South Africa men's national ice hockey team
| Nickname(s) | Rhinos |
|---|---|
| Association | South African Ice Hockey Federation |
| Head coach | Gavin Smith |
| Assistants | Mogamat Kamish |
| Captain | Uthman Samaai |
| Most games | Jack Valadas (95) |
| Top scorer | Michael Edwards (41) |
| Most points | Michael Edwards (82) |
| Home stadium | GrandWest Ice Station[1] |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | RSA |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 46 1 (26 May 2025)[2] |
| Highest IIHF | 37 (2003) |
| Lowest IIHF | 52 (2022) |
| First international | |
| Yugoslavia 12–3 (Lausanne, Switzerland; 3 March 1961) | |
| Biggest win | |
| 33–1 Armenia (Mexico City, Mexico; 7 March 2005) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Kazakhstan 32–0 (Bled, Slovenia; 16 March 1993) | |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 33 (first in 1961) |
| Best result | 19th (1961, 1966) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 63–97–1 | |
The South Africa national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of South Africa. The team is controlled by the South African Ice Hockey Federation and has been a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 25 February 1937. As of 27 May 2024, South Africa is currently ranked 47th in the IIHF World Ranking and competes in Division III of the IIHF World Championships. South Africa is the only African-based team that competes in IIHF tournaments.
The current crest on the team jersey consists of a rhino, with the previous one being the crest of the National Sports Council or various iterations of the national flag.[3][4][5]
World Championship record
| Year | City | Country | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Geneva & Lausanne | Switzerland | 5th place in Group C (19th) |
| 1966 | Jesenice | Yugoslavia | 3rd place in Group C (19th) |
| 1992 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 2nd place in Group C2 (28th) |
| 1993 | Bled | Slovenia | 12th place in Group C (32nd) |
| 1994 | Barcelona | Spain | 8th place in Group C2 (35th) |
| 1995 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 8th place in Group C2 (37th) |
| 1997 | Ankara | Turkey | 1st Group E (NR) |
| 1998 | Krugersdorp | South Africa | 5th place in Group D (37th) |
| 1999 | Krugersdorp | South Africa | 5th place in Group D (37th) |
| 2000 | Reykjavík | Iceland | 4th place in Group D (37th) |
| 2001 | Majadahonda | Spain | 4th place in Division IIA (36th) |
| 2002 | Cape Town | South Africa | 5th place in Division II Group A (37th) |
| 2003 | Seoul | South Korea | 5th place in Division II Group A (38th) |
| 2004 | Elektrėnai | Lithuania | 6th place in Division II Group B (40th) |
| 2005 | Mexico City | Mexico | Silver in Division III (42nd) |
| 2006 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 6th place in Division II Group A (40th) |
| 2007 | Dundalk | Ireland | 4th place in Division III (44th) |
| 2008 | Kockelscheuer | Luxembourg | Silver in Division III (42nd) |
| 2009 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 6th in Division II Group B (40th) |
| 2010 | Yerevan | Armenia | Bronze in Division III Group B (44th) |
| 2011 | Cape Town | South Africa | Silver in Division III (42nd) |
| 2012 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 6th in Division II Group B (39th) |
| 2013 | Cape Town | South Africa | Gold in Division III (41st) |
| 2014 | Jaca | Spain | 5th in Division II Group B (39th) |
| 2015 | Cape Town | South Africa | 6th in Division II Group B (40th) |
| 2016 | Istanbul | Turkey | Silver in Division III (42nd) |
| 2017 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 5th in Division III (45th) |
| 2018 | Cape Town | South Africa | 5th in Division III (45th) |
| 2019 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 6th in Division III (46th) |
| 2020 | Cape Town | South Africa | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[6] |
| 2021 | Cape Town | South Africa | All lower division tournaments cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[7] |
| 2022 | Cape Town | South Africa | Gold in Division III Group B (42nd) |
| 2023 | Cape Town | South Africa | Bronze in Division III Group A (43rd) |
| 2024 | Bishkek | Kyrgyzstan | 5th in Division III Group A (45th) |
| 2025 | Istanbul | Turkey | 4th in Division III Group A (44th) |
All-time record against other national teams
Defunct national teams are listed in italics.
Last match update: 16 March 2024[8]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Tied | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Diff | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia[a] | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 | +37 | 100.00% |
| Australia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 63 | −40 | 0.00% |
| Belgium | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 88 | −71 | 10.00% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | +24 | 100.00% |
| Bulgaria | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 54 | −40 | 12.50% |
| China | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 17 | –12 | 0.00% |
| Chinese Taipei | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 21 | –2 | 50.00% |
| Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | –10 | 0.00% |
| Denmark | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | –13 | 0.00% |
| Estonia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 51 | −48 | 0.00% |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0.00% |
| Georgia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 88.00% |
| Greece | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 8 | +42 | 100.00% |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 100.00% |
| Hungary | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 57 | −50 | 0.00% |
| Iceland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 15 | –1 | 66.67% |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 66.67% |
| Israel | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 46 | −25 | 12.50% |
| Italy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 35 | −33 | 0.00% |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | −32 | 0.00% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0.00% |
| Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 0.00% |
| Luxembourg | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 30 | +29 | 63.64 |
| Mexico | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 37.50% |
| Mongolia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 9 | +41 | 100.00% |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 0.00% |
| New Zealand | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 69.23% |
| North Korea | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 18 | −20 | 25.00% |
| Romania | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 33 | −30 | 0.00% |
| Serbia and Montenegro | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 40 | −30 | 0.00% |
| Slovenia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | −29 | 0.00% |
| South Korea | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 46 | −38 | 0.00% |
| Spain | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 67 | −57 | 0.00% |
| Thailand | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 18 | –5 | 25.00% |
| Turkey | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 106 | 19 | +87 | 90.00% |
| Turkmenistan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 33.33% |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | +23 | 100.00% |
| Yugoslavia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 0.00% |
| Total | 161 | 63 | 1 | 97 | 701 | 1 001 | –300 | 39.13% |
All-time record against other clubs and B teams
Last match update: 28 March 2012[9]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Tied | For | Goals For | Goals Against | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEV Vienna | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 33 | −17 | 20.00% |
| EHC Basel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 0.00% |
| HC Lugano | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 0.00% |
| Yugoslavia B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0.00% |
| Steaua Rangers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 0.00% |
| Total | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 31 | 72 | -41 | 16.81% |
Notes
- ^ South Africa's second match against Armenia was additionally changed to 5–0 win for South Africa by IIHF decision. Original results was a 2–9 win for Armenia. The match took place within 2010 IIHF World Championship Division III.
References
- ^ The Ice Station
- ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ "IIHF on Twitter: "Host South Africa won the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III Qualification after two tight wins against Chinese Taipei. Congrats @rsa_icehockey! / Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ Demichiel, Daniel (13 April 2020). "#9 – C. ASHWORTH – SOUTH AFRICA". Gameworn Hockey Jersey Collection (in German). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ Nickerjones (11 September 2018). "Not a hockey jersey you see every day. Team South Africa from the Columbus Draft Tournament". r/hockeyjerseys. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Men's Division II, III cancelled". IIHF. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "South-Africa-Men-All-Time-Results.pdf" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^ "South-Africa-Men-Unofficial-Results.pdf" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
External links
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