NHL Rank: Predicting the best players for 2022-23, from 100-51
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ESPN staff
The top 100 NHL players for the 2022-23 season are difficult to rank, given the incredible depth of talent at almost every position.
To create our annual ranking of the NHL’s top 100 players, we asked an ESPN panel of more than 50 hockey experts to rate players based on how good they will be in the 2022-23 season compared to their peers.
The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche were tied for the most players in the top 100 with six, along with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks. Only three teams failed to place a player in the top 100 — and the Arizona Coyotes are not one of the three.
Emphasis was placed solely on expectations for the upcoming season and predicting potential greatness, rather than past performance, career résumé or positional value. Hence, long-term injuries to players, such as the season-ending surgery for Robin Lehner of the Vegas Golden Knights, were taken into consideration.
There may be no greater indication of the NHL’s depth than the fact that the center position — the source of the league’s star power for decades — accounted for only seven spots in the top 20. Centers do encompass four slots in the top seven players, however.
Today we reveal Nos. 51 through 100 on the list. Tune in to “The Point” on Tuesday night for a reveal of the top players, which will be available online Wednesday morning.
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 31
Eight straight seasons of more than 20 goals is what makes Kane one of the league’s more consistent wingers. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 56
Age: 24
Chychrun is a high-end talent with great defensive details and offensive upside — when he’s healthy. Injuries have defined the blueliner’s past 12 months but shouldn’t distract from what he can offer at full strength. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
San Jose believes the dynamic Hertl will be their top-line center of the present — and future. He’s a skilled scorer, deft playmaker and can elevate teammates, all of which the Sharks need to see more of amid a slow start to this season. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 95
Age: 28
Chicago went all-in on signing the talented Jones last offseason because of his potential to perform in all three phases. Jones is a strong passer, executes clean breakouts, and he throws his frame along the boards, all elements of a solidly well-rounded skater. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 97
Age: 27
The Canucks’ captain is a versatile cog in the system, excellent on draws and handles a matchup role well. Horvat just had a career-best 31-goal season, and he will be channeling that offensive energy into this contract year. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 35
Age: 32
Pietrangelo hit the 80-game mark for the first time in four seasons and gave a sense of stability at a time of questions for the Golden Knights. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 89
Age: 25
Chabot has a relentless motor, and he brings everything you’d want to the Senators’ blue-line group. Ottawa’s anchor regularly logs massive minutes while excelling in every on-ice scenario, proving that where Chabot goes, so go the Sens. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 35
The diminutive Norwegian was 13th among all right wings with a 0.85 points per game average over the past two seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 36
Age: 35
Letang had a career-best 68 points while averaging nearly 26 minutes en route finishing in the top 10 in Norris voting for the third time in four seasons. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 37
Age: 35
Several items led to the Kings’ resurgence, and Kopitar was among them by leading the team in scoring while playing in every situation. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 69
Age: 34
Giroux may no longer be the point-per-game player he was in his prime, but the 34-year-old remains a steady playmaking presence. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 57
Age: 26
Nylander has matured into more than just a scoring threat. He’s willing to battle for pucks, create takeaways and breaks out quickly. He also has the wheels to wield a strong transition game. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 23
His regular-season efforts showed he can serve in a tandem, but the playoffs showed Oettinger has everything needed to be a No. 1 goaltender. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 24
Buffalo’s big center had a big breakout year that’s turned him into an emerging face of the franchise. Thompson’s got elite scoring ability, a killer shot and, as the Sabres discovered last season, the versatility to play important minutes down the middle. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 26
The Swedish sniper broke through in last season’s 35-goal turn. Kempe’s upping the ante already this year — three goals in three games — thanks to great chemistry with Anze Kopitar. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 20
Stutzle is already a power-play force for the Senators (26 of his 58 points last season). With Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat added to the Ottawa forward group, his even strength output should increase. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 94
Age: 28
His puck-moving ability made a difference in Florida, and it is why Calgary looks like it has another weapon on its blue line. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
Tristan Jarry silenced critics of his disastrous 2021 postseason by establishing himself as a consistent, effective starter for the Penguins last season. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
When Sorokin starts, the Islanders know what kind of effort they’re getting. He had a quality starts percentage of .713 over his first two NHL seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 31
The Blueshirts got a Broadway-esque star turn from Kreider in his 52-goal effort a season ago. Surprising? Maybe, but the veteran forward has followed it up by averaging a point per game early in the 2022-23 season. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 52
Age: 32
Tavares’ game has evolved beyond just goal scoring. The Leafs’ captain is a proven playmaker who hit a decade-high in assists (49) last season that complemented his more finely tuned, 200-foot performances. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 73
Age: 28
The longtime backbone of Toronto’s defense does it all while leading by example. Rielly’s an elite skater and puck mover used in every situation, where he’s capable of generating offense without sacrificing defensive responsibilities. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 51
Age: 26
When Ekblad’s healthy, he’s a defenseman worthy of being in the Norris Trophy conversation, especially given his playmaking abilities (42 assists last season). –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 25
Terry’s 67-point season sets the expectation that he has found his footing within the Ducks’ long-term plans. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
Lindholm was an elite — if under-the-radar — two-way center before last season’s explosive 42-goal showing put him on the map. Former linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk might be gone but Lindholm’s defensive savvy and scoring prowess continue to shine. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 68
Age: 24
This season is Sergachev’s time to shine with Ryan McDonagh having been traded to Nashville. He’s the second best offensive defenseman on the Bolts behind Victor Hedman. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
Trouba is best known for thunderous hits, but he can chip in offensively at even strength too. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 38
Age: 32
Doughty getting injured last season was a big loss for the Kings given he was on pace to set a career high in points. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 27
Age: 29
For all the talk in Winnipeg, Scheifele can calm those concerns by turning in another 20-goal season with the idea he could also threaten to score 30. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 93
Age: 30
Tarasenko had one of the NHL’s best “remember me?” seasons, reigniting his star with a 3.9 points per 60 minutes average. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 67
Age: 25
Boeser is one of the better pure goal scorers on the Canucks, with 46 goals in 127 games over the past two seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
Subtlety is Slavin’s game, yet the impact he has speaks rather loudly for the Hurricanes. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 22
Dahlin relishes playing big minutes on Buffalo’s top unit, where the 22-year-old has matured before the Sabres’ eyes. This season he’s adding more offense from the blue line already, too. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 38
All he did was score a career-high 81 points, play a responsible game and have two-way consistency … in his late 30s. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 78
Age: 26
Ehlers is lethal in transition, making him a must-watch playmaker off the rush. That skill and vision planted Ehlers on Winnipeg’s top line. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 27
He’s a two-way, 25-goal-scoring power forward who is 6-foot-4 and gives the Avs another dimension. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 53
Age: 32
While he never broke through to win the Norris, Carlson has been a consistent defenseman who banks points while running Ovechkin’s power play. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 34
Age: 29
Even with fewer games, Hamilton fell a goal shy of what would have been an eighth-straight season of more than 10 goals during his first year in New Jersey. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 90
Age: 37
Nurse has averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game the past two seasons, being tasked with playing against top competition. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: 43
Age: 29
Landeskog gives the Avalanche another 20-goal scorer who could possibly reach the 30-goal mark if not for injuries (he missed the start of the season with a lower-body injury). –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 21
The video-game moves (and moves that end up in video games) made him instantly famous, but Zegras has the skills to remain an NHL offensive force. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 28
Look at his defensive and offensive metrics and you will see why Toews is so valued in Denver. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 59
Age: 23
Canucks’ bench boss Bruce Boudreau says Hughes passes the puck as well as anyone he has coached. High praise for the 23-year-old, who already is ably anchoring Vancouver’s backend. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 26
Scoring 33 goals and 85 points did more than land Fiala a new contract. It places him under a spotlight as someone who could help make the Kings even more dangerous. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: 79
Age: 28
An underrated offensive force. His chemistry with Sidney Crosby is already on display this season following a second 40-goal campaign in 2021-22. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 47
Age: 31
One of the NHL’s top two-way centers. He’s had at least 50 points in nine straight seasons and won over 58% of his faceoffs in seven straight seasons. –Greg Wyshynski
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 32
Kadri broke through to score 87 points and further raised already high expectations about doing the same now that he is with the Flames. –Ryan S. Clark
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 29
Miller has become a top center option for the Canucks, who recently signed the big forward to a seven-year extension. His 32 goals and 99 points last season were both personal bests. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: NR
Age: 24
Speed and skill drive Kyrou’s impressive offensive game. St. Louis gave him an eight-year extension following last season’s career totals (27 goals, 75 points in 74 games), cementing Kyrou as a face of the franchise. –Kristen Shilton
2021-22 rank: 33
Age: 37
The 37-year-old Bergeron has remained so consistent, the last time he was not top 3 in Selke voting was more than a decade ago. –Ryan S. Clark
Former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George was named the next head coach at Bowling Green on Sunday.
George agreed to a five-year deal, sources told ESPN.
His hiring came two days after George, who spent the past four seasons as the head coach at Tennessee State, was one of three finalists to interview for the position.
“Today, we add another transformative leader to this campus in Eddie George,” Derek van der Merwe, Bowling Green’s vice president for athletics strategy, said in a news release. “Our students are getting someone who has chased success in sports, art, business, and leadership. As our head football coach, he will pursue excellence in all aspects of competition in the arena. More importantly, beyond the arena, he will exemplify what excellence looks like in the classroom, in life, in business, and in relationships with people.”
George emerged as a successful head coach in the FCS at Tennessee State. This past season, he led the program to the FCS playoffs and a share of the OVC-Big South title, the school’s first league title in football since 1999.
“I am truly excited to be the head coach at Bowling Green State University,” George said in the news release. “Bowling Green is a wonderful community that has embraced the school and the athletics department. We are eager to immerse ourselves in the community and help build this program to the greatness it deserves. I am overwhelmed with excitement and joy for the possibilities this opportunity holds.”
George returns to the state where he rushed for 3,768 yards over four seasons as a running back for Ohio State, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1995.
George went on to star in the NFL for nine seasons, rushing for more than 10,000 yards. He was a 1996 first-round pick of the Houston Oilers and made his name by playing seven seasons in Nashville for the Titans, becoming the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. The Titans retired his jersey in 2019.
Tennessee State hired George despite his lack of traditional coaching experience, with the school president at the time calling the move “the right choice and investment” for the future of TSU. George has worked as an actor and entrepreneur and earned an MBA from Northwestern.
George paid back the administration’s faith by building Tennessee State into a winner, including a 9-4 season in 2024 that culminated in its first FCS playoff appearance since 2013. Tennessee State lost to Montana in the first round.
George’s hire at TSU continued the trend of former star players being hired at historically Black colleges and universities. Jackson State made the biggest splash in hiring Deion Sanders, who went on to a successful stint at Colorado. Michael Vick’s hire at Norfolk State and DeSean Jackson’s hire at Delaware State continued that trend in the current hiring cycle.
George will replace Scot Loeffler, who left the school to become the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bowling Green has become one of the top coaching springboards of this generation, with Urban Meyer, Dave Clawson and Dino Babers all advancing from the school to power conference jobs. Loeffler went 27-41 over six seasons, a run that included bowl appearances in each of the past three seasons.
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Eli Lederman
Defensive end prospect Richard Wesley, one of the nation’s top recruits in the 2027 high school class, has reclassified into the 2026 cycle and will sign with a college program later this year, he told ESPN on Friday.
A 6-foot-5, 245-pound pass rusher from Chatsworth, California, Wesley completed his sophomore season at Sierra Canyon (California) High School this past fall. His move marks the latest high-profile reclassification in the current cycle, following wide receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster (No. 21 in the ESPN Junior 300), tight end Mark Bowman (No. 23), running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 29) and cornerback Havon Finney Jr. (not ranked) in the line of the elite former 2027 prospects to reclassify into the 2026 class since the start of the new year.
ESPN has not yet released its prospect rankings for the 2027 class, but Wesley is expected to slot in among the nation’s top five defensive line recruits in 2026. He took unofficial visits to Oregon and Texas A&M in January and holds a long list of offers across the SEC, Big Ten and ACC.
Following his reclassification, Wesley told ESPN he will take trips to Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Miami, Oregon, USC, Ole Miss and Texas A&M across March and April before finalizing a slate of official visits for later this spring.
“I really can’t say what the future holds for me,” Wesley said. “I’m excited for more opportunities to go talk with these coaches and see what they’re about. I’m really open to everyone that’s offered me and who really wants me in their program.”
Wesley emerged as one of the nation’s most coveted high school defenders after he totaled 55 tackles and 10 sacks in his freshman season at Sierra Canyon in 2023. He followed this past fall 44 tackles (16 for loss) with nine sacks and four forced fumbles as a sophomore.
The rash of reclassifications into the 2026 class comes after a series of top prospects opted to reclassify during the 2025 recruiting cycle, headlined by five-star recruits Julian Lewis (Colorado) and Jahkeem Stewart (USC) and Texas A&M quarterback signee Brady Hart. Wesley told ESPN that his decision to enter college early was motivated by conversations with college coaches and his belief that he will be physically ready to compete at the next level by the time his junior season ends later this year.
“All the colleges I talk to have shown me their recruiting boards and told me I’m at the top of their list at the position regardless of class,” Wesley said. “They’ve told me good things and they’ve told me the things I need to work on. I need to work on my violence. I’ve been grinding at that every single day.”
Wesley now joins a talented 2026 defensive end class that features 11 prospects ranked inside the top 100 in the ESPN Junior 300.
Five-star edge rusher Zion Elee, ESPN’s No. 1 defender in the class, has been committed to Maryland since this past December and closed his recruitment last month. JaReylan McCoy, a five-star prospect who decommitted from LSU in February, and four-stars Jake Kreul (No. 19 overall) and Nolan Wilson (No. 54 overall) stand among the cycle’s top uncommitted defensive ends.
IRVING, Texas — The Big 12 has moved six of its conference football games to Friday nights next fall, along with another matchup of league teams that won’t count in the standings.
Those were among the 10 games involving Big 12 teams selected Friday by the league’s television partners, ESPN and Fox, for Friday night broadcasts. There will be two games on three of those nights.
On the opening weekend of the season, Baylor will host SEC team Auburn and Colorado will be home against ACC team Georgia Tech on Aug. 29. Arizona plays at Arizona State and Utah is at Kansas on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving.
There will also be two games Sept. 12, with Colorado at Houston and Kansas State at Arizona. That matchup of Wildcats won’t count in the Big 12 standings since it was part of a preexisting schedule agreement between the two teams before the league expanded to 16 teams last year.
The other four Friday night games are Tulsa at Oklahoma State (Sept. 19), TCU at Arizona State (Sept. 26), West Virginia at BYU (Oct. 3) and Houston at UCF (Nov. 7).
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