NHL Sponsorship Revenue Surges to $1.5B—What’s Driving This Unexpected 9% Boom?

As the 2025 Stanley Cup Final heats up with the Florida Panthers facing off against the Edmonton Oilers, there’s another kind of victory quietly unfolding behind the scenes — the NHL’s sponsorship game has gone through the roof. Teams have collectively hauled in a staggering $1.53 billion in sponsorship revenue this season, marking a solid 9% leap from last year and nearly a 20% jump since 2022-23. This surge isn’t just a win for the league’s bottom line; it signals the NHL’s growing clout alongside giants like the NFL and Formula 1. What’s striking is how the average sponsorship deal for an NHL team now edges past MLB’s, highlighting hockey’s expanding appeal to marketers. From rink-side ads to eye-catching jersey patches and innovative helmet branding, clubs are locking down deals that weave brands directly into the fabric of the game — and fans are taking notice. It’s fascinating how sectors like autos and finance are fueling this growth with fresh investments, making the NHL’s sponsorship landscape more vibrant than ever. This isn’t just hockey; it’s a masterclass in sports marketing evolution. LEARN MORE

With the 2025 Stanley Cup Final underway between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, the league has something else to celebrate. NHL teams generated a record $1.53 billion in sponsorship revenue, up 9% from $1.4 billion last season and up nearly 20% from the 2022-23 season, according to sports marketing research firm .

The company’s data does not include league-wide deals in its reports, but the NHL holds its own compared to other pro sports leagues, including the NFL ($2.49 billion), Formula 1 ($2.04 billion), MLB ($1.90 billion) and the NBA ($1.62 billion). It has a sizable lead over MLS’s $670 million. The average NHL team’s sponsorship contract goes for $529,000, a total slightly larger than MLB’s average of $520,000.

Each NHL team on average holds about 91 sponsorships, with deal volume up 7% since the 2022-23 season. Such deals include board signage along the ice, naming rights for premium hospitality areas and Zamboni branding.

By SponsorUnited’s count, the Nashville Predators lead the league with 141 deals, with ten teams in total having over 100 agreements. The Oilers—who leveled out the Stanley Cup Final at 2-2 after a historic comeback capped by Leon Draisaitl’s overtime goal in Thursday’s Game 4—rank fourth among all teams with 119.

A major area of revenue generation comes from jersey/sweater and helmet patches. Jersey patch deals, according to the report, range from $3.4 million-$4.2 million per season, generally lower price points versus those from the NBA, MLB or MLS.

Deals for helmet decals run between $900,000 and $1.2 million. Among the most notable helmet agreements in 2024-25 were the Toronto Maple Leafs pairing up with Mondelez’s Oreos brand, the New York Islanders linking with AI-focused tech company Viam and the Philadelphia Flyers connecting with Chevy dealerships in their market. Those three brands are among the 500 new sponsors the NHL picked up in 2024-25,

The Flyers’ deal helped the auto sector pull in an additional $8.5 million in sponsorship spend (an 8% increase year-over-year) as the category remained the third-biggest sector for the league. By far, financial firms led the way with an additional $19 million spend (+8%), led by three deals for the Utah Mammoth and the Colorado Avalanche’s jersey patch deal with IMA Financial Group. Business services had the most growth of all categories at 18%, accounting for $17 million in new money.