Top 100 NHL Players In 2026: 1 To 10

Only the best players are NHL regulars.

From the roughly 700 players that make it to the NHL, we selected the top 100.

The Hockey News' top 100 NHLers 2026 print edition was published right before the playoffs. We're rolling out the list that appeared in the magazine online.

Catch up on the players ranked 11th to 20th, 21st to 30th, 31st to 40th, 41st to 50th, 51st to 60th, 61st to 70th, 71st to 80th, 81st to 90th and 91st to 100th, and keep reading to learn the criteria for the list.

Check out the entire list now with bios on each and every player by subscribing to The Hockey News. The bios were written by Ryan Kennedy, Ken Campbell, Jared Clinton and Carol Schram.

Without further ado, here is the top 10.

10. Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 28
Last Year: 14

Name a category in Columbus, and Werenski is probably at or near the top of it. It's not easy for a defenseman to lead a playoff-contending team in scoring, but that's the impact the 10th-year NHLer made this season. Werenski also played more than 26 minutes a night – second in the league to Quinn Hughes.

9. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Minnesota Wild
Age: 29
Last Year: 10

It took Kaprizov six seasons and 381 games to rewrite the Wild's history books. He's already the franchise's all-time leading goal-scorer, and he's steadily chipping away at Mikko Koivu's franchise-leading point total. Only five NHL players have scored at a greater per-game rate than Kaprizov over the past three seasons.

8. Quinn Hughes, D, Minnesota Wild
Age: 26
Last Year: 6

Hughes' most celebrated attribute is his playmaking ability. But he's also one of the NHL's foremost workhorses. He was averaging the 10th-highest ice time in the entire post-lockout era this season, and his workload, which actually increased following his move to Minnesota, was heavier than any other 'D' in the past decade.

7. Macklin Celebrini, C, San Jose Sharks
Age: 19
Last Year: 90

The 19-year-old went from fringe roster candidate to first-line star for Canada at the Olympics. That has him way ahead of schedule – and in the Hart conversation. Read more

6. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 31
Last Year: 8

A few years ago, it looked like the Lightning had a Vasilevskiy problem. But at 31, he's looking every bit as larcenous and impenetrable as he did when the Lightning were winning Stanley Cups. A second Vezina Trophy is pretty much fait accompli.

5. Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 30
Last Year: 4

Germany's Olympic medal hopes in hockey were slim at best. But Draisaitl burnished his national-icon status when he was voted to serve as flag bearer at the opening ceremony. After cracking 1,000 NHL points in December, Draisaitl then blew past Mark Messier and Jari Kurri to reach third on the Oilers' all-time list.

4. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 27
Last Year: 3

In seven NHL seasons, Makar has proven his influence goes beyond game-breaking blueliner to generation-defining rearguard. His freewheeling style has made him the model for young defensemen. He came close to becoming the first defenseman since Paul Coffey to have three consecutive 90-point seasons.

3. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 32
Last Year: 7

Is it possible that Kucherov is actually underrated? He doesn't have Connor McDavid's speed or Nathan MacKinnon's tour-de-force presence, but what Kucherov does have is the mind of a hockey savant and the work ethic of a fourth-line plugger. He fell just a few points short of becoming only the seventh player in NHL history to lead the league in scoring for three consecutive seasons.

2. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 30
Last Year: 1

Since registering his first 100-point season in 2022-23, MacKinnon has blown his teammates away – he is 300-plus points clear of Valeri Nichushkin, the next-highest-scoring current Avs forward. MacKinnon's pursuit of greatness has led him beyond his early career stardom into the realm of first-ballot Hall-of-Fame talent.

1. Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 29
Last Year: 2

If any player proves hockey is the ultimate team game, it may be our No. 1 man. Despite another marvellous big-stage performance, he suffered yet another heartbreak in Milan. If he's ever to win it all, he'll need some help from his friends. Read more

- The greatest emphasis was put on how they're playing this season, with a smaller emphasis placed on how they played the previous year (2024-25). There was also slight consideration for how they played two or three seasons prior to that. We structured it this way because we didn't want any one-year wonders making the list. Moreover, sometimes star players can have a down year.

- We attempted to construct the top 100 to reflect a 20-man lineup, where 12 players are forwards, six are defensemen and two are goalies. So an evenly distributed top 100 should have 60 forwards, 30 D-men and 10 goalies. We aimed to keep that structure consistent within every group of 10 or 20.

- We don't forecast a young player's bright future. If they were excellent this year, they made the list. If they were just very good but showed exceptional promise for the future, they likely didn't make this year's list.

- At the other end of the age spectrum, we're not concerned if a player is nearing the end of his career. If they were a standout this year, they made the list. See Sidney Crosby.

- We don't consider a player's career achievements for a list about the here and now. Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are top 10 players in the history of the game. But they're not top 10 players this season.

- A player's salary was not taken into account, and we made no attempt to include at least one player from each of the NHL's 32 teams.

We count down the very best the NHL has to offer in our 2026 edition of the top 100 players, available to purchase as a single issue or for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News today.

Also in the issue: we examine the effectiveness of unusual training methods, look back at the Americans' win at the Paralympics, explore the Extreme Ice Hockey League and learn more about inline hockey being played outside of the White House.

Plus, you'll find features on Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini, Martin Necas, Thomas Harley, Tim Stutzle, Tom Wilson, Travis Konecny, Nick Schmaltz, Darren Raddysh and much more.