List of countries with their first National Hockey League player

The globalization of National Hockey League has been occurring since its inception. The early years saw a largely Canadian league, with some Americans playing. As the league progressed it experienced an influx of European players, at first from Western European countries, such as Sweden. After the fall of Communism, players from Eastern European countries, such as the former Czechoslovakia and Soviet Union, joined the league. The NHL eventually saw fewer European players, but more players from Canada and the United States. Today the NHL has players from five continents. The following is a list of countries and the first person born there that played in the National Hockey League. These players are not necessarily the first citizen of each respective country to play in the NHL, as nationality is determined under a nation's nationality law and may differ.

Most statistical sources in the sport follow the convention of the Hockey Hall of Fame in classifying players by the currently existing countries in which their birthplaces are located.

Current countries

Country of birth	Name	Debut Year
Austria	Reinhard Divis[1]	2001–02[2]
The Bahamas	Andre Deveaux[3]	2008–09[4]
Belarus	Alexander Andrievsky[note 1]	1992–93[5]
Belgium	Jan Benda[6]	1997–98[7]
Brazil	Mike Greenlay	1989–90[8]
Brunei	Craig Adams[note 2]	2000–01[9]
Canada	Multiple: most participants of the first NHL game were Canadian born	1917–18[10]
Croatia	Goran Bezina[note 3]	2003–04[11]
Czech Republic	Jaroslav Jirik[note 4][12]	1969–70[13]
Denmark	Poul Popiel	1965–66[14]
Estonia	Leo Komarov[15][note 5]	2012–13[16]
Finland	Albert Pudas[17][note 6]	1926–27[18]
France	Andre Peloffy	1974–75[19]
Germany	Walt Tkaczuk[20][note 7]	1967–68[21]
Haiti	Claude Vilgrain[22]	1987–88[23]
Indonesia	Richie Regehr	2005–06[24]
Italy	Nelson DeBenedet	1973–74[25]
Jamaica	Graeme Townshend[26]	1989–90[27]
Japan	Yutaka Fukufuji[28]	2006–07[29]
Kazakhstan	Konstantin Shafranov[note 8]	1996-97[30]
Latvia	Charlie Cotch[note 9]	1924-25[31]
Lebanon	Ed Hatoum[32]	1968–69[33]
Lithuania	Darius Kasparaitis[note 10]	1992–93[34]
Netherlands	Ed Kea	1973–74[35]
Nigeria	Rumun Ndur[36]	1996–97[37]
Norway	Bill Johansen	1949–50[38]
Paraguay	Willi Plett	1975–76[39]
Poland	Joe Jerwa[note 11]	1930–31[40]
Republic of China (Taiwan)	Rod Langway[41]	1978–79[42]
Russia	Sweeney Schriner[note 12][43]	1934–35[44]
Serbia	Stan Smrke[45][note 13]	1956–57[46]
Slovakia	Stan Mikita[note 14]	1958–59[47]
Slovenia	Anze Kopitar[48][note 15]	2006–07[49]
South Africa	Olaf Kolzig	1989–90[50]
South Korea	Jim Paek[51]	1990–91[52]
Sweden	Gus Forslund[53]	1932–33[54]
Switzerland	Mark Hardy	1979–80[55]
Tanzania	Chris Nielsen	2000–01[56]
United Kingdom	Joe Hall[57]	1917–18[58]
United States	George Geran	1917–18[59]
Ukraine	Vic Hoffinger[note 16]	1927–28[60]
Venezuela	Rick Chartraw[61]	1974–75[62]

Former countries

Country	Name	Debut Year
Czechoslovakia	Anton Stastny Peter Stastny	1980–81[63][64]
East Germany	Udo Kiessling[65]	1981–82[66]
Newfoundland[note 17]	Alex Faulkner	1961–62[67]
Russian Empire[note 18]	Charlie Cotch	1924–25[68]
Slovak Republic (1939–1945)[note 19]	Stan Mikita[69]	1958–59[47]
Soviet Union	Victor Nechayev[70]	1982–83[71]
West Germany	Willie Huber	1978–79[72]
Yugoslavia, Kingdom of[note 20]	Stan Smrke[73]	1956–57[46]
Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of[note 21]	Ivan Boldirev[74]	1970–71[75]

Notes

1. Andrievsky was technically born in the Byelorussian SSR of the former USSR, which became the country of Belarus in 1991.
2. Adams was technically born in Brunei prior to its independence from the UK, while it was still a protectorate
3. Bezina was technically born in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in the territory now known as Croatia.
4. Jirik was technically born in the former area of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia which was part of Nazi Germany. It occupied most of the territory now known as the Czech Republic.
5. Komarov was technically born in the Estonian SSR of the former USSR, which became the country of Estonia in 1991.
6. Pudas was technically born in the former area of the Grand Duchy of Finland which was part of the Russian Empire. It occupied the territory now known as Finland.
7. Tkaczuk was born in the Bizone, the combination of the American and British occupation zones of Germany following the defeat of the Nazi regime in World War II.
8. Shafranov was technically born in the Kazakh SSR of the former USSR, which became the country of Kazakhstan in 1991.
9. Cotch was technically born in the Russian Empire, in territory now known as Latvia.
10. Kasparaitis was technically born in the Lithuanian SSR of the former USSR, which became the country of Lithuania in 1990.
11. Jerwa was technically born in the former country of the Russian Empire, in territory that is now known as Poland.
12. Schriner was technically born in the former country of the Russian Empire, in territory that is now Russia.
13. Smrke was technically born in the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in territory that is now known as Serbia.
14. Mikita was technically born in the Slovak Republic (1939-1945), a puppet state of Nazi Germany which occupied most of the territory now known as Slovakia.
15. Kopitar was technically born in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in territory that is now Slovenia.
16. Hoffinger was technically born in the Russian Empire, in territory now known as the Ukraine
17. Not to be confused with the modern day Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
18. Not to be confused with modern day Russia.
19. Not to be confused with modern day Slovakia.
20. Not to be confused with either the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
21. Not to be confused with either the Kingdom of Yugoslavia or the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

References

1. The 2011 Invitees: Part One in a Two-Part Epic
2. Reinhard Divis
3. Andre Deveaux
4. Andre Deveaux
5. Alexander Andrijevski
6. SIHR – Global Hockey Facts: Belgium
7. Jan Benda
8. Mike Greenlay
9. Craig Adams
10. Rosters of First NHL game
11. Goran Bezina
12. First Czech NHL player dies in plane crash
13. Jaroslav Jirik
14. Poul Popiel
15. Johnston on Leafs: Holzer making most of chance
16. Leo Komarov
17. Albert Pudas
18. Albert Pudas
19. Andre Peloffy
20. LA Kings News Clips 12–23–10
21. Walt Tkaczuk
22. Earthquake hits home for Vilgrain
23. Claude Vilgrain
24. Richie Regehr
25. Nelson DeBenedet
26. Harris, Cecil (2005). Breaking the Ice: The Black Experience in Professional Hockey. Toronto: Insomniac Press. p. 153. ISBN 1894663802.
27. Graeme Townshend
28. Yutaka Fukufuji
29. Yutaka Fukufuji
30. Konstantin Shafranov
31. Charlie Cotch
32. Ed Hatoum
33. Ed Hatoum
34. Darius Kasparaitis
35. Ed Kea
36. Rumun Ndur
37. Rumun Ndur
38. Bill Johansen
39. Willi Plett
40. Joe Jerwa
41. Rod Langway
42. Rod Langway
43. Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 770. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
44. Sweeney Schriner
45. Stan Smrke
46. Stan Smrke
47. Stan Mikita
48. Malkin not lock as NHL's no. 1 rookie
49. Anze Kopitar
50. Olaf Kolzig
51. Can I Play, Too?; Korean Athletes In U.S. Sports; Jim Paek, the First Korean to Hoist the Stanley Cup
52. Jim Paek
53. Swedish Ice Hockey Year By Year
54. Gus Forslund
55. Mark Hardy
56. Chris Nielsen
57. Joe Hall
58. Joe Hall
59. George Geran
60. Vic Hoffinger
61. Rick Chartraw
62. Rick Chartraw
63. Anton Stastny
64. Peter Stastny
65. Udo Kiessling
66. Udo Kiessling
67. Alex Faulkner
68. Charlie Cotch
69. NHL Great Stan Mikita Has Oral Cancer
70. Victor Nechayev
71. Victor Nechayev
72. Willie Huber
73. Stan Smrke
74. Ivan Boldirev
75. Ivan Boldirev

See also

List of NHL statistical leaders by country