In this week’s NHL Franchise Feature we look at a feature introduced in NHL 11 that has totally changed the way hockey gamers play NHL with the  Hockey Ultimate Team game mode.  Along with HUT, the EA SPORTS Ultimate Hockey League (EAUHL) was built and currently holds over 100,000 teams vying for virtual Season Trophies and EAUHL Championships.
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The idea of Hockey Ultimate Team and came about with understanding that it was important that gamers have the ability to create their own team and collect players that they wanted to play with.
“The main thing we wanted to create was a kind of franchise mode for people who play online,” says Producer Andy Agostini. “With the ability to train players into superstars, manage a salary cap and build team chemistry, you’d be able to give your team every advantage when it faces other teams in the EAUHL.  We believe we’ve provided that.”
Following in the footsteps of the FIFA and Madden franchises, the NHL’s version of Ultimate Team is similar yet has a unique flavor that separates itself from the others with the implementation of monthly seasons, playoffs, and real-world prizing.
“After seeing the success of Football Ultimate Team we had always been interested in the idea of Hockey Ultimate Team,” continues Agostini.  ”When we decided to build the feature in NHL 11 we went and spoke with the FIFA developers to discuss how they made this great feature.  After that discussion we decided create the feature but with a hockey spin to it.”
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Scott Vanderspek, GM of team BLACKOUT on the XBOX 360, found himself on top of the Leaderboards as the Overall EAUHL Champion last fall.  ”HUT is a very exciting game mode which is sort of a cross between the Be a GM mode and Online Versus Play,” stated Vanderspek who also earned a trip to the Winter Classic this past January with his Season Championship.  ”Players who enjoy customizing their team to best suit their style of play, as well as the intense competition involved in online play, will love this game mode.”
“Another great aspect of Hockey Ultimate Team is the ability to play a variety of different teams which contrasts with traditional Versus play in that the majority of your opponents will choose from a select number of elite teams in the NHL which can become quite repetitive,” says Vanderspek.
“The idea of creating a team and managing it so that you can put the players you want on the ice and proving that they can win was one that drew us to the feature,” says Agostini.  ”Fantasy Sports are built on this model and fans think they can build a better team than the general managers and coaches of their favorite teams.”
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As with many new game modes, there’s usually room for improvements and it’s usually our top players that provide some of the best feedback.
“One area that I would like to see improvements in is with the reduction in the amount of certain popular players,” states Vanderspek.  ”Playing online, it seems as though at least half of your opponents tend to have a Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle.  I find this strange seeing as the odds of seeing a Crosby, Malkin or Ovechkin are so low.”
Sounds like every GM in the NHL to me, who wouldn’t want more Crosbys, Malkins or Oveckins!  But I get your drift, and luckily Agostini and the rest of the team are confident that there will be plenty of improvements that current and new HUT fans will be sure to appreciate.
“We are always trying to improve the modes we create,” says Agostini.  ”Hockey Ultimate Team will be something we’re looking at this year as well.”
Look out for the first NHL 12 screenshot on the EA SPORTS NHL Facebook Fanpage this week and the first NHL 12 Feature Reveal video on IGN.com next week!