As the 2025-26 NHL season draws closer the NHL Network has been releasing lists ranking the Top 20 players at each position. Unsurprisingly, the Edmonton Oilers star players have fared well on these rankings, given the abundance of talent on the roster.
So far, the network has ranked the leagues top 20 wingers, defensemen, and now centers. Although no Oilers player featured on the wings list, the team has had players crack the top 10 on both the defensemen and centers lists. It also seems unlikely that the Oilers will have any goalie rank on the top 10 list, given the question marks surrounding the crease.
Most recently, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were ranked first and third respectively, with Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon sitting between them at the two slot. On the defense list, Evan Bouchard took the 10th spot which is a fair ranking as it puts him amongst the best defensemen in the league.
Previous rankings
Although 10th is a good ranking for Bouchard, he was put there after slotting in at ninth the year prior, likely in part due to a dip in production year-over-year. Still, he rightfully sits with the league's best and deserves to carry the label of a top 10 defenseman. The Oilers have seen their players move up and down throughout the years on these lists.
Last year, McDavid was first -- the same position he has held since the list began in 2017. Draisaitl on the other hand has had his spot vary quite a bit over the years, establishing himself as a premier star over the last few years. He has been as high as third, slotting there this year and in 2023 and 2020. He was fourth in 2024 and 2022 and was 20th all the way back in 2018 and was kept off the list entirely in 2019. It appears there was no ranking done in 2021 for some reason.
In 2024, Oilers winger Zach Hyman landed at 11th on the top 20 wings list after scoring 54 goals in the regular season, adding 16 in the playoffs to hit 70 goals combined on the season. In 2023 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sat 15th on the same list after hitting career highs in goals (37), assists (67) and points (104).
Outside of these players, no other Oiler has featured on the NHL's annual positional ranking list. The closest would be Stuart Skinner, who made Kevin Weekes' list of top 10 goalies at number five in 2024. There have also been some former Oilers who made the lists while with other teams like; John Klingberg, Jeff Skinner, and Taylor Hall.
Could one of the clubs top prospects find their way on an NHL positional ranking in the future? Only time will tell.