The fall 2010 release ofNHL 11is still far off, but already, EA Sports is putting out bits and pieces of information on the game. Earlier this week, EA Canada updatedthe franchise’s Facebook pagewith thescreenshotyou see above: it’s a hip check that’s meant to show off the new real-time physics engine inNHL 11. As someone who’s familiar with the series, I can tell you that hit doesn’t look like the canned hip check animation ofNHLgames past, so it certainly appears promising.
This evening, EA announced a partnership with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a deal that will seeNHLtitles for the next four years include teams and players from the three regional leagues that comprise the CHL: the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The CHL is the top source of NHL talent: with 51 Canadian and nine American teams of 16- to 20-year-olds, it provided 47% of the players selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
EA Sports’NHLgames have featured European hockey leagues for a while now, so it only makes sense for them to add the CHL, especially since fans who follow hockey very closely will recognize the names of the upper-echelon CHL kids. But what does CHL integration mean forNHL 11players? Well, the new league will tie in to many of the game’s modes, such as Be A Pro, Be A GM, Tournament, Season, and Playoffs.
NHL 11is due out this fall for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
