NHL 16 contains several game modes; "Be a GM", where the player controls the general manager of a team of their choice, "Be a Pro", where the player controls their own custom player and progresses his career, Hockey Ultimate Team, where the player collects cards of real-life players, build a team, and then take on either players online or A.I. teams, and EA Sports Hockey League, abbreviated as EASHL, a multiplayer-only mode where players can use their own custom player to join other teams, also with custom players controlled by other people, and take on other teams.[1][2] The EASHL returns after being dropped from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of NHL 15. It features some changes in its progression system to address balance issues, including a switch to a class-based progression model similar to Be a Pro mode, and the removal of attributes and boosts.[3] A beta for the EASHL mode was available for NHL 15 owners from July 30 to August 10.[3]
Other features included are offline and online shootout modes, online team play, which has the user take control of players from real-life teams, and online versus, a simple head-to-head match.[2] Returning to the game is the NBC Sports Network-style presentation, which features the network's score bug as well as commentary provided by Mike "Doc" Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (color), and Ray Ferraro (ice-side reporter). Emrick and Olczyk's actual selves are present during the pregame intro cutscenes.