Support Argentina Ice Hockey

Nicolas Grabenheimer is organizing this fundraiser.

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CAMPEONES & THANK YOU!

This March, Argentina took home its first-ever championship in a national team competition, thanks to an unbeaten performance in the 2022 Dallas Spring Classic. The championship win was a strong boost to our ice hockey program, with a significant amount of mainstream press covering the tournament win. (nhl.com, La Nacion, Clarin). You can read a full account (in Spanish) on Semanario Argentino.

The tournament win was the culmination of almost a decade of dedication and would not have been possible without your support, as several key players would not have taken to the ice without it. Thank you!

Currently, we are preparing to defend our championship against national teams from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Lebanon, Mexico, and Puerto Rico in the 2022 edition of the Latam Cup. You can see updates, scores, and more on our instagram page - icehockeyargentina.

Introduction- "Hambre de Gloria y Espiritu Amateur"

(Hunger for Glory with an Amateur Spirit)

The Argentine national ice hockey team is comprised 100% of amateur athletes. This means that our players strive to hold themselves to the standards expected of national team athletes who represent their country, while at the same time the team and its supporters make great personal sacrifices to don the Argentina jersey. Sacrifices which go far beyond the discipline, training and commitment their sport requires.

Why We Need Your (Continued) Support

Your contribution will go entirely to supporting travel, accommodation, and above all training and ice time costs of the Argentine Men's national team in their upcoming participations at the first edition of the 4th edition of the Latam Cup to be held in September of 2022.

Most importantly, it will help us put our best players on the ice and give them the best preparation possible in order to achieve our 2023 objectives, which are to defend the Dallas Spring Classic in March, and then secure Argentina's first ever participation in the IIHF sanctioned "Development Cup," likely to be held in Germany, which would mark the first participation of the Argentine national team in international competition outside of the Americas.

The team receives limited support from the Argentine Olympic Committee as well as the "Ente Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo," but athletes pay for equipment, travel, and training time largely out of their own pocket. Despite the team's willingness to personally incur costs as well as fundraising efforts, many decisions affecting the team's international tournament preparation and participation are very much based on financial considerations. Sometimes the team roster is short due to key players not being able to afford the cost of a competition, and sometimes the team doesn't compete at all due to financial constraints.

(Argentina is for example not participating in the 2022 edition of the IIHF Development Cup, to be held in May of 2022 in Germany).

Not only is ice hockey an expensive sport, but the geographic location of Argentina at the Southernmost tip of South America means that travel costs for our team are often significantly higher than those faced by other South American squads, putting us at a disadvantage. (Not to mention that several of our players are from Ushuaia, the world's Southernmost city...adding significant extra travel costs).

All contributions, no matter how big or small, are greatly appreciated and will help to ensure Argentina can field the most competitive squad possible by ensuring our decisions are based on sporting considerations rather than financial constraints.

About the Team

The Argentina Men's national ice hockey team played its first official match in February of 2012 against Mexico, in Mexico City.

Since then, the team has competed in four editions of the International Ice Hockey Federation sanctioned Pan American Ice Hockey tournament together with national teams from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil, obtaining the bronze medal in the 2017 edition.

In 2018, 2019, and 2021 Argentina participated in the first ever editions of the Latam Cup, held at the Panthers Ice Den in Coral Springs, Florida, with victories against Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico before a semi-final elimination in 2018 and a quarter final eliminations in both 2019 and 2021 (due to COVID, there was no 2020 edition of the tournament).

This 2022, after winning the first ever edition of the Dallas "Spring Classic" in March (hosted by the Dallas Stars NHL franchise), Argentina will compete in the 4th edition of the Latam Cup in Miami in September. For 2023, our objectives are the Dallas Spring Classic title defense, as well as the first ever IIHF Development Cup participation.

The Argentine national team is organized under the umbrella of the "Asociacion Argentina de Hockey Sobre Hielo y en Linea," an affiliate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, as well as a nationally recognized entity by the Argentine Olympic Committee and the "Ente Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo."

About the Players

Our players come from all walks of life and range in ages from 16 to 40. Many of our players either still live outside of Argentina or grew up in places like the USA, Canada, or Germany, where they picked up the love of ice hockey. Matias Weir, born in Argentina but raised in Chicago, currently plays for Florida Atlantic University, while Tomas Abrate was raised in Phoenix before going on to play at Notre Dame University. Nicolas Grabenheimer picked up the sport growing up in Boston, while Nicolas Blachman (currently of the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays) grew up in South Florida, as did the Lim brothers, the Vega brothers, Daniel Ioannou, and Francis Gras.

Juan Mandayo, Matias Weir, and Nicolas Grabenheimer facing off against Colombia

Others are from Ushuaia, the world's Southernmost city and home to Argentina's only Olympic-sized ice hockey rink, as well as not one but two ice hockey clubs. It's there that you might find Pedro Baeza, who is also a youth coach in his free time.

Pedro Baeza coaching young children in Ushuaia

The world's Southernmost ice hockey rink

Finally, many of our players are converts from inline hockey, as Argentina has been a regular participant in IIHF Inline World Championships and Buenos Aires has several inline rinks and competitive leagues. Sebastian Bustos, Mariano Gonzalez Leoni, and Owen Haiek are all veterans of numerous IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships who have made the jump to ice hockey, with Owen Haiek even attending and graduating from the Ontario Hockey Academy.