NHL 25 Patch Blog 3 + Coaches Update

Hey NHL Fans,

Patch 1.2.0 releases today at 1 PM ET. Please complete all online-enabled games ahead of the scheduled go-live time. Following the deployment of the patch, there is an expected downtime of up to one hour.

Let’s get into this update, which includes the addition of official NHL coach likenesses, gameplay updates, and more.

NHL 25 Coaches Update

We’re excited to announce the arrival of all 32 official NHL coaches in EA SPORTS NHL 25, along with their unique personalities and strategies they employ in the real world.

This Coaches update will span across a multitude of modes, with the coaches providing their signature schemes and traits to the league.

Each coach has a slew of attributes that symbolize their real-world strengths. For example, a coach like John Tortorella brings a physical coaching style and specializes in developing veteran players. Additional areas of differentiation include Power Play, PK, Teaching, and Influence. These traits will be important distinctions between how teams play and develop.

Each coach's actual team history and record will be shown in-game and will be updated based on future teams that they may sign with and results within your franchise mode.

Now let’s get into the rest of the updates:

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue with players' sticks colliding with the puck during Stumbles.
• Fixed an issue when fast-forward to a new shift and getting scored on
• Fixed an issue where the Skill Based One Timer on Ice Feedback wasn’t appearing for skaters with One T Zone X-Factor
• Added additional error to passes aimed directly at the goalie while within close range
• Fixed alignment issues with Chop Puck to help increase the success rate of Chop Puck while stationary and skating
• Fixed an issue when a user disconnects in an online game which results in 2 AI players causing a line change
• Fixed a rare issue where CPU may not skate onto a loose puck in the defensive zone when in position to obtain it
• Fixed an issue that blocked goalies from making certain saves while leaving Hug Post into Butterfly
• Fixed an issue where CPU players with Back At Ya Zone ability were not able to execute a Reverse Hit
• Fixed a rare issue where a CPU player with the puck skated back into their zone when they should be focused on attacking
• Fixed an issue with Skill Based One Timers not triggering One Knee down shot animations when successfully timed
• Fixed an issue where a Goalie Poke check on a loose puck can cause the goalie to get out of position and miss the puck
• Fixed an issue where a Goalie can overslide their movement when tracking a puck banked off the end boards
• Fixed a rare animation issue when a skater skates too close to the net and the model looks disjointed
• Fixed a rare end-of-period crash that could trigger while shooting the puck at the end of a period
• Updated plays for 1-3-1 power play
• Updated plays for Passive, Standard, and Aggressive 3-on-3 OT In Zone Strategies

Gameplay Tuner Notes:

Developer Feedback: Setting up a perfect Skill Based One Timer is a rewarding hockey play and we want players to feel the satisfaction of hammering home the puck. We want to be very mindful of any adjustments that may reduce their effectiveness. This update reduces some of the additional bonuses applied to Skill Based One Timer shots which can impact the Goalies indirectly.

• Reduced Stamina Drain on Skill Based One Timer saves.
• Reduced bonus Shot Accuracy applied to perfectly timed Skill Based One Timer shots.

Game Modes

• Added all 32 current NHL Head Coaches in Franchise Mode, Season Mode, Online VS, and Play Now
• Fixed an issue where a player's Draft Class year value was being reset to Undrafted after saving within Edit Player from the Main Menu

Franchise Mode

• Fixed a crash when editing some generated players within the mode
• Fixed an issue where gameplay sliders were being reset after playing a game
• Fixed an issue where players with trade lists could be traded to a team not on their trade list
• Fixed an issue where the Standings tiebreaker used Regulation + Overtime Wins before Regulation Wins
• Fixed an issue where the Franchise HUB ticker didn't prioritize showing signings during the offseason
• Fixed an issue where the draft pick team ownership shown on an incoming trade offer could show incorrectly during the trade deadline mini-game
• Fixed an issue where the NHL Coach card would show entering the AHL Coach card from the Edit Lines screen
• Fixed an issue where using sim intervene could show incorrect goalie stats for that game within the box score
• Improved CPU logic when signing drafted prospects
• Misc crash and UI fixes

Franchise Mode Conversations & Contract Negotiations:

• Fixed an issue where an empty text string could show when assigning long-term goals to some defenseman
• Fixed an issue where morale values could sometimes reset when impacted by conversations
• Fixed an issue where the user could add clauses to a 2-way contract offer within the negotiation after re-entering the conversation
• Fixed an issue where the previously discussed contract reset to below league minimum when re-entering the negotiation after a player declines an offer
• Fixed an issue where the player's new interest in an organization was not being calculated immediately at the time of an “organization persuade” succeeding or failing within a contract negotiation
• Fixed an issue where a player's “organization interest” wouldn't decrease after failing an “organization persuade”
• Fixed an issue where some playoff series focus options were not causing negative impacts
• Fixed an issue where the player's contract interest remained high when evaluating low-salary offers
• Fixed an issue where a contract promise could fail if the player was playing higher in the lineup than promised
• Added a 5-game buffer from the start of the regular season for contract promises (buffer scales down when using shorter custom league schedules)
• Improved tuning for contract negotiations, pre-season focus, and offseason development conversations
• Added additional info widgets within Conversations and the Contract Negotiation flow

World of CHEL

• Added Bloomington Bison and Tahoe Knight Monsters logos to Customize Team
• Fixed the Club Rewards screen being accessible while matchmaking
• Fixed Special Characters not displayed if equipped during the World of CHEL initial character creation
• Fixed a rare occurrence where the game would soft-lock when quickly dismissing messages in the World of CHEL Tutorial
• Fixed a crash occurring when quickly entering and exiting items in the Store several times
• Fixed an error occurring when entering gameplay after copying and pasting a loadout
• Fixed incorrect cropping of item images in the Store
• Fixed an issue where the game would soft-lock when accessing Live Events through banner tiles
• Fixed Store timers moving when selecting items in the Store
• Fixed matchmaking not working correctly if a user entered “Free Skate” before attempting to matchmake
• Fixed “Apply Team Colors” causing the UI to jump to the top of the list in Customize”
• Fixed error message appearing when attempting to access World of CHEL with a socially restricted account
• Fixed “Invite a Player” action displayed when not part of a club
• Fixed the “Rotate Player” action missing in some screens in Customize
• Fixed navigation when selecting jerseys in the Club Dressing Room
• Fixed navigation widget misplaced when selecting jerseys in the Club Dressing Room
• Fixed soft lock occurring when users sign out after finding a match and re-attempt to matchmake again
• Fixed a text issue with the EASHL 3v3 Club Finals Progression screen
• Fixe an occurrence where the “Finding Opponents” UI would not appear in Ones Eliminator
• Fixed an occurrence where the Ones Eliminator tile would disappear if trying to enter as a group
• Fixed an error occurring when losing round 1 of Threes Eliminator and attempting to matchmake again with a new club
• Fixed Player Progression tab appearing blank in Live Events post-game
• Fixed background color for Live Event timers
• Fixed Live Events rewards not showing XP Multiplayer Token reward if the event was completed but the match was lost
• Fixed an issue where Private Match Grudge Match set to "No" still triggers Grudge Matches
• Fixed a rare crash in the Store
• Fixed a rare crash when entering World of CHEL
• Fixed scoreboard stopping at 0.1 seconds at the end of a match
• Fixed Grudge Matches still triggering even after they're manually disabled
• Fixed overlapping of match searching timer with other UI elements when some users were not in a ready state
• Fixed NHL and AHL colors not appearing in the color selector in Customize
• Fixed goalie special character intro animation not playing correctly with a left-handed goalie
• Fixed item preview not working correctly when accessing World of CHEL through the Special Character banner in the Main Menu
• Fixed player indicators appearing in the wrong positions during Gameplay

Presentation

Cameras

• Fixed cameras looking at the wrong bench during hat trick celebration
• Added more camera variation in the post-game menu replays

Grudge Match

• Fixed grammatical bug that showed "0 wins" as "0 win"
• Team Shots in the Grudge Match intro have been updated for improved variety, and fixes to handedness bugs 

Broadcast

• Fixed bug where goal scorer's celebration ends early when cutting to "Big Game Ending" NIS
• Fixed bug where teammates do not properly celebrate after scoring a goal in OT
• Fixed issue where the post-goal group hug has a broken player when scoring with an extra attacker on the ice (e.g. pulled goalie)
• Fixed an issue where the sync screen (wipe) stays up until the next faceoff when a post-goal group hug is skipped
• Fixed an issue where the wrong team's coach was being displayed during moments of coach dissatisfaction
• Fixed an issue with the Digital Dashers where the scoring player's name wasn't appearing post-goal
• General improvement to the smoothness of transition when transitioning from Gameplay to NIS
• Fixed a bug in Ones Eliminator where the OT countdown SFX would continually trigger

Replays

• Fixed an issue that showed a goal replay after stoppages for saves and penalties
• Fixed an issue to properly show the right X-Factor ability in post-goal sizzle replays, it was incorrectly showing the “Zone” ability instead of the “Grudge” ability

Menus

• Fixed an issue that was causing user-customized player portraits to appear rotated in menus

Be A Pro

• Fixed an issue where conversations with Utah front-office staff references another club

Flex Camera logic changes in OFFLINE MODES (Franchise, BaP, Play Now) and HUT

• AUTO Flex celebrations no longer occur for humans or CPU
• Flex celebrations can only be activated MANUALLY by human users hitting Y / Triangle immediately after a goal

Hockey Ultimate Team

• Fixed an issue with Wild Card where salaries were not updated when a player had been upgraded
• Fixed the custom horn setting in HUT, so that the horn should now be played when you score a goal.
• Fixed an issue where the player lineup screen disappears from the "Manage Team" menu when switching between "Play Offline" and "Play Online" within Wildcard.
• Fixed an issue where the Objectives title bar is missing on certain screens

Updates:

• Added XP path feedback into the objectives screen
• Added in XP Path info and tab to HUT Champs post-match flow
• Added in XP Path info and tab to Competitive Seasons post-match flow

Art

Players

• Fixed an issue where an EA SPORTS Logo was being displayed on the Kelowna Rockets Alternate jersey
• Fixed Dark Shadow on the Goalie blockers in instant replay
• Fixed an issue involving Skater casual jerseys clipping through the body in instant replay
• Fixed Hair Style 18
• Fixed misplaced Fanatics logo on the Carolina Hurricanes Home Uniform
• Fixed mustache facial hair appearing low quality
• No more Clipping seen with WoC Casual Male Asset Tops, Goalie Pants & Goalie Jerseys
• Wrong logo rotation on default FE uniform pants
• Pulsing Identifiers are now present on the socks

Be A Pro

• Updated logos on the hoodie during the coach conversation for the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Utah Hockey Club in Be a Pro

Presentation

• Heckler now faces the right direction, no longer clipping through overlay during EASHL 6v6 penalty NIS
• Animations - Intro/Outro - In post-Stanley Cup Final Handshake NIS, Facial smile animation is no longer broken
• Scoring with Gold Player now emits GOLD Fireworks not RED, to communicate the gameplay

Environments

• Fixed an issue where Faceoff Lightshows for Dallas, Buffalo, Edmonton, and Tampa were faster than intended. Reduced overlap with the blue dot
• Threes arenas exterior lighting is fixed to allow better blending of visual effects
• Fixed an issue in HUT Wild Card 5X5 with power rings displaying only green and black colors
• Crowd With Parkas are no longer missing Hair Assets
• Textures near the helicopter on The Peak are fixed

User Interface

• Player name indicators are now in the correct position in Quickplay 3 vs 3 of World of Chel

Stability

• Fixed an issue where if the game was on for an extended period, a crash would occasionally occur

Updated the following team’s center ice art:

NHL

• Boston Bruins
• Carolina Hurricanes
• Detroit Red Wings
• Los Angeles Kings
• Nashville Predators
• New Jersey Devils
• St. Louis Blues
• San Jose Sharks
• Toronto Maple Leafs

AHL

• Henderson Silver Knights

ECHL

• Florida Everblades

ICEHL

• EC iDM Wärmpumpen ID VSV
• Spusu Vienna Capitals

Uniforms

The following uniforms have been added or updated in NHL 25:

AHL

• Cleveland Monsters - Away and Third
• Coachella Valley Firebirds – Third
• Grand Rapids Griffins – Home and Away
• Hershey Bears – Home and Away
• Iowa Wild – Third
• Laval Rocket – Home and Away
• San Jose Barracuda – Home, Away, and Third
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – Third

ECHL

• Adirondack Thunder – Home and Away
• Allen Americans – Home and Away
• Cincinnati Cyclones – Away
• Fort Wayne Komets – Home, Away, Third, and Fourth
• Greenville Swamp Rabbits – Home and Away
• Idaho Steelheads – Home, Away, and Third
• Indy Fuel – Home and Away
• Iowa Heartlanders – Home, Away, and Third
• Jacksonville Icemen – Home, Away, and Third
• Kalamazoo Wings – Home, Away, and Third
• Kansas City Mavericks – Home, Away, and Third
• Maine Mariners – Third
• Norfolk Admirals – Home and Away
• Orlando Solar Bears – Home and Away
• Rapid City Rush – Home and Away
• Tulsa Oilers – Third
• Wheeling Nailers – Home and Third
• Wichita Thunder – Home and Away

Canadian Hockey League

• Acadie-Bathurst Titan – Third
• Brampton Steelheads – Home and Away
• Chicoutimi Sagueneens – Home and Away
• Erie Otters – Fourth
• Everett Silvertips – Home and Away
• Flint Firebirds – Third
• Kamloops Blazers – Third
• Kelowna Rockets – Third
• Moose Jaw Warriors – Third
• Prince George Cougars – Home, Away, and Third
• Quebec Remparts – Third
• Regina Pats – Fourth
• Saint John Sea Dogs – Third
• Spokane Chiefs – Third
• Swift Current Broncos – Fourth
• Vancouver Giants – Third

DEL

• Adler Mannheim – Home, Away, and Third
• Augsburger Panther – Home, Away, and Third
• Bremerhaven Fischtown Pinguins – Home, Away and Third
• Dusseldorfer EG – Home, Away and Third
• EHC Red Bull Munchen – Home and Away
• Eisbaren Berlin – Home, Away and Third
• ERC Ingolstadt – Home, Away and Third
• Grizzlys Wolfsburg – Home, Away and Third
• Iserlohn Roosters – Home, Away and Third
• Kolner Haie – Home and Away
• Lowen Frankfurt – Home and Away
• Nuremberg Ice Tigers – Home and Away
• Schwenninger Wild Wings – Home, Away, and Third
• Straubing Tigers – Home and Away

ICEHL

• EC IDM Wärmepumpen VSV – Home and Away
• EC-KAC – Home and Away
• EC Red Bull Salzburg – Home and Away
• HCB Sudtirol Alperia – Home and Away
• HC Pustertal Wolfe – Home and Away
• HC TIWAG Innsbruck – Home and Away
• HK SZ Olimpija – Home and Away
• Hydro Fehervar AV19 – Home and Away
• Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey – Home and Away
• Moser Medical Graz 99ers – Home and Away
• Pioneers Vorarlburg – Home and Away
• SPUSU Vienna Capitals – Home and Away
• Steinbach Black Wings Linz – Home and Away

Liiga

• HPK – Home and Away
• KalPa Kuopio – Home and Away
• KooKoo Kouvola – Home and Away
• Lahden Pelicans – Home and Away
• Oulun Karpat – Home, Away and Third
• Porin Assat – Home and Away
• Rauman Lukko – Home and Away
• Tampereen Ilves – Home, Away and Third
• Vaasan Sport – Home and Away

National League

• EHC Biel-Bienne – Home and Away
• EHC Kloten – Home and Away
• EV Zug – Home and Away
• Fribourg-Gotteron – Home and Away
• Geneve Servette – Home and Away
• HC Ajoie - Home and Away
• HC Ambri-Piotta – Home and Away
• HC Davos – Home and Away
• HC Lausanne - Home and Away
• HC Lugano - Home and Away
• Rapperswil-Jona Lakers - Home and Away
• SC Bern – Home and Away
• SCL Tigers – Home and Away
• ZSC Lions – Home and Away

HockeyAllsvenskan

• AIK – Home and Away
• BIK Karlskoga – Home and Away
• IF Bjorkloven – Home and Away
• IK Oskarshamn – Home and Away
• Kalmar HC – Home and Away
• Nybro Vikings IF – Home and Away
• Ostersunds IK – Home and Away
• Sodertalje SK – Home and Away
• Tingsryds AIF – Home and Away
• VIK Vasteras HK – Home and Away

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