2026 PLAYER RANKING SCHEDULE & RECOMMENDATION PROCESS
MAX Field Hockey is excited to look ahead towards the next round of Player Rankings. Following is an estimated schedule and outline of what to expect. Please read below the notes on our Player Rankings, how players can be considered, and how feedback/recommendations can be submitted.
#1: Top 150 Players for the Class of 2028 (Week of February 23, 2026)
RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPTED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1, 2025- DECEMBER 31, 2025
Complete rankings for the Class of 2028, including Top 50, Next 50 and Watch List categories will be released the week of February 23rd. Selected players will earn an invite to the Class of 2028 TOP 150 National Player Invitational on Monday, May 18th at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. New in 2026: All Top 50 and Next 50 players will be able to register by a deadline. If any available spots remain open (the event is limited to 100 field players and 10 goalkeepers) MAX Field Hockey will have a specific ordered waitlist that we will invite players from the Waitlist from to fill those spots.
#2: Top 100 Players for the Class of 2029 (Week of March 9, 2026)
RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPTED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1 – DECEMBER 31, 2025
Selected players will earn an invite to the Class of 2029 TOP 100 National Player Invitational Tuesday, May 19th at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. All players must register by a specified deadline to secure their spot. We will not be filling any spots with players outside of these rankings.
#3: Final Top 150 Player Rankings for the Class of 2026 (Late Spring/Summer)
RECOMMENDATIONS ACCEPTED BETWEEN MARCH 1- APRIL 30, 2026
For the first time ever, we will be releasing Final Rankings for the senior class. So much player development happens between sophomore and senior year, and we want to account for that in our Player Rankings. The exact date they will be released is TBD. Along with these rankings, we will release MAX Field Hockey’s Top D1 domestic recruiting classes.
PLAYER RECOMMENDATION PROCESS
Player Recommendations will be accepted for the Classes of 2028 and 2029 between November 1 and December 31st. Please hold off on submitting a recommendation until the athlete’s High School season is complete. The screenshot image below is what the Player Recommendation form looks like and what information you will need. New in 2025/2026- Athletes must have a new MAX Field Hockey Player Profile (free) in the system to be considered for Player Rankings and you will only be able to recommend players that are in the system.
About our Player Ranking Process & How to Be Considered
We want to share some information about our selection process to help people understand how we rank players and answer some of the looming questions about why one player is ranked, and another is not.
We have now ranked 9 classes of players and each is different. Each time we complete a new round of rankings, we have more and more information to consider. With this increased access to information, selections get harder and it also now takes more for a player to stand out and make the list. Just because you are an all-state player, or a nexus selection, or a top player in your area, that doesn’t necessarily set you apart anymore. Almost all of the players on our lists we’re considering check more than one of those boxes.
So how do you get ranked? There is no exact formula we follow or steps a player must take to be ranked (although we have a couple of recommendations below). An explanation of our process may help you gain an understanding of how these lists are formed and provide some guidance on how an athlete can put themselves in the best position to be considered.
Here is our process.
We start collecting data on athletes as soon it’s available. Nexus selections tend to be the first time an athlete will come onto our radar. We have an extensive player ranking spreadsheet with tabs for each class. Right now, the youngest classes we’re tracking are 2030s. Every time new information and selections are released- we add a column to our spreadsheet. We compile this data for years for each class.
Here is a list of some of the things we track:
Nexus/USA Program
- Nexus National selections
- Junior National Camp selections
- Junior & Senior National Team selections
- Junior National Team tour rosters
- Indoor Junior & Senior National Team selections
High School
- All-Region & All-American selections
- All-Region nomination information
- Major awards like All-State
- High School National Invitational All-Tournament Teams
Other
- MAX Field Hockey player profile
- National Player Combine profile
- Recommendations from clubs, coaches, parents, anyone
- College Commitments
- Personal player profiles
- Highlight Videos
- Word of mouth
- Feedback from top college coaches
Throughout the year, we’re adding all of this data to each class of players. As we start working on a specific class, we sort through it all. The top players tend to rise to the top, especially for the top 50-80 players or so. Beyond that is where it is starting to get harder and harder.
We look at what the level of play is in the area the player is from, the level of their High School team, the performance of their Club team in that age group. Again, there is no set formula, but these are all things we consider. A player playing for a Top 10 High School Varsity program is going to be playing with top level players and competing every day at that level. That is worth something, and potentially more than a player scoring 30-40 goals in a weaker conference or area.
While an athlete doesn’t have to play for a Top 25 High School or Club, or do Nexus, or be an All-Region player, or participate in the National Player Combine, or do x, y, or z, they do need to prove themselves somewhere on a regional or national scale. They can’t just have a recommendation that says they are a Top 50 player and be plugged into the Top 50 list. We need some sort of “proof.” Our motto for the events we’ve added: “Prove it on the Field.” It doesn’t have to be at one of our events, you don’t necessarily have to do Nexus, and you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars attending this and that, but you do have to prove it somewhere, somehow. And that may be a really good highlight video.
We are NOT able to provide individual feedback to why a player was or wasn’t ranked and why they were ranked where they were. It is all relative to the class as a whole.
What we can say is:
- Create a MAX Field Hockey Player Profile. It is free and easy. You can put all of your High School, Club, USA Field Hockey accomplishments on there. You can also insert your highlight videos or other Player Profile where you may have even more info.
- Create a good 3-5 minute Highlight Video. In real time (no super speed or slowed down). Make it clear who you are and show your play at a high level event.
- “Prove it on the Field” – sign up for Nexus, the National Player Combine, something where you will compete at the highest level with top players from outside of your area.
- Have a high-quality recommendation submitted by a coach who knows you well and knows how you compare to the top players in the country. It does not help to have your mom/dad, aunt, junior high, rec coach, etc. all send recommendations. More is not better, quality is better.
At the end of the day, while we know Player Rankings mean a lot to people, the reality is, they are not everything and certainly do not make or break an athlete’s future. And yes, we may miss someone or someone may end up deserving to be ranked higher (or even lower). Prove it on the field. Keep working hard and chasing your dreams. Just because you didn’t make the list this time around or think you deserve to be ranked higher, keep working hard and prove us wrong. We look forward to it!
