NHL Birth State Breakdown

The number of U.S.-born NHL players only began to rise steadily in the 1970s, prior to which the number of Americans per season remained low. Nevertheless, the United States has been represented by at least one player in each of the NHL seasons. Minnesota has produced the most U.S.-born NHL players in the league history, followed by Michigan and Massachusetts.

Since the 1980s, the share of traditional hockey states has gradually decreased, as more and more American NHL players arrive from states not present in the NHL during the 1970s. This development has taken place hand-in-hand with the increase in the overall number of American NHL players.

The chart below shows the relative proportions of different birth states in the NHL from the 1917-1918 season onwards. Season specific data used in the chart can be found on the birth state totals statistics pages.