After playing in a prospect game, the Be-A-Pro character is assigned a draft ranking and they are drafted accordingly. In NHL 12, the player could choose to start in the NHL or CHL, or they could choose to enter the NHL draft.
The biggest improvements came in the form of the Be-A-Pro mode. NHL 12 also featured goalie fights for the first time since NHL '07. In previous years, a player could wind up for a slap shot and the puck would be tied to the stick like a yo-yo.
There were major improvements to puck physics, as the puck was no longer tied to the player in an animation. The animations and physics engine was improved once again and as a result, players could break the glass, shots could take wicked deflections en-route to the net, helmets could get knocked off and players could be knocked into the bench. This was just one of the many changes added to the game. The Winter Classic mode was featured in the NHL 11 demo. The Winter Classic was finally added to the game after years of petition through various messageboards and websites. Not everyone appreciated this game, but when you consider the realism added to this game, it is hard to understand why so many people didn't like this game. NHL 12, simply put, is one of the greatest sports game of all time. Overall, NHL 2004 really gave fans creativity, control and a really entertaining gaming experience, and it is considered to be one of the best games ever released. There are even modded versions of the game online that allow it to rival more recent version of the game. To this day, there are league games that continue within a gaming community.
The biggest reason this game was such a success was because of the PC version of the game. This game had some glitches on breakaways, it had some random goaltender fights and a difficult trade system, but it was better than previous versions of the game. The game also featured the inclusion of a Stanley Cup victory celebration in which players skated around with the Stanley Cup hoisted over their head. For example, the franchise mode was renamed dynasty mode, and it gave the player more chances for an authentic gaming experience. The overall presentation of the game included a better checking system, more puck control and advanced game modes. This game was groundbreaking in so many different ways. NHL 2004 was a huge turning point in the EA NHL franchise. When you consider all the improvements and the realism added to the game, NHL '08 is one of the best EA games of all time. In addition, Sweden's Elitserien and Finland's SM-liiga leagues are included and playable in exhibition modes. In dynasty mode, each player can control their NHL team and the AHL farm system by making call-ups and demotions with ease. In terms of accuracy and realism, all 29 AHL teams are included and they can be controlled by the user. There also was the inclusion of a "goalie mode" in which a player could control the goaltender through a special third-person camera.
This development made the game more realistic because anything could happen, as opposed to computer-generated animations in previous games. A player could engage a defender one-on-one and push the puck past the defender and then skate around the defender to pick up the prone puck. The Skill Stick allowed players to have more control with the puck when it came to dekes. The EA team continued making significant developments with the Slick Stick Revolution, which was renamed the Skill Stick in this game.
The NHL 22 X-Factor Edition is avaialble for $99.99, and it comes with Dual Entitlement, and a series of in-game rewards.NHL '08 is another next-gen game that changed the landscape of the series. The NHL 22 Standard Edition is $59.99 on Xbox One and PS4, but bumps to $69.99 for Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Two editions of NHL 22 are available: the Standard Edition and X-Factor Edition, with the latter offering Dual Entitlement to provide the game on current gen and next gen counterpart consoles. Unfortunately, there isn't a PC release, so PC gamers will have to go without the NHL mainstay once again.