The NHL has become more of a global game over the last 25 years. During the 1995-96 season, 80.3% of NHL players were North American born, per Quanthockey.com. Fast forward to today, and that number has dropped to 68.7%.
Canada, the USA, Sweden, Russia, Finland, and the Czech Republic are the countries that are most well-represented in the league.
The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe put together an interesting piece looking at which NHL team can put together the best lineup by picking one player from each country. He had three forwards, two defenseman and a goalie.