© Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI

PRAGUE — The NHL will continue expanding its international footprint after playing a preseason game in Germany, two regular-season games in Czechia and two regular-season games in Finland this season.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke on the European Player Media Tour on Wednesday and revealed that they have a list of locations where they would like to establish teams, play games and develop markets. He also hinted at a potential change in the current rotation of Finland, Sweden, and Czechia where games are played, suggesting fans shouldn’t get too comfortable with the existing pattern as it might change in the near future.

Once this season concludes, the NHL will have conducted 20 regular-season games in Europe since 2017. Of these, nine were held in Sweden, with eight in Stockholm and one in Gothenburg. Additionally, six games were played in Finland, four in Tampere and two in Helsinki. The remaining five games were all in Prague, Czechia.

During that period, it will have participated in 13 preseason games spread across Europe, Asia, and Australia. This includes three games in Switzerland, two of which were in Bern and one in Lausanne, as well as three games in Germany, taking place in Munich, Berlin, and Cologne respectively.

The League has not held a regular-season game in Switzerland, but did play one in Germany in 2011. The last time it was in London for two regular-season games was in 2007.

Daly expressed his belief that everyone likely has their own ideas of priority markets. He shared his desire to return to London, along with the NHL Players’ Association and the players themselves, for a game. He also stated that he believes Germany and Switzerland are strong contenders for hosting regular-season games in the near future.

Daly mentioned his anticipation for the NHL’s return to Australia for preseason games. The NHL had its inaugural journey to the Southern Hemisphere when the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings played two preseason games on a makeshift ice rink within Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on September 23-24, 2023.

“Daly expressed that he believes the experience was positive. He explained that the initial evaluation starts with the players and teams and whether they had a positive experience. Although it’s a significant commitment to play two preseason games, the feedback from both clubs was good. Daly thinks this positive feedback will be instrumental in persuading the next two clubs that undertaking an initiative in Australia would be beneficial.

I believe that all our business expectations from it were successfully met. I perceive it as a strong sports market, particularly within North America. The fans identify themselves as supporters of North American sports, and the market is financially and economically mature.

As long as the clubs continue to have a positive experience, it remains logical for us to leverage it as a means to grow our business.

When questioned about the possibility of the NHL returning to Melbourne or visiting a city such as Sydney, Daly responded, “That’s a valid question. I’m not certain we’ve reached the stage of determining that yet.”

The issue in Australia is having ice of NHL-standard.

“Creating quality ice at Rod Laver [Arena] presented challenges,” said Daly. “We need to perfect this process, as we don’t want to risk player safety, especially in a preseason game. We must ensure we can produce high-quality ice before we decide to return.”

The Buffalo Sabres will compete against EHC Red Bull Munchen in a preseason game this season. The game is set to be the inaugural event at the new SAP Garden in Munich, Germany, on September 27. This match is part of the 2024 NHL Global Series Challenge Germany, sponsored by Fastenal.

The 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia, sponsored by Fastenal, will feature two regular-season games between the Sabres and New Jersey Devils. These matches will take place at O2 Arena in Prague on Oct. 4-5.

The Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers are scheduled to play two regular-season games on Nov. 1-2 at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland. This is part of the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland, sponsored by Fastenal.

Dallas just made the Western Conference Final for the second straight season. Florida just won the Stanley Cup after going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022-23. The game will feature several players from Finland, most notably Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, a Tampere native.

“Daly said, “This is set to be a clash between two of the league’s top teams, both with significant Finnish representation, which should make it quite intriguing.”

The NHL players are also slated to take part in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. However, discussions are ongoing between the League, the International Olympic Committee, the NHL Players’ Association, and the International Ice Hockey Federation.

“According to my knowledge, we are fully on schedule with the venue,” stated Daly. “The plan was to complete the venue by October ’25 and run a test tournament in December ’25, which I deem essential. The structure is in good shape. We are yet to finalize everything with the IOC, NHLPA, and IIHF. Although it’s still a work in progress, I don’t foresee any problems.”