FAQs
Q: How many ice rinks are there in Puerto Rico?
A: There are two rinks in Puerto Rico. One is on the west coast city of Aguadilla. It is owned by the municipality and opened in 2005. It was damaged during hurricane maria and the machinery to create ice requires about $500k in repairs currently. It is about half the size of a regulation-sized NHL rink. The other rink is the José Agrelot Coliseum. It has permanent ice-making capability and can make a full-sized rink. It is the largest indoor arena in Puerto Rico and has a high cost for daily rental of the facility.
Q: Who can volunteer? How can I volunteer?
A: Anyone can offer to help volunteer! There is a registration form “for other roles” and that form is for both players who also want to volunteer (I.e. coach) and for individuals who aren’t players who would like to be a part of the association in some way. We are constantly looking for more help!
Q: What is the registration process? Do you have to register every year or for each event?
A: You only need to register as a player or for other roles once with the association. You do not need to register for each event or es h year. You will, however, need to do a shorter event registration for any event you would like to participate in and pay the associated fees.
Q: Who is eligible to play for Team Puerto Rico?
A: The rules of the Olympic committee and therefore the rules of the association for official international competition are any player who has maintained full residency for 3 or more years OR any player who has heritage from one or more parents or grandparents. The association allows others to compete in unofficial competition - individuals with heritage from their great-grandparents or with less than 3 years of residency can compete in that unofficial capacity. If you are unsure if you qualify please send a detailed message with your background information.
Q: What is the plan for the development of hockey in Puerto Rico?
A: We plan to use a walk, crawl, run approach to develop hockey on the island. The most attainable form of hockey is ball hockey so that is where we plan to begin our efforts, that will grow into inline hockey which will then eventually grown into ice hockey with a new ice arena focused on ice hockey exclusively. We plan to begin our efforts by collaborating with existing athletic groups on the island with hopes to schedule an event in the greater San Juan area during the months of March and/or April. We will soon post our full in-depth development plan on our website.
Q: How many Men’s Teams are there? How many Women’s teams are there?
A: There will be 1 Men’s and 1 Women’s National team roster. These rosters will comprise of 28 skaters and 4 goalies each calendar year and will trim down to 28 players for IIHF events. There is still a place for players to play outside of the National Teams. We host a variety of recreational teams that still have an opportunity to compete and represent the nation of Puerto Rico. For example, at the 2022 LATAM Cup we plan to enter 3 Men’s teams.
Q: What is Serie de Primavera?
A: Serie de Primavera is our spring evaluation camp taking place in Chicago in May. It has been turned into an event in order to market to the local community, bring fans into the building and to raise awareness for the association.
Q: What is the LATAM Cup?
A: The LATAM Cup is an annual amateur, international tournament. It is currently the top championship circuit for Latin American and Caribbean ice hockey. It takes place in Coral Springs, FL.
Q: How many teams will compete in the 2022 LATAM Cup?
A: As of now, we anticipate placing Team Puerto Rico in the following divisions: One Division 1 (full-check) Men’s team, Two Division 2 (non-check) Men’s teams, One Women’s Division team, One U20 team, One U16 team and One U14 team. We will also arrange Team Caribbean again for at minimum a U16 and U12 team with hopes to add more.
Q: Will there be opportunities to compete on a Women’s team outside of the national team?
A: Yes. We are extremely focused on the development of talent at all ages and therefore see a need to have other places for our Women’s players to play that won’t be on the ice competing with the national team in upcoming events. We are still working through the options for this second team. The most important thing now is to spread the word - right now we are at about 30% female membership but we need more women’s players!
Q: Will there be another Team Caribbean? How does Team Caribbean work?
A: Team Caribbean will continue to be a part of the association. Team Caribbean is a place for players who do not currently have a national team to represent their nations. The primary nations where players have heritage from are: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados. Team Caribbean started at the 2021 LATAM Cup with a U16 and a U12 team.
Q: What are the expectations and requirements of being a part of the association?
A: Any player or member in an other role is not required to attend a specific number of events as a requirement. It is encouraged to attend as many as possible but there is not currently a requirement post-registration. Most of our player-members will attend more than one event per year.
Q: What is the current status of fundraising and sponsorships?
A: We currently have two small sponsors. For fundraising we will have efforts through merchandise sales, raffles at events and ticket sales. We are currently looking for larger sponsors, donors and fundraisers so if you have any leads please direct them are way!
Q: How can I help the association?
A: This is a question that gets asked a lot and we are so grateful for the support we have received. The top way to help the association is to follow us on our social media channels and to spread the word about the association. The association gets stronger with each new member and supporter. The next way to help the association is to volunteer. You can do this by registering for other roles on the website. You can also help support the association by providing feedback and bringing new leads for sponsorship and/or top supporters - if you know an individual or company you think could help accelerate the organizations goals please refer them to us by emailing.
Q: Will the association participate in any major parades?
A: We have looked at the major national parades and although there is a cost we would love to have a presence at each. Right now in order to get this started we need someone to step up and be the head of our Parades and Festivals Committee to help organize these efforts!
Q: Can I buy Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Merchandise?
A: We have gone through a rigorous process of selecting a new, long-term partner as a vendor and will be releasing this information along with an online store during the month of March 2022.