(Infographic: Betway)
For decades and counting, Canadians have been the dominating foreign players in the NHL, and their history is not only great, but is also encouraging for other Nationalities to follow suit. By 1965, Europe joined the league and is since doing well with most prevalent countries, producing stars that have done even better than their American counterparts.
Hockey has gained international recognition in the mainstream, and countries such as India and Algeria are also following suit in terms of registering high-level players. While most people might view the rise of the off-the-grid nationalities as a threat to perennial countries (America and Canada), it actually brings stiff competition, which ensures the league’s optimum performance. Today, we can confidently infer that foreign-national signees in NHL have allowed the league to gain much international recognition, and can be compared with other giants such as NBA and NFL.
Besides Canada, here are some countries that are already doing well:
- Sweden
Sweden has been the most dominant European country in the NFL, with more than 65 skaters and 7 goalies having a successful career within the league. Fanatics are even anticipating that in the coming seasons, they’ll see morefrom Swedish players. It is important to note that Sweden is already at 10.7% of NHL’s skaters and 10.1% goalies in the 2019/2020 season. Some of the Swedish household names in the NHL include Anders Nilsson and Jacob Markstrom, who play for Vancouver, and Henrik Lundqvist, who plays for Rangers.
- Finland
Finland is not far away from Sweden in terms of player representation in the NHL, as it also comprises about 10.1 percent of the total goalies in the NHL. Some of the latest decade players who have won the hearts of many fanatics include defensemen, Julius Honka, Miro Heiskanen, and Esa Lindell. Most of the players from Finland are based in Los Angeles and Detroit.
- Russia
It is a great surprise that Russia is the leading European hockey player country globally, with various actions in the KHL attracting fanatics from all over the world. It is no doubt that the rise of the KHL is the main reason why we have fewer Russian players in the NHL nowadays. Nevertheless, there are still youngsters who have remained prevalent and competitive in the recent past, including Alex Radulov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Sergei Bobrovsky (a notable goalie), Dmitrij Jaskin, and Ilya Kovalchuk. It is important to note that most of these players opt for the prestigious NHL in the place of their home country league.
- Slovakia
Lastly, you’ll also be interested to know that Slovakia made it on this list. While many people seem to see that today’s Slovak players are trying hard to fit in the elite play-offs, their predecessors laid a solid foundation, and carved a name and a space for the European country in the NHL history. More than 85 players from the country have since played in the league, but the most notable ones include Miroslav Satan, Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, Peter Bondra, and Peter Stastny.
Some legends like Peter Stastny managed to influence some of their direct family members to play in the NHL. For instance, Stastny’s two brothers, who played with much success, include Marian and Anton Stastny. Ironically, all three players spent their careers at Quebec Nordiques.
