On Monday, EA SPORTS announced the 50 elite players that will receive Superstar X-Factor abilities in NHL 22. The new Superstar X-Factor ability system introduces special skills and maneuvers to the game that are inspired by the league’s top players.
Superstar X-Factor abilities were first mentioned in the NHL 22 gameplay reveal trailer released last month. Inspired by the top players in the NHL, Superstar X-Factor abilities are signature moves that help differentiate the players and make for more immersive gameplay. The abilities are divided into six categories: skating, shooting, passing, defending, goaltending, and hockey IQ. You can find out more about each ability on the NHL 22 website.
NHL 22 – Superstar X-Factor Players List
Below is the full list of Superstar X-Factor players and their special Zone abilities in NHL 22, in no particular order.
- Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Shock and Awe – Boost Shots after Dekes
- Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
- Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride
- David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)
- Shnipe – Elite Catch and Release of Shots
- Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
- Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing
- Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
- Ankle Breaker – Deke at Higher Speed
- Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche)
- Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Contortionist – Boosts Wild Saves Ability
- Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Puck on a String – Elite Stick Handling
- Matt Barzal (New York Islanders)
- Elite Edges – Great Speed into Directional Changes
- Seth Jones (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Quick Pick – Boosts Puck Interceptions
- Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
- Stick ‘Em Up – Boost Stick Checks
- Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
- Elite Edges – Great Speed into Directional Changes
- Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
- All Alone – Elite Shot on the Breakaway
- Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride
- Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
- Wheels – Great Skating with Puck
- Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)
- Yoink! – Improves Stick Checks without Penalty
- Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
- Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride
- Joe Pavelski (Dallas Stars)
- Big Tipper – Elite Level Deflections
- Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Shnipe – Elite Catch and Release of Shots
- Ryan O’Reilly (St. Louis Blues)
- Quick Draw – Elite Level Faceoffs
- Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Wheels – Great Skating with Puck
- Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Third Eye – Great Peripheral Passer
- Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche)
- Crease Crasher – Elite Rebound Opportunist
- Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
- Yoink! – Improves Stick Checks without Penalty
- Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
- One Tee – Elite One-Timers
- John Carlson (Washington Capitals)
- Thunderclap – Elite Slap Shot from the Point
- Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
- Post to Post – Elite Post to Post Saves
- Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride
- Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers)
- Stick ‘Em Up – Boosts Stick Checks
- Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- In Reverse – Elite Back Skating Ability
- Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Beauty Backhand – Elite Backhand
- Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Third Eye – Great Peripheral Passer
- Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
- Shutdown – Elite 1 on 1 Defending
- Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights)
- Heatseeker – Elite Wrist Shots
- Marc Andre Fleury (Chicago Blackhawks)
- All or Nothing – Elite Poke Checking
- Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers)
- Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing
- Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks)
- Third Eye – Great Peripheral Passer
- Adam Fox (New York Rangers)
- Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing
- Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild)
- Tape to Tape – Elite Core Passing
- Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers)
- Magnetic – Elite Pass Reception and Puck Pick Up
- Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets)
- Shnipe – Elite Catch and Release of Shots
- Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)
- Dialed In – Elite Poke Checking
- Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Shutdown – Elite 1 on 1 Defending
- Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary Flames)
- It’s Tricky – Elite Trick Shooting
- Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
- Quick Pick – Boosts Puck Interceptions
- Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- One Tee – Elite One-Timers
- Roman Josi (Nashville Predators)
- Send It – Elite Long Passing
- Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres)
- Make It Snappy – Boosts Snap Shot from Stride
- Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey Devils)
- Heatseeker – Elite Wrist Shots
- Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets)
- Thunderclap – Elite Slap Shot from the Point
NHL 22 will release on October 15, 2021 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. Stay tuned for more news and game updates.