
NHL 18 will also have new ways to score, as well as ways to stop opponents from scoring. Called Creative Attack moves and the Defensive Skill Stick, both systems allow players more creative freedom and control when pressing up on the net or when the enemy team is hurtling down the ice. The full feature set of NHL 18 can be found here.
“There’s a huge shift in the sport of hockey right now, where a new generation of young players are bringing more speed, skill and creativity to the game than we’ve ever seen,” said Sean Ramjagsingh, the lead producer of NHL 18, in a press statement. “NHL 18 is all about capturing everything that’s great about the new NHL. Creative Attack controls let our players show off all the skill and highlight-reel moves they can imagine, while NHL Threes brings the speed and excitement of 3-on-3 hockey to the game.”
NHL 18 will release for PS4 and Xbox One on Sept. 15.
So what do you think? Are you excited to try out the new NHL Threes game mode in NHL 18? What do you think about Connor McDavid as the cover athlete? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
