EA has announced that NHL 18 is releasing worldwide on September 15 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid on the cover. By pre-ordering the Young Stars Edition or Young Stars Deluxe Edition, you’ll receive three days early access to the full game on September 12 and some digital Connor McDavid content.
Prior to launch, an NHL 18 beta will begin on July 25, offering these three modes: NHL Threes, EA Sports Hockey League, and Online Vs. You can sign up for the beta over here.
Here’s what to expect from NHL 18, including the new Defensive Skill stick, the new 3-on-3 NHL Threes mode, the Expansion Draft feature in Franchise Mode, and more:
New Creative Attack skill moves give players the control to execute jaw-dropping plays. On offense, creative dekes include between-the-legs moves, one-handed dekes, back-handed toe-drags and much more – like the ability to branch moves together for moment-to-moment decision making. On defense, the new Defensive Skill Stick delivers the tools to counter attacks with poke check targeting, extended pokes, and controlled stick sweeps to cover zones of the ice and take away lanes. New Creative A.I. systems mean teammates now leverage the same tools as the player for intelligent decision-making all over the ice, including board passes and through-passing into space. NHL 18 introduces 3-on-3 hockey in two bold new ways. First, NHL Threes is an arcade-inspired experience with fast-paced, o...