DALLAS — NHL Network ranked Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston 18th among all NHL centers entering the 2026-27 season. The top-20 list was revealed Sunday and published Monday on NHL.com as the fourth installment of a nine-part series.
Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning ranked 17th, one spot ahead of Johnston. Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres was 19th. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers topped the list, followed by Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.
Johnston did not appear on NHL Network’s top 20 centers list in 2025. Roope Hintz, ranked 17th, was the only Dallas center on that list. However, Hintz did not make this year’s top 20.
Wyatt Johnston’s 2025-26 Numbers
Johnston played all 82 games last season, with 45 goals, 41 assists, and 86 points. He finished second on the Stars in scoring behind Jason Robertson, who had 96 points. Robertson signed a one-year, $12 million contract on July 21 to avoid a salary arbitration hearing.
Johnston’s 27 power-play goals led the NHL and set a franchise record for Dallas and Minnesota North Stars. His 42 power-play points tied for third in the league.
Johnston averaged 20:07 of ice time, a career high and third among Stars forwards behind Robertson at 20:15 and Mikko Rantanen at 20:11. He put 206 shots on goal and converted 21.8% of them. He won 402 of his 844 face-offs for a 47.6% rate, was minus-5, and scored 4 game-winning goals.
Dallas converted 71 of 248 power plays for a 28.63% success rate. The league average was 21.11%.
Wyatt Johnston In The Playoffs
Dallas went 50-20-12 for 112 points, finishing second in the Central Division behind the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars lost their first-round series to the Minnesota Wild in six games.
Johnston scored 4 goals with 2 assists and 6 points in the six games, averaging 23:50 of ice time. Three of those goals came on the power play. He finished minus-6.
Wyatt Johnston’s Contract And Career Totals
Johnston was drafted 23rd overall in 2021 and has played in 328 regular-season games over four seasons without missing any. He has recorded 134 goals, 129 assists, and 263 points during this span.
The Stars signed Johnston to a five-year, $42 million extension on March 7, 2025. That was also the day Dallas acquired Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Johnston earns an average annual value of $8.4 million and runs through the 2029-30 season. Johnston finished his three-year entry-level contract at a cap hit of $894,167.
Where The Stars Stand In NHL Network’s Series
NHL Network published its top 20 wings on Aug. 3 and its top 20 defensemen on Aug. 10, when Miro Heiskanen ranked fifth. The top 10 goalies followed on Aug. 17. Heiskanen ranked fourth among defensemen in August 2025.
Dallas opens the 2026-27 regular season Friday, Oct. 2 against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT.
