Players from the all-Filipino teams led by Jonathan de Castro, a former Philippines men’s national team coach, come from across the United States and Canada, some from as far as Calgary.
More than 1,500 players are competing this year at the LATAM Cup, representing 16 countries and territories, including Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Venezuela and Indigenous/First Nation tribes.
For Fil-Nation, participating in the tournament is about more than wins and loses, players, coaches and parents say.
“Just to represent the Philippines and Filipino hockey,” said Nick Nieva, a Los Angeles resident whose son Mason skates for Fil-Nation’s U12 team and plays for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings U12 AA team at home. “All over in places like Toronto and California there are a lot of Filipino hockey players. One of the big heroes for a lot of us is Jason Robertson, who plays for the Dallas Stars.”
