NHL 23 Be A Pro: Best Archetypes per Position (2024)

Be A Pro offers you an extensive range of options to customise and build your own forward, defenseman, or goaltender in NHL 23. A part of the initial build is selecting your Archetype, which dictates the type of player that the coach expects you to be on the ice.

Each Archetype offers a different set of strengths and weaknesses, meaning that you can play the way that suits you the best. However, some are easier to take to in NHL 23 than others, so below, you’ll find the best Archetypes to use depending on your position of choice.

Note: don’t forget you can play a Be A Pro career as a man or a woman.

What is an Archetype in NHL 23?

An Archetype is player model designation given to each player in NHL 23. Not all Archetypes are available for both offensive (centers and wingers) and defensive players. Obviously, goalies have their own Archetypes as well. While you can’t change the optimal loadout for each Archetype, you should be able to find the one that fits your playstyle easily.

Best Archetypes for a center in Be A Pro

The below Archetypes are for those who like to be the, literally, center of the team. Think of the center like the point guard in basketball or the quarterback in football. The center is the fulcrum of the offense and excels at creating opportunities for their teammates on the wings.

1. Playmaker

It likely won’t come as a surprise that the Playmaker Archetype is one of the best for a center in Be A Pro. It’s a prevalent player type among the highest-rated skaters in NHL 23 and allows your build to maximise the key attributes that lead to scoring points.

With five bars for Puck Control and Passing, and as a center, you’ll become the driver of the offence, picking up the puck and feeding it to the wings. Better still, this Archetype leans heavily into its speed (four bars for Speed), which is always a huge benefit in NHL 23.

Look no further than the featured Playmaker, Connor McDavid of Edmonton, one of the best players in hockey.

2. Two-Way

With the Two-Way Archetype, you’ll be able to accumulate worthwhile experience at both ends of the ice, with Stick Checking and Shot Blocking in the defensive end being straightforward ways of improving your player. Of course, you’ll also be invited to play passes and take shots.

The high Defensive and Offensive Awareness ratings will certainly help to keep your player in their most useful positions on the ice. What is puzzling, however, is Faceoffs being listed as a weakness when duels are invariably a strength of Two-Way centers and centers in general. That said, it’s at three bars, but will need to be a focus of your point spending.

Patrice Bergeron is the featured Two-Way center and for good reason as the veteran stalwart in Boston has excelled throughout his career.

Best Archetype for a winger in Be A Pro

Wingers, whether on the right or left side, are usually the main goal scorers of a team. As such, they excel in slap shots, wrist shots, and one-timers, focusing their skills on what wins hockey games: scoring goals.

3. Sniper

It’s tough to argue with the Sniper Archetype being the best, or at least, the most enjoyable to use in Be A Pro in NHL 23 with it being all about speed and scoring. Who doesn’t like flying around the rink and scoring a bevy of goals? The high Speed bar (four) automatically gives a Sniper the edge down the flank, but it’s all about utilising the shooting power and accuracy of the different types of shots.

The fact that you’ll be expected to shoot almost every time that you receive the puck in the offensive end makes the job of using this Archetype relatively simple. However, you will need to produce the goals early and often, so be sure to increase your Speed if you trust your stick work, or shooting attributes if you prefer one-timers.

Even at the backend of his career, Alexander Ovechkin is still a scoring threat. After all, he was one of, if not the best goal scorers during his peak.

Best Archetype for a defenseman in Be A Pro

Defensem*n Archetypes in NHL 23 are exactly as they sound: you will shore up the back line and be the last bastion of goal defense. However, there are only four defensem*n Archetypes.

4. Offensive

While the glut of the top-rated defensem*n in NHL 23 are of the Two-Way Archetype, in Be A Pro, it’s much easier to make big plays and be positionally correct after selecting the Offensive Archetype. Not only do you get an edge in the offensive end, but you’ll also have a speed boost to help when tracking back.

The Offensive Archetype has very high ratings for Passing and Puck Control (five bars each), allowing you to be effective when launching attacks and as a part of the setup in the offensive zone. Even though some key defensive attributes like Strength and Body Checking are lacking (one bar each), the Speed and Acceleration (four bars each) more than compensate.

The featured Offensive defenseman is Erik Karlsson of San Jose, a two-time winner of the Norris Memorial Trophy as the best defenseman over a season.

Best Archetype for a goaltender in Be A Pro

Goaltending is self-explanatory. Like soccer (futbol), you’ll be tasked with stopping the puck and preventing goals. There are three Archetypes, but only one stands out as the one to select in Be A Pro.

5. Hybrid

The natural choice for a goaltender in NHL 23 is the Hybrid Archetype, with every single goalie in the game being of the Hybrid type (as of October 10). It offers the balance that’s needed to be strong against all shot attempts and as you control the goalie – provided that you move across the crease well – you’ll have a good foundation.

However, one of the most difficult targets to cover is high stick, so it can be good to select Hybrid as your Archetype and then focus on improving at Stick High and even Glove High (four bars each). One of the easiest ways to learn the position is to utilise the Hug Post VH controls, which covers the low-to-mid areas very well.

Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price are two of the best goalies in hockey.

Be sure to choose the Archetype that suits your style

Naturally, if you want to play a different way in NHL 23, the best Archetype is the one that reflects your preferences. If you want to be a stay-at-home defenseman, select the Defensive Archetype, or if you’d rather throw your body around and work the dirty areas, opt for the Power Archetype.

Those selected above lend themselves as the more user-friendly Archetypes to select and use, allowing you to do the right things on the ice and level-up with ease in NHL 23. Which will you choose?

Need some wingers? Check out our article on the NHL 23 best wingers.