Well, I've been playing the demo for quite a bit now and I've noticed a few things.
- Checking players is out of whack. Granted, it's better than last year (see: magnetic attraction towards players, devastating hip checks), but when I can deliver a bone-jarring hit with Sidney Crosby by flicking the right analog-stick, something is definitely wrong (could it be the return of the weight bug? )
- The defense actually plays defense now. No longer is it that every offensive attack is similar to a powerplay.
- I'm no longer hitting the damned goalposts 5-10 times/game (i.e. players miss the net more often).
- Pokechecking is more effective
- The stick lift is very effective once mastered. Perhaps too effective...
- The tutorials are an improvement, but that's not saying much.
- The AI will make you pay for errors (trust me, I tried playing it 08 style and got routed. You have to play smart hockey to win)
- Be a Pro mode is decent. Nothing groundbreaking, just decent. Although I will say that the camera is competent and actually focuses on the play.
Overall, I'd say that it's an improvement over 08, but not by much. The clinchers will probably be Dynasty Mode (read: broken last year) and the EASHL (something tells me that EA will drop the ball on this one, considering that EA's servers have been terrible over the past few weeks in the games I've played).
I'll probably buy it, but rent it if you can.