NHL 25 trailer leaks, Hughes Bros look to be cover athletes
By Brian Allen
With October and the NHL season not that far off, we've been wondering about the relative radio silence regarding NHL 25. Wonder no more, as EA released and then deleted a reveal trailer starring maybe the best story in the National Hockey League.
According to The Hockey News, the trailer featured Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes in front of green screens performing their motion capture duties for NHL 25. The story of three brothers playing professional hockey sells itself. The NHL has nothing else like this. Most sports don't have anything like this.
Vancouver Canucks star Quinn Hughes just won the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the league's best defenseman. He led all players at the position with 92 points (75 assists, 17 goals )last season, and had nine games with at least three assists. Only two other players at his position, Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, have equaled the assist feat. He's the first Canuck ever to win the coveted award.
Luke Hughes was in contention for the Calder Trophy, while Jack is an alternate captain. Both Luke and Jack play for the New Jersey Devils. If all three appear on the cover as suspected, it would be a franchise first.
Touching stories aside, NHL 25 has to work to rebound from a just Ok year. NHL 24 earned a Metacritc rating of 74, basically average. User scores, which admittedly track more negative than critics, are 62 percent negative. The series is in a bit of a slump right now, making a case for the theory that not every sports game needs an annual release.
No official word yet on release, as EA didn't even mean to show us what they did. The trailer, which started out as unlisted, has been changed to private. NHL 24 released Oct. 3, 2023 as a frame of reference. The NHL regular season starts Oct. 4, 2024, so we should hear more soon.