Whether you’re challenging a friend on the couch or building a team to compete at the most elite level, see how NHL 17 gives you the power to shape your hockey legacy no matter how you play the game.

From making that clutch save, to battling for that critical inch in front of the net, our focus is to make sure we’re improving gameplay in all three zones. Through deeper and more customisable experiences in our most popular modes, we’re creating new experiences that add up to our biggest and most exciting hockey game to date. No matter if you’re challenging a friend on the couch, or masterminding a team at the elite levels of competition, with NHL 17, you can shape your hockey legacy where it matters to you.

St. Louis Bluesstar forward Vladimir Tarasenko is the winner of the fan-selected cover vote and will be featured on the cover of NHL 17. Over six million votes were cast on Twitter and on NHL.com in the NHL 17 Cover Vote competition before Tarasenko, who led the St. Louis Blues in playoff scoring during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, was selected as the winner.

“It’s an incredible honor to represent my teammates and all the Blues fans around the world on the cover this year,” said Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues®. “As a player, it’s a big deal to be fan selected for something like the Cover Vote, and I’m excited to be involved in the game this year.”

EA Sports also announced that all players on Xbox One and PS4 can register now for the NHL 17 public beta starting July 28 and featuring three playable game modes. Players who sign up to become an EA Sports NHL 17 Insider will receive early access to the beta, as well as early access to news, trailers, and more before worldwide release on September 13, 2016.

“Last year we held our first ever beta and the feedback we received from fans helped us create a great experience at launch,” said Sean Ramjagsingh, Lead Producer, NHL 17. “For NHL 17 we’re opening up access to more players and we can’t wait for them to get their hands on the game.”

The beta will feature three modes: Online Versus, EA Sports Hockey League, and Hockey Ultimate Team; as well as access to the Creation Zone. Beta registration is open starting now until July 7 at 11:59pm PDT, and the beta is scheduled to begin on July 28 at 12:00pm PDT and end on August 4 at 11:59pm PDT. Fans can register now for a chance to play NHL 17 first by visiting the official website.