Hey guys, while I'm a big fan of EA dropping the ratings for NHL 18, their scouting is still really flawed and a lot of players are not accurately represented. These custom ratings will fit the scheme of the game as it stands, and generally align with the current system, but will represent more accurately how good the real players are. They are quite conservative (an 80 overall is a top-4 defenceman and a decent top-6 forward), but unlike in previous years actually require a relatively small amount of editing because EA dropped their ratings.
These ratings are based on results from the past few years including normal stats and analytics as well as scouting reports from fans and reporters. I'm sure there will be plenty of disagreement over certain ratings - I tried to be as objective as possible but that only gets you so far. Younger players who are expected to progress mid-season (like Eichel, Ristolainen, or Rantanen) are slightly under-rated to account for growth.
Unfortunately it is not yet possible to import these rosters, but for anyone who wants to make their own rosters without having to do a lot of research, I hope this can be helpful.
The document starts with a ratings explanation. The second sheet shows the top 50 players from each position. After that, every NHL team's depth chart organized by division.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing
I've done a few run throughs with this roster and the results turn out quite realistic. Pittsburgh's a bit of a powerhouse early but watch out for Arizona.
