EA Sports confirms NHL 22 update: Men's and women's IIHF national teams will be added with World Juniors content

Dani Mohr

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EA Sports confirms NHL 22 update: Men's and women's IIHF national teams will be added with World Juniors content image

A whole new world of hockey is being added to EA Sports' video game, NHL '22. 

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) players will become available for the first time, including men's and women's national teams and the World Juniors Championships. The announcement also confirmed that women's national stars such as Hilary Knight and Marie Philip-Poulin will be available to play as early as January 2022.

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“The introduction of women’s national teams to NHL 22 as part of the upcoming IIHF content will be an important moment for the franchise in its continued effort to reflect the diversity of the hockey community,” said Sean Ramjagsingh, VP and GM, EA SPORTS in a statement. “We are proud to feature playable women’s teams for the first time in NHL 22, alongside the rising stars on the World Juniors teams.”

The World Juniors content will be available in-game as part of a patch starting Dec. 9, and fans will be able to play as their favorite men's and women's national players in World Hockey Championships as early as January 2022.  Federations, logos, and uniforms will be available in Ultimate Team and World of Chel, and Play Now rosters will be updated to the latest official teams as they are announced, per EA Sports. 

According to a report from The Ice Garden, EA Sports' rosters will be accurate as of August 2021 and that there will be no active NCAA players in the game. However, EA Sports clarified the statement by saying, "We’ll be working closely with the IIHF in regards to having the most up-to-date rosters possible." 

Canadian hockey star and Team Canada captain Marie Philip-Poulin shared her excitement to social media regarding the announcement. "Playing for my country has been one of my greatest accomplishments," Phili-Poulin captioned a Tweet with the EA Sports' promotion video. "Soon I’ll be able to represent Canada in NHL '22." 

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Dani Mohr