NHL Hockey Teams by Divisions

NHL Teams and divisions

The NHL is the world’s top ice hockey league. Within this page, we’ll show you all the active NHL teams, as well as the current makeup of all the NHL divisions. The NHL is a celebration of the best in North American hockey.

How many NHL teams are there?

There are 32 active NHL teams in the league today. The newest arrival to the NHL was Seattle Kraken, who were approved as an expansion franchise in December 2018. You might be aware that Seattle used to have an NHL team way back in the early 1900s. The Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in 1917 – and folded just seven years later.

List of NHL teams in alphabetical order

1. Anaheim Ducks – Also known as ‘The Mighty Ducks’, Anaheim were formed in 1993 and won their first Stanley Cup in 2007.
2. Arizona Coyotes – The Coyotes were originally known as the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) but were absorbed into the NHL after the cessation of the WHA in 1979.
3. Boston Bruins – Six-time Stanley Cup winners, the Bruins are the oldest active NHL team in the US.
4. Buffalo Sabres – The Sabres were an NHL expansion franchise along with the Vancouver Canucks in 1970. They, along with the Canucks, are the longest serving NHL teams yet to win a Stanley Cup.
5. Calgary Flames – The Flames are one of two Alberta-based NHL franchises, boasting a fierce rivalry with their neighbouring Edmonton Oilers in the ‘Battle of Alberta’.
6. Carolina Hurricanes – The Hurricanes landed their inaugural Stanley Cup in 2006, defeating the Edmonton Oilers. It handed the state of North Carolina its first major professional sports championship.
7. Chicago Blackhawks – The Blackhawks have enjoyed two periods of NHL dominance, twice winning the Stanley Cup in the mid-1930s and three times between 2010 and 2015.
8. Colorado Avalanche – The Avalanche used to be known as the Quebec Nordiques until the franchise was sold and relocated to Denver in 1995.
9. Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets were an NHL expansion franchise in 2000. It took them five seasons to win 30 games in a season, and they reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2008-09.
10. Dallas Stars – The Stars have made five appearances in the Stanley Cup finals but have only won the championship once in the 1998-99 season.
11. Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings are one of the ‘Original Six’ NHL franchises, founded in 1926. They have 11 Stanley Cups to their name but have won only two in the post-millennium era.
12. Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers were a dominant force in the NHL during the 1980s, winning five Stanley Cups. However, they have been in a barren spell of more than 30 years since.
13. Florida Panthers – The Panthers are the southernmost team in the NHL. Their solitary Stanley Cup final appearance came in 1996, when they eventually lost to the Colorado Avalanche.
14. Los Angeles Kings – The Kings won two Stanley Cups in three NHL seasons between 2011 and 2014, masterminded by head coach Darryl Sutter.
15. Minnesota Wild – The Wild were formed in 1997 but didn’t enter the NHL until 2000-01. Since then, they have a solitary divisional championship to their name in 2007-08.
16. Montreal Canadiens – The Canadiens are the longest standing professional ice hockey team on the planet. With 24 Stanley Cup championships, they’ve won the trophy more than any other franchise.
17. Nashville Predators – The Predators were granted a NHL expansion franchise to join in 1998. They reached their only Stanley Cup finals in 2017 but were edged out by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
18. New Jersey Devils – The New Jersey Devils used to be the Colorado Rockies and earlier the Kansas City Scouts, before moving to Newark in 1982.
19. New York Islanders – The Islanders are one of three NHL franchises operating out of the New York metropolitan region. They won a hat-trick of Stanley Cups between 1981 and 1983.
20. New York Rangers – The Rangers are one of the ‘Original Six’ NHL franchises. Despite being four-time Stanley Cup winners, the Rangers have won only one since 1940.
21. Ottawa Senators – The Senators are not the original Ottawa Senators franchise which played in the NHL between 1917-34. This new iteration was founded in 1992.
22. Philadelphia Flyers – The Flyers were the first ‘expansion’ franchise in the NHL outside of the ‘Original Six’ era. They won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.
23. Pittsburgh Penguins – The Penguins have qualified six times for the Stanley Cup finals and have a 5-1 win record. They became the first back-to-back Stanley Cup winners in 2017 during the salary cap era.
24. Jose Sharks – The Sharks became the first NHL franchise in San Francisco Bay since the Golden Seals in 1976. They lost to the Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup finals.
25. Seattle Kraken – The newest NHL expansion franchise, Seattle Kraken debuted in the 2021-22 season.
26. St. Louis Blues – The Blues have the highest number of Stanley Cup playoff appearances beyond the ‘Original Six’ franchises. Their only Stanley Cup triumph came in 2019.
27. Tampa Bay Lightning – The Lightning have three Stanley Cup championships to their name, with back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
28. Toronto Maple Leafs – The Maple Leafs are part of the ‘Original Six’ NHL teams. The 13-time Stanley Cup winners have been starved of championship success since 1967.
29. Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks are one of the oldest teams never to have won the Stanley Cup.
30. Vegas Golden Knights – The Golden Knights were the inaugural major league sports franchise in Las Vegas, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in their first season (2018).
31. Washington Capitals – The Capitals have two Stanley Cup finals appearances to their name in 1998 and 2018, winning the latter against the Golden Knights.
32. Winnipeg Jets – Formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers, this NHL franchise relocated to Manitoba in 2011.

What are the new NHL divisions?

The NHL opted to introduce a new NHL division for the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scotia NHL North Division was an exclusive NHL Canadian division, established due to the travel restrictions in place between the Canadian and US border during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the first all-Canadian NHL division since the NHL’s first expansion in 1924.

Since the 2021-22 season, the NHL divisions have returned to normal, with the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions covering the Eastern Conference and the Central and Pacific Divisions covering the Western Conference. With 32 teams now active in the NHL, it’s possible the NHL will look to even up the schedule so that eight teams compete in each division for the 2022-23 season.

Canadian NHL teams

You’ll find NHL franchises based throughout North America. Below, you can explore their origins and how long they’ve been associated with the NHL.

How many Canadian teams are in the NHL?

Of the 32 active NHL teams, seven are based in Canada. The remaining 25 NHL teams are located throughout the United States. The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs are the longest standing Canadian NHL teams. In fact, both are founding members of the inaugural NHL in 1917.

List of Canadian NHL teams