NHL 22 introduces women's hockey teams
National teams were added to NHL 22, among which were women's teams, which happened for the first time in the history of the simulator. Together with them, the World Hockey Championship appeared in the game.
Today, the IIHF, in partnership with EA SPORTS, officially unveiled playable women's teams and full rosters for the first time in NHL 22, with the inclusion of the women's international teams and the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship in the latest patch update for the popular ice hockey video game.
Starting today, players can take to the ice with female icons such as Team Canada's Marie-Philippe Poulain, Team USA's Hilary Knight, Finland's Jenny Hiirikoski, Japan's Akane Hosomayada, Switzerland's Lara Stalder and many more across multiple modes. .
“It was such a privilege for me to lace up my digital skates for the first time in NHL 22, and doing it while playing for my country makes it all the more surreal,” said Team Canada captain Marie-Philippe Poulain. "Representation matters and I'm thrilled that every young girl who picks up a controller to play NHL 22 can feel that hockey is a sport for her too."
“Today we have taken a positive step to ensure a stronger representation of women in the digital ice hockey landscape,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif. "I would like to thank our national member associations for their strong support for the project and EA Sports for their interest in and commitment to this goal."
The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is also now playable as part of this latest update. Sixteen international men's teams and ten international women's teams have been added to NHL 22, each available in a variety of game modes including Play Now, Online VS, Threes Now and Shootout, as well as their respective World Championship modes. More countries are expected to be added in upcoming seasons.
The IIHF men's and women's teams follow the introduction of the prestigious IIHF Junior World Championship, which was added last month along with the various federations, logos and kits available in Ultimate Team and World of Chel.
"Introducing this latest IIHF content to NHL 22 continues the evolution of the franchise to reflect the growing diversity of its fan base,” said Sean Ramjagsingh, EA SPORTS Vice President and General Manager. "We're so proud to be showcasing this stellar talent from around the world - and women's international teams in particular - when they debut at Chel."
This collaboration with EA Sports is another step towards the IIHF's vision of enhancing the women's game in terms of participation, awareness and professionalism. The IIHF continues to work with all stakeholders to take concrete action, empower and develop girls and women in ice hockey, and unleash the passion for the women's game at all levels, whether on the ice or virtually.