NHL 23 Player Ratings: Best Wing Players

Wing players tend to be the main goal scorers in hockey. When you think about all of the powerful slap shots and one-timers, it’s usually a winger who comes to mind. Because of their importance to a team’s goal scoring, wing players tend to skew toward shooting attributes, but the best can make an impact on either side of the puck.

Below, you will find the best wingers in NHL 23 by overall rating. Rosters were live rosters from game launch and it should be noted that player ratings are subject to change during the season. October 16, 2022 is when stats were pulled, so they will change as the 2022-2023 NHL season is underway. Lastly, only primary right and left wingers were selected for this position. That means that no center with a wing secondary position was chosen, which accounts for the absences of players such as Nathan MacKinnon (94 OVR) and Leon Draisaitl (93 OVR).

You can also check out our list of the best grinders in NHL 23.

1. Patrick Kane (93 OVR)

Age: 33
Position: Right Wing
Archetype: Sniper
Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Handedness: Left
Salary: $10.500M (1 Year)
Best Attributes: 97 Off. Awareness, 97 Wrist Shot Accuracy, 96 Puck Skills

Patrick Kane of Chicago, even entering his 16th year, hails as the best wing player in NHL 23 with a 93 OVR rating. While he does have 97 Off. Awareness and 97 Wrist Shot Accuracy, Kane has an impressive 96 in all Puck Skills attributes. This makes him particularly adept at successfully pulling off some trickier dekes and means he rarely loses the puck. His Slap Shot Accuracy is 95, but he lacks a bit in power with 89 in both Slap Shot and Wrist Shot Power. However, his shot is likely to be on target. Kane is also a fast skater with 96 Agility, 95 Acceleration, and 92 Speed, making his dekes even more formidable.

The 33-year-old has played 1,110 games, scoring 430 goals with 751 assists (1,181 points). During the playoffs, Kane has added 52 goals and 80 assists (132 points) in 136 games. Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy after Chicago hoisted the 2013 Stanley Cup.

2. Alex Ovechkin (92 OVR)

Age: 37
Position: Left Wing
Archetype: Sniper
Team: Washington Capitals
Handedness: Right
Salary: $8.950M (4 Years)
Best Attributes: 97 Off. Awareness, 96 Slap Shot Power, 95 Slap Shot Accuracy

Alex Ovechkin may be entering his 18th season and not the player he once was, but don’t let that fool you. Ovechkin is, as he’s always been, a deadly goal scorer. Along with his 97 Off. Awareness and 96 Poise, he has 96 Slap Shot Power, 95 Slap Shot Accuracy, and 94 Wrist Shot Accuracy and Power. He can still handle the puck with 93 Hand-Eye, 92 Puck Control, 89 Passing, and 88 Deking, but he’s probably better off setting up for slap shots off of passes from a teammate.

Ovechkin helped bring Washington – and himself – their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018 after beating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. The surefire Hall of Famer has career totals of 780 goals and 631 assists (1,411 points) in 1,277 games. He’s added 72 goals and 69 assists (141 points) in 147 playoff games.

3. Nikita Kucherov (92 OVR)

Age: 29
Position: Right Wing
Archetype: Sniper
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Handedness: Left
Salary: $9.500M (5 Years)
Best Attributes: 96 Deking, 96 Off. Awareness, 95 Hand-Eye

Nikita Kucherov has been an integral member of a Tampa Bay franchise that has reached three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals – winning the first two. The Sniper on the right wing has supreme Puck Skills with 96 Deking and 95 Hand-Eye, Passing, and Puck Control to pair with his 96 Off. Awareness and 95 Poise. He also packs a lot of punch in his shot with 95 Wrist Shot Accuracy, 94 Slap Shot Accuracy, 92 Wrist Shot Power, and 91 Slap Shot Power.

Kucherov is a two-time champion as a member of the Lightning. He has career totals of 246 goals and 373 assists (619 points) in 565 games as he enters his ninth season. During the playoffs, Kucherov has added 52 goals and nearly double the assists with 102 (154 points) in 136 games. He also took home a trio of top awards after the 2018-2019 season as he won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Art Ross Trophy.

4. Jonathan Huberdeau (92 OVR)

Age: 29
Position: Left Wing
Archetype: Playmaker
Team: Calgary Flames
Handedness: Left
Salary: $5.900M (1 Year)
Best Attributes: 96 Off. Awareness, 95 Passing, 95 Puck Control

The longtime Florida Panther Jonathan Huberdeau now finds himself a member of the Calgary Flames. Entering his 11th year, Huberdeau has great Puck Skills with 95 Passing and Puck Control and 94 Hand-Eye and Deking. He’s able to keep his composure with the puck as well with his 96 Off. Awareness and 90 Poise. He’s no slouch with his shot, either, as he has 92 Wrist Shot Accuracy, 91 Slap Shot Accuracy, 90 Wrist Shot Power, and 89 Slap Shot Power.

The two-time All-Star has 198 goals and 416 assists (614 points), a bit of an inversion of the expected stats for a wing player, though Huberdeau is a Playmaker archetype. Huberdeau has added five goals and 16 assists (21 points) in 26 playoff games.

5. Artemi Panarin (92 OVR)

Age: 30
Position: Left Wing
Archetype: Playmaker
Team: New York Rangers
Handedness: Right
Salary: $11.645M (4 Years)
Best Attributes: 96 Deking, 96 Off. Awareness, 95 Passing

Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers has elite puck abilities with good accompanying shooting attributes. Panarin’s skills with the puck include 96 Deking and 95 Hand-Eye, Passing, and Puck Control. The Playmaker archetype also has 96 Off. Awareness, 90 Poise, and 85 Discipline, keeping him cool under pressure. He is an accurate shooter with 94 in both Slap Shot and Wrist Shot Accuracy, but has a little less power with 91 Wrist Shot Power and 89 Slap Shot Power. Panarin is also a smooth skater with 93 Agility, 92 Acceleration and Speed, and 85 Balance.

The veteran entering his eighth season – fourth with New York – has amassed a total of 188 goals and 387 assists (575 points) in 511 games. He’s also added 16 goals and 28 assists (44 points) in 50 playoff games. The two-time All-Star won the Calder Memorial Trophy while placing on the All-Rookie Team for the 2015-2016 season.

6. Miko Rantanen (91 OVR)

Age: 25
Position: Right Wing
Archetype: Sniper
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Handedness: Left
Salary: $9.250M (3 Years)
Best Attributes: 95 Off. Awareness, 93 Passing, 93 Puck Control

Miko Rantanen is the best primary wing on the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. Rantanen has fairly equal ratings across his Puck Skills and Shooting attributes, topped off with 95 Off. Awareness and 90 Poise. He has 93 Passing and Puck Control and 92 Deking and Hand-Eye. The Sniper has 93 Wrist Shot Accuracy and 92 Slap Shot Accuracy to pair with 92 Slap Shot Power and 90 Wrist Shot Power. Basically, he’s adept at both scoring and playmaking.

The one-time All-Star played an integral role in Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship. During the 2021-2022 season, Rantanen recorded 36 goals and 56 assists (92 points) in 75 games. During the playoffs, he added five goals and 20 assists (25 points) in 20 games as he and his teammates hoisted the Stanley Cup. The veteran entering his eighth year hopes to help Colorado to a repeat championship.

7. David Pastrnak (91 OVR)

Age: 26
Position: Right Wing
Archetype: Sniper
Team: Boston Bruins
Handedness: Right
Salary: $6.575M (1 Year)
Best Attributes: 96 Puck Control, 96 Off. Awareness, 95 Hand-Eye

Boston mainstay David Pastrnak is just one of a few highly rated Bruins who aim to take the team back to yet another Stanley Cup championship. Pastrnak is another elite puck handler with 96 Puck Control and 95 Deking, Hand-Eye, and Passing. He’s aided by 96 Off. Awareness and 90 Poise. He can skate with the best of them, maximizing his puck abilities, with 92 Acceleration and Speed. As a Sniper, Pastrnak has great accuracy with 95 Wrist Shot Accuracy and 94 Slap Shot Accuracy, though his power is a bit lower with 89 in Slap Shot and Wrist Shot Power.

Pastrnak has scored 241 goals and 267 assists (508 points) across 512 games as he enters his ninth season, all in Boston. He also won the Maurice Richard Trophy in 2019-2020 as the season’s top goal scorer.

8. Kirill Kaprizov (91 OVR)

Age: 25
Position: Left Wing, Right Wing
Archetype: Sniper
Team: Minnesota Wild
Handedness: Left
Salary: $9.000M (4 Years)
Best Attributes: 96 Off. Awareness, 94 Puck Skills, 93 Slap Shot Accuracy

Kirill Kaprizov hopes that he can lead the offense while new goalie Marc-André Fleury shuts down the opposing offense so that Minnesota can reach what has eluded the franchise in their just over two decades of existence: a Stanley Cup Finals appearance (and win). Kaprizov has 94 ratings in all Puck Skills, aided by 96 Off. Awareness, 90 Poise, and 85 Discipline. The Sniper has a more balanced distribution between the four Shooting attributes with 93 Slap Shot Accuracy, 92 Wrist Shot Accuracy, and 90 Slap Shot and Wrist Shot Power. He can also skate well with 92 Agility, 91 Acceleration and Speed, and 87 Balance.

Though there are other 25-year-olds on this list, Kaprizov is by far the least experienced as he is entering his third season in Minnesota. The Wild winger won the Calder Memorial Trophy and placed on the All-Rookie Team after the 2020-2021 season. In just over two seasons with the Wild, Kaprizov has 75 goals and 87 assists (162 points) in 138 games. In 13 career playoff games, Kaprizov has sought to score more as he’s tallied nine goals and two assists (11 points).

9. Brad Marchand (91 OVR)

Age: 34
Position: Left Wing
Archetype: 2 Way Forward
Team: Boston Bruins
Handedness: Left
Salary: $6.035M (3 Years)
Best Attributes: 94 Off. Awareness, 94 Slap Shot Accuracy, 94 Wrist Shot Accuracy

The enigmatic wing for Boston – people tend to love him or hate him with little middle ground – Brad Marchand hopes to add a second Stanley Cup championship to his ledger. The Bruins stalwart has great attributes all around as a 2 Way Forward. His Puck Skills are nearly identical with 93 Hand-Eye, Passing, Puck Control, and 92 Deking with 94 Off. Awareness and 90 Poise. He has the accuracy of a Sniper with 94 in both Slap Shot and Wrist Shot Accuracy, with 88 Slap Shot and Wrist Shot Power. Marchand also has great defensive attributes with 92 Stick Checking, 91 Def. Awareness, and 85 Shot Blocking. To that side that many find grating, he has 92 Aggressiveness, 88 Body Checking and Durability, 87 Strength, and 80 Fighting Skill, so he will do some of the dirty work, too.

The one-time champion and four-time All-Star is entering his thirteenth season (all with Boston). He has 351 goals and 444 assists (795 points) in 874 games. Marchand has added 49 goals and 69 assists (118 points) in 139 playoff games.

All of the best wing players in NHL 23

Below, you will find all of best wingers in NHL 23. Each of the listed players has at least an 89 OVR rating.

Now you know all of the best wing players in NHL 23 by their overall rating. Which of these 91 OVR or better wingers will you add to your team? For more top-notch players, check out our list of the overall best NHL 23 players.

Have a look at our guide on how to deke in NHL 23.