EA Sports NHL 27: Jack Hughes paces Devils among game’s top-100 players

EA Sports has released player ratings for EA Sports NHL 27, and the early spotlight from the Devils side is on Jack Hughes, who is listed as the 16th-best player overall in the game. The release also places Hughes as the 8th-best center, a ranking that underscores how central the Devils’ offensive identity remains around their young star.

Along with Hughes, New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier appear among the top-100 players revealed in EA Sports NHL 27’s list of the 300 highest-rated athletes in the game. The game’s ratings, broken down across positions, are drawing most of their Devils attention from this trio because each has the kind of all-around reputation in hockey simulation that tends to translate into higher in-game performances.

The NHL 27 release being discussed here is organized by position groups, with separate categories for defensemen and goalies. For New Jersey, the headline takeaway is that multiple forwards are carrying prominent overall ratings, while the league’s broader defenseman and goaltender lists will determine who is the top-rated Devils blue-liner and their corresponding rank in the game.

The context for fans is simple: EA Sports NHL ratings often become a conversation starter every year because they blend real-world reputation with the game’s own weighting of skills. Even though these are video-game metrics rather than official hockey awards, the numbers can shape how casual viewers think about talent distribution on a roster.

For the Devils, Hughes ranking 16th overall and 8th at center places him in the game’s elite tier of forwards and centers. Bratt and Hischier’s top-100 appearances add to the impression that New Jersey’s scoring threat is not limited to one player, and instead is spread across multiple high-impact roles.

Still, there is a caveat worth keeping in mind. The ratings are an EA Sports product and they do not necessarily mirror how teams evaluate players operationally, from defensive responsibilities to special-teams fit or matchup planning. In other words, a high rating can suggest strong offensive tools and playmaking in the simulation, but it is not a standings projection or a roster assessment.

What to watch next is how EA Sports handles the rest of New Jersey’s personnel in the remaining position categories. The discussion around the Devils’ “top rated defenseman” suggests that at least one blue-liner will have a notable rank, and that could provide the next meaningful datapoint for how the game views New Jersey’s complete build.

If you follow the NHL offseason from a fan perspective, the easiest way to read these releases is as a roster narrative in numbers. Hughes is clearly the anchor for the Devils among New Jersey forwards in NHL 27’s top tier, while Bratt and Hischier reinforce a broader attack, and the defenseman list will determine whether the blue line is treated as just as important in the simulation.