Winning important face-offs, leading rushes up the ice, and setting up teammates are the hallmarks of an elite center. NHL Network producers and analysts chose the top 20 centers in the League right now, and they were revealed Sunday in the first of a nine-part series. Here is the list:
NHL Top Players: Top 20 Centers
NHL Network reveals best of current crop
![McDavid MacKinnon top centers](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_ratio16_9-size20/f_auto/prd/fpsfetgbozt78grafvwo.jpg)
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Lindholm and Larkin rank 19th & 20th for top centers
Kopitar and Aho rank 17th and 15th for top centers
Hischier and Hintz rank 13th & 14th for top centers
Thompson and Zibanejad rank 11th and 12th for centers
Barkov and Eichel rank 8th & 9th for top centers
Point and Hughes rank 7th & 6th for top centers
Crosby and Matthews rank 5th & 4th for top centers
Leon Draisaitl ranks 3rd on the Top Centers list
Nathan MacKinnon came in 2nd in NHL Network's top 20 centers
Connor McDavid ranks first for top centers in 2023