NHL Power Rankings: Rangers back on top, plus each team’s nationality mix
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
Another week, another new No. 1 team atop the ESPN NHL Power Rankings!
Plus, with the league’s holiday roster freeze in effect, and the IIHF World Junior Championship set to begin Tuesday, we analyzed each team’s roster to sort out the nationality mix of each club.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors each send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Dec. 15. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 75.00%
Next seven days: vs. EDM (Dec. 22), vs. BUF (Dec. 23), vs. WSH (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 13 Americans, 6 Canadians, 3 Swedes, 2 Russians, 1 Czech, 1 Finn.
New York leads the NHL this season with the largest group of U.S.-born players, and has the fewest number of Canadians.
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 73.33%
Next seven days: @ WPG (Dec. 22), @ MIN (Dec. 23), @ BUF (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Americans, 8 Canadians, 4 Swedes, 3 Czechs.
Boston has one of the larger U.S.-born contingencies, and it’s a diverse group at that with players coming from nine states.
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 69.12%
Next seven days: @ FLA (Dec. 23), @ ANA (Dec. 27), vs. LA (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 18 Canadians, 3 Americans, 2 Russians, 1 Swede, 1 Dane, 1 Czech.
Vegas has expanded its international representation over the past year. At this time in 2022-23, the Golden Knights were represented by a league-low three countries (Canada, the U.S. and Sweden), but now they have skaters from double that number.
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 68.97%
Next seven days: vs. CGY (Dec. 23), vs. SJ (Dec. 27), @ VGK (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 8 Americans, 7 Canadians, 5 Swedes, 1 Slovenian, 1 Russian, 1 Swiss.
Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar is one of three Slovenian-born skaters to ever play in the NHL, and the only one to have dressed in more than 50 games in the league.
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 69.12%
Next seven days: vs. SJ (Dec. 23), vs. PHI (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 10 Americans, 8 Canadians, 4 Swedes, 3 Russians, 1 Latvian, 1 Czech, 1 Swiss.
Vancouver is tied for the second-most countries represented (with seven) this season, and claims one of the five most productive Latvian-born NHL players in forward Teddy Blueger.
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 67.74%
Next seven days: @ NSH (Dec. 23), @ STL (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 10 Canadians, 5 Americans, 4 Finns, 1 Swede, 1 Russian, 1 Czech.
Dallas is an apparent draw for Wisconsin-bred skaters, with three prominent veteran players from the state — Joe Pavelski, Craig Smith and Ryan Suter — in the lineup.
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 63.33%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Dec. 23), vs. OTT (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 16 Canadians, 5 Americans, 5 Swedes, 1 Czech, 1 Russian.
Toronto has two California-born players on its roster, but neither Auston Matthews nor Nick Robertson were raised there primarily; Matthews moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, as a toddler and Robertson relocated to Michigan at age 8.
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 66.13%
Next seven days: vs. BOS (Dec. 22), @ CHI (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Canadians, 7 Americans, 2 Swedes, 1 Russian, 1 Finn, 1 Dane, 1 Swiss.
Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers is one of 17 Danish-born players to dress in the NHL, and holds the record among them for most goals scored (186).
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 63.64%
Next seven days: vs. ARI (Dec. 23), @ ARI (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Canadians, 7 Americans, 3 Russians, 3 Finns, 2 Swedes, 1 Czech, 1 Slovakian.
Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev grew up in Russia — and represents that country internationally — but was born in Bulgaria and became the first Bulgarian-born player to suit up in the NHL.
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 60.94%
Next seven days: @ DET (Dec. 22), @ VAN (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 10 Americans, 3 Swedes, 1 Russian, 1 Finn.
Philadelphia goaltender Cal Petersen hails from Iowa, one of just four NHLers from that state to make the NHL.
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 59.38%
Next seven days: vs. VGK (Dec. 23), @ TB (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 5 Americans, 4 Finns, 3 Swedes, 2 Russians, 1 Latvian.
Florida’s Aleksander Barkov became just the eighth Finnish-born player to ever captain an NHL team when he was given the C in 2018. He’s the only Finn currently captaining a team, too.
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 60.94%
Next seven days: @ CAR (Dec. 23), vs. PIT (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 8 Americans, 3 Swedes, 3 Russians.
New York defenseman Noah Dobson is one of three active NHLers born in the tiny Canadian province of Prince Edward Island (population: 157,000). He is among the top producers out of his home province with over 150 career points to date.
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 63.33%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Dec. 23), @ NYR (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 9 Americans, 3 Swedes, 3 Russians, 1 Slovakian, 1 Belarusian.
Washington’s native Belarusian, Aliaksei Protas, started out playing in his original country before toggling between opportunities in the U.S (skating with a youth hockey team in Colorado) and Canada (with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders).
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 57.58%
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Dec. 23), @ NSH (Dec. 27), vs. MTL (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 8 Americans, 7 Canadians, 4 Finns, 3 Russians, 1 Swede, 1 Dane, 1 Czech.
Carolina has dressed four goaltenders this season and each hails from a different country: Denmark, Finland, Russia and Canada.
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 54.84%
Next seven days: vs. DET (Dec. 23), vs. CBJ (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Canadians, 4 Swiss, 4 Americans, 3 Czechs, 2 Swedes, 1 Slovakian, 1 Finn.
New Jersey is the only NHL team this season to have a country other than Canada or the United States among its two most represented nations, thanks to a league-leading four Swiss-born skaters.
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 57.58%
Next seven days: vs. DAL (Dec. 23), vs. CAR (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 7 Americans, 3 Swedes, 3 Finns, 1 Swiss, 1 Russian.
Nashville entrusts its net to the NHL’s only all-Finnish goaltending duo, Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen.
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 54.41%
Next seven days: @ WSH (Dec. 23), vs. FLA (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 9 Americans, 3 Russians, 2 Swedes, 1 Slovakian, 1 Finn.
Tampa Bay dresses three skaters from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a perennial powerhouse in producing NHL players (despite its relatively small population of 1.2 million).
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 56.25%
Next seven days: @ COL (Dec. 23), vs. COL (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 8 Americans, 2 Finns, 2 Czechs, 1 Swiss, 1 Slovakian, 1 Belarusian.
Arizona defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok is one of the highest drafted Belarus-born players in the past 20 years — he was selected 52nd overall by Florida in 2019. He is one of three skaters from Belarus selected that high since 2003.
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 53.13%
Next seven days: vs. PHI (Dec. 22), @ NJ (Dec. 23), @ MIN (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Americans, 7 Canadians, 2 Finns, 2 Swedes, 1 German, 1 Russian, 1 Dutch.
Detroit is home to the league’s only active Netherlands-born skater in Daniel Sprong, the first player from his country to appear in an NHL game since Ed Beers in 1986.
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 51.54%
Next seven days: @ CHI (Dec. 22), @ CAR (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 19 Canadians, 5 Americans, 2 Finns, 1 Swede, 1 Slovakian.
Montreal leads the NHL this season in Canadian-bred players and, at the same time, is home to one of just two active players (Noel Acciari) hailing from the small state of Rhode Island.
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 53.23%
Next seven days: @ OTT (Dec. 23), @ NYI (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Americans, 9 Canadians, 5 Swedes, 2 Finns, 1 Dane, 1 Czech, 1 Russian.
Pittsburgh is tied this season for the largest number of Swedish-born players while also boasting the NHL’s top active player from Denmark — forward Lars Eller — by total games played (984).
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 51.56%
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Dec. 23), vs. DAL (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Canadians, 8 Americans, 3 Russians, 1 Swede, 1 Finn, 1 Czech.
St. Louis packs a punch on the blue line with three of its top six defenders — Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy and Scott Perunovich — calling three different Minnesota cities home.
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 51.61%
Next seven days: vs. BOS (Dec. 23), vs. DET (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Americans, 10 Canadians, 4 Swedes, 1 Austrian, 1 Russian, 1 Norwegian.
Minnesota’s Mats Zuccarello is one of just eight Norwegians to ever play in the NHL, and he has also been the most successful, with 192 goals and 601 points in 794 career games.
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 48.33%
Next seven days: @ NYR (Dec. 22), @ SJ (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 18 Canadians, 3 Americans, 3 Swedes, 1 German.
Edmonton can claim a tie for the second-most Canadians on an NHL roster this season, and the league’s most productive German skater of all time, Leon Draisaitl.
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 50.00%
Next seven days: @ LA (Dec. 23), vs. SEA (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 9 Canadians, 8 Americans, 4 Swedes, 2 Belarusians, 2 Slovakians, 1 Russian, 1 Czech.
Calgary is the only NHL squad with multiple players from Belarus, and forward Yegor Sharangovich is, at just 25, among the most productive pro players from his country (ranking sixth overall in career scoring, with 125 points in 236 games).
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 45.59%
Next seven days: @ NYR (Dec. 23), vs. BOS (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 12 Canadians, 10 Americans, 3 Swedes, 2 Finns, 2 Czechs, 1 Latvian, 1 German.
Buffalo has one of the league’s more diverse lineups as is, but the Sabres also boast the uniqueness of Dylan Cozens: He’s one of three NHLers to be born in Canada’s Yukon Territory, and the only one taken with a first-round draft choice.
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 45.59%
Next seven days: @ ANA (Dec. 23), @ CGY (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 13 Canadians, 7 Americans, 3 Swedes, 2 Slovakians, 1 German, 1 French, 1 Finn, 1 Dane.
Seattle has an eclectic mixture of nationalities this season with a league-high eight countries represented. But the Kraken hit nine in terms of birth countries; forward Andre Burakovsky was born in Austria but raised in Sweden, the place he calls home and represents internationally.
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 41.18%
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Dec. 23), @ NJ (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 13 Canadians, 7 Americans, 5 Russians, 2 Swedes, 1 Czech, 1 Latvian, 1 French, 1 Finn.
Columbus is tied for the most nationalities represented (eight), including French-born Alexandre Texier, who is top-five all-time in points among players from his home country.
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 39.29%
Next seven days: vs. PIT (Dec. 23), @ TOR (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 13 Canadians, 5 Americans, 3 Finns, 2 Swedes, 2 Russians, 2 Czech, 1 German.
Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle is rapidly becoming one of the most productive German-born NHL players of all time, and joins Orest Romashyna (who never actually played in the NHL) and Leon Draisaitl in a tie for being the highest-drafted skater from Germany (all three were selected third overall in 1963, 2014 and 2020 respectively).
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 37.50%
Next seven days: vs. SEA (Dec. 23), vs. VGK (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 11 Canadians, 7 Americans, 2 Czech, 2 Swedes, 2 Russians, 1 Finn.
Anaheim forward Bo Groulx is among a handful of NHLers to have been born in France. But the son of former pro hockey player Benoit Groulx (now head coach of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch) actually grew up in Gatineau, Quebec, and represents Canada internationally.
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 33.87%
Next seven days: vs. MTL (Dec. 22), @ STL (Dec. 23), vs. WPG (Dec. 27)
Roster breakdown: 13 Canadians, 10 Americans, 2 Swedes, 1 Russian, 1 German, 1 Czech, 1 Swiss.
Chicago goaltender Petr Mrazek is one of six active Czech-born netminders in the league this season, and the most veteran at that with over 350 games played.
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 31.82%
Next seven days: @ VAN (Dec. 23), @ LA (Dec. 27), vs. EDM (Dec. 28)
Roster breakdown: 10 Canadians, 8 Americans, 5 Swedes, 4 Russians, 3 Czechs, 2 Finns, 1 German.
San Jose is tied for the largest number of Czech-born skaters with three; there are fewer than 30 skaters total hailing from Czechia in NHL lineups this season.
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Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior Writer
Inspirational thought of the week:
“Honestly, when we lose, I don’t even get in the shower until early this morning. I’ll just be mad. I just brush my teeth. It’s like, I don’t deserve soap.”
— Syracuse head coach Fran Brown
Here at Bottom 10 Headquarters, located behind the “sorry, not sorry” bouquet of water hemlocks sent to the Big 12 officiating office from Utah athletic director Mark Harlan, we know all too well the sting of losing football games. We see it every week in every game we watch.
Yeah, yeah, we know what you’re thinking. “Come on, dummy, someone loses every game that anyone watches.” That’s true. At least now it is. We are also old enough to remember when games ended in ties. That was way worse.
But here in the Bottom 10 Cinematic Universe, losses are worse because that’s all you experience. You’d think we’d get used to it, numb from the pain like when you keep accidentally biting that same spot on your tongue to the point that it just becomes sensory free. But instead, it’s like Bruce Banner explained about being the Hulk: “You see, I don’t get a suit of armor. I’m exposed. Like a nerve. It’s a nightmare.”
However, as we learned in “Age of Ultron,” even after one of his worst losses, Bruce Banner does take a shower. So, Coach Brown, take it from us, in a world where every team has a helluva lot more losses than Syracuse … dude, wash up. Seriously. We can smell you from here. And we’re in Kent, Ohio.
With apologies to Mr. Clean, former Miami (Ohio) quarterback Mike Bath, former Southern Illinois running back Wash Henry and Steve Harvey, here are the post-Week 11 Bottom 10 rankings.
The Golden(plated) Flashes are still America’s last winless FBS team, losing their 18th straight game when they were edged by Ohio 41-0. Now they travel to My Hammy of Ohio, where they are given a 2.8% chance to win by the ESPN Analytics Ouija board, er, I mean Matchup Predictor. But honestly, that game will only be the appetizer ahead of the, yes, Week 13 main course that is the Wagon Wheel showdown with Akronmonious. And by appetizer we mean way-past-the-expiration-date freezer-burned mini-pizza bagels.
The New Owls not only used their talons to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at UTEP, losing in double overtime, they earned Bottom 10 Bonus Points for firing their head coach — and during their first year as an FBS team, no less. Though the AD issued a statement that Brian Bohannon had “stepped down,” Bohannon himself responded on social media: “Contrary to what’s been reported, I want to be clear that I did not step down.” But there is no confusion as to whether the Owls have stepped up or down in these rankings, where every move up is also a move down.
Brett Favre Funding U. lost to We Are Marshall 37-3, meaning all eight of their defeats this season have been by double digits. In related news, I also received double digit political texts on Election Day — and one of those was from Favre. No, for real. I wonder, did he cover the data charges himself or did he steal change from the donation jar at his grocery store checkout?
Sometimes in this life we are asked to do things that go against the fiber of our being. Like taking your daughter to the concert of an artist you’ve never heard of. Or me having to use Earth’s most annoying instrument, the leaf blower. This weekend this team of Minutemen will be asked to try to defeat Liberty.
5. The Sunshine State
The Coveted Fifth Spot has never been more crowded. The FBS, FCS and NFL teams of Florida posted a 1-11 record over the weekend, salvaged only by the Miami Dolphins’ win over the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football.” UC(not S)F, US(not C)F, FA(not I)U, Stetson, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman all lost, led in misery by the Wildcats’ five-overtime loss to Southern. The Flori-duh Gate Doors celebrated the announced retaining of coach Billy Napier by losing to Texas in a squeaker 49-17. And My Hammy of Florida finally spotted an opponent a lead too large for a Cam Ward comeback and took its first loss of the season, falling to unranked Georgia Tech. If only someone else in the state could relate to that …
The Semi-No’s are continuing to work around the Coveted Fifth Spot by earning their Bottom 10 keep the old-fashioned way, not only losing to semi/sorta/kinda ACC member Notre Dame by a scant 52-3, but also earning a pile of their own Bottom 10 Bonus Points not by firing head coach Mike Norvell, but because Norvell fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators and a wide receivers coach. In related news, over the weekend a friend of mine steered his bass boat into a giant pile of sharp rocks and reacted by throwing his shirt and hat overboard.
It was three weekends ago that the Buttermakers lost to then-second-ranked Oregon 35-0. On Saturday, they lost to then-second-ranked Ohio State 45-0. Now they play sixth-ranked Penn State, and in two weeks end their season playing currently eighth-ranked Indiana. We have to assume that a team of professors from Purdue’s legendary mechanical engineering department is studying this experience as a way to assess the stress put on a school bus that is attempting to drive over a lava field covered in landmines.
The Minors have a weekend off to continue their post-Kennesaw victory party. And what’s the best way to snap yourself out of a two-week hangover? Hair of the dog? A cold bucket of water over the head? How about the hair of a coontick hound and a bucket of water from the river during a Week 13 trip to Neyland Stadium to play Tennessee?
Whatever is left of UTEP after Knoxville will then play whatever is left of the Other Aggies after their Week 12 trip to face the OG Aggies of Texas A&M. If there’s any justice in this world, then the loser and/or winner of that Aggie Bowl would go on to play …
The Other Other Aggies lost to the one-loss team the nation forgot about, Warshington State. But if you consider the week before that, we find a Bottom 10 conundrum. Utah State beat WhyOMGing? but the week before that lost to Whew Mexico by five points. Meanwhile, Wyoming, who lost to Utah State two weeks ago, spent last weekend beating New Mexico by five points. Perhaps we will be given some clarity when Wyoming ends the year at Washington State. Or perhaps we will have already given up. As so many here in the Bottom 10 seem to do.
Waiting list: Miss Sus Hippie State, Georgia State Not Southern, FA(not I)U, Akronmonious, Meh-dle Tennessee, WhyOMGing?, Temple of Doom, Living on Tulsa Time, You A Bee?, Standfird, people who put all those election signs up but now won’t take them down.
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