Winnipeg’s lethal winger joins the NHL’s elite as The Hockey News ranks the game’s premier talent. Discover where Connor stacks up against stars like Dylan Larkin and Sam Reinhart.
The Hockey News has opened its full archive to subscribers, giving fans access to 76 years of hockey history, feature stories, and unforgettable moments. In the latest issue, we rank the NHL’s top 100 players, with Winnipeg Jets lethal scoring winger Kyle Connor coming in No. 57th overall. Here is a free preview featuring players ranked 51 through 57.
Subscribe today to see where other standout Winnipeg players, including Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and Josh Morrissey landed on the list, explore the complete top 100 rankings, and dive into the full THN Archives
Also, go to thn.com/free to subscribe.
Top 100 NHL Players: 51-57 - Apr. 17 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 10
51 JAKE OETTINGER
POS: G | AGE: 27 | LY: 51
‘Otter’ has helped the Stars author three consecutive trips to the conference final, but his success has halted there – often in shocking fashion. In fact, entering the 2026 playoffs, Oettinger had an .881 save percentage across 18 conference-final outings. No goaltender with more than five games had fared worse.
52 JAKOB CHYCHRUN
POS: D | AGE: 28 | LY: 95
Should he have been on Canada’s Olympic team? You won’t find any dissenters in Washington. Big, athletic and talented, Chychrun led the Capitals in ice time while also providing a nice helping of offense. And on a team featuring Alex Ovechkin, it was Chychrun with the most game-winning goals this year.
53 WYATT JOHNSTON
POS: C | AGE: 22 | LY: 63
Buoyed by a career-best shooting percentage and league-leading 26 power-play goals, three-time 30-goal scorer Johnston hit the 40-goal plateau for the first time. That offensive outburst is just another tool in his arsenal. The most respected aspects of his game, though, are his two-way acumen and high hockey IQ.
54 JAKE SANDERSON
POS: D | AGE: 23 | LY: 88
Sanderson is easily the best Senators defenseman since Erik Karlsson. Sanderson resembles Karlsson in many respects, namely skating, puckhandling, hockey IQ and a penchant for being a one-man breakout. Even when Ottawa was struggling early in the season, Sanderson was one of the bright spots.
55 SAM REINHART
POS: C | AGE: 30 | LY: 25
He’ll probably never score 57 goals again – as he did two seasons ago – but you can pretty much put Reinhart down for 30 a year in indelible marker. He can also be counted on to be a Selke-level player in the defensive zone. There are really no deficiencies in his game, and he’s one of the NHL’s most cerebral on-ice performers.
56 DYLAN LARKIN
POS: C | AGE: 29 | LY: 53
If there’s a modern-day player who was destined to play for the Red Wings, Larkin is the guy. His 200-foot game is almost without peer, and he’s developed a surprising sneaky-dirty facet to his overall game. Larkin is a possession beast, and when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick, he’s very good at getting it back.
57 KYLE CONNOR
POS: LW | AGE: 29 | LY: 38
Connor’s consistency is remarkable. He’s eclipsed 30 goals in each of his full seasons, barring the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He’s also an all-strengths asset in Winnipeg. Over the past five seasons, Connor ranks second in even-strength, first in power-play and sixth in shorthanded ice time among Jets forwards.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.