Canucks’ Quinn Hughes named top rated left defenseman in EA Sports NHL 26

EA Sports has begun to unveil their top ratings for each position for their upcoming NHL 26 game, with Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes being named the top left-shot defenseman in the game.

Hughes takes the top spot among left-shot defensemen for the second straight season after also being given the spot in NHL 25. He does see his rating rise, as he’s gone from 94 to 95 overall.

While Hughes only finished third in Norris Trophy voting in the 2024-25 season, that was more due to injuries and less to his performance. In 68 games, he had 16 goals and 60 assists for 76 points, which was third among defensemen that season, although his 1.12 points per game was second.

The Columbus Blue Jackets‘ Zach Werenski, Nashville Predators‘ Roman Josi, Tampa Bay Lightning‘s Victor Hedman and Buffalo Sabres‘ Rasmus Dahlin all tied for second at 92 overall, three points behind Hughes, and a much larger gap between first and second than last year’s game, which was only 94 to 93. The Dallas Stars‘ Miro Heiskanen was sixth at 91 overall and the Carolina Hurricanes‘ Jaccob Slavin and Winnipeg Jets‘ Josh Morrissey were tied for seventh at 90 overall. They also listed the Ottawa Senators‘ Jake Sanderson and Florida Panthers‘ Gustav Forsling as tied for 9th at 89 overall, but with the list only showing 10 players, there may be more defensemen with an 89 rating.

And no, EA Sports didn’t forget about Cale Makar, as this list only includes left-shot defensemen. The top 10 for right-shot defensemen will be unveiled at a later date.

EA Sports player ratings help determine the quality of each player in the league, which in turn effects both their skillset during on-ice gameplay as well as how well they simulate during modes like Season, Franchise and Be a Pro.

NHL 26 will be released on September 12th, 2025 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.