# Ireland men's national ice hockey team

The Ireland national ice hockey team (Irish: Foireann haca oighir náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the national men's ice hockey team of the Republic of Ireland run by the Irish Ice Hockey Association (IIHA) and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 26 September 1996.
The Republic of Ireland gained promotion to Division II of the IIHF World Championships in 2007, but after a worst performance in their Division II debut, they were then relegated back to Division III. The team is unable to participate in IIHF tournaments since placing 4th with six points in 2013. With the closure of the Dundalk Ice Dome, they can no longer meet their minimum participation standards. In 2017, the team returned at international competition after a four-year absence, and played at the inaugural Development Cup in Canillo, Andorra. They finished as the runners-up after falling 11–4 to Morocco.
The team has had members from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and has a working relationship with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and new Irish clubs, Flyers Ice Hockey Club and Dundalk Bulls.

## History

The Republic of Ireland was accepted into the IIHF in May 1996 after a nomination by Great Britain and a second by Canada. They have not had a long history of international competition, with the Irish national team first competing in 2004.
Early in 2007, Team Ireland moved their headquarters to the Dundalk Ice Dome. It was envisaged that the Ice Dome would become a center of excellence for ice hockey in the Republic of Ireland, and it was here that Team Ireland took silver in the IIHF World Championship Division III and gained promotion to Division II. The next year they were relegated after a last place finish in Division II, but in 2010, they earned a first-place result and again earned promotion to Division II. The next year the took last place in the Division II Group B World Championships and were relegated to Division III which they played in. In 2012 and 2013, earning fourth place in the World Championship each year. They have not competed at a world championship since.

## IIHF World Ranking

As of 30 May 2022, Ireland is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking.

## International competition
### 2004 IIHF World Championship Division III; Reykjavík, Iceland

Game 1. Ireland 3 – Mexico 8
Game 2. Armenia 1 – Ireland 15 Game 3. Ireland 1 – Iceland 7 Game 4. Turkey 7 – Ireland 4 Final result: fourth place, one win, and three losses for 2 points, 23 goals for, 23 goals against

### 2005 IIHF World Championship Division III; Mexico City, Mexico

Game 1. Ireland 23 – Armenia 1 Game 2. Luxembourg 8 – Ireland 4 Game 3. Ireland 4 – South Africa 5 Game 4. Mexico 6 – Ireland 1 Final result: fourth place, one win, and three losses for 2 points, 32 goals for, 20 goals against

### 2006 IIHF World Championship Division III; Reykjavík, Iceland

Game 1. Ireland 0 – Armenia 6 Game 2. Iceland 8 – Ireland 0 Game 3. Turkey 2 – Ireland 2 Game 4. Ireland 3 – Luxembourg 1 Final result: fourth place, one win, two losses, and one tie for 3 points, 5 goals for, 17 goals against

### 2007 IIHF World Championship Division III; Dundalk, Ireland

Game 1. Ireland 11 – Mongolia 0 Game 2. Ireland 2 – New Zealand 4 Game 3. Ireland 3 – South Africa 1 Game 4. Ireland 4 – Luxembourg 3 (OT) Final result: second place, two wins, one overtime win, and one loss for 8 points, 20 goals for, 8 goals against [Team Ireland is Promoted to Division II of the 2008 IIHF World Championships]

### 2008 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B; Miercurea Ciuc, Romania

Game 1. Ireland 1 – Serbia 13 Game 2. Ireland 4 – Bulgaria 7 Game 3. Ireland 1 – Belgium 9 Game 4. Ireland 1 – Romania 21 Game 5. Ireland 1 – Israel 7 Final result: last place, five losses for 0 points, 8 goals for, 57 goals against [Team Ireland is relegated to the 2009 IIHF World Championship Div III]

### 2009 IIHF World Championship Division III; Dunedin, New Zealand

Game 1. Ireland 3 – Greece 7 Game 2. Ireland 3 – Luxembourg 8 Game 3. Ireland 5 – Mongolia 0 (Forfeit) Game 4. Ireland 1 – Turkey 7 Game 5. Ireland 0 – New Zealand 9 Final result: fifth place, one win, and four losses for 3 points, 12 goals for, 31 goals against

### 2010 IIHF World Championship Division III Group A; Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg

Game 1. Ireland 6 – Luxembourg 4 Game 2. Greece 1 – Ireland 3 Game 3. United Arab Emirates – 2 Ireland 8 Final result: first place, three wins for 9 points, 17 goals for, 7 goals against [Team Ireland is Promoted to Division II of the 2011 IIHF World Championships]

### 2011 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B; Zagreb, Croatia

Game 1. Ireland 0 – Bulgaria 6 Game 2. China 5 – Ireland 0 Game 3. Romania 22 – Ireland 0 Game 4. Ireland 4 – Croatia 21 Game 5. Iceland 14 – Ireland 0 Final result: last place, five losses for 0 points, 4 goals for, 68 goals against [Team Ireland is relegated to the 2012 IIHF World Championship Div III]

### 2012 IIHF World Championship Division III; Erzurum, Turkey

Game 1. Luxembourg 7 – Ireland 2 Game 2. Ireland 5 – Greece 3 Game 3. Ireland 3 – Turkey 5 Game 4. Ireland 8 – Mongolia 4 Game 5. North Korea 5 – Ireland 0 Final result: fourth place, two wins, three losses for 6 points, 18 goals for, 24 goals against

### 2013 IIHF World Championship Division III; Cape Town, South Africa

Game 1. Greece 3 – Ireland 6 Game 2. South Africa 7 – Ireland 4 Game 3. Luxembourg 5 – Ireland 0 Game 4. Ireland 1 – North Korea 2 Game 5. Ireland 7 – United Arab Emirates 3 Final result: fourth place, two wins, three losses for 6 points, 18 goals for, 20 goals against

### 2017 Development Cup; Canillo, Andorra

Game 1. Morocco 10 – Ireland 2 Game 2. Ireland 9 – Portugal 4 Game 3. Ireland 5 – Andorra 3 Final. Morocco 11 – Ireland 4 Final result: runners-up, two wins, two losses for 6 points, 20 goals for, 28 goals against

### 2018 Development Cup; Füssen, Germany

Game 1. Macedonia 9 – Ireland 6 Game 2. Portugal 12 – Ireland 4 Game 3. Ireland 6 – Andorra 4 Semifinal. Portugal 10 – Ireland 1 Bronze medal game. Ireland 8 – Andorra 7 Final result: third place, two wins, three losses for 6 points, 25 goals for, 42 goals against

### 2022 Development Cup; Füssen, Germany

Game 1. Liechtenstein 7 – Ireland 6 Game 2. Ireland 7 – Algeria 6 Game 3. Ireland 6 – Andorra 6 Game 4. Ireland 3 – Colombia 3 Game 5. Portugal 4 – Ireland 12 Final result: third place, two wins, one loss, and two ties for 6 points, 34 goals for, 26 goals against

### 2023 Development Cup; Bratislava, Slovakia

Game 1. Argentina 11 - Ireland 6 Game 2. Ireland 4 - Colombia 6 Game 3. Portugal 1 - Ireland 10 Game 4. Ireland 5 - Liechtenstein 6 Final Result: Fourth place, one win, three losses for 3 points, 25 goals for, 24 goals against

### 2024 Development Cup; Bratislava, Slovakia

Game 1. Brazil 0 – Ireland 16 Game 2. Ireland 12 – Greece 3 Game 3. Colombia 1 – Ireland 9 Game 4. Ireland 7 – Argentina 4 Game 5. Ireland 8 – Portugal 3 Gold medal game. Ireland 5 – Portugal 1 Final result: first place, six wins, no loss, and no ties for 15 points, 57 goals for, 12 goals against

## Personnel

* Aaron Guli – Head Coach
* Paul Cummins - Assistant Coach
* Aaron Collins - Assistant Coach
* Greg Ireland - Assistant Coach
* Aeidamar Sally - General Manager
* Patryk Karasinski - Equipment Manager
* Derek O'Neill - Media Manager
* Odhran Duffy - Physio

## Current roster

Roster for the 2023-24 Development Cup
Head coach: Aaron Guli
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
| 1 | G | Jack O'Dea | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 73 kg (161 lb) | 2001 (age 23/24) | Sacred Heart University, NCAA |
| 2 | F | Darragh Bond | | | (1998-10-19) 19 October 1998 (age 26) | Icehawks Eindhoven, Netherlands4 |
| 3 | D | Greg Munday | | | | Without Club |
| 8 | D | Raimonds Karpinskis | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | 70 kg (154 lb) | (1982-12-30) 30 December 1982 (age 42) | Without Club |
| 9 | D | Greg Zaffino | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | (1994-08-07) 7 August 1994 (age 30) | Without Club |
| 10 | D | Tarin McNamara | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | (1999-08-04) 4 August 1999 (age 25) | Without Club |
| 15 | D | Thomas Carpenter - A | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24) | HC Prilly Black Panthers, SwissDiv1 |
| 17 | F | Adam Robinson - A | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 83 kg (183 lb) | (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28) | Edinburgh Capitals, SNL |
| 18 | F | Ronan Weir | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 68 kg (150 lb) | (1996-02-05) 5 February 1996 (age 28) | Without Club |
| 19 | F | David Sally | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 78 kg (172 lb) | (1999-12-09) 9 December 1999 (age 25) | Without Club |
| 20 | F | Nolan Regan | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | (1997-09-09) 9 September 1997 (age 27) | Hockey Punks, Latvia |
| 22 | F | Sam Owen | | | 2004 (age 20/21) | Kilmarnock Thunder, SNL |
| 23 | F | Aidan Connolly | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 77 kg (170 lb) | (2001-05-10) 10 May 2001 (age 23) | Salve Regina University, NCAA III |
| 24 | F | Declan Weir - C | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | (1993-09-10) 10 September 1993 (age 31) | Alpena 45ers, MIHL |
| 28 | F | Jamie Ferguson | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | 70 kg (154 lb) | (2002-05-31) 31 May 2002 (age 22) | Kilmarnock Thunder, SNL |
| 35 | G | Andrew Dickson | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | (1987-11-02) 2 November 1987 (age 37) | Belfast Giants, EIHL |
| 39 | F | Nolan Sheeran | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 91 kg (201 lb) | (1994-04-02) 2 April 1994 (age 30) | Dundas Real McCoys, ACH |
| 54 | D | Sean O'Neill | | | (2000-08-18) 18 August 2000 (age 24) | Solihull Barons, NIHL 1 |
| 55 | F | Harvey Wooldridge | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 80 kg (176 lb) | (2006-10-02) 2 October 2006 (age 18) | Connecticut RoughRiders, EHL |
| 72 | F | Alec Young | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | (2003-12-30) 30 December 2003 (age 21) | Without Club |
| 89 | D | Zac Cummins | | | (2001-07-19) 19 July 2001 (age 23) | Without Club |
| 91 | F | Andrew Stefura | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | (2000-07-22) 22 July 2000 (age 24) | Castleton University, NCAA III |

## All-time record against other nations

Last match: 27 April 2024
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
| Algeria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| Andorra | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 20 |
| Argentina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 15 |
| Armenia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 8 |
| Belgium | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Brazil | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| China | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Colombia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 10 |
| Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 21 |
| Greece | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 17 |
| Iceland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 29 |
| Israel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Liechtenstein | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Luxembourg | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 41 |
| Mexico | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| Mongolia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| Morocco | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 21 |
| North Macedonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| North Korea | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Portugal | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 35 |
| Romania | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43 |
| Serbia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| South Africa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Turkey | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 21 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 |
| Total | 69 | 27 | 3 | 39 | 322 | 412 |