NHL officially expands into Europe on Monday.

The National Hockey League is officially expanding its business into Europe.

On Monday morning, the NHL sent out an official press release to inform members of the media that they would officially be expanding into Europe with a new office in Switzerland, located in the city of Zurich.

The league obviously has a huge conigent of fans overseas with the popularity of hockey growing each and every day in several countries around the world, and the league indicated in its official statement that the purpose of this new office was to help with branding, marketing and events that will be held overseas in the future.

Here is the league's official announcement, unedited and in full:

NEW YORK (Nov. 10, 2025) - The National Hockey League (NHL®) today announced the opening of its new office located in Zürich, Switzerland.

The office, having officially opened its doors in August 2025, will expand the League's footprint across Europe, focusing on international operations, strategy, and development, including media and sponsorship sales. In addition, fan engagement events and initiatives, such as the NHL Global Fan Tour, NHL Street Hockey and Hockey Day celebrations, will also be a focus for the Zurich-based team.

Jaka Lednik, NHL Senior Vice President, International, and John Lewicki, NHL Senior Vice President of International Partnerships, have relocated to Zürich to lead efforts on-the-ground with the addition of experienced team members in media distribution and corporate partnerships.

"We're at a pivotal moment in our global journey," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "Establishing our corporate presence in Europe marks a critical step forward, allowing us to deepen our connection with international fans and partners alike. By investing in a new office, we're positioning ourselves to further, and better, grow the game of hockey outside of North America."

Opening an office in Zürich bolsters the League's commitment to evolving its international business and continues to fuel the excitement around its global calendar of events, including the upcoming 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal, NHL player participation at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and the World Cup of Hockey 2028.

The NHL's media rights deals with broadcast partners around the world deliver hockey to more than 250 countries and territories. The 2025-26 season marks DAZN's debut as the home of NHL.TV in nearly 200 countries and territories (excluding the U.S., Canada and others) - strengthening the NHL's international broadcast presence. For the past eight seasons, NHL Saturday and NHL Sunday programming windows have made live games available to fans in Europe in prime time.

The NHL international events calendar opens this weekend with the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins facing off on Nov. 14 (8 p.m. CET) and Nov. 16 (3 p.m. CET).

Mercedes, the official car partner of the NHL in Sweden, joins the League's robust roster of international corporate partners activating at the 2025 NHL Global Series.

This is obviously a major step in the league's history and an equally massive step for the sport of hockey as a whole, with the NHL far and away the most prominent league in the sport. It also once again raises the question of whether or not the NHL would ever consider the possibility of adding teams in Europe, or perhaps even set up an entirely new league overseas.

The timing of this move coming only a few short months before the return of NHL players to the Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Milan, Italy, is likely not a coincidence. The NHL has also started to host regular season games in Europe, all of which have drawn huge crowds, with the latest iteration of this being a pair of matchups between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden later this month.

I for one cannot wait to see what this latest development will mean for the NHL and for the future of hockey in general.