Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is the highest-rated player in NHL 27 with a historic 99 overall — the only player in the game to hit the number, after a 138-point season. Behind him, Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov share a 97, with Leon Draisaitl at 96 and a cluster of elite defencemen and forwards tied at 95.
Here are the highest-rated players in NHL 27, how the ratings work, and the best player at each position.
Highest-rated NHL 27 players
The top of the NHL 27 ratings — McDavid alone at 99, then the chasing pack.
| Player | Team & position | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | Oilers · C | 99 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche · C | 97 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Lightning · RW | 97 |
| Leon Draisaitl | Oilers · C | 96 |
| Cale Makar | Avalanche · D | 95 |
| Zach Werenski | Blue Jackets · D | 95 |
| Quinn Hughes | D | 95 |
| Macklin Celebrini | Sharks · C | 95 |
| Sidney Crosby | Penguins · C | 95 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Lightning · G | 94 |
How ratings work
NHL player ratings run from 0 to 99 and are built from attributes like speed, shooting, passing, puck control and defensive awareness, weighted by position. A 99 overall is almost never awarded — in NHL 27, Connor McDavid becomes the first player to earn it, pairing a 99 OVR with 99 passing, puck control and offensive awareness plus 98 speed, acceleration, agility and deking. The next tier shows how deep the league’s talent runs: two 97s, one 96, and a six-way logjam at 95 that includes three of the game’s best defencemen. EA updates the roster through the season, so these numbers shift with real NHL form.
The top players explained
Four names at the very top of NHL 27.
More sports-sim picks? See our best NHL 27 young players, best NBA 2K27 players and best FC 27 players guides.
Best by position
The top-rated player at each position in NHL 27.
| Position | Best player |
|---|---|
| Centre | Connor McDavid (99) |
| Winger | Nikita Kucherov (97) |
| Defence | Cale Makar / Quinn Hughes / Zach Werenski (95) |
| Goaltender | Andrei Vasilevskiy (94) |
NHL 27 ratings FAQ
NHL ratings are updated through the season, so overalls change with real-world form. We refresh this guide as EA’s roster updates land.
