10 of the Best Hockey Jerseys Outside of the NHL
The greatest marketing tool a hockey team can have is its jersey, and for those that go all out to make them look beautiful, we salute you.
The greatest marketing tool a hockey team can have is its jersey. If it stands out, people will want to buy it. It's especially important in leagues outside the NHL where revenue is harder to come by.
Not all teams sell their threads, but the ones that do definitely see a positive return because fans and jersey collectors alike love to own beautiful piece of artwork - and wear it.
Today, we're taking a look at 10 of the best jerseys outside of the NHL. Some have a great set across the board, others have one that simply projects excellence.
Florida Everblades (ECHL)
A fun name that ties into the region? Check. A creative logo? Check. The jerseys tie it all together for the Everblades. The home jersey goes heavily into the green which is severely underused as a primary home color for a jersey.
The sleeves also have a really cool addition, where a generic strip might be used around the forearm, alligator teeth are used in place on the home jerseys. On the away uniforms, the teeth are used on both the forearms and the bottom of the jerseys. One of the best ECHL looks, for sure.
Henderson Silver Knights (American Hockey League)
The Henderson Silver Knights dipped right into the silver and they should be applauded for doing so. The home uniforms have silver as a primary color with gold numbers and nameplates on the back.
The white away uniforms do the same for a look that reflects their own brand but still shows elements of their parent club especially when it comes to the main logo creating an H much like VGK's creating the V on the front of the jerseys.
The Silver Knights could have cheated and just used a heavy grey color scheme. But when you see these jerseys up close you'll see the difference and know they went big into silver. Sure, it might be a direct imitation of what the Golden Knights have, but if it ain't broke, right?
Kenya Ice Lions (International)
If you haven't come across the story of the Kenya Ice Lions, the only hockey team in the country, I'd encourage you to do so. The team's story became viral and attention grew even more when they had Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon suiting up with them in a trip to Toronto a few years back.
The Ice Lions jersey not only has a majestic lion holding a stick, but the colors are based on the flag of Kenya with striping that goes around the full length of the jersey.
Here's hoping the growth of the game can continue in the nation so that we can see these jerseys on ice against more teams soon.
University of Michigan Wolverines (NCAA Hockey)
Among college hockey jerseys, some of the first ones that come to mind have to be those that belong to the University of Michigan. The block M or some version of a maize-colored jersey have been staples of the Division I NCAA program for decades. Every so often the designs might change but the staple elements of most of the Michigan jerseys have remained the same.
Lahti Pelicans (Liiga)
Hockey jerseys in Europe have long been panned for how they look due to how much advertising takes up on them, but the Pelicans have found a way to still look good on the ice even with the ads and even be educational. Lahti's usage of light blue has been a great choice, but this season, they deviated from it to use their jerseys for a great cause.
This past March, the team donned green jerseys after being named the European Green Capital for 2021. The city green jerseys also replaced player numbers with environmental stats.
Going green also fully extends beyond just jerseys as the Pelicans no longer fly to away games and encourage fans to take public transit, bike or walk to home games.
Ottawa 67s (Ontario Hockey League)
You've got to be careful when it comes to how you're going to multiple colors that wrap around a jersey but the 67s have done so in a way on all of their jerseys that has resulted in one of the best looks in the OHL.
Ottawa's long-standing dark barber pole jerseys have been a gorgeous mix of red, white and black. Even though the barber pole design goes back decades, it's been updated just enough to still keep up with the different eras of jersey designs. Some hate it, others love it. Regardless, it's an icon of junior hockey.
University of Alberta Golden Bears (U Sports)
Home, away, alternates or retro, have you ever come across an ugly jersey that the Golden Bears have worn? The Golden Bears designs have included a script jersey spelling out Alberta, the image of current mascot GUBA and an homage the program's past in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Bears have maintained the green, yellow and white colors in each has worked in their own way. The striping has never looked out of place on the jerseys or the pants.
Everett Silvertips (Western Hockey League)
If you like the forests and mountains, then the jerseys of the Everett Silvertips are for you. Everett's jerseys have the mountains and the forests on the front and back of the jerseys and if even behind the bear as a part of the primary jersey logo. Everett went deep into local imagery for jersey design and it truly paid off.
Dynamo Moscow (Kontenital Hockey League)
One of the oldest teams in Russian hockey makes its way onto this list and with good reason. The royal blue and white jersey of Dynamo blends in nicely with the script D for a classic hockey jersey look that would have worked just as well 50 years ago.
The hockey team's take on the script D also fits into the other brands of Dynamo Moscow which span multiple sports that have their own slight alterations on the logo. Some may say it's simple, but it definitely works.
Des Moines Buccaneers (United States Hockey League)
The Buccaneers are a team that uses traditional colors but the other elements in the jersey do stand out. The striping on their white jerseys gives off the image of a striped pirate shirt at the bottom of the jersey and also along the forearms. The Buccaneers deserve full marks for the slimmer stripes on this jersey.
Des Moines main blue jersey has red shoulders without any striping which works and is a great example of "less is more" and only one jersey really needs the stripes for this team.