What Hockey Teams Are in Yukon, Northwest Territories & Nunavut?

Did you know a team from Yukon competed for the Stanley Cup back in 1905?

That’s right! The Dawson City Nuggets (aka the Klondikes) were an ice hockey club from Dawson City, Yukon. In 1905, they challenged the Ottawa Hockey Club for the Stanley Cup.

While the Nuggets weren’t technically an elite professional team, they were able to put up a couple of goals in the first game against the Ottawa Hockey Club, but were defeated 9-2 in that game (and then 23-2 in the second game).

While Yukon, like Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, don’t have many people (roughly a combined 125,000 people), they still have some elite hockey (and have even produced a handful of NHL players as you’ll learn below).

In this article, we’ll show you the top hockey teams in the Canadian Territories (Nunavut, Yukon, and Northwest Territories), and show you what elite players are actively playing in the NHL from up north today.

Pssssst! Are you curious about hockey teams in other Canadian provinces? You can learn more by checking out our other posts: What Hockey Team Is in Quebec and What Hockey Team Is in Ontario.

Let’s dive in.

What Hockey Teams Are in Yukon?

So, what hockey teams are in Yukon?

The territory only has a population of 43,789 people, making it the second smallest province or territory in Canada, only behind Nunavut, which means there isn’t a professional hockey team in the mix.

The top hockey teams in the territory are listed below:

Whitehorse Huskies

Senior “AAA” team based in Whitehorse, Yukon. They have won the Allan Cup one time (the trophy awarded to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada).

Dawson City Nuggets

Yukon was once home to the Dawson City Nuggets who challenged the professional team, Ottawa Hockey Club, for the Stanley Cup in 1905.

What Hockey Teams Are in Northwest Territories?

So, what hockey teams are in the Northwest Territories?

The Northwest Territories population is only 45,605, making it the third smallest province or territory in the country (behind only Yukon and Nunavut).

The main branch of hockey in Northwest Territories is Hockey North — one of 13 divisions of Hockey Canada that includes minor hockey programs from both Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Hockey North is broken down into two groups: Hockey Northwest Territories and Hockey Nunavut.

Hockey North has championships at different levels including Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget, and Junior.

The minor hockey teams in the territory are listed below:

Yellowknife Minor Hockey

Minor hockey league in Yellowknife, NT.

Fort Smith Minor Hockey

Minor hockey league in Fort Smith, NT.

Hay River Minor Hockey

Minor hockey league in Hay River, NT.

Inuvik Minor Hockey

Minor hockey league in Inuvik, NT.

What Hockey Teams Are in Nunavut?

So, what hockey teams are in Nunavut? Nunavut only has a population of 40,526 (as of 2022), making it the smallest province or territory in Canada.

The main branch of hockey in Nunavut is Hockey Nunavut, one of two branches of Hockey North — which is of 13 divisions of Hockey Canada.

Hockey North is broken down into two groups: Hockey Nunavut and Hockey Northwest Territories.

Hockey North has championships at different levels including Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget, and Junior.

The main hockey teams in the territory are listed below:

Kivalliq Canucks (Junior C)

Junior hockey team based in the Rankin Inlet.

Baffin Blizzard (Junior C)

Junior hockey team based in Iqaluit.

Arctic Winter Games

Every year, the Arctic Winter Games are held which features several sports including ice hockey, and Nunavut has teams sent to compete in both male and female categories.

Hockey Nunavut typically sends one bantam and one midget team for males and one junior team for females.

Challenge Cup

Every year, two junior teams from Nunavut compete for the Challenge Cup to earn a chance to compete in the Maritime-Hockey North Junior C Championships.

In 2015, the Baffin Blizzard competed for the Maritime-Hockey North Junior C Championships and won it. The team became the first-ever Nunavut junior team to win the championships. They defeated the South Side Lynx in the championship game 5-4.

NHL Players from Nunavut

Are there any NHL players that have come from the Territories in the Great White North?

While none of the Territories have their own NHL team, the territories are home to a handful of current and retired hockey players from the National Hockey League (NHL).

Keep in mind that Nunavut doesn’t have any current or active NHL players, but Yukon and Northwest Territories do have a few.

NHL Players Born in Nunavut:

None

Just because Nunavut is small (in population), doesn’t mean there isn’t a pool of talent coming from the Canadian territory.

In fact, the territory is home to an up-and-coming hockey prodigy in 11-year-old Jordyn Machmer.

The 2012-born hockey player from Pangnirtung, Nunavut recently debuted at the 2023 Arctic Winter Games in Alberta.

The craziest part? She made the U-20 team for girls under 20 years old… as an 11 year old!

NHL Players from Yukon

Are there any NHL players that have come from Yukon?

NHL Players Born in Yukon:

Dylan Cozens
Bryon Baltimore
Peter Sturgeon

The most prominent hockey player to come out of Yukon is Dylan Cozens, who recently entered the NHL in the 2020-21 season for the Buffalo Sabres. Cozens was drafted 7th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Here’s a video of him highlighting his rookie season with the Sabres:

The Whitehorse, Yukon player currently has 126 points in 210 games for the Sabres (as of October 29, 2023) including 7 points in 9 games to start off the 2023-24 season.

On February 7, 2023, Dylan Cozens signed a 7-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres worth $49,700,000, with an average cap hit of $7.1 million. This was the biggest NHL contract a player from the Canadian territories has ever made.

Here’s one more video of Cozens scoring an OT winner for the Sabres at the start of the 2023-24 NHL season:

NHL Players from the North West Territories

Are there any NHL players that have come from Northwest Territories?

NHL Players Born in Northwest Territories:

Geoff Sanderson
Vic Mercredi

The most prominent hockey player to come out of the Northwest Territories is Geoff Sanderson, who has played over 1,100 National Hockey League games, making him the longest-serving NHL player in history from the three Canadian territories.

Here’s a video of him scoring a goal to make NHL history with the first-ever hat trick for a Columbus Blue Jackets player:

To learn about minor hockey leagues in Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, check out the Hockey Canada websites here:

Are you curious to know what hockey teams compete in different U.S. states? Be sure to check out our post: Hockey Teams in Every U.S. State: Complete NHL & College List (2023).