What Nhl 23 Training Mode Actually Is
The training mode in NHL 23 is built into the base game. You don't need a separate download or a special purchase. It lives under the Play menu on the main screen, under Practice, and there's also a drill section when you're in any offline mode that supports it. The core idea is simple: you get an empty ice or a configured rink with a handful of preset drills that test skating, shooting, faceoffs, and basic positioning. You can also free skate if you just want to figure out movement on a clean sheet. I spent a few hours last year trying to nail backhand dekes for online play, and the Training Mode was the first place I went. It's not flashy, but it does what it's supposed to. The issue most people run into is that the drills feel a lot narrower than you'd expect. You pick a drill, you hit start, and suddenly you're running the same setup five times in a row without much variation. That's by design, but it makes the mode feel shallow after about twenty minutes.
How to access Nhl 23 Training Mode and start drilling
From the main menu, select Play, then Practice. You'll see a list of available stations. If you're on console, the menu layout can look cramped because EA crammed a lot of sub-menus into one screen. Use the right stick or the D-pad to scroll. Pick a drill category, then a specific scenario. The game will load a practice rink with your default squad or a custom lineup. One thing I found useful: press View/Options to bring up the practice settings. There's a toggle for unlimited tries, shot reset, and puck spawn. Turn unlimited tries on so you aren't restarting a drill every time you miss. It cuts down downtime significantly.
Drills that actually matter for online improvement
Not all drills are equal. The ones worth your time are the ones that mirror common online situations. Forecheck trap breakouts, neutral zone entries, and low-slot shot reps are the ones I use most. The higher-traffic drill is the one where you're practicing breakaways against a goalie, because that's what ends up happening in matches more often than people expect. You learn puck handling under pressure and how to read the save animation early. Here's the counter-intuitive part: the faceoff drill isn't as useless as it seems. Most players ignore it, but winning draws in Practice Mode teaches you the timing windows for quick releases and dump-in transitions. When you actually play online, you'll notice the difference because your first touch after a faceoff will be sharper. Try the drill for ten minutes straight, then switch to a different station. Don't linger too long on one type.
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A specific problem I hit and the workaround
I ran into a weird bug where the puck would spawn inside the goalie pad geometry during a shooting drill, making every shot automatically a save or a wide miss. It happened on my PS5 after a couple of practice sessions. The workaround was to exit to the practice menu, reload the rink, and pick a different drill category first. Once I came back, the spawning issue cleared. I also tried resetting the practice controller profile, but the simple reload did the trick. If you're seeing this, don't assume the game is broken permanently. It's a sporadic spawn glitch tied to the practice session state. The biggest limitation is that the mode doesn't simulate full-game pressure. Drills are isolated scenarios, which means you can't practice reading a play across a full shift. If you want to improve decision-making, you need to play actual practice games or exhibition matches, not just run isolated reps. The mode is great for muscle memory and mechanical repetition, but it won't fix bad habits in positioning or line changes. Another limitation: the drill library is finite. There are only so many presets EA included, and they don't update after launch. If you've been using the mode for a while, you'll run out of fresh scenarios within a week or two of daily practice. I found that mixing in free skate sessions and custom rink setups kept things from getting stale. You can set up your own practice routines by placing pucks and cones manually in free skate mode, then running through them repeatedly. It takes more effort than clicking a preset, but it pays off.
Practical tips for getting the most out of it
Use the shot clock setting when you want to add urgency. Setting a five-second clock on shooting drills forces you to make quicker decisions, which helps in online matches where the window is always tight. Stick to one or two drill types per session instead of switching every five minutes. Muscle memory needs repetition, and spreading yourself too thin just wastes time. Keep sessions under thirty minutes to avoid frustration. You'll retain more that way. If you're trying to improve a specific skill like wrist shots or backhand dekes, focus on the drill that targets that skill and repeat it until your success rate climbs. Don't bounce between unrelated drills. Track your progress mentally, or note it down if that helps. After a few sessions, you'll notice which mechanics hold under pressure and which ones fall apart. That's the information you need to adjust your practice focus.
Bottom line
Nhl 23 Training Mode is functional but narrow. It's not a replacement for actual gameplay, but it fills a specific gap: mechanical repetition and drill-specific refinement. Use it for targeting weaknesses, not for replacing match experience. And if you hit that puck-spawn glitch, just reload the practice rink. It's a minor annoyance, not a dealbreaker.
