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USANations in the NHL

American NHL players 1971–72

16 American players played in the NHL in 1971–72. Together they scored 188 points, the second most of any country, and USA finished second of 2 in the nations league. Bobby Sheehan scored the most, 46 points.

16
NHL players
188
Points
2nd
Nations league
0
Goalie wins
1971–72Active season78/82 games
1970–711972–73

AMERICAN LEADERS

In the nations league

2nd
of 2 ranked nations
5
league points
Rate2ndTop trio2ndBlue line2ndGoalies2ndPer million2nd

USA accounts for 4.2% of the NHL's players and 2.2% of its points.

The full nations league

Every American player in the NHL, team by team

16 players across 9 teams.
CGSCalifornia Golden Seals4 players
Bobby SheehanINACTIVE
C · 78 GP · 20G 26A46P
Stan GilbertsonINACTIVE
LW · 78 GP · 16G 16A32P
Tommy WilliamsINACTIVE
RW · 32 GP · 3G 9A12P
Craig PatrickINACTIVE
RW · 59 GP · 8G 3A11P
DETDetroit Red Wings3 players
Doug VolmarINACTIVE
RW · 39 GP · 9G 5A14P
Henry BouchaINACTIVE
C · 16 GP · 1G 0A1P
Jim NiekampINACTIVE
D · 5 GP · 0G 0A0P
MNSMinnesota North Stars3 players
Charlie BurnsINACTIVE
C · 77 GP · 11G 14A25P
Gary GambucciINACTIVE
C · 9 GP · 1G 0A1P
Bob ParadiseINACTIVE
D · 6 GP · 0G 0A0P
BOSBoston Bruins1 player
Doug RobertsINACTIVE
RW · 3 GP · 1G 0A1P
BUFBuffalo Sabres1 player
Tracy PrattINACTIVE
D · 27 GP · 0G 10A10P
MTLMontréal Canadiens1 player
Lawrence PleauINACTIVE
C · 55 GP · 7G 10A17P
NYRNew York Rangers1 player
Ab DeMarcoINACTIVE
D · 48 GP · 4G 7A11P
PITPittsburgh Penguins1 player
Joe NorisINACTIVE
C · 35 GP · 2G 5A7P
Show all 9 teams
TORToronto Maple Leafs1 player
Gerry O'FlahertyINACTIVE
LW · 2 GP · 0G 0A0P

Season by season

USA had 121 players in the NHL in 1990–91 and 301 in 2025–26. The peak was 2021–22, with 324. Under each bar is the nations league placing, in gold for the 4 seasons USA won.
1
1
1
6146
594
7
5
7
8146
899
8
6
7
7177
705
9
8
7
8229
710
7
6
8
9243
915
7
5
9
6291
120
5
7
6
5301
425

In the NHL Draft

58 American players were picked in the 2026 NHL Draft, seven of them in the first round. Chase Reid went first, at number 7 to the Seattle Kraken.

Every pick in 2026 →The draft through the years →

American NHL players all time

Regular season, whole careers. The record seasons count completed seasons only.
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Continue reading

Top scorer
Bobby Sheehan
USA's top scorer in 1971–72.
The team
California Golden Seals
Where Bobby Sheehan plays.
Nations in the NHL
Every nation in the NHL
How many players each country has in the NHL, with a page for each.
Nations league
NHL battle of the nations 1971–72
The countries compared per player rather than in raw totals.
Against Sweden
Sweden vs USA
Seven rounds, season by season.
The Swedes
Every Swede in the NHL
Team by team, with position and stats.