Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association

The Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association, abbreviated as PRIHA, is the governing body that oversees ice and inline hockey in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico
Association namePuerto Rico Ice Hockey Association
IIHF CodePUR
Founded2020
IIHF membershipSeptember 29, 2022
PresidentScott Vargas
puertoricoicehockey.com

History

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The Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association was founded in 2020, and was later accepted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on September 29, 2022 as an associate member.[1] The organization is also part of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee.[2] Puerto Rico became the first territory of the United States and the sixth Latin American nation to join the IIHF. The current president of PRIHA is Scott Vargas.[3][4]

There are currently no operational indoor ice rinks in Puerto Rico. The Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena, the only rink in the territory, has been permanently closed since 2017 due to damage caused by Hurricane Maria.[5][6]

Ice hockey statistics

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  • 205 players total
  • 123 male players
  • 44 junior players
  • 38 female players
  • No referees
  • Currently no IIHF standard rinks
  • Currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking[7]

National teams

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Participation by year

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2022

Puerto Rico was not a member of the IIHF and was not eligible to enter in any IIHF tournaments.

Event Host nation Date Result
Amerigol LATAM Cup
(Men's Division I)
  United States September 14–18, 2022   1st place
Amerigol LATAM Cup
(U20)
  1st place
Amerigol LATAM Cup
(Women's)
4th place

References

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  1. ^ Merk, Martin (September 29, 2022). "Welcome Puerto Rico!". International Ice Hockey Federation.
  2. ^ Morin, Richard. "Puerto Rico wins 'emotional' ice hockey championship hours after Hurricane Fiona made landfall". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "IIHF Member National Association Puerto Rico". IIHF.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "LEADERSHIP". Puerto Rico Ice Hockey. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "Puerto Rico Becomes Newest IIHF Member". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Puerto Rico joins IIHF as associate member". NHL.com. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "2022 IIHF World Ranking". IIHF.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
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