Kirill Kaprizov named top rated left winger in EA Sports NHL 26

EA Sports continues to unveil the highest-rated players by position ahead of the upcoming release of NHL 26, and Tuesday, they shared the top 10 overall ratings for left wingers.

Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov earned the highest rating at a 94 overall, with Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers coming just behind him with a 93 overall rating. Earlier this month, Tkachuk was announced as the cover athlete for the game.

Kaprizov receives the honor after an injury-plagued 2024-2025 campaign that saw him score 25 goals and dish out 31 assists for 56 points in 41 games played.

The 28-year-old Russian is one of the most dynamic players the sport has to offer. In 2021-2022, he racked up 108 points in 81 games, and in 2023-2024, he was on track for a 100-point season had he appeared in all 82, finishing with 96 points in 75 contests.

After Kaprizov and Tkachuk, the rest of the top 10 is rounded out by Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers (92 overall), Winnipeg Jets star Kyle Connor (92 overall), Jesper Bratt of the New Jersey Devils (91 overall), the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer Alex Ovechkin (90 overall), Tampa Bay Lightning star Brandon Hagel (90 overall) and a trio of 89 overall players that includes Minnesota’s Matthew Boldy, Florida’s Brad Marchand and Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel.

On Monday, EA Sports revealed the same top 10 lists for left-handed and right-handed defensemen, naming Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks the top-rated lefty and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche as the best right-shot blueliner.

NHL 26 is slated for release on September 12, 2025 for PlayStation 5 and current-get Xbox consoles.