Shifting away from recent years, including last year when they held a bracketed vote that resulted in Patrice Bergeron squaring off against P.K. Subban, EA Sports has already announced their cover athlete for their next installment of the NHL videogame franchise. With the last three years going to stars like Claude Giroux, Martin Brodeur, and our own Patrice Bergeron, EA took a different direction, focusing on the grit and toughness it takes to play in the NHL. Therefore, they picked another Bruin. This time - Daniel Paille. Click here for the full resolution cover.

EA was also excited to announce their new addition to its award-winning Be a Pro mode, that will now have a first-person aspect. As a fringe NHL player, you'll now have the option of walking around the 9th floor. You can gain experience points a variety of ways, either by watching your fellow teammates skate their lines on the ice below, taking shameless selfies with members of the media like Joe Haggerty, tweeting in-game #FridgeAlerts between periods, and entering the GM's office and convincing him to play you more.

On the ice, EA has introduced the new open net challenge. Upon receiving passes from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, you'll shoot the puck as high as you can over the crossbar. The higher you shoot, the further you move up in the depth chart, and if you can ultimately shoot the puck to the 9th floor and knock Brett Connolly and Reilly Smith unconscious, you'll secure your roster spot.

The game also goes into the locker room, where you'll take directly with the coach and team president about your game that day, what units you want to skate with the most, and where you'd like to improve your game.

NHL 16 hits the shelves this September for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Stay tuned for our full review coming this summer.