EA Sports is adding several new features to this year’s iteration of the NHL series, and I recently had the opportunity to spend some more time with NHL 19 and chat with William Ho, the creative director of the NHL series. In this particular preview, we’ll have a closer look at the new customization options in NHL 19 and how players will be able to express themselves and show off their creativity in the new NHL ONES mode.
It’s About More Than Hockey Jerseys
While the NHL series has allowed players to customize their online personas for many years now, NHL 19 takes customizations to a whole new level.
Players can choose their custom gear as they’re used to, by selecting everything from the brand of hockey stick they play with to whether or not they chew on their mouthguard. But what’s new this year is that the equipment and gear that players wear isn’t limited to your typical kind of hockey gear. Sure, you can wear the jersey of your favorite hockey team, but to expand hockey beyond the NHL and structured teams, EA is letting players customize their outfits with everything from parkas and hoodies to fancy pants and toques. Yes, folks, this is a Canadian-developed game, so it’s called a toque, not a beanie or some other incorrect term.
NHL 19 boasts over 900 possible all-new customization options to ensure everyone’s personality comes across on the ice. But the possibilities don’t stop at the cosmetic items. A total of twelve player classes and multiple perks and traits can be configured on your player to ensure you look not only the part but also skate the way you want to. Whether you’re an enforcer with a heavy slapshot or a speedster with a deadly wrister, you’ll be able to pick and choose your favorite setup. You can then save those presets into loadouts and quickly choose from one of them depending on your team’s composition. EA envisions that your online games will consist of players whose skills and classes complement each other and provides an easy way for players to see what type of perks and traits your team is made up of.
Hockey Bags That Don’t Stink
Naturally, you won’t begin your customized NHL 19 career with all 900 customization options unlocked. Instead, you earn experience points and Hockey Bags as you participate in World of CHEL events. No matter the type of online game mode you take on, you’ll be rewarded with these bags that contain random rewards for your player.
Playing NHL 19 is the only way to earn these cosmetic items, and William Ho told me that EA specifically decided to ensure that there were no microtransactions or alternative ways to shortcut your way to that fancy outfit. Winning events in the World of CHEL, especially the new NHL ONES mode, can, however, reward you with very rare items.
NHL 19 releases on September 14 and if you’re looking for more info of what’s new in this year’s edition, head over to our NHL 19 game page for more preview articles.
