What happens when grit, belief, and a nation’s pride collide on the ice? The story of ice hockey in Puerto Rico is one of rapid growth, determination, and a deep connection to heritage.
The Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association (PRIHA) is a non-profit organization incorporated in Puerto Rico. PRIHA is the sole governing body over ice and in-line hockey in Puerto Rico and for the Puerto Rican community worldwide. PRIHA is a proud member of "La Federación Puertorriqueña de Atletas Invernales (FPAI)" and therefore the "Comité Olímpico de Puerto Rico (COPUR)." The FPAI acts as the official, national governing body of Puerto Rico's Winter Olympic Sports and athletes.
The PRIHA mission statement is "To foster and promote the sport of hockey in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America and beyond. As PRIHA aims to grow the sport of hockey within Puerto Rico and the greater Caribbean community, it hosts and participates in multiple events annually with plans to increase the number of events over time. The Association manages "Team Puerto Rico" across the Men, Women, and Youth categories at recreational levels in addition to the highest levels of international competition. In addition to "Team Puerto Rico," the association also manages two initiatives to grow the game of hockey further. Those are "Team Caribbean" and "Team Latino" which is for players with heritage from Caribbean nations and Latin American nations, respectively, with no formal Ice Hockey Association or Federation to date. The teams for both "Team Puerto Rico" and "Team Caribbean" cover different levels of skill and experience.
The rise of ice hockey in Puerto Rico is still in its infancy. Despite this, the community is growing rapidly. 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. The organization is also part of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee. Puerto Rico became the first territory of the United States and the sixth Latin American nation to join the IIHF. There are currently no operational indoor ice rinks in Puerto Rico.
Scott Vargas, a former professional hockey player in Finland, formally founded the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association. Vargas currently serves as executive director while also playing on the men’s team.
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According to Scott Vargas, most PRIHA members have heritage and live in the 50 United States. With paternal grandparents born in Puerto Rico, Hector Vargas grew up with Hispanic culture, language, and food. “The first time holding that jersey, with the flag on it, it was very humbling,” said Hector Vargas.
PRIHA’s members almost universally share a story of desire to play hockey for their nation. Puerto Rico’s first appearance, at the 2019 LATAM Cup, allowed its original players to achieve their goal of playing international hockey. Growth and success came quickly, and PRIHA sent five teams to the 2021 Cup. They filled six teams for the 2022 LATAM Cup. For the first time, each team has a manager and coaching staff. PRIHA’s board of directors, committees, and advisory board allows President Scott Vargas to lighten his load.
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Off the ice, Scott Vargas hopes to expand the association’s reach. He expressed a vision of one day hosting an event in Puerto Rico itself, fostering the next generation of Puerto Rican players. Despite the hours of dedication and labor to grow Puerto Rican hockey, the members are determined to reach their ultimate goal.
International Debut and Early Success
Puerto Rico made its international debut in 2019 at the Amerigol LATAM Cup, sanctioned by the Amerigol International Hockey Association. It took place in Coral Springs, Florida, United States. Puerto Rico entered the Division 2 tournament and played four unofficial games against clubs and "B" teams. They defeated Argentina "B" (11-2), then Colombia "B" (5-2), and Brazil "B" (6-0).
In 2021, the national team played in the Amerigol LATAM Cup Division 1 tournament, losing 5-4 to the Mexico Selects team. Later that same day, they defeated Argentina, 5-3, which is Puerto Rico's first official game against another national team. In the semi-finals, they defeated the Mexico Selects team, 6-2.
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In one of the most electrifying moments in recent women’s hockey history, the Puerto Rico Women’s National Team stormed back from a 5-2 deficit to win gold at the IIHF 3-on-3 Series in Buenos Aires.
The Puerto Rico men’s program recently claimed the IIHF Men’s Development Cup in their first appearance in an IIHF event. That result followed the women’s debut in the IIHF competition, where they captured 2nd place in the 3v3 category. With multiple top-three finishes in several international tournaments, both teams are riding high coming into the Dream Nations Cup.
The Division I men’s team had 15 skaters to start, including Vargas. Five were lost due to combinations of injuries, COVID, and being unable to attend, but the team got back to 13 skaters by the beginning of the Latam Cup. The women’s team were unable to practice or scrimmage but they briefly gathered together prior to the tournament.
“It was a group of ladies who, in the championship game, still didn’t know each other’s names, but played as if they’ve played together for two years already,” said Vargas.
Lee Elias, the new head coach for the women’s team, spoke about how his team has built such a winning culture in a short time after finishing second in their last international event.
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“I’m so grateful that was the first team I got to coach as part of this program. The foundation they set, not just for our values, but for the foundation of this team and association, was excellent.” Elias said, “That’s where the success comes from. Believing in one another and knowing we have a great future. I’m so proud of that team.
The men’s and women’s teams will be looking for another strong performance as they make their first Dream Nations appearance.
Community and Growth Initiatives
Another initiative that keeps the team together is the Fiesta De Hockey, the team’s flagship event. At this event, all of their teams across age groups converge in one place to celebrate Puerto Rican ice hockey. PRIHA holds the event in multiple locations some years, but Fiesta De Hockey regularly emanates from Chicago, as it does this year.
The event is not only a chance for the teams to play games but also for the local community to engage with the team. Fans can watch the games, participate in public skates, meet the team, and more. Fiesta De Hockey is crucial to the team’s outreach efforts, but it’s also an opportunity for the organization to come closer together to each other and the Puerto Rican community. Sofia Alvarez spoke about the energy surrounding the event.
“I’ve noticed the amount of fans who come out who may not even know anything about hockey. They come because they’re Puerto Rican and want to celebrate our shared culture.” Alvarez said, “It’s great to see it sparking interest in the sport just because of the strong culture and love for the island.”
In its short history, PRIHA has amassed nearly 400 Puerto Rican athletes as members, including players from the island and Puerto Ricans living throughout the Americas.
Challenges and Future Goals
While the team has been massively successful in growing the game on the island, there are, of course, issues with running ice hockey events on a Caribbean island. Lee Elias talked about those issues and how PRIHA attempts to overcome them.
“There’s no active ice rink or many hockey shops. We’re diligently working to get ice back on the island. So there are barriers to accessing equipment and locations to play.” Elias said, “We’re always working with brand partners or finding ways to get more access to hockey on the island. We’re focused on growing the game there; it’s one of our main goals.”
“It may not be anytime soon, but in the future of the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association, (we want to) compete in the Olympics,” said Miley, who also won the Amerigol Latam Cup’s first Danny O Leadership Award.
When asked what the team’s long-term goals were, Lee Elias put them in no uncertain terms. “What I can tell you is that our goal is to get to the IIHF World Championship and win a gold medal.”
Elias also mentioned that they don’t overlook opportunities and consider every event they play in a crucial step toward that goal. But their intentions are singular.
Key Players
Boo Nieves, played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 76 games in four seasons with the New York Rangers. Nick Paul, played 227 games with the Ottawa Senators and 259 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Team Dynamics and Culture
One of Team Puerto Rico’s most apparent attributes is its tight-knit group. The team stays close despite the organization boasting over 300 athletes across the Americas. Sofia Alvarez, a skater for the team, talked about the team atmosphere permeating the organization.
“With the friendships that form from this team, I don’t feel like we’re ever disconnected. We may not talk daily, but we all follow each other on social media and have a group chat.” Alvarez said, “As soon as we are together, we never left. We’re pretty much a family now. I think we share our love for the island (Puerto Rico) and the history of being with the team and watching it grow. That’s brought us together.”
“You wanna talk about Boricuas? That’s our Boricua team right there. A lot of guys that were born on the island. The group was amazing. And they rallied,” he said of the Men’s DII team, who lost to Chile’s highest-ranked club in round one before embarking on a winning streak to the bronze.
Looking Ahead
What’s next for the program involves a multitude of forwarding steps. Vargas adds that the team is aiming to return to action in May, possibly in Chicago, for a multiple-game series with an opponent to be named.
“For us to do that, I think that was why we had so much support, and that kind of picks us where we left off before the tournament from a recruiting perspective. Now, I’m basically forced to say that, hey, we were thinking about doing more than one tournament a year, more than one event. Now I don’t have a choice.
The Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association hosted its inaugural Serie de Primavera in May 2022. The Chicago event brought 105 Puerto Rican players together. It included 32 hours of on-ice activities, and eight exhibition games with local Chicago teams.
“This really validated what we’ve done over the last two years. Scott Vargas said events like the Serie de Primavera allow PRIHA to grow the game in a different way.
Hector Vargas first played in Puerto Rican colors in March 2022, at the inaugural Amerigol Spring Classic. Puerto Rico advanced to the championship game. The Spring Classic became Amerigol’s second annual event, and it featured a second NHL partner. The Dallas Stars joined the Florida Panthers in supporting the growth of Latin American Hockey. Fans arrived in droves to wave their flags.
Six Puerto Rican teams, and three Caribbean teams, will travel to the 2022 LATAM Cup. PRIHA’s board of directors, committees, and advisory board allows President Scott Vargas to lighten his load.
Despite there being no extensive history of ice hockey on the island beyond what’s being written in 2021, Vargas insists that the community is out there. “There are tons of Puerto Ricans who are fans of ice hockey or play ice hockey, and that’s where we could have our success, through that community.
“We got a little bit aggressive and started researching,” he continued. “I used every keyword under the sun, every combination of ‘Hispanic,’ ‘Puerto Rican,’ to find pages that would direct me towards Puerto Rican ice hockey players. Slowly but surely, we identified people. Once we were able to connect with them, more often than not, they were interested. And the growth of hockey in Puerto Rico is happening right now.
“It is so unreal, being at the tournament -the championship game- you can literally feel the pride and the excitement in your hairs. The support, the words. Anybody who comes from a Hispanic background would only know the pride you feel with something like that. It’s so hard to explain.
PRIHA is the sole governing body over ice and in-line hockey in Puerto Rico and for the Puerto Rican community worldwide. PRIHA is a proud member of "La Federación Puertorriqueña de Atletas Invernales (FPAI)" and therefore the "Comité Olímpico de Puerto Rico (COPUR)."
The Puerto Rico national ice hockey team (Spanish: Selección de hockey sobre hielo de Puerto Rico) is the national men's ice hockey team of Puerto Rico.