WHL Nationality Breakdown
WHL (Western Hockey League) is one of the three major junior leagues in Canada. The proportion of Canadian players in the league has remained between 85-90 percent throughout the 2000s, except for the 2020-2021 season when the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily decreased the participation of European players. The proportion of American players in the WHL is smaller than in the OHL but larger than in the QMJHL.
The chart below shows the relative proportions of different nationalities in the WHL starting from the 1978-1979 season. The data used in the chart can be found on the nationality totals statistics pages.
Canada
Regular Season
Canadian WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Canadian WHL playersSeason records for Canadian WHL playersPlayoffs
Canadian WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Canadian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Canadian WHL players - playoffs
United States
Regular Season
American WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for American WHL playersSeason records for American WHL playersPlayoffs
American WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for American WHL players - playoffsSeason records for American WHL players - playoffs
Czech Republic
Regular Season
Czech WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Czech WHL playersSeason records for Czech WHL playersPlayoffs
Czech WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Czech WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Czech WHL players - playoffs
Slovakia
Regular Season
Slovak WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Slovak WHL playersSeason records for Slovak WHL playersPlayoffs
Slovak WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Slovak WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Slovak WHL players - playoffs
Russia
Regular Season
Russian WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Russian WHL playersSeason records for Russian WHL playersPlayoffs
Russian WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Russian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Russian WHL players - playoffs
Germany
Regular Season
German WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for German WHL playersSeason records for German WHL playersPlayoffs
German WHL players - 2022 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for German WHL players - playoffsSeason records for German WHL players - playoffs
Sweden
Regular Season
Swedish WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Swedish WHL playersSeason records for Swedish WHL playersPlayoffs
Swedish WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Swedish WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Swedish WHL players - playoffs
Finland
Regular Season
Finnish WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Finnish WHL playersSeason records for Finnish WHL playersPlayoffs
Finnish WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Finnish WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Finnish WHL players - playoffs
Switzerland
Regular Season
Swiss WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Swiss WHL playersSeason records for Swiss WHL playersPlayoffs
Swiss WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Swiss WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Swiss WHL players - playoffs
Austria
Regular Season
Austrian WHL players - 2021-2022 leadersAll-time records for Austrian WHL playersSeason records for Austrian WHL playersPlayoffs
Austrian WHL players - 2017 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Austrian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Austrian WHL players - playoffs
Belarus
Regular Season
Belarussian WHL players - 2023-2024 leadersAll-time records for Belarussian WHL playersSeason records for Belarussian WHL playersPlayoffs
Belarussian WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Belarussian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Belarussian WHL players - playoffs
Italy
Regular Season
Italian WHL players - 2022-2023 leadersAll-time records for Italian WHL playersSeason records for Italian WHL playersPlayoffs
Italian WHL players - 2022 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Italian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Italian WHL players - playoffs
Ukraine
Regular Season
Ukrainian WHL players - 2018-2019 leadersAll-time records for Ukrainian WHL playersSeason records for Ukrainian WHL playersPlayoffs
Ukrainian WHL players - 2019 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Ukrainian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Ukrainian WHL players - playoffs
Denmark
Regular Season
Danish WHL players - 2022-2023 leadersAll-time records for Danish WHL playersSeason records for Danish WHL playersPlayoffs
Danish WHL players - 2022 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Danish WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Danish WHL players - playoffs
Latvia
Regular Season
Latvian WHL players - 2023-2024 leadersAll-time records for Latvian WHL playersSeason records for Latvian WHL playersPlayoffs
Latvian WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Latvian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Latvian WHL players - playoffs
Japan
Regular Season
Japanese WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Japanese WHL playersSeason records for Japanese WHL playersPlayoffs
Japanese WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Japanese WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Japanese WHL players - playoffs
United Kingdom
Regular Season
British WHL players - 2021-2022 leadersAll-time records for British WHL playersSeason records for British WHL playersPlayoffs
British WHL players - 2017 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for British WHL players - playoffsSeason records for British WHL players - playoffs
Hungary
Regular Season
Hungarian WHL players - 2019-2020 leadersAll-time records for Hungarian WHL playersSeason records for Hungarian WHL playersPlayoffs
Hungarian WHL players - 2015 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Hungarian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Hungarian WHL players - playoffs
Slovenia
Regular Season
Slovenian WHL players - 2015-2016 leadersAll-time records for Slovenian WHL playersSeason records for Slovenian WHL playersPlayoffs
Slovenian WHL players - 2016 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Slovenian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Slovenian WHL players - playoffs
Norway
Regular Season
Norwegian WHL players - 2023-2024 leadersAll-time records for Norwegian WHL playersSeason records for Norwegian WHL playersPlayoffs
Norwegian WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Norwegian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Norwegian WHL players - playoffs
Kazakhstan
Regular Season
Kazakh WHL players - 2024-2025 leadersAll-time records for Kazakh WHL playersSeason records for Kazakh WHL playersPlayoffs
Kazakh WHL players - 2006 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Kazakh WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Kazakh WHL players - playoffs
France
Regular Season
French WHL players - 2014-2015 leadersAll-time records for French WHL playersSeason records for French WHL playersPlayoffs
French WHL players - 2015 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for French WHL players - playoffsSeason records for French WHL players - playoffs
South Korea
Regular Season
South Korean WHL players - 2008-2009 leadersAll-time records for South Korean WHL playersSeason records for South Korean WHL playersPlayoffs
South Korean WHL players - 2009 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for South Korean WHL players - playoffsSeason records for South Korean WHL players - playoffs
Croatia
Regular Season
Croatian WHL players - 1989-1990 leadersAll-time records for Croatian WHL playersSeason records for Croatian WHL playersPlayoffs
Croatian WHL players - 1988 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Croatian WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Croatian WHL players - playoffs
Netherlands
Regular Season
Dutch WHL players - 2016-2017 leadersAll-time records for Dutch WHL playersSeason records for Dutch WHL playersPlayoffs
Dutch WHL players - 2016 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Dutch WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Dutch WHL players - playoffs
South Africa
Regular Season
South African WHL players - 2009-2010 leadersAll-time records for South African WHL playersSeason records for South African WHL playersPlayoffs
South African WHL players - 2010 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for South African WHL players - playoffsSeason records for South African WHL players - playoffs
Poland
Regular Season
Polish WHL players - 2023-2024 leadersAll-time records for Polish WHL playersSeason records for Polish WHL playersPlayoffs
Polish WHL players - 2024 leaders - playoffsAll-time records for Polish WHL players - playoffsSeason records for Polish WHL players - playoffs
Jamaica
Regular Season
Jamaican WHL players - 1981-1982 leadersAll-time records for Jamaican WHL playersSeason records for Jamaican WHL players
Spain
Regular Season
Spanish WHL players - 2001-2002 leadersAll-time records for Spanish WHL playersSeason records for Spanish WHL players