ABOUT THE LEAGUE
WHAT ISEASHL?
Everything you need to know about EASHL, CHEL, and 6s leagues, and how Rink Rivals turns NHL 26 club hockey into a full competitive season.
EASHL, CHEL, 6S
DECODED
Three names, one game: full-team online hockey where every skater and the goalie is a real person. Here's what each term actually means.
What is EASHL?
EASHL stands for EA Sports Hockey League, the online team mode in EA’s NHL games where every position, including the goalie, is controlled by a real person. In 6v6 EASHL, twelve players share the ice in one game, each controlling a single skater or goalie. It’s the closest a video game gets to real team hockey.
What is CHEL?
CHEL is the community’s nickname for EA’s NHL series and its online modes (from "NHL" pronounced as a word). When players talk about a "CHEL league," they mean an organized, competitive EASHL league, which is exactly what Rink Rivals is.
What is a 6s league?
"6s" is shorthand for 6v6 club play: full teams with human goalies, as opposed to "3s" (3v3 arcade-style). A 6s league organizes those full-team games into scheduled seasons with rosters, standings, playoffs, and stats.
RINK RIVALS
EXPLAINED
What is Rink Rivals?
Rink Rivals is a competitive EASHL 6v6 league for NHL 26 on PlayStation and Xbox. Teams are built through a live auction draft with a salary cap, play scheduled weekly regular-season games, and compete in best-of-7 playoff series. Everything is broadcast live, and every stat is tracked from EA’s servers, per game and per season.
How is Rink Rivals different from casual club games?
Drop-in club games have no continuity: random teammates, no standings, no stakes. Rink Rivals gives you a drafted team that stays together all season, a real schedule, live-streamed broadcasts with commentary and overlays, advanced per-game performance ratings, trades and roster moves, awards races, and a championship to play for.
HOW DO
I JOIN?
Join the Discord at discord.gg/rinkrivals and follow the signup instructions. Registration opens before each season, and all skill levels are welcome. The auction draft keeps teams balanced no matter your skill.
READY TO
COMPETE?
Join the Discord, register your player, and step onto the ice in top-tier EASHL hockey.