- Nathan MacKinnon is No. 1 in Daily Faceoff’s 2026-27 fantasy hockey rankings
- Macklin Celebrini came within a hair of the top spot after a 115-point season at 19
- Read below for the full top 15 plus the goalies and rookies worth a swing
Nathan MacKinnon is the first name off the board in fantasy hockey this fall.
Daily Faceoff released the second version of Matt Larkin’s top 300 player rankings for 2026-27, and MacKinnon holds the No. 1 spot with Connor McDavid a step behind him. The Avalanche center has hit at least 111 points in four straight seasons, led the NHL in shots three years running and won the Rocket Richard last spring.
McDavid still has a case for the first pick. Larkin slotted him second because the goal totals move around season to season even while the point production stays automatic.
Macklin Celebrini almost broke up the top two. Larkin was upfront about how close the Sharks center came to going first overall:
“I was so tempted to put him first but chickened out. It’s bananas to have a 115-point season at 19.”
Larkin still gave drafters his blessing to take Celebrini as high as No. 1. Here is how the top 15 shakes out:
| Rank | Player | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan MacKinnon | C | Avalanche |
| 2 | Connor McDavid | C | Oilers |
| 3 | Macklin Celebrini | C | Sharks |
| 4 | Nikita Kucherov | RW | Lightning |
| 5 | Leon Draisaitl | C | Oilers |
| 6 | David Pastrnak | RW | Bruins |
| 7 | Cale Makar | D | Avalanche |
| 8 | Kirill Kaprizov | LW | Wild |
| 9 | Evan Bouchard | D | Oilers |
| 10 | Martin Necas | RW | Avalanche |
| 11 | Zach Werenski | D | Blue Jackets |
| 12 | Mikko Rantanen | RW | Stars |
| 13 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | G | Lightning |
| 14 | Jason Robertson | LW | Stars |
| 15 | Lane Hutson | D | Canadiens |
Andrei Vasilevskiy is the first goalie off the board at No. 13, and Logan Thompson at 35 gets a real shot at finishing as the position’s top fantasy asset with a loaded Washington roster in front of him. Connor Hellebuyck slid to 32, his lowest ranking in years, and a trade out of Winnipeg would vault him straight into the top 10.
Rookie money goes to Porter Martone, the Calder Trophy favorite on this board, who lands 97th. Gavin McKenna checks in at 109 with a scoring-line job waiting for him in Toronto, and Anton Frondell sits 143rd in Chicago with Connor Bedard set to miss time.
The fantasy board does not match the real-life pecking order. NHL Network put McDavid ahead of MacKinnon on its top 20 centers list earlier this week.
Draft season arrives early this year. The NHL opens on Sept. 29, the earliest puck drop since 2007-08.
