Look; I'm a sports game junkie. When a new title is dropped I normally last a few days at best before caving and giving the next version a go. Most of the time the changes are big enough to change the way a game really feels, but the NHL games lately have left something to be desired.
Even still; I'm a "Be a Pro" nut, too. I like playing from the aspect of a player trying to get better and trying to reach the apex of that sport. NHL 18 feels a little better than most previous NHL versions in this regard.
The Difference between NHL 16 and 17 wasn't much, to be honest. It almost felt like a repackaged version of the previous year with new players and a few new jersey re-designs. But in NHL 18 the way the Be A Pro unfolds feels more authentic.
In earlier years the coach would call for a line change while you were hemmed into your own zone. If you didn't hustle to change you were docked EXP for long shifts, regardless of the fact that your team was defending and you blowing the zone to change would hurt your team defensively. In NHL 18, they've corrected this. Your coach won't even bother calling for a change until after the puck is cleared from the defensive zone, and if you are in the neutral zone when a change is called, if you back check you won't get docked (but once it's cleared the zone you're expected to go right off).
The puck control seems more realistic this time around. My Be A Pro isn't a possession God who can maintain control of the puck through the entire opposition team without issue. Now you have to use body positioning and stick handling to get through the zone without it being knocked away. A defensive player can get their stick on yours to make you lose possession even for a second, making the game more challenging. Bringing back the "Request a Trade" option in Be A Pro is also welcomed for those times you play through an entire CHL campaign and get drafted high in the first round by your favorite team's biggest rival and the only options available to you are to re-try going back through a CHL season again, or playing season after season wearing your most hated organizations colors.
They added some new animations and camera angles to the presentation of games, which is nice but not completely needed. There's still some things I'd like to see though. In Be A Pro, if your "Preferred Number" is already in use it randomly selects one for you. You should be able to choose your number based on what is in circulation for your team (older versions of the game had this option).
Classic setting for Be A Pro does not allowed simming to next shift for some reason... but "Authentic" does (I'd think Authentic would mean you have to wait on the bench watching action like players actually do, but I digress).
All in all it's a good NHL game with some subtle updates that make things feel just fresh and new enough to warrant a new purchase.