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Winning important face-offs, leading rushes up the ice, and setting up teammates are the hallmarks of an elite center. NHL Network producers and analysts on Wednesday revealed their list of the top 20 centers in the League right now in the third of a nine-part series. Here is the list:

20. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils

Hischier, the highest-drafted player from Switzerland in NHL history, was picked No. 1 in the 2017 NHL Draft. The captain of New Jersey scored 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in 71 regular-season games, and 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists) in 35 games, with an average ice time of 20:36 following the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. The 25-year-old has accumulated 353 points (136 goals, 217 assists) in 452 regular-season games.

19. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers

Zibanejad was one of the initial six players chosen for the Sweden team to compete against the United States, Canada, and Finland in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, taking place from February 12-20. In his 81 games, he accumulated 72 points, with 26 goals and 46 assists, and an additional 16 points in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games, contributing towards the Rangers reaching the Eastern Conference Final. Despite their loss to the Florida Panthers in a six-game series, Zibanejad, now 31, has achieved a minimum of 20 goals in nine out of the last 10 seasons.

18. Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues

Last season, Thomas established new NHL career highs in goals (26), assists (60), points (86), and games (82), earning him his first NHL All-Star recognition. The 25-year-old currently boasts 315 NHL points, ranking him fourth in the 2017 draft class behind Elias Pettersson (412), Hischier (353), and Cale Makar (336).

17. Tim Stutzle, Ottawa Senators

Despite Stutzle’s goal total falling from 39 in 2022-23 to 18 last season, and his point total reducing from 90 to 70, he managed to achieve a career-high 52 assists in 75 NHL games, averaging nearly a point per game (0.93). The 22-year-old also had to contend with injuries and additional responsibilities due to injuries to center Josh Norris and Shane Pinto’s absence for the first 41 games due to sports wagering-related activities. As the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Stutzle is the leading scorer in his draft class with 91 goals, 156 assists, and 247 points.

16. Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

The captain of the Canadiens achieved personal bests in his NHL career last season with 33 goals, 44 assists, and 77 points in a total of 82 games. He reached his 100th career goal in the NHL just 17 seconds into overtime during a 4-3 victory against the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena on March 5. The 25-year-old player has accumulated 286 points, comprising of 108 goals and 178 assists, in his 373 regular-season games.

15. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings

The captain of the Red Wings achieved an NHL career-high of 33 goals and contributed 36 assists in 68 games last season, marking his fourth time scoring at least 30 goals. The 28-year-old player managed to average more than a point per game (1.01) for the first time in his nine-year NHL career. He scored his 200th NHL goal on January 27th and secured his 500th point on April 11th.

14. Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars

Since becoming a member of the Stars in the 2018-19 season, Hintz has maintained a consistent performance. He scored 65 points, consisting of 30 goals and 35 assists, in 80 games last season, following scores of 72 and 75 in the two preceding seasons. However, his productivity was hampered by injuries during the Dallas’ journey to the Western Conference Final, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in six games. During this period, he managed to score eight points, including two goals and six assists, in 15 games.

13. Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

The winner of the 2024 Calder Trophy, who was the leader or co-leader in goals (22), assists (39), and points (61) for both rookies and the Blackhawks, managed these feats despite being sidelined for 14 games due to injury. Bedard, who is currently 19, was the second youngest player in NHL history to end as the outright or tied rookie leader in all three categories at the age of 18 years and 276 days. The only player to achieve this at a younger age was Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who did so at 18 years and 224 days in the 2013-14 season.

12. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes

Aho was among the first six players selected to represent Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He had his best NHL season to date last year, scoring 89 points (36 goals, 53 assists) in 78 games, leading the Hurricanes in goals, assists and points for the third time. At 27 years old, he scored 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 11 playoff games, becoming the third player in NHL history, after Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, to at least share his team’s scoring lead in his first six postseasons.

11. J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks

Following his first 100-point season in the NHL, Miller has made a name for himself. With a total of 103 points comprised of 37 goals and 66 assists, he was the sixth player in 40 years and the second last season, following Artemi Panarin, to achieve his first 100-point season at the age of 31 or older. Other players who achieved this include Erik Karlsson (2022-23), Steven Stamkos (2021-22), Martin St. Louis (2006-07), and Daniel Alfredsson (2005-06). Additionally, Miller’s performance led the Canucks to win 50 games and reach the playoffs for the second time since the 2014-15 season. His contribution of 12 points, including three goals and nine assists, in 13 postseason games was notable. Over the past three seasons, Miller has consistently scored at least 32 goals and 82 points.

10. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

On March 2, 2024, Pettersson opted out of restricted free agency by signing an eight-year contract with the Canucks. For the first time in his NHL career, he won over half of his face-offs, achieving a rate of 50.8 percent and amassing 89 points (comprising 34 goals and 55 assists). Pettersson’s 10 game-winning goals, a personal best, placed him at the top of the Canucks and tied him with Daniel Sedin for the third-highest in a single season in the team’s history. He also made a career-high 125 hits, which was more than the total in his previous three seasons. Pettersson, aged 25, has consistently scored a minimum of 32 goals in each of the last three seasons.

9. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury, Hughes managed to score 74 points (27 goals, 47 assists) and is expected to be fully recovered for the upcoming training camp following his shoulder surgery on April 10. As the first pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, he led the Devils with an average of 1.19 points per game and 31 power-play points, while also leading New Jersey forwards in average ice time (20:58). In the 2022-23 season, the 23-year-old set personal records with 43 goals, 56 assists and 99 points over 78 games.

8. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights

Eichel was among the initial six players chosen to represent the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Last season, he garnered 68 points, composed of 31 goals and 37 assists, in 63 games, along with seven points, including three goals and four assists, in seven playoff games. At 27, Eichel became a Stanley Cup champion in 2023, leading the playoff scoring with 26 points, including six goals and 20 assists. This score was the third-highest ever by a player on his first postseason appearance in NHL history.

7. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning

Point had yet another fruitful season, securing 90 points (46 goals, 44 assists) in 81 matches, following the season where his 51 goals were the highest in Tampa Bay and fifth highest in the NHL. The 28-year-old player has consistently scored 20 or more goals for seven consecutive seasons, with over 40 goals in three of those seasons. He has accumulated 87 points (42 goals, 45 assists) in 87 playoff matches and has won the Cup twice with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

6. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

The captain of the Penguins, aged 37, has been selected for Canada’s 4 Nations Face-off roster. Crosby, in his 19th season with the NHL, was Pittsburgh’s leading player last season with 94 points, consisting of 42 goals and 52 assists in 82 games. This included 30 points made up of 10 goals and 20 assists in the last 18 games. He shares the record with Gretzky for the most seasons (19) scoring at least a point per game in NHL history. Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup champion (2009, 2016, 2017) and twice winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy (2016, 2017), has also received the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and “Rocket” Richard Trophy two times each. He has won the Ted Lindsay Award three times and was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players at the League’s Centennial celebration in 2017.

5. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers

Barkov, born in Finland, made history by becoming the first NHL captain from his country to win the Stanley Cup. He played a pivotal role in the Panthers’ 2-1 victory over the Oilers in the seventh game of the 2024 Final, earning the Panthers their first NHL championship. Throughout the series, he scored five points, consisting of two goals and three assists, and accumulated 22 points, eight goals, and 14 assists in 24 playoff games. The 28-year-old player managed to score 80 points, with 23 goals and 57 assists, in 73 regular-season games. He was also among the first six players chosen for Finland’s team for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

4. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

Last season, Draisaitl ranked seventh in the NHL with 106 points, including 41 goals and 65 assists, from 81 regular-season games. He also accumulated 31 points, comprising 10 goals and 21 assists, in 25 playoff games. The 2014 third overall NHL Draft pick has a career total of 850 points, made up of 347 goals and 503 assists, from 719 regular-season games, and 108 points, including 41 goals and 67 assists, from 74 playoff games. The 28-year-old has scored the second-highest number of goals (254) in the NHL since the 2018-19 season, trailing only Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (272). He also ranks second in points (726), equal with his teammate Connor McDavid.

3. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

The 26-year-old reached a milestone last season, scoring 69 goals, making him the first player to score that many in a single season since Lemieux’s 69 in 70 games during the 1995-96 season. Matthews, who previously scored 60 goals in the 2021-22 season, now stands as the ninth player in NHL history to have at least two 60-goal seasons. He joins the ranks of Mike Bossy (five), Gretzky (five), Phil Esposito (four), Lemieux (four), Brett Hull (three), Pavel Bure (two), Jari Kurri (two), and Steve Yzerman (two). Since being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews has led the NHL in goals and is currently listed on the United States’ roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche

The current Hart Trophy holder, who was also voted as the NHL’s most valuable player, came in second in the NHL with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games. In addition, he won the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the most exceptional player as chosen by the NHL Players’ Association. MacKinnon is set to represent Canada at the 4 Nations Face-off. He maintained a 35-game home point streak (77 points; 29 goals, 48 assists) in the previous season, which is the second-longest in NHL history, only surpassed by Gretzky’s 40 with the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89. At 28 years old, he won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

McDavid finished third in Hart voting behind MacKinnon and Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. The Oilers captain was third in the NHL with 132 points in 76 games last season and finished the 2024 playoffs with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 25 games; only Gretzky and Lemieux had more in one postseason. He became the sixth player on the losing team of the Final to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, and the first skater since Reggie Leach with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976. The 27-year-old who was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft leads the League in points (982 in 645 games) since entering the League and was named to Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster.