Be a Pro is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable, immersive, and entertaining game modes in NHL. Being able to create a player resembling yourself and work your way through the steps to making it to the big show is a wonderful experience. You're even able to take on the life of a real life NHLer, and change their career path. It's a great game mode with lots of potential, but search up "Be a Pro" on twitter and you'll see many complain about the game mode.
What's Wrong With Be a Pro?
If you've played this game mode for the last few seasons, you already know what the issues are. From not being able to play a full season of junior hockey prior to entering the NHL entry draft was a big issue for many, as you're now only able to play in a handful of games before draft day comes. You can't play overseas in other leagues in Europe, which is a major pain point for many EU players. As well, if your player underperforms in the NHL, you aren't able to sign a AHL contract to "work your way back up". Not to mention, international tournaments such as the IIHF World Juniors are nowhere to be found. The worst part of all is the fact that NHL's Be a Pro feels a lot similar to previous installments, with the same cutscenes, "milestone moments", and more.
However Not Everyone Feels This Way
If you parade through the negative comments however, you occasionally see some tweets praising the game mode. Often newer players to the NHL franchise, or those frustrated with other sports games and their similar modes such as NBA 2k's My Park, or MLB The Show's Road To The Show, speak highly about how fun and enjoyable Be a Pro on NHL is. One noted twitch partner who is a @EAMaddenNFL and @MLBTheShow Partner, gave his thoughts on Be a Pro, and praised how fun it was. He mentioned how the game has "Enough off the ice storylines for me to care but not overwhelm me with 'OMG Shep Owens mentioned you on his show and now you have to run to 80 spots within the city to pick up words to create a diss track.". So are the hardcore NHL players right in saying the game mode is bad, or are those coming from other sports gamed right in saying how fun the mode is?
Thesis: Everyone Is Right
Truth is, both groups of players are right. If you're touching the Be a Pro game mode for the first time, or are coming from another game, then you'll definitely enjoy the experience. From the more streamlined story to the authenticity of the mode, there is a lot there that is good. However, for those who aren't participating in their first Be a Pro, it's easy to see why they would be so dissatisfied with the game. If you were to go to play the same mission from a Call of Duty game over and over, with the same guns, cutscenes, predictable moments, and ending then you'd lose interest really fast. This is exactly what's happening with Be a Pro with NHL, the game is enjoyable for some, but for the veterans of the mode it's getting dull.
If NHL 24 is able to bring that fun experience that appeals to both newer fans and those coming from other games, combined with what veterans of the game mode want, such as new features, more variety to the mode, and new ways to play, EA might just score a hat trick with their new game.