Chicago Blackhawks fans may still be bummed that the team wasn’t able to win a Stanley Cup championship in 2016, but a new ranking released Monday should help perk up their spirits.
That ranking was released by the NHL Network, and features the Top 20 forwards in the league right now.
The usual suspects were all represented, including Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, but at the very top of the heap was a familiar face for Hawks fans: reigning NHL MVP Patrick Kane.
Kane, who became the first Blackhawks player in nearly 50 years to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP this summer, was ranked number one by the television network. It’s not hard to see why, as Kane led the league in scoring (becoming the first American to do so), and he’ll hope to continue his stellar play in the coming year.
Kane wasn’t the only Blackhawks player represented on the list. Hawks captain Jonathan Toews ended up cracking the top five, settling into the fifth position on the countdown.
Crosby finished in second place behind Kane, with Ovechkin checking into the third spot. Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn finished in fourth, with Toews rounding out the top five.
Tyler Seguin of the Stars wound up in ninth on the list, giving the Central Division four players among the top nine forwards in the league.
h/t to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times for sharing the full list of players ranked.
