NHL 16: Release Date, Top Player Ratings, New Features, Preview and More

When gamers get their hands on NHL 16 for the first time on September 15—or before via Xbox One's EA Access—one of the first things they will notice is the stellar graphics. 

This game looks beautiful.

From the player models, to the ice, to the mascots and various arenas, NHL 16 is going to jump to the head of the class as it pertains to visuals in a sports video game. Take a look at some of the screenshots that have been released, per Gamespot, Operation Sports and Predators Report.

It's like pure sports gaming photography:

New to this year's game is the inclusion of playoff beards. There's a long history of NHL players foregoing the use of their razors during the postseason, and EA Sports has captured the tradition in this year's game.

"

The first @EASPORTSNHL NHL 16 gameplay trailer is out & oh my those beards look SICK. VIDEO @ http://t.co/M0aeN8lHTh pic.twitter.com/sLl0DEM7Gi

— BarDown (@BarDown) June 15, 2015"

Here's what EA Sports said about their latest cosmetic advancement:

"With accurate representations of beard patterns, length, thickness, and growth rates for individual players, the road to the Stanley Cup just got hairier."

While playoff beards are totally new to the NHL series, many of the features that will bolster NHL 16 are returning modes that were inexplicably stripped from last year's game.

The co-op mode EA Sports Hockey League is probably the most prominent. It was the theme of the well-received beta demo that many gamers in the NHL community enjoyed a little over a month ago. It was fun and fast-paced and helped to whet our appetites for the full game.

Here's a look at some gameplay from the beta trial:

Like before, you're still able to create a player and team up with friends to form a club that attempts to battle its way up the ranks of the EASHL. This year, the mode will feature specific player classes that help to carve a path for your star's development and generate roles that makes for play conducive to team success.

You can see an overview of all the new features at EASports.com.

The commitment to producing a feature-filled, fun and functional product is apparent. In support of that concept, EA Sports has already announced the details within a title update prior to the release of the game. This is what can happen when there's not only a beta demo but also an active community offering consistent feedback.

You can read every detail at EASports.com, but here are the key additions:

• "EASHL drop-in"

• "EASHL player badges"

• "Shootout mode"

• "Team practices"

• "United Center - the home arena of the Chicago Blackhawks"

• "NHL 3-on-3 OT rule change"

Elite Player Ratings

Player	Team	Rating
Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins	96
Jonathan Toews	Chicago Blackhawks	94
Carey Price	Montreal Canadiens	94
Shea Weber	Nashville Predators	94
Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	93
Duncan Keith	Chicago Blackhawks	93
Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings	93
Steven Stamkos	Tampa Bay Lightning	93
Henrik Lundqvist	New York Rangers	93
Pavel Datsyuk	Detroit Red Wings	93
Ryan Suter	Minnesota Wild	93
Jonathan Quick	Los Angeles Kings	93
John Tavares	New York Islanders	92
Jamie Benn	Dallas Stars	92
Corey Perry	Anaheim Ducks	92
Patrick Kane	Chicago Blackhawks	92
Evgeni Malkin	Pittsburgh Penguins	92
Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings	92
Tuuka Rask	Boston Bruins	92
Pekka Rinne	Nashville Predators	92
Henrik Zetterberg	Detroit Red Wings	92

Player ratings reveals are always a big deal leading up to release. This year was no different for NHL 16. The top 50 rated players were released by EA Sports on September 2.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby is the highest-rated player in the game with a 96 overall rating.

Nipping at his heels is Chicago Blackhawks center and NHL 16 cover athlete Jonathan Toews with a 94. If you were doing a fantasy draft—which thankfully has returned to the Be a GM mode this year, per Samit Sarkar of Polygon.com—you couldn't go wrong. Take a look at both men's ratings:

image provided by EA Sports

image provided by EA Sports

The Blackhawks are the defending champions, and thus their team is stacked. With defenseman Duncan Keith checking in with a 93 overall rating, the Hawks are the only team in the game with two players in the top 10 rankings. Patrick Kane (92) and Marian Hossa (90) give the champs four players rated at 90 or above.

Get ready to see a lot of red, black and white in online ranked matches.

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