EA has revealed the 50 elite players in NHL 22 with Superstar X-Factor abilities. New to NHL 22, Superstar X-Factors represent an all-new ability system that unlocks the unique skills of the league’s best players and gives signature traits of today’s stars to the game bringing an exciting layer of class-based competition and strategy.
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From the Shock and Awe shooting of Auston Matthews to the One Tee one-timer skills of Alexander Ovechkin, Superstar X-Factors are a game-changer system to help make NHL 22 the most realistic hockey gaming experience.
| Player Name | Team Name | Zone Ability |
| Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs | Shock and Awe – Boost Shots after Dekes |
| Artemi Panarin | New York Rangers | Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride |
| David Pastrnak | Boston Bruins | Shnipe – Elite Catch and Release of Shots |
| Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | Ankle Breaker – Deke at Higher Speed |
| Mikko Rantanen | Colorado Avalanche | Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | Contortionist – Boosts Wild Saves Ability |
| Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks | Puck on a String – Elite Stick Handling |
| Matt Barzal | New York Islanders | Elite Edges – Great Speed into Directional Changes |
| Seth Jones | Chicago Blackhawks | Quick Pick – Boosts Puck Interceptions |
| Victor Hedman | Tampa Bay Lightning | Stick ‘Em Up – Boost Stick Checks |
| Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche | Elite Edges – Great Speed into Directional Changes |
| Aleksander Barkov | Florida Panthers | All Alone – Elite Shot on the Breakaway |
| Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride |
| Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | Wheels – Great Skating with Puck |
| Mark Stone | Vegas Golden Knights | Yoink! – Improves Stick Checks without Penalty |
| Brad Marchand | Boston Bruins | Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride |
| Joe Pavelski | Dallas Stars | Big Tipper – Elite Level Deflections |
| Jake Guentzel | Pittsburgh Penguins | Shnipe – Elite Catch and Release of Shots |
| Ryan O’Reilly | St. Louis Blues | Quick Draw – Elite Level Faceoffs |
| Brayden Point | Tampa Bay Lightning | Wheels – Great Skating with Puck |
| Sebastian Aho | Carolina Hurricanes | Third Eye – Great Peripheral Passer |
| Â Gabriel Landeskog | Colorado Avalanche | Crease Crasher – Elite Rebound Opportunist |
| Patrice Bergeron | Boston Bruins | Yoink! – Improves Stick Checks without Penalty |
| Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | One Tee – Elite One-Timers |
| John Carlson | Washington Capitals | Thunderclap – Elite Slap Shot from the Point |
| Carey Price | Montreal Canadiens | Post to Post – Elite Post to Post Saves |
| Alex DeBrincat | Chicago Blackhawks | Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride |
| Sean Couturier | Philadelphia Flyers | Stick ‘Em Up – Boosts Stick Checks |
| Kris Letang | Pittsburgh Penguins | In Reverse – Elite Back Skating Ability |
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | Beauty Backhand – Elite Backhand |
| Mitch Marner | Toronto Maple Leafs | Third Eye – Great Peripheral Passer |
| Alex Pietrangelo | Vegas Golden Knights | Shutdown – Elite 1 on 1 Defending |
| Shea Theodore | Vegas Golden Knights | Heatseeker – Elite Wrist Shots |
| Marc Andre Fleury | Chicago Blackhawks | All or Nothing – Elite Poke Checking |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | Florida Panthers | Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing |
| Elias Pettersson | Vancouver Canucks | Third Eye – Great Peripheral Passer |
| Adam Fox | New York Rangers | Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing |
| Kirill Kaprizov | Minnesota Wild | Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing |
| Mika Zibanejad | New York Rangers | Magnetic – Elite Pass Reception and Puck Pick Up |
| Mark Scheifele | Winnipeg Jets | Shnipe – Elite Catch and Release of Shots |
| Connor Hellebuyck | Winnipeg Jets | Dialed In – Elite Poke Checking |
| Jaccob Slavin | Carolina Hurricanes | Shutdown – Elite 1 on 1 Defending |
| Matthew Tkachuk | Calgary Flames | It’s Tricky – Elite Trick Shooting |
| Anze Kopitar | Los Angeles Kings | Quick Pick – Boosts Puck Interceptions |
| Steven Stamkos | Tampa Bay Lightning | One Tee – Elite One-Timers |
| Roman Josi | Nashville Predators | Send It – Elite Long Passing |
| Jack Eichel | Buffalo Sabres | Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride |
| Dougie Hamilton | New Jersey Devils | Heatseeker – Elite Wrist Shots |
| Kyle Connor | Winnipeg Jets | Thunderclap – Elite Slap Shot from the Point |
- Superstar X-Factors in Modes:
- Hockey Ultimate Team: Power-up items that start players off with one X-Factor ability and let them unlock abilities as they progress
- World of CHEL: Play in any World of Chel Mode to unlock X-Factor Abilities to assign to your customized player
- Be a Pro: Earn and equip X-Factor abilities to shape players and advance their pro career
- Franchise Mode: New X-Factor reports allow scouting of both pro and amateur X-Factors. X-Factors contribute to line chemistry, influence trade values of players and are integrated with Fog of War.
- New Mode Features:
- Hockey Ultimate Team: Introducing customizable synergies—unlock and choose synergies for upgradeable players to maximize the ultimate team’s performance.
- World of CHEL:
- Customize Player Classes: More tools to fine tune your playing style by being able to adjust attribute points as well as topping it off with powerful X-Factor Abilities
- Revamped World of CHEL Hub: Access game modes, player customization, clubs, rewards, challenges and stats more quickly than ever in a completely new hub.
- New Party Flow: Invite friends and hang out anywhere in the World of CHEL Hub. Migrate from one game mode to another without having to party up again.
- EASHL Club Arenas: If a player’s EASHL Club has a custom arena, it’ll be your home base in the World of CHEL Hub.
- Be a Pro: New multi-season storylines and challenges offer longer term goals like building a dynasty early in a player’s career like Sidney Crosby, or winning consecutive Cups on different teams like Patrick Maroon.
- Franchise Mode: Celebrating the arrival of the Seattle Kraken, players can now have an expansion draft for the 33rd NHL team.
Here’s a look at the NHL 22 schedule of events prior to release.
- September 28 – First Full Gameplay of NHL 22
- October 4 – Be A Pro and Franchise Mode
- October 6 – Hockey Ultimate Team
The Standard Edition of NHL 22 releases on October 15 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The X-Factor Edition launches 3 days earlier and includes bonus in-game content. The NHL 22 trial arrives for EA Play and Xbox Game Pass on October 7.
