Latino Heritage Diversifies Valley's Hockey Look

The Holmes and Morantte families are two examples of how the Valley's youth hockey scene is changing the face of the game.
Joseph Holmes plays for the Jr. Coyotes' 9U AAA Squirt team. His maternal grandfather hails from Spain and his paternal grandmother is Chilean.
The Morantte family has deep maternal Mexican roots, a family tree that covers ground in Tijuana and Rosarito. On the paternal side is Filipino heritage. Veronica and Joe Morantte have three children, each of whom are registered youth hockey players in the Valley. Isabella, 8, is a mite in the Kachinas girls hockey program; Gabriel, 8, plays for the Jr. Bobcats 9U team; Elise, 12, plays in the house league at Ice Den Chandler.

Alex Meruelo took over as the first Latino Owner in NHL history in August 2019. One of his top priorities as the franchise Owner, Chairman, and Governor was -- and continues to be -- increasing Coyotes fandom, engagement and support of hockey for families of Hispanic and Latino heritage.
The initiative likewise has been highlighted by Xavier Gutierrez, who, like Meruelo, is a Latino pioneer at his position, President and CEO of an NHL franchise.
"As the first Latino President and CEO in the NHL, and also for Alex Meruelo Sr., the first Latino owner in the NHL, it really gives us a lot of pride in sharing our culture, heritage and background with others," Gutierrez said in September when speaking at
a community event at Chicanos Por La Causa
. "This great sport of hockey is something that may not be part of the athletic story or narrative of the Latino community, but it's on us to extend our hand, to reach out, and to say 'You can be part of our pack, you are part of our fan base.' So, it really, really means a lot to us to do these things."
Indeed, success might produce another player of Hispanic heritage such as Scottsdale native and NHL star Auston Matthews, who developed his hockey skills and smarts at local Valley rinks. The maternal side of Matthews' family has its roots in Hermosillo, Mexico. Matthews was selected No. 1 overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
On a current youth hockey level, the Holmes and Morantte families exhibit the type of diversity Meruelo and Gutierrez are passionate about developing.
Candace Holmes, Joseph's mother, has seen a recent transformation of hockey marketing in the Valley.
"You can see the culture changing," she said. "You're involving more people that typically wouldn't necessarily be interested in hockey. I think the Coyotes have made a very conscious effort to diversify hockey in Arizona. We're here in the desert, where the Hispanic population is pretty high. So, I think it's pretty cool."
Joseph Holmes began watching hockey at age three. He got his start in the Little Howlers learn-to-play program and has been on the ice since. Joseph's favorite players are Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun.

Per usual for hockey families, the Holmes' lives revolve around Joseph's hockey schedule.
"There's not really a day where we're not at a rink of some sort," Candace said. "He's always happy playing. He wants more and more. I mean we love it, and we love seeing him love it. It's truly his passion. So, it's really cool to see. Even at such a young age he's always known, 'I want to play hockey, I'm going to do whatever I need to do to get better.' And he has fun. As a parent, you can't really ask for much more than that."

The Morantte hockey history dates back to a hot summer day when the family was hoping to escape the desert heat. There's no better place for that than an ice rink.
"We took them for a public skate," Veronica Morantte said. "Gabe, our middle child, saw all these older boys in their hockey gear and said, 'I want to be like them.'"
Joe Morantte remembers that moment.
"He just had his face pressed up against the glass, and was like, 'I want to do that,'" Joe said. "Then he decided he wanted to try Little Howlers. His little sister, also, was like, 'I want to do that too.' After they got into it, then the oldest was like, 'Well, they're doing it, I want to see what this is about.' And it just kind of cascaded from there."

Candace Holmes addressed the Coyotes' outreach efforts toward Hispanic and Latino communities as "huge."
"You've got an entire group of people that you wouldn't necessarily think 'I can play hockey' as a kid," she said. "I mean, it's not a cheap sport to play either. The Coyotes, especially with programs like the Little Howlers, Kachinas, and Small Frys can help to get these kids playing a sport they normally wouldn't, especially here in the desert."
Joe Morantte stressed the importance of feeling 'part of' when you're a child.
Children tend to participate in a sport or activity when they see people participating who look like them or when they see a spectrum of different faces.
"It's huge," Joe Morantte said. "Right? If you get used to seeing the same thing, then you go, 'Oh well, I'm not that. Maybe that could never be me.' But when you see a variety of faces out there, then you know it's for anybody, that it's also for you."

Joe also commented on the progress of girls' hockey in the Valley. Arizona ranked first last year in growth for female hockey players in U.S. NHL markets. More than 150 girls registered to play in the Coyotes' Kachinas youth hockey association.
Veronica Morantte noted the effect hockey has had on her kids, but has also noticed the impact on her children's friends.
"The ones who have never thought to even begin playing hockey," she said, "now they're like, 'Maybe I want to start with Little Howlers, maybe I want to start with Small Frys.'"
Candace Holmes echoed a sentiment of Joe Morantte: "It's really cool to see that the kids don't all look the same, that they don't all have the same background."
Indeed, isn't that exactly what is meant by changing the face of the game.