With NHL preseason just around the corner, it’s hard to keep you mind from wandering, asking questions like, “Will Cody Glass really have one of the best pro seasons yet?” and “Which team has the best change to dethrone the St. Louis Blues?” And, while it might not be at the top of your list, another question we’re pondering over here at Freshy is:
What are the best hockey websites online right now?
You too?
Well, here’s what we’ve come up with as far as the coolest hockey websites. (And, believe us, they don’t disappoint…)
The top hockey websites of 2024
https://thehockeynews.com/
The online home for The Hockey News magazine, this website does a great job of managing all of its content through smart, attractive design. Understanding the importance of images, The Hockey News website uses a high-quality (never stock) image to accompany each of its posts. Not too big but not too small, the scale of the website is appealing across devices. The bold menu grabs your attention, organizing content and media so that you can quickly get where you want to go. And, if you’re just here to explore, the website gives you the ability to do just that by featuring the latest and most popular posts in a grid format on the homepage. With two opportunities to collect email addresses on the homepage (one in a custom header and the other in a footer column), The Hockey News website maximizes its presence – and its recurring revenue.
https://www.nhl.com/
A few years ago, the NHL website would have never made this list. Not only was it visually unattractive, but it was seriously dysfunctional and disorganized. Thankfully, the National Hockey League took pity on its fans and totally overhauled the website, making some much needed changes to the overall design. Knowing that hockey fans never want to miss their team’s games, the website smartly places a scrolling schedule at the very top of the homepage, alleviating the need to hunt or search. While ads to show up in between content blocks, they don’t take away from the overall experience. Rather than creating a bold menu, the NHL website draws your attention to the latest posts and stories instead, tempting visitors to click and, hopefully, become even more of a loyal fan of the NHL than they already are. Keep exploring the website and you’ll see plenty of direct calls-to-action and design cues (like highlighting the new NHLTV link in the menu), which enhance the overall user journey. If you were a regular on the old NHL website, you’ll immediately see what a big difference stellar website design really makes.
https://www.nwhl.zone/
While not quite as appealing as the NHL’s new website, the NWHL site has improved dramatically over the last several years. Adding better, bigger images and integrated calendars, the National Women’s Hockey League site allows for easy navigation and an overall enjoyable experience. Its news feed, which is updated several times each day, is rightfully highlighted on the homepage, ensuring that NWHL fans always have something new to consume when they visit.
https://www.usahockey.com/
We’re so excited to see the USA Hockey website using videos to help improve its engagement. Thanks to its new homepage design, the website feels and looks current. And, best of all, it’s actually fun to visit. In addition to the video clips, USA Hockey’s website has a sweet menu, utilizing icons to help add to the visual appeal. The bold “Become a Member” button at the top helps improve conversions, while the “Start Your Hockey Journey” button feels inviting and accessible to new visitors.
