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3 Golden Knights players given Superstar X-Factor abilities in NHL 22

EA Sports’ latest installment of the NHL video game series is undergoing a major overhaul for its first edition in next-generation gaming.

One of those features in NHL 22 is the Superstar X-Factor abilities. It’s much similar to that of what the Madden series does, but the NHL will start with 50 stars that have these unique abilities.

EA announced Monday that Golden Knights star defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore, as well as captain Mark Stone will receive Superstar X-Factor abilities when the game launches Oct. 15 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and Xbox One.

The abilities are separated into two categories; game-changing Zone abilities, and enhanced Superstar abilities. Each player gets one Zone ability that defines their impact on the game, and then sub levels of Superstar abilities.

In the case of the Golden Knights, based on the art above, Pietrangelo has the “Shutdown” ability which is for elite 1-on-1 defending. For Vegas’ top end-to-end defenseman playing 28 minutes a night, that’s a pretty reliable trait.

Theodore’s ability is “Heatseeker” for elite wrist shots. Makes sense for him being one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, having been voted sixth in Norris Trophy voting in consecutive seasons. Having an elite wrist shot is great when you can already do things like this.

Stone, the two-time Selke Trophy finalist, has the “Yoink!” ability, which improves stick checks without penalty. Far many highlights have shown Stone’s ability to dazzle on the offensive side, but there’s something about a good two-minute montage of Stone just snatching the puck away.

It’ll be interesting to see how NHL 22 transitions to the Frostbite Engine, as well as being on next-gen consoles. The past few years of the game have seen some improvements aesthetically, but the gameplay has been lacking.

We’ll have a full review of the game when it launches (because who doesn’t love video game content?) and we’ll circle back later for a full rundown of it at a later time.

You can check out the other 47 players (including a certain former goalie that played on this team) and their Superstar abilities here.