The Winnipeg Jets are now Josh Morrissey (44) days from opening their 2025-26 regular season at home against the Dallas Stars. I’ll soon be concluding the “goals and expectations” series by the end of the month, but today the attention turns to the hockey video game world and Kyle Connor.

EA Sports is previewing the top 10 players at each position for the upcoming release of NHL 26. While we are waiting to see where Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele rank among the top 10 for their positions, Josh Morrissey was revealed yesterday as the 8th highest rated in the top 10 for left defensemen with a 90 overall. Today, Kyle Connor was revealed to be the 4th highest ranked left winger at 92 overall.

In NHL 24, Kyle Connor was rated 89 overall, putting him at the 10th spot overall among left wingers. After a full 82 game season where he scored 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points, Connor deservedly earns a bump to 92 overall. Ahead of Kyle Connor is Artemi Panarin at 92 overall, NHL 26 cover athlete Matthew Tkachuk at 93 overall, and Kirill Kaprizov at 94 overall. All three of these players have scored 100+ points in a season previously in their careers, and they all ranked in the top 5 for left wingers in NHL 24.

Jets fans should be pleased to see Kyle Connor get a much deserved spot among the top 5 most elite left wingers in the NHL. It’s important to note that the ratings for NHL 26 work slightly different than in years past, as this time they are powered by NHL Edge. NHL Edge is a “player tracking technology and associated public-facing website that provides fans with advanced hockey statistics, including player skating speed and distance, shot speed and location, and puck zone time”. Last season’s statistics certainly factor into how EA Sports decides the top 10, but it’s also based on how each player plays their own unique style. The goal of balancing each player’s detailed in game stats is to make each player feel more like the player they are in real life.

As someone who has played NHL every since I was young, I’ve noticed in recent years that Kyle Connor tends to skate slightly slower than other top left wingers. It’s puzzling why EA Sports doesn’t seem to be generous with Kyle Connor’s skating stats, as he’s quite the dynamic skater. Connor even competed in the 2022 NHL Fastest Skater competition, finishing 6th overall. Taking a look at the NHL 26 ratings database, it appears that Connor has finally earned a boost in speed and acceleration (perhaps thanks to NHL Edge), with a 91 speed and 93 acceleration.

Make sure to keep an eye on EA Sports’ social media in the next few days as they reveal the top 10 centres and top 10 goalies in NHL 26. The latest edition of the EA Sports NHL franchise is set to release worldwide on September 12th. If you pre-order the deluxe edition, you can get access to the game as early as September 5th. Hearing EA Sports NHL news means we’re all one step closer to the return of the hockey season. I’m excited to see how the Winnipeg Jets stack up against other teams in NHL 26, and I’m hoping Kyle Connor is a more usable card in the popular “Hockey Ultimate Team” mode.