NHL 21 Player Ratings Begin With Cover Star Alexander Ovechkin

The NHL series normally releases in mid-September, but this year is different due to COVID-19. NHL 21 has been delayed to October 16, but to help with the wait, EA has begun to announce the player ratings for this year's professional ice hockey game.

The developer kicked things off by revealing the rating for cover star Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. He has a 93 OVR rating, which will surely make him one of the highest-rated players in the game.

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EA also released a graphic that shows Ovechkin's ratings over the years, dating back to the first time he was an NHL cover star with NHL 07. In that year, he had a 95 rating. The lowest rating he's ever received for the NHL series was a 91 for NHL 08, and 91 being his lowest rating speaks to his consistent and impressive play in the NHL.

It's not immediately clear when EA will reveal the rest of the player ratings for NHL 21, but that should happen soon given the game is coming up on its October 16 release date.

NHL 21 is coming to PS4 and Xbox One. There won't be a dedicated version of the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X, but the game will play on those consoles through backwards compatibility.