USA Hockey Magazine

18 // NOV/DEC 2025 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS COURTESY OF Karen Ota-O'Brien O F F T HE D R AW A R E N O TA - O ' B R I E N h a s had strong ties to the Amerigol LATAM Cup, an annual inter- national hockey tournament for non-traditional countries, mainly from Latin America and the Caribbean, since it first began in 2018. Many of her friends and teammates on the Lucky Pucks women's adult hockey team and others in the Florida community have competed and coached in the tournament. Even Ota- O'Brien — USA Hockey 's 2025 Adult Hockey Player of the Year and founder of Florida Women's Hockey League—would h e l p w h e n s h e c o u l d , b u t s h e k n e w s h e wanted to be a part of the LATAM Cup in a deeper way. Born to a Japanese father who lived in an internment camp during World War II and a First Nations mother from the Shuswap area in British Columbia, Ota- O'Brien learned at a young age how important culture was to her identity. And her upbringing helped in sparking an idea for this year's tournament held from K "This team was about more than winning games. We chose players who carry the heart of their communities." Karen Ota-O'Brien Helps Unite Indigenous Hockey Players At Amerigol LATAM Cup Community On The Ice Aug. 17-24 at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, Florida, and Palm Beach Skate Zone in Wellington, Florida. " What are your thoughts on me putting together a First Nations team?" she asked Juan Carlos Otero, the founder of the LATAM Cup. He responded with a resounding, 'Yes!' With Otero on board, Ota- O'Brien just needed to find a roster of indigenous players from different backgrounds in the United States and Canada. S h e p o st e d o n t h e Ho c ke y I n d i g e n o u s Facebook page that she was looking for expe- rienced players for the tournament, and she g ot hundreds of clicks every 10 minutes. Eventually, Ota- O'Brien narrowed the team d ow n t o w o m e n r a n g i n g i n a g e a n d g e o - graphic background. "This team was about more than winning games," Ota- O'Brien said. "We chose players who carry the heart of their communities." Since its inception, the LATAM Cup has grown from five to 62 teams across 16 coun- tries and territories. More than 1,450 players competed this year, representing 16 countries and territories including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. A men's team representing India and women's squads representing Pakistan and 12 First Nations/Indigenous tribes also played. Ota- O'Brien, who learned to ice skate on frozen hay fields north of Vancouver before moving to Florida, dedicated her time to ensure every woman on the roster felt sup- ported. Each detail for the team jerseys, log o, and ribbon skirts was meticulously researched and crafted. She designed the logo to be inclusive for each tribe, and instead of players' last names on their jerseys, they put the name of their tribe. The Indigenous team had two Zoom calls and one practice before the tournament. But through those calls, the women learned about each other, their tribes, and their back- grounds—connecting on a human level before connecting on the rink. The roster Ota-O'Brien comprised, with vet- eran skaters and young talent, allowed the play- ers to quickly go from strangers to teammates. "I learned so much from these women of just my own culture," Ota- O'Brien concluded. "It was just a wonderful experience, this whole tournament, just learning more about my culture and meeting all these women from different tribes. Not only was I getting educated, but a lot of people here were getting educated as well about our community. It's all about creating awareness and learning." P COMMUNITY By Anna Miller

• Cover