NHL 20: Top Faceoff Centers

The two-way center is becoming an increasingly prized asset in the NHL, especially if they can contribute big points going forward.

The likes of Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Toews, and Anze Kopitar have been titans of the faceoff circle for years, but now, in NHL 20, there are plenty of other younger two-way centers and more creative centres who can hold their own when the puck drops.

In the latest of EA Sports’ ice hockey game series, having strong faceoff centers in the top-six, bottom-six, and especially on penalty kills has become vital. Due to the speed of the fastest skaters in NHL 20, losing a faceoff in your own zone or the neutral zone can very quickly be punished by a goal.

Choosing NHL 20’s best faceoff centers

To find the best faceoff centers in NHL 20, we narrowed down our search to centers with a faceoff rating of at least 85 and a poise rating of at least 80 to then give them an average faceoff score.

The best faceoff centers, according to their faceoff score, are featured in the main body of the article. At the foot of the article, there are all of the other top faceoff centers who meet the aforementioned criteria in NHL 20.

Jonathan Toews (Faceoff Score: 94.0)

Overall: 88
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 31
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Canadian
Best Attributes: 95 Poise, 93 Stick Checking, 93 Defensive Awareness, 93 Faceoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks may be all-but out of the Western Conference playoff picture this season, but Jonathan Toews is still putting together a solid campaign.

By the 61-game mark, the Blackhawks’ top center had tallied 16 goals and 52 points. Most impressively, though, Toews notched a 57.1 faceoff win percentage with 733 duels won from 1283 faceoffs.

In NHL 20, Toews’ almighty 95 poise and lofty 93 rating for faceoffs stand the Canadian as the best faceoff center in the game.

After winning the duel for his team, Toews continues to be a great player to have on the ice thanks to his 93 stick checking, 93 defensive awareness, 88 offensive awareness, 87 strength, and 89 wrist shot accuracy.

Sidney Crosby (Faceoff Score: 93.0)

Overall: 93
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 32
Player Type: Playmaker
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Canadian
Best Attributes: 95 Offensive Awareness, 95 Deking, 95 Puck Control, 95 Passing, 95 Hand-Eye, 95 Poise

Sidney Crosby has been widely considered to be the very best player in the NHL for a good decade, and he continues to extend his legacy as one of the all-time greats to this day.

Having missed most of November, all of December, and much of January due to requiring surgery on a sports hernia, Crosby has been a bit limited this season. Despite this, he’s still managed to put together 40 points through 32 games, along with a 54.4 faceoff win percentage from 699 faceoffs.

At 32-years-old, the deft playmaker is still one of the highest-rated players in NHL 20 with a 93 overall rating. He’s become a real weapon in the duel too, toting a 91 faceoffs rating and a 95 for his poise.

Faceoffs aren’t even the best aspect of Crosby’s play in the game, with his 95 deking, 95 hand-eye, 95 passing, 95 puck control, 95 offensive awareness, 92 acceleration, 93 agility, and 90 speed making the Penguins great one of the best playmakers in NHL 20.

Ryan O’Reilly (Faceoff Score: 92.5)

Overall: 89
Team: St. Louis Blues
Age: 28
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Canadian
Best Attributes: 95 Discipline, 95 Faceoffs, 93 Defensive Awareness, 93 Stick Checking

An underrated two-way star for the Colorado Avalanche, Ryan O’Reilly refined his craft with the Buffalo Sabres for three years, becoming their top performer while they tried and failed to boot up another rebuild.

Then, in his first season with the St. Louis Blues (last season), O’Reilly proved to be pivotal to the franchise winning its first-ever Stanley Cup – winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process.

He’s been very strong again this season, scoring 11 goals and 54 points in 62 games while holding a hefty 55.9 faceoff win percentage through 1364 duels.

In NHL 20, O’Reilly is in the prime of his career with an 89 overall rating at the age of 28-years-old. His 95 faceoffs with 90 poise are his primary assets.

He also has high ratings of 93 stick checking, 93 defensive awareness, 90 hand-eye, 90 passing, 90 puck control, 95 discipline, 89 strength, and 90 durability to make O’Reilly one of the most reliable two-way centers in the game.

Patrice Bergeron (Faceoff Score: 92.0)

Overall: 90
Team: Boston Bruins
Age: 34
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Shoots: Right
Nationality: Canadian
Best Attributes: 95 Stick Checking, 94 Faceoffs, 94 Defensive Awareness

Winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy – given to the forward who displays the most defensive skill – in four of the last eight seasons, only the winner of the first awards, Bob Gainey, has as many of the accolades as Patrice Bergeron.

Over those eight seasons, the decorated Boston Bruins center has only ceded the title to Jonathan Toews twice, Anze Kopitar twice, and most recently Ryan O’Reilly.

Bergeron is putting together another strong case to claim back the Selke Trophy, notching a 57.3 faceoff win percentage in 1179 duels, 35 blocked shots, 38 hits, and a +20 turnover difference by his 54^th game.

The right-shot center has been the best two-way forward in NHL 20 for a long time, with his overall rating of 90 enabling Bergeron to uphold that claim.

Now 34-years-old, the Bruins frontman still boasts lofty ratings of 95 stick checking, 94 defensive awareness, 94 faceoffs, 92 offensive awareness, 90 deking, 90 hand-eye, 91 passing, and 91 puck control.

Claude Giroux (Faceoff Score: 90.0)

Overall: 89
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 31
Player Type: Playmaker
Shoots: Right
Nationality: Canadian
Best Attributes: 94 Puck Control, 94 Passing, 93 Deking, 93 Hand-Eye, 93 Offensive Awareness

Claude Giroux continues to be a rock for the Philadelphia Flyers. Even though his points production has dropped off from his 85-point haul of last season and 102 points during the campaign before, he’s still the core of the team.

Trusted in all situations for the Flyers, Giroux boasts a 59.0 faceoff win percentage through 62 games this season – complementing his faceoff prowess with 17 goals and 47 points.

In NHL 20, Giroux is fast, boasts great puck skills, and has a 90 in faceoffs and a 90 for his poise, which makes him one of the top faceoff centers in the game.

He’s one of the best playmakers in the game, with his ability in the faceoff circle being the tip of the iceberg. Giroux’s 90 slap shot accuracy, 93 deking, 93 hand-eye, 94 passing, 94 puck control, 91 acceleration, 91 speed, and 91 agility make the Flyers center one of the most user-friendly skaters to have on the ice.

Anze Kopitar (Faceoff Score: 90.0)

Overall: 89
Team: Los Angeles Kings
Age: 32
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Shoots: Left
Nationality: Slovenian
Best Attributes: 92 Slap Shot Power, 92 Wrist Shot Power, 92 Defensive Awareness

The Los Angeles Kings have been on the decline since they won the Stanley Cup in 2014 – missing the playoffs thrice and going out in the first round twice – but Anze Kopitar has remained an elite-level center throughout.

This season, Kopitar has been the Kings’ best player, bar maybe Drew Doughty, tallying 17 goals, 55 points, 46 blocked shots, and a 54.8 faceoff win percentage through 1232 duels.

Breaking up the reign of Canadians as the best faceoff centers in NHL 20, the Slovenian center is 191cm, 101kg, and a tremendous competitor in the circles with a 90 rating for faceoffs and another 90 for poise.

Along with his faceoff prowess in the game, Kopitar also has high ratings of 91 passing, 91 puck control, 90 stick checking, 90 offensive awareness, 91 endurance, 90 slap shot accuracy, and 90 wrist shot accuracy.

All the Best Faceoff Centers in NHL 20

Here’s the complete list of all of the best faceoff centers in NHL 20.

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