About the AIHL

The Australian Ice Hockey League is the biggest ice hockey league in the Southern Hemisphere, with seven teams from across the states of New South Wales (3), Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Australian Capital Territory.

These seven teams cover the majority of Australia’s population centres, all being coastal with the exception of the ACT-based Canberra Knights. The six coastal teams are the Adelaide A’s, Melbourne Ice, Western Sydney Ice Dogs, Bears (Sydney), Newcastle North Stars and the Gold Coast Blue Tongues.

The league is based on each team playing two games at home and away with each of the other teams, for a total of 24 games each. The league runs through the Australian winter from April to August/September. Although winter, the temperature is typically quite mild in comparison to North America and Europe.

Playing in the AIHL

Players are not paid but do get assistance from their teams, this differs from team to team but can include covering costs such as meals and accommodation while travelling, flights to away games, bus travel to away games, accommodation, access to a car, work contacts or job search assistance and more.

As of 2009, each team may retain six import players (non-Australia permanent residents or citizens) at any time, but may play only four in any one game. Import players are supported more than local players due to the challenges they face in arriving into a foreign country for a relatively short period of time.

The AIHL started in 2000 with three teams, expanded to six teams in 2002, and to eight teams in 2005. Consideration has been given to the possibility of teams from Western Australia or New Zealand, but travel costs are prohibitive at present. The Central Coast Rhinos have not entered the AIHL in 2009.

Competition Level

The AIHL is difficult to compare with overseas leagues due to the large variation in quality of players. Most teams run three lines, the firstly line mostly import players, the second line the best Australian players, and the third line often local junior players.

In early days imports were typically Junior A or Junior B players. In today’s AIHL professional players are common, with experience up to and including the NHL, AHL, ECHL, LNAH, SPHL, UK’s EIHL, Sweden’s Allsvenskan and more.

Many of the best Aussie players are in or have been members of the Australian national team, who won Gold in 2008 and participated in the Division I tournament (Group A) held in Vilnius Lithuania in April 2009.

Joining a Team

Most teams do their recruiting from December to March, with occasional players being picked up in early April due to injuries or drop-outs. To apply to a team you will need to phone or email the appropriate team’s General Manager with a hockey resume.

Once you arrange to join a team and arrive in Australia your team will assist you in registering as a player in Australia, including the purchase of an ITC card through the IIHF.

Please contact your preferred team directly:

Adelaide Adrenaline: John Botterill - johnb.icearena@icearena.com.au
Canberra Knights: John Raut - swimskate@bigpond.com
Gold Coast Blue Tongues: Dave Emblem - dave@bluetongues.com.au
Melbourne Ice: Andy Lamrock - info@melbourneice.com.au
Newcastle North Stars: Garry Doré - garrydore@huntericeskating.com.au 
Western Sydney Ice Dogs: Anthony Wilson - jw1939@optusnet.com.au
The Bears: Brett Nelson-Bond - imports@bearsden.com.au