NHL 22 elite players with Superstar X-Factor abilities revealed
While many of the sport-game-playing player base is eagerly awaiting the October 1st release of FIFA 22, NHL 22 is going to be hot on the heels of it, hitting consoles on October 15th, and EA Sports has revealed the 50 elite players who will have the Superstar X-Factor.
Here’s the official word on what that X-Factor means:
NHL 22 features two tiers of Superstar X-Factor abilities: game-changing Zone abilities and enhanced Superstar abilities. Each player receives one Zone ability that defines them and a secondary set of Superstar abilities. The actual function of any Superstar X-Factor ability always remains the same, but its level of boost changes between Zone or Superstar assignments.
Superstar X-Factors are inspired by the league’s top talent, bringing their exceptional abilities to the NHL 22 experience. Whether it’s a blistering slapshot, precision passing, explosive speed on the rush, or lightning-fast reflexes in front of the net, Superstar X-Factor abilities span all positions on the ice and provide a new layer of class-based competition and strategy to the world’s biggest hockey gaming experience.
And here’s the (long) list of all 50 elite players; their team, and what their skills will be:
| 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 |
| 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 |
NHL 22 Gameplay Trailer
EA has also just released the list of the biggest Bundesliga stars that will be hitting FIFA 22 in a few weeks.
NHL 22 will be available on Oct. 15, 2021 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
