Wikipedia

Philippines men's national ice hockey 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.

Philippines
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationHockey Philippines
General managerImelda Regencia
Head coachVáclav Drábek
AssistantsHarold Alix
CaptainSteven Füglister
Most gamesLenard Lancero (36)
Top scorerSteven Füglister (54)
Most pointsSteven Füglister (114)
Team colors       
IIHF codePHI
Ranking
Current IIHF49 (Increase 2) (26 May 2025)[1]
Highest IIHF49 (2025)
Lowest IIHF55 (2023)
First international
Philippines  10–0  Macau
(Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong; 13 September 2014)
Biggest win
Philippines  17–1  Malaysia
(Pasay, Philippines; 8 December 2019)
Biggest defeat
Uzbekistan  28–3  Philippines
(Hong Kong, China; 14 April 2026)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances4 (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 2nd (2019)
Southeast Asian Games
Appearances2 (first in 2017)
Best result 1st (2017)
International record (W–L–T)
25–8–0
Medal record
Challenge Cup of Asia
Silver medal – second place2019 Kuala Lumpur
Bronze medal – third place2018 Pasay
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2017 Kuala LumpurTeam
Bronze medal – third place2019 PasayTeam
Bronze medal – third place2025 BangkokTeam

The Philippines is currently ranked 52nd in the IIHF World Ranking and 18th in the specialized ranking of Asian teams.[2] The team 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

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Early history

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Prior to 2008, there were no organized leagues, and an unofficial Philippine national team composed of players from selected clubs participated in regional tournaments.[3] 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.[4]

Starting in 2008, ice hockey in the Philippines began to gain traction.[3] 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.[5] During the same tournament, the Philippines played against another national side and won 10–0[6] against a Macau squad, sanctioned by the Macau Ice Sports Federation.[7]

The Federation of Ice Hockey League (FIHL), a national governing body for ice hockey in the Philippines, was established in February 2015.[8] Its formation made efforts to organize a formal national team more structured.[3]

2016: FIHL affiliation

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The FIHL became an associate member of the IIHF on 20 May 2016,[9][10] 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.[3]

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.[11]

Official FIHL tournament debut

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The Philippine national team participated in the 2017 Asian Winter Games,[12] which marked their first official tournament.[13] They competed in Division II of the tournament.[14] The team, captained by Swiss-Filipino Steven Füglister,[15] underwent seven months of training, beginning in July 2016, in preparation for the competition.[16]

The team lost 10–5 in their first official match against Kyrgyzstan.[17] The Philippines secured their first official win as a FIHL member by defeating Qatar with a score of 14–2,[18] 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.[17]

2017 Southeast Asian Games

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Philippine national team players in blue posing as a team on an ice rink
The Philippines national team at the 2017 SEA Games.

The Philippines participated at an ice hockey tournament event of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.[19] 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.[20] The national team finished third behind second placed New York-based Islanders Red and first placed Singaporean side Pandoo Nation.[21]

The Philippine national team mentored by Czech head coach Daniel Brodan[22] started their Southeast Asian Games campaign with a 12–0 victory over Indonesia.[23] This was followed by their game against Singapore which ended with a 7–2 triumph.[24]

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.[25] 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.[24]

The Malaysian organizers decided to suspend Fuglister for the final match against Thailand. The Philippines appealed this decision but failed to overturn the suspension.[25] 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.[26]

2018 and 2019 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia

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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.[27] The team was mentored by American head coach, Jonathan De Castro.[28] 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.[29] 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.[30]

2019 Southeast Asian Games

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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.[31]

IIHF World Championships

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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.[32] They have applied to participate in the inaugural Division IV of the World Championships for the 2020 edition.[30][33] However the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[34] 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.[35][36]

By August 2022, ice rinks have reopened[37] and in October 2022, Finnish instructor Juhani Ijäs has been appointed as head coach and program director of the Philippine national team.[38]

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.[39][40]

Tournament record

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World Championships

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Year Host Result Pld W OTW OTL L
1930 through 2015Not an IIHF member
2016 through 2019did not enter
2020Kyrgyzstan BishkekCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
(was to enter Division IV)
2021All lower division tournaments
cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[41]
(was to enter Division IV)
2022Withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic[42]
(was to enter Division IV)
2023Mongolia Ulaanbaatar 52nd place
(1st in Division IV)		32100
2024Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo50th place
(4th in Division III B)		52003
2025Mexico Queretaro51st place
(5th in Division III B)		51013
2026Hong Kong Hong Kong52nd place
(6th in Division III B)		50005
Total4/41851111

Asian Winter Games

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Year Host Result Pld W OTW OTL L
1986 through 2011did not enter
2017Japan Sapporo13th place
(3rd in Division II)		43001
2025China Harbindid not qualify
Total1/143001

Challenge Cup of Asia

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Year Host Result Pld W OTW OTL L
2008 through 2017did not participate
2018Philippines Pasay 3rd Place43001
2019Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 2nd Place54001
2020Singapore SingaporeCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Total2/1297002

SEA Games

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Year Host Result Pld W OTW OTL L
2017Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 1st place43100
2019Philippines Pasay 3rd Place64002
2025Thailand Bangkok 3rd Place62004
Total3/3169106

Team

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Current roster

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Roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division III B.[43]

Head coach: Finland Juhani Ijäs

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Club
1GIrell Perez1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)74 kg (163 lb)10 June 1984 (aged 39)Philippines Mustangs
2DLR Lancero1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)72 kg (159 lb)2 July 1995 (aged 27)Philippines Manila Hawks
3FKenwrick Sze1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)96 kg (212 lb)13 December 2004 (aged 18)Philippines Krazy to the Max
6FJohn Glenn Lagleva1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)52 kg (115 lb)6 June 2004 (aged 18)Philippines Mustangs
7FCarl Montano1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)98 kg (216 lb)11 September 1983 (aged 39)Philippines Manila Hawks
8DPatrick Syquiatco1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)80 kg (180 lb)25 April 1995 (aged 30)Philippines Manila Hawks
11DJann So Tiong1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)89 kg (196 lb)1 February 2002 (aged 21)Philippines Mustangs
12DEinzenn Ham1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (200 lb)16 December 2003 (aged 19)Philippines Mustangs
16FPatrick Daniel Abis1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)66 kg (146 lb)28 September 2003 (aged 19)Philippines Manila Hawks
18FJan Aro Regencia1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)58 kg (128 lb)18 October 2000 (aged 22)Philippines Krazy to the Max
20FCarlo Angelo Tigaronita1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)80 kg (180 lb)8 July 2002 (aged 20)Philippines Manila Hawks
22DDan Carlo Pastrana1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)60 kg (130 lb)9 May 2005 (aged 19)Philippines Manila Hawks
23FKenneth Stern1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)78 kg (172 lb)25 April 1988 (aged 35)Philippines Manila Hawks
24DEishner Jigsmac Sibug1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)72 kg (159 lb)14 April 1999 (aged 23)Philippines Mustangs
25FSteven Füglister1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (200 lb)25 January 1986 (aged 37)Philippines Manila Hawks
30GGianpietro Iseppi1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)90 kg (200 lb)24 April 1982 (aged 40)Philippines Manila Hawks
61DManvil Billones1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)75 kg (165 lb)1 November 1993 (aged 29)Philippines Mustangs
91FJorell Crisostomo1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)63 kg (139 lb)25 April 2000 (aged 22)Philippines Manila Hawks
96FBJ Imperial1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)80 kg (180 lb)25 April 1999 (aged 23)Philippines Manila Hawks

Coaching history

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Year Coach GC W OTW OTL L Pts
2017 Czech Republic Daniel Brodan[22] 8 6 1 0 1 20
2018 United States Jonathan De Castro 5 4 0 0 1 12
2019 Czech Republic Daniel Brodan[44] 11 8 0 0 3 24
2022–2026 Finland Juhani Ijäs [fi] 13 5 1 1 7 17
2026– Czech Republic Václav Drábek[45] 5 0 0 0 5 0

Fixtures and results

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Against other national teams[46]
Opponent Date Score Scores by period Tournament Host venue
 Mongolia April 27, 2025 7–13 3–6, 3–4, 1–3 IIHF World Championship – Division III Lakeside Ice Park, Querétaro
 Mexico April 28, 2025 1–9 1–4, 0–3, 0–2
 Hong Kong April 30, 2025 2–17 1–6, 0–7, 1–4
 North Korea May 2, 2025 5–6 1–1, 3–2, 1–2
OT: 0–1
 Singapore May 3, 2025 7–1 1–0, 1–0, 5–1

All-time record against other national teams

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Last match update: 3 May 2025[46]

Key
    Positive balance (more Wins)
    Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
    Negative balance (more Losses)
Team GP W T L GF GA
 Bosnia and Herzegovina100136
 Hong Kong2002726
 Indonesia3300341
 Iran1100142
 Kuwait3300353
 Kyrgyzstan1001510
 Macau1100100
 Malaysia44004713
 Mongolia53023034
 Mexico100119
 Oman110090
 North Korea2002716
 Qatar2200284
 Singapore87015618
 Thailand31021021
Total3826012296163

References

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  1. ↑ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. May 26, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  2. ↑ "2025 AIH Ranking of Asian Men's National Ice Hockey Teams – OFFICIAL". AsianIceHockey.com. August 1, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "A cooling trend". IIHF. July 28, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Japan Team Wins Hong Kong Hockey Tournament". Hong Kong Amateur Hockey Club. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  5. ↑ "2014 HKAHC Invitational Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament" (in English and Chinese). Hong Kong Amateur Hockey Club. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ "2014 HKAHC Tour Schedule" [2014 HKAHC Tour Schedule]. Hong Kong Amateur Hockey Club. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ "2014 HKAHC Invitational Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament Teams" [2014 HKAHC Invitational Amateur Ice Hockey Tournament Teams] (in English and Chinese). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ Henson, Joaquin (October 25, 2015). "Pinoys break ice in hockey". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Philippines". IIHF. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  10. ↑ "IIHF grows in Asia". iihf.com. May 21, 2016. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  11. ↑ "2016 HKAHC Tour Schedule". Hong Kong Amateur Club. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  12. ↑ "29 Filipino athletes to compete in 2017 Asian Winter Games". Manila Bulletin. Manila, Philippines. November 25, 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Southeast Asian newcomers". IIHF. March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  14. ↑ "PH hockey team off to Japan for Asian Winter Games". ABS-CBN News. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Steven Füglister at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com.
  16. ↑ Gamboa, Ray Butch (February 25, 2017). "Ice hockey for Pinoys – why not". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  17. 1 2 "PH Ice Hockey Team ranks 3rd in Asian Winter Games". Philippine News Agency. February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  18. ↑ Ellis, Steven (February 23, 2017). "Philippines Win First Official Game, Thailand in Good Standing". National Teams of Hockey. Eurohockey.com. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Exciting times for Asia". IIHF. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  20. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (June 16, 2017). "PHIT tournament a big part of Philippine ice hockey team's buildup for SEA Games". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Quest:2017 Philippine Ice Hockey Tournament". Business & Leisure. Sunshine Television. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  22. 1 2 "Team Roster Philippines (PHI) – Ice Hockey Southeast Asian Games" (PDF). IIHF. August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  23. ↑ "SEA Games: PH ice hockey team shuts down Indonesia". ABS-CBN News. August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  24. 1 2 Terrado, Reuben (August 24, 2017). "Philippine ice hockey team moves past Malaysia and into gold medal match against Thais". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  25. 1 2 Valderrama, Aeron Paul (September 2, 2017). "Tough ordeals make historic gold worth it for Ice Hockey Team". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  26. ↑ Songalia, Ryan (August 24, 2017). "Philippines defeats Thailand to win first ever SEA Games ice hockey gold". Rappler. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  27. ↑ Manez, Mark (March 27, 2018). "Philippines hosts 2018 IIHF Challenge Cup". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  28. ↑ "IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia – Team Roster (PHI – Philippines)" (PDF). IIHF. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  29. ↑ Palmer, Dan (April 8, 2018). "Mongolia win IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia on goal difference". Inside the Games. Dunsar Media Company Limited. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  30. 1 2 Valderama, Aeron Paul (March 9, 2019). "Philippine Hockey Team goes one better with silver in Challenge Cup 2019". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  31. ↑ "PH ice hockey, tennis teams for 30th SEA Games get support from Kaspersky". Philippine Information Agency. July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  32. ↑ "After SEA Games, Pinoy Mighty Ducks now eye World Championships". August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Philippine hockey jersey displayed in Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame". The Philippine Star. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  34. ↑ "IIHF cancels March tournaments". IIHF. March 2, 2020.
  35. ↑ Merk, Martin (December 13, 2021). "Debut for Philippines postponed". IIHF. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  36. ↑ Mangubat, Lio (December 14, 2021). "Unable to train for 18 months, PH withdraws from hockey world championships". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  37. ↑ "ICE to see you again at SM Skating". Manila Bulletin. August 11, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  38. ↑ Cua, Aric John Sy (October 6, 2022). "Hockey Philippines hails new coach". The Manila Times. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Golden debut for the Philippines". IIHF. March 27, 2023.
  40. ↑ Fuertes, Rommel Jr (March 28, 2023). "PH hockey team earns promotion after unbeaten campaign". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  41. ↑ "IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations". IIHF. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Debut for Philippines postponed". IIHF. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Philippines". IIHF. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  44. ↑ "IIHF – Philippines (2019 Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia)" (PDF). IIHF. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  45. ↑ Cua, Aric John Sy (February 10, 2026). "Czech Vaclav Dravek replaces Ijas as PH hockey coach". The Manila Times. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  46. 1 2 "Philippines Men All Time Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
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