For the first time in six years, the Be A Pro mode in the EA Sports NHL series is getting a facelift with NHL 26. On Tuesday morning, EA Sports held a deep dive giving a look at all of the new features coming to the popular single player mode.
No More Pond Hockey
For years, EA Sports NHL’s Be A Pro started out with an interview about your player playing pond hockey ahead of the NHL draft. Well, you can say goodbye to that repetitive cutscene. Now, you’re players will start out in the World Juniors where not only are you trying to win gold for your country, but you’re also trying to improve your draft stock.
Aside from the starting point, Be A Pro in NHL 26 has been completely rebuilt, delivering a new immersive and dynamic version of the mode. At its core, NHL 26 introduces a chapter-based career structure that mirrors the real ups and downs of professional hockey.
After the aforementioned play in the World Juniors, every stage of your career unfolds in its own chapter with tailored challenges and branching outcomes. Unlike past years, your path to stardom is no longer guaranteed. Poor performance can see you demoted to the AHL, while standout play can have you playing top-line minutes.
Presentation has also received a complete overhaul, making career milestones feel more like true events. New cutscenes and cinematic sequences highlight key moments such as walking into your first NHL locker room, tunnel walkouts before big games, World Juniors and AHL trophy celebrations, hoisting the Stanley Cup, and even a retirement ceremony that gives your final game proper weight. A new media scrum system brings added authenticity, putting you in front of reporters where your answers impact reputation, relationships, and career trajectory. These moments help ground the grind of the season with emotional payoffs that feel earned.
Off the ice, NHL 26 introduces a redesigned hub that keeps your career connected to the bigger picture. The hub tracks your active challenges, surfaces league headlines, and displays a new “form score” that reflects recent performance. This score directly affects ice time, trust from coaches, and your opportunities within the organization, creating constant accountability for how you play.
A major addition this year is the energy and development system, which ties performance, training, recovery, and playing style to long-term growth. Managing your energy is key to unlocking and upgrading X-Factors, rewarding players who balance intensity on the ice with smart choices off it. Your personality also develops along one of two paths, confident or influential, and are based on how you interact with teammates, media, and coaches. Salary perks, endorsements, and lifestyle upgrades further expand the role-playing aspect, giving you more control over your legacy and how you are remembered when your career comes to a close.
Put together, these changes look to make Be A Pro in NHL 26 the deepest and most dynamic version of the mode to date. That said, players will have to wait to see how it all comes together when the game releases for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
NHL 26 releases on September 5 for those who purchase the Deluxe Edition of the game. Those who buy the Standard Edition will get the game on September 12.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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