Israel men's national ice hockey team
Israel's national ice hockey team
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The Israel national ice hockey team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בהוקי קרח) is the national men's ice hockey team of Israel. Israel was ranked 31st as of May 2025 by the International Ice Hockey Federation and 8th as of August 2025 by the specialized website AsianIceHockey.com.[4][5] In 2019, the team won the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II Group B tournament in Mexico City.
| ||||
| Association | Ice Hockey Federation of Israel | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General manager | Joshua Greenberg | |||
| Head coach | Jevgeni Gusin | |||
| Assistants | Michael Gennello | |||
| Captain | Kirill Polozov | |||
| Most games | Sergei Frenkel (85)[1] | |||
| Top scorer | Daniel Mazour (54)[2] | |||
| Most points | Sergei Frenkel (117)[1] | |||
| Team colors | ||||
| IIHF code | ISR | |||
| ||||
| Ranking | ||||
| Current IIHF | 41  1 (3 June 2026)[3] | |||
| Highest IIHF | 31 (2025) | |||
| Lowest IIHF | 40 (2011–12) | |||
| 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 | 31 (first in 1992) | |||
| Best result | 28th (2006) | |||
| International record (W–L–T) | ||||
| 75–91–9 | ||||
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.
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.[6][7] 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.[7][8][9]
The team was promoted to the IIHF World Championship Division I in 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.[10] The following year the team was relegated again to Division II.[11] In 2010, Israel was relegated to Division III.[12]
However, in 2011 the team finished first in Division III Group B, earning a promotion back to Division II.[13] 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.[7] Sherbatov led the tournament in points, goals, assists, and +/-, earning 26 points (14 goals + 12 assists) in just four games.[14] He was named the best forward of the tournament.[14][15]
At the 2012 IIHF World Championship Division II tournament in Bulgaria, the Israeli team was able to stay in the second division.[15] Beginning in 2015 and still as of 2020, Sherbatov was captain of the national team.[16][14]
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.[17][9] With the win, the team qualified for the World Championships Division 2A.[18] 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.[15]
| Year | Place | Division | Group | Placement | 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 | 1 | 7th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 36 |
| 1995 | 35th | Group C2 | 2 | 6th | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 23 |
| 1996 | 35th | Group D | 2 | 7th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 35 |
| 1997 | 33rd | Group D | 2 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 28 |
| 1998 | 35th | Group D | 1 | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 19 |
| 1999 | 33rd | Group D | 3 | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 5 |
| 2000 | 34th | Group D | 1 |  1st | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 7 |
| 2001 | 32nd | Division II | B | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 11 |
| 2002 | 34th | Division II | A | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 22 |
| 2003 | 37th | Division II | B | 5th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 19 |
| 2004 | 38th | Division II | A | 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 28 |
| 2005 | 30th | Division II | B | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 11 |
| 2006 | 28th | Division I | A | 6th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 47 |
| 2007 | 34th | Division II | B | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 24 |
| 2008 | 36th | Division II | A | 4th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 28 |
| 2009 | 38th | Division II | A | 5th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 38 |
| 2010 | 39th | Division II | B | 6th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 55 |
| 2011 | 41st | Division III | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 9 | |
| 2012 | 39th | Division II-B | 5th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 22 | |
| 2013 | 35th | Division II-B | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 14 | |
| 2014 | 34th | Division II-A | 6th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 37 | |
| 2015 | 39th | Division II-B | 5th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 20 | |
| 2016 | 37th | Division II-B | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 33 | |
| 2017 | 37th | Division II-B | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 | |
| 2018 | 37th | Division II-B | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 | |
| 2019 | 35th | Division II-B | 1st | 5 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 16 | ||
| 2020 | Division II-A | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[19] | ||||||||
| 2021 | Division II-A | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[19] | ||||||||
| 2022 | 31st | Division II-A | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 32 | |
| 2023 | 33rd | Division II-A | 5th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 37 | |
| 2024 | 32nd | Division II-A | 4th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 26 | |
| 2025 | 34th | Division II-A | 6th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 16 | |
| 2026 | 35th | Division II-B | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 14 | |
| Total | – | – | – | – | 166 | 72 | 6 | 88 | 680 | 879 |
Olympics
Israel has tried to qualify for the Olympics four times. In their first attempt in 1996 for the 1998 Winter Olympics they played Greece in a preliminary match in Metula, which they lost 10-2. However, Greece used ineligible players, so Israel played another preliminary match against Yugoslavia, in Kaunas. Israel lost the game 5-3, but ended up being disqualified anyways due to use of ineligible players from Russia.[20] The scores for both forfeited matches are recorded as 5-0.
Israel's second attempt was in 2012 for the 2014 Winter Olympics, where they were the lowest-ranked country attempting to qualify at 40th place.[21] Israel was placed in a preliminary qualifying group with Croatia, Serbia and Mexico for a round-robin qualifier in Zagreb, in which they lost every game.
In 2015 Israel attempted to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and were placed in the first preliminary round. In their group matches held in Tallinn, they were unable to qualify for the second preliminary round, beating Bulgaria but losing to Estonia and Mexico.
Israel's most recent attempt was in 2019 for the 2022 Winter Olympics. For the first time, they were ranked high enough to skip the first round of qualification, and were placed in the second pre-qualification round held in Brașov. In their group they lost to Romania and Iceland, but were able to beat Kyrgyzstan in overtime.
Team
Roster
Roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship.[22]
| Goaltenders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Catches | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 20 | Maxim Kalyayev | L | 179 cm | 93 kg | 15 April 1998 | Rishon Devils |
| 1 | Nir Tichon | L | 183 cm | 75 kg | 8 September 1998 |  HC Rytíři Vlašim |
| Defencemen | ||||||
| # | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 18 | Aner Abend | L | 172 cm | 70 kg | 3 December 2004 | Rishon Devils |
| 11 | Artur Charniak | L | 173 cm | 66 kg | 2 February 2009 |  Gilmour Academy U16 |
| 12 | Timur Galeyev | L | 175 cm | 70 kg | 20 June 1996 | Ra'anana Sharks |
| 14 | Shon Kazinetz | L | 175 cm | 72 kg | 14 May 2007 |  Hiti Academy Bled Hawks U20 |
| 3 | Denis Kozev | L | 182 cm | 86 kg | 8 September 1998 | North Stars Metulla |
| 5 | Nick Ogurtsyn | L | 185 cm | 76 kg | 11 August 2007 |  Älvdalens HK |
| 4 | Yuval Turner | L | 178 cm | 74 kg | 29 March 2004 | Osby IK |
| Forwards | ||||||
| # | Player | Shoots | Height | Weight | Date of birth | Club |
| 21 | Samson Goldstein | L | 182 cm | 80 kg | 30 April 2009 |  Toronto Jr. Canadiens U18 |
| 24 | Yuval Halpert | L | 171 cm | 74 kg | 20 September 2000 | Ashdod Chiefs |
| 19 | Itay Kerner | L | 185 cm | 80 kg | 17 March 2006 | Hiti Academy Bled Hawks U20 |
| 22 | Maxim Khubashvili | L | 182 cm | 76 kg | 18 November 1997 | Ra'anana Sharks |
| 8 | Gleb Khvoles | L | 175 cm | 73 kg | 4 November 1995 | Ra'anana Sharks |
| 16 | Mike Levin | L | 173 cm | 71 kg | 16 October 2005 |  CSM Corona Brașov |
| 7 | Gennadi Malashchenko | L | 183 cm | 79 kg | 7 January 1998 | Ashdod Chiefs |
| 9 | Kirill Malashchenko | L | 193 cm | 87 kg | 28 February 2003 | Ashdod Chiefs |
| 15 | Kirill Polozov | L | 190 cm | 95 kg | 15 January 1991 | Ashdod Chiefs |
| 23 | Ori Segal | L | 173 cm | 77 kg | 8 May 2004 | Curry College |
| 17 | Ilya Spektor | L | 173 cm | 88 kg | 10 April 1996 | Kfar Saba Kings |
| 10 | Sean Voshilo | L | 177 cm | 80 kg | 7 January 2004 | Ashdod Chiefs |
| 6 | Nikita Zitserman | L | 183 cm | 85 kg | 12 September 2008 | Hiti Academy Bled Hawks U20 |
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 (won OHL's Jack Ferguson Award)
- Nikita Lukin (won KHL's Gagarin Cup in 2013)
- Eliezer Sherbatov (first Israeli to play in KHL)
Coaches
List of coaches for each tournament[23]
| 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 |
| 2022–2023 | Ty Newberry |
| 2024–2025 | Evgeni Kozhevnikov |
| 2026–present |  Yevgeni Gusin |
All-time record against other nations
As of 12 April 2026
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 15 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 53 | 73 |
 Belgium | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 62 |
 Bulgaria | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 54 | 38 |
 China | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 58 |
 Chinese Taipei | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
 Croatia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 53 |
 Estonia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 79 |
 France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
 Georgia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 9 |
 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 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 36 |
 Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
 Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
 Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
| 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
 New Zealand | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 37 |
 North Korea | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 31 |
| Romania | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 55 |
 Serbia | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 46 |
 South Africa | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 21 |
 South Korea | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 23 |
| Spain | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 76 |
 Turkey | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 11 |
 United Arab Emirates | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 12 |
 Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| Total | 170 | 70 | 9 | 91 | 671 | 911 |
