The Israel national ice hockey team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בהוקי קרח) is the national men's ice hockey team of Israel. Israel was ranked 35th as of May 2017 by the International Ice Hockey Federation.[4] In 2019, the team won the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Mexico City.
 | ||||
| Association | Ice Hockey Federation of Israel | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General manager | Felix Kozak | |||
| Head coach | Evgeni Kozhevnikov | |||
| Assistants | Pavel Levin Eduard Revniaga | |||
| Captain | Michail Kozhevnikov | |||
| Most games | Sergei Frenkel (81)[1] | |||
| Top scorer | Daniel Mazour (50)[2] | |||
| Most points | Sergei Frenkel (109)[1] | |||
| Team colors | ||||
| IIHF code | ISR | |||
| ||||
| Ranking | ||||
| Current IIHF | 33  (27 May 2024)[3] | |||
| Highest IIHF | 32 (2014) | |||
| Lowest IIHF | 40 (2011–12) | |||
| First international | ||||
Spain  23–4  Israel(Johannesburg, South Africa; 22 March 1992) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
Israel 26–2  Greece(Cape Town, South Africa; 15 April 2011) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
Latvia  32–0 Israel(Ljubljana, Slovenia; 15 March 1993) | ||||
| IIHF World Championships | ||||
| Appearances | 29 (first in 1992) | |||
| Best result | 28th (2006) | |||
| International record (W–L–T) | ||||
| 67–84–9 | ||||
Its greatest achievement in its history was winning its division II group in 2005 and being promoted to division I for the first, and thus far only, time. Israel was relegated back to division II a year later.
World Championships record
editEliezer Sherbatov drew international attention when he first played in the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship Division III, in Bulgaria, at the age of 13, becoming the youngest player to step on the ice in an under-18 ice hockey world championship.[5][6] He scored 9 points (4 goals + 5 assists) in 5 games, as the team won a bronze medal, Israel's first in hockey in a championship tournament.[6][7][8]
The team was promoted to the IIHF World Championship Division I in 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[9] The following year the team was relegated again to Division II.[10] In 2010, Israel was relegated to Division III.[11]
However, in 2011 the team finished first in Division III Group B, earning a promotion back to Division II.[12] Israel won all five of its games by a combined score of 57–9, and was promoted to the IIHF Division II WHC to be played in 2012.[6] Sherbatov led the tournament in points, goals, assists, and +/-, earning 26 points (14 goals + 12 assists) in just four games.[13] He was named the best forward of the tournament.[13][14]
At the 2012 IIHF World Championship Division II tournament in Bulgaria, the Israeli team was able to stay in the second division.[14] Beginning in 2015 and still as of 2020, Sherbatov was captain of the national team.[15][13]
In 2019, the team won the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Mexico City, Israel's first gold medal in hockey.[16][8] With the win, the team qualified for the World Championships Division 2A.[17] Sherbatov was named Best Forward, and had the best +/- rating, was the top goal scorer, and was the top scorer with 15 points (7 goals + 8 assists) in 5 games.[14]
| Year | Place | Division | Division place | Group | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 30th | Group C2 | 4th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 42 | |
| 1993 | 31st | Group C1 | 6th | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 97 | |
| 1994 | 34th | Group C2 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 36 | |
| 1995 | 35th | Group C2 | 6th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 23 | |
| 1996 | 35th | Group D | 7th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 35 | |
| 1997 | 33rd | Group D | 5th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 28 | |
| 1998 | 35th | Group D | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 19 | |
| 1999 | 33rd | Group D | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 5 | |
| 2000 | 34th | Group D | 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 7 | |
| 2001 | 32nd | Division II | 2nd | Group B | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 11 |
| 2002 | 34th | Division II | 3rd | Group A | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 22 |
| 2003 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 19 |
| 2004 | 38th | Division II | 5th | Group A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 28 |
| 2005 | 30th | Division II | 1st | Group B | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 11 |
| 2006 | 28th | Division I | 6th | Group A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 47 |
| 2007 | 34th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 24 |
| 2008 | 36th | Division II | 4th | Group A | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 28 |
| 2009 | 38th | Division II | 5th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 38 |
| 2010 | 39th | Division II | 6th | Group B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 55 |
| 2011 | 41st | Division III | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 9 | |
| 2012 | 39th | Division II | 5th | Group B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 22 |
| 2013 | 35th | Division II | 1st | Group B | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 14 |
| 2014 | 34th | Division II | 6th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 37 |
| 2015 | 39th | Division II | 5th | Group B | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 20 |
| 2016 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 33 |
| 2017 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 |
| 2018 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 |
| 2019 | 35th | Division II | 1st | Group B | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 16 |
| 2020 | Division II | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[18] | ||||||||
| 2021 | Division II | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[18] | ||||||||
| 2022 | 31st | Division II | 5th | Group A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 32 |
| 2023 | 33rd | Division II | 5th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 37 |
| 2024 | 32nd | Division II | 4th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 26 |
| Total | – | – | – | – | 156 | 66 | 6 | 84 | 645 | 849 |
Olympics
editIsrael has tried to qualify for the Olympics four times. In their first attempt in 1996 for the 1998 Winter Olympics they played Greece in a preliminary match in Metula, which they lost 10-2. However, Greece used ineligible players, so Israel played another preliminary match against Yugoslavia, in Kaunas. Israel lost the game 5-3, but ended up being disqualified anyways due to use of ineligible players from Russia.[19] The scores for both forfeited matches are recorded as 5-0.
Israel's second attempt was in 2012 for the 2014 Winter Olympics, where they were the lowest-ranked country attempting to qualify at 40th place.[20] Israel was placed in a preliminary qualifying group with Croatia, Serbia and Mexico for a round-robin qualifier in Zagreb, in which they lost every game.
In 2015 Israel attempted to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and were placed in the first preliminary round. In their group matches held in Tallinn, they were unable to qualify for the second preliminary round, beating Bulgaria but losing to Estonia and Mexico.
Israel's most recent attempt was in 2019 for the 2022 Winter Olympics. For the first time, they were ranked high enough to skip the first round of qualification, and were placed in the second pre-qualification round held in Brașov. In their group they lost to Romania and Iceland, but were able to beat Kyrgyzstan in overtime.
| Year | Seeding | Round | Group | Place | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Did not enter | ||||||||||
| 1998 | ---- | Preliminary Matches | DQ | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |
| 2002 | Did not enter | ||||||||||
| 2006 | |||||||||||
| 2010 | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 40th | Preliminary Qualifier | Group K | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 29 |
| 2018 | 32nd | Qualification Round 1 | Group K | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 26 |
| 2022 | 33rd | Qualification Round 2 | Group K | 3rd | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 24 |
| 2026 | Did not enter | ||||||||||
Team
editRoster
editRoster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.[21]
| Goaltenders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Catches | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 1 | Nir Tichon | L | 183 cm | 75 kg | 17 October 1993 | HC Spartak Žebrák |
| 25 | Maxim Kalyayev | L | 179 cm | 79 kg | 15 April 1998 | Rishon Devils |
| Defencemen | ||||||
| # | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 14 | Itay Ben Tov | L | 180 cm | 83 kg | 24 July 1994 | Haifa Mariners |
| 12 | Timur Galeyev | L | 174 cm | 68 kg | 20 June 1996 | Jerusalem Bears |
| 4 | Nick Kreimerman | L | 184 cm | 86 kg | 9 August 2005 | Rishon Devils U20 |
| 5 | Denis Kozev | L | 182 cm | 98 kg | 8 September 1998 | Maccabi North Stars Metulla |
| 10 | Michail Kozhevnikov | L | 183 cm | 88 kg | 29 October 1981 | Bat Yam Dolphins |
| 2 | Nir Sigalov | L | 173 cm | 83 kg | 6 April 2005 | Düsseldorfer EG U20 |
| Forwards | ||||||
| # | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 11 | Guy Aharonovich | L | 176 cm | 71 kg | 23 May 2005 | Rishon Devils U20 |
| 3 | Ariel Kapulkin | R | 176 cm | 77 kg | 19 September 1998 | HC Tel Aviv |
| 22 | Maxim Khubashvili | L | 182 cm | 76 kg | 18 November 1997 | Rishon Devils |
| 8 | Gleb Khvoles | L | 175 cm | 73 kg | 4 November 1995 | HC Netanya |
| 16 | David Levin | L | 179 cm | 80 kg | 16 September 1999 | HSC Csíkszereda |
| 21 | Mike Levin | L | 173 cm | 70 kg | 16 October 2005 | Niagara IceDogs |
| 9 | Daniel Mazour | L | 186 cm | 86 kg | 5 January 1992 | Jerusalem Capitals |
| 19 | Pavel Marschyonok | L | 185 cm | 78 kg | 12 July 1994 | HC Netanya |
| 7 | Aviv Milner | L | 183 cm | 85 kg | 23 February 1995 | Kfar Saba Kings |
| 15 | Kirill Polozov | L | 190 cm | 95 kg | 15 January 1991 | HC Bat Yam Chiefs |
| 18 | Yann Raskin | R | 184 cm | 77 kg | 22 June 2005 | Brantford Bandits |
| 23 | Ori Segal | L | 173 cm | 78 kg | 8 May 2004 | Walpole Express |
| 17 | Ilya Spektor | L | 171 cm | 86 kg | 10 April 1996 | Kfar Saba Kings |
| 24 | Yuval Turner | L | 178 cm | 74 kg | 29 March 2004 | Kristianstads IK J20 |
Notable players
edit- Maxim Birbraer (only Israeli to be drafted by NHL team)
- Alon Eizenman (ACHA Hall of Fame member)
- Oren Eizenman (played 4 seasons in AHL)
- David Levin (winner of OHL's Jack Ferguson Award)
- Eliezer Sherbatov (first Israeli to play in KHL)
Coaches
editList of coaches for each tournament[22]
| Period | Name |
|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | Gideon Lee |
| 1994 | Marshall Uretsky |
| 1995 | Semyon Yakubovich |
| 1996–1997 | Nikolai Epshtein |
| 1998 | Lev Sudat |
| 1999–2000 | Sergei Matin |
| 2001–2004 | Boris Mindel |
| 2005–2009 | Jean Perron |
| 2010 | Boris Mindel |
| 2011 | Sergei Belo |
| 2012–2014 | Jean Perron |
| 2015–2017 | Derek Eisler |
| 2018 | Semyon Yakubovich |
| 2019–2021 | Bobby Holík |
| 2022–2023 | Ty Newberry |
| 2024–present | Evgeni Kozhevnikov |
All-time record against other nations
editAs of 27 April 2024
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 50 | 69 |
| Belgium | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 46 | 60 |
| Bulgaria | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 36 |
| China | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 58 |
| Croatia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 53 |
| Estonia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 79 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Georgia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 9 |
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Greece | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 13 |
| Hungary | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Iceland | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 55 | 34 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Latvia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Luxembourg | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 9 |
| Mexico | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 46 |
| Mongolia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| New Zealand | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 36 | 31 |
| North Korea | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 31 |
| Romania | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 55 |
| Serbia | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 44 |
| South Africa | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 21 |
| South Korea | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 23 |
| Spain | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 76 |
| Turkey | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 11 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| Total | 165 | 69 | 9 | 87 | 662 | 895 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Sergei Frenkel profile". eliteprospects.com.
- ^ "Daniel Mazour profile". eliteprospects.com.
- ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "2017 Men's World Ranking". IIHF.
- ^ Alex Di Pietro. "Sherbatov a Montréal Junior". The Suburban. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^ a b c Sammy Hudes (22 July 2011). "Israeli hockey player shocks world; (Video) Eliezer Sherbatov scores unbelievable, made-for-YouTube goal". Ynet.
- ^ Mike G. Morreale (18 July 2011). "Sherbatov scored amazing D-III Worlds goal". National Hockey League.
- ^ a b Marty Klinkenberg (21 August 2020). "Israeli-Canadian Eliezer Sherbatov on his Jewish heritage and playing hockey in Poland". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "2005 IIHF World Championship Div II Group A". IIHF.
- ^ "Final rankings" (PDF). IIHF.
- ^ 2010 IIHF World Championship DIV II Group B
- ^ 2011 IIHF World Championship DIV III
- ^ a b c Murray Greig (24 August 2020). "Israeli's Auschwitz switch causes stir". China Daily.
- ^ a b c "Eli Sherbatov profile – Ели Шербатов Профиль". Eurohockey.com.
- ^ Cramer, Philissa (9 August 2020). "Captain of Israel's hockey team signs to play in Oswiecim, otherwise known as Auschwitz". Cleveland Jewish News.
- ^ Joshua Halickman (3 May 2019). "Gold-medal celebration on ice for Israel hockey". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Abigail Klein Leichman (5 May 2019). "Israeli national ice-hockey team wins gold medal". ISRAEL21c.
- ^ a b "Men's Division II, III cancelled". IIHF. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "Qualifications for the 1998 Olympic Games". Hockey Archives. (in French)
- ^ "Here are the 32 hockey teams asking to be a part of 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics". Yahoo! Sport.
- ^ "2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships Division II, Group A – Team Israel Roster. (Men)". IIHF. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Team Staff History For Israel". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 16 April 2023.