Non-traditional hockey nations showcasing skills at Challenger Series in Oshawa this weekend

The Campus Ice Centre in north Oshawa will be home to international hockey this weekend as a four-pack of developing hockey nations showcase their talents at the 2024 Challenger Series.

The Oshawa tournament, which opens Thursday morning with an exhibition match between Lebanon and Greece and end with a championship game Saturday, also features national teams from Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

None of the participating nations are full-fledged members of the International Ice Hockey Federation and tournaments like the Challenger Series are a way to promote the game and give the players the opportunity to participate in competitor matches.

Lebanon, in fact, does not have a single arena for players to play, let along a hockey league.

Ricardo Tabet, Lebanon’s General Manager and one of the organizers of the tournament, said the series is about “being on the ice and having high-level hockey” for his players.

“This is where we want to be, Tabet said, adding that organizing the tournament has been a lot of work but has proven to be very successful. “We want to keep the players engaged.”

The series actually began in Chicago in April, with round two in New York last month. Jamaica came out ahead after those tournaments and earns a bye into the championship game, with their opponent determined by the winner of a semi-final between Puerto Rico and Lebanon. Greece was a late entrant into the series so their games in the tournament will be considered exhibition matches.

Next year’s tournament is expected to be bigger, with as many as six teams participating, Tabet said.

“It’s about making people aware of the level of hockey in these nations.”

Jamaica and Puerto Rico have each had one NHL player in their respective histories. Graeme Townsend (Jamaica) played 45 games for Bruins, Islanders and Senators from 1990-93; while Cristobal ‘Boo’ Nieves (Puerto Rico) played 76 games for the Rangers between 2016 and 2020.

Weekend passes for the Challenger Series are available for $30. Friday packages are $10 and Saturday game packages are $15. For ticket information visit Challenger Series.