Best Ice hockey APIs in 2026

The ice hockey data APIs developers actually use: who covers it, what it costs to start and what the community says.

How this list is built: Providers that list ice hockey explicitly, then the strongest multi-sport feeds, ordered by the SportDex Score. SportDex Score explained. No provider pays to be here.

Short answer: MoneyPuck Data (54/100), NHL Records and Stats (nhlapi docs) (48/100) and NHL Web API (unofficial docs) (47/100) lead this list of 15 providers in 2026. Last checked 2026-11-04.

1
1. MoneyPuck Data
Free / open data
Downloadable NHL datasets of shot-level data from 2007, plus game-by-game player, goalie and team files, free for non-commercial and journalistic use with credit.
Free tier3 discussions232 GitHub reposMostly positive
54Score
What developers say
Free downloadable NHL shot-level and expected-goals data, widely used in hobbyist betting models, xG projects and MCP or Python helpers, usually alongside the NHL API. Praised for real xG and long history. One bettor found the files hard to download. Non-commercial terms apply, and there is no live API.
Liked
- + Free shot-level NHL data since 2007
- + Real expected-goals values
Watch out
- − Files described as hard to download
- − Non-commercial use only
Free tierFull profile Website
2
2. NHL Records and Stats (nhlapi docs)
Free / open data
Community-maintained GitLab project documenting the publicly reachable NHL stats and records endpoints; it is documentation, not an official product.
Free tier569 GitHub repos
48Score
What developers say
Community documentation of NHL's unofficial endpoints, listed in many public-API directories, including the very large public-apis list. This shows wide awareness and free, keyless access, but there is no discussion of stability, limits or data quality.
Liked
- + Widely listed in free API directories
Free tierFull profile Website
3
3. NHL Web API (unofficial docs)
Free / open data
Official NHL web endpoints at api-web.nhle.com serving schedules, standings, rosters, box scores, play-by-play and player stats as JSON. No key or official docs; community-maintained reference.
Free tier3 discussions650 GitHub reposNeutral
47Score
What developers say
Unofficial, undocumented NHL endpoints that hobbyists use for live scores, schedules and terminal or overlay apps; community reference docs and Python clients (nhl-api-py) have large followings. Main worry is stability: one commenter asks whether endpoints still work, calling upkeep of sports score endpoints hard.
Liked
- + Free live scores and schedules without a key
- + Active community references and clients
Watch out
- − Unofficial and undocumented
- − Endpoints may change without notice
Free tierFull profile Website
4
4. BALLDONTLIE
Sports data API
Unified REST API for scores, box scores, stats, odds and player props across 20+ leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, soccer, tennis, golf, F1, MMA, esports), plus webhooks and an MCP server.
Free tier2-day trialfrom $9.99/moLive data15 discussions902 GitHub reposMostly positive
79Score
What developers say
Long-popular free NBA stats API, now covering NBA, NFL, MLB and EPL with a free tier and paid keys. Beginners use it for tutorials, React projects and portfolio apps; betting and fantasy builders pair it with odds feeds. Recommended as an alternative to nba_api and API-Sports. Little discussion of reliability or pricing.
Liked
- + Free tier and easy start for learners
- + Simple REST endpoints with decades of NBA history
Watch out
- − Free tier limited to subset of endpoints
- − CORS issues for browser apps
from $9.99/moFull profile Website
5
5. OpenLigaDB
Free / open data
Free, community-maintained JSON API for league fixtures and results, centred on German football (Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal) plus European cups, some ice hockey and user-created leagues. No key required.
Free tier5 discussions166 GitHub reposMostly positive
59Score
What developers say
Free, keyless community JSON API focused on German football, used in prediction models, bots, a home-automation adapter and results videos. A user praises the simple matchday endpoint and the last-change-date call that avoids refetching. Coverage beyond German leagues is thin, and it is community-maintained so errors are possible. ODbL licence applies.
Liked
- + No key required
- + Simple matchday endpoints
Watch out
- − Mostly German competitions
- − Community-maintained, errors possible
Free tierFull profile Website
6
6. API-Sports / API-Football
Sports data API
Family of per-sport REST APIs (football first) with fixtures, live scores, standings, player stats and pre-match odds, sold self-serve with a daily-request free plan.
Free tierfrom $19/mo60 discussions1.6k GitHub reposMixed
66Score
What developers say
Very widely used for football side projects, prediction models and live-score apps, praised for broad league coverage, decent docs and low price (about $19/month). Complaints: free plan limited to past seasons and 100 requests/day, inconsistent or missing stats, closing odds gaps, a reported quality drop, and thin non-football depth.
Liked
- + Broad league coverage
- + Cheap paid plans
Watch out
- − Free plan lacks current season
- − Inconsistent or missing stats
from $19/moFull profile Website
7
7. The Odds API
Odds API
Bookmaker odds for dozens of sports via a simple JSON API, covering moneyline, spreads, totals, outrights and some player props, plus scores and historical snapshots. Credit-based billing.
Free tierfrom $30/moLive data159 discussions2.4k GitHub reposMostly positive
83Score
What developers say
Widely used for pulling bookmaker odds into fantasy tools, arbitrage scanners and betting models; many GitHub repos and tutorials build on it. Users like the free tier and breadth of markets and books. Complaints: modest refresh rate, historical odds limited to one day per call and gaps in snapshots, no prop results or match outcomes, some books paid-only.
Liked
- + Free tier for quick odds checks
- + Broad sports and bookmaker coverage
Watch out
- − Refresh rate not the best
- − Historical odds fetched one day at a time
from $30/moFull profile Website
8
8. SharpAPI
Odds API
Real-time odds aggregation API for major US sportsbooks with REST, SSE and WebSocket delivery, plus built-in +EV, arbitrage, middles and line-shopping endpoints.
Free tier3-day trialfrom $79/mo⚡ Streaming3 discussions14 GitHub repos
60Score
What developers say
Real-time sports odds API for US sportsbooks with +EV and arbitrage endpoints, launched in 2026 with a free beta tier. Material is mostly the founder's own launch posts plus one user using it for an arb tool and praising its sharp-book coverage versus The Odds API. Repos are few; sample data, R client and MCP server exist.
Liked
- + Covers sharp books beyond what The Odds API offers
from $79/moFull profile Website
9
9. MySportsFeeds
Sports data API
RESTful feeds for NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL with schedules, scores, boxscores, standings, play-by-play, injuries, DFS and odds; free for limited personal use, paid for commercial.
Free tierfrom C$25/moLive data6 discussions88 GitHub reposMixed
57Score
What developers say
Cheap feeds for the four major US leagues, with wrappers and many hobby and fantasy repos. Most early praise is the owner's own pitch. Later users report unresponsive support and missing college basketball data, and a 2021 asker found no college or soccer coverage.
Liked
- + Low price
- + Mature, organized API
Watch out
- − Unresponsive support reported
- − Narrow coverage (no college or soccer)
from C$25/moFull profile Website
10
10. SportsGameOdds
Odds API
Odds API priced per event rather than per market or bookmaker, covering 67+ leagues with props, alternate lines, scores and results, plus an optional realtime WebSocket stream.
Free tierfrom $99/mo⚡ Streaming7 discussions46 GitHub reposMixed
59Score
What developers say
Per-event-priced odds API with props and alternate lines, mentioned by algobetting users comparing it with The Odds API and similar vendors. Reported weaknesses: inconsistent or missing Fliff odds, only main markets for Australian books, and upstream errors in one project. Several wrappers, MCP servers and dashboards build on it.
Liked
- + Props and alternate lines included
- + Considered alongside The Odds API
Watch out
- − Fliff odds inconsistent or missing
- − Thin market depth for Australian books
from $99/moFull profile Website
11
11. SportsDataIO
Sports data API
Commercial sports data provider offering scores, odds, projections, news, historical data, IDs and widgets for 75+ sports and 1,500+ competitions through developer APIs.
Demo accessLive data44 discussions776 GitHub reposMixed
60Score
What developers say
Commercial provider widely used for US sports, especially NFL fantasy tools that pull projections and stats from it. A free trial key makes prototyping easy. Developers on a budget repeatedly call it and Sportradar too expensive, and one user reported inaccurate season stats. Hobbyists look at JsonOdds or MySportsFeeds instead.
Liked
- + Free trial key for prototyping
- + Strong US sports and fantasy projections coverage
Watch out
- − Too expensive for bootstrapped projects
- − Reported inaccurate player season stats
Price not publicFull profile Website
12
12. FantasyPros API
Fantasy platform
REST API for fantasy rankings, projections, player news, injuries and lineups across NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, with consensus data aggregated from many experts.
Free tierfrom $8.99/mo9 discussions212 GitHub reposMixed
54Score
What developers say
FantasyPros consensus rankings, ADP and projections are widely used in fantasy tools and community wrappers (R and Python packages, browser extensions). Developers note the official API is paid, and some projects scrape the HTML instead, which proves fragile. Discussion is mostly about the site rather than the API itself.
Liked
- + Widely used consensus ranking data
- + Community wrappers and packages exist
Watch out
- − Official API is paid
- − Scraping alternatives are fragile
from $8.99/moFull profile Website
13
13. Highlightly
Sports data API
Sports API combining live scores, fixtures, standings, lineups, player stats, odds and predictions with video highlight clips. Covers football, US leagues, cricket, rugby, volleyball and handball.
Free tierfrom $12.49/moLive data43 GitHub repos
57Score
What developers say
Sports API pairing scores and stats with video highlights. Little independent opinion exists: a few freelance requests to build sites on it, one repo issue comparing it with cheaper providers for backtesting, and AI-generated football video channels crediting it as a data source. Adoption seems modest and unproven.
from $12.49/moFull profile Website
14
14. SportsDataverse
Free / open data
Community project shipping free R, Python and Node.js packages (cfbfastR, hoopR, wehoop, fastRhockey) plus an open data warehouse with play-by-play, box scores, betting lines and win-probability models.
Free tier95 GitHub reposNeutral
50Score
What developers say
Free community R and Python packages (hoopR, cfbfastR, wehoop and others) for play-by-play and box score data. Evidence is mostly usage: an NBA streak visualization built with hoopR, baseball and play-by-play repos, sports-analytics meetup talks and YouTube analyses crediting it. No complaints or detailed opinions surfaced.
Liked
- + Free open-source packages
- + Used by analysts and YouTube creators
Free tierFull profile Website
15
15. Lumify
Odds API
REST and MCP API for scores, schedules, odds, betting splits and AI bet analysis across eight sports; pay-per-credit pricing with a free credit allotment and a flat Growth plan.
Free tierDemo accessfrom $5 /usage⚡ Streaming12 GitHub repos
54Score
What developers say
Newly launched sports intelligence API with an MCP server, aimed at AI agents (odds, betting splits, bet analysis). All material found is the vendor's own Show HN post and catalog submissions; no independent user opinions on pricing, quality or reliability exist yet.
from $5 /usageFull profile Website