Besides Canada, what country produces the best hockey players?

[Guest DetroitIan]

Personally, I would have to go with Sweden. What an amazing crop of great players that country has. Goaltenders, Forwads, Defensemen. That country is stacked. All the other options are up there, just not to the extent of Sweden in my opinion. What do you guys think?

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

I agree Sweden has turned out so many superstar player's over the year's . Russia has contrabuted with there fair share of great NHLer's too , but I go with Sweden as being the best.

[eva unit zero 271]

Sweden has less than a third of the population of Canada. I would argue that per capita, Sweden produces the best player INCLUDING Canada.

Think about it.

Top tier Canadian-born players:

F: Crosby, Thornton, Lecavalier, St. Louis, Sakic, Savard, Briere, Iginla, Spezza, Brind'Amour, Marleau

D: Niedermayer, Pronger, Phaneuf

G: Brodeur, Luongo

Top-tier Swedish-born players:

F: Alfredsson, Sundin, Zetterberg, Forsberg

D: Lidstrom, Ohlund

G: Lundqvist

That's 16 Canadians, and 7 Swedes, compared with over 30m Canadians and under 10m Swedes. That means you would get around 25 top-tier Swedes if Sweden were as large as Canada, or alternatively, if Canada were as small as Sweden, you would only see maybe 4 or 5 top-tier players. For further comparison, consider that the population of Quebec is only slightly smaller than that of Sweden, and five of the players I listed above were born in Quebec (Lecavalier, St. Louis, Briere, Brodeur, Luongo) that further illustrates the point.

Canada has about one top talent per 2m people. English Canada is closer to 2.3m, while Quebec is closer to 1 per 1.5m people. Sweden's ratio is closer to 1.3m people per top talent.

[skacore 2]

Sweden has less than a third of the population of Canada. I would argue that per capita, Sweden produces the best player INCLUDING Canada.

Think about it.

Top tier Canadian-born players:

F: Crosby, Thornton, Lecavalier, St. Louis, Sakic, Savard, Briere, Iginla, Spezza, Brind'Amour, Marleau

D: Niedermayer, Pronger, Phaneuf

G: Brodeur, Luongo

Top-tier Swedish-born players:

F: Alfredsson, Sundin, Zetterberg, Forsberg

D: Lidstrom, Ohlund

G: Lundqvist

That's 16 Canadians, and 7 Swedes, compared with over 30m Canadians and under 10m Swedes. That means you would get around 25 top-tier Swedes if Sweden were as large as Canada, or alternatively, if Canada were as small as Sweden, you would only see maybe 4 or 5 top-tier players. For further comparison, consider that the population of Quebec is only slightly smaller than that of Sweden, and five of the players I listed above were born in Quebec (Lecavalier, St. Louis, Briere, Brodeur, Luongo) that further illustrates the point.

Canada has about one top talent per 2m people. English Canada is closer to 2.3m, while Quebec is closer to 1 per 1.5m people. Sweden's ratio is closer to 1.3m people per top talent.

I see what you are saying but let's be realistic here, I am a big fan of of Team Sweden when international tournaments come around but after their top 2 lines they don't have the strongest team. You listed 16 Canadians and 7 Swedes, does that mean they are the only top notch players? Definitely not.... if you list Alfredsson and Spezza you might aswell go and add Heatley up there, if you are going to add Ohlund you could also add a handful of Canadian D up there: Blake, Regehr, Jovanovski, Weber, Foote, Bouwmeester, etc.. Sweden has a better ratio when it comes to maybe the top 10 players in the NHL, after that there is just way too much Canadian depth IMO.. if you take a look at the 1st round of this years draft (I know teams sometimes prefer North American players, but skill is skill) 16 Canadians compared to 1 Swede

[eva unit zero 271]

I see what you are saying but let's be realistic here, I am a big fan of of Team Sweden when international tournaments come around but after their top 2 lines they don't have the strongest team. You listed 16 Canadians and 7 Swedes, does that mean they are the only top notch players? Definitely not.... if you list Alfredsson and Spezza you might aswell go and add Heatley up there, if you are going to add Ohlund you could also add a handful of Canadian D up there: Blake, Regehr, Jovanovski, Weber, Foote, Bouwmeester, etc.. Sweden has a better ratio when it comes to maybe the top 10 players in the NHL, after that there is just way too much Canadian depth IMO.. if you take a look at the 1st round of this years draft (I know teams sometimes prefer North American players, but skill is skill) 16 Canadians compared to 1 Swede

Canadian-born means not Heatley. He was born in Germany. And even if you do add him, Canada is still way behind.

And as far as your defensemen...Regehr is the only one you listed who is anywhere NEAR Ohlund. Blake and Jovo have always been hideous in their own end, and are now only mediocre offensively. The fact that Ohlund had comparable offensive numbers to Jovo and Blake, and Ohlund is an elite DEFENSIVE defenseman, speaks volumes about how much better he is than them. Weber might be an elite player down the road, but he's nowhere near that level yet. Bouwmeester is decent, but again, he's no Ohlund. Ohlund is one of the ten best defensemen in the NHL. None of the guys you listed are.

[skacore 2]

Canadian-born means not Heatley. He was born in Germany. And even if you do add him, Canada is still way behind.

And as far as your defensemen...Regehr is the only one you listed who is anywhere NEAR Ohlund. Blake and Jovo have always been hideous in their own end, and are now only mediocre offensively. The fact that Ohlund had comparable offensive numbers to Jovo and Blake, and Ohlund is an elite DEFENSIVE defenseman, speaks volumes about how much better he is than them. Weber might be an elite player down the road, but he's nowhere near that level yet. Bouwmeester is decent, but again, he's no Ohlund. Ohlund is one of the ten best defensemen in the NHL. None of the guys you listed are.

I really don't see what you see in Ohlund I guess, the only thing that stands out to me is that he is arguably the #2 Swedish d-man right now.. I guess to each his own, but I don't see how you can simply say that those players I listed (and many, many more) are not "elite".. you listed Phaneuf, but Weber isn't on the same skill level as him? how so? I'm not trying to take anything away from Sweden but IMO Canada clearly produces the best hockey players, including player to population ratio... when it comes to Canadian players there is just way, way too much depth

[eva unit zero 271]

I really don't see what you see in Ohlund I guess, the only thing that stands out to me is that he is arguably the #2 Swedish d-man right now.. I guess to each his own, but I don't see how you can simply say that those players I listed (and many, many more) are not "elite".. you listed Phaneuf, but Weber isn't on the same skill level as him? how so? I'm not trying to take anything away from Sweden but IMO Canada clearly produces the best hockey players, including player to population ratio... when it comes to Canadian players there is just way, way too much depth

Well the fact that Phaneuf is an All-Star and Norris contender, while Weber was Nashville's #5 d-man might have something to do with that. Weber would likely have been the #4 or #5 guy if he were dropped onto Calgary's roster, too. Maybe he will be that good down the road, but he is not NOW. Ohlund has been one of the best defensive defensemen in the league for years, and contributes offensively as well ast he guys you listed, who are LIABILITIES defensively. How you can think they are on Ohlund's level is baffling.

[superstarsingh 23]

Sweden

[skacore 2]

Well the fact that Phaneuf is an All-Star and Norris contender, while Weber was Nashville's #5 d-man might have something to do with that. Weber would likely have been the #4 or #5 guy if he were dropped onto Calgary's roster, too. Maybe he will be that good down the road, but he is not NOW. Ohlund has been one of the best defensive defensemen in the league for years, and contributes offensively as well ast he guys you listed, who are LIABILITIES defensively. How you can think they are on Ohlund's level is baffling.

if Henrik Lundqvist can be mentioned with Brodeur and Luongo, I think it's fair to list a handful of Canadian D-man beside Mattias friggen Ohlund.. I know I already posted this but 16 Canadian first rounders this year, 1 Swede... 27 of the top 50 point leaders this year were Canadian, 6 Swedes... I agree 100% that for a smaller country, Sweden can put one hell of a hockey team on the ice, and when it comes to international play they are arguable on par with a much larger Canada right now... but when you look at the DEPTH that is what draws the 2 countries apart.. Canada could ice 4-5 teams that could beat Sweden's #2 team, for sure

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

I'd have to go with Sweden, but Russia isn't far behind.

[Guest DetroitIan]

I'd have to go with Sweden, but Russia isn't far behind.

Good point. Russia has an amazing crop of NHL talent. I would definitely put Russia #2 as well.

[eva unit zero 271]

if Henrik Lundqvist can be mentioned with Brodeur and Luongo, I think it's fair to list a handful of Canadian D-man beside Mattias friggen Ohlund.. I know I already posted this but 16 Canadian first rounders this year, 1 Swede... 27 of the top 50 point leaders this year were Canadian, 6 Swedes... I agree 100% that for a smaller country, Sweden can put one hell of a hockey team on the ice, and when it comes to international play they are arguable on par with a much larger Canada right now... but when you look at the DEPTH that is what draws the 2 countries apart.. Canada could ice 4-5 teams that could beat Sweden's #2 team, for sure

Three goalies have been Vezina finalists each of the past two seasons. Luongo is not one of them. Lundqvist is.

As I said before...Ohlund is one of the ten best defensemen in the world. He is the second best Swedish defenseman.

With guys like Tomas Kaberle, Zdeno Chara, and Sergei Zubov around, there won't be six Canadians in the top ten. Maybe we'll see a couple more, perhaps guys like Regehr or Phillips, but the fact remains that the second best Swedish defenseman is better than the #6 Canadian, the best Swedish goalie is better than the third-best Canadian goalie, and Sweden has less than a third of the population of Canada. Per capita, better.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

The problem with Eva's point is that 'top tier' players can be argued.

I think Sweden definatly produces the best players outside of Canada, but the amount of good Canadian players heavily outweighs Swedish players.

Try comparing the top 5 players from each country.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Sweden.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Sweden. They've really put fourth some good talent over the last 10 or so years.

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

I would have to say that the best all around players in the world would have to be swedish. This is certainly Swedens golden age of Hockey, but I dont know if they have the population or tallent pool to keep developing players like Lids and Forsberg.

However, the players that are funnest to watch are certainly the Russians. I expect the russians to be #1 again soon. If Russia can produce guys like Kovulchuk, Datsyuk, and Ovechkin while their system is a mess, look out. The collapse of the USSR screwed up all their programs. Before the USSR broke up I would argue that the Russians produced better players than the Canadians. I cant argue that the Russians had better players per capita (since westerners didnt really see any USSR players beyond the National team), but they had the best team for a long time.

[FinWing 26]

As for goalies, Finland. We're not doing too well at other positions right now, though.

[vangvace 12]

First was Russia. Now the NHL is on a Swedish kick. Next country is... Germany or maybe the US

[Dixi 0]

When Russia plays there best icehockey it is the best you can se. The extra pass who leaves a man totaly free.

Someone remember these guys?

[FinRedWing 172]

As for goalies, Finland. We're not doing too well at other positions right now, though.

At least we kick their a**es in the goaltending department.

And we have more grit...

[BeeRYCE 2]

Sweden for now, but I have a feeling in maybe 5-10 years from now, we could say USA.

[#1redwingfan 0]

When Russia plays there best icehockey it is the best you can se. The extra pass who leaves a man totaly free.

Someone remember these guys?

yes i would agree with you that russia used to dominate its fair share of the NHL, but this was a while back. this was when goaltenders had more patience than skill (who would stay in net that long when they are that bad, i do not know) and with all the passes, the tenders never stood a chance. Currently you see a lot of swedish players starting to take over. a couple years ago it was forsberg, now its lidstrom, zetterberg, sundin has always been strong, alfredsson, ohlund is a good defensive defenseman, lundqvist, etc. i have a feeling that USA is going to be the new the trend though. it started to get stronger with drury, gomez, J. blake, and all of the young players they are producing now is amazing. the two johnsons, peter mueller or whatever his name that got drafted by PHX. although, canada will always be the strongest hockey country

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Sweden for now, but I have a feeling in maybe 5-10 years from now, we could say USA.

I wish you were right, but I can't see how. The last time an American born player entered the league with a lot of hype surrounding them had to be in the late 80's with Modano and Roenick. Think how many highly touted players have entered the league since that time from other countries. Dozens of players have. Yet not from the USA. As for my answer to this question, I'd have to agree with Sweden as the consensus pick. However, look out for Finland. They're going to overtake everyone but Canada in prospects within the next 5 years. I remember as far as 5 years ago you'd be hard pressed to find a great Finnish goaltender in the league. Now there's plenty of them, which is a sign of how well their development has grown.

[eva unit zero 271]

The problem with Eva's point is that 'top tier' players can be argued.

I think Sweden definatly produces the best players outside of Canada, but the amount of good Canadian players heavily outweighs Swedish players.

Try comparing the top 5 players from each country.

We'll compare the top 3F, 2D, and 1G to make it even positionally.

Top-five Canadian-born players:

F: Crosby, Thornton, Lecavalier

D: Niedermayer, Pronger

G: Brodeur

Top-five Swedish-born players:

F: Zetterberg, Alfredsson, Sundin

D: Lidstrom, Ohlund

G: Lundqvist

Through the first two forwards and the first defenseman the Swedes are comparable or better than their Canadian counterpart. There is a minor dropoff at the third forward and second defenseman. This becomes far less pronounced if you remove the retiring Niedermayer from the list and replace him with Phaneuf. Based on per-capita, the Swedes should only have two players capable of cracking the Canadian lineup, yet they have three.

I wish you were right, but I can't see how. The last time an American born player entered the league with a lot of hype surrounding them had to be in the late 80's with Modano and Roenick. Think how many highly touted players have entered the league since that time from other countries. Dozens of players have. Yet not from the USA. As for my answer to this question, I'd have to agree with Sweden as the consensus pick. However, look out for Finland. They're going to overtake everyone but Canada in prospects within the next 5 years. I remember as far as 5 years ago you'd be hard pressed to find a great Finnish goaltender in the league. Now there's plenty of them, which is a sign of how well their development has grown.

What about Kane? How about Berard? How many highly touted Slovaks or Czechs have entered the league?

Edited August 11, 2007 by eva unit zero

[Alex Ovechkin 0]

Russian, Baby