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.
WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola‘s first start after returning from the injured list didn’t last long.
The right-hander allowed six runs in 2⅓ innings Sunday against the Washington Nationals, a start that ended when seven consecutive batters reached safely.
Nola struck out four in his first major league outing since May 14.
The former All-Star was one of the majors’ most durable pitchers entering the season, making at least 32 starts and throwing at least 180⅔ innings in each of the last six full seasons. But a sprained right ankle and fractured rib cost him three months this season.
His return became even more significant Saturday when Philadelphia placed ace Zack Wheeler on the injured list with a blood clot in his right arm. Nola already was scheduled to start after making three minor league rehabilitation appearances, though the Phillies scrapped their plans to use a six-man rotation.
Nola gave up Luis Garcia Jr.’s leadoff single in the first inning, then appeared to settle in. He retired the next seven batters as Philadelphia built a 6-0 lead.
The Nationals stitched together three consecutive singles in the third, the last by CJ Abrams to score a run. That led to a mound visit from pitching coach Caleb Cotham, but Nola then walked Paul DeJong before giving up Daylen Lile‘s two-run single and Dylan Crews‘ two-run double. Jose Tena followed with a tying double to end Nola’s day.
Nola allowed seven hits while throwing 53 pitches. His ERA rose to 6.92.
In addition to Nola taking Wheeler’s roster spot, the Phillies activated third baseman Alec Bohm from the injured list and optioned infielder Otto Kemp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room on the 40-man roster for Nola, Philadelphia released outfielder Cal Stevenson.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was designated for assignment on Sunday, with catcher Tyler Stephenson‘s thumb injury and a short bench contributing to the decision.
The Reds also recalled right-hander Connor Phillips and outfielder Will Benson from Triple-A Louisville and optioned left-hander Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A.
“We came to the idea of kind of giving Jake a chance to play where maybe he thinks he deserves to play, which I understand, is maybe better than him sitting the bench here,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Stephenson is banged up. We were a little concerned about playing short, maybe a two-man bench.”
Fraley, 30, is in his fifth major-league season, his fourth with Cincinnati. He is batting .232 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 67 games.
He hyperextended his knee after making an error in left field to allow a run to score in the 10th inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the first-place Brewers on Saturday. Francona said neither the miscue nor the injury factored into the DFA move.
Stephenson reaggravated an injury to his left thumb during the Pittsburgh series and is day to day. Jose Trevino, who was behind the plate Saturday night, got the start for Sunday’s day game.
Francona said the decision on Fraley, a popular player among fans and in the clubhouse, wasn’t easy.
“Not that I needed an excuse to lose sleep last night, but you do, because you’re thinking about it,” Francona said. “You’re making decisions that alter their life. The day when I stop thinking about it, I will re-retire.”
Cincinnati, the only team this season that hasn’t been swept in a series, has dropped the first two games of the three-game set against the Brewers, who have won 14 straight games.
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