Connor Bedard’s name is now sitting among the NHL’s top centers, and the league’s latest ranking shows just how far his game has already climbed.
On Sunday night, the NHL rolled out its list of the top 20 active centers, continuing the position-by-position reveal it has been making over the past few weeks. Bedard landed at No. 16, a strong jump after a sluggish sophomore season kept him off the list heading into 2025-26.
The Blackhawks star backed up the selection the hard way. He followed that uneven second year with a 30-goal season and finished as a point-per-game player, enough to push him into company that includes some of the league’s best. He checks in just behind New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier and just ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning standout Brayden Point.
Bedard isn’t the only young center to crack the rankings. Leo Carlsson came in at No. 14, while Macklin Celebrini was even higher at No.
- The top of the list belonged to Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, with Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon right behind him.
Sidney Crosby, Bedard’s idol and the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, remains near the top at age 39, landing at No. 7.
Bedard is expected to miss the first month of the season unless he can beat the projected timeline, but the ceiling still looks massive if everything falls into place. The source noted he could push toward 40 goals and 100 points if the rest of the season cooperates.
Chicago also may have more help coming around him. Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov are mentioned as possible wing options, giving Bedard a better chance to take another step forward.
He still has more ground to cover before he reaches the level that would put him firmly inside the top 10, but for now, the league has put him in the conversation with some of the game’s elite.
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