According to data extrapolated from the first two weeks of competition, 49.7% of the players (680) who participated in a match are of Canadian nationality, a figure which, for the first time in the 98 years of existence of the NHL, does not exceed the figure of 50.1%, the limit given by the majority.
Last season, the number of Canadians on the various teams was around 51.8%, while in the 2013/14 season, this figure was 53.4%. It should be noted that since the 1999-2000 campaign, there has been some stability in the number of players born in Canada, averaging 54.8%.
In the early 1990s, 75% of players were Canadian, an even higher percentage in previous years. Despite this, hockey continues to be the national sport of the North American country.
24.2% of players were born in the United StatesThis decline is largely due to the expansion of the league in the United States in the last 25 years. The larger population of the southern neighbors, as well as a great promotion of hockey in areas that were not linked to the ice sport decades ago, have contributed to an increase in its popularity in the United States, added to a growth in the number of players from this country. Even in states where it was unthinkable a few years ago to be able to produce NHL level players, so much so that California (8), Missouri (4), North Carolina (2) and Texas (2) are clear examples. Another information is the future number one of the next draftAston Matthews, born in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The globalization of the league has also contributed to a greater diversity of nationalities, the vast majority coming from the old continent. The more traditional ones (Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, …) have been joined by Slovenia, Croatia, Holland, etc.
Despite this, in most franchises, Canadian players continue to dominate the the lists, with an average of 10.5 per team. In only three of them (Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Minnesota) do Americans outnumber their northern neighbors.
Currently, the number of federated participants in hockey competitions in Canada, both children and adults, stands at 634,892, a figure that has been more or less stable in recent years. In the United States, the figures are 611,296 players, although the percentage is obviously much higher in Canada due to a smaller population than that of Uncle Sam.
The Canadian team won the last two Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, being without a doubt the present and the future of hockey.
Percentage of NHL players by country
| Country | 2015/16 | 2014/15 | 2013/14 | 2000 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Canada | 49.7% | 51.8% | 53.4% | 54.8% | 73.9% | 82.1% |
| USA | 24.2% | 24.8% | 24.8% | 15.9% | 17.3% | 12.5% |
| Suede | 9.1% | 7.6% | 7.4% | 4.6% | 2.2% | 3.1% |
| Russia/USSR | 4.5% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 7.1% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Czech Republic | 4.2% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 7.3% | 3% | 0.7% |
| Finland | 3.2% | 3% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 1.7% | 0.9% |
| Slovakia | 1.1% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 3.1% | – | – |
| Swiss | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1% | 0.5% | – | – |
There are more nationalities but these are the eight countries that have traditionally brought the largest number of players to the championship. lists NHL.
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