Israel men's national ice hockey team
 | ||||
| Association | Ice Hockey Federation of Israel | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General manager | Felix Kozak | |||
| Head coach | Ty Newberry | |||
| Assistants | Pavel Levin Eduard Revniaga |
|||
| Captain | Michail Kozhevnikov | |||
| Most games | Sergei Frenkel (81) | |||
| Top scorer | Daniel Mazour (48) | |||
| Most points | Sergei Frenkel (109) | |||
| Team colors | ||||
| IIHF code | ISR | |||
| ||||
| Ranking | ||||
| Current IIHF | 33  1 (28 May 2023) |
|||
| Highest IIHF | 32 (2014) | |||
| Lowest IIHF | 40 (first in 2011) | |||
| First international | ||||
|
Spain 23–4 Israel (Johannesburg, South Africa; 22 March 1992) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
|
Israel 26–2 Greece (Cape Town, South Africa; 15 April 2011) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
|
Latvia 32–0 Israel (Ljubljana, Slovenia; 15 March 1993) | ||||
| IIHF World Championships | ||||
| Appearances | 28 (first in 1992) | |||
| Best result | 28th (2006) | |||
| International record (W–L–T) | ||||
| 67–84–9 | ||||
The Israel national ice hockey team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בהוקי קרח) is the national men's ice hockey team of Israel. Since 2015, the team's Captain has been Eliezer Sherbatov. Israel was ranked 35th as of May 2017 by the International Ice Hockey Federation. In 2019, the team won the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Mexico City.
Its greatest achievement in its history was winning its division II group in 2005 and being promoted to division I for the first, and thus far only, time. Israel was relegated back to division II a year later.
Ranking
| Date | Rank | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 34 | – |
| 2003 | 35 |
 1
|
| 2004 | 36 |
1
|
| 2005 | 35 |
1
|
| 2006 | 33 |
2
|
| 2007 | 34 |
1
|
| 2008 | 35 |
1
|
| 2009 | 36 |
1
|
| Feb 2010 | 38 |
2
|
| Apr 2010 | 39 |
1
|
| 2011 | 40 |
1
|
| 2012 | 40 | ±0 |
| 2013 | 39 |
1
|
| Feb 2014 | 33 |
6
|
| Apr 2014 | 32 |
1
|
| 2015 | 33 |
1
|
| 2016 | 34 |
1
|
| 2017 | 35 |
1
|
World Championships record
Eliezer Sherbatov drew international attention when he first played in the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship Division III, in Bulgaria, at the age of 13, becoming the youngest player to step on the ice in an under-18 ice hockey world championship. He scored 9 points (4 goals + 5 assists) in 5 games, as the team won a bronze medal, Israel's first in hockey in a championship tournament.
The team was promoted to the IIHF World Championship Division I in 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The following year the team was relegated again to Division II. In 2010, Israel was relegated to Division III.
However, in 2011 the team finished first in Division III Group B, earning a promotion back to Division II. Israel won all five of its games by a combined score of 57–9, and was promoted to the IIHF Division II WHC to be played in 2012. Sherbatov led the tournament in points, goals, assists, and +/-, earning 26 points (14 goals + 12 assists) in just four games. He was named the best forward of the tournament.
At the 2012 IIHF World Championship Division II tournament in Bulgaria, the Israeli team was able to stay in the second division. Beginning in 2015 and still as of 2020, Sherbatov was captain of the national team.
In 2019, the team won the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Mexico City, Israel's first gold medal in hockey. With the win, the team qualified for the World Championships Division 2A. Sherbatov was named Best Forward, and had the best +/- rating, was the top goal scorer, and was the top scorer with 15 points (7 goals + 8 assists) in 5 games.
| Year | Place | Division | Division place | Group | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 30th | Group C2 | 4th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 42 | |
| 1993 | 31st | Group C1 | 6th | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 97 | |
| 1994 | 34th | Group C2 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 36 | |
| 1995 | 35th | Group C2 | 6th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 23 | |
| 1996 | 35th | Group D | 7th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 35 | |
| 1997 | 33rd | Group D | 5th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 28 | |
| 1998 | 35th | Group D | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 19 | |
| 1999 | 33rd | Group D | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 5 | |
| 2000 | 34th | Group D | 1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 7 | |
| 2001 | 32nd | Division II | 2nd | Group B | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 11 |
| 2002 | 34th | Division II | 3rd | Group A | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 22 |
| 2003 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 19 |
| 2004 | 38th | Division II | 5th | Group A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 28 |
| 2005 | 30th | Division II | 1st | Group B | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 11 |
| 2006 | 28th | Division I | 6th | Group A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 47 |
| 2007 | 34th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 24 |
| 2008 | 36th | Division II | 4th | Group A | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 28 |
| 2009 | 38th | Division II | 5th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 38 |
| 2010 | 39th | Division II | 6th | Group B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 55 |
| 2011 | 41st | Division III | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 9 | |
| 2012 | 39th | Division II | 5th | Group B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 22 |
| 2013 | 35th | Division II | 1st | Group B | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 14 |
| 2014 | 34th | Division II | 6th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 37 |
| 2015 | 39th | Division II | 5th | Group B | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 20 |
| 2016 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 33 |
| 2017 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 |
| 2018 | 37th | Division II | 3rd | Group B | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 |
| 2019 | 35th | Division II | 1st | Group B | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 16 |
| 2020 | Division II | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
| 2021 | Division II | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||
| 2022 | 31st | Division II | 5th | Group A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 32 |
| 2023 | 33rd | Division II | 5th | Group A | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 37 |
| Total | – | – | – | – | 151 | 65 | 6 | 80 | 628 | 823 |
Olympics
Israel has tried to qualify for the Olympics three times. In 1996 they advanced past Greece, and were eliminated by Yugoslavia before the main qualification rounds, in trying to advance to the 1998 Olympics.
For the 2014 Winter Olympics, Israel attempted to qualify, going 0–3 in the pre-qualifier.
For the 2018 Winter Olympics, Israel again attempted to qualify. However, they were unable to, going 1–2 in the pre-qualifier.
Team
Roster
Roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
| Goaltenders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Catches | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 1 | Nir Tichon | L | 183 cm | 75 kg | 17 October 1993 | HC Stadion Cheb |
| 25 | Maxim Kalyayev | L | 179 cm | 79 kg | 15 April 1998 | Rishon Devils |
| Defencemen | ||||||
| # | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 5 | Denis Kozev | L | 182 cm | 86 kg | 8 September 1998 | Maccabi North Stars Metulla |
| 4 | Evgeni Kozhevnikov | L | 188 cm | 95 kg | 29 October 1981 | HC Bat Yam Chiefs |
| 10 | Michail Kozhevnikov | L | 183 cm | 88 kg | 29 October 1981 | HC Bat Yam Chiefs |
| 2 | Nir Sigalov | L | 173 cm | 83 kg | 6 April 2005 | HC Rhode Island |
| Forwards | ||||||
| # | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 7 | Roey Aharonovich | L | 175 cm | 71 kg | 7 July 1996 | Bryn Athyn Lions |
| 14 | Itay Ben Tov | L | 180 cm | 83 kg | 24 July 1994 | Maccabi North Stars Metulla |
| 12 | Timur Galeyev | L | 174 cm | 68 kg | 20 June 1996 | Jerusalem Bears |
| 24 | Yuval Halpert | L | 171 cm | 74 kg | 20 September 2000 | Dordrecht Lions |
| 3 | Ariel Kapulkin | R | 176 cm | 77 kg | 19 September 1998 | NYU Violets |
| 22 | Maxim Khubashvili | L | 182 cm | 76 kg | 18 November 1997 | Rishon Devils |
| 16 | David Levin | L | 179 cm | 80 kg | 16 September 1999 | Nottingham Panthers |
| 11 | Daniel Mazour | L | 186 cm | 86 kg | 5 January 1992 | Monfort Ma'alot |
| 9 | Aviv Milner | L | 183 cm | 85 kg | 23 February 1995 | Kfar Saba Kings |
| 15 | Yann Raskin | R | 184 cm | 77 kg | 22 June 2005 | Ayr Centennials |
| 23 | Ori Segal | L | 173 cm | 78 kg | 8 May 2004 | Walpole Express |
| 17 | Ilya Spektor | L | 171 cm | 86 kg | 10 April 1996 | Kfar Saba Kings |
| 6 | Itay Vaitz | R | 185 cm | 75 kg | 22 May 2001 | LeKi-75 |
| 19 | Viktor Vorobiev | L | 182 cm | 86 kg | 24 May 1987 | Kfar Saba Kings |
Notable players
- Maxim Birbraer (only Israeli to be drafted by NHL team)
- Alon Eizenman (ACHA Hall of Fame member)
- Oren Eizenman (played 4 seasons in AHL)
- David Levin (winner of OHL's Jack Ferguson Award)
- Eliezer Sherbatov (first Israeli to play in KHL)
Coaches
List of coaches for each tournament
| Period | Name |
|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | Gideon Lee |
| 1994 | Marshall Uretsky |
| 1995 | Semyon Yakubovich |
| 1996–1997 | Nikolai Epshtein |
| 1998 | Lev Sudat |
| 1999–2000 | Sergei Matin |
| 2001–2004 | Boris Mindel |
| 2005–2009 | Jean Perron |
| 2010 | Boris Mindel |
| 2011 | Sergei Belo |
| 2012–2014 | Jean Perron |
| 2015–2017 | Derek Eisler |
| 2018 | Semyon Yakubovich |
| 2019–2021 | Bobby Holík |
| 2022–present | Ty Newberry |
All-time record against other nations
As of 30 April 2022
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 58 |
| Belgium | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 46 | 60 |
| Bulgaria | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 36 |
| China | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 58 |
| Croatia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 36 |
| Estonia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 79 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Greece | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 13 |
| Hungary | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Iceland | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 29 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Latvia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Luxembourg | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 9 |
| Mexico | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 46 |
| Mongolia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| New Zealand | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 36 | 31 |
| North Korea | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 31 |
| Romania | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 55 |
| Serbia | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 39 |
| South Africa | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 21 |
| South Korea | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 23 |
| Spain | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 68 |
| Turkey | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 11 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| Total | 155 | 66 | 9 | 80 | 631 | 832 |