One of the premier players on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is being recognized as one of the best players in the world, both virtually and in the real world.

On Tuesday, EA Sports released the top 10 highest-rated right-wingers in NHL 26, the 35th game in the franchise’s history. Among some of the top names, Leafs forward William Nylander comes into this game with a 92 overall, tied for fifth.

It’s a slight bump for the Calgary-born star. In NHL 25, Nylander had a 91 rating, up from NHL 24 when he was the no. 7 ranked right-winger with a rating of 89. As you’d expect, the most significant attributes for the 29-year-old are his offensive awareness (94), wrist shot accuracy (94) and acceleration (93). He also has puck control and deking ratings of 93.

According to the EA Sports website, Nylander is the 25th-ranked player in the new game.  Ironically, Nylander is tied with former teammate and current Vegas Golden Knight forward Mitch Marner for fifth among right-wingers in NHL 26. Centres, goaltenders and the top-10 overall player ratings will be released in the coming days.

Nylander is coming off an exceptional 2024-25 season. Even though he didn’t match his career-best 98-point performance from the previous season, he set a career high with 45 goals in 82 games, leading all Leaf skaters, finishing second in the race for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy behind Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl. It marked the third consecutive year that the Swedish nationalist had reached the 40-goal mark.

Nylander also finished on the team in scoring with 84 points, only trailing Marner. Nylander led Toronto with 15 points in 13 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the Leafs fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round.

EA Sports player ratings help determine the quality of each player in the league, which in turn affects their abilities on the ice during gameplay, as well as their performance in modes such as Season, Franchise, and Be a Pro.

NHL 26 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.