NHL Top Players: Nos. 50-41

NHL Network is getting ready for this season by ranking the top 50 players in the League. Researchers, producers and on-air personalities compiled the list, and players 50-41 were revealed Sunday in the fifth of a nine-part series. Here is the list:

50. Dougie Hamilton, D, New Jersey Devils

Hamilton, who signed a seven-year contract with the Devils on July 28, 2021, scored 22 goals last season to tie Barry Beck's single-season record (1977-78) for a defenseman in Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts history. Hamilton also was second on New Jersey in assists (52) and third in points (74) while averaging a Devils-high 21:46 of ice time in 82 games. The 30-year-old led NHL defensemen in game-winning goals (seven), and helped the Devils set team records for wins (52) and points (112). He scored in overtime to give New Jersey a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers in Game 3 of their best-of-7 first-round series, which the Devils would win in seven games.

"Volume shooter," NHL Network analyst Mike Johnson said. "It's a skill and it's worth getting pucks to the net from the point and be able to score goals from the blue line and Dougie Hamilton is as good as there is in the NHL at both of those things."

49. Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets

Morrissey was fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL last season. The 28-year-old had an NHL career-high 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists) in 78 games, second on the Jets behind forward Kyle Connor (80 points in 82 games) and double his previous best of 37 points in 2021-22. Morrissey also led Winnipeg with an average ice time per game of 24:14. He set a Jets/Atlanta Thrashers record for defensemen with an 11-game point streak (one goal, 13 assists) from Dec. 4-22; the previous mark was eight games (Toby Enstrom, 2012-13; Dustin Byfuglien, 2015-16).

"He does kind of lack the size (6-foot, 185 pounds) of some traditional defensemen that are good defensively, but he is smart," NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said. "And he's got a stud of a shot too. Just hammers the puck. One of the League leaders in blocked shots for defensemen. He does a little bit of everything."

48. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, F, Edmonton Oilers

In his 12th NHL season, Nugent-Hopkins set career highs in goals (37), assists (67), points (104) and power-play goals (15), and he was third in the NHL with 53 power-play points. The 30-year-old also had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. With an assist against the San Jose Sharks on April 13 in his final regular-season game of 2022-23, he moved past Ryan Smyth into eighth place on the Oilers all-time points list with 632. He is one assist away from 400 in the NHL.

"That's what I love about him (the versatility)," Rupp said. "Whatever you need, he will do.... I think he's very underrated, probably will be for the rest of his career that he is in Edmonton."

47. Jake Oettinger, G, Dallas Stars

Oettinger was 37-11-11 with a 2.37 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 62 games, all improvements on his 2021-22 results (30-15-1, 2.53 GAA, .914 save percentage, one shutout in 48 games). The 24-year-old finished fifth in voting for the Vezina Trophy last season as the top goalie in the NHL. He led the Stars to the Western Conference Final, and has started all 26 postseason games Dallas has played the past two seasons.

"He's 24. Most goalies don't get to the NHL until they're 24," Johnston said. "They take a little bit longer to ripen and to marinate. Seems like he's been around for five years already. All teams are always looking for a guy that they can confidently say we can win a Stanley Cup with him. ... I think the Dallas Stars would look correctly at Jake Oettinger and say we don't need to worry about that position."

46. Linus Ullmark, G, Boston Bruins

It was a memorable season for the Bruins and Ullmark, who was 40-6-1 with a 1.89 GAA, .938 save percentage and two shutouts in 49 games (48 starts). He led the NHL in GAA and save percentage (minimum 10 games), tied Alexander Georgiev of the Colorado Avalanche for the League lead in wins and was voted the Vezina Trophy. The 30-year-old allowed two or fewer goals in 36 games and became the fastest goalie in NHL history to reach 40 wins in a season (his 49th game). He and teammate Jeremy Swayman shared the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders on the team allowing the fewest goals (177; including shootout-deciding goals) during the season, helping Boston set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points.

"He started [48] games, so you're talking 40 wins in not much time," Rupp said. "I don't care which way you cut it up, you say whatever you want, this team was a juggernaut. That's one of the greatest goaltending statistical seasons of all time. He was incredible."

45. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks

Hughes became the fastest defenseman in NHL history with 200 assists by reaching the milestone in 263 games, one fewer than Brian Leetch, in a 4-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 4. His 76 points (seven goals, 69 assists) in 78 games last season tied Morrissey for second among NHL defensemen (Erik Karlsson, 101) and his 69 assists were second to Karlsson's 76. Hughes, who had 60 assists in 2021-22, was the first at his position with consecutive 60-assist seasons since Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque in 1992-93 and 1993-94. The 23-year-old was fourth in the NHL in average time on ice per game last season (25:40).

"The one sort of steady component (in Vancouver) on the back end was Quinn Hughes," Johnston said. "... He just absolutely understands how to create offense. ... You name it, he's got an elite level offensive brain when it comes to playing hockey, forget about what position he plays, and he shows it on a nightly basis."

44. Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes

The 26-year-old scored 36 goals in 2022-23, the sixth straight season he's led the Hurricanes, and last season he was second in points with 67 in 75 regular-season games. Aho had 15 power-play points, three short-handed goals and nine game-winning goals in 19:30 of ice time per game, which led Hurricanes forwards. He has scored at least 24 goals in each of his seven NHL seasons and ranks fifth in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history in goals (218) and points (468) and sixth in assists (250) in 520 regular-season games.

"I almost compare him to a Patrice Bergeron," Rupp said. "... Even though he had maybe an off-year last year and he's still on our top 50 list, he does so many other things. That's like a hand-picked guy for that organization. ... He's the best player on that team and they've got a lot of good ones."

43. Brady Tkachuk, F, Ottawa Senators

Tkachuk continued to mix top-end scoring skills with physical play. The 23-year-old left wing had NHL-bests in goals (35), assists (48) and points (83) while playing all 82 games for the first time in his five seasons. He was fourth in the NHL and set a Senators record with 347 shots on goal, and Ottawa had 56.2 percent of the shots on goal at 5-on-5 when Tkachuk was on the ice, tied with Claude Giroux for the Senators lead (minimum 10 games). Tkachuk also led Ottawa with 126 penalty minutes and 242 hits. He was smart about his physical play however, drawing 40 penalties to give him a plus-1 penalty differential.

"Brady plays old school," Johnston said. "Yes he's got the talent, but you've got to appreciate when you have a captain that will lead you with points but will lead you physically as well. ... You knew he was going to be good ... but I wasn't sure where his ceiling would fall offensively. ... But his offensive game has really grown."

42. Kyle Connor, F, Winnipeg Jets

Connor had an NHL-best 49 assists last season while scoring at least 30 goals for the fifth time in the past six seasons. He also led the Jets with 80 points and 29 power-play points, a personal high. He also had four points (three goals, one assist) in five playoff games. The 26-year-old left wing has scored 207 goals since 2017-18, seventh in the NHL.

"There's not one way (he scores) that sticks out to me except he just scores goals," Rupp said. "I never worry about Kyle Connor getting to 30 (goals). It seems like that's just inevitable. It's going to happen. And he does it in so many different ways."

41. William Nylander, F, Toronto Maple Leafs

Nylander was second on the Maple Leafs with 87 points and tied Auston Matthews for the Toronto lead with 40 goals in 82 games last season. He also had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 11 playoff games. The 27-year-old right wing scored 31 even-strength goals to lead the Maple Leafs and tie for seventh in the NHL. He's the second Swedish player to score 40 goals for the Maple Leafs, along with Mats Sundin (1996-97, 2001-02).

"He's a gamer," Rupp said. "When they need something, he's a guy that steps up and that means so much for me when I'm looking at players. And I think we're starting to see more and more that this guy can take over. … What I do know is, they've got a stud here that I think we haven't even seen how high he can go."