NHL announces 50-player 'Gaming Challenge'
The NHL, in coordination with ESL Gaming, announced the "NHL Player Gaming Challenge" on Thursday.
The challenge will feature head-to-head battles in EA Sports' NHL 20 between players from all 31 teams.
Even Seattle, the league's 32nd franchise set to take the ice in 2021-22, will be involved, with Seahawks tight end Luke Willson representing the currently unnamed club.
"Over the past several weeks, the NHL, its clubs, and player community have been very active with gaming initiatives in an effort to connect with fans while social distancing - such as charity tournaments, simulated games, and nightly streams," said Chris Golier, NHL vice president of business development and innovation.
"The NHL Player Gaming Challenge presented by Honda will take gaming to another level. We know how competitive our players are, and coupled with the interaction between players, these series of competitions will be extremely fun to watch."
Games will begin on April 30 and run over the course of four weeks. All matchups will be available to watch through Sportsnet, NBCSN, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Here's a look at every team's representatives:
| Team | Player(s) |
|---|---|
| Ducks | Cam Fowler |
| Coyotes | Conor Garland/Clayton Keller |
| Bruins | Jake DeBrusk/Charlie McAvoy |
| Sabres | Brandon Montour |
| Flames | Noah Hanifin/Matthew Tkachuk |
| Hurricanes | Warren Foegele |
| Blackhawks | Drake Caggiula/Alex DeBrincat |
| Blue Jackets | Elvis Merzlikins/Zach Werenski |
| Avalanche | J.T. Compher |
| Stars | Stephen Johns/Jamie Oleksiak |
| Red Wings | Madison Bowey/Anthony Mantha |
| Oilers | Caleb Jones/Darnell Nurse |
| Panthers | Jonathan Huberdeau |
| Kings | Michael Amadio/Blake Lizotte |
| Wild | Devan Dubnyk/Jordan Greenway |
| Canadiens | Victor Mete/Nick Suzuki |
| Predators | Filip Forsberg |
| Devils | Mackenzie Blackwood |
| Islanders | Matt Martin |
| Rangers | Chris Kreider |
| Senators | Brady Tkachuk/Chris Tierney |
| Flyers | Jame van Riemsdyk |
| Penguins | Zach Aston-Reese/Bryan Rust |
| Sharks | Evander Kane/Marcus Sorensen |
| Seattle | Luke Willson (Seahawks TE) |
| Blues | Colton Parayko/Robert Thomas |
| Lightning | Tyler Johnson |
| Maple Leafs | Zach Hyman |
| Canucks | Thatcher Demko/Adam Gaudette |
| Golden Knights | Ryan Reaves/Alex Tuch |
| Capitals | Evgeny Kuznetsov |
| Jets | Anthony Bitetto/Kyle Connor |