NHL 16 News Post

NHL 16 Adds United Center, EASHL Drop-In, Shootout Mode, 3 on 3 OT Rule Change & More

12:40 PM - September 9, 2015 by Steve_OS

After listening to fan feedback, EA Sports has announced quite a few additions will be available when it officially launches on September 15 in North America. In fact, all of these features will be available when the game arrives on EA Access this week.

Some of those key additions include EASHL Drop-In, EASHL Player Badges, Shootout Mode, Team Practices, NHL 3-on-3 OT rule change and the United Center, home of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Check out the full details below.

EA SPORTS HOCKEY LEAGUE

Ranked Quick Match � The perfect place to play EASHL if you don�t have an EASHL team or if your teammates can�t make it online. Quickly search for a Drop-In game of up to 6v6 to practice your skills or scout players. Play as your created pro, choose your position and your player class before entering the game.
Invite Friend � Send an EASHL Drop-In invite to your friends.
EASHL Player Badges � Introducing EA SPORTS� Hockey League pro leveling. Play EASHL Seasons, Playoff games, or Drop-in games and earn Experience Points that unlocks badges for different stat categories and milestones. Earn enough EXP and you will level up your Pro.

Once at Level 50, you will earn a Prestige badge and start at Level 1 again to begin the pursuit of your next badge. This is the ultimate display of your skills. Player levels will be prominently presented for other users to see in the Leaderboards, Dressing Room, and Side Select, so level up and brag to your friends.

SHOOTOUT MODE

Online Shootout � Take on another player in a head-to-head match as the goalie or the shooter. Players will get five shots each and are able to play as the goalie. Choose between a Ranked Quick Match where you are quickly paired up against an online opponent for a 1v1 shootout game, Custom Matchmaking where you can customize your unranked shootout settings, or the Invite a Friend option.
Offline Shootout � Take part in a shootout against the AI or a local human controlled player.

TEAM PRACTICES

Practice mode now includes team practices. Players can have up to five players on both offense and defense in three different scenarios from "rush" to "in-zone" plays. There is also the option to play as the goalie in practices, so you can hone your skills before starting your goalie career or taking on online competition.

PRESENTATION

The United Center is now included in NHL 16 and will feature authentic architecture found at the home arena of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Players can now select between five different sizes for Player Indicators that appear during gameplay.
Improvements to lighting, visuals, fan AI and stadium architecture for all NHL arenas.

BE A GM

General improvements to Player Morale.
Added the ability to offer qualified RFAs a contract during the pre-season.
Updated AI trade logic.

HOCKEY ULTIMATE TEAM

Improvements to search filters for Collections, My Bids, and ended Auctions.

BE A PRO

Improvements to defenseman visualization and coaching feedback.

GAMEPLAY

Added NHL 3-on-3 OT rule changes.
General improvements to defensive AI logic.
Added an alternate goalie control scheme based on Beta feedback
Added option to toggle if precision skating is default or not for goalies.
Hint supports added for alternate goalie controls.
Improved logic for goalie interference penalties and allowed/disallowed goals.

Game: NHL 16Reader Score: Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 0 - View All

NHL 16 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 HypoLuxa13 @ 09/09/15 06:09 PM

Quote:


	GAMEPLAY Added NHL 3-on-3 OT rule changes. General improvements to defensive AI logic. Added an alternate goalie control scheme based on Beta feedback Added option to toggle if precision skating is default or not for goalies. Hint supports added for alternate goalie controls. Improved logic for goalie interference penalties and allowed/disallowed goals.

This has me intrigued... Hoping this could mean that offline gameplay has been refined some so sliders don't need to be manipulated as much to get realistic numbers.

# 22 christian7210 @ 09/09/15 07:45 PM

Gotta give EA props for listening. The edit player mode and inclusion of PNC Arena and United Center were responses to our persistence as a community. Typically we would be ignored (just like in NHL 15), but in this case they listened. Props to us as well. Great job all around.

# 23 BCDX97 @ 09/09/15 09:25 PM

I still want Create-a-Team back. I don't care about Ultimate Team, it's a boring chore.

And this better have online co-op. I couldn't play with my brother and nephew, and that sucked.

# 24 spidertour02 @ 09/09/15 09:33 PM

Wow, suddenly my interest has shot up tremendously. They really ARE listening, like they said they would this time around, and they did something about it. Great job on their part!

# 25 Beelzebot44 @ 09/10/15 10:07 AM

Shootouts! These are so addicting and was the main thing I wanted. Anyone know if they are in the Access trial?

# 26 jyoung @ 09/10/15 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beelzebot44


	Shootouts! These are so addicting and was the main thing I wanted. Anyone know if they are in the Access trial?

Shootouts can be played offline or online. Online supports both ranked and unranked matches.

# 27 stevostl @ 09/10/15 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuyinPA75


	The MOST important part of this article was this: Ranked Quick Match – The perfect place to play EASHL if you don’t have an EASHL team or if your teammates can’t make it online. Quickly search for a Drop-In game of up to 6v6 to practice your skills or scout players. Play as your created pro, choose your position and your player class before entering the game. It sounds to be OTP with your Created Pro. This is what I NEEDED to hear. NHL 15 you could not play OTP with created pro. That meant no purchase for me. I do not enjoy EASHL at all. That mode is 99% of players glitch gosling nonstop -- and I have to even budget and set up my free time to play that mode with friends. Yes. Basically have to budget my time to deal with 24/7 cheating, exploiting, and glitch goals. No don't get me wrong. OTP is full of that too, but to me not as much. Plus I can drop in to play when I want to. NOT have to schedule my day around to play I mode I want to play.

huh? this makes no sense to me

please explain to me how EASHL club is a glitch fest and OTP isn't?

also.. please explain to me how you glitch a club playing with 6 players?

there is no such thing as glitch goals or glitch fest playing EASHL club with 6 players...

it's one of the highlights of the mode.... glitching is something you do against the computer AI and usually in offline or in ranked games online 1 v 1.... this is where glitch goals are seen most and cheese fest.. one of the best things about the EASHL and what makes so great is all about the human element and there is no glitches since 09. You play with 6... you play how you want.. you can stop and prevent any such computer glitch. there is no such thing as a glitch fest kid beating a top club in the EASHL

you can't glitch another human player.. especially one who knows how to prevent it.

# 28 Rielly44 @ 09/10/15 12:37 PM

My first post on Operation Sports, this is such a good site! I'm so excited for NHL 16, these additions are pretty incredible and happy they're in. It's unfortunate that people will still complain.

# 29 stevostl @ 09/10/15 01:22 PM

Quote:


	What is drop in? Would that allow friends vs friends?

drop in game is online is similar to EASHL where you pick your position except you are not playing with your CLUB which you can only be on one club at a time.

so lets say your club is not on.. or only 2 of you are on.. you can both just go to a drop in game that is 6 v 6 in most cases once the room fills up and you play with random people in the lobby.. in the past this was a great place to find people you play well with and meet up and join other clubs with.

the best thing with this is you just click drop in game and it will automatically put you in matchup .. when playing in drop in games.. it's whoever picks there position first gets that position on the ice so maybe the most annoying thing with this mode is waiting for some one who NEVER picks their position because someone is on the one they wanted so they will let it timeout all the way until the end making all other 11 players wait out of spite

hope this helps.. any ways.. it's a really fun mode to kill time and practice

for me in NHL since 09.. it's either drop in games or EASHL club and play offline with friends if we ever get together multiplayer.. or I will use the practice mode offline practicing goalie with my pro. I will probably play be a pro offline as well.

ps. I forgot to mention playing drop in games OTP in the past was a great way to level up your guy and get more attributes.. but this is no longer needed since there is no editing attributes and leveling up to legend

# 30 THESHAMISASHAME @ 09/10/15 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidertour02


	Wow, suddenly my interest has shot up tremendously. They really ARE listening, like they said they would this time around, and they did something about it. Great job on their part!

Im even more impressed with UC and 3 on 3 OT added ! Only 5 more days !
EA NHL is #

with me because they do listen and care even with a small team .

# 31 AdamJones113 @ 09/10/15 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rielly44


	My first post on Operation Sports, this is such a good site! I'm so excited for NHL 16, these additions are pretty incredible and happy they're in. It's unfortunate that people will still complain.

Welcome to the site bud!

I'm sure the community is complaining not for the sake of complaining but to try and improve things. NHL 16 is certainly ahead of where the game was this time around on the gen-3 consoles, but I don't think it's a perfect game. Since we have an indirect link to the dev team (think 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, lol), complaining does actually have a purpose.

# 32 tinpanalley @ 09/11/15 09:57 AM

There's no 3 on 3 overtime in NHL Legacy, just in case anyone wants to know. I was disappointed to find that out. I don't need the latest stadium changes but come on, that's a basic programming tweak.

# 33 VTKombat @ 09/12/15 09:45 AM

Played the beta and really enjoyed it but wasn't going to buy it because of no drop in EASHL games. Saw this announcement and preordered the game. For me this is a must for EASHL because not everyone can find enough people to play a club game and without them there was no way to enjoy EASHL. Nice call EA, I know people complain like babies but at least you make an effort to listen to the people

# 34 donions @ 09/12/15 05:14 PM

How are you all so excited?
These are all features that were in nhl 14 or simply fluff. Nothing actually new except 3on3.
The mere fact the menus are the same will prolly keep me from buying NHL for the first time ever.
Can't tolerate loading times with every button I hit.
Nhl 15 was the worst sports game EA released in years, and by all accounts nhl 16 is a patched version of 15.
But most people will still preorder or buy opening day and EA will laugh all the way to the bank.

# 35 green94 @ 09/12/15 05:49 PM

UC is in! Huge!

Now patch in 5 man celebrations

# 36 KleShreen @ 09/15/15 02:05 AM

Holy cow I wish I had kept visiting the NHL section of the forum. I made up my mind during the EASHL Beta that I wasn't going to buy the game because of no drop-ins, and then I decided to just now search and see if they changed anything, and I come across this. I could have been playing the game for two hours by now! Noooooo!

# 37 LousyJackRanga @ 09/15/15 06:00 AM

Is the option to replay all goals and hits which were in the last gen version, now included in the current gen version?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

# 38 csamuelsvt @ 09/15/15 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LousyJackRanga


	Is the option to replay all goals and hits which were in the last gen version, now included in the current gen version? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes the Action Tracker or whatever you call it is in this year!

# 39 tinpanalley @ 10/09/15 04:22 AM

Does anyone know if they'll at least add the OT rule change to Legacy?

« Previous 12Next »

More Links

NHL 16 Adds United Center, EASHL Drop-In, Shootout Mode, 3 on 3 OT Rule Change & More