NHL 15's first screenshot and pre-order details revealed

NHL 15 publisher Electronic Arts released the first screenshot of the upcoming hockey game today, and also revealed the pre-order offers that North American retailers are offering.

The screenshot, which you can see in full 1080p resolution here, comes from the PlayStation 4 / Xbox One version of NHL 15. It features San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton, along with defenseman Scott Hannan in the background. When EA announced NHL 15 and divulged the first details about the game last month, visual improvements — in areas like player faces, jerseys and equipment, along with a much wider variety in crowd models — were one of the major features the company mentioned. Those upgrades are apparent in the image.

EA's pre-order bonus for NHL 15 consists of a number of Gold packs of cards for the game's Hockey Ultimate Team mode, with one pack released every week from the game's launch onward. At Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart in the U.S., and at Best Buy and Future Shop in Canada, pre-order customers will receive 15 Gold packs over the course of 15 weeks — a total of $15 in bonus content. At GameStop in the U.S. and EB Games in Canada, the offer is bumped up to 24 Gold Packs over 24 weeks.

The NHL 15 cover vote concluded yesterday, with the final round pitting Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron against Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban. The winner will be revealed June 24 during the NHL Awards.

NHL 15, which is in development at EA Canada on PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, will be available this fall. For more on the game, check Polygon during the week of E3 next week.