Eight teams will go head to head at the men's 2016 Pan American Junior Championship taking place in Toronto, Canada between 20-28 May, as they bid to qualify for December's Hockey Junior World Cup.
Teams competing at the event hosted by the University of Toronto, will all be aiming to finish in the top two in order to guarantee their qualification for the show-piece Junior World Cup taking place in India later this year.
The opening match of the tournament, which begins at 10:00 local time, is a clash between the reigning champions Argentina and up and coming stars Trinidad and Tobago. The event concludes on Saturday 28 May, with the final held at 17:30.
Over the years, the men’s Junior Pan American Championship has proved a springboard to greatness as it provides the best young players opportunity to find their feet on an international stage.
Argentina superstar Lucas Vila was just 19 years old when he played for Argentina in the 2005 Pan-Am Junior Hockey Championship. Talking about that tournament, Lucas says: “I was really excited and anxious at that moment, because for our group this was our first big tournament and it was a very important step to get the qualification to the Junior World Cup.”
For Lucas, junior hockey was the bedrock of a glittering career. “It’s where it all begins... it’s a perfect moment to enjoy the game, maybe with less responsibility that you will get later on, with more freedom to play. It is also the first chance you really have to compare yourself against players from other countries. And off the field, when the match is over, there is even more joy, because all the players are a similar age and everything is new.”
Argentina have won every edition of the Junior Pan American Championship since it began in 1978. Whilst they will be hoping to keep their 100 percent record intact, and in doing so qualify for the Hockey Junior World Cup, for other Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) nations, this is their equivalent of the World Cup.
Darren Cowie is a national hero in Trinidad and Tobago. Captain of the national team and coach to the Trinidad and Tobago junior team, Cowie is one of the island’s leading lights in hockey development.
Darren also played in the 2005 Pan American Junior Hockey Championship. He said: “Being a small hockey playing nation we always struggle to get enough experience in the squad. Nevertheless, the experience was a humbling one and gave me some much needed insight into the international side of the sport.”
Cowie’s words sum up the challenge faced by lower ranked teams. Where the teams of Argentina, Canada, and to a lesser extent USA and Chile, have athletes with a relatively large amount of international experience, for the teams of Puerto Rico, Guyana and Mexico, many athletes will have played very little international hockey. But this is why the championships are so important for the future of hockey in the area.
It is a point reiterated by PAHF President Alberto ‘Coco’ Budeiski. He said: “The PAHF considers the junior tournaments to be vital for our sport. Apart from the fact they are qualifiers for the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, they are the basis for the development of future national teams among the PAHF member countries.”
So who will be the contenders at this year’s event? Well, Argentina is always the team to beat, but there are signs that others are closing the gap. In the 2012 event, Canada pushed the reigning champions close, as they took them to 3-2 in a tense match.
Jamie Wallace will be one of the youngest players in this year’s Canadian squad and he is in no doubt as to where the challenge lies. He said: “We definitely have our eyes on Argentina, however, we are not underestimating any team as we haven’t seen any of them play, except the US, who we know are a strong team."
Jaspreet Gill is an experienced member of the USA junior men’s team. He has been part of the USA U21 roster for six years, making his debut in December 2012 – against Canada.
Despite suffering a broken arm and months away from the game in 2015, Gill has bounced back and will be a key figure in USA’s battle plan in Toronto. “We are hoping for a top three finish,” says Gill, a result which would equal their highest ever finish - achieved in 2008.
Also hoping to achieve Hockey Junior World Cup qualification is four-time silver medallists Chile – a hockey loving nation that is showing great ambition to move up the world rankings. The appointment of former Argentina coach Sergio Virgil to lead the coaching team is a clear signal of the Chile Hockey Association’s intent to make a serious mark on the sport on an international stage.
Virgil has been appointed Technical Director across the national squad structure with the stated aim of helping Chile qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. As he says, “It is not all about the senior team, it is about the juniors and the lower level players. We are making a whole new philosophy for Chile Hockey.”
As Argentina attempt an incredible eleventh consecutive win, the hockey world’s eyes will be on Toronto, watching the stars of the future take to the international stage.
You can watch all of the action live on the FIH YouTube channel by clicking here.
Keep up to date with all the latest scores, results, schedule and news via the PAHF website by clicking here.
And on social media, keep up to date with the event using #JrPanAm2016
