On Thursday, The Athletic revealed its list of the Top-150 players currently serving in the NHL.

No, this wasn’t your traditional, run-of-the-mill ranking either. It wasn’t a numbered 1-150 ranking, but rather a list of groupings – 1A to 5C – that contained the 150 players currently at the top of the league rankings. 

Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today 

Assembled by Dom Luszczyszyn, Sean Gentile and Shayna Goldman, the all-encompassing overview provided the following pre-amble to set the stage for the annual breakdown:

“For the second straight season, we’ve separated 150 players into five groups: MVP cornerstones, franchise pillars, All-Star candidates, the true stars and elite support. Last year, we added a fifth tier and 25 slots and incorporated goaltenders for the first time, and we carried that template into 2025.

“For those new here, this isn’t your typical ranking — because it isn’t really a ranking. It’s a hierarchy, one in which grouping players together is the primary feature and is meant to illustrate the diversity of viewpoints within the sport. There are levels to the league and sub-levels within each basket of players. While one player may be more well-liked by some over another, another group may see it differently.”

Included on The Athletic’s list were six members of the Winnipeg Jets – most of which the average hockey fan could likely have guessed. Their rankings are as follows:

2A – Connor Hellebuyck (No. 15 overall) 

2C – Josh Morrissey (No. 27 overall) 

3B – Kyle Connor (No. 48 overall) 

4A – Mark Scheifele (No. 70 overall) 

5B – Gabe Vilardi (No. 133 overall) 

5C – Dylan Samberg (No. 147 overall)

Former Jets Nikolaj Ehlers (4A), Pierre-Luc Dubois (5A) and Sean Monahan (5A) were also included on the list, while Manitobans Seth Jarvis (3A), Mark Stone (4A) and Travis Sanheim (5A) also cracked the Top-150.