It is that time of year again as the NHL Network has its top 20 wingers heading into the 2025-26 season. Unlike last season, Jesper Bratt did not appear on the list; the Devils leading point scorer has finally gotten the recognition he deserves.
Introducing the Top 20 Wings Right Now! @NHL | #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/yT2m7xI5ZM
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 6, 2025
It was odd for the New Jersey Devils not to see Jesper Bratt‘s name appear on the Top 20 winger list last season, despite his numbers saying he should have been there, considering some of the names that were listed. However, Bratt, who finds himself on the Top 20 wingers for the first time, and is clocking in at 12.
Where’s the Bratt Pack at?
Jesper Bratt comes in at #⃣1⃣2⃣ on our Top 20 Wings Right Now list! @NJDevils | #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/oLFZsxEy7U
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 6, 2025
Considering this is his debut on the list, coming in at No.12 is a good spot. He is right behind Jake Guentzel (11th) of the Tampa Bay Lightning and right in front of Brandon Hagel (13th) of the Lightning and Brady Tkachuk (14th) of the Ottawa Senators. When making the case for Bratt being a top 20 last season, DevilsNation.com argued he should have been in front of Clayton Keller of the Utah Manmoth, Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers, and Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jesper Bratt is Showing He is a Top-20 Winger in the NHL
Well, Keller is 15th on the list, while Marchand and Konency aren’t even on the list. Bratt is showing through his production, with and without Jack Hughes in the lineup, that he can drive the offense for the New Jersey Devils. He finished the season with 88 points (21 goals and 67 assists). Those 67 assists were a Devils franchise record.
But he’s also been a pretty effective player with Jack Hughes out at times. He’s about a point a game over the last number of seasons, with Jack Hughes out. So he’s just not feeding off of Jack,” Mike Rupp of NHL Network said. “He uses his great talents on offense. He can generate, he can drive the offense. I think it’s really impressive on this list. I didn’t know in 30 years of existence with the Devils that this was the record, but he set that with most assists in a season. It’s pretty impressive.
Back on March 22, 2025, Jesper Bratt broke the record for most assists in Devils franchise history. On that day, he recorded his 61st assist, passing Devils captain and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens, who set the mark with 60 assists in the 1991-92 season.
The New Jersey Devils Still Have Room For Improvement But Playoffs Are a Must
The sixth-round pick (162nd overall) has taken his game to another level this season. Though, as Mike Rupp of NHL Network has noted, he can throw his weight around for not being that big of a player, which separates him from others on the list.
Yeah. I mean, here’s a player that, at one point in the season, I remember, I saw the stat where he had, he’s the only player in the league that over 80 points and over 80 hits,” Rupp said on NHL Network. And you might say, I don’t think of him as a physical player, but I like the fact that a higher echelon guy getting points, he’s willing to get his body in there. He’s not a big guy. He’ll throw his weight around. He’s thick and he’s got some strength to him, but I just love the fact that he, I think there’s another level of consistency in his game.
Sometimes Jesper Bratt may get lost in the shuffle, but the way he uses his speed and skill makes Bratt one of the best in transitioning the puck, as Mike Johnson of NHL Network notes.
He’s a play driver. There’s no doubt. He is a dynamic player, and he might get lost in the shuffle a little bit because of how great Jack Hughes is, and some of the other players that he plays with, but he in himself, one of the best transporters of the puck in the entire NHL, zone exits, zone entries, generating off the rush. You mentioned, his willingness to get physical. You can’t produce the amount that he does without willing to take hits, give hits, battle for pucks.
Just What Will Luke Hughes Make on His Next Deal with the New Jersey Devils?
Despite all this, his numbers in the playoffs need to be a little bit better. It’s all well and good he can throw his weight around, but in three trips to the playoffs, Bratt has recorded nine points (two goals and seven assists) in 18 playoff games with a -8. While Johnson believes he isn’t one of those guys made for the playoffs, he has been pretty ineffective in the playoffs thus far. That is something that can be changed.
But Jesper Bratt is finally getting his flowers and showing that he is a dynamic and effective playmaking winger. And as Johnson stated, he should have been on the list last year. But the hockey world will see a player who will improve even more next season for the New Jersey Devils.
