HC Porto
| HC Porto | |
|---|---|
| City | Porto, Portugal |
| League | Liga Ibérica |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Home arena | Various |
| Colours | Navy, white |
| Head coach |  Jim Aldred |
| Captain |  Edgars Svencis |
| Website | www |
| Franchise history | |
| 2023–present | H.C. Porto |
Ice Hockey Club Porto, or HC Porto for short, is a Portuguese ice hockey team based in the city of Porto. Established in 2023, they became the first ever Portuguese team to join the Spanish Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo (LNHH).[1] Since 2024 the team feature in the Liga Ibérica, a combined Portuguese-Spanish league competition.
History
[edit]Ice Hockey Club Porto was established in July 2023 by Portugal national ice hockey team head coach Jim Aldred, with the aim of developing the quality of Portuguese-based ice hockey players.[2]
The team became the first Portuguese team to join the Spanish Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo (LNHH) after an agreement made between the Portuguese Winter Sports Federation, Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation and the International Ice Hockey Federation; however league regulations regarding minimum numbers of Spanish players meant that the Portuguese team would be ineligible to qualify for the post-season Playoff, only featuring in regular season games.[1] Furthermore, due to the lack of full-sized ice rinks in Portugal, an arrangement was made with league officials for HC Porto to play all "home" games at rinks across Spain.[3]
One of the team's first major player signings was former Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Oskars Bārtulis.[4] HC Porto played its first competitive game LNHH on 19 September, losing 8–1 to Majadahonda HC,[5] with Latvian Janis Berzins scoring Porto's first ever goal.[6] On 4 December, HC Porto recorded their first ever competitive victory with a 4–2 win over CH Huarte, and the team eventually finished their rookie campaign with a record of 7 victories and 7 defeats, finishing in 5th position in the league.
On 24 March 2024, HC Porto were crowned Portuguese champions of the inaugural three-on-three Ice Hockey National Championship, with a 10–9 victory over Ice Clube da Covilhã.[7]
On 13 September 2024, HC Porto were presented as participants in the newly created Liga Ibérica de Hóquei no Gelo. The new competition, established through a partnership between the Portuguese and Spanish Winter Sport Federations, announced HC Porto alongside the six leading Spanish teams from the LNHH.[8] On 29 September, HC Porto played their first game in the new league, finishing with a 2–0 victory against Majadahonda.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "HC Porto estreia Portugal na liga espanhola de hóquei no gelo" (in Portuguese). BomDia.eu. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "HC Porto testa qualidade do hóquei no gelo português na Liga espanhola" (in Portuguese). Sapo Desporto. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "HC Porto, a new Portuguese team for the Spanish league" (in Spanish). HockeyHielo.net. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Oskars Bārtulis". 5 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.[self-published]
- ^ "Equipa portuguesa em ação no campeonato espanhol de hóquei no gelo" (in Portuguese). Record. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Majadahonda 8–1 Porto". 19 September 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "HC Porto é o primeiro campeão nacional de hóquei no gelo 3x3" (in Portuguese). Record. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "España y Portugal se unen para crear la Liga Ibérica" (in Spanish). NHL. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Porto 2–0 Majadahonda". 29 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.