Meet Brazil Ice Hockey

2024 Dream Nations Cup Results:

Did not participate

Team Brazil Brings Experience to Dream Nation’s Cup

While Team Brazil will be taking the ice in the Dream Nation’s Cup for the first time this year, the program is one of the more experienced teams in the field. Brazil Ice Hockey, along with the São Paulo Ice Hockey Federation, was founded in 2007 to grow Ice Hockey in Brazil and for Brazilians around the world. One of the prominent figures in the program’s founding was founder and president Alexandre Capelle. 

Capelle started his journey in hockey at a young age and took to the sport immediately. After falling in love with hockey, he spent time in Toronto, New York and California, getting more immersed in the sport. Capelle returned to Brazil and later founded the federation. 

Since then, the team has seen several big first-time achievements. In 2014, Brazil put together its first national team for an international tournament, playing in the Pan American championships in Mexico. The team won its first medal the next year, securing the bronze medal at the Pan American championship. 

Brazil is also a regular competitor at other international tournaments. The U12 team has been particularly successful at the event, winning in 2022 and 2023.

With a successful history already, Brazil will be looking for a strong result at the 2025 Dream Nations Cup, where they’ll play in men’s division II. They’ll be matched up with newcomer teams, Pakistan and the Caribbean, and the returning team Mexico.

Standing Out at Home

While it’s difficult to compete with soccer, Capelle hopes ice hockey can take hold in Brazil similarly. 

“We are in a soccer country; everyone always thinks about soccer. We’re trying to promote hockey, but sometimes it isn’t easy. With soccer, all you need is a ball. With hockey, it’s skates and other equipment,” Capelle says, “But kids and adults alike are excited when we go to the rink and play hockey for the first time. They say it’s an amazing game, and they love the uniforms. Hockey is a new game for Brazil, but the players enjoy it a lot.”

Events like the Dream Nations Cup and the other events Brazil plays in give the team the chance to feel the pride of representing their country while wearing their home sweater. While getting a team together to play can prove difficult due to their players being spread out across the world, Capelle says that the chance to wear the Brazil sweater is of paramount importance to the team.

“It’s difficult sometimes to get everyone together. All of our players are always playing, and some live in Canada, while others live in the U.S. But they want to go down for the Dream Nations Cup,” Capelle says, “But ultimately, these players are all excited to play with the team. To wear the Brazilian jersey; It’s an exciting opportunity to wear your own country’s jersey and that’s amazing for these players and their family.”

The Future of Brazil Ice Hockey

While Brazil Ice Hockey has done a great job of taking hold in the country during its history, the team has even greater hopes for the program in the future. Brazil Ice Hockey is about more than just success on the ice. The goal of the organization is to be a positive influence in their community. BIH states that their organization’s mission is to help young people become leaders and even professional athletes. They connect the game at all levels, fostering a lifelong love of the sport. Brazil Ice Hockey teaches, promotes, produces, and promotes sports events, providing Brazilians of all ages with the experience of ice hockey, both domestically and internationally.

Capelle says the best way to achieve these goals is by promoting the sport and raising the standard of play and training to be more professional and cutting-edge. 

“We have to change the mentality for our (Brazilian) players.” Capelle says, “We have the model with our players in the USA. To be more professional, you need good facilities; you need to be able to practice more. That’s what we’re trying to do here (in Brazil).”

With the consistently positive results achieved by Brazil’s U12 and other youth teams, the future of the sport seems to be in good hands. The Brazil Ice Hockey team has aspirations of competing on the world stage and is getting better each year. Still, the team is looking for sponsors and support to play in as many tournaments as possible, fund uniforms, and cover all the other expenses of supporting a hockey club. More than anything, Capelle hopes to get more players competing in the sport. 

“I was just talking with our coaches recently, and the most important thing is to bring in new players. We’re thinking about building a base and promoting the team more.” Capelle says, “We have good opportunities, good players, but as a growing sport, we just want more people playing.”

Follow Brazil Ice Hockey’s journey at the social media links below. Catch them at the 2025 Dream Nations Cup in New York City from May 27 to June 1.