In the last few decades, the NHL has grown rapidly, as a result of the increasing talent pool in many parts of the world. Historically, Canada has been one of the top sources of NHL talent for yearly drafts, resulting in Blackhawk greats like Denis Savard, Tony Esposito, Jonathan Toews, etc.
In the last few years though, The United States has emerged as the fastest-growing market for growing talent for the NHL. Many colleges and universities in the NCAA along with development leagues throughout the United States have given the league a bigger source of talent to pull from.