Donny Khan had a timeline for the Pakistan men’s and women’s hockey teams he helped formed to become successful at the Amerigol LATAM Cup and other tournaments.
“I thought we’d be winning several years from now,” said Khan, who is the NHL’s senior director of hockey development and strategic collaboration. “I didn’t think we’d be doing this in Year 2.”
Pakistan’s men defeated Peru 6-1 to win the Division III championship of the LATAM Cup on Wednesday. They were undefeated (5 -0) in tournament play and the playoffs after winning only one game last year, when they participated in the LATAM Cup for the first time.
The women’s team won the Division II bronze medal in its LATAM Cup debut.
“You can’t do better than this first gold, first cup,” said Kameron Sabir, an Edmonton physician who coached the men’s team. “It’s just an amazing day for the country and ice hockey. The women did such an amazing job too. Tremendous (performance) for their first tournament. They had only 10-12 players, so hats off to them.”
Mariya Rauf, who coached Pakistan’s women, clutched a cricket bat given to her by her players and smiled while watching the men celebrate their victory against Peru.
“Cricket is our national sport,” said Rauf, a junior forward on Yale University’s NCAA Division I women’s hockey team. “But I think after this, it just shows hockey’s growing very single day. This shows that there’s talent and that we’re just going to keep getting better.”
For Peru’s men, the sting of defeat was somewhat eased knowing they reached the championship game in their first LATAM Cup appearance.
“First time Peru has an ice hockey team ever,” captain Christian Clement said. “Our goalie is from Lima, Peru; it was his first time playing in an ice tournament. He’s a roller hockey goalie. We play roller hockey in Peru. We’re pushing hard to play both games, roller and ice. This is how we grow the game in Peru.”
This year’s LATAM Cup features 62 women’s, men’s and youth teams (with four more exhibition teams) and more than 1,450 players representing 17 countries and territories, including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico. The tournament got underway Sunday and continues through Aug. 24.
© Aubrey Corkum
The NHL, NHL Players’ Association and Florida Panthers were among the sponsors of the tournament, which was founded in 2018 by Juan Carlos Otero, a longtime Panthers fan, to help grow the sport within the Hispanic community both locally and internationally.
The LATAM Cup’s growth since 2018 prompted this year’s tournament to take place at Florida Panthers IceDen and Palm Beach Skate Zone in Wellington, Florida. Rob Knesaurek, NHL senior vice president of community development and industry growth, also performed the ceremonial puck drop and received a lifetime impact award by tournament organizers before the women’s Division II championship between Team Caribbean and First Nations.
Most of the countries and territories that competed in the tournament aspire to play hockey on the world stage but don’t have rinks or suitable ice facilities that meet International Ice Hockey Federation regulations, which would allow them to play in sanctioned tournaments or qualify for the Olympics.
The hope is that exposure from winning or competing in the tournament will persuade sports federations, Olympic committees or private investors in those countries and territories to support ice hockey, mainly by building rinks.
© Aubrey Corkum
The First Nations women’s team entered its first LATAM Cup tournament looking to highlight the Indigenous community and its culture through the prism of hockey. The women reached the Division II final but lost 3-1 to an undefeated Team Caribbean (5-0).
“The future is limitless,” First Nations defenseman Tonya Williams said. “There are so many native girls that want to play and deserve to play. Mission accomplished. We’re not done.”
Brazil defeated Venezuela 7-5 in the U12 championship, avenging its loss by the same score in the 2024 title game. Team Caribbean defeated Brazil 5-3 in the U14 championship, led by Gabriel Young, who scored three goals, including the game-winner.
“We’re here to enjoy the game and we’re making it work,” Caribbean coach Jaz Miley said. “We try to give kids opportunities to excel their skills. Being able to bring them here, kind of a farewell tournament before they go to their respective clubs, it’s perfect.”
