The NHL began its expansion of player nationalities in the 1970s, when players hailed from the United States, Sweden, and Finland. When Owen Power was selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 draft, it was the first time six years that Canadians were taken first overall in back-to-back drafts. The NHLs Russians, a group smaller than the Swedes and Finns, is arguably more dynamic. A few years after the formation of the NHL in 1917, 44 (91.7%) of its players were Canadian. Along the way, we will cover other relevant information on the distribution of NHL players by country. Figure 3 is a heat map that plots the origin countries of NHL players. And Ice Hockey is the same. From 1995 until 2001, they medaled every year at either the Olympics or the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship. Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. Welsh-born Nathan Walker will be the only Australian in the NHL if he gets promoted again from the AHL. In terms of percentages, Russian players account for 5.4% of all the currently active players in the NHL now. With the NHL gaining popularity among nations around the world, more international presence is being felt within the league as a result of increasing NHL players nationalities. The Washington Capitals lead the league with six players from non-Big Six countries. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. Rk Nationality Players GP G A P PIM PPG SHG GWG; 1 Canada: 413: 17 711: 2680: 4558: 7238: 8501: 531: 74: 427: 2 United States: 253: 11 003: 1722: 2914: 4636: . Every Canadian Olympic hockey team boasts an elite NHL roster that includes many of the leagues stars. Slovenia is represented by Anze Kopitar, a center for the Los Angeles Kings. But how do you choose which youth ice, Read More What Are The Best Youth Ice Hockey Skates In The Market?Continue, PO Box 275, Triq il-KbiraZurrieq ZRQ 1317MALTA, Percentage of NHL Players That Are Americans, List OF Countries And Their First NHL Players, Who Are The Original Six? The Detroit Red Wings and the Vancouver Canucks each have 4 Swedish Players on their rosters. Norwegian hockey is the poster-child of this concept. However, the number of NHL players that originate from Canada is on a steady decline. The Columbus Blue Jackets are this seasons most diverse team, featuring players from 10 different countries. Stats: 632 Games Played 262 Wins 2.56 GAA .917 Save Percentage Czech. These are the top-ten players of Asian descent, by career points, goals, and assists, when counting only their production with a specific franchise. Now, hockey is mostly dominated by the Big Six: Canada, the USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. What percentage of NHL players are Russian? The growth of the sport in the U.S. is evident in their international matches and representations, such as in the Olympics. The USA is a not-so-close second at 28%. Nationality Players GP G A P PIM PPG SHG GWG; 1 Canada: 435: 21 124: 3337: 5520: 8857: 10 023: 620: 106: 514: 2 United States: 286: . The past two years, The Win Column did a breakdown for every team in the NHL based on nationality (see 2019 and 2020 here). Thats 269 hockey players, with 26 of them being goalies. Out of those 641 players, 245 have been capped by their national teams (38.16%), while nearly 75%, 44 of 59, of current Designated Players (average age of 28.28 years) have represented their home . If he is able to put up that save percentage, the Capitals could finally be the contender they have been touted as. Flames Visual Recap 54: Calgary blows two-goal lead to lose in overtime again. There have been 24 winter Olympic games that have had mens ice hockey, and these five nations have won 65 out of 72 total medals or 90% of medals awarded. It may be called the National Hockey League, but it sure feels more like it could be an international one. What is the breakdown of nationalities in the NHL? ", Spotrac, Number of active players in the NHL in 2022, by country Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1279112/nhl-player-count-by-country/ (last visited March 04, 2023), Number of active players in the NHL in 2022, by country [Graph], Spotrac, November 17, 2022. Currently there are eight Slovaks in the NHL. During his career he played 11 seasons, winning 2 Stanley cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs after he was traded in 1939. His percentage not only puts him in the Devils' top four for efficacy but also gives the Devils four players with over 50 percent at the dot. Both Sweden and Finland had over 10 players in the NHL, and countries like Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovakia all had NHL representation. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. Notable Russian Player: Two playoffs ago, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov led the league in playoff scoring en route to helping his team capture a second straight Stanley Cup. The Athletic updated its trade board one final time on Monday ahead of what will still likely be a . A scale is included on the right to explain how many players each color represents. Not a fan. Leading Belgian national team players at FIFA World Cup 2018, by market . Close behind the Czech Republic is Russia, which contributes 38 players to the NHL (4% of all players). Both Russia and Japan are home to one of the best leagues in their respective sport. The integration of international players from around the world into the NHL is part of the factors facilitating its spread to several countries. Rk Casual fan. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Of the 419 active NHL players from Canada, 35 of them are goalies. The Arizona Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets lead the league with two players from non-Big Six countries, with 10 other teams behind them with one players. Quizzes Created- He puts Belarus on the map and this list, here. Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak, who was born in Havov, Czech Republic, leads his countrymen with 48 points. 3 overall in 2014, now tied with Ottawa Senators rookie Tim Stutzle) on his own merits. Unlike FIFA, players do not register with a country, so nationality is often disputed when . Michael Raffl is Austrias only NHL player. Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality 20212022 Stats. Germans actually have a Stanley Cup-winning goal to their credit though, with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Uwe Krupp ending a marathon three-overtime Game 4 in 1996. Notable German Player: Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl may be seen simply as the guy who rides shotgun with McDavid. Comparatively, there are 8.9% of the Black or African American ethnicity and 7.5% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. The Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Winnipeg Jets have the lowest non-North American representation with just three players each. Austria 2 (0.3%): The title of most accomplished Austrian-born NHLer has been passed to Seattle Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky, who represents Sweden internationally. Several new nations are joining the fold and becoming fixtures in the hockey landscape. NHL Picks and Predictions . The best of the best: the portal for top lists & rankings: Strategy and business building for the data-driven economy: Show sources information It is certainly Canadas largest league in every sense. Carolina has tried 2,108 shots (3rd in the league) and has a shot percentage of 9.63%, while allowing their opponents 1,571 shots. Now, lets look at where the numbers lie today. Job Title White, 72.8% Black or African American, 8.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Unknown, 6.8% Uzbekistan 1: Uzbekistan-born forward Arthur Kaliyev, who was raised in the United States, looks to build on his moderately successful rookie season in 2021-22 in his sophomore 2022-23 campaign with the Kings. Who owns the Minnesota Wild? From North American to Europeans, part Asian, African and even Australian players have all been a part of the NHL at one point. 61 %. The highest paid player is Auston Matthews at $15,910,000 USD, while 161 players are paid the league minimum of $700,000 USD. In 2020, 69.4 percent of players in the National Football League were of color, down 3.2 percent from 2016. On average, each team has 7.8 players from outside North America, or 30% of their roster. The United States United States citizens constitute 28.1% of the NHL's total roster. What the NHLs Russian contingent lacks in size it makes up for in talent. However, six and a half years ago, it was roughly half, while in the 1980s it was over three-quarters.. You need to be a highly skilled hockey player, of course, but if you happen to be a highly skilled player from Zimbabwe, you can play in the NHL if you really want. [8] In 2011, the NHL was composed of 93% of players who identified as white, with the remaining 7% identifying as varying ethnicities. These numbers are consistent with last years totals. What percentage of NHL players are Canadian 2021? The Coloured Hockey League was an all-black ice hockey league established in 1895. A 2012 report by ESPN found that black players made up only 6.7 percent of the NHL, compared to 57.8 percent in the NBA and 21 percent in MLB. How many are from other countries like Latvia and France? However, he actually grew up in Australia, adding to the intrigue. What nationality are most NFL players? How many NHL players have played for the Vancouver Canucks? If the patterns of nationality in the NHL are any indication, the league will continue to diversify in the future. If youre going for Austrian through and through, then youve got Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi. Above, the MLB logo is photographed on . The 7th and 8th most represented countries are Switzerland and Denmark, with 13 and 11 NHL players, respectively. [8] The share of Canadians in the league dropped to 75% by the 1980s and is now slightly less than 50%. Russian players unjustifiably get a bad reputation for being enigmatic, but the skills of those that make it to the NHL cannot be denied. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Clearly, Finland did a good job, with Barkov winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the leagues top defensive forward in 2020-21. In, Spotrac. Eyssimont played all 20 games in San Jose with Logan Couture, and during 5-on-5 play, the two had a Corsi-for percentage of 60.14, and out-chanced the opposition 108-66, per Natural Stat Trick . Even from the graph above, its easy to see that the Big Six, or the nations of Canada, United States, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Russia are the most represented countries in the NHL. NHL; NHL DRAFT; AHL; KHL; SHL; LIIGA; NLA; DEL; OHL; QMJHL; WHL; . But what about names like Radek Faksa (center for the Dallas Stars) or Alexander Ovechkin (left wing/captain of the Washington Capitals)? Canada and the United States make up the majority of players in the NHL, but even within the Big Six, North Americans account for 74% of players. Although NHL games take place in North America, entry into the league is open to any country worldwide. In addition to black and white players, other races and ethnicities represented in the NHL include players of Asian, Latino, and Middle Eastern descent. Major League Baseball is a professional baseball league in Canada and the United States, and is widely regarded as the best league for the sport in the world. This is down from the same time last year when each team averaged three players from outside the Big Six. Henrik Lundqvist, Gabriel Landerskog, Jonas Brodin, Elias Petterson, Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Nicklas Backstrom are just some of the Swedes NHL fans may recognize by name. This shows the national diversity currently in the NHL. Most Super Bowl wins by NFL team 1967-2023, Average ticket price in the NFL by team 2021, FIFA World Ranking: top male soccer teams 2022, Athletic footwear global market share by company 2015, Health & Fitness Clubs - Statistics & Facts, Sporting goods industry in the U.S. - statistics & facts, Research expert covering sports and video gaming, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. . A number of other players are the only representative of their respective nation in the NHL. A lot has changed in the league since then, so we decided to update that post for the 2021 season, based on rosters at the start of the season. (November 17, 2022). Rk Nationality Players GP G A P PIM PPG SHG GWG; 1 Canada: 42.7%: 43.7%: 41.6%: 42.9%: 42.4%: 50.3% Number of active players in the NHL in 2022, by country [Graph]. Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career. Data Provided By the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 26 NHL players come from the Central European country. Although still the largest group of hockey players by nationality in the NHL, recent decades and years have had other countries catching up in numbers and talent. Although still the largest group of hockey players by nationality in the NHL, recent decades and years have had other countries catching up in numbers and talent. With so many international players in the mix, what is the national breakdown of the NHL? James signed his contract with the Buffalo Sabres in 1982. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season. This year, since the NHL has adopted the taxi squad model to combat travel restrictions caused by COVID-19, the nationality breakdown includes opening night rosters, players on the season opening injured reserve, and taxi squads from each team. The league consists of a variety of players from varying nationalities and diverse backgrounds. Give Up Hint Answer; Russian Hockey Player (WSH) Russian Hockey Player (PIT) . As of 9 October 2020 , 61 goaltenders and 561 skaters ( forwards and defencemen) have appeared in at least one regular-season and/or playoff game with the Canucks since the team joined the NHL in the . Canada still leads with the most players by country, but the U.S. isnt far behind, and there are now 17 active countries with players in the NHL. Furthermore, he also won the Hart in 2020. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. Switzerland, perhaps surprisingly, hovers around the 10-player mark. The Calgary Flames have the most Swedish players with six; the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators, have the most Fins with five each; the Boston Bruins lead with five Czechs; and the Senators have the most Russians with five. Timer. When looking at each team in the NHL, the vast majority of every teams roster comes from a country in the Big Six. Of the 91 players, 6 of them are goaltenders. Using the list of all 784 players who have participated in an NHL game through November 1st of this season, I found the answer. (Source: Matt Armour & Daniel R. Levitt, Baseball Demographics) According to UPI | Number of MLB Players by Nationality: United States of America - 525 . Could there be a trade brewing between the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes? [Online]. Hockey is globally known as Canadas game, and while that might still be true today, there are several countries that have closed the gap in the past decade or so. France 1 (0.1%): Coincidentally, French forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare left the Colorado Avalanche after the 2020-21 season, moving to the then-Stanley Cup-champion Lightning. 11 %. It makes sense, then, that throughout history, Canada has consistently led the NHL in terms of the number of players hailing from the country. United States citizens constitute 28.1% of the NHL's total roster. Teams included in the chart below, and all subsequent charts breaking down nationality are as follows in order: Canada, United States, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, France, Austria, Slovenia, Belarus, Netherlands, and Norway. You only have access to basic statistics. Two of those previous four picks were Europeans, something that just didnt used to happen very often. Henceforth, why NHL players nationalities will continue to gradually expand over time. NEW YORK - The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that 107 international players from 41 countries are on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 season, including a record 17. Arguably, the best known active Finnish players in the NHL are Mikko Koivu (Minnesota Wild), Valtteri Filppula (Philadelphia Flyers), and Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers). The most famous Slovak in the NHL at the moment is 44-year-old Zdeno Chara. As a result, the NHL has been slow to diversify its player base. The St. Louis Blues currently have the most Canadian players (18) on their roster. Forty-four of Canadas NHL players are from la belle province, also known as Quebec. Of the 49 players, 8 of them are goaltenders. What do pro hockey players make? Please do not hesitate to contact me. As early as the first season in 1917-1918, the first United States player was already a part of the NHL. Fast forward to 2019 where the league has 31 teams and more players. He was also technically an original Toronto Maple Leaf, with the St. Pats Several new nations are joining the fold and becoming fixtures in the hockey landscape. As of 2020, 57.5% of NFL players were Black, 0.4% Hispanic or Latinx, 0.1% Asian, 1.6% Pacific Islander, and 0.2% American Indian. Michael McLeod (59.76) Spotrac. The Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders follow closely with just two players not from North America. While nearly half the NHLs players still hail from Canada, the past couple of decades have seen an influx of players from Europe, with more than 15% of the leagues 887 players now coming from Scandinavian countries. Active NHL Players Totals by Birth State - Career Stats. Tuuka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Niklas Backstrom have all represented Finland in the NHL. Rk Nationality . The National Hockey League (NHL) evolved from a mono-ethnic and primarily Canadian professional athletic league to span North America. Since that time up until today, there has been a gradual but consistent decrease in the domination of Canadians in the NHL. Nearly 43.1 per cent of all 771 current NHL players hail from Canada, followed by the United States at 26.7 per cent, Sweden at 10.5 per cent, Finland at 5.3 per cent, Russia at 4.4 per cent and the Czech Republic at 3.8 per cent. What percentage of NHL are American? Later on, he moved to the Czech Republic to get professional training. In order to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), a player must be 18 years of age or older. The players that will be listed below are players that are citizens by birth (native-born). Sweden and Czechia are home to over 10 million people each. This means there might have been some players who had parents native to such countries but were not given birth there. Norway 1: Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello remains one of the leagues premier little big men, having put together a career-best 2021-22 season, during which he scored 79 points in 70 games. There was 837 players who played 10+ NHL games. four games, without scoring a point, though. Copyright 2023 The Win Column, All Rights Reserved. Active NHL Players Totals by Nationality 20222023 Stats. In the 1951-52 season, 143 (93.5%) of all NHL players were Canadian. In 2010, about 20.5% of the players on opening night rosters were Americans. On average, each team has nine players from outside North America, or 30% of their roster. Latvia 4 : Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons did make the All-Star Game that one season. It took four more decades for defenseman Thommie Bergman to seriously start blazing trails for his fellow countrymen, primarily as a Detroit Red Wing over an eight-year career. At the time that was the highest percentage of Americans the NHL had ever seen on an opening night roster. Ovechkin, Kucherov, Panarin, Tarasenko, Kuznetsov and Kaprizov are some of the flashiest scorers in the league. Operating across the Maritime provinces of Canada, the league operated for several decades until 1930. In addition, more countries in general were represented in the NHL. By Dom Luszczyszyn. Overview and forecasts on trending topics, Industry and market insights and forecasts, Key figures and rankings about companies and products, Consumer and brand insights and preferences in various industries, Detailed information about political and social topics, All key figures about countries and regions, Market forecast and expert KPIs for 600+ segments in 150+ countries, Insights on consumer attitudes and behavior worldwide, Business information on 60m+ public and private companies, Detailed information for 35,000+ online stores and marketplaces. Josi has been excellent this year and Meier is currently averaging over a point per game. While the name Zibanejad has its origin in Farsi, New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad is also Swedish. meaning center Matti Hagman, who played four seasons instead, is credited as What do you know about the legendary Original Six? Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins has probably been passed the torch at this point though. Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality 20202021 Stats. The depth of Canadian hockey talent is so great that Canada without Quebec still has the most plentiful pool of hockey talent in the world. Required fields are marked *. The 23 Russians in the NHL come from 12 different teams. In the abbreviated 2020-21 season McDavid torched the NHL, leading the League with 105 points (33 goals, 72 assists) in 56 games, and was voted winner of the Ted Lindsay Award for the third time. By birth country, a few more countries are added to the chart. This value is based on 906 player signings, including all buried and two-way contracts. The ideal entry-level account for individual users. Nationality Players GP G A P PIM PPG SHG GWG; 1 Canada: 485: 21 346: 3344: 5753: 9097: 11 288: 600: 82: 479: 2 United States: 317: . Copyright 2023 The Win Column, All Rights Reserved. For the past few years, The Win Column has done a breakdown for every team in the NHL based on nationality (see 2019, 2020, 2021, and the beginning of the 202122 season here). He only played Included in this list of 21 players are nine Canadians, five Americans, three Russians, two Czechs, a Slovak, and a Swede. Additionally, there are players born in three more countries: Bulgaria, Great Britain, and Uzbekistan. Names like Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are not Canadian-like names because they are the names of two Russian players in the NHL. During the 2012-13 season, the league and disputed players agreed on a percentage of revenue share. The MLB has a smaller percentage of Black baseball players now than it has any year in the last three decades, according to a new report released this week. Gerry would eventually come back to the NHL during the 1925-26 season to play for the Boston Bruins before finally leaving for the American Hockey Association. These categories of players do not fit into this classification. He did play in Switzerland instead of the Ontario Hockey League during the shortened 2020-21 season, for what its worth. Nothing could be further from the truth, seeing as he got drafted high (the highest of all Germans ever at No. Only 11 Swiss players are in the NHL, but it is a pretty good group of 11. rosters at the start of this 2022-23 season, six and a half years ago, it was roughly half, first Soviet NHL player in Sergei Pryakhin, departures to the Kontinental Hockey League, Maple Leafs Roster Moves Mean Trade is Imminent, NHL Trade Bait List for the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, Wild Check-In: Kaprizov, Hartman, Middleton & Defense, Sharks Mike Grier Leading Organization in the Right Direction, 5 Takeaways From Kraken Losses to the Bruins and Leafs, Sabres News & Rumors: Cozens, Hinostroza, Stillman & Houser, 4 Takeaways from Ducks Win Over Blackhawks, Golden Knights Offense Comes Out Flat in Barbashevs Debut, Canadiens News and Rumors: Edmundson, Deadline and More, 3 Takeaways From Kyle Dubas Post-Trade Presser, Lightning Add Grit to Lineup with Addition of Tanner Jeannot, Sharks Meier Trade Provides Framework for Future Deals, Kraken Embarking on Their Biggest Road Trip of The Season, Canucks News & Rumors: Kravtsov, Stillman, Kerfoot & More, Oilers Need to Follow the Lightnings Trade Deadline Strategy, Flames Trevor Lewis Could Prove Useful for Several Playoff Teams, Bruins & Red Wings Could Make Big Trade at 2023 Trade Deadline. Rk Nationality Players GP G A P PIM PPG SHG GWG; 1 Canada: 414: 15 167: 2451: 4153: 6604: 8550: 528: 72: 380: 2 United States: 263: 9951: 1586: 2656: 4242: 4492: 314: 49: 230: 3 . His best NHL season came in 2019-20, when he was 16-8-4 with a 2.22 GAA and a .930 save percentage in 30 games (26 starts) to help the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to the best . Find our most recent breakdown using opening day rosters from the 2021-22 season here! A look at how the current NBA players break down by country of origin. Calgary Flames left winger Johnny Gaudreau, who was born in Carneys Point, New Jersey, leads the 237 NHL players born in the United States with 55 points. Denmark 4 (0.6%): Already a legitimate starter in the NHL, Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen established himself as one of the leagues best in 2021-22. There were 259 Canadian forwards (53.7%), 123 defenders (48%) and 35 goalies (53%) and they made up 51.8% of the NHL. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players . Heres hoping for NHL participation in a best-on-best tournament soon. In the 2019-2020 season a total of 271 Canadian born players were in the NHL, which works out to 42.7% of NHL players. This is in line with last years ratio. This was during the expansion era of the NHL when the NHL went from six to twelve teams. In terms of birth country though, Bulgaria (Alexandar Georgiev), Great Britain (Nathan Walker), and Uzbekistan (Arthur Kaliyev) join the list. Their surge up the international charts, and the draft board, signals a new era of ice hockey, where victory for the Canadians is no longer guaranteed. What Are The Best Youth Ice Hockey Skates In The Market. Russian Alexander Barkov Sr. played professionally in Finland, where Aleksander was born (and trained). At the beginning of the season, the New Jersey Devils has six players from outside the Big Six. Finland is the country that provides the NHL with the fourth-most players, at 49 (5.1%). More and more countries will get representation in the NHL, and perhaps one year soon, Canada will lose its 1st place spot on the list of largest player contributors. Broken down even further, most of the Big Six players hail from North America. During the era of the original six, to the expansion era and 1970s, the number of Canadians in the game was about 90% of total NHL players nationalities. Although other ice hockey leagues saw integration in the early 20th century (including the Quebec Senior Hockey League), the NHL did not see its first non-white player until March 13, 1948, when Larry Kwong broke the NHL's colour barrier playing with the New York Rangers. After Finland is the Czech Republic, which provides the NHL with 40 players (4.2% of all players). In the mean time though, I could not stop geeking about cleats and their performance benefits. Of those 40 active players, some of the most notable ones are Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers), David Krejci (Boston Bruins), and Martin Hanzal (Dallas Stars). From the founding of the NHL in 1917, when all four of its teams were located to Canada, to the current-day mix of 7 Canadian and 24 American teams, the league has been getting progressively international in the makeup of its players. Americans make up more than a quarter of all NHL players. Could there be a trade brewing between the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes? The Blue Jackets have the most non-North Americans on their roster with 14, closely followed by the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals with 13. However, Slovakia has produced many fantastic, historic NHL players like Peter Stastny, Marian Gaborik, and Marian Hossa. Leon Draisaitl, one of six NHL players from Germany. Learn more in the about us section. That's 269 hockey players, with 26 of them being goalies. . This opens a lot of avenues for the NHL since their teams are often so nationally diverse. Bulgaria 1: Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev is a dual-citizen of Bulgaria and Russia, but he was born in the former country. The Los Angeles Kings, Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs are the other teams in double digits, all with 10 players from outside North America. It obviously didnt work out for him from a championship perspective, although he continues to ply his trade as a well-respected bottom-six forward. Granted, two Olympic silver medals for the mens team since the turn of the century is hardly ground-breaking, but the womens team is routinely a contender, winning the gold in South Korea in 2018. Imagine facing Connor McDavid , Steven Stamkos, and Nathan MacKinnon on the same line before playing Mitch Marner, Sidney Crosby, and Mark Stone on the next shift. Once known as a league riddled with racism and exclusiveness, the NHL . A few of the most noteworthy Canadian NHLers are Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Jason Spezza (Dallas Stars), and Dion Phaneuf (Los Angeles Kings). Hockey-Reference utilizes Official NHL data for current NHL seasons. Once again, most teams are composed primarily by North American players, though the separation between North America and the rest of the world is not nearly as large as it was for the Big Six. If you fast forward to the present NHL with 945 professional ice hockey players distributed among 32 franchises, youll notice that there are international presences are becoming more dominant. These countries are Australia (Nathan Walker), Austria (Michael Raffl), Slovenia (Anze Kopitar), Netherlands (Daniel Sprong), and Norway (Mats Zuccarello).