The Winnipeg Jets are now Cole Koepke (45) days away from opening their 2026-27 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins. The Jets are also 68 days away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic (I got my ticket already). The long days of the NHL off-season are almost over, as we can soon start looking ahead to the 2026-27 season.

Today we take a break from the “goals and expectations” series for some hockey video game news. EA Sports NHL has released the top 10 overall ratings for centres, left wingers, and right wingers in NHL 27. This article will be updated twice later this week when they post top 10 left and right side defencemen and goalies, as Josh Morrissey and Connor Hellebuyck will surely be featured on those lists.

Mark Scheifele was a 91 overall in NHL 26, and after his 103 point season he earned a bump to 93 overall in NHL 27. This rating ranks Scheifele as the 10th highest rated centre in the game, a very reasonable spot for Scheifele after an incredible season. Kyle Connor was rated a 92 overall in NHL 26, and once again in NHL 27 Connor has a rating of 92 overall. Connor has the 3rd highest overall rating among left wingers, tied with Jason Robertson and just behind Kirill Kaprizov, who is rated 94 overall.

The only other Jets forward featured within the top 300 rated forwards (who are all at least 84 overall) is Gabriel Vilardi. Although Vilardi has played on the wing almost all of the time with the Jets, EA Sports still has Vilardi listed as a centre. Vilardi is the 104th highest rated forward in NHL 27 with a 87 overall. Vilardi’s highest individually rated stats are his balance (for skating) and slap shot accuracy, both of which are 91.

Taking a closer look at Scheifele and Connor’s in-detail stats listed on EA Sports’ NHL 27 Ratings Database, EA did well at rating the two Jets star forwards. Scheifele’s best attributes are his offensive awareness, puck control, and passing, and his shooting stats have been bumped up slightly in most categories from last season. Connor’s skating ability remains notable at 91 speed, while his best attributes are of course related to his shot, namely his slap shot accuracy and deking.

Make sure to keep a close eye on EA Sports’ social media accounts in the next few days, as they’ll be revealing the top 10 left defencemen, top 10 right defencemen, and top 10 goalies. Josh Morrissey will likely be included somewhere in the middle of the top 10 left defencemen list, while Hellebuyck (despite a not so great season), should be ranked as the 2nd or 3rd best goalie in NHL 27. This article will be updated on the day that these ratings get revealed.

The latest edition of the EA Sports NHL franchise is set to release worldwide on September 11th. If you pre-order the deluxe edition, you can get access to the game on September 4th. Hearing EA Sports NHL news (and ratings) means that we’re all one step close to the return of hockey season. It’ll be interesting to see how the complete Winnipeg Jets roster stacks up against other teams in NHL 27, and I’m hoping to see plenty of usable Scheifele, Vilardi, and Connor cards in the popular “Hockey Ultimate Team” mode.

The 2026 NHL off-season continues on as we’ve reached late August, as teams are still enjoying their last two weeks off before training camps begin in September. Stay tuned for more “goals and expectations” articles throughout the month of August (and early September) as I’ll look at what to expect from 2026-27 Jets players throughout the lineup. Let us know on our Daily Faceoff Winnipeg socials if there’s a certain player you’d like us to cover next!

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