When I think about Canada, ice hockey is one of the first things that comes to mind.
The sport we know today was developed in the Great White North. The National Hockey League was founded in Montreal. The Stanley Cup came from Canada. Given that, it’s no surprise that the NHL has long been a showcase of the best Canadian hockey players.
However, things are starting to change. While Canada still produces the most NHL players, it no longer represents a majority of the league, as players from around the world are competing.
What Percentage of NHL Players Are Canadian?
About 41% of NHLers are Canadian, the largest percentage of any nation. According to World Population Review, 420 players in the NHL are Canadian.
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby leads all active Canadian NHL players with 651 goals, 1,091 assists, and 1,742 points.
Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, the two players with the shortest NHL odds to win the 2026 Hart Trophy at the BetMGM online sportsbook, are the only active Canadian players with a realistic chance to surpass those marks, having crossed the 1,000-point threshold before age 30.
However, those guys will need more than stats to surpass Crosby’s legacy, which features three Stanley Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals.
10 Most Prominent Active Canadian NHLers
| Rank | Player | Team | Stanley Cups |
| 1 | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3 |
| 2 | Steven Stamkos | Nashville Predators | 2 |
| 3 | Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | 0 |
| 4 | John Tavares | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 |
| 5 | Claude Giroux | Ottawa Senators | 0 |
| 6 | Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | 1 |
| 7 | Brad Marchand | Florida Panthers | 2 |
| 8 | Jamie Benn | Dallas Stars | 0 |
| 9 | Corey Perry | Los Angeles Kings | 1 |
| 10 | Brent Burns | Colorado Avalanche | 0 |
Which Country Has the Most NHL Players?
| Rank | Country | Number of Active Players |
| 1 | Canada | 420 |
| 2 | United States | 303 |
| 3 | Sweden | 97 |
| 4 | Russia | 65 |
| 5 | Finland | 56 |
| 6 | Czech Republic | 29 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 11 |
| 8 | Slovakia | 8 |
| T9 | Germany | 7 |
| T9 | Belarus | 7 |
Canada continues to produce the most NHL players, but the United States has been making up ground over the past few decades.
Sweden ranks third with 97 active NHL players, while Russia (65) and Finland (56) round out the top five.
Given the breadth of talent, these are typically the nations at the top of the hockey odds for the Olympics and other best-on-best international tournaments.
Top Swedish NHL Players
| Rank | Player | Team | Stanley Cups |
| 1 | Erik Karlsson | Pittsburgh Penguins | 0 |
| 2 | Victor Hedman | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2 |
| 3 | Mika Zibanejad | New York Rangers | 0 |
| 4 | Filip Forsberg | Nashville Predators | 0 |
| 5 | William Nylander | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 |
| 6 | Elias Lindholm | Boston Bruins | 0 |
| 7 | Mikael Backlund | Calgary Flames | 0 |
| 8 | Gabriel Landeskog | Colorado Avalanche | 1 |
| 9 | Marcus Johansson | Minnesota Wild | 0 |
| 9 | Rickard Rakell | Pittsburgh Penguins | 0 |
Top American NHL Players
| Rank | Player | Team | Stanley Cups |
| 1 | Patrick Kane | Detroit Red Wings | 3 |
| 2 | Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 |
| 3 | John Carlson | Washington Capitals | 1 |
| 4 | J.T. Miller | New York Rangers | 0 |
| 5 | James van Riemsdyk | Detroit Red Wings | 0 |
| 6 | Jack Eichel | Vegas Golden Knights | 1 |
| 7 | Kyle Connor | Winnipeg Jets | 0 |
| 8 | Matthew Tkachuk | Florida Panthers | 2 |
| 9 | Brock Nelson | Colorado Avalanche | 0 |
| 10 | Jake Guentzel | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1 |
Which Country Has the Fewest NHL Players?
If you exclude the hundreds of nations that aren’t represented in the NHL, several other countries are tied with one NHL player.
Stanley Cup winner Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings is the only player from Slovenia and was the first to represent his country in the league.
St. Louis Blues centre Nathan Walker, who was born in Wales but grew up in Australia, is another trailblazer. He was the first Aussie to grace the NHL ice and scored on his 2017 debut with the Washington Capitals.
Montreal Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier is the NHL’s only Frenchman, and he made history in 2017, becoming the first player drafted out of France’s top pro league.
As the game grows globally, we see more stories like these every season.
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