The India national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of India. They are controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of India and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). India has mostly participated in the Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier ice hockey nations in Asia.
History Background of ice hockey in Ladakh
The history of ice hockey in India dates back almost 100 years, when ice hockey was a favourite pastime for the British Raj in Shimla. The Shimla Ice Skating Club is still very active in promoting ice sports in India. In the early 1970s, the Ladakh Scouts, a battalion of the Indian Army posted in the high border regions, took up the game. The high Changthang Plateau's frozen streams and high altitude lakes make the region an ideal place to play ice hockey, and as a result, the game spread amongst the army. The game gained more widespread popularity exhibition matches began taking place in Leh in the winter. With little to do during the region's harsh winters, locals began to play on a small irrigation pond in Karzoo, Leh.
Ice hockey gear was not and is still not available to buy in Ladakh. The few locals who have contacts outside Ladakh have requested friends to get ice hockey skates. The Ladakh Scouts are well equipped as they get their gear through the army. The Jammu & Kashmir department of tourism also had a full set of equipment, but was reluctant to spare any. The only place in India where ice sports equipment is readily available is Shimla, a small hill station in the northwestern part of India, where two Chinese brothers began making skates that are still used today.
Due to the lack of accessible equipment, Ladakhis began to improvise, with the first teams obtaining ice skating blades from Shimla and nailing them to army ammunition boots. Roller skates and ground hockey sticks were also used. To create pucks, locals cut the thick, rubber heels of army boots into a rounded shape. Goalkeepers wore ground hockey pads but lacked helmets; neither helmets nor knee and elbow pads were used by other players. Despite injuries, due to this lack of protective gear, the game has continued to grow in popularity in the region.
National team India made its international debut in 2009 at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, finishing eighth and thus last. In their first game, they were shutout by Thailand 14–0. After two more losses, a 10–0 loss to Mongolia and a 10–1 loss to Malaysia, India, bottom of their group with a goal difference of minus 33, in which they again lost both games. First, they lost to Singapore 5–0, and finally lost to Macau 8–0 in the seventh place game. Two years later, they suffered their biggest international defeat to date at 2–39 against Kuwait at the 2011 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. On 21 March 2012, the national team notched its first international victory at the 2012 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia, they defeated Macau 5–1. India has participated in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia from 2009 to 2018, with the exception of 2010. From 2014 to 2018, they played in Division I of the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. In 2017, India finished second of four teams in Division I tournament (seventh overall). First, they narrowly defeated Oman 3–2, then lost to Kuwait 8–5, and finally won 7–3 over Macau. India participated at the Winter Asian Games in 2025. They lost all the matches except the one against Macau. In the 2024–25 season, the Indian team finished 28th in the AIH ranking of Asian men's national ice hockey teams. India will play in official 2027 IIHF World Championship Division IV for first time ever in its history. India will play with 3 official teams - Men, Women and U20 men.
Tournament record World Championship YearHostResult1930 through 2026 Did not enter 2027 Kuala Lumpur Total
IIHF Development Cup
Year Location Result 2026
Asian Winter Games YearHostResultGFGAGD2025 Harbin 12th place 4 1 0 0 3 7 64 -57Total 4 1 0 0 3 7 64 -57
Challenge Cup of Asia
YearHostResultGFGAGD2008 Did not participate2009 Abu Dhabi 8th place 5 0 0 0 5 1 47 -462010 Taipei City Did not participate2011 Kuwait City 6th place 5 0 0 0 5 2 101 -992012 Dehradun 6th place 5 1 0 0 4 14 50 -362013 Bangkok 10th place 4 0 0 0 4 5 63 -582014 Bishkek 10th place 5 0 0 0 5 9 45 -362015 Kuwait City 11th place 5 0 0 0 5 12 54 -422016 Bishkek 10th place 4 0 0 0 4 14 34 -202017 Kuwait City 7th place 3 2 0 0 1 15 13 +22018 Kuala Lumpur 9th place 5 1 0 0 4 9 22 -132019 Did not participateTotal 9/12 41 4 0 0 37 81 429 -348
Players and personnel Team roster For the 2025 Asian Winter Games # Name Pos S/G Birthdate7 Tsewang Gyaltson (C) D R 11 Sajjad Hussain D R 12 Stanzin Lotus F R 16 Tsering Angchuk D R 17 Ghulam Mustafa D R 18 Stanzin Angchok F R 21 Rigzin Norboo D R 24 Stanzin Namgyal D R 34 Stanzin Phandey G L 37 Angchok Lakdan F R 38 Namgail Tundup G L 42 Mohd Ismail F R 44 Mohammad Ali Baba F R 47 Namgail Tashi F R 68 Angchok Dorjay F R 72 Chamba Tsetan (A) F R 77 Jigmath Kunzan F R 83 Lotus Chamba G L 87 Namgyal Deldan F R 88 Tsewang Dorjay F R 94 Nawang Zangpo (A) D L 95 Namgyal Deskyong D R 97 Tsering Angdus F R
Team staff For the Ice hockey at the 2025 Asian Winter Games Head coach: Darrin Harrold Assistant coach: Amit Belwal Assistant coach: Abdul Hakim General manager: Rajat Malhotra Team leader: Noor Jahan Doctor: Sarthak Patnaik Physiotherapist: Shantanu Mahajan Team staff: Bharat Singh
All-time record against other nations As of 10 February 2025
+ Key Positive balance (more wins) Neutral balance (wins = losses) Negative balance (more losses)
Team 3 0 0 3 0 66 2 0 0 2 3 8 4 0 0 4 11 70 4 0 0 4 6 44 11 4 0 7 31 49 6 0 0 6 15 78 2 0 0 2 0 30 2 1 0 1 8 8 1 0 0 1 2 5 6 0 0 6 11 55 2 0 0 2 0 43 1 0 0 1 1 19 1 0 0 1 1 19 Total 45 5 0 40 88 493
See also India men's national junior ice hockey team India men's national under-18 ice hockey team Indian Ice Hockey Championship
References
External links Ice Hockey Association of India IIHF profile