The two highest-rated members of the Calgary Flames in EA Sports’ upcoming NHL 26 video game are both right-handed defencemen.

Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar, the Flames’ two top minute-munchers in the 2024-25 regular season, are both rated 88 overall in the newest instalment of EA’s long-running NHL franchise. Both players also have designated X-Factors, which are special abilities reserved for top players that activate during gameplay.

In terms of individual attributes, Weegar beats Andersson with a 91 acceleration rating, as well as 90s in speed, deking, and passing. Andersson has the edge in slap shot and wrist shot power, scoring an 88 in both categories.

EA Sports revealed its list of the 10 highest-rated Flames in NHL 26 on Wednesday, with goaltender Dustin Wolf and centre Nazem Kadri — both at 87 overall — next after Andersson and Weegar. Rounding out the list: Jonathan Huberdeau (86), Blake Coleman (84), Kevin Bahl (84), Matt Coronato (84), Mikael Backlund (84), Morgan Frost (83), and Martin Pospisil (80).

Former Flames forward and two-time Stanley Cup champion Matthew Tkachuk is the main cover athlete for NHL 26, which will arrive on store shelves and in online retailers on September 12. The game will be exclusively available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

The deluxe edition of NHL 26 features Tkachuk flanked by his younger brother, Brady, of the Ottawa Senators, as well as his father, Keith, who played for the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Atlanta Thrashers during his career. The Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers in 2022.

EA Sports did not include any current Flames on its lists of the 10 highest-rated players by position in the new game, although both Andersson and Weegar are tied at 88 overall with the likes of Evan Bouchard, Colton Parayko, Moritz Seider, Dougie Hamilton, John Carlson, Noah Dobson, and Drew Doughty, all of whom were named to the studio’s list of top 10 right-handed defenders. (EA lists Weegar as a left defenceman).

Additionally, Wolf is tied with Darcy Kuemper, Frederik Andersen, Jacob Markstrom, and Linus Ullmark for 10th overall among goaltenders with an 87 rating, although Kuemper was the only one of that group included on EA Sports’ list of the top 10 goaltenders in the game.

The top-rated player in NHL 26 is Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who boasts a 97 overall rating. Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, and Nikita Kucherov are all rated a 96 overall; Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, and Aleksander Barkov all have a 95 rating.

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