We Canadians often think of hockey as our game but the various international leagues reflect that our game is enjoyed worldwide.
When I moved to California as a teenager, few knew anything about the game. A minor team. L.A. Canadiens drew decent crowds then came the L.A. Blades which morphed into the L.A. Kings over several decades.
International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships held recently in Edmonton, Alberta, which incidentally Canada won, had teams from:
Canada (CAN)
Finland (FIN)
Latvia (LAT)
Czechia (CZE)
Slovakia (SVK)
United States (USA)
Sweden (SWE)
Germany (GER)
"There is a great ice hockey culture here in Turkey and the sport is quite advanced here. No so much is sharing the game with them - more enjoying alongside them. Fantastic youth programs and high level coaching. Their coaches are former Turkish National Team players.
Lots of Russians, Central Asians, Europeans and Scandinavians who have immigrated to Turkey has really advanced the local game."
The Edmonton Championship was Group A. Turkey is no where near that level yet. They are in Group D I believe.
Group A is the strongest ice hockey nations on the planet. Lots of other lowering grouping IIHF tournaments held every year for all countries. Google IIHF and you’ll see the groupings."
This link highlights the teams in Group D.
https://www.iihf.com/en/associations/1372/turkiye
Our appreciation to our contact in Turkey for the above valuable information.