Canada: Field Hockey Canada announces Indoor Men’s National Team for Indoor Pan American Cup

Experienced group looks to qualify for the Indoor World Cup

Field Hockey Canada is thrilled to announce the roster for the Canadian Indoor Men’s National Team set to compete at the Indoor Pan American Cup in Calgary, Alberta.

The tournament will take place from March 19-22, 2024 at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex & Jim Starlight Centre. The Canadian squad is a blend of experience, both indoor and outdoor, and exciting indoor pipeline players.

In preparation for the competition, the indoor squad has been training in the Greater Toronto Area since September. The official selection took place over the last month with trials happening in Alberta and Toronto. Head Coach John De Souza said this might be the most talented indoor group Canada has put together in the past several cycles.

The team features some veteran long-time talent in Ken Pereira, Keegan Pereira and Devohn Noronha Teixeira — the latter two both current outdoor men’s national team athletes. Ken Pereira is the most capped player in Canadian hockey history and is still at it on the indoor side. Thomson Harris and Flynn McCulloch are both apart of the senior men’s program that trains in Vancouver, as well, adding more skill depth on this squad.

Adding experience to an already experienced group are Indoor Pan American Cup returners, GK Adam Kapasi, Jeevan Jammu, Gurtej Dhaliwal, Tarnpreet Singh and Jagpreet Singh. De Souza said that although chunks of the team have been training together since September, he’s excited to get the team together for actual high-level international competition.

“It’s a really talented group that’s excited to represent Canada in Calgary,” De Souza said. “We have a lot of guys in that sweet-spot age of 27-31 and it’s a really experienced and mature athlete group. I’m really excited for that first match. We don’t get a lot of competition in Canada. So, I’m just really excited to get the tournament going and see what we can do as each game goes along.”

Team Canada Roster

PLAYER NAME	HOMETOWN
Jagpreet Singh	Mississauga, ON
Tarnpreet Singh	Mississauga, ON
Ken Pereira	Toronto, ON
Thomson Harris	Vancouver, BC
Devohn Noronha Teixeira	Mississauga, ON
Keegan Pereira	Ajax, ON
Gurtej Dhaliwal	Ottawa, ON
Arshjot Toor	Caledan, ON
Amritjot Toor	Caledan, ON
Jeevan Jammu	Brampton, ON
Flynn McCulloch	Chelsea, QC
Adam Kapasi	Etobicoke, ON

RESERVES
Tanvir Kang	Calgary, AB
Leighton DeSouza	Toronto, ON
Gaurav Ghai	Calgary, AB
Micah Teixeira	Mississauga, ON

STAFF
Head Coach – John De Souza	Toronto, ON
Team Manager – Manvir Grewal	Calgary, AB
Assistant Coach – Louis Mendonca	Concord, ON
Assistant Coach – Reggie Pereira	Scarborough, ON
Athletic Therapist – Elwin Lau	Markham, ON
Video Analyst – Dimitrie Chipilo	Toronto, ON

The top two finishing nations at this year’s Indoor Pan American Cup will qualify directly to the 2025 Indoor World Cup. Canada’s Men’s Indoor Team last qualified for the Indoor World Cup in 2015, and missed the 2018 and 2023 iterations. This experienced group is looking to get back at the big dance and qualify for the Indoor World Cup.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to qualify for the World Cup,” De Souza said. “We believe the best way to do that is win the pool and get the best possible matchup in the semis. We have a great indoor program right now, with this team and the U19s going to Philly in March as well. A World Cup qualification would be huge for the momentum of the program as a whole.”

For De Souza, the fact that the tournament is held on Canadian soil in Calgary is icing on the cake and he hopes it will bring even more momentum to indoor hockey in Canada.

“I’m hoping that we can showcase the sport, during this event. People will come and see the sport and get excited about the growth of indoor hockey,” De Souza said.

Field Hockey Canada is excited to host the event in collaboration with the Pan American Hockey Federation and Field Hockey Alberta. Hosting the Indoor Pan American Cup in Calgary serves as a catalyst for fostering excitement and interest in field hockey, not only within the local community but throughout Alberta and Canada. The event not only promises thrilling matches but also provides a pathway for aspiring youth and junior players to witness international hockey firsthand, inspiring the next generation of field hockey enthusiasts.

The 2024 Indoor Pan American Cup will be held in Calgary, AB, from March 17-22, 2024. The last time Canada hosted the Indoor Pan American Championships was in 2005 in Waterloo, Ontario. Since then, the event has taken place in Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Guyana, and in 2021, the event was held in Pennsylvania, USA.