Individual player ratings reveals are one of the most exciting parts in the lead up to a yearly sports game release, and passionate gamers usually don't hesitate to debate who the best players are each year. NHL 23 ratings might not be here quite yet, so there's still plenty of time to debate over which players should be the highest rated in the annual sports game.
In hockey, the center position is a premium position on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice, and teams with highly skilled centers are routinely favored to contend for the Stanley Cup. This holds true in the NHL video game series, and players that use teams with elite centers can expect to have an easier time navigating the rigorous schedule in NHL 23's franchise mode.
NHL 23's Likely Top Centers
The list of best centers in NHL 23 should be slightly different from the top centers in NHL 22, as some young players had breakout seasons and some formerly elite veterans battled injury or decline in 2021-22. For example, Patrice Bergeron was the fifth-highest rated center in NHL 22, and although he is still a good player, Bergeron is unlikely to be in the five best centers when NHL 23 releases in October.
It's important to remember that some attributes matter a lot more than others and not every player of equal rating is the same, especially in online play. Attributes like speed, wrist shot power and accuracy, acceleration, passing, and deking mean a lot more than other attributes do when it comes to having success in online head-to-head competition. Those key ratings and skills carried the most weight when predicting the players that will be rated highest in NHL 23.
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, 90 Overall
Steven Stamkos has been an elite NHL player for a decade or more, and he remains one of the best goal scorers at the center position on a team that has been to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row. Stamkos is a playmaker player type in NHL 23 but has a great shot and will capitalize on scoring opportunities at a high rate. He is a legitimate franchise center for any team.
Stamkos' skating is above average, and he is definitely not an overly physical player, but his puck skills and shooting attributes should place him among the elite centers in NHL 23. Players will need to take advantage of his high puck control and hockey sense attributes, as the Lightning are not a team that has a lot of speed and instead relies on team puck possession and elite goaltending to win.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers, 93 Overall
Draisaitl was on pace for a legendary year before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2019-20 regular season early, but he hasn't really slowed down since. Part of a lethal offensive attack in Edmonton, Draisaitl combines puck skills and shooting attributes that should both be in the 93-95 range with above average skating to earn a position as one of the most dominant centers in NHL 23.
As good as Draisaitl is, the oilers have a lot of solid players overall. This presents a lot of matchup advantages for gamers who are using the Oilers in head-to-head online play, since Draisaitl will match up with other teams' second line most of the time, giving him a significant advantage and helping players using the Oilers to gain an edge against their opponents.
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs, 93 Overall
Canadian hockey fans either love or despise the Toronto Maple Leafs, and those feelings probably carry over to the Leafs' best player, Auston Matthews. While he's never been able to get the Maple Leafs over the top in a first-round playoff series, he is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and talented players in the entire NHL and can take over a game at any time. Like Draisaitl, Matthews' lack of physicality and defensive ratings hold him back from being even higher than the predicted 93 Overall.
Matthews was a sniper class in NHL 22 with a Shock and Awe zone ability, meaning he can take over offensively in an instant with dominant play, and he should be largely the same in NHL 23. Along with the other players on this list, Matthews is not only one of the most dominant players in Head-to-Head mode in NHL 23, but one of the most coveted players in NHL 23 Ultimate Team.
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche, 94 Overall
Winning the Stanley Cup is every NHL player's dream, and MacKinnon not only was the leader and best player on the Cup winners last year, but his team will enter 2022-23 as the definitive favorites to win it all again. A mixture of speed, grit, and scoring touch, MacKinnon has been a dominant player in the NHL for the past few years but has really elevated his game recently, helping the Avalanche become one of the NHL's elite teams.
Colorado is going to be an easy choice to use in NHL 23's Head-to-Head games all season long, as they are a team deep with top-end talent and speed. At times, they looked so vastly superior to opponents that it was hard to believe they were in the same league. MacKinnon embodies that skill and dominance, and should be in the range of 93-94 Overall when NHL 23 launches this year, especially for players who prefer to use a team and player who bring a lot of speed and offensive talent along with some grit and chirpiness.
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 95 Overall
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Any dedicated hockey fan will know who Connor McDavid is, but for the newcomers, he's far and away the most complete and skilled player in the NHL and should benefit greatly from the new last-chance animations in NHL 23. McDavid will likely never be accused of being an overly physical player and that will be reflected in his attributes, but his elite speed and utter dominance with the puck both as a playmaker and shooter will make McDavid once again the highest rated center, and likely player, in NHL 23.
Unlike Madden NFL 23, the NHL series does not typically award 99 Overall ratings at launch. More similarly to the MLB The Show series, 95 Overall is the standard highest rating early in the game cycle, and that's where Connor McDavid will most likely be when NHL 23 launches this October.
NHL 23 is scheduled to release on October 14th, 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.