If you want to light the lamp for your NHL 26 EASHL club, winger is a great position to play. Depending on your style, there are a couple of different types of builds that will help you dominate. We’ve got the builds to help you go wheel snipe celly on the tendy.
Know Your Play Style
I covered this in our best defenseman build guide, too, but there’s one thing that matters more than anything else when building a player: your play style. Always adapt the build to suit your play style. Trying to do it the other way around is going to lead to frustration.
We all have tendencies as players. Know what yours are and lean into them with your build. There are so many X-Factors in NHL 26 that you’ll find something to represent how you play on the ice. Know the warts in your game, too; you can use X-Factors to help offset them.
I’ve found that two types of wingers are most prominent. First, the pure snipers who have lethal shots that can change the game at any moment. Then, there are the players who want to deke out defenders, get in close to the net, and score a highlight reel goal or set up their teammate with a crazy pass. Let’s take a look at good builds for both.
Sniper
Choose the Sniper archetype if you want to model your game after a player like Alex Ovechkin or Kirill Kaprizov. You’ll have great shooting attributes and decent puck handling, but you won’t be as much of a wizard in tight spaces as a Playmaker or Danger would. Weaknesses are on the defensive side with this archetype. Sniper is a fun role to play, but only choose it if you have strong defensive players and some teammates who will look to set up their linemates. It should go without saying, but the clubs I come across that have three snipers as forwards are not employing very good strategy.
With the X-Factors, I’m looking to enhance the Sniper’s shot while offsetting a weakness or two. Here’s what I typically go with:
- Quick Release (All-Star): Allows you to get off really quick shots that take goalies by surprise. Goalie Reaction Reduction -15%
- Wheels (All-Star): Increased speed and acceleration at top speed. Speed +3%, Acceleration +5%
- Unstoppable (All-Star): Fight through checks better. Reverse Hit Power +60%, Strength +30%, Push Check Resistance +60%
Key attributes:
- 90 Wrist Shot Accuracy
- 90 Slap Shot Accuracy
- 90 Wrist Shot Power
- 90 Slap Shot Power
- 90 Offensive Awareness
- 88 Speed
- 88 Acceleration
Playmaker
Playmakers in NHL 26 resemble NHL stars like Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. They don’t have quite the shot that a sniper does, but their passing, puck handling, and more balanced nature make up for that. If you’re good on the skill sticks, this archetype might be for you.
With the X-Factors, I typically lean into the offensive side with the Playmaker, focusing on passing and shooting to help increase my player’s goal scoring. Here’s what I go with:
- Tape-To-Tape (All-Star): Your player will perform automatic saucer passes. Pass power +30%, pass accuracy +30%
- Quick Release (All-Star): Get shots off much faster. Impacts goalie reaction. Goalie reaction reduction -15%
- Send It (Elite): Gives you automatic saucer passes and gives receivers of your passes a boost in acceleration. Acceleration +30% for 3 seconds
Key attributes:
- 92 Passing
- 92 Puck Control
- 90 Offensive Awareness
- 87 Speed
- 87 Acceleration
- 84 Wrist/Slap Shot Accuracy
- 82 Wrist/Slap Shot Power
What kind of build do you like to use as a forward? Let us know in the comments!
