Right before NHL 11 was released, fans found out that EASHL teams could only play one game at a time rather than having multiple dressing rooms like in NHL 10.

The reasoning behind this decision was that the developers wanted more teams playing six-on-six games instead of running multiple games with two-man crews -- the latter being a relatively common tactic in NHL 10.

EA also announced that the points system had been tweaked so that teams playing six-on-six games would be awarded more points compared to teams playing with fewer players. Obviously, EA will not reveal how the ranking points are calculated, but here is the quote that gives us a rough idea. It comes via Garreth Reeder, an online producer for EA.

"Point system is based on a few things: number of players in the game, if you won or lost, what your current level is, and what the level of the other team is. Beating better teams gets you more points. Beating teams with 6 players gets you the most."

In addition to the one-dressing-room rule, NHL 11 has brought us a more advanced matchmaking filter. We can now look for opponents with the same number of players, and we can choose opponents depending on whether they have a human-controlled goalie or not.

So what EA did was what many of us had been hoping for, make little tweaks to the EASHL matchmaking and rules to encourage teams to play with a full lineup of six players.

On paper it seems like the changes will lead to a more competitive year in the EASHL. More teams playing six-on-six games and more human-controlled goalies will hopefully contribute to a more realistic hockey experience.

But for some EASHL players, one dressing room is not a welcome rule change. Players on large teams are obviously concerned about their ice time. If you are not part of the "top" line on a team, you might have to wait around or play a drop-in game until a spot opens for you.

Other than that rather obvious downside, everything is still open to speculation until the first season of EASHL has finished. Then we will see what teams are ranked high and how they got there.

Even if it is pointless until we see the new system at work for at least a couple weeks, let me look a bit more at the pros and cons of the one-dressing-room rule.

Pros

-It should encourage people to play with as many players as possible. As long as you have a decent goalie and enough people online, why wouldn't you play with six now?

-Large clubs splitting into a couple of new teams should bring more competition into the EASHL.

-Team management will become more important, bringing more depth into the league.

-Top teams might have "official" tryout teams in the future, so maybe a second division will form in the EASHL.

-Teams might be more interested in closed leagues with scheduled games since it will take some organizing to get six players on ice at the same time anyway. And increased popularity in private leagues might influence EA to make this possible in-game as well.

-OTP will surely be better since there will be more quality players looking for a home or recruiting for the newly formed teams.

-This will surely increase the amount of human goalies out there. Playing goalie might seem like a big step to take, but it is so much fun -- once you get past the initial humiliation -- and everyone should try it.

Cons

-Casual teams might end up playing with less players than before, and maintaining a large roster with people who do not mind sitting out games every once in a while might be a challenge for the managers.

-Jumping between teams might increase if one team can't provide players with a proper amount of ice time. Whether this will be used to boost multiple teams in the rankings remains to be seen.

-Larger teams will face a lot of roster-management problems. Trying to keep skilled players on a team even if they can't play for the club on a daily basis will be an issue.

-All the work large teams have put into building the roster is largely wasted. For some teams, this means two years of effort down the drain. Unless, of course, the players are on the team just for fun and don't mind being placed on a junior team for example.

-Teams made up of real-life friends might have some drama ahead of them. It's a lot easier to cut someone you only know from the EASHL than it is to cut someone you went to kindergarten with.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I think leveling the playing field and making competition more varied and colorful in the EASHL will lead to more positives than negatives. It is a radical move from EA, and we can only hope that it will increase the amount of six-on-six games.

It was, however, a slap in the face to bigger teams who never abused the rankings by playing 50 two-on-two games a night. But since we are at the mercy of EA, there is not much we can do about these decisions they make in their infinite wisdom, can we?

Maybe this is one of those defining moments in EASHL history, the moment we'll look back on as the birth of EASHLPA...