- May 21, 2026
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Connor McDavid has achieved plenty across his 11 NHL seasons, but his latest piece of history came to fruition Monday when EA Sports made him the inaugural member of their “99 Club” in the NHL video game series.
It’s not the first time in the history of the series where a player has been given a 99 rating, with some even getting 100 in the past. However, EA Sports is taking the “99 Club” from their Madden NFL series, and with the introduction of this specific category, there is no player more fitting than McDavid to get the honour.
After scoring 409 goals and 811 assists for 1,220 points in 794 games across his NHL career thus far, McDavid was officially given the honor of his highest video game rating for the upcoming fall release of NHL 27.
The rating increase comes after he scored 48 goals and 90 assists for 138 points in all 82 games in 2025-26, before his Edmonton Oilers fell short of a third-straight run to the Stanley Cup Final, bowing out in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks.
In NHL 26, EA rated McDavid 97 overall as the top player in the game, with the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, Oilers’ teammate Leon Draisaitl, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov as the only others above 95 overall.
McDavid’s last rating boost came in NHL 24, when he was bumped up from a 95 to the 97th overall, where he remained until this season, with 97 ranking higher than the 96 Sidney Crosby peaked at in NHL 15 and NHL 16.
Entering the first year of his new two-year contract with the Oilers, McDavid will be on a mission to prove he’s worth the 99-overall rating this season. Set to turn 30 in January, he will look to surpass 138 points in his first 84-game regular season, while also seeking a chance to push the Oilers deep into the postseason once again.
No other ratings have been announced for the 2026-27 edition of EA’s NHL series, but each position’s top players are expected to be revealed through the coming weeks in the lead-up to the game’s release on Sept. 11 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, players will be able to play a 10-hour trial through EA Play on Sept. 4
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It’s not the first time in the history of the series where a player has been given a 99 rating, with some even getting 100 in the past. However, EA Sports is taking the “99 Club” from their Madden NFL series, and with the introduction of this specific category, there is no player more fitting than McDavid to get the honour.
After scoring 409 goals and 811 assists for 1,220 points in 794 games across his NHL career thus far, McDavid was officially given the honor of his highest video game rating for the upcoming fall release of NHL 27.
The rating increase comes after he scored 48 goals and 90 assists for 138 points in all 82 games in 2025-26, before his Edmonton Oilers fell short of a third-straight run to the Stanley Cup Final, bowing out in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks.
A 99 for No. 97.
Connor McDavid is officially the inaugural member of the EA SPORTS NHL 99 Club in NHL 27
Pre-Order #NHL27https://t.co/bqjGPs3H2Y pic.twitter.com/mE23L2Apku
— NHL (@NHL) August 17, 2026
In NHL 26, EA rated McDavid 97 overall as the top player in the game, with the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, Oilers’ teammate Leon Draisaitl, and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov as the only others above 95 overall.
McDavid’s last rating boost came in NHL 24, when he was bumped up from a 95 to the 97th overall, where he remained until this season, with 97 ranking higher than the 96 Sidney Crosby peaked at in NHL 15 and NHL 16.
Entering the first year of his new two-year contract with the Oilers, McDavid will be on a mission to prove he’s worth the 99-overall rating this season. Set to turn 30 in January, he will look to surpass 138 points in his first 84-game regular season, while also seeking a chance to push the Oilers deep into the postseason once again.
No other ratings have been announced for the 2026-27 edition of EA’s NHL series, but each position’s top players are expected to be revealed through the coming weeks in the lead-up to the game’s release on Sept. 11 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, players will be able to play a 10-hour trial through EA Play on Sept. 4
Continue reading...