Best players in NHL 25: Top forwards, goalies, & defensemen
EA SportsConnor McDavid, Cale Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon highlighted the highest-rated players in NHL 25.
Early access for NHL 25 will start on September 27, just one week before the start of the 2024-25 campaign. But before then, EA Sports gave prospective players a look at the ratings for the NHL’s top athletes.
And to little shock, stars like former Hart Trophy winners Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov fill up the lists.
Here’s a look at the ratings for the best NHL players in NHL 25, sorted by position.
Best centers
We’ll start off with with the top centermen. Here are the best centers in NHL 25:
| Rank | Name | Team | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor McDavid | Oilers | 97 |
| 2 | Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | 96 |
| 3 | Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | 95 |
| 4 | Auston Matthews | Maple Leafs | 95 |
| 5 | Sidney Crosby | Penguins | 94 |
| 6 | Aleksander Barkov | Panthers | 94 |
| 7 | Jack Hughes | Devils | 93 |
| 8 | Brayden Point | Lightning | 92 |
| 9 | J.T. Miller | Canucks | 92 |
| 10 | Jack Eichel | Golden Knights | 91 |
The Oilers’ dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl dominate this list, as the two are in the top three among centers. 2024 Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon is the second on the list, while Auston Matthews and Penguins centerman Sidney Crosby round out the top five.
Best left wingers
| Rank | Name | Team | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artemi Panarin | Rangers | 95 |
| 2 | Kirill Kaprizov | Wild | 93 |
| 3 | Matthew Tkachuk | Panthers | 92 |
| 4 | Jason Robertson | Stars | 91 |
| 5 | Kyle Connor | Jets | 91 |
| 6 | Filip Forsberg | Predators | 90 |
| 7 | Jake Guentzel | Lightning | 90 |
| 8 | Brady Tkachuk | Senators | 89 |
| 9 | Jesper Bratt | Devils | 89 |
| 10 | Alex Ovechkin | Capitals | 89 |
Plenty of star power is present among the top ten. Artemi Panarin is the top left winger in NHL 25, with Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov not too far behind. Matthew Tkachuk, part of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, rounds out the top three. Other notable names include new Lightning forward Jake Guentzel and former NHL cover athlete Alex Ovechkin.
Best right wingers
| Rank | Name | Team | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikita Kucherov | Lightning | 95 |
| 2 | David Pastrnak | Bruins | 95 |
| 3 | Mikko Rantanen | Avalanche | 93 |
| 4 | Sam Reinhart | Panthers | 91 |
| 5 | Mitch Marner | Maple Leafs | 91 |
| 6 | William Nylander | Maple Leafs | 91 |
| 7 | Clayton Keller | Utah | 89 |
| 8 | Mark Stone | Golden Knights | 89 |
| 9 | Lucas Raymond | Red Wings | 88 |
| 10 | Andrei Svechnikov | Hurricanes | 88 |
Former Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov is the top right winger in NHL 25. Bruins forward David Pastrnak, who nearly set a career-high in points (110) last year, is tied with Kucherov among players at the position.
The Panthers are well-represented on these lists. Sam Reinhart is fourth among all right winters.
Best defensemen
| Rank | Name | Team | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Makar | Avalanche | 95 |
| 2 | Quinn Hughes | Canucks | 94 |
| 3 | Roman Josi | Predators | 93 |
| 4 | Miro Heiskanen | Stars | 92 |
| 5 | Victor Hedman | Lightning | 92 |
| 6 | Charlie McAvoy | Bruins | 92 |
| 7 | Adam Fox | Rangers | 92 |
| 8 | Rasmus Dahlin | Sabres | 91 |
| 9 | Devon Toews | Avalanche | 89 |
| 10 | Josh Morrissey | Jets | 89 |
NHL 24 cover athlete Cale Makar is the top defenseman in NHL 25. Meanwhile, NHL 25 cover athlete Quinn Hughes is just behind him at 94 OVR.
Best goalies
| Rank | Name | Team | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor Hellebuyck | Jets | 93 |
| 2 | Igor Shesterkin | Rangers | 92 |
| 3 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | Lightning | 92 |
| 4 | Thatcher Demko | Canucks | 91 |
| 5 | Jake Oettinger | Stars | 90 |
| 6 | Sergei Bobrovsky | Panthers | 90 |
| 7 | Ilya Sorokin | Islanders | 90 |
| 8 | Juuse Saros | Predors | 89 |
| 9 | Jeremy Swayman | Bruins | 89 |
| 10 | Linus Ullmark | Senators | 89 |
The goaltender list is topped by Connor Hellebuyck, who won the 2024 Vezina Trophy for best netminder in the NHL. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who helped the Rangers make the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three seasons, is the second, ahead of Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Top players
Here are the top 25 players in NHL 25, sorted by overall rating:
| Rank | Name | Team | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor McDavid | Oilers | 97 |
| 2 | Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | 96 |
| 3 | Nikita Kucherov | Lightning | 95 |
| 4 | Cale Makar | Avalanche | 95 |
| 5 | Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | 95 |
| 6 | Auston Matthews | Maple Leafs | 95 |
| 7 | David Pastrnak | Bruins | 95 |
| 8 | Artemi Panarin | Rangers | 95 |
| 9 | Sidney Crosby | Penguins | 94 |
| 10 | Quinn Hughes | Canucks | 94 |
| 11 | Aleksander Barkov | Panthers | 94 |
| 12 | Jack Hughes | Devils | 93 |
| 13 | Connor Hellebuyck | Jets | 93 |
| 14 | Mikko Rantanen | Avalanche | 93 |
| 15 | Roman Josi | Predators | 93 |
| 16 | Kirill Kaprizov | Wild | 93 |
| 17 | Miro Heiskanen | Stars | 92 |
| 18 | Matthew Tkachuk | Panthers | 92 |
| 19 | Victor Hedman | Lightning | 92 |
| 20 | Charlie McAvoy | Bruins | 92 |
| 21 | Brayden Point | Lightning | 92 |
| 22 | Adam Fox | Rangers | 92 |
| 23 | J.T. Miller | Canucks | 92 |
| 24 | Igor Shesterkin | Rangers | 92 |
| 25 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | Lightning | 92 |
Be sure to check out how to pre-order NHL 25, plus what else is coming this year in the franchise.