Nearly Two-Thirds of All NHL Players Have Come From Canada
The United States is a distant second, though it is home to 25 of the league's 32 teams.
Nearly two out of every three men who have ever played in the NHL have come from Canada.
Of 8,799 all-time players, 5,562 were Canadian, or 63.2 percent. Americans are next at 1,504 players, or 17.1 percent, followed by Sweden with 448, Russia with 327, Finland with 278, and Czechia with 269.
The United States' second place is expected, with 25 of the league's 32 teams in the United States and the other seven in Canada, yet Canada still leads by a wide margin.
Canadians have also logged more than 1.5 million career games and nearly 677,000 points, the combination of goals and assists, both far ahead of any other country.
Questions people ask
What do the recent active-player counts show?
The source lists 434 active Canadian players and 288 active American players as of the 2023-24 season. That shows Canada still ahead in that season. The source does not give a total for all active players or a trend over time.
Which countries come next after Canada and the United States?
Sweden, Russia, Finland, and Czechia round out the top six all time. Sweden is third with 448 players, followed by Russia with 327, Finland with 278, and Czechia with 269. Together, those four account for about 15 percent of all NHL players ever.