Ice hockey in the Confederate States of Floria
History
Domestic hockey
There are two leagues of domestic ice hockey in the Confederate States of Floria. The top-flight league competition is the Intercontinental Hockey League, which contains 32 teams, 9 of which are foreign. The Feeder league of the league is the Apollonian and Euran Hockey League, the league contains 32 teams.
The most popular teams in Floria are all major Northcliff teams, Dragonmoor Storm, Newmarsh Hurricanes, Victoria Predators and Havenbarrow Giants. These hockey teams are known as the 'Hockey big six'.
International hockey
The Confederate States are represented in international ice hockey by the Floria national ice hockey team. The national team plays in red, black and white and are considered as a world superpower in world ice hockey. However, the national team has had no international success and the team traditionally underachieves each year at the MHL World Championships. The team have been in the 'A' Conference of the MHL World Championships since gaining promotion in 2019.
Youth hockey
Youth hockey in Floria is known as Minor hockey. An umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from class to class. In the Confederate States, minor hockey is not administrated by the ICHL but the Florian Hockey Association. Players are registered by their regional hockey association. Many states organise regional and statewide competitions and the highest age groups compete in national competitions. The Confederate States operates three major junior hockey leagues. The Kingsland State Major Junior Hockey League, the Northern Mountains A League and Southland and Lowlands Hockey League.
Minor hockey is divided into these age categories:
- G- and F-minors (age 9 and younger)
- E-minors (ages 10 to 11)
- D-minors (ages 12 to 13)
- C-juniors (age 14 to 15)
- B-juniors (age 16 to 17)
- A-juniors (age 20 and younger)
Participation
Ice hockey is the most played sports in the country at the youth level, alongside football and rugby league, and remains popular for adults whether in organized professional, amateur or recreational leagues. Numerous tournaments are held annually in the nation, and many outdoor ice rinks are constructed for the winter season. In 2019, an estimated 1.3 million Florian adults participated in ice hockey, second to rugby league.
The sport however in youth, is by far the most popular among Florian youth. However, competition from rugby league and football increases each year.
| Number of Players | Junior Players | Female Players | % of Population | Total Referees | Indoor Rinks | Outdoor Rinks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,011,250 | 2,073,966 | 430,246 | 4.125 | 55,036 | 6,600 | 2,500 |
Support of foreign and international hockey
Watching other national leagues on Micras such as the MEHL and Jääland-Liiga is very popular in the Confederate States. International ice hockey is also very popular in the country with MHL competitions being well attended when hosted in the country. At the MHL World Championships, the micronation traditionally doesn't play it's best ICHL players and instead opt to provide ICHL rookie's and slightly more experienced players international experience. The Confederate States only allows their best ICHL players in the joint ICHL-MHL competition, the Ice Hockey World Cup, due to the ideal rest period before the tournament and no clashes with the Farrar Cup Playoffs.
