There is a wealth of forward talent and a wide selection of players for fantasy managers to choose from, allowing them to fashion a well-balanced, winning roster. Separating them into tiers is a great way to identify which players to target on draft day to fill specific needs and set expectations for their results, but this isn't meant to be used as an exact order for scooping up forwards. 

NHL Forward Tiers: Draft Rankings for 2026-27

Tier 1 - Fantasy Hockey All-Stars

Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, Macklin Celebrini 

Landing an early pick in the first round of the draft will net fantasy managers an outstanding player to begin building their roster.  McDavid, MacKinnon, Kucherov and Draisaitl are reliable offensive producers who can comfortably surpass 100 points. Celebrini is a new addition to this field after amassing 115 points in 2025-26 during his sophomore season. He has the potential to become a permanent fixture among the fantasy elite. 

Tier 2 - Fantasy Forwards to Build Around

David Pastrnak, Kirill Kaprizov, Mikko Rantanen, Martin Necas, Jason Robertson, Kyle Connor, Nick Suzuki

There is still 100-point upside and first-round potential here, but they are a shade below the previous grouping. However, a case can certainly be made for Pastrnak to be higher. He has reached the 100-point mark in four straight campaigns, but his goal and shot totals dropped significantly in 2025-26. Necas and Suzuki were new entrants into the 100-point club last season. Kaprizov, Rantanen and Robertson remain superb upper-echelon fantasy selections.

Tier 3 - Best High End Fantasy Hockey Forwards

Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Wyatt Johnston, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Jack Hughes, Sidney Crosby, Mark Scheifele, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Jake Guentzel, Clayton Keller, Artemi Panarin, Matthew Tkachuk, Tage Thompson, Brady Tkachuk, Brandon Hagel

Beyond the initial scramble for the cream of the crop, there is considerable talent. However, there are uncertainties attached, which is what drops them down a bit. Boldy and Johnston could find another gear in 2026-27, while Caufield and Scheifele could see their numbers drop slightly. The Tkachuks, Crosby, Matthews and Nylander had injury issues last year that need to be put to rest. Some of the members of this grouping have topped 100 points, but a more reasonable expectation for them is the 80-90-plus-point range. 

Tier 4 - Top Value Forwards with Category Coverage 

Filip Forsberg, Tim Stutzle, Connor Bedard, Sam Reinhart, Adrian Kempe, Jesper Bratt, Brayden Point, Mark Stone, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, Dylan Guenther, Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Juraj Slafkovsky, Drake Batherson, Kirill Marchenko, Beckett Sennecke, Dylan Holloway, Matthew Knies 

There is still plenty of offensive upside in this grouping. Stutzle hit 90 points in 2022-23 and could flirt with that mark again this year with increased responsibilities. Bedard and Carlsson possess that level of offensive potential as well. However, Bedard could be out until early November following offseason shoulder surgery. Guenther and Gauthier are high-volume shooters with high offensive ceilings. Most of the players here should be around 70-80 points. Additionally, Slafkovsky, Batherson, Sennecke, Holloway and Knies should be great sources of hits. 

Tier 5 - Solid Depth to Fill Out the Roster 

Robert Thomas, John Tavares, Logan Cooley, Mika Zibanejad, Nikolaj Ehlers, Adam Fantilli, Ivan Demidov, Nico Hischier, Dylan Larkin, Travis Konecny, Alex Ovechkin, Bo Horvat, Will Smith, Roope Hintz, Nick Schmaltz, Pavel Dorofeyev, Alexis Lafreniere, Dylan Strome, Mathew Barzal, Ryan O'Reilly, Bryan Rust, Jimmy Snuggerud, Morgan Geekie

There will be dependable depth options in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft. Most of them probably won't provide much in terms of category coverage, but they can supply plenty of offensive production. Thomas has reached the 80-point plateau twice in the past three seasons, and he finished as a point-per-game producer last year. Fantilli, Demidov, Snuggerud and Smith have the potential to provide plenty of bang-for-the-buck upside. 

Tier 6 - Banger League Offensive Possibilities 

Tom Wilson, Dylan Cozens, Timo Meier, Andrei Svechnikov, Vincent Trocheck, Will Cuylle, Alex Laferriere, Vasily Podkolzin, Emil Heineman, Mathieu Olivier 

If fantasy managers are seeking only hits or penalty minutes, there are some better options than the players listed above. However, the aforementioned list will provide additional points for valuable multi-category coverage. Svechnikov had 70 points, 203 shots and 148 hits last season. Wilson, Trocheck and Cozens have 60-point and 200-hit potential. Cuylle has topped 300 hits while scoring 20 goals in each of the past two campaigns. Podkolzin, Laferriere and Heineman joined Meier as useful category-coverage bruisers in the 2025-26 season by chipping in goals, shots and hits.

Tier 7 - Rookie Impact Choices 

Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Porter Martone, Konsta Helenius, Ilya Protas, Roman Kantserov, Anton Frondell, Viggo Bjorck, Victor Eklund, James Hagens 

It can be a difficult balancing act when deciding when to draft a rookie. McKenna, Martone and Stenberg should be placed in excellent positions to succeed and are widely believed to have the best odds of winning the Calder Trophy. Still, all of the first-year players here could have intriguing fantasy value in standard leagues during the 2026-27 season. Kantserov, Frondell, Bjorck, Eklund and Hagens may also find themselves in top-six roles at the NHL level. Protas and Helenius have the potential to make an impact even if they occupy third-line positions.  

Whichever forwards you target, use these tiers as a guide rather than a strict draft order -- team needs, roster construction and where the value falls on draft day should still take priority.