Alright. So every year I get the game NHL by the EASports franchise. Most people know what it’s about. But each player is given a number of ratings to try and make each player individual and as realistic as possible. It’s a really fun game to play. If your a kid at heart who loves hockey, I highly recommend you pick it up.
Every year I write a blog in which I try to “predict” the overall ratings of each player. I’m a little behind the ball on it this year. This will post the day that the game is released, September 9th. So not as much time for debate. Which have been more heated than I thought they would be in the past.
But let’s give it a stab. I am going to try and guess what each player is going to be rated in NHL15.
Centers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins started off the year in NHL14 with a 84 overall, a little low for our top line center. When the year ended, with the roster updates, he ended up the year with an 86 overall. That’s a little better. He has great hands, elite vision and is already a good two way player. So I think he will stay about the same until he hits that “next level”.
RNH-86 Overall
Boyd Gordon would be our next center on the depth charts. As the year went on, his value to the team was shown more and more with his defensive zone starts. It was also rewarded by EA as he started out the year with a 79 and ended with an 81 overall. He is a great defensive specialist that wins face-offs. That’s about it.
Gordon-80 Overall
Mark Arcobello will be battling for minutes on the second line this year. In his audition with the Oilers, he exceeded expectations. He played a gritty two way game and sowed the skills to play with excellent wingers. He started off the year with a 70 overall rating and ended with a 78. In all honesty, he played better in his rookie season than Gagner did. Due to his contract he was the odd man out. But his skill, sense and tenacity outweigh his size issues.
Arcobello-81 Overall
Leon Draisaitl is the other guy who is going to be battling for top six minutes. The 3rd overall pick is a special case. When it comes to ratings, he only had a 64 overall, which is decent for a junior player. Some things working with him are his size, strength and skill. All are assets that could give him a decent rating to start the year off. Realistically he will have a lower rating than he deserves, due to being a rookie. But most top five picks that make the team are in the 70’s area. The Dutch Dangler will be on the higher end when the season starts.
Draisaitl-78 Overall
Left Wing
Taylor Hall is the Oilers best player, no debate necessary. He is also one of the elite players at his position. He lead the team with an 88 overall and that didn’t change the entire season. He has everything to be an elite player in the NHL for years to come. Hall is still young and hasn’t hit his prime yet either. He will lead this team for years to come.
Hall-90 Overall
Benoit Pouliot is a new Oiler and is already high on the depth charts. He’s a possession king and is very hard to play against. He’s big, plays an aggressive game and has hands to boot. He’s the perfect compliment player to have in our top nine. He went through the year with a modest 81 overall, which is about right for compliment players. But he showed he was an important part of the Rangers making it to the finals with 10 points and a +8 rating in 25 games.
Pouliot-83 Overall
Matt Hendricks is already a fan favorite. He brings grit, toughness and a never quit attitude. All things this team sorely needed. He’s a decent penalty killer, when he’s not the guy in the box. He is also a shootout specialist. He’s the exact kind of grinder the team needed. He started off the year with a 76 overall, but a strong finish with Edmonton boosted him to a 78. He’s what the doctor ordered, for a team that hasn’t had a 4th line in years.
Hendricks-76 Overall
Luke Gazdic is a guy that people debate about all the time. He’s a puck possession black hole, but can punch people in the face. He’s an enforcer in the truest sense, a slightly more usable Steve MacIntyre. He started out the year with a 68 overall and actually ended up with a 67. While enforcers are never rated to high, this seemed a little low for me.
Gazdic-70 Overall
Right Wing
David Perron was already considered a skilled shift disturber. Last year he took a step forward and cemented himself as an agitating top line winger. Lucky enough he has such a well rounded skill game, he can play on the top line or on a checking third line. While another winger might be written in as the 1st line winger already. Perron is almost as skilled, but plays a better two way game. As well as, he has some bite to his game. Last year he went through the year with an 84 overall, but his breakout campaign should change that.
Perron-87 Overall
Jordan Eberle is the top line right winger on this team. He has quick hands and an accurate shot. He also has that “Killer Instinct” around the net. All attributes that make him, already, a top line winger. But after a step back season, he should be right around where he left off that year, which was an 86 overall. Not a bad thing, a very good rating. And lots of room to move up the ranks.
Eberle-86 Overall
Nail Yakupov had a very forgettable sophomore season. He couldn’t do anything right in the coaches or fans eyes alike. His name has also come up in trade rumors all summer long. But, he did show flashes of why he was taken overall. He ended up with an 83 overall last year, which was fair. But expect either a similar grade or a slight bump down due to an unproductive season.
Yakupov-81 Overall
Teddy Purcell is a strange case. He has put up some very decent point totals in the past. He is also a guy that advanced stats people like. But he took a major step back this year. One of the reasons he was a salary dump by the Lightning. He has hands, speed and elite skill. He just couldn’t put it together. I am thinking the game gives him a step back.
Purcell-81 Overall
Defenders
Mark Fayne is a new addition to the back end. He’s big, good in his own end and plays an all around simple game. While that describes a large amount of defenders, Fayne does set himself apart. He is smart and usually makes the right play. Simple and efficient. He started out last year with an 81 overall, but his play earned him a two point bump to 83. Not a bad rating, but he does take on tough competition and succeed. Plus he’s the Oilers free agent gem on the back end.
Fayne-84 Overall
Justin Schultz is an excellent fourth forward on the ice. He’s dangerous on the ice. He seemed to starting figuring out when to pinch at the right time. He also improved his game in his own end as the year went on. While he may not be a “Norris Trophy” guy, he is well on his way to being an excellent attacking defender. He started out last year with an 81 and worked up to an 83 by the end of the year.
Jeff Petry is the whipping boy of many Oiler fans. including myself. He has all the tools to be a top pairing guy, size, speed, hard shot, active stick ect. But he just can’t put it together. He was the best all-around option the Oilers had last year. That showed with an 83 overall rating. Showing how bad the Oilers back end really was. But still, our best all-situations guy. He didn’t really go anywhere, development wise.
Petry-84 Overall
Nikita Nikitin definitely had a down year. Mostly due to emerging stars in Columbus the last couple years, so limited ice time. But when you look at him, he does have the skills to be a decent option for the Oilers. He can play in all situations and is another all-around good player. While he won’t “knock you socks off” he will get the job done. He carried an 81 overall throughout last year. I think it doesn’t change too much.
Nikitin-83 Overall
Andrew Ference was another guy who had a year to forget. He was brought in for leadership, which was shown throughout the year. But his high level of play from Boston in the playoffs didn’t translate here. Which could be with him playing top unprotected minutes here and less protected minutes there. While not a good year, it wasn’t a bad one either. he was steady. He went through the year with an 84 overall. But his play showed, maybe that’s a little high for our captain.
Ference-82 Overall
Martin Marincin had a pretty good go of it, when he was brought up to fill a hole. He immediately showed a poise most rookies don’t have. he has size and speed and used it to play a pretty sound game. Not to bad at all. While impressive, it was a sample size to say the least. He started the year with a 74 overall and ended it with a 79. A pretty substantial jump if you ask me, but not good enough. With a sample size, that is.
Marincin-81 Overall
Keith Aulie is a step up from Mark Fraser. He brings all the same attributes of size and toughness, but he brings potential hockey sense with it. He’s a guy who has been a number seven guy for a few years. While many believed he would turn into a shutdown top four guy, it hasn’t come close yet. He’s big, hits, has a hard shot and alright hockey sense. But even on a desperate for defence team, he’s still a depth guy. He had the 77 overall rating all year to prove it. He hasn’t shown much progress, yet.
Aulie-77 Overall
Darnell Nurse is a future cornerstone of this Oilers defence. Many believe he should have made the team last year out of training camp. While the competition is far more fierce this year, he has come a long way. Non the less. Nurse started out with a respectable 60 overall in the junior rankings, which is average. But at the end of the year, ended up with a 69. A very high rating for a junior player. Watching him play, he should be way higher than that. He’s big, mean, fast, skilled and has all the tools to be a top pairing guy. But, if he makes the team, will be stuck in that rookie rating area. If he makes the team…
Nurse-78 Overall
Oscar Klefbom is another guy that intrigued Oiler fans. He got better each game in his short stint. He’s another guy many fans feel is a big part of the future. But Marincin already is taking a hit with his sample size, so Klefbom doesn’t have a chance. Oiler fans know what he brings, but he hasn’t shown it enough to really change his ratings. He started out the year with a measly 69 in the AHL. But was quickly changed to a 77 overall, which isn’t to shabby. With more time it’ll increase, but this isn’t that day.
Klefbom-77 Overall
Goalies
Ben Scrivens is the Rodney Dangerfield of keepers. He can’t get no respect. He started the year in LA with a 77 overall. Which makes sense, he hadn’t played a lot. Then he played lights out behind a good team. People credited to the team in front of him. Then he was moved to a horrible team and shone even more. He kept a horrible team in most games and still couldn’t get any respect. He ended the year with only an 81 overall. To put that in perspective, that’s only one point higher than Devan Dubnyk. Even though his breakout year, he deserves a higher rating than that.
Scrivens-86 Overall
Viktor Fasth is a keeper who hasn’t played a long time in the NHL, but has shown solid numbers the whole time. He has shown he can put up starter numbers, but injuries have held him back. He has good numbers his whole NHL career. While many feel he’s a backup to Scrivens, he’s good enough to push him for playing time and steal some. He started the year with an 85 overall, but with injuries and not playing much. he ended the year with a lowered 83 overall.
Fasth-85 Overall
I’m just a kid at heart when it comes to hockey. I enjoy watching the games and playing a game. So I like to have fun and guess. I hope you have a little fun as well. Thank you so much for reading! Don’t forget to follow all the writers @theOilersrig on twitter, but especially me @sharkyzeee and have a great day!
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