We may need to make more space on the shelf for the greatest of all-time.
Marie-Philip Poulin earned another accolade this week, as the Montreal Victoire captain will hold the highest player rating among PWHL athletes in EA Sports’ NHL 26. She goes into the year with a 93 overall, the same one she had in NHL 25 when she was also the highest-rated PWHL player.
The honor is well deserved as Poulin finished the 2024-25 PWHL season with a league-leading 19 goals to go along with seven assists, finishing fourth in the league in points with 26. Her performance through the year earned her both the Billie Jean King MVP Award and Forward of the year honors.
Right behind Poulin on the list of highest-rated PWHL athletes is a three-way tie for second, with PWHL Seattle forward Hilary Knight, Toronto Sceptres’ defender Renata Fast and Ottawa Charge captain Brianne Jenner each having a rating of 92.
Knight, who joined the expansion franchise in the offseason after captaining the Boston Fleet for two seasons, was tied for the league lead in points last season with 29 (15 goals and 14 assists).
Fast was named Defender of the Year after leading the league in assists with 16 and finishing tied with Sophie Jaques for the most points by a defender with 22.
As for Jenner, she finished with seven goals, eight assists and 15 points while helping the Charge clinch their first PWHL playoff spot and helping lead them to the Walter Cup final.
A number of players have 91 ratings, including PWHL Vancouver forward Sarah Nurse; Victoire goalie and 2025 PWHL Goaltender of the Year Ann-Renee Desbiens, and her teammate, defender Erin Ambrose; Minnesota Frost forwards Kendall Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield and defender Lee Stecklein, as well as Boston Fleet forward Megan Keller and goalie Aerin Frankel.
New York Sirens’ forward Sarah Fillier, who was tied with Knight for the league lead in points and earned Rookie of the Year honors, holds a 90 ratings.
NHL 26Â will be released on Sept. 12 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Those who pre-order the Deluxe Edition can gain early access as early as Sept. 5.
Read DFO writer Tyler Kuehl’s review of the game, which he makes the case for being one of the smartest in franchise history.
Top 10 PWHL player ratings on NHL 26
T6. Lee Stecklein (D, Minnesota Frost) – 91
T6. Erin Ambrose (D, Montreal Victoire) – 91
T6. Ann-Renee Desbiens (G, Montreal Victoire) – 91
T6. Aerin Frankel (G, Boston Fleet) – 91
T6. Taylor Heise (F, Minnesota Frost) – 91
T6. Kendall Coyne Schofield (F, Minnesota Frost) – 91
T6. Megan Keller (F, Boston Fleet) – 91
T2. Sarah Nurse (F, PWHL Vancouver) – 91
T2. Brianne Jenner (F, Ottawa Charge) – 92
T2. Renata Fast (D, Toronto Sceptres) – 92
T2. Hilary Knight (F, PWHL Seattle) – 92
1. Marie-Philip Poulin (F, Montreal Victoire) – 93