Check out the NHL 23 Gameplay Trailer now!

NHL 23 is the most connected virtual hockey experience to date and despite all the focus on bringing us cross-play, NHL 23 also brings us some other news!

Last Chance Puck Movement

Hockey is most certainly a contact sport and one of the most frequent gameplay occurrences is some type of player contact and situations where you’ll end up jostling for position. In previous iterations of the game, these events have led to the offensive player being unable to react, but NHL 23’s Last Chance Puck Movement will address that issue. With over 500 new animations, you’ll now be able to move and shoot the puck more realistically than ever just like the superstars of the NHL do on a nightly basis. 

The development team has added a new mechanic accompanying Last Chance Puck Movement, which allows players to dive for the puck in a desperation attempt by double tapping the shoot or pass button when skating towards a loose puck.

In order to balance out the playing field, desperation moves have been added to defensive play features too. The key factor in puck battles moving forward will be body positioning, and the player with the more favorable position will be able to counter plays more easily.

Updated strategies

NHL 23 aims to bring you more control of the game than ever before and does so by allowing you to use new strategies. Two new strategies have been added to the game, which are the 1-3-1 power play and the 1-1-2 penalty kill. You’ll now be able to control these strategies by assigning player positioning before and after faceoff draws and utilizing the new X-Factors in order to get the most of your special teams whenever you get the chance!

You'll also be able to select player specific roles for your powerplay, so now you're in total control to get the right players on the job.

Balanced gameplay

With balancing the game in mind, NHL 23 will be improving the ability for defensemen in passing lanes to pick up the puck and intercept passes, again, with the key factor being body positioning and field of view for the player. Offensive players will still be able to play the puck in behind defensemen if their positioning is more favorable. 

Community feedback about poke checks has also been heard, and with that, the development team has been able to make some improvements mainly in relation to the effectiveness of poke checks when chasing or in a bad position. There will now also be a speed penalty when activating the defensive skill stick.

NHL 23 will be available on October 14th, 2022 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For more information visit https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-23.