NHL 20 ratings: the top 10 players at every position

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Conor McDavid and Sidney Crosby top this year’s class when it comes to NHL 20 ratings

(Image credit: EA)

EA’s ever-consistent hockey sim is back for another year of puck-smashing excellence, meaning NHL 20 ratings are finally in the wild. It’s great news for fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs as all score multiple placings in NHL 20 key positions, while Conor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is the best player in the game, beating out Pittsburgh Penguins favourite Sidney Crosby. All 50 of those listed below are solid additions to your franchise or Ultimate Team squad – so let’s dip our toes into the frozen waters of NHL 20 ratings.

NHL 20 ratings: Center

(Image credit: EA)

1. Conor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), 94
2. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), 93
3. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), 92
4=. Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), 90
4=. John Tavares (Toronto Maple Leafs), 90
4=. Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), 90
4=. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), 90
4=. Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning),90
4=. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), 90
10=. Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets), 89
10=. Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars), 89

It comes as no surprise that Connor McDavid is the highest rated player in NHL 20 with a 94 overall rating. He’s now had three consecutive seasons with 100 or more points, proving there’s nobody in the same class as the Edmonton Oilers center. Eight-time NHL All Star and Pittsburgh Penguins team MVP Sidney Crosby is second with 93, and Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon rightfully boasts a 92 OVR.

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NHL 20 ratings: Left wing

(Image credit: EA)

1. Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), 92
2=. Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins), 90
2=. Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames), 90
4=. Taylor Hall (New Jersey Devils), 89
4=. Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers), 89
6=. Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), 88
6=. Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers), 88
8. Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), 87
9=. Teuvo Teravainen (Carolina Hurricaines), 86
9=. Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh Penguins), 86

Jamie Benn drops from second to joint sixth this year, giving the likes of Johnny Gaudreau and Brand Marchand the opportunity to show their excellence. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is first once again, and deserves to be after becoming the fastest player in NHL history to take 5,000 shots at goal. Unquestionably one of the best of all time, it’s only fair to see him reclaim the throne for another year. 

NHL 20 ratings: Right wing

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1. Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), 92
2. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), 91
3=. David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins), 90
3=. Mikko Rantanen (Colorado Avalanche), 90
5=. Vladamir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues), 89
5=. Mitchell Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs), 89
5=. Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets), 89
8=. Phil Kessel (Arizona Coyotes), 88
8=. Mark Stone (Las Vegas Knights), 88
10=. Alexander Radulov (Dallas Stars), 87
10=. Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers), 87

Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning is rated the highest right winger in NHL 20 on the back of his Hart Trophy win. Playing every game in the 2018-19 season, Kucherov scored a career high 41 goals and gained an astonishing 87 assists. Vladamir Tarasenko drops to joint fifth this year. Despite losing out to St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup, David Pastrnak earns a 90 overall rating and shoots up the rankings to joint third. 

NHL 20 ratings: Defenceman

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1=. Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), 91
1=. Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), 91
3=. Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks), 90
3=. Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks), 90
5=. John Carlson (Washington Capitals), 89
5=. Mark Giordano (Calgary Flames), 89
5=. Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues), 89
8=. Morgan Reilly (Toronto Maple Leafs), 88
8=. Ryan Sutter (Minnesota Wild), 88
8=. Roman Josi (Nashville Predators), 88
8=. P.K. Subban (New Jersey Devils), 88

Kings’ stalwart Drew Doughty had a rough season last year, so it’s a little surprising to see him top the defensive rankings. Stanley Cup winners St. Louis Blues have their defenceman Alex Pietrangelo coming in at joint fifth, tying with Giordano and Carlson. Last year’s cover athlete P.K. Subban sits in joint eighth alongside a plethora of other stars following his switch to New Jersey.

NHL 20 ratings: Goalie

(Image credit: EA)

1=. Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens), 91
1=. Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning), 91
3=. John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks), 90
3=. Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins), 90
3=. Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers), 90
6. Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals), 89
7=. Pekka Rime (Nashville Predators), 88
7=. Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), 88
7=. Frederik Andersen (Toronto Maple Leafs), 88
10=. Ben Bishop (Dallas Stars), 87
10=. Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota Wild), 87

Carey Price had an outstanding previous campaign, and deservedly sits atop of the list of top netminders. With a .925 save percentage for the Tampa Bay Lightning during 2018-19, Andrei Vasilevskiy earns second spot. Henrik Lundqvist, Frederik Andersen, and Pekka Rime are all joint seventh earning an 88 overall, with Ben Bishop earning a higher rating this year, jumping from 85 to 87.

NHL 20 is out now. Prefer your sports games 2K, rather than EA, flavoured? Then you need GR’s NBA 2K20 ratings guide, again profiling the top 10 players at every position.

Chris White
Freelance Writer

Chris is a freelance journalist, photographer, and charity consultant. He specialises in sports, both in real-life and in the gaming space. He's written for publications including GamesRadar, The Sun, Daily Mail, The Times, The Mirror, and more.