Count of active NHL players in 2024, by country

Canada was the country with the highest number of active NHL players as of March 2024. Specifically, the country had 1,078 players who were active in the National Hockey League when the study was conducted. The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America, featuring seven franchises from Canada and 25 from the United States.

How popular is ice hockey in Canada?

Ice hockey is the official winter sport for the North American country, signifying its popularity. In 2022, there were just over half a million registered ice hockey players in Canada and the country boasted close to eight thousand ice hockey rinks to accommodate the sport. Meanwhile, looking at the popularity of the NHL in Canada, around 1.2 million individuals tuned in to watch the NHL’s annual playoff tournament in 2022 on Canada’s Sportsnet channel.

How valuable are NHL franchises?

The Toronto Maple Leafs were the most valuable NHL franchise in 2023, with an estimated valuation of 2.8 billion U.S. dollars that year. The Maple Leafs were twice as valuable as the average NHL franchise valuation, which amounted to just over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Nevertheless, the NHL’s average franchise value was notably lower when considering the average franchise values of other major sports leagues in North America.