Super 16 Power Rankings go international to celebrate Global Series

The global league is celebrating the Global Series this week, so the Super 16 is doing the same.

The NHL has gone overseas, taking the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken to Helsinki for the 2026 NHL Global Series Finland, a two-game set that begins Thursday at Veikkaus Arena (12 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, NHLN, SN+, TVAS). Game 2 is Saturday (1 p.m. ET; HHN, Prime Video, CARNHL, KONG, KING, NHLN, SN1).

To celebrate the Global Series, and the global reach of the NHL, the Super 16 this week features the players born outside of North America who are making the biggest impact on their teams this season and are a major factor for why their team is ranked this week.

As always, to generate the Super 16, the 14 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total gets assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is the global impact edition of the Super 16 Power Rankings:

1. Carolina Hurricanes (14-3-2)

Total points: 224

Last week: No. 1

"The Hurricanes playing in Helsinki makes this the perfect time to highlight Sebastian Aho's elevated play this season. With Jordan Staal recovering from a torn calf muscle, Aho has excelled in taking on Staal's responsibility of playing against opponents' top lines while leading Carolina with 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 19 games. Fellow Finland native Jesperi Kotkaniemi also deserves mention for making the most of his opportunity to play more regularly with Staal out. His 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 17 games this season surpasses his production of nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 42 games all of last season." -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

2. Minnesota Wild (13-3-4)

Total points: 202

Last week: No. 3

"The Wild have 10 players born outside North America and two are driving much of what has gone right. Kirill Kaprizov has 17 goals, second in the NHL, and 32 points (third). Jesper Wallstedt has been just as important at the other end, and far busier. With Filip Gustavsson out with an injury, the 23-year-old has started 17 of Minnesota's 20 games, three more than any other NHL goalie, and leads the League with 12 wins while ranking third among goalies (minimum of eight games) in goals-against average (1.93) and tied with Jacob Fowler of the Montreal Canadiens for second in save percentage (.925). A 2-1 win at the Canadiens on Tuesday was a perfect snapshot. The Sweden-born goalie stopped 27 of 28 shots, then the forward from Russia scored in overtime. Kaprizov is finishing games at one end, Wallstedt is stealing them at the other, and the Wild are reaping the benefits." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

3. Edmonton Oilers (13-3-3)

Total points: 196

Last week: No. 2

"Leon Draisaitl is putting together another outstanding season and having the biggest impact for the Oilers of any player born outside of North America. Draisaitl has been riding shotgun with Connor McDavid and the two are running roughshod over opponents. Draisaitl and McDavid are the top two scorers in the NHL and have been playing on the same line, leading the Oilers to the top of the Pacific Division. Draisaitl would be putting together another MVP-caliber season if not for the exploits of McDavid. Regardless, Draisaitl is the highest-scoring Germany-born player in NHL history and will play a big role in Edmonton's quest to win the Stanley Cup this season." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

4. Boston Bruins (13-4-1)

Total points: 183

Last week: No. 4

"I'm going with Elias Lindholm here. I'm not sure anyone would have expected the Swedish forward to be in this position at this point in the season after he battled back issues since his arrival in Boston, but Lindholm looks like a new player of late. His 15 points are second on the Bruins to David Pastrnak (24) -- and yes, I could have gone with him as well -- and his seven goals are second as well. It's a remarkable turnaround for a player who scored 17 goals in each of the past two full seasons to have seven goals in just 18 games this season, and it has lengthened the Bruins lineup and bolstered their offense." -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

5. Montreal Canadiens (11-3-4)

Total points: 151

Last week: No. 8

"With Ivan Demidov sidelined by a lower-body injury since the third game of the season, and Jakub Dobes the backup goalie, the logical choice is Juraj Slafkovsky. The Slovakia-born forward is skating on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and on the first power-play unit. Though Slafkovsky carries the heaviest responsibilities of any European player on the Canadiens roster early this season, he has just 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 18 games." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, LNH.com senior writer

6. New Jersey Devils (13-6-0)

Total points: 149

Last week: No. 6

"Nico Hischier is the Devils' most important international player because of the impact he makes in every situation. The Switzerland-born captain routinely draws assignments against the League's top centers, using his positioning, awareness and stick detail to help New Jersey control play defensively. He also is the Devils' leading face-off option, winning 58.1 percent of his draws through 19 games. Hischier's defensive responsibilities have not limited his offense; he has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) and a team-leading five power-play goals while averaging 18:18 of ice time. The 27-year-old is the dependable two-way center coach Sheldon Keefe can deploy for an important face-off, a difficult matchup or a needed goal." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

7. Vegas Golden Knights (12-5-2)

Total points: 137

Last week: No. 7

"Tomas Hertl had 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 19 games entering Wednesday, most on Vegas among players born outside North America. The forward from Czechia played two Global Series games for the San Jose Sharks in 2022, returning to his hometown of Prague. Despite two losses -- 4-1 and 3-2 to the Nashville Predators -- it was an incredible experience for the fans and for him. When he scored in the first game, he pumped his fist and received a huge cheer. 'People love hockey here, and for sure, for me, it was something special,' he said. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

8. Tampa Bay Lightning (11-4-2)

Total points: 123

Last week: No. 5

"Just like they were during their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, the Lightning's three most important players were born outside North America. Forward Nikita Kucherov (Maykop, Russia) led them with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 17 games through Wednesday and became Tampa Bay's all-time leading scorer when he passed Steven Stamkos' total of 1,137 points on Oct. 24. Defenseman Victor Hedman, a native of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, has been his typical rock on the back end despite averaging an NHL career-low 14:57 of ice time after 16 games. And Andrei Vasilevskiy, from Tyumen, Russia, continues to rank among the best goalies in the NHL. He was 8-4-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .883 save percentage after 13 games." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

9. Dallas Stars (10-5-2)

Total points: 118

Last week: No. 9

"The Stars are lovingly called 'The Finnish Mafia' for a reason: they boast a very talented group of players from Finland who are each a star (pun intended) in their own right. Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen, even though the defenseman has missed two games with an upper-body injury, are integral to the team's success on both sides of the ice. And Mikko Rantanen has been a force since being acquired in a trade with the Hurricanes on March 7, 2025. He is one of the most dominant playmakers in the League and is 20th with 1.24 points per game (minimum 10 games). He also averages 20:01 of ice time and gives the Stars a chance to score any time he touches the ice." -- Dave Miniaci, producer

10. Colorado Avalanche (11-6-2)

Total points: 111

Last week: No. 10

"The Global Series is in Finland, so let's celebrate perhaps the most underrated Finn in the NHL, Artturi Lehkonen. The 31-year-old is on an NHL career-best pace with 18 points (13 goals, five assists) in 19 games. His 13 goals are tops on a team that features Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar, but Lehkonen has never been about just goals. His defensive prowess is all-world. This season he is plus-15 in goals scored while at even strength and has not allowed a power-play goal despite being a primary penalty killer for the Avalanche. His 17 blocked shots are tops among Colorado forwards. Necas gets many of the headlines, but Lehkonen is a foundational piece of what the Avalanche do." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial 

11. Ottawa Senators (11-6-2)

Total points: 67

Last week: No. 15

"Two European-born players on the Senators could be in serious consideration for postseason awards: forward Tim Stutzle and goalie Linus Ullmark. Stutzle (Viersen, Germany) is showing why he was the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He leads Ottawa with 14 assists and 23 points, and his nine goals are tied with Drake Batherson for first. Since 2021, the 24-year-old is second in goals (146), first in assists (257) and first in points (403) among Senators in that time frame, and one of four Germany-born skaters with at least 100 goals (150) in the NHL (Draisaitl, Marco Sturm and Jochen Hecht). I have Stutzle a contender for the Hart Trophy approaching the first quarter. Ullmark (Lugnvik, Sweden) would be the favorite to win his second Vezina Trophy (2023) if not for an undisclosed injury that's sidelined him for nine games. He's 7-1-0 with NHL-bests (minimum eight games) in GAA (1.33) and save percentage (.945). He's allowed two goals or fewer in each of his past 11 regular-season starts since April 7, the third-longest streak in Senators history behind Andrew Hammond (14) and Ron Tugnutt (13)." -- Jon Lane, staff writer

12. Nashville Predators (9-4-5)

Total points: 66

Last week: N/R

"Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Juuse Saros walked the red carpet at the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony Monday night, there to celebrate their friend and former teammate, Pekka Rinne, who was being inducted. Rinne, from Finland, used to be the Predators' most important player from anywhere, let alone just from outside North America. That torch has been passed to the three players who came to honor him Monday. Forsberg is from Sweden. Josi is from Switzerland. Saros, like Rinne, is from Finland. They are the three mainstays in Nashville, the Predators' heart and soul. Forsberg is Nashville's leading scorer. Josi is arguably their best overall player. Saros is playing his way into the early-season Vezina Trophy conversation. The Predators were always a factor in the Central Division because of Rinne first, and then Forsberg, Josi and Saros. They are a factor now because of Forsberg, Josi and Saros." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

13. Florida Panthers (10-7-2)

Total points: 48

Last week: No. 12

"Lars Eller joined the Panthers in the offseason and got thrown onto the top line just two games in because of the injury to Finland-born captain Aleksander Barkov, who would have been the obvious choice if healthy. Though Eller has bounced around the top six since, the center has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 19 games after getting 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 68 games last season with the Senators. Eller, from Denmark, recently played his 1,200th NHL game and has also been key for the Panthers in the face-off circle. Florida controls 55.4 percent of shots at 5-on-5 when Eller is on the ice at 5-on-5. Also, the European goalies (Jacob Markstrom, Sweden; Akira Schmid, Switzerland) have combined to go 10-6-2 with one shutout." -- David Satriano, staff writer

14. Washington Capitals (10-6-0)

Total points: 43

Last week: No. 16

"Yes, I know, it's Alex Ovechkin. It's always Alex Ovechkin, but this season it's not all about the Russia-born superstar in Washington. He has one goal. One. That's it. He's 41 years old and he has scored 930 goals so, yeah, that's why it always was about Ovechkin. But now the most impactful non-North American player in Washington is actually Slovak defenseman Martin Fehervary, who has no goals and only six shots on goal this season. So, yes, it's for very different reasons than Ovechkin. Fehervary is not driving any offense, but he's holding things down defensively, playing the biggest role of any Capitals' skater on the penalty kill and regularly facing the opponent's best forwards. There's nothing flashy or fancy here, but there is substance to Fehervary's game, and the Capitals will need it to continue, and improve, to make the playoffs this season." -- Rosen

15. Utah Mammoth (10-7-1)

Total points: 36

Last week: No. 11

"The player from outside of North America making the biggest impact for the Mammoth is Mikhail Sergachev. The 28-year-old from Russia had 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) through Wednesday, most among Mammoth defensemen, while averaging a team-high 24:07 of ice time per game. Sergachev has experience and a Stanley Cup-winning pedigree as a two-time champion with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

16. Anaheim Ducks (10-7-1)

Total points: 31

Last week: N/R

"Leo Carlsson is the obvious choice for the Ducks, and the Swedish center is driving the team, leading them in scoring and beginning to live up to his massive five-year, $90 million contract ($18 million average annual value). But Carlsson is not my choice. Mikael Granlund is the Ducks captain, their stable leader, their bread-and-butter forward who is approaching the 1,000-game milestone. Anaheim is a young team that lost a lot of its veteran presence after last season with defensemen Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas and John Carlson moving to new teams. Granlund is now driving the leadership bus and players like Carlsson, along with North Americans Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson LaCombe and Tristan Luneau, following him." -- Rosen

Others receiving points: Seattle Kraken 10, Buffalo Sabres 5, New York Rangers 4

Dropped out from last week: Kraken (No. 14), Sabres (No. 16)

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Nashville Predators

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Dallas Stars; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Washington Capitals; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Nashville Predators

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. New Jersey Devils; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Nashville Predators; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Seattle Kraken; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Anaheim Ducks

TOM GULITTI

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Montreal Canadiens; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Washington Capitals; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Seattle Kraken; 16. Anaheim Ducks

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. New Jersey Devils; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Utah Mammoth; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Florida Panthers; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Buffalo Sabres

JON LANE

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Dallas Stars; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Washington Capitals

DAVE MINIACI

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. New Jersey Devils; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Dallas Stars; 9. Nashville Predators; 10. Anaheim Ducks; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Ottawa Senators; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. New York Rangers; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Buffalo Sabres

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. New Jersey Devils; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Edmonton Oilers; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Colorado Avalanche; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Vegas Golden Knights; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Buffalo Sabres; 15. Nashville Predators; 16. Ottawa Senators

TRACEY MYERS

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Seattle Kraken

SHAWN P. ROARKE 

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Boston Bruins; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Edmonton Oilers; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Tampa Bay Lightning; 7. Dallas Stars; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. New Jersey Devils; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Florida Panthers; 13. Washington Capitals; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Utah Mammoth

DAN ROSEN

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Ottawa Senators; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Utah Mammoth

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Vegas Golden Knights; 8. Nashville Predators; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Colorado Avalanche; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Ottawa Senators; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Utah Mammoth

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Edmonton Oilers; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Montreal Canadiens; 6. New Jersey Devils; 7. Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Vegas Golden Knights; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Colorado Avalanche; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Washington Capitals; 13. Ottawa Senators; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Florida Panthers; 16. Seattle Kraken

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Carolina Hurricanes; 2. Edmonton Oilers; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Vegas Golden Knights; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. New Jersey Devils; 8. Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Colorado Avalanche; 10. Ottawa Senators; 11. Dallas Stars; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Florida Panthers; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. New York Rangers