NHL 22 adds women's national team for the first time

The time has come. The women’s hockey game has finally made its way into EA’s NHL series. The latest NHL 22 patch introduces a timely playable women’s team and a full IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) roster to the game to create hype for the Beijing Winter Olympics. That said, from Team USA’s fast Kendall Coyne-Schofield to Team Canada’s “Captain Clutch” Marie-Philip Poulin, a great icon who makes a name for himself in the sport can take the ice.

This is a great moment for women’s matches and the impact on the players doesn’t go away. “It was an honor to be able to lace up my digital skates for the first time in the NHL,” Marie-Philip Poulin said in an EA Sports press release.

It’s more surreal to do that while playing for my country,” she continued. “I’m glad that representation is important and that every little girl who chooses a controller to play NHL 22 can feel like hockey. She is a sport for her too.”

Watch the trailer above to see elite talent like Hilary Knight, Sarah Nurse, and Amanda Kessel react to the news and discuss its importance further. Although the trailer also shows players on virtual ice for the first time, it will be interesting to see how EA Vancouver presents a variety of playstyles in women’s hockey that rely less on the body and more focus on stick play to isolate players. . at the puck. There are also more puck possessions and scoring opportunities in women’s matches.

The update also makes the IIHF Men’s World Championship playable. EA has confirmed that 16 international men’s teams and 10 international women’s teams will be available in their respective world championship modes, along with other popular destinations such as Online Versus, Threes Now and Shootout. The latest patch comes shortly after the latest episode of Breaking Ice, a five-part digital series from EA Sports and Uninterrupted Canada featuring hockey’s diversity champions.