Electronic Arts has released a new roster update for NHL 15 to reflect recent player injuries, line changes, and team transactions. Five NHL rookies have also received slight ratings increases:

Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary) -- 76 overall to 81 overall
Victor Rask (Carolina) -- 69 overall to 74 overall
Aaron Ekblad (Florida) -- 75 overall to 81 overall
Filip Forsberg (Nashville) -- 77 overall to 81 overall
Jori Lehterä (St. Louis) -- 77 overall to 80 overall

EA's twitter account also states that there were "big changes to CHL rosters." PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners, however, likely won't be thrilled by that announcement, since CHL teams can only compete in single-game exhibitions or best-of-seven tournaments, and cannot be used inside Be A GM, Be A Pro, or the still-missing Season mode.

At first glance, the five rookies' new ratings might seem like significant improvements, but compared to the rest of the NHL 15 roster, these rookies will still skate slow, shoot weak, play dumb, and feel unskilled on the ice.

Filip Forsberg's new 81 overall rating, for example, merely moves him up from being the worst forward on the Predators to the second-worst forward on the team in NHL 15, despite the fact that Forsberg leads the club in points and continues to excel on their first line in real life.
 

Jori Lehterä's 80 overall rating, likewise, leaves him as the third-worst forward on the St. Louis Blues, despite the fact that his "S-T-L" line has produced the first-, second-, and third-most points on the team.

Lehterä's linemate in St. Louis, Vladimir Tarasenko, whose 17 goals is currently tied for third-best in the NHL, still carries the same middling 85 overall rating that he's had since NHL 15's release day, as it does not appear that any veteran skaters have had their ratings adjusted in this update, just the handful of rookies listed above.

While Wednesday's update is better than nothing, it's also done nothing to change NHL 15's status -- and the NHL series' reputation -- for having some of the least accurate rosters in sports gaming. NHL 15 could offer a much better on-ice experience if it supported fan-made edits, yet on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, users still cannot alter any of the athletes' ratings, and are forced to rely on the halfhearted roster files that Electronic Arts continues to release.