photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation
It started off as the Pan-Am Tournament in 2014, a five-team event played at the Ice Dome in Mexico City with teams also from Canada, Columbia, Argentina, and Brazil. After four years, it stopped, but in 2018 Juan Carlos Otero revived the idea, moved it to Florida, and has been growing the event ever since.
This year, the Amerigol LATAM Cup features some 66 teams from 17 nations and about 1,450 players from non-traditional countries, including teams from Greece, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Pakistan, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Israel, Lebanon, Brazil, and the Caribbean. There are men’s teams and women’s teams, senior teams and teams made up of U16, U14, and U12 players. And, for the first time, there is a First Nations women’s team made up of Canadians and Americans of Indigenous heritage.
This year, Pakistan’s men won gold in the top division in just their second year of participation, while its women’s team finished third in their debut. The stunning results made headlines on news channels in Pakistan, a country known for cricket, not ice hockey.
As the website says, the Amerigol LATAM Cup is “designed to break barriers and unite non-traditional hockey markets…This groundbreaking event transcends geographical boundaries, bringing together teams from regions where ice hockey is emerging as a cultural phenomenon.”
“There are a lot of organizations and non-traditional hockey markets looking for an opportunity to play on an international stage, and this provides an opportunity for that,” Otero explained. “This isn’t a tournament for teams from the U.S., Canada, Russia, or Sweden. We truly believe hockey is for everyone, and our doors are open to any non-traditional market.”
All games are played at IceDen and Palm Beach Skate Zone in Wellington, Florida, and the event is supported by the NHL, NHLPA, and Florida Panthers. The long-term objective of the tournament is to give teams that don’t meet the IIHF’s Minimum Participation Standards the chance to play meaningful hockey and hopefully attract attention from national sports federations, investors, and governments at all levels to help grow the sport and build arenas where currently none exist. And maybe one day to play at official IIHF tournaments.
In addition to the official tournament games, there were also some exhibition games, one in particular that made history. For the first time ever, a team from Pakistan played a team from India. The Indian team was supposed to play Mexico, but both teams ran into travel difficulties. Pakistan, however, happily filled in.
“A team from Pakistan and a team from India have never played against one another on the ice, and to have it done in Florida at the LATAM Cup makes it that much more special,” said Lali Toor, an India team organizer and co-founder of Apna Hockey, which offers support for South Asian hockey players in Canada. “It was really cool to see just the relationship, the respect for one another, and the love of the game coming out of both countries.”
This year, the Amerigol LATAM Cup features some 66 teams from 17 nations and about 1,450 players from non-traditional countries, including teams from Greece, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Pakistan, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Israel, Lebanon, Brazil, and the Caribbean. There are men’s teams and women’s teams, senior teams and teams made up of U16, U14, and U12 players. And, for the first time, there is a First Nations women’s team made up of Canadians and Americans of Indigenous heritage.
This year, Pakistan’s men won gold in the top division in just their second year of participation, while its women’s team finished third in their debut. The stunning results made headlines on news channels in Pakistan, a country known for cricket, not ice hockey.
As the website says, the Amerigol LATAM Cup is “designed to break barriers and unite non-traditional hockey markets…This groundbreaking event transcends geographical boundaries, bringing together teams from regions where ice hockey is emerging as a cultural phenomenon.”
“There are a lot of organizations and non-traditional hockey markets looking for an opportunity to play on an international stage, and this provides an opportunity for that,” Otero explained. “This isn’t a tournament for teams from the U.S., Canada, Russia, or Sweden. We truly believe hockey is for everyone, and our doors are open to any non-traditional market.”
All games are played at IceDen and Palm Beach Skate Zone in Wellington, Florida, and the event is supported by the NHL, NHLPA, and Florida Panthers. The long-term objective of the tournament is to give teams that don’t meet the IIHF’s Minimum Participation Standards the chance to play meaningful hockey and hopefully attract attention from national sports federations, investors, and governments at all levels to help grow the sport and build arenas where currently none exist. And maybe one day to play at official IIHF tournaments.
In addition to the official tournament games, there were also some exhibition games, one in particular that made history. For the first time ever, a team from Pakistan played a team from India. The Indian team was supposed to play Mexico, but both teams ran into travel difficulties. Pakistan, however, happily filled in.
“A team from Pakistan and a team from India have never played against one another on the ice, and to have it done in Florida at the LATAM Cup makes it that much more special,” said Lali Toor, an India team organizer and co-founder of Apna Hockey, which offers support for South Asian hockey players in Canada. “It was really cool to see just the relationship, the respect for one another, and the love of the game coming out of both countries.”
Indigenous women’s team latest development
The First Nations team was the brainchild of Karen Ota-O’Brien, who was the co-founder of the Florida Women’s Hockey League and founder of the Lucky Pucks Hockey Club, which provides women with a welcoming place to play hockey. Ota-O’Brien was named USA Hockey’s Adult Player of the Year in 2023 for her contributions to adult hockey.Ota-O’Brien brought her enthusiasm to the Amerigol LATAM Cup, putting together a team “selected on experience, not necessarily on calibre and age,” she explained. “This inaugural team brings together elite Indigenous athletes from across Canada and the United States, uniting through hockey to honour their ancestors, celebrate their cultures, and inspire future generations.”
Ota-O’Brien, a member of the Simpcw people of the Secwepemc Nation, continued: “This team is about more than winning games. It’s about bringing recognition to First Nations through something we all love — hockey. These women are playing not just for themselves, but for their communities, their families, and the generations to come. I wanted to connect with my own heritage as well as bring exposure to our First Nations women's community.”
In all, the First Nations team was comprised of players from 12 communities in North America, including Chippewas of the Thames, Choctaw, Mohawk, Batchewana, Siuslaw, and Ojibway.
2025 Amerigol LATAM Cup Champions
- Men’s Division I—Puerto Rico 6-Armenia 1
- Men’s Division II—Greece 3-Chile 2 (7OT)
- Men’s Division III—Pakistan 6-Peru 1
- Women’s Division 1—Lucky Pucks 6-Greece 1
- Women’s Division II—Caribbean 3-First Nations 1
- U16—Venezuela 3-Columbia 2 (2OT)
- U14—Columbia 7-Puerto Rico 1
- U12—Brazil 8-Caribbean 3