All Superstar X-Factor Abilities in NHL 22 – Full list and descriptions

The NHL franchise has entered the next generation with NHL 22, and this year’s game also includes an addition that has been imported over from Madden: Superstar X-Factors. X-Factors are, in layman’s terms, special abilities that give specific boosts to a particular player, and these boosts can range from generic boosts like increases to faceoffs, to more defined ones, like boosted slap shots from the point. Also, it’s important to note that there are two different types of X-Factors: Superstar abilities and higher-degree Zone abilities.

There’s a lot to breakdown, so let’s go over all the Zone abilities, Superstar abilities, and a look at each player that has an X-Factor in NHL 22.

All Zone X-Factors in NHL 22

These special zone abilities have been broken down into six categories: Skating, Shooting, Passing, Defending, Goaltending, and Hockey IQ. The full list is as follows:

Skating

• Wheels – Elite Skating with Puck
• Elite Edges – Elite Agility in Direction Changes
• In Reverse – Elite Back Skating Ability
• Ankle Breaker – Elite Dekes at Higher Speed

Shooting

• Make it Snappy – Elite Snap Shot in Stride
• Shnipe – Elite Puck Settiling
• One Tee – Elite One Timers
• Thunderclap – Elite Slap Shot from Point
• Heatseeker – Elite Wrist Shots
• Beauty Backhand – Elite Backhand
• Shock and Awe – Elite Shooting out of Toe Drag

Passing

• Tape to Tape – Elite Passing Within Vision
• Send It – Elite Long Passing
• Magnetic – Elite Pass Reception and Puck Pick Up
• Third Eye – Elite Peripheral Passer

Defending

• Yoink! – Elite Defensive Stick Lifts
• Stick ‘Em Up – Elite Defensive Stick
• Shutdown – Great Rush Defending

Goaltending

• Contortionist – Elite Wild Saves Ability
• All or Nothing – Elite Poke Checking
• Dialed In– Maximize Saves when on a Roll
• Post to Post – Elite Post to Post Saves

Hockey IQ

• Puck on a String – Elite Stick Handling
• Quick Pick – Elite Puck Interceptions
• All Alone – Elite Breakaway Finishes
• Quick Draw – Elite Faceoff Ability
• It’s Tricky – Elite Trick Shooting
• Crease Crasher – Elite Rebound Opportunist
• Big Tipper – Elite Shot Deflections

Superstar Abilities

Now here’s a look at the Superstar abilities:

• Dialed In* – Boosts saves when on a roll
• Butterfly Effect* – Great Butterfly goalie
• Handled It* – 1-on-1 saves boost team energy
• Contortionist* – Great wild saves ability
• Last Stand* – Great 1-on-1 saves
• Whirlwind* – Consecutive saves boost energy
• Adventurer* – Great goalie skating
• Sponge* – Great rebound control
• All or Nothing* – Great poke checking
• Post to Post* – Great post to post saves
• X-Ray* – Great vision through screens
• Heatseeker – Great wrist shots
• Seeing Eye – Great shot through screens
• Send It – Great long passing
• Big Rig – Great drives to net
• Unstoppable Force – Great strength with the puck
• No Contest – Great puck battling
• Quick Draw – Great faceoff ability
• Quick Pick – Great puck interception
• Ankle Breaker – Great dekes at higher speed
• Third Eye – Great peripheral passer
• Tape to Tape – Great passing within vision
• Yoink! – Great defensive stick lifts
• Puck on a String – Great stick handling
• One Tee – Great one timers
• It’s Tricky – Great trick shooting
• Wheels – Great skating with puck
• Shnipe – Great puck settling
• Born Leader – Boosts team energy on goals
• Total Eclipse – Great goalie screening
• Big Tipper – Great shot deflections
• Close Quarters – Great in close shooting
• Magnetic – Great pass reception and puck pick up
• Stick ‘Em Up – Great defensive stick
• Bouncer – Great net battling
• Shutdown – Elite rush defending
• Ice Pack – Great shot blocking
• Spin-o-rama – Great spin-o-rama ability
• Back at Ya – Increase payback to hitters
• Shock and Awe – Great shooting out of toe drag
• In Reverse – Great back skating ability
• Make it Snappy – Great snap shot in stride
• Elite Edges – Great agility in direction changes
• Off the Rush – Great slap shot on the rush
• Truculence – Great hitter
• Beauty Backhand – Great backhand
• Crease Crasher – Great rebound opportunist
• Thunder Clap – Great slap shot from the point

Note: * denotes goalie-only ability

X-Factor Players in NHL 22

Here’s a full list of players that will start NHL 22 with X-Factor Zone Abilities:

• Bruins C Patrice Bergeron – Yoink!
• Bruins LW Brad Marchand – Make it Snappy
• Bruins RW David Pastrnak – Shnipe
• Sabres C Jack Eichel – Make it Snappy
• Flames LW Matthew Tkachuk – It’s Tricky
• Hurricanes C Sebastian Aho – Third Eye
• Hurricanes D Jaccob Slavin – Shutdown
• Blackhawks RW Alex DeBrincat – Make it Snappy
• Blackhawks G Marc-Andre Fleury – All-or-Nothing
• Blackhawks D Seth Jones – Quick Pick
• Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane – Puck on a String
• Avalanche LW Gabriel Landeskog – Crease Crasher
• Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon – Ankle Breaker
• Avalanche D Cale Makar – Elite Edges
• Avalanche RW Mikko Rantanen – Tape to Tape
• Stars RW Joe Pavelski – Big Tipper
• Oilers C Leon Draisaitl – Tape to Tape
• Oilers C Connor McDavid – Wheels
• Panthers C Aleksander Barkov – All Alone
• Panthers LW Jonathan Huberdeau – Tape to Tape
• Kings C Anze Kopitar – Quick Pick
• Wild LW Kirill Kaprizov – Tape to Tape
• Canadiens G Carey Price – Post to Post
• Predators D Roman Josi – Send It
• Devils D Dougie Hamilton – Heatseeker
• Islanders C Mat Barzal – Elite Edges
• Rangers D Adam Fox – Tape to Tape
• Rangers LW Artemi Panarin – Make it Snappy
• Rangers C Mika Zibanejad – Magnetic
• Flyers C Sean Courturier – Stick ‘Em Up
• Penguins C Sidney Crosby – Beauty Backhand
• Penguins LW Jake Guentzel – Shnipe
• Penguins D Kris Letang – In Reverse
• Blues C Ryan O’Reilly – Quick Draw
• Lightning D Victor Hedman – Stick ‘Em Up
• Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov – Make it Snappy
• Lightning C Brayden Point – Wheels
• Lightning C Steven Stamkos – One Tee
• Lightning G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Contortionist
• Maple Leafs RW Mitch Marner – Third Eye
• Maple Leafs C Auston Matthews – Shock and Awe
• Canucks C Elias Pettersson – Third Eye
• Golden Knights D Alex Pietrangelo – Shutdown
• Golden Knights RW Mark Stone – Yoink!
• Golden Knights D Shea Theodore – Heatseeker
• Capitals D John Carlson – Thunder Clap
• Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin – One Tee
• Jets LW Kyle Connor – Wheels
• Jets G Connor Hellebuyck – Dialed In
• Jets C Mark Scheifele – Shnipe

Keep in mind that this list is subject to change throughout the year.