The NHL has 32 teams in the 2026 to 2027 season. The NHL lists all 32 hockey teams on its teams page. Seven of those teams play in Canada. Take 7 away from 32 and you get 25. So 25 teams play in the United States. The newest name on the list is the Utah Mammoth of Salt Lake City.
The season opened on 29 September 2026 and ends on 10 April 2027. Each team plays 84 games this year, up from 82 in 2025 to 2026. Teams last played 84 games in 1992 to 1993 and 1993 to 1994.
All NHL teams by division
The NHL teams list below follows the league’s own teams page for 2026 to 2027. Each division has eight teams, and the tables show where each one plays.
Atlantic Division
The Atlantic Division holds eight Eastern Conference teams, three of them in Canada.
| Team | City or area | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Boston | US |
| Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo | US |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit | US |
| Florida Panthers | Sunrise, Florida | US |
| Montréal Canadiens | Montréal | Canada |
| Ottawa Senators | Ottawa | Canada |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Tampa | US |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto | Canada |
Metropolitan Division
The Metropolitan Division is the other Eastern group, with all eight teams in the US.
| Team | City or area | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | Raleigh | US |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Columbus | US |
| New Jersey Devils | New Jersey | US |
| New York Islanders | Long Island, New York | US |
| New York Rangers | New York | US |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia | US |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Pittsburgh | US |
| Washington Capitals | Washington, D.C. | US |
Central Division
The Central Division holds eight Western Conference teams, including Utah and Winnipeg.
| Team | City or area | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago | US |
| Colorado Avalanche | Colorado | US |
| Dallas Stars | Dallas | US |
| Minnesota Wild | Minnesota | US |
| Nashville Predators | Nashville | US |
| St. Louis Blues | St. Louis | US |
| Utah Mammoth | Salt Lake City | US |
| Winnipeg Jets | Winnipeg | Canada |
Pacific Division
The Pacific Division rounds out the West, with three Canadian teams among its eight.
| Team | City or area | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | Anaheim | US |
| Calgary Flames | Calgary | Canada |
| Edmonton Oilers | Edmonton | Canada |
| Los Angeles Kings | Los Angeles | US |
| San Jose Sharks | San Jose | US |
| Seattle Kraken | Seattle | US |
| Vancouver Canucks | Vancouver | Canada |
| Vegas Golden Knights | Las Vegas | US |
How many NHL teams are there in each conference?
The NHL splits its 32 teams into two conferences of 16. The Eastern Conference holds the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions. The Western Conference holds the Central and Pacific divisions. Four divisions of eight teams add up to 32.
This table shows the two conferences and their divisions for 2026 to 2027.
| Conference | Divisions | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Atlantic, Metropolitan | 16 |
| Western | Central, Pacific | 16 |
The division a team plays in shapes its 84 game schedule. The NHL builds every team’s season from three groups of games.
- 28 games against the seven other teams in its division, four games each
- 24 games against the eight teams in the other division of its conference, three games each
- 32 games against the 16 teams in the other conference, one at home and one away
Add 28 and 24 to get 52. Then add 32 to reach 84. Each team plays 42 of those games at home and 42 on the road.
Each of the 32 teams plays 84 games. Add every team’s games together and you get 2,688. Each game has two teams in it, so the league plays 1,344 games. The NHL says that is the most regular season games in its history. Our guide on how long a hockey game lasts covers the periods and breaks.
How the NHL grew
The league did not start with 32 teams. These dates come from the NHL and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
- 26 November 1917: The NHL forms at a meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Montréal. Quebec sits out the first season and the Toronto Arenas join, so four teams play. The first games are on 19 December 1917.
- 1 November 1924: Boston gets the first United States team in the league. The Bruins play their first NHL game on 1 December 1924. One NHL history page lists their debut as the 1925 to 1926 season instead.
- 1926: Chicago, Detroit and the New York Rangers join the league.
- 1942 to 1967: Six teams make up the whole league. This lasts from 1942 to 1943 through 1966 to 1967. The NHL and the Hockey Hall of Fame call them the Original Six. The Hall marks 100 seasons for Chicago, Detroit and the Rangers with an exhibit. It runs through January 2027.
- 1967 to 1968: The league doubles in size. Six new teams join. They are the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. Six old teams plus six new teams make 12.
- 1970s: The NHL starts the decade with 12 teams and ends it with 21. In 1979 the NHL takes in four teams from the World Hockey Association.
- 1991 to 2001: San Jose becomes the 22nd team in 1991 to 1992. By 2000 to 2001 the league has 30 teams.
- 1996 and 2011: Winnipeg’s first team moves to Phoenix in 1996 and becomes the Coyotes. In 2011 the Atlanta Thrashers move to Winnipeg and become the Jets.
- 2017 to 2018: The Vegas Golden Knights start play as team number 31.
- 4 December 2018: The NHL Board of Governors awards a team to Seattle. The Kraken start play in 2021 to 2022 as team number 32.
- April 2024: The Board of Governors pauses the Arizona Coyotes. Their players, draft picks and staff move to a new Salt Lake City team.
- October 2024: The Utah Hockey Club plays its first game and beats Chicago 5 to 2.
- May 2025: The Utah club becomes the Utah Mammoth. Fans got a vote in picking the name.
- 24 September 2026: The NHL and the Jets merge both Winnipeg eras into one team history. The Atlanta years count too. The Coyotes’ history now covers only their Arizona years, from 1996 to 2024.
- 29 September 2026: The 2026 to 2027 season opens with 84 games per team.
Utah did not push the league to 33 teams. The Coyotes went on pause in the same year, so the count stayed at 32.
How many teams make the NHL playoffs?
Sixteen of the 32 teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is half the league. Each conference sends eight teams. The NHL fills those spots in two steps, as its playoff format page sets out.
- The top three teams in each division get in. Four divisions with three teams each fill 12 spots.
- The next two teams in each conference take wild card spots, whatever their division. Two conferences with two wild cards each add 4 spots.
Add 12 and 4 and you get 16 teams. Wild cards can come from either division. So one division can send five teams while the other sends three.
In round one, the better division winner draws the lower wild card. The other division winner plays the higher wild card. The second and third place teams in each division play each other.
The playoffs have four rounds, and every round is a best of seven series. The first team to win four games moves on. A champion needs four wins in each of the four rounds. That adds up to 16 wins to lift the Stanley Cup.
Home ice in the first two rounds goes to the team that finished higher. In the last two rounds, the better regular season record decides it.
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. They raised their second championship banner on opening night. For more on the trophy itself, see our Stanley Cup facts.
How many Canadian NHL teams are there?
Seven Canadian NHL teams play in 2026 to 2027. Three are in the Eastern Conference and four are in the Western Conference.
This table shows each Canadian team with its province, division and conference.
| Team | Province | Division | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal Canadiens | Quebec | Atlantic | Eastern |
| Ottawa Senators | Ontario | Atlantic | Eastern |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Ontario | Atlantic | Eastern |
| Winnipeg Jets | Manitoba | Central | Western |
| Calgary Flames | Alberta | Pacific | Western |
| Edmonton Oilers | Alberta | Pacific | Western |
| Vancouver Canucks | British Columbia | Pacific | Western |
Five provinces have a team, and Ontario and Alberta have two each. Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia have one team each.
Montréal and Toronto are the two Canadian clubs in the Original Six. The season opened with the Canadiens visiting the Maple Leafs on 29 September 2026. Winnipeg hosts Montréal outdoors in the Heritage Classic on 25 October 2026.
Winnipeg’s record book changed just before this season. The NHL now counts both Jets eras and the Atlanta Thrashers years as one history. Dale Hawerchuk now leads the team with 379 goals and 929 points. Mark Scheifele has a chance to pass both marks in 2026 to 2027.
Players on NHL rosters come from more than 20 countries. Our guide on how many players are on a hockey team covers roster size.
More to know about the NHL
Are there 33 teams in the NHL?
No, the NHL has 32 teams in 2026 to 2027. Utah joined in 2024 as the Arizona Coyotes went on pause. That swap kept the total at 32.
What is the newest NHL team?
The Utah Mammoth are the newest NHL team. They played their first season in 2024 to 2025 as the Utah Hockey Club. Before Utah, the Seattle Kraken joined in 2021 to 2022 as team number 32.
How many games does each NHL team play?
Each team plays 84 regular season games in 2026 to 2027. The two extra games are a home and road pair against division opponents. Half of all 84 games are at home and half are on the road.
Which teams are the Original Six?
The Original Six are Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montréal, the New York Rangers and Toronto. These six made up the whole NHL from 1942 to 1943 through 1966 to 1967. All six still play in the league today.
What happened to the Arizona Coyotes?
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive NHL team. The NHL Board of Governors paused the club in April 2024. The team had not secured a new arena in Arizona. Its players and hockey staff moved to Utah. The Coyotes’ history now covers only their years in Arizona, from 1996 to 2024.
