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The Ultimate Team mode that's so popular in EA Sports' NHL franchise is growing in NHL 14 with online seasons, publisher Electronic Arts announced this week.
Developer EA Canada is taking the same structure from online seasons in the FIFA Soccer games and bringing it into NHL 14. Your team will compete in ranked divisions; do better and you'll move up, but play poorly and you'll drop in the ranks.
Better performance will provide you with rewards in the form of EA Pucks, in-game currency that you can spend on additional card packs. And you'll earn in-game trophies for winning division titles, league titles and playoff cup tournaments. In addition, EA Pucks can now be earned in game modes outside of Ultimate Team, so you have more opportunities to add to your Ultimate Team funds. You'll be able to spend those pucks more smartly with the game's Auction Assistant, who will provide information that helps you to place appropriate bids.
NHL 14 will be released Sept. 10 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out our preview and interview for more on its NHL '94 Anniversary Mode. EA has put together a full guide to NHL 14 Ultimate Team; you can peruse it here.