After Tuesday\u2019s game in Edmonton, the NHL season is already 360 games old \u2014 or just shy of 30 percent of the way through the 2025-26 campaign. The Olympic-year schedule is certainly relentless.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve now reached U.S. Thanksgiving, one of the big demarcation points on the NHL calendar, which gives us an appropriate number of games to take a snapshot of various trends across the league. Today, we\u2019re analyzing attendance, the biggest piece of hockey-related revenue for the 32 teams.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll break down these numbers in a couple of ways in this piece. The first separates how close teams are to playing to a full house on a nightly basis so far this season. The second looks at home attendance figures from a similar point last season, allowing for a direct comparison for each franchise. From there, we will be able to see which teams have made the biggest gains and losses year over year.<\/p>\n
A few disclaimers:<\/p>\n
Tier 1: Guaranteed sellouts<\/p>\n
Team<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attendance<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capacity<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capacity%<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/tr>\n
17,907<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,500<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
102.3%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,850<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,565<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
101.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19,516<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,250<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
101.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,099<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,007<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
100.5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,192<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,113<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
100.5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,151<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,100<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
100.3%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19,092<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,092<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
100.0%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,532<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,532<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
100.0%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,504<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,514<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
99.9%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,833<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,910<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
99.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,265<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,347<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
99.6%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19,403<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,515<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
99.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20,962<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
21,105<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
99.3%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,551<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,800<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
98.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,684<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,006<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
98.2%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,317<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,680<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
98.1%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Exactly half the league slots in this tier, as 16 teams are hitting 98 percent capacity or higher this season.<\/p>\n
This top tier includes a healthy blend of market types: historic Original Six franchises such as Boston, Montreal, Toronto and New York; expansion teams Vegas and Seattle; and contending teams from less traditional markets such as Carolina, Florida, Dallas and Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
The Panthers, in particular, have built strong momentum on the back of their on-ice success. Florida has sold out every home game this season, with average attendance up 12.4 percent compared to this time two years ago.<\/p>\n
New Jersey is a new entry into Tier 1, averaging an extra 657 fans per game. The Devils were one of the hottest teams in the NHL in October, which likely fueled this modest growth. It will be fascinating to see whether they can maintain those gains, considering Jack Hughes\u2019 recent injury.<\/p>\n
Nashville\u2019s attendance has remained surprisingly resilient, despite being one of the worst teams in the NHL for a second consecutive year.<\/p>\n
Vancouver will be an interesting market to watch moving forward. The Canucks\u2019 early attendance has been robust, but apathy is hitting the fan base as the club has plummeted down the standings, with the dark cloud of Quinn Hughes\u2019 uncertain future looming. The Canucks have recently offered more discounted \u201cStudent Rush\u201d tickets than usual, suggesting demand is starting to soften, even if it hasn\u2019t affected attendance totals yet.<\/p>\n
The Leafs and Rangers have both seen slight attendance dips (about 200-250 fans per game) in the wake of disappointing starts, but that\u2019s small potatoes for these two revenue-generating juggernauts.<\/p>\n
Tier 2: Middling showings<\/p>\n
Team<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attendance<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capacity<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capacity%<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/tr>\n
17,673<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,096<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
97.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,575<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,506<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
95.0%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,018<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,954<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
94.8%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,995<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,144<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
93.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14,223<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
15,325<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
92.8%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,609<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,118<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
91.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,658<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,255<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
90.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,499<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,174<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
90.2%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,797<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,652<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
90.1%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
There are both good news and bad news stories in this group. The only four holdovers of the nine teams in this range include the Blues, Capitals, Kings and Ducks, with Anaheim the one team in that group that feels likely to keep rising the longer the season wears on, as they continue to push for their first playoff berth in eight years.<\/p>\n
The Blues, meanwhile, have struggled so badly \u2014 currently sitting in 29th place \u2014 that you wonder if they could slip further from nearly 98 percent capacity as porous goaltending and a lack of offense combine to put their season in jeopardy early.<\/p>\n
Quite a few teams moved up to here, with Columbus, Winnipeg, Ottawa and the Islanders all bumping up their early-season sales figures for varying reasons.<\/p>\n
The Blue Jackets had a terrific revival last season, narrowly missing the playoffs, and have enough young talent and potential to be a bigger draw than they\u2019ve been in a while. Winnipeg and Ottawa both had strong regular seasons a year ago, buoying early interest in the two small Canadian markets. There\u2019s still more room for those numbers to go up, depending on how their seasons go.<\/p>\n
The Islanders, meanwhile, are getting some immediate benefits from the Matthew Schaefer effect. They\u2019ve been one of the league\u2019s biggest and best surprises, sitting in ninth overall, and could make the playoffs thanks to their No. 1 pick leading the way.<\/p>\n
The only club to move down into this group is the Wild, who we\u2019ll dig into a little more below, given how notable their drop is.<\/p>\n
Tier 3: Some empty seats<\/p>\n
Team<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attendance<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capacity<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Capacity%<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/tr>\n
16,345<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,187<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
89.9%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,702<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,717<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
89.8%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,299<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,289<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
89.7%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,562<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,435<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
89.3%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,248<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,537<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
88.3%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,375<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,070<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
85.9%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Penguins were one of the biggest attendance fallers last year. That downward pressure has continued, with this marking the first time they\u2019ve failed to reach 90 percent capacity since we\u2019ve been writing this attendance tracker.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh\u2019s sliding ticket sales aren\u2019t overly surprising, considering the club\u2019s lack of recent success and high prices. The silver lining is that the numbers are slowly improving \u2014 Pittsburgh has hit at least 17,000 fans in all four of its true home games in November, including a couple of sellouts, whereas in October it didn\u2019t hit 17,000 even once.<\/p>\n
The Blackhawks\u2019 drop to this bottom tier is surprising. Last year\u2019s lagging ticket sales made sense because of the team\u2019s miserable on-ice performance. This season, however, Connor Bedard\u2019s supernova play and the club\u2019s competitive record have yet to make a significant dent in Chicago\u2019s attendance (more on that later).<\/p>\n
The Flyers\u2019 11-7-3 start under Rick Tocchet has them in the thick of the playoff race, but it hasn\u2019t made them any more relevant to Philly sports fans. After five consecutive playoff misses, it\u2019s going to take longer, sustained success from this rebuild to generate meaningful buzz.<\/p>\n
Year-over-year analysis<\/b><\/p>\n
Compared to this point last season, NHL attendance is close to flat with only a 0.4 percent increase \u2014 up 76 fans per game (without Utah\u2019s numbers included).<\/p>\n
Including the Mammoth selling out their increased capacity at the Delta Center (now 12,748 but projected to get to 17,000 in the coming years due to renovations), the average team is playing to 96 percent capacity, which is slightly higher than historical norms.<\/p>\n
Year-over-Year Comparison<\/p>\n
Team<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
November 2024<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
November 2025<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Difference<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/tr>\n
13,506<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
15,562<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
2,056<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,916<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,995<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
1,079<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,303<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,375<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
1,072<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,847<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,504<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
657<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,887<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,516<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
629<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13,764<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
14,223<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
459<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,247<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
15,658<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
411<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,354<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,575<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
221<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,607<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,797<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
190<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,764<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,833<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
69<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,038<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,099<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
61<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,889<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,907<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,850<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,850<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,151<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,151<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19,092<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,092<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,532<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,532<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19,410<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
19,403<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-7<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,206<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,192<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-14<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,690<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,673<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-17<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,344<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,299<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-45<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,347<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,265<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-82<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21,105<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
20,962<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-143<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,407<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,248<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-159<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,765<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,551<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-214<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17,935<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,684<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-251<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,931<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,609<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-322<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15,852<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
15,499<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-353<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,736<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
18,317<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-419<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16,902<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
16,345<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-557<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,544<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,702<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-842<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18,170<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
17,018<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
-1,152<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Biggest climbers<\/b><\/p>\n
San Jose Sharks: +2,056 fans\/game (15.2 percent increase)<\/b><\/p>\n
The Sharks have seen the most significant increase in early attendance of any team in the NHL, and it\u2019s not even close.<\/p>\n
Last year, San Jose drew meager crowds of 10,000-11,200 during seven of its first 13 home games. They were the only team in the NHL selling at less than 80 percent of its capacity at the quarter mark of the 2024-25 season. This year, though, the SAP Center has yet to dip below 12,000 fans for a Sharks game and has had several sellouts.<\/p>\n
Macklin Celebrini\u2019s immediate ascent as a 19-year-old superstar is likely the biggest catalyst for these improved numbers. It was a bit unusual that the Sharks didn\u2019t get an immediate attendance bump last season from the excitement and hype of having an 18-year-old No. 1 overall pick. There\u2019s likely a catch-up effect now that Celebrini has firmly established himself as a must-see player.<\/p>\n
The Sharks are genuinely entertaining to watch, and at 11-9-3, they\u2019re way more competitive than anybody could have imagined. All of these factors have led to this surge, though there\u2019s still plenty of room for improvement, as San Jose is still filling slightly less than 90 percent of its capacity.<\/p>\n
Columbus Blue Jackets: +1,079 fans\/game (6.8 percent increase)<\/b><\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t earned them a playoff spot yet, but since last year, the Blue Jackets have quietly been one of the most fun, dynamic teams to watch in the league. Columbus was one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL last season, on the back of breakout performances from several key young players.<\/p>\n
That optimism and an entertaining run-and-gun playing style have fueled a significant jump in attendance this season. Columbus was filling just 87.7 percent of its seats in the early part of the 2024-25 season, ranking third-lowest in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have since climbed to 93.7 percent, which is right around league average.<\/p>\n
Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko deserve credit as well because their emergence as elite game-breakers has made them worth the price of admission alone.<\/p>\n
Buffalo Sabres: +1,072 fans\/game (7 percent increase)<\/b><\/p>\n
This one honestly surprised us. The Sabres are on pace for their 15th consecutive playoff miss \u2026 and yet their attendance has gone up?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth mentioning that even with this first-quarter increase, they\u2019re still only filling 85.9 percent of capacity, which is the worst mark in the NHL. In other words, they\u2019ve improved, but their overall crowd sizes are still pretty lousy.<\/p>\n
The Sabres have made some changes to their ticket sales strategy, which could be boosting these numbers. For example, Buffalo included free tickets to its home opener with any five- or 10-game pack purchased by fans, which helped make the home opener a sellout. The organization also parted ways with its vice president of ticket sales and service<\/a> just before the season started.<\/p>\n This may also be a situation where the Sabres have been bad for so long that anyone who\u2019s still stuck around engaging with the team and going to games is unlikely to tune out despite another mediocre start.<\/p>\n Biggest declines<\/p>\n Minnesota Wild: -1,152 fans\/game (6.3 percent decrease)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Fans aren\u2019t attending games in the State of Hockey? What\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n Historically, the Wild have made headlines more for their long sellout streaks than anything else attendance-wise, but that very well could change this season. Minnesota was absolutely brutal out of the gate \u2014 winning just five of its first 15 games and getting booed off the ice at home<\/a> \u2014 and is now on pace for its lowest attendance figure ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n They have caught fire on the ice lately (7-0-1), which should help ease the fans\u2019 base-level angst, but the bigger issue for the Wild is likely a deeper malaise over the team\u2019s inability to make inroads as a Western Conference contender for many years. Minnesota hasn\u2019t won a playoff round in more than a decade now, going through five head coaches and turning over the entire roster save for veteran defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin.<\/p>\n Wild tickets are not cheap and there\u2019s a lot of competition in the market with the NFL, NBA and MLB and college sports all having a strong presence. They do have a decent youth movement coming<\/a> and some star talent in Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy, but you can\u2019t blame a fan base for wanting more wins when it counts. And those can only come in April.<\/p>\n Chicago Blackhawks: -842 fans\/game (4.5 percent decrease)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The young, plucky Blackhawks have been another of the NHL\u2019s good news stories on the ice, as even with a recent mini-skid (three straight regulation losses), they\u2019re well ahead of where most projected they\u2019d be in Year 3 of Connor Bedard. They\u2019ve also been loads more fun to watch, leaping up into a tie for ninth in goals per game after finishing near the league basement in that department last season.<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0wonderful Scott Powers had a deeper look at the issue<\/a>. Since that point, they\u2019ve packed the house a few times \u2014 including more than 20,000 fans at games against the Leafs and Avs \u2014 driving their average up nearly 1,000 fans a game on the year.<\/p>\n