The month of December is usually a big month in hockey, and this year is no exception. The annual IIHF Men’s U-20 World Junior Championship, which starts in late December, has some of the top prospects from around the world play for their country in order to complete for gold. NHL 21 has also gotten into the international theme, as EA Sports launched the Hockey Ultimate Team Winter National promo on December 11, and with it came four new master sets.
So which players are in these sets, and how can you obtain them? Let’s go over what you have to do.
How to complete the NHL 21 Winter National master sets
Eight players (Patrik Laine, Mats Zuccarello, Jakub Voracek, Sergei Bobrovsky, Nathan Mackinnon, Zach Parise, Erik Karlsson, and Marian Gaborik) have received 91 OVR and 92 OVR player item sets. Players can acquire either form, but it’s important to keep in mind that it won’t be easy or cheap.
In order to acquire a 91 OVR of one of the eight players listed above, you will need to go to and select the Winter National set tab, which can be found in the Sets folder. Scroll over to the Winter National Week 1 91 OVR item or Winter National Week 2 91 OVR choice set, depending on which week the specific card launched in NHL 21. Laine, Zuccarello, Voracek, and Bobrovsky are all Week 1 cards, while the latter four were lumped into Week 2. If you have the necessary cards to complete the sets, add the required items.
HUT players will need to add one Winter National collectible, which can be acquired through Winter National challenges, and 11 Gold collectibles. Once you do that, you will receive a special pack that will give you a choice of one of four 91 OVR master player cards.
If you want a 92 OVR player, it will cost you a little more. To pick up a 92 OVR master player item, HUT players will have one of two options. The first one is to complete the Winter National Week 1 Random 91-92 OVR Master Item choice set, Winter Nation Week 2 Random 91-92 OVR Master Item choice set. Users will need to insert one Winter National collectible and 14 Gold collectibles. However, you will only receive a choice of two cards, so you may not the exact card that you want.
If you do have a specific item in mind, you will need to complete one of the eight 92 OVR master sets. Those can be found towards the end of the Winter National set folder. Here are the requirements for each of the four:
Patrik Laine
- Team Finland Home Jersey item
- Team Finland Away Jersey item
- #29 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Jakub Voracek
- Team Czech Republic Home Jersey item
- Team Czech Republic Away Jersey item
- #93 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Mats Zuccarello
- Team Norway Home Jersey item
- Team Norway Away Jersey item
- #63 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Sergei Bobrovsky
- Team Russia Home Jersey item
- Team Russia Away Jersey item
- #72 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Nathan Mackinnon
- Team Canada Home Jersey item
- Team Canada Away Jersey item
- Henrik Lundqvist 83 OVR base player item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Zach Parise
- Team USA Home Jersey item
- Team USA Away Jersey item
- #9 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Erik Karlsson
- Team Sweden Home Jersey item
- Team Sweden Away Jersey item
- #65 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
Marian Gaborik
- Team Slovakia Home Jersey item
- Team Slovakia Away Jersey item
- #12 Jersey Change Number item
- 12 Gold collectibles
OR
- Team Slovakia Home Jersey item
- Team Slovakia Away Jersey item
- Kellogg’s Marian Gaborik 89 OVR player item
- 4 Gold collectibles
You’ll notice that in addition to the Gold collectibles, which can be acquired by completing the Gold Collectible and Winter National Gold Players for Gold Collectible sets, HUT players will need country and number-specific items. In order to obtain those, you could either buy them off the Auction House or complete the Home, Away, and number sets that are to the left of the master sets.
As mentioned previously, it won’t be easy to complete these sets, as all four are quite expensive. However, if you do plan on completing any of these, here are some helpful tips:
- Complete Winter National challenges to get Coins (which can be used to buy players) and Winter National collectibles
- Play through HUT Rivals and Squad Battles to receive Coin and pack rewards
- Log in every day to receive a Monthly Collectible, as those can be used to obtain Gold collectibles
The Winter National 92 OVR master sets will expire on January 1, 2021.
