How many teams are currently in the NHL?

There are currently 32 teams in the National Hockey League.

The NHL reached 32 franchises when the Seattle Kraken began play in the 2021–22 season. The league’s teams are split evenly between two conferences: 16 in the Eastern Conference and 16 in the Western Conference. Each conference contains two divisions of eight teams, creating four divisions overall.

The present total reflects several waves of expansion. The league had only six teams through the 1966–67 season, then doubled to 12 in 1967–68. Later expansion brought the total to 30, where it remained for years, before the additions of Vegas in 2017 and Seattle in 2021. Another common source of confusion is Utah: in 2024, the Arizona Coyotes’ hockey operations became the Utah Hockey Club, keeping the league total at 32 rather than adding a 33rd team. The number can change only if the NHL approves another expansion or relocation structure.