Latvia Ice Hockey Exchange

About the Program

From October 18-28, 2024 four female and six male coaches and administrators from Latvia came to the U.S. to participate in an Ice Hockey Exchange focusing on leadership, accessibility and the expansion of the sport. This exchange was made possible by funding from the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Sport for Social Change program.

The participants arrived in New York City where they enjoyed the spectacle of Times Square, toured Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Rangers, took a Statue of Liberty Boat Tour and attended an NHL game between the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Center Arena (capacity of 16,700) in Newark, NJ. While in New York City, they also made a visit to Central Park, and the Empire State Building and Museum.

The group then traveled by train to Burlington, Vermont where they participated in hockey-focused sessions led by the Vermont Junior Catamount’s President Justin Martin at Cairns Arena. Over four days the group delved into topics that included how to run a hockey business, making hockey more financially accessible, dealing with parents, building women’s hockey and breaking down gender barriers, using social media as a tool, and specials needs hockey programming. Additional guest speakers during the program included local hockey experts Dennis Miller who has NHL and Olympic coaching experience, and Michelle Donlon, an athletic director, educator, and coach who promotes the wholistic approach to coaching by supporting the mind, body and spirit of athletes.

The Latvian cohort visited practices and met with the University of Vermont men’s and women’s hockey coaches and players at the Division 1 level. They also attended a Vermont Catamounts (UVM) Division 1 men’s ice hockey game. In addition, the group traveled to tour Middlebury College’s Kenyon Arena and to visit Castleton University’s men’s and women’s hockey practices at Spartan Arena where the Latvian coaches were able to get on the ice with Division 3 coaches and players throughout the day. The group also had meetings with Athletic Directors at Castleton University and the University of Vermont throughout the week. Toward the end of the trip, they attended an exhibition game between Castleton University and St. Michael’s College, and to cap things off they visited Rochester Arena in Rochester, New Hampshire for a Sled Hockey Tournament game between UNH’s Northeast Passage and St. Louis. They then departed the U.S. from Boston Logan airport.