On Thursday, The Athletic revealed its list of the Top-150 players [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6594913/2025/09/11/nhl-best-players-list-2025-2026-season/] currently serving in the NHL. No, this wasn't your traditional, run-of-the-mill ranking either. It wasn't a numbered 1-150 ranking, but rather a list of groupings - 1A to 5C - that contained the 150 players currently at the top of the league rankings. Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/53a92c7e-88ec-4678-8e1d-bd6ef484c787.jpeg] Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today Assembled by Dom Luszczyszyn, Sean Gentile and Shayna Goldman, the all-encompassing overview provided the following pre-amble to set the stage for the annual breakdown: "For the second straight season, we’ve separated 150 players into five groups: MVP cornerstones, franchise pillars, All-Star candidates, the true stars and elite support. Last year, we added a fifth tier and 25 slots and incorporated goaltenders for the first time, and we carried that template into 2025. "For those new here, this isn’t your typical ranking — because it isn’t really a ranking. It’s a hierarchy, one in which grouping players together is the primary feature and is meant to illustrate the diversity of viewpoints within the sport. There are levels to the league and sub-levels within each basket of players. While one player may be more well-liked by some over another, another group may see it differently." Included on The Athletic's list were six members of the Winnipeg Jets - most of which the average hockey fan could likely have guessed. Their rankings are as follows: 2A - Connor Hellebuyck (No. 15 overall) 2C - Josh Morrissey (No. 27 overall) 3B - Kyle Connor (No. 48 overall) 4A - Mark Scheifele (No. 70 overall) 5B - Gabe Vilardi (No. 133 overall) 5C - Dylan Samberg (No. 147 overall) Former Jets Nikolaj Ehlers (4A), Pierre-Luc Dubois (5A) and Sean Monahan (5A) were also included on the list, while Manitobans Seth Jarvis (3A), Mark Stone (4A) and Travis Sanheim (5A) also cracked the Top-150.
