Percentage of Active NHL Players by Nationality Career Stats 14 more rows Simply slipping into poorly fitting skates, Read More Best Ice Hockey Skates for Wide FeetContinue, The NHL entry draft is a moment NHL fans are passionate about as it allows NHL franchises to bring in, Read More The NHL Entry Draft: All You Need To KnowContinue, As a newbie or a pro skater, you must have once wondered, what are the best CCM Skates money can, Read More What Are The Best CCM Skates?Continue. Using the list of all 784 players who have participated in an NHL game through November 1st of this season, I found the answer. He was also technically an original Toronto Maple Leaf, with the St. Pats The Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Winnipeg Jets have the lowest non-North American representation with just three players each. Finlands best may not be as flashy as Swedens but it includes Aleksander Barkov and Mikko Rantanen. Mertens has a 69.7% winning percentage in service games when playing on hard courts, and a 42.1% winning percentage in return games. See also How Many Indian Reserves Are There In Canada? Nathan Walker is a Welsh-born Australian ice hockey who still plays in the NHL. The NHL features players of 18 different nationalities, and 21 birth countries this season. Reigning Venzina trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy is another popular Russian hockey import. However, six and a half years ago, it was roughly half, while in the 1980s it was over three-quarters. The state with the most NHL players is Minnesota, with a total of 71 players. The hockey centre was born in Wales and began playing the sport locally in his hometown. In order to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), a player must be 18 years of age or older. Jaroslav Jik is the first Czech Republic to play in the NHL. Additionally, there are players born in three more countries: Bulgaria, Great Britain, and Uzbekistan. The United States United States citizens constitute 28.1% of the NHL's total roster. Truth be told, since the official birth of the Czech Republic in the early 1990s, theyve always been up there. During his career he played 11 seasons, winning 2 Stanley cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs after he was traded in 1939. Yet another Colorado Avalanche player, forward Mikko Rantanen, who was born in Nousiainen, Finland, leads his NHL countrymen with 62 points. In 202122, there are even more players from different countries, and a few new nationalities we havent seen in quite some time. With so many international players in the mix, what is the national breakdown of the NHL? Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany and Latvia also have a small number of NHL players, but they all have more than one. If the patterns of nationality in the NHL are any indication, the league will continue to diversify in the future. 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. Playing with the Boston Bruins, he was also the first NHL player of African-descent. Of those 23 players, 15 are forwards, six are defensemen, and two are goaltenders. Research expert covering sports and video gaming. 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. The Nordic countries and Russia provide the largest number of foreign NHL players. This is significantly lower than the start of the season where the average was 1.3 players and 5%. 42.7% Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality 20202021 Stats How many NHL teams are owned by Canadians? What nationality is the majority of NHL? 10:00. "Number of Active Players in The Nhl in 2022, by Country. 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. He only played Once known as a league riddled with racism and exclusiveness, the NHL has made some positive steps toward a more diverse and inclusive institution. In addition to black and white players, other races and ethnicities represented in the NHL include players of Asian, Latino, and Middle Eastern descent. At the beginning of the season, the New Jersey Devils has six players from outside the Big Six. Hockey-Reference utilizes Official NHL data for current NHL seasons. Those two names dont quite sound North American. Hockey Player Statistics By Race The most common ethnicity among hockey players is White, which makes up 72.8% of all hockey players. Although the NHL started in Canada, the United States and other nations are gradually making themselves known within the league. Over the past 10 years, first overall picks have come from five different countries, something that just hasnt been very common in the NHLs history. , Nov 17, 2022. Their Nordic neighbor Norway only has one player in the NHL, Minnesotas Mats Zuccarello. The Washington Capitals lead the league with six players from non-Big Six countries. 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. Avid fan. Massachusetts: 27: 4: Michigan: 41: What nationality is most represented in the NHL? Canada and the United States make up the majority of players in the NHL (70%), but even within the Big Six, North Americans account for 74% of players. Take those 44 Quebec born players out of Canadas total and Canada has 300 NHL players. Roman Josi, Nino Neiderreiter, Kevin Fiala, Pius Suter, and Timo Meier are all Swiss players. Rumors have swirled that Nylander could play on the Swedish Olympic team but at the moment it seems he will not be on Swedens squad for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. The National Hockey League (NHL) evolved from a mono-ethnic and primarily Canadian professional athletic league to span North America. This is on par with last year. The emergence of international superstars like Tim Sttzle and even 2022 NHL draft eligible Marco Kasper (Austrian), the game of hockey is clearly growing overseas. However, the number of NHL players that originate from Canada is on a steady decline. Nathan was selected by the Washington Capitals during the third round of the 2014 NHL draft. This is on par with last year. 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. The share of Canadians in the league dropped to 75% by the 1980s and is now slightly less than 50%. The 23 Russians in the NHL come from 12 different teams. Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality 20182019 Stats. Who owns the Minnesota Wild? 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. As you know, the foundation of this article will be looking into the classification of NHL players nationalities, by country of origin and percentage of international players in different years. The USA is a not-so-close second at 27%, down 1% from last year. 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. In 2010, about 20.5% of the players on opening night rosters were Americans. Of those 731 players, 301 are American-born. Tiny Slovenia, with a population of a little over two-million people, is well represented by their only NHL player, Anze Kopitar. 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. Of the 91 players, 6 of them are goaltenders. The Los Angeles Kings, Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs are the other teams in double digits, all with 10 players from outside North America. As you might expect, the NHL has diversified immensely in the last 100 years since its formation. Jake can be reached at jake@tenthousandsports.com, Your email address will not be published. [13] His stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs were short lived and he eventually retired in 1987 due to injury. 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. Rk Nationality . On January 18, 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first Black Canadian to play in the NHL. Norwegian hockey is the poster-child of this concept. As of November 2022, the country with the highest number of active National Hockey League (NHL) players was Canada, with 993 active NHL players. White. | At that time the majority of the players in the National Hockey Association were from Canada, the birthplace of the NHL. From North American to Europeans, part Asian, African and even Australian players have all been a part of the NHL at one point. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. Rk Nationality Players GP G A . Spotrac. His day view in the NHL was when he appeared in three games in the 1969-70 NHL season. Close behind the Czech Republic is Russia, which contributes 38 players to the NHL (4% of all players). The Coloured Hockey League was an all-black ice hockey league established in 1895. 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. How many NHL players have played for the Vancouver Canucks? Slovenia 1: Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar is also the first Slovenian to ever play in the NHL, setting a great example for aspiring hockey players in his country. What the NHLs Russian contingent lacks in size it makes up for in talent. 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. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Canada boasted 566 (76.9%) of NHL players, with 115 (15.6%) coming from the U.S. The threat of departures to the Kontinental Hockey League looms large over the heads of general managers, but if the talent is there, Russians will always be attractive options at the NHL Entry Draft. The global attention and outreach the NHL is moving towards have led to the acceptance of players from outside the North American continent. Percentage of NHL Players by Nationality 20202021 Stats. William Nylander, despite being born in Canada, is also Swedish and is counted as a Swede for all hockey purposes. Both Sweden and Finland had over 10 players in the NHL, and countries like Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovakia all had NHL representation. 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. Active Players. United States. Bulgaria 1: Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev is a dual-citizen of Bulgaria and Russia, but he was born in the former country. 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. Pudas was also raised in Canada, Nothing could be further from the truth, seeing as he got drafted high (the highest of all Germans ever at No. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. The players that will be listed below are players that are citizens by birth (native-born). Learn more about how Statista can support your business. These are the top-ten players of Asian descent by career points, goals, and assists. NHL Totals by Nationality 20222023 Stats. [8] We didnt get to see a mens Olympic ice hockey tournament this year, but hopefully the new World Cup of Hockey, that is said to feature only national teams unlike the last edition that had Team North American and Team Europe, will be the best-on-best tournament weve all been waiting for. Could there be a trade brewing between the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes? NHL players that are not Canadians or Americans are almost exclusively from Europe. Currently, you are using a shared account. He did play in Switzerland instead of the Ontario Hockey League during the shortened 2020-21 season, for what its worth. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Their surge up the international chartsand the draft boardsignals a new era of ice hockey, where victory for the Canadians is no longer guaranteed. Whats the nationality breakdown for NHL players in the 2018-19 season? Well, that was the past, now the NHL is more than just a Canadian or North American league. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins has probably been passed the torch at this point though. Its strongly believed that hockey originated in Nova Scotia, Canada. 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. 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 . However, Canadas lead is slowly but surely dwindling. There was 837 players who played 10+ NHL games. 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 . Craig Leipold became the majority owner of the Wild in 2008. The minimum salary for an NHL player is $525,000 per year. The spike in the popularity of ice hockey in the United States is mostly due to Wayne Gretzky. And yes, they definitely do.