TIMELINE ('04 - '22)
09/2004
Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot ("Choliseo") opens it's doors to the public in the heart of San Juan.
08/2005
Aguadilla Ice Skating Rink opens it's doors on the west coast of Puerto Rico.
09/2006
The New York Rangers face off against the Florida Panthers in an NHL Preseason game in San Juan's "Coliseo"
04/2008
More ice arrives on the island as "Disney on Ice" debuts at the "Choliseo."
09/2017
Aguadilla Ice Skating Rink sees its last ice prior to Hurricane Maria.
09/2019
Team Puerto Rico debuts at the 2019 LATAM Cup in Men's Division 2 and wins silver.
05/2020
The Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association, Inc. (PRIHA) is created, bringing formal structure.
10/2021
PRIHA debuts 4 new teams (Women, Men's D1, U16 and U12) at the 2021 LATAM Cup, Women win gold and all 5 teams medal.
10/2021
PRIHA official membership registration surpasses 100.
10/2021
PRIHA becomes an official member of La Federación Puertorriqueña de Atletas Invernales (FPAI) and COPUR.
03/2022
PRIHA enters its top Men's team into the first edition of the LATAM Spring Classic and wins Silver.
05/2022
PRIHA hosts its first ever event - a 3-day evaluation camp in Chicago with 105 participants.
05/2022
PRIHA official membership surpasses 200.
09/2022
PRIHA debuts U20 and enters 6 total teams in the 2022 LATAM Cup. Men and U20 win Gold. U15's win Silver in U16 division.
09/2022
PRIHA becomes the official 83rd member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
10/2022
PRIHA begins hosting inline hockey pickups in Puerto Rico.
ABOUT PRIHA
The Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association, Inc. (PRIHA) is a non-profit incorporated in Puerto Rico (Register # 443930). 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. PRIHA is the 83rd member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the world governing body for the sport of Ice Hockey.
PRIHA's purpose is "to represent Puerto Rico at the highest level possible on the international stage." PRIHA manages the evaluation and placement of talent on Puerto Rico's National Teams which will eventually compete in the official international World Championship circuit.
The PRIHA mission statement is "To foster and promote the sport of hockey in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America and beyond. Initiatives include the organization of street, inline and ice hockey in Puerto Rico as well as the management of Puerto Rico's competitive inline and ice hockey teams."
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.
You can find a timeline of key events in PRIHA's history below.