EA Sports revealed the highest-rated players in NHL 26 this week.
Not only did the video games giant reveal the ratings for the top players by position, but it also listed the top 10 players on each NHL team. That means ratings are known for 320 players so far, with Calgary Flames right winger Martin Pospisil sitting 320th, with an overall rating of 80.
Here are the top 10 players in the game, some standout stats from NHL Edge and whether they improved from this time last year. For more NHL 26 coverage, check out The Hockey News' dedicated gaming site.
Honorable Mentions
Six players have a 94 rating, but EA Sports did not give them the same ranking. The first tie involves 38 players at No. 99 with an 87 rating.
That means Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov sit 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively, despite having an overall rating that's tied with eighth place.
Kaprizov is the highest-rated left winger in NHL 26, while Eichel and Matthews are ranked sixth and seventh among centers.
10. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets
NHL 26 Rating: 94
NHL 25 Rating: 93
At 32, Hellebuyck's rating continues to increase. That 93-overall rating in NHL 25 was two notches higher from his 91 overall in NHL 24.
His 2.00 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts last season were career highs. He's won the Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy in each of the last two seasons, and he was voted the Hart Trophy winner in 2024-25.
Hellebuyck posted at least a .900 save percentage in 44 games last year, five more than Andrei Vasilevskiy in second place. Yes, he started 62 games, but recording at least a .900 SP in 71 percent of his starts also led NHL netminders.
9. David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
NHL 26 Rating: 94
NHL 25 Rating: 95
Pastrnak's rating takes the slightest dip after exceeding 100 points for the third straight season. His 43 goals last season were down from 47 in 2023-24 and 61 in 2022-23, and his 106 points fell from 110 and 113.
The right winger's 94-overall rating is a whopping 10 points higher than Boston's second-best forwards in the game, Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha, with 84 ratings. If the retooling club hung onto Brad Marchand, they'd at least have another forward with a top-50 rating.
Pastrnak led NHL forwards in slapshots last season, with 68, scoring on five of them. He had a maximum shot speed of 98.03 miles per hour, which backs up his 93 slapshot-power rating.
8. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL 26 Rating: 94
NHL 25 Rating: 94
Crosby's still got it.
The Penguins captain cracked 90 points for the third straight year and the ninth time in his 20 NHL seasons, which doesn't even include some outstanding performances in years shortened by injury, the 2012-13 lockout or COVID-19.
At 38 years old, Crosby skated 264.12 miles (425.04 kilometers) last season, which ranked him in the 97th percentile of NHLers. That's longer than the distance from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh to Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Crosby ranked 15th in assists last year and continues to be an elite playmaker, reflected by his 95 passing rating.
7. Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers
NHL 26 Rating: 95
NHL 25 Rating: 94
Barkov's rating gets a boost after winning the Stanley Cup again.
The Panthers captain received a 95 passing rating after putting up 51 assists in 67 games and another 16 in 23 playoff contests. Barkov has exceeded 50 helpers in each of the last three seasons, despite not playing more than 73 regular-season games each year.
Barkov is known for his elite two-way ability, winning the Selke Trophy in the last two seasons and three times overall. His offensive and defensive awareness ratings are both 96, and he possesses an X-factor ability in NHL 26 called "Quick Pick," which enhances his interceptions and defensive deflections.
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6. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
NHL 26 Rating: 95
NHL 25 Rating: 95
Makar won the Norris Trophy for the second time in his career last season, and he finished a career-high sixth place in Hart Trophy voting.
The 26-year-old's 94 speed and 95 acceleration ratings are no surprise. He had a top skating speed of 23.63 mph last season, which ranked seventh among NHL defensemen. He did rank first in speed bursts of 20-plus mph, with 206, and 22-plus mph, with 27.
Makar also deserves credit for his goal-scoring. He was the first D-man to score 30 goals in a season since Mike Green in 2008-09, and he took 33 shots of at least 90 mph, which are the eighth-most among blueliners.
5. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks
NHL 26 Rating: 95
NHL 25 Rating: 95
Hughes' 94 acceleration rating is lower than Makar's 95, but the Canucks captain has a higher speed rating, at 96.
Hughes had only 115 speed bursts over 20 mph and seven over 22 mph, which are still among the most in the NHL. But his top speed of 24.56 mph is the fastest among defensemen and second-fastest among all players, next to Avalanche left winger Miles Wood, who reached 24.82 mph.
The 25-year-old had 16 goals and 60 assists for 76 points in 68 games last season, missing time due to injury. He also has the edge over Makar in the passing rating, but the latter has higher ratings in slapshot and wrist shot power.
4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL 26 Rating: 96
NHL 25 Rating: 95
Kucherov was tied with Nathan MacKinnon for recording the most assists last season, with 84. But over the previous three seasons combined, nobody's had more helpers than Kucherov. If his 267 assists in that span were points, he'd be tied with Lightning teammate Brayden Point in 13th place.
As a result, he has a massive 98 passing rating in NHL 26.
The 32-year-old's top shot speed of 96.28 was ranked in the 97th percentile. His 17 goals in high-danger areas ranked in the 93rd percentile, and his 10 goals from mid-range were in the 90th percentile.
Kucherov is the highest-rated right winger in the video game.
3. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
NHL 26 Rating: 96
NHL 25 Rating: 95
The top three players in NHL 26 are centers, and even still, Draisaitl has only the second-highest rating among Oilers players.
He does have a higher slapshot and wrist shot power than that "other elite Oilers center" after winning the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy last season. Draisaitl recorded 52 goals, seven more than Leafs right winger William Nylander in second place.
Draisaitl has exceeded 50 goals in three of the last four seasons and 100 points in six of the last seven seasons – although getting 84 points in a 56-game year in 2020-21 is masterly.
The 29-year-old scored 25 times in high-danger areas (99th percentile) and 14 from mid-range (97th). That said, his top shot speed was 87.42 mph, which is in the 62nd percentile.
2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
NHL 26 Rating: 96
NHL 25 Rating: 96
Remember how Crosby skated about 264 miles last season?
Well, his fellow Nova Scotian ranked first among forwards in skating distance, with 291.89 miles (469.73 km). That's roughly the driving distance from Ball Arena in Denver to... Dull Center, Wyo. Go figure.
MacKinnon also had the most speed bursts of at least 20 mph among forwards last season, with 547. He has a 98 acceleration rating in NHL 26 as a result.
The 29-year-old has the second-most points of all NHLers in the last four seasons, with 455 in 297 games. After winning the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2023-24, he finished fourth in Hart voting in 2024-25.
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NHL 26 Rating: 97
NHL 25 Rating: 97
McDavid remains the best of the best.
The Oilers captain actually finished 10th in Hart Trophy voting last season, which is the lowest he's placed since his rookie campaign, when he didn't receive a vote.
He still had 100 points in 67 games despite suffering an ankle injury earlier in the year and a lower-body injury in March. His top skating speed last season was 23.97 mph, a small decrease from the 24.19 mph burst he recorded in 2023-24, which ranked second among players that year. His acceleration and speed ratings are 97 and 98, respectively.
McDavid has the most points in the last three seasons, with 385 in 225 games. In the last five seasons, he has 613 points, 79 more than Draisaitl in second place. His passing rating is 98, while his slapshot and wrist shot power ratings are 91 and 92.
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