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.

From taking over the reins of the Vegas Golden Knights to adding in a 32nd team, the new Expansion Draft feature in Franchise Mode allows you to reshape the entire NHL.

Run an authentic expansion draft where you select the best players from across the league, build a unique roster and take on the front office role to manage the team, the business and the games. Or if you’re playing as an existing franchise, protect your current team roster in the Expansion Draft by setting your own Protected Player list.

There are 3 modes to play within NHL 18 Franchise mode: Classic, 31 Team Expansion Draft and 32 Team Expansion Draft. 

Classic

Classic Mode is Franchise Mode as you know and love it. All 31 NHL teams will start with your active roster. Select your team and jump straight into the 2017-18 NHL Season from the start of the pre-season in September. 

31 Team Expansion Draft

In the 31 Team Expansion Draft Mode, you start your journey three days before the Expansion Draft begins. There are two Expansion Draft scenarios for you to play in this mode: as the Vegas Golden Knights or as another NHL team.

If you choose to be the Vegas Golden Knights, you will go through the Expansion Draft and redraft their team based off your choice of either the Authentic Protected Player lists or computer-generated protection lists. You must follow the NHL Expansion Draft rules and select at least 14 forwards, 9 defenders and 3 goalies.

If you choose to be an existing NHL franchise, you can either set your own protection list or have the computer auto-generate one for you. Your protection list must follow NHL Expansion Draft rules and contain either 7 forwards, 3 defensemen and a goalie or 8 skaters and a goalie. Proceed to the Expansion Draft where the Vegas Golden Knights will take a player from your team.

After the Expansion Draft, you will head into the 2017 NHL® Entry Draft where you can draft and trade players like any other NHL team, and follow the regular off-season schedule with re-signing your players and Free Agency before jumping into the 2017-18 NHL season.

32 Team Expansion Draft

Reshape the entire NHL and create and draft a 32nd NHL team. Select the hometown for your team from cities all across North America and even in Europe - from Stockholm to Helsinki to Berlin to St. Petersburg. Customize everything about your team including the team name, the arena, the jerseys and even the mascot. 

After you finish creating your team, you can then choose to customize the AHL team to fit the theme of your new franchise. When you are done creating your team, jump into an authentic Expansion Draft where you select a player from the same 30 NHL teams across the league that Vegas did. The protection lists will be computer-generated from after the Vegas Golden Knights’ picked their roster.

Like the 31 Team Expansion Draft Mode, you will jump into the 2017 NHL® Entry Draft after the Expansion Draft. From there you will continue on with the rest of the 2017 NHL off-season activities, including a re-sign phase and Free Agency.

You can also choose to add a 32nd team and select an already-existing NHL franchise, like you can in the 31 Team Expansion Draft Mode.

Expansion Mode Options

There have been some added options to help customize your Franchise Mode experience. These include whether you want authentic Protection Lists for the Expansion Draft, the ability to toggle Player Morale on or off and the ability to toggle on or off certain pop-up notification warnings, like Scouting Assignment Warnings.

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.