- New Standard-sized and Micro-sized contracts will be benchmarked to official NHL statistics
CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced it will launch the world's first index-based Hockey futures on September 28, pending regulatory review. The new contracts will track CME FutureSports Performance Indexes that include exclusive, real-time National Hockey League (NHL) statistics beginning with the 2026-2027 season.
"With our first major-league futures contracts on our NHL indexes, CME Group is bringing the principles and discipline of regulated markets to the businesses that need to manage price risk in professional sports," said Tim McCourt, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Equities, FX and Alternative Products at CME Group. "Financial institutions, companies and individuals rely on the transparency and infrastructure of CME Group to hedge across all investable asset classes. Our CME FSPI Hockey futures will provide a capital-efficient way for fans, sponsors, broadcasters, third-party arena operators, retailers, food and beverage vendors and others to navigate the risk associated with the performance of each NHL team."
Steve Byrd, Head of Partnerships at FutureSports, said: "In just a matter of weeks, market participants and members of the hockey and sports ecosystem will have the first opportunity to trade a professional financial instrument based on indexes of continuous play-by-play performance statistics of each and every NHL team. NHL teams generated a record $1.53 billion in sponsorship revenue in the 2024-25 season and drew more than 23 million fans into arenas last season – the highest total attendance in the league's 108-year history. Interest is extraordinarily high, and we're delighted to bring these indexes to fruition with our partner, the NHL, and to the world's leading derivatives market with futures contracts trading on CME Group, our exclusive exchange partner."
CME Group Hockey futures will be available in standard-sized contracts, valued at 10x the value of the underlying CME FSPI NHL indexes, and micro-sized contracts that are 1/10 the value of those indexes. Participants can trade live around the clock, allowing for immediate positions on a regulated exchange with central clearing safeguards, transparent pricing and equal market access.
CME FSPI Indexes structure official sports statistics into rules-based, benchmark financial metrics. The performance of the indexes will be calculated using systematic methodologies where point allocations follow transparent statistical frameworks – adding points for positive actions and subtracting for negative plays or setbacks.
The CME FSPI Index methodologies align with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Principles for Financial Benchmarks and are supported by published governance and oversight procedures.
For more information, contract specifications and updates on the product rollout, and to learn more about the indexes or how to subscribe to index data visit cmegroup.com/fspi.
