Philippines men's national ice hockey team

Last updated

Philippines
Federation of Ice Hockey League PH logo.png
Association Hockey Philippines
ManagerPetronilo Tigaronita
Head coachJuhani Ijäs
AssistantsIan McGrath
CaptainSteven Füglister
Most gamesLenard Lancero (36)
Top scorerSteven Füglister (54)
Most pointsSteven Füglister (114)
Team colors    
IIHF codePHI
Philippines national ice hockey team jerseys 2023 IHWC.svg
Ranking
Current IIHF 49 Increase2.svg 2 (26 May 2025) [1]
Highest IIHF53 (2024)
Lowest IIHF55 (2023)
First international
Philippines  Flag of the Philippines.svg 10–0 Flag of Macau.svg  Macau
(Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong; 13 September 2014)
Biggest win
Philippines  Flag of the Philippines.svg 17–1 Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia
(Pasay, Philippines; 8 December 2019)
Biggest defeat
Hong Kong  Flag of Hong Kong.svg 17–2 Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
(Querétaro, Mexico; 30 April 2025)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances3 (first in 2023 )
Best result50th (2024)
Asian Winter Games
Appearances1 (first in 2017 )
Best result13th (2017)
IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia
Appearances2 (first in 2018 )
Best result Silver medal with cup.svg 2nd (2019)
Southeast Asian Games
Appearances2 (first in 2017 )
Best result Gold medal with cup.svg 1st (2017)
International record (W–L–T)
25–8–0
Medal record
Challenge Cup of Asia
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Kuala Lumpur
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2018 Pasay
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Kuala Lumpur Team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Pasay Team

The Philippines national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of the Philippines. It is governed by the Federation of Ice Hockey League (FIHL), which has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since May 20, 2016. Prior to that, a national team competed in regional tournaments in Hong Kong starting in the 2000s.

Contents

The Philippines is currently ranked 54th in the IIHF World Ranking and has participated in the World Championship since 2023. The team has also competed in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.

History

Early history

Prior to 2008, there were no organized leagues, and an unofficial Philippine national team composed of players from selected clubs participated in regional tournaments. [2] One such unofficial national team, "Manila Pilipinas," competed in the HKAHC Invitational Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament in 2005. They finished as second runners-up in the Bauhinia Division, the lowest of the three divisions in the invitational tournament. [3]

Starting in 2008, ice hockey in the Philippines began to gain traction. [2] The Philippine national team returned to the HKAHC invitational tournament in 2014, where they won the Silver Plate Division, the second highest division of the event. [4] During the same tournament, the Philippines played against another national side and won 10–0 [5] against a Macau squad, sanctioned by the Macau Ice Sports Federation. [6]

The Federation of Ice Hockey League (FIHL), a national governing body for ice hockey in the Philippines, was established in February 2015. [7] Its formation made efforts to organize a formal national team more structured. [2]

2016: FIHL affiliation

The FIHL became an associate member of the IIHF on 20 May 2016, [8] [9] and by July 2016, the federation also became a member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). FIHL’s membership in these organizations allowed it to send national teams, including the men's national team, to official tournaments such as the IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship (formerly the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia) and the Southeast Asian Games. [2]

The Philippine national team returned to the HKAHC Invitational Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament in 2016. They finished as first runner-up after losing 4–3 in overtime to Mitsubishi Corp. in the Gold Plate Division final. The team also faced the Oman national team during the tournament. [10]

Official FIHL tournament debut

The Philippine national team participated in the 2017 Asian Winter Games, [11] which marked their first official tournament. [12] They competed in Division II of the tournament. [13] The team, captained by Swiss-Filipino Steven Füglister, [14] underwent seven months of training, beginning in July 2016, in preparation for the competition. [15]

The team lost 10–5 in their first official match against Kyrgyzstan. [16] The Philippines secured their first official win as a FIHL member by defeating Qatar with a score of 14–2, [17] followed by an 8–3 triumph over Kuwait, which competed as the Independent Olympic Athletes. The team placed third in their division after a 9–2 win over Macau in the play-off for third place. [16]

2017 Southeast Asian Games

The Philippines national team at the 2017 SEA Games. Philippines Ice Hockey Team.jpg
The Philippines national team at the 2017 SEA Games.

The Philippines participated at an ice hockey tournament event of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. [18] To prepare for the tournament, they participated at the 2017 Philippine Ice Hockey Tournament which was held at the SM Megamall Skating Rink in Mandaluyong. [19] The national team finished third behind second placed New York-based Islanders Red and first placed Singaporean side Pandoo Nation. [20]

The Philippine national team mentored by Czech head coach Daniel Brodan [21] started their Southeast Asian Games campaign with a 12–0 victory over Indonesia. [22] This was followed by their game against Singapore which ended with a 7–2 triumph. [23]

This was then followed by their game against Malaysia which saw the ejection of the Philippine captain, Steven Füglister from the game in the first period. He was given a game misconduct penalty for hitting a Malaysian player in a head while pursuing the puck although the skipper said the infraction was an unintentional accident. [24] The match ended with a 7–7 tie after regulation time after an extra five-minute-period which led to a shootout. The Philippines outscored Malaysia to register a win. [23]

The Malaysian organizers decided to suspend Fuglister for the final match against Thailand. The Philippines appealed this decision but failed to overturn the suspension. [24] Despite playing sans their captain, the Philippines wrapped up their campaign, undefeated with a 5–4 win over Thailand and clinched the first ever ice hockey gold medal in the history of the regional tournament. [25]

2018 and 2019 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia

The Philippines hosted the Top Division of the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia from 3 to 8 April 2018, their first IIHF-sanctioned tournament, at the SM Mall of Asia Ice Skating Rink in Pasay, Metro Manila. [26] The team was mentored by American head coach, Jonathan De Castro. [27] The national team settled for bronze after tying in points with champions Mongolia and runners-up Thailand. Goal differences of the three teams with matches against the two other teams, Kuwait and Singapore, disregarded was used as tiebreaker to determine the final standing. [28] The national team improved its best finish in the tournament in the following edition of the tournament in 2019 hosted in Malaysia. They lost to Mongolia in the final settling for second place. [29]

2019 Southeast Asian Games

The Philippines failed to defend their Southeast Asian Games title at home in the 2019 edition of the regional games settling for a bronze medal finish.

Kaspersky, an internet security firm, sponsored their participation in the regional games. [30]

IIHF World Championships

The Philippines' ice hockey governing body, the Federation of Ice Hockey League, from 2017, projects the national team's first participation in the IIHF World Championships within three to five years. [31] They have applied to participate in the inaugural Division IV of the World Championships for the 2020 edition. [29] [32] However the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [33] The 2021 Division IV tournament would also get cancelled. The Philippines' debut in the World Championship would be further postponed, after it withdrew from the 2022 Division IV tournament citing inability to train due to closure of ice rinks in the past two years due to the pandemic. [34] [35]

By August 2022, ice rinks have reopened [36] and in October 2022, Finnish instructor Juhani Ijäs has been appointed as head coach and program director of the Philippine national team. [37]

They would finally make their World Championship debut by taking part in the 2023 Division IV tournament in Mongolia. They swept all three games against Indonesia, the hosts, and Kuwait to earn a promotion to Division III. [38] [39]

Tournament record

World Championships

YearHostResultPldWOTWOTLL
1930 through 2015 Not an IIHF member
2016 through 2019 did not enter
2020 Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Bishkek Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
(was to enter Division IV)
2021 All lower division tournaments
cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [40]
(was to enter Division IV)
2022 Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic [41]
(was to enter Division IV)
2023 Flag of Mongolia.svg Ulaanbaatar 52nd place
(1st in Division IV)
32100
2024 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Sarajevo 50th place
(4th in Division III B)
52003
2025 Flag of Mexico.svg Queretaro 51st place
(5th in Division III B)
51013
Total2/3135116

Asian Winter Games

YearHostResultPldWOTWOTLL
1986 through 2011 did not enter
2017 Flag of Japan.svg Sapporo 13th place
(3rd in Division II)
43001
2025 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Harbin did not qualify
Total1/143001

Challenge Cup of Asia

YearHostResultPldWOTWOTLL
2008 through 2017 did not participate
2018 Flag of the Philippines.svg Pasay Bronze medal with cup.svg 3rd Place43001
2019 Flag of Malaysia.svg Kuala Lumpur Silver medal with cup.svg 2nd Place54001
2020 Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Total2/1297002

Southeast Asian Games

YearHostResultPldWOTWOTLL
2017 Flag of Malaysia.svg Kuala Lumpur Gold medal with cup.svg 1st place43100
2019 Flag of the Philippines.svg Pasay Bronze medal with cup.svg 3rd Place64002
Total2/2107102

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division III B. [42]

Head coach: Flag of Finland.svg Juhani Ijäs

No.Pos.NameHeightWeightBirthdateClub
1 G Irell Perez1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)74 kg (163 lb)10 June 1984 (aged 39) Flag of the Philippines.svg Mustangs
2 D LR Lancero1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)72 kg (159 lb)2 July 1995 (aged 27) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
3 F Kenwrick Sze1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)96 kg (212 lb)13 December 2004 (aged 18) Flag of the Philippines.svg Krazy to the Max
6 F John Glenn Lagleva1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)52 kg (115 lb)6 June 2004 (aged 18) Flag of the Philippines.svg Mustangs
7 F Carl Montano1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)98 kg (216 lb)11 September 1983 (aged 39) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
8 D Patrick Syquiatco1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)80 kg (180 lb)25 April 1995 (aged 30) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
11 D Jann So Tiong1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)89 kg (196 lb)1 February 2002 (aged 21) Flag of the Philippines.svg Mustangs
12 D Einzenn Ham1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (200 lb)16 December 2003 (aged 19) Flag of the Philippines.svg Mustangs
16 F Patrick Daniel Abis1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)66 kg (146 lb)28 September 2003 (aged 19) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
18 F Jan Aro Regencia1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)58 kg (128 lb)18 October 2000 (aged 22) Flag of the Philippines.svg Krazy to the Max
20 F Carlo Angelo Tigaronita1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)80 kg (180 lb)8 July 2002 (aged 20) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
22 D Dan Carlo Pastrana1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)60 kg (130 lb)9 May 2005 (aged 19) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
23 F Kenneth Stern1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)78 kg (172 lb)25 April 1988 (aged 35) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
24 D Eishner Jigsmac Sibug1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)72 kg (159 lb)14 April 1999 (aged 23) Flag of the Philippines.svg Mustangs
25 F Steven Füglister1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (200 lb)25 January 1986 (aged 37) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
30 G Gianpietro Iseppi1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)90 kg (200 lb)24 April 1982 (aged 40) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
61 D Manvil Billones1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)75 kg (165 lb)1 November 1993 (aged 29) Flag of the Philippines.svg Mustangs
91 F Jorell Crisostomo1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)63 kg (139 lb)25 April 2000 (aged 22) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks
96 F BJ Imperial1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)80 kg (180 lb)25 April 1999 (aged 23) Flag of the Philippines.svg Manila Hawks

Coaching history

YearCoachGCWOTWOTLLPts
2017 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Daniel Brodan [21] 8610120
2018 Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan De Castro 5400112
2019 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Daniel Brodan [43] 11800324
2022– Flag of Finland.svg Juhani Ijäs  [ fi ]13511717

Fixtures and results

Against other national teams [44]
OpponentDateScoreScores by periodTournamentHost venue
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia April 27, 20257–133–6, 3–4, 1–3 IIHF World Championship – Division III Lakeside Ice Park, Querétaro
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico April 28, 20251–91–4, 0–3, 0–2
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong April 30, 20252–171–6, 0–7, 1–4
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea May 2, 20255–61–1, 3–2, 1–2
OT: 0–1
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore May 3, 20257–11–0, 1–0, 5–1

All-time record against other national teams

Last match update: 3 May 2025 [44]

Key
    Positive balance(more Wins)
    Neutral balance(Wins = Losses)
    Negative balance(more Losses)
TeamGPWTLGFGA
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina 100136
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 2002726
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 3300341
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 1100142
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 3300353
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan 1001510
Flag of Macau.svg  Macau 1100100
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 44004713
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 53023034
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 100119
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman 110090
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea 2002716
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 2200284
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 87015618
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 31021021
Total3826012296163

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