#NHLTopPlayers: Top Centers, Nos. 20-11

Winning important face-offs, leading rushes up the ice, and setting up teammates are hallmarks of an elite center. NHL Network producers and analysts chose the top 20 centers in the League right now, and Nos. 20-11 were revealed Monday in the fifth of an eight-part series featured on "NHL Tonight." Here is the list:

#NHLTopPlayers: [Top Goalies, Nos. 10-6 | Top Goalies, Nos. 5-1 | Top Wings, Nos. 20-11 | Top Wings, Nos. 10-1]

20. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar scored 62 points (21 goals, 41 assists) to lead the Kings in scoring for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons. He led Kings forwards in average time on ice (21:02), power-play time on ice (2:53) and shorthanded time on ice (1:47), and he was seventh in the NHL among forwards in total time on ice (1,472:48). Kopitar took the fourth-most face-offs in the League (1,407), winning the fourth most (776), and ranked fourth in face-off winning percentage at 55.2 percent (minimum 750 face-offs). He won the Selke Trophy voted as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2015-16 and 2017-18; he is a four-time finalist for the award.

"If you're talking to anybody that's seeing him on a daily basis or playing against him, you're talking about one of the best two-way guys that we've seen in a long time," NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said. "So he's on this list not just from his numbers offensively, he does so much on the defensive side of the puck. He's such a great player still in this league."

19. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders

In his three full NHL seasons, Barzal has led the Islanders in scoring in each, with 207 points (59 goals, 148 assists) in 232 games. This season, he led the Islanders in power-play points with 12, was tied for first with four power-play goals, and was first among their forwards in average ice time per game (20:03). Barzal, who played in the past two All-Star Games, won the Calder Trophy voted as NHL rookie of the year in 2017-18, when he scored 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists) in 82 games.

"I don't think we've seen the ceiling for him. This is a young player that I think is just going to keep getting better," Rupp said. "He has the potential of climbing this list. We've got him at 19 now, I could see him at even possibly the top 10 after next season. We don't know where the top is for this kid, he's an exciting player."

18. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers

Couturier led the NHL in face-off winning percentage (59.6 percent) and finished third in defensive-zone face-off winning percentage (59.5 percent). He ranked first among Flyers forwards in average ice time per game (19:50) and shorthanded ice time (140:29). He led Philadelphia with a shots attempts percentage of 56.1 percent, meaning the Flyers had 56.1 percent of shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. Couturier scored 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) and was plus-21 in 69 games, helping the Flyers (41-21-7, .645 points percentage) earn a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and is a finalist for the Selke Trophy this season.

"I love what he does, I love what he brings," Rupp said. "He is a hockey player through and through. He competes, he's a big game-type player, and he does it all over the ice. He does everything, deservedly so being nominated for a Selke. I love what he's doing. He's a big, big, big reason why the Flyers are where they are."

17. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

In his second season in the NHL, Pettersson tied his career high in points (66) and scored 27 goals (tied for the Canucks lead) in 68 games. He was first on Vancouver with a plus-16 rating and third with 24 power-play points. Pettersson scored five game-winning goals and had a shooting percentage of 16.7 percent, which ranked 10th in the NHL among players who had at least 25 goals and 150 shots on goal. He won the Calder Trophy last season, when he led rookies in goals, assists and points.

"You want to watch this kid," Rupp said. "He's so exciting. He's the future of this organization, and the future is very bright here in Vancouver. I think they're a little ahead of schedule right now, and a big reason is No. 40."

16. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning

He had NHL career highs in goals (41), assists (51) and points (92) last season, when he led the League with 20 power-play goals, and followed that up nicely this season. Point was third on the Lightning with 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 66 games and had a plus-28 rating. He also won 51.1 percent of his face-offs. In four NHL seasons, Point has 262 points (116 goals, 146 assists) in 295 games, with 21.6 percent of his goals (25) having been game-winners, including four this season.

"He doesn't always get the hype, he doesn't always get the notoriety down there in Tampa because, deservedly so, that team is so talented," Rupp said. "But he is uber talented and he's a player that I think really makes this team dangerous because he's that second layer. We always talk about secondary scoring, secondary offense, well he is that for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he's good enough to be primary scorer on another team."

15. Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues

In 2018-19, his first season with the Blues, O'Reilly matched his NHL career high with 28 goals and set highs with 49 assists, 77 points and a plus-22 rating. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy voted as 2019 playoff MVP after he led the NHL with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 26 games and helped St. Louis to its first Stanley Cup championship. This season, he led the Blues with 61 points (12 goals, 49 assists) in 71 games and ranked first in the League in face-offs taken (1,556), winning 56.6 percent.

"This guy can do everything," Rupp said. "He can bat pucks out of the air, he has the best hand-eye coordination in the National Hockey League. He's good on face-offs, he's got that Stanley Cup-winning pedigree, and this is everything you want in a hockey player: reliability, reliability, reliability."

14. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs

Tavares set NHL career highs in goals (47; third in NHL), points (88) and rating (plus-19) in 2018-19, his first season with the Maple Leafs. He scored 26 goals this season and has scored at least 24 goals every season since entering the NHL with the Islanders in 2009-10. Tavares, who had 60 points, the ninth time in 11 full NHL seasons he's scored at least that many, won 55.3 percent of his face-offs, the sixth straight season he's won at least 50 percent.

"He's been fantastic since he arrived in Toronto, and that's tough to do," Rupp said. "A lot of players, when they go to their hometowns or make those big free agent signings, it takes some time. It didn't take him time. He's still one of those elite, elite players in this league at that position, and he's a great leader for this team. I'm surprised at where he is, I thought he'd be a little bit higher."

13. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes

Aho scored an NHL career-high 38 goals this season and led the Hurricanes in scoring for the second straight season (66 points). He scored four shorthanded goals and leads the NHL with eight over the past two seasons. Aho had eight multigoal games and was one of 11 players to score at least five points in a game (three goals, two assists against Minnesota Wild, Dec. 7). He has scored at least 65 points in each of the past three seasons.

"Could he sustain what he did when he busted on the scene last year?" Rupp said. "Yeah, he can, and he did this past season. He's so special, and he's not a big guy (6-foot, 176 pounds), so in order to do that you've got to be creative, you've got to find ways to get it done, and he sure does."

12. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Scheifele has been one of the most consistent centers in the NHL over the past five seasons. He tied for the Jets lead with 73 points (29 goals, 44 assists) after leading them with 38 goals and scoring an NHL career-high 84 points last season. Scheifele has scored at least 29 goals in four of the past five seasons and had at least 73 points in three of them. He scored 14 goals in 17 games in the 2018 playoffs.

"We talk about how the big centermen are so valuable in this league, he's the prototypical," Rupp said. "You've got scouts drooling over players like Mark Scheifele. They don't come around that often, that big (6-3, 207), that skilled, got a little big of a mean streak to him. In playoff time, give me a lot of No. 55."

11. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Since entering the NHL in 2008-09, only Alex Ovechkin has more goals (543) than Stamkos (422), who scored 29 in 57 games this season. Stamkos scored 45 goals last season and had an NHL career-high 98 points, ninth in the League. The Lightning's all-time leader in goals, he ranks third in their history in assists (410) and points (832). Stamkos has 53 points (23 goals, 30 assists) in 70 playoff games.

"Still getting it done after all these years," Rupp said. "We knew about him being an absolute sniper early on in his career, he still is now, but he's a good playmaker. I don't think he gets enough credit for his passing ability and his leadership down there in Tampa."