NHL 18 is built to deliver the speed, skill, and creativity of today’s young new NHL through Creative Attack controls and the all-new Defensive Skill stick.

The new 3-on-3 NHL Threes mode introduces fast-paced, arcade-inspired action and, in Franchise Mode, the Expansion Draft feature lets fans be the first to play as the Vegas Golden Knights, or create and draft their very own 32nd NHL team from the ground up.

All of these new features are delivered with the most ways to play multiplayer ever in an EA Sports NHL game.

On the eve of Wednesday’s puck drop to start the 2017-18 NHL regular season, NHL 18 released the results of its annual season simulation.

Powered by NHL18, the season simulator predicts the Tampa Bay Lightning will triumph over the Edmonton Oilers and take home the Stanley Cupfor the first time since 2004. After an eventful 7-game series and an action-packed 3-2 win in the final game, Tampa Bay Captain Steven Stamkos will lead the team to victory, resulting in the team’s second Stanley Cup win in franchise history after narrowly missing out in 2015.

Some other notable predictions from the season simulation include:

• The Pittsburgh Penguins, led by captain Sidney Crosby, continue their dominance of the Eastern Conference during the regular season and take home the President’s Trophy.
• NHL18 cover athlete Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, for the second year in a row, becomes the most decorated athlete at the NHL Awards, with back-to-back wins of three major awards - the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award. McDavid joins an elite group of multi-year winners of these coveted awards, including Hockey Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Wayne Gretzky.
• Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning will take home the Conn Smythe Trophy for an exceptional post-season performance, as well as the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as highest goal scorer.  
• In their inaugural season, the Vegas Golden Knights fall short a playoff spot finishing 14th overall in the Western Conference.

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, over-the-top action that features faster gameplay, bigger hits and high-scoring action. Players can choose modes between fast-fun couch co-op and fully competitive online team play, or dive into the new NHL Threes circuit-style Campaign Mode to compete against different teams and leagues in a circuit-style journey where they can unlock objective-based rewards as they progress through the campaign. Second, NHL 18 adds an authentic 3-on-3 online team play option to the fan-favorite EA Sports Hockey League mode, allowing for more open ice and strategic, risk-vs-reward multiplayer competition.

Additional features include the new Expansion Draft coming to Franchise Mode, Hockey Ultimate Team Solo Challenges, and a new Hockey Training Camp designed to ensure players have immediate success on the ice, and much more. NHL 18is also making it easier than ever to play with or against friends, creating more than 64 ways to team up and play on the couch or online, and bringing co-op play to more modes including Hockey Ultimate Team, Online Vs. and NHL Threes.

Starting today, players can pre-order the EA Sports NHL 18 Young Stars Edition and EA SPORTS NHL 18 Young Stars Deluxe Edition, which each include three days early access to the full game starting September 12th and Connor McDavid content, including a Connor McDavid Rookie HUT item, a Connor McDavid celebration, and a custom HUT jersey designed by adidas and Connor McDavid. The Young Stars Edition also features 20 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team and a Rookie HUT item from a team of the player’s choice. The EA Sports NHL 18 Young Stars Deluxe Edition includes all these perks plus an additional 20 Gold Plus Packs for Hockey Ultimate Team.

NHL 18 is available worldwide on September 15, 2017 for Xbox One and PS4.