The full release of NHL 22 is approaching quickly, and fans anticipating who would be the highest rated players now have an answer. EA Sports has revealed NHL 22's top 50 overall player ratings, so fans can now see which players stand above the rest.

This year's game is expected to feel more realistic than previous editions. NHL 22's biggest gameplay improvements are centered around increased realism. Unrealistic passes are much more difficult to make, and improved stick physics will make it feel like the players are more aware of where theirs are. In addition, the new Frostbite Engine makes players, uniforms, and even the ice look more genuine than before.

Related: NHL 22's Superstar X-Factor Abilities Explained

Besides having high ratings, many of the top 50 players have Superstar X-Factor abilities. This system, new to NHL 22, gives special abilities to the best players on the ice to help distinguish them from their peers. For example, Connor McDavid has an ability that prevents him from losing any speed when skating with the puck. Sydney Crosby's ability allows him to utilize his devastating backhand shot to beat goaltenders, and the rest of the top 50 all have similar traits.

The Top 50 Players In NHL 22 (OVRs)

NHL 22: All Superstar X-Factor Abilities For The Top 50 Players

It should come as no surprise that the face of the league for the foreseeable future, Connor McDavid, is the highest rated player in NHL 22, at a 95 overall. That lofty OVR is partly due to a blazing 96 speed rating, also the highest in the game. Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon is tied as the second fastest player, at 94 speed, and is also tied for the second best player in NHL 22, at 93 overall. McDavid's Oilers teammate, Leon Draisaitl, and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sydney Crosby are the other players with a 93 rating. The top 50 players and their ratings are listed below.

  1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers - 95
  2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche - 93
  3. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins - 93
  4. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers - 93
  5. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks - 92
  6. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lighting - 92
  7. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning - 92
  8. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals - 92
  9. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs - 92
  10. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins - 91
  11. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins - 91
  12. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins - 91
  13. Artemi Panarin, NY Rangers - 91
  14. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres - 91
  15. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers - 90
  16. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers - 90
  17. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche - 90
  18. Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs - 90
  19. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators - 90
  20. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings - 90
  21. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning - 90
  22. John Carlson, Washington Capitals - 90
  23. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets- 90
  24. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins - 90
  25. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning - 89
  26. Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights - 89
  27. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers - 89
  28. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes - 89
  29. Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues - 89
  30. Mathew Barzal, NY Islanders - 89
  31. Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights - 89
  32. Alex DeBrincat, Chicago Blackhawks - 88
  33. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals - 88
  34. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild - 88
  35. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets - 88
  36. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs - 88
  37. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, 88
  38. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks - 88
  39. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils - 88
  40. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets - 88
  41. Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames - 88
  42. Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators - 88
  43. Adam Fox, NY Rangers - 87
  44. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins - 87
  45. Mika Zibanejad, NY Rangers - 87
  46. Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes - 87
  47. Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins - 87
  48. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets - 87
  49. Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers - 87
  50. Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers - 87

The above list only includes NHL 22's skaters. The highest rated goaltenders are listed below.

  1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning - 92
  2. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets - 91
  3. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens - 90
  4. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights - 90

Next: NHL 22 Shows 27 Minutes Of How the Game Actually Plays

NHL 22 releases on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on October 15, 2021.