EA Sports NHL finally finished wrapping up their NHL 24 top ratings roll out, concluding with their top 20 centers in the upcoming installment of the NHL series. Most recently, the sports gaming moguls revealed their highest-rated goalies and left defensemen, and neither position had any New Jersey Devils representatives.
However, that couldn’t be further from the truth for the other positions. The Devils’ prized 2021 free agent signing Dougie Hamilton finished fifth among the top right defensemen with a 90 overall rating. Hamilton will have a One Tee Superstar ability and a Tape to Tape Zone ability in NHL 24 and is rated only lower than the likes of Cale Makar (95), Charlie McAvoy (92), Adam Fox (92), and 2023 Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson (91).
No Devils were able to crack the top 10 right wings, but a pair of new additions were still able to make the cut for the top 20. Tyler Toffoli and Timo Meier both earned 87 overall ratings, placing them 14th and 17th among right wings, respectively. Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues graded out as an 88 overall and the 11th-highest-rated right wing, so not much separates Toffoli and Meier from the top 10.
Meier will have the Big Rig, Close Quarters, and Unstoppable Force Zone abilities in NHL 24, while the former Calgary Flame Toffoli will also have Close Quarters in addition to Make it Snappy and Shnipe. These two new Devils should be as dangerous in front of the net for New Jersey as they will be for you in NHL 24.
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Jesper Bratt is the Devils’ lone representative at the left wing position, clocking in at an 88 overall and the 12th-best amongst his peers. Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators just edged out Bratt for 11th, and Kyle Connor’s 89 rating puts him at the beginning of the top-10. Bratt’s NHL 24 Zone abilities include Elite Edges, Make it Snappy, and Wheels, centered around his uncanny ability to put moves on defenders and get quick shots off.
Rounding out the Devils stars, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier each earned a place among NHL 24’s top-20 centers. Hughes will be the game’s ninth-best center, with his 91 overall slotting him behind the usual crew headlined by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon.
Hischier was able to parlay the best offensive season of his career into an 89 rating, placing him 19th and just inside the top 20 centers. His 89 puts him on even ground with players like Dylan Larkin, Roope Hintz, and Tim Stutzle, and just behind 90-rated centers like Sebastian Aho, Steven Stamkos, and Mika Zibanejad.
The Devils’ duo down the middle will be at the center of your offensive escapades in NHL 24, even though neither Hughes nor Hischier were given Superstar abilities in the latest installment. The former will have the Ankle Breaker, Relentless, Puck on a String, Tape to Tape, and Wheels Zone abilities, while the latter will bring Big Tipper and Yoink! to the table in addition to his own Tape to Tape ability.