EA Sports has announced the newest cover athletes for the upcoming NHL 25, and it’s a family affair. The Hughes brothers (Quinn, Jack, and Luke) become the first set of brothers to grace the cover of the annual hockey title.

NHL 25 marks the second time in three years that the yearly hockey franchise has placed more than one player on their cover, with NHL 23 featuring Trevor Zegras and Sarah Nurse, and the NHL 24 cover featuring Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar.

Quinn Hughes, the oldest of the three brothers, was drafted 7th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the leagues best rookie in 2020 and is the most recent recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the leagues best defenseman.

Jack Hughes was drafted 1st overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, just one year after Quinn. Jack has earned himself 3 consecutive All-Star Game selections and was nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (awarded to the player that shows the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct) for the 2022-2023 Season.

Luke Hughes, the youngest of the three brothers, was drafted 4th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, joining older brother Jack on the team. After a stellar rookie season in 2023-2024 that saw him set a new franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman, he was named as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the leagues best rookie, and was subsequently voted to the All-Rookie Team unanimously.

More details were also shared about the annual hockey title, too. NHL 25 will be powered by a brand-new gameplay intelligence system called ICE-Q, and is designed to give the player the space and ability to be in control of every inch of ice there is. Player skating has been completely revolutionized by the Next-Gen Vision Control system, which allows you move easier on the ice, creating opportunities, walking the blue line, squaring up on an opponent, and a whole lot more.

The CPU Player system has also been improved by Empowered AI, allowing the CPU to execute intricate and authentic plays, make smart decisions off the puck, leading to more opportunities on the powerplay. 

In addition, a wealth of new gameplay modes and structures have been implemented, namely a revamped Franchise Mode, HUT Wildcard Mode, and a single-path XP progression system that is shared across HUT. Last but not least, the introduction of Sapien Technology to NHL 25 brings player likenesses to the next level, meaning your favourite players will look a whole lot more like your favourite players. 

NHL 25 is now available for pre-order with a Standard Edition and a Deluxe Edition available. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition will get you 500 NHL Points, a HUT NHL Player Pack, WOC Battle Pass XP Boost (x2), and an immediate reward in NHL 24 with a digital pre-order (Choice of Quinn, Jack or Luke Hughes at 99 OVR). 

Pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition will get you 7-days of Early Access, including a head start in the initial HUT campaign and WOC season, 4600 NHL Points, HUT NHL Player Pack, HUT “Hockey is Family” Objectives Choice Pack (x2, 82 OVR), HUT Cover Athlete Choice Pack (85 OVR, 1 of 8), HUT Wildcard Starter Choice Pack (84 OVR, 1 of 6), WOC Battle Pass XP Boost (x2), WOC Season 1 Premium Battle Pass, Exclusive WOC Player Set, Immediate Reward In NHL 24 (Choice of Quinn, Jack, or Luke Hughes at 99 OVR).

NHL 25 should be released later on this year, though a specific date has yet to be announced by EA.

Can you hear that sound—sort of like a brushing, friction-y noise? That’s the sound of me rubbing my hands together with devilish glee as I realize that I can finally write about hockey on Kotaku dot com thanks to Ninja and his latest Twitch stream.

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