5 Things to look forward to in NHL 23

We're not far away from the release date of NHL 23 but fans are wondering what (if anything) they should get excited about.

The good news is we're going to break down five things that everyone should get pumped for as the game nears its launch.

Here are five things that we're looking forward to in NHL 23.

5 Things we're looking forward to

For starters, if there's something we missed it might not be because we're not looking forward to it but there are just so many new things in NHL 23.

Aside from all the gameplay changes, there are a few specific things that we want to make sure we note, this includes HUT Rivals.

If you haven't had the chance to watch the latest Deep Dive for NHL 23 you can learn more about Hockey Ultimate Team in the video above.

Since it's the area that we're most excited about, we're going to first start with which aspects of HUT we're looking forward to. If you'd like to earn some extra rewards, place a pre order with the link below.

PRE ORDER NOW: Secure your copy of NHL 23 before it arrives

HUT Rivals receives a MASSIVE upgrade

The first thing we want to talk about is how EA took their time to develop NHL 23 HUT Rivals this year, bringing ten new events to the platform.

A new tiered-rewards system was also introduced, providing full transparency for users to get accustomed to.

Don't be surprised if you see more games being played in HUT Rivals this year with the following events available:

• HUT Rivals 3v3
• HUT Rivals Burst
• HUT Rivals International
• HUT Rivals Sim
• HUT Rivals Burst 3v3
• HUT Rivals International 3v3
• HUT Rivals Classic 3V3
• HUT Rivals Arcade
• HUT Rivals Burst Arcade
• HUT Rivals International Sim

In our opinion, this will likely be the reason that players head to Hockey Ultimate Team on NHL 23, especially with the addition of better matchmaking.

Matchmaking allows for more control

To make the game fairer (which makes it more fun), EA has revamped its matchmaking for NHL 23.

Now, you'll be able to customize the matchmaking settings, giving you the chance to decide the skill gap.

EA expects this to get even better as the NHL 23 Cross Platform Matchmaking comes into play later in the year. This way you'll be able to cast a solid net tailored to the way you want to play the game.

Now, let's talk about some of the aesthetics that we're looking forward to.

In-game presentation and X-Factors

Getting a feel for the X-Factors in the game will be something that players should do the second the game releases.

These will trigger animations to provide a bit more immersion into the game, something that NHL 22 lacked at times.

Things like "Last Chance Puck Movement" are a massive upgrade this year and now there are even more celebrations, including a new Stanley Cup presentation.

To learn more about these and why you should get excited about them, head here.

World Of Chel takes the ice again

Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of talk about World Of Chel so we're more excited because of the potential it has.

We saw a lot of customization options last year and what we do know is that NHL 23 is allowing us to open rewards quicker this year.

There was a game mode Deep Dive trailer done by EA but it didn't last very long. If you'd like to watch that, head here.

IIHF Coming to Hockey Ultimate Team

You'll now be able to mix and match your Hockey Ultimate Team in NHL 23 with some of the best IIHF players available.

The cards are balanced as well to keep the game mode competitive and it provides for more inclusion.

This is something that was hinted at last year but now it's full steam ahead and we couldn't be more excited about what NHL 23 is offering.

To check out the full top 50 list of NHL 23 HUT Items, follow this link.