Ice hockey never gained popularity in independent post-Soviet Turkmenistan until the president Saparmurat Niyazov ordered the construction of an Ice Palace in the desert foothills of the Kopet Dag.
In 2017, Turkmenistan made its international debut at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan.
Their third game against Iran, winning by 12–2, but their opposition was disqualified due to the number of Iranian players were deemed ineligible.
The (senior) national team made its debut at the 2018 IIHF World Championship Division III qualification tournament in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
[4] The national team finished third place in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division III tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.