'We've planted the seed': Stars host first Amerigol LATAM Spring Classic

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas -- Already supporting a blossoming hockey scene, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex added a new member to the family this week: the 2022 Amerigol LATAM Spring Classic.
With support from the Dallas Stars and Children's Health StarCenter Farmers Branch, the annual South Florida ice hockey tournament made its way to North Texas for the first time in its history. The tournament is unique because it features teams from different countries in Latin America - areas where hockey might not be a household sport. This one is especially important because it gives the Amerigol International Hockey Association a second tournament of the year.

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Helping bring this tournament to Dallas were Al Montoya, the Stars' director of community outreach, and Lucas Reid, the club's vice president of amateur sports & partnership development. A trip to the Florida Panthers' practice facility in Coral Springs, Florida this past October for the Amerigol LATAM Cup fueled the question, how can we bring this to Dallas?
"It really started when I retired in hockey in 2019," Montoya said Friday, as he watched Brazil and Puerto Rico go head-to-head in a spirited game. "I wanted to be a part of this tournament. I saw what [Amerigol International Hockey Association president] Juan Carlos [Otero] and the Amerigol Cup was doing, and it was something so genuine and honest that it attracted me to it."

Once in South Florida, what Montoya and Reid saw inspired them. They immediately got to work and met with Otero and representatives from each team.
"[Al and Lucas] gave insight on what they could provide," Otero said. "It was a great fit for us. We wanted to have a second tournament. To have a team like the Dallas Stars make that offer to us to come here was excellent. Everyone was on board from Day 1 to come here and play."
Adds Montoya: "Along with Lucas and the Stars, having their support behind this to go out to the tournament in October, sit down at a roundtable with all the representatives with everyone speaking in Spanish, watching Lucas answer all these questions, it was something that was really cool. Six, seven months later we're turning around and having a tournament here. This is wonderful. It's huge. We're excited to keep growing."
For the tournament, the Stars are providing free ice time, officiating, ground transportation, meals and tickets for the players and coaches to watch the Stars host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, March 26 at American Airlines Center.
For many, it will be their first NHL game.
"We're going to honor them, show them around," said Montoya. "It's another part of the experience. Every day I go to work for the Stars and be a part of this, you really understand it's the team that makes everything work. Whether it's working out of a StarCenter, being in Frisco in the executive offices or downtown at the AAC, this couldn't happen without the full team."

Montoya, hired by the Stars in September 2021, has been at the forefront of the organization's efforts of growing the game of hockey within the Hispanic community, which makes up approximately 42 percent of the population in Dallas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One of Montoya's first assignments in his role with the Stars was at the El Súper Clásico soccer match between rival clubs Club América and Chivas Guadalajara at Cotton Bowl Stadium on Sept. 5. The Stars set up a pop-up tent full of giveaway items, including preseason tickets, an inflatable slapshot cage and a biography of his hockey career written in Spanish.
Montoya was the first Cuban American to play in the NHL when he debuted with the Phoenix Coyotes in April 2009. He was selected by the New York Rangers with the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft and played 168 games with six different teams.
Having a tournament like this in Dallas is another step in growing the game to a wider audience.
"It's massive," Montoya said. "You look at our population here, a large part of that base is Latino with families and kids who have never played this sport before and not even knowing the Dallas Stars existed in their area. This is another opportunity for us to connect in the neighborhood and connect with our community. At the same time, it's giving these guys opportunities because in their home countries they don't have ice rinks. We have ice, they don't have it. They traveled and made it happen, and we're here to support it. It's beautiful."
The 2022 Amerigol LATAM Spring Classic features more than 100 players representing Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

Sam Uisprapassorn, head coach of the Colombian national team competing in the tournament, says he was excited about the opportunity to come out here because of how much the Stars cared.
"I was fortunate enough to meet Al and Lucas in October," Uisprapassorn said. "It seemed like the plans were really starting to come together and gain momentum. What the Stars did right was they came out, saw a tournament and listened to the teams in the room. They took input from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and the rest of the teams. That's really what makes the tournament a success."
Uisprapassorn, who resides in Costa Mesa, California, says the Stars and Panthers have set the standard for what this tournament can become.
"It's hard to think this tournament doesn't expand into other NHL markets," he said. "The Panthers and Stars are definitely the trailblazers. There are other markets as we get closer to the West Coast that are going to have to follow suit pretty soon. We started out in South Florida and had a great run there. The city of Dallas and the Dallas Stars have been awesome hosts. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the weekend."

This tournament means a lot not only to the players, but the fans, including 16-year-old Christopher Hodgson. Proudly wearing a Colombia national team football shirt, Hodgson -- who plays in a youth division in the LATAM Cup in Florida -- made the trip to Dallas from Orange County, California to support his country.
"It's a big honor," Hodgson said. "Watching this national team that's important to me is a big honor. You can see the hockey world expanding, especially for these little countries that barely anybody knows. Going into the States and big cities like Dallas, it's a really big honor."
Hodgson knows how impactful it is for an organization like the Stars to support this tournament and bring hockey to the Hispanic community.
"I have no words for it because having a really big NHL team with good players, especially alumni, it's crazy," he said. "It's really crazy. Maybe next year you guys might see me here. It's a big honor."
Fresh off a big victory over Brazil, forward Roman Templeton of Team Puerto Rico was all smiles as he got off the ice. The 17-year-old from Denver, Colorado sounded like a grizzled NHL veteran with his postgame reaction.
"It was fun," he said. "A lot of emotions. Big game. It was tight, but in the end, we found a way to win."
A diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, Templeton said he was elated when he heard the news the tournament was expanding to Texas and offered his appreciation to the Stars for helping make it happen.
"It means a lot," he said. "They're really [helping] smaller countries that aren't really into hockey, but we're changing that now. We're going in the right direction. It's fun. I'm glad they're doing it. It's fun supporting your country. You're doing it for them. It's nice when you see people come out and support you."

This is only the beginning. Next year, Otero says he plans on making it an even bigger tournament in North Texas.
"All the feedback has been incredible," Otero said. "We're definitely looking for a minimum of three divisions for next year, and possibly more. When these teams go back to their countries and other divisions, more teams are going to want to come. We're going to have more countries that weren't able to participate this year because of the time frame, but we're expecting a lot more countries next year. We're really excited."
Teamwork, of course, makes the dream work.
"It means the world to us," Otero said, on having the support from the Stars. "To have an organization like the Stars put everything out for us, it's been great. This experience has been excellent, and we're really looking forward to continuing to work with them and grow this game. With Al and Lucas within these communities, we want to get more Latinos out here to learn more about the game, participate more in not only NHL games, but supporting their countries."
Growing the game, one day at a time.
"If you build it, they will come," said Montoya. "We've planted the seed. We started out with the men's division. Next year we're going to have a women's division and a kids' division. We're going to continue to grow, continue to build with the support of the community and the Dallas Stars."
The 2022 Amerigol LATAM Spring Classic runs from March 24-27 at Children's Health StarCenter Farmers Branch. Games are free and open to the public. A full schedule of games can be found here.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.