How Many Players On NHL Roster? (Visit The Locker Room)

There are six ice hockey positions that are on the ice at all times per team. However, that hardly tells the story of how many people are in an NHL team as a whole because there are many hockey lines, the need for replacement players, goons, and many more to fill up all the needs of a proper hockey team requires.

The NHL teams have four roster categories; a 20-player ”dressed list”, a 23-player active roster, a 50-contract maximum, and a 90-player maximum reserve list.

To understand the NHL roster, meaning the number of hockey players on a team, isn’t that simple to understand as it isn’t a number of people on the team, and that’s it. The roster consists of 4 categories, each with rules of its own, so we need to examine each individually to understand which is the most important and how all of them work together.

What are the NHL Roster Limits?

There are four NHL roster limits that I already revealed above; however, the meaning behind them is still cloaked. Let’s remove the cloak and learn more about them.

20-Player Dressed List

Starting from the smallest number, the 20-player dressed list is the most significant. This means that 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders wear the hockey equipment and ready themselves for a game.

As the Rule 5.2 states, “Only players and goalkeepers on the list submitted to the Official Scorer before the game may participate in the game.”

If a referee spots an ineligible player, he is immediately removed from the game, and another player can’t be substituted in his place. Also, any goals made by players not submitted to the officials before the game will be disqualified.

So, the 20-player-dressed list is the players that can be dressed for a hockey game.

23-Player Active Roster

Close to the number 20, the 23-player active roster is the maximum amount of players for each NHL team on the playing roster from the commencement of the NHL regular season through the trade deadline.

The difference between a 20-player dressed list and a 23-player active roster is that out of the 23 players, the team can select 20 players to dress for the game.

Both the 20-player and 23-player lists can change each game and day, yet the dressed list must be final when submitting them to the officials and can’t be changed during the game.

50-Contract Maximum

A 50-contract maximum list means, as it sounds, that any NHL team can have a maximum of 50 players on their contract list. This includes players from the last seasons and newcomers with new contracts.

The player requirements by the NHL include that all teams must have at least 24 skaters and 3 goaltenders. Other than that, the teams can include more players of their choosing.

In most cases, NHL teams won’t have 50 contracts because that would eliminate the possibility of roster moves, trades, and claims.

90-Player Reserve List

Finally, it’s the 90-player reserve list. Each NHL team can have up to 90 players on their reserve list, whether a signed or unsigned contract.

However, out of these 90 players, only 50 can be signed to a contract for the season. The 50-players contract amount includes that are already on the roster from last season (if the contract holds) and injured players.

You might be wondering what about the unsigned contracts or reserves. Most times, the NHL teams hold the right for the unsigned draft players for two seasons, yet, the timeframe can be extended in some cases.

How Many Players are On the Bench In Hockey?

So, there are 20 hockey players in the NHL dressed for each game to be ready to hit the ice at all times. How many of them are on the bench when others play hockey on ice?

In each hockey game, there are 20 dressed players wherefrom 18 are skaters, and 2 are goalies. A total of 6 players are on ice; five skaters and one goalkeeper; thus, 14 players sit on the bench in ice hockey.

The math is simple and applies to all NHL and other league games according to their rules.

However, there can be exceptions. For example, not all amateur, hobbyist, or recreational teams have 20 dressed players for each game because there aren’t any roster rules. Therefore, the number of players sitting on the bench can be lower.

Another situation can be when the team roster of dressed players is given to the officials, and a player that isn’t on the appointed list goes on the ice. When the referee notices this, the ineligible player has been removed from the game, which would leave 13 players on the bench.

Remember that in normal situations, there are always 14 hockey players sitting in the players’ box.

What Is the Minimum Salary In NHL?

With all this talk about NHL rosters, you might wonder how much the people there earn. Surely not all players earn the same regardless of the roster limit, position, and skill level. Let’s start with the minimum salary in the NHL.

The minimum salary the NHL can pay for a player varies yearly; however, the sum isn’t small. In the season 2021-2022, the minimum salary is $750,000. In comparison, in the 2018-2021 seasons it was $700,000, 2017-2018 it was $650,000, and in 2016-2017 it was $575,000.

As you can see, the minimum salary raises quite rapidly, which is amazing for the players. In the meantime, so does the cost of living, but with even the minimum salary, the players don’t have to worry about any financial matters, assuming they are smart with their finances.

To take things further back, check out the table below and see the minimum salaries in the NHL through time.

Season	Minimum NHL Salary
2021-2022	$750,000
2020-2021	$700,000
2019-2020	$700,000
2018-2019	$700,000
2017-2018	$650,000
2016-2017	$575,000
2015-2016	$575,000
2014-2015	$550,000
2013-2014	$550,000
2012-2013	$525,000
2011-2012	$525,000
2010-2011	$500,000
2009-2010	$500,000
2008-2009	$475,000
2007-2008	$475,000
2006-2007	$450,000
2005-2006	$450,000

What do you think, is the minimum salary too much or too little for the NHL players? Let me know in the comments!