World of Chel, also known as EASHL is the most played game mode in NHL, and for good reason. The game mode allows players to play in 3v3 or 6v6 games with either other players or CPUs, either by playing in your own club or via drop ins. The game mode offers a to n of customizable options, from customizing your clubs' arena, jerseys, and mascot, to your players celebration, gear, and what get's thrown on the ice when they get a hat trick. It's a great game mode to play with a bunch of friends, but the grind aspect of the game is lacking, and that's something that needs fixing.
When it comes to the rewards system, whenever the player achieves a major milestone like leveling up, scoring 100 goals, or ranking up they receive hockey bags full of gear their player can use. While it sounds nice, the hockey bags have lost their luster over the last handful of years. Opening a bag and receiving mediocre gear that players barely use, the struggle with opening the actual bags themselves, and the fact that you can't pick and choose any specific gear has been something players have been disappointed with for a long time.
However, there is one major solution EA could implement to make this game mode more rewarding for fans; A battle pass.
For those who are unfamiliar with what a battle pass is, basically it is a pathway that players level up by simply playing the game. As they level up and reach new tiers, they unlock new items to use. Popular games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Call of Duty use battle passes as a way to encourage players to grind the game more and to earn more money. All of the games mentioned have a "premium" tier of the battle pass that allows you to unlock more rewards, earn new tiers quicker, and get access to some items the "basic" battle pass can't get. MLB also has a great example of an XP Pass/Path for players that rewards them with lots of packs, gear, and more.
Why would this work for NHL? Well for starters, a battle pass gives players the option to see what they can earn at every tier, and decide whether or not it's worth grinding for. This would be a much better reward system than opening hockey bags and not knowing what you may get rewarded with, and would allow fans to decide if it's worth upgrading to the premium level or not. And for those who may jump the gun and say "The last thing EA needs is another way to make money". most of if not all of the rewards on the battle pass wouldn't classify as pay to win. From cosmetic items their in game character can wear, to XP boost tokens, to unique hockey gear only accessible via the battle pass, these are just a few examples of how EA could implement a battle pass without making it seem pay to win.
These battle passes would also allow for an extra depth layer of customizability to connect the WOC game mode with our day to day lives. EA could add items to match certain yearly special occasions such as Halloween, valentines day, or even the holidays. They could also tie in the real NHL to these battle passes too, adding unique items related to things that are going on in the NHL. For example, if Ovechkin were to break the all-time goal scoring record, they could release a special stick dedicated to this historic moment. While in game cosmetics may seem redundant to some, Fortnite does a fantastic job of incorporating unique cosmetics and skins that players want.
If many of the popular games are using battle passes, you know it's a winning formula. For EA, having a battle pass in the World of Chel game mode would be a perfect solution to fix the staleness of their current reward program, even if they had a premium tier you had to pay for. Just please don't add X-Factors to the battle pass.