NHL 17: Chicago Blackhawks Team Ratings Revealed

NHL 17 Beta Released

Summer can usually be a dark and lonely time for Hockey fans. There is no NHL to watch and 29 fan bases are left with no reason to be happy. Thankfully, many fans take advantage of the hockey-less period to brush up on their skills in the virtual world and trade in their hockey sticks for controller sticks.

EA Sports has been the hands-down leader in hockey video gaming, receiving numerous awards over the years for their efforts in the NHL series. This year’s installment, NHL 17, has already garnered a largely positive reception from its Beta-testing, which officially started on July 28. 

More from Editorials

• Blackhawks: Changes to the coaching staff are a step in the right direction
• Chicago Blackhawks: Reasons for optimism and cause for concern
• Blackhawks: Kick off four game road trip against Kraken
• Recapping the Jeremy Colliton era with the Chicago Blackhawks
• Chicago Blackhawks have a lingering goalie problem

New features, in-game improvements, more customization, and an improved online experience for gamers makes NHL 17 a highly anticipated release for any hockey fan.

While the rest of the world has to wait until the official release of the game on September 13, some have gotten their hands on the beat-version and here is what we know about the Chicago Blackhawks, so far.

Blackhawks Defense Lacking

While individual ratings have yet to be released, the team over at Destructoid has been able to release the overall team ratings. Here are some takeaways:

• Playing with the Maple Leafs may lead to you having a bad time.
• Even though the Penguins just won the Stanley Cup, they have the worst goaltending rating in the game at 79 overall.
• Tampa Bay’s 93 overall rating on offense is the highest in the NHL.
• San Jose posts the best defensive rating in the NHL at 94 overall
• The New York Rangers have the best goaltending rating at 95 overall, not surprising.
• The worst offense in the NHL goes to the Carolina Hurricanes with an 84 overall rating. So much for the additions of Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen, eh?
• Finally, while Toronto has the worst defensive rating in the league at 81 overall, three teams are tied for the next worst defensive core in the game with the Hurricanes, Arizona Coyotes, and Blackhawks all coming in at 87 overall.

Had this beta-version of NHL 17 been released before the free agency period opened, I wouldn’t be surprised by Chicago’s 87. But with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarrson, and free agent addition Brian Campbell all being rated above 80 based off of their NHL 16 ratings, how low does EA Sports think that players like Michal Kempny and Trevor van Riemsdyk rank?

Check it out: Patrick Kane Top Fantasy Hockey Player In 2016-17

While Kempny is an unknown, van Riemsdyk would have to most likely improve on his 76 overall rating from NHL 16, right? It remains to be seen, as the individual player ratings are expected to be released later in August as the games release date approaches.

Another Blackhawks note for NHL 17 is that this great celebration is now available to use in-game:

Pretty sure every Blackhawks fan will equip their NHL players with that celebration. Also, pretty sure that this beautiful celebration will be EVERYONE’S favorite in NHL 17: 

The Stick-Flip. In all its glory.

So what do you think? Are the Blackhawks rated fairly? What stands out to you in the early look at NHL 17? Let us know in the comment section below!

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
• Chicago Blackhawks Winning- Temper Those Expectations
• Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
• Chicago Blackhawks: A Lukas Reichel Promotion is the Long Term Goal
• Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward