Color of Hockey: Ball camp helps grow sport in Jamaica
The Kingston camp was supported by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, through the Industry Growth Fund, created as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2013 to support and accelerate the development of League and club initiatives and projects that promote long-term fan development and increase participation in hockey at all levels.
The camp also received a donation of about 75 sticks and apparel from Swift Hockey, a stick and clothing company founded in 2022 by Zechariah Thomas, a 23-year-old retired minor-pro defenseman who played for Jamaica.
Thomas and his low-cost stick company gained notoriety after he scored a $70,000 deal on an episode of the popular CBC TV series “Dragons’ Den,” Canada’s version of ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
In December, he was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30 List 2026” of 30 impactful and influential people under the age of 30 across 20 fields that include sports, entertainment, social impact, manufacturing & industry, art & style, AI and finance.
“I’m Jamaican and I love, love, love the country and, obviously playing on that national team, I always wanted the sport to grow there as much as it can,” Thomas said. “This was my way of saying ‘Thank you.’ I always try to find ways to give back and especially find ways to give back to Jamaica and hockey as well.”
Tinker said she hopes WCHC, a rebrand of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada, can collaborate again with JOIHF in Jamaica again in the future and add inline hockey to the mix.
She said forward Jaxon Cover, an inline player from the Cayman Islands who didn’t play ice hockey until moving to Canada at age 12, being chosen by the Ottawa Senators with the No. 32 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft shows the possibilities for those from so-called “non-traditional” hockey markets.
“In my head, the next step is getting rollerblades there for them because I think that is going to be the next biggest piece,” she said. “I think we’re going to see more and more Jaxon Covers come out and through these programs in the Caribbean if they continue to focus on their hockey programs.”