The Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation (JOIHF), the organization that governs the competitive team of ice hockey players from Jamaica, held tryouts for the Under-20 Jamaica Team in early January 2016. Team Jamaica made history in 2015 when its players were the first in the Caribbean region to become associate members of the International Hockey Federation (IHF). Townshend believes that if Jamaican team gets into the World Championships or the Olympics, it will spur even greater enthusiasm for the sport. Graeme Townshend, the team’s head coach, was the first Jamaican-born athlete to play in the NHL; he played for the Bruins, Islanders, and Senators during the 1990s. Townshend has worked as a skating coach for Canada’s Maple Leafs and evaluated at least 30 players at the tryouts. The prospective hockey players came from distant location like Sweden and Virginia to audition for a place on the team. Jamaica has considered fielding a hockey team since 2011, and the tryouts represent the most significant sign of progress toward this goal to date.