2017 AIHL season

In 2017 the AIHL had 8 teams competing in the league.[1]

2017 AIHL teams

Team	City	Arena	Head Coach	Captain
Adelaide Adrenaline	Adelaide	IceArenA	Sami Mantere	David Huxley
CBR Brave	Canberra	Phillip Ice Skating Centre	Robert Starke	Mark Rummukainen
Melbourne Ice	Melbourne	O'Brien Group Arena	Charles Franzén	Lliam Webster
Melbourne Mustangs	Melbourne	O'Brien Group Arena	Michael Flaherty	Michael McMahon
Newcastle Northstars	Newcastle	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium	Andrew Petrie	Robert Malloy
Perth Thunder	Perth	Perth Ice Arena	Dave Ruck	Jamie Woodman
Sydney Bears	Sydney	Macquarie Ice Rink	Ron Kuprowsky	Michael Schlamp
Sydney Ice Dogs	Sydney	Macquarie Ice Rink	Christopher Blagg	Scott Stephenson

In December 2016 the Adelaide Adrenaline revealed their new logo designs. The new primary logo features two peaks in the shape of the letter "A".[2] The club also introduced a secondary logo featuring a piping shrike.[2] In January 2017 the Melbourne Mustangs announced that the James Hotel would be their naming rights sponsor for the 2017 season, replacing MOAT: Mental Health Services which had held it since 2014.[3] The James Hotel will also continue as the clubs pre- and post-game and function venue.[3] The Mustangs also added Quest Docklands as a major sponsor in May.[4] On 17 January 2017 the league announced that the Sydney Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs would relocate to the Macquarie Ice Rink.[5] The Bears move from the Penrith Ice Palace where they have played since 2015 and the Ice Dogs move from the Liverpool Catholic Club Ice Rink.[6] In March 2017 the Ice Dogs revealed their new jersey designs which saw the club remove their logo in favour of the words "ICE DOGS" written out diagonally across the front.[7] In addition to the changes from the Adrenaline and Ice Dogs the CBR Brave, Melbourne Ice, Melbourne Mustangs, Newcastle Northstars and Sydney Bears also released new jersey designs.[8][9][10][11][12] In March and April the Perth Thunder signed Richard's Tyrepower, MacTrack, MyLeadPod and Bendigo Bank as new sponsors for the 2017 season.[13][14][15] The Thunder also announced that CD Dodd had increased their level of sponsorship for 2017, becoming the clubs naming rights sponsor.[16] In April the Brave announced that the Tuggeranong Hyperdome had signed on as a major sponsor and Anytime Fitness had increased their sponsorship to be a major sponsor of the club.[17] The following month the Brave announced that ONTHEGO had signed on as their official apparel partner.[18] In April 2017 Newcastle changed their name from the Newcastle North Stars to the Newcastle Northstars.[19] The re-brand was done to align the club with the New South Wales registered club, the Newcastle Northstars Ice Hockey Club.[19] At the end of April the Adrenaline announced that radio station 1079 Life had signed on as their official media partner with the deal including at least one game being live broadcast and regular interviews.[20] Also at the end of April both the Bears and Ice Dogs announced their official venue sponsors. The Bears signed The Ranch Hotel as their home venue sponsor while the Ice Dogs signed with T.G.I. Friday's Macquarie Centre restaurant.[21][22] In May the Ice Dogs announced that they would be radio streaming the remainder of their home games via Mixlr.[16] Also in May the Ice Dogs released a new logo as part of their 15th anniversary celebrations. The new logo featured a redesigned bulldog holding a broken ice hockey stick.[23] In June the Brave signed The Woden Tradies & Quality Hotel as their official post-game venue for the remainder of the season.[24] In June the Melbourne Ice announced that 'Life. Be in It' had signed on as their naming rights sponsor and Kidney Health Australia as their charity partner and volunteer sponsor.[25] In August the Ice Dogs announced the signing of Crankt Protein as a new sponsor for the club.[26]

Player transfers

Interclub transfers Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Zachary Boyle CBR Brave Adelaide Adrenaline [43] Billy Cliff Sydney Bears Sydney Ice Dogs [44] Wehebe Darge Adelaide Adrenaline CBR Brave [45] Dayne Davis Newcastle Northstars Melbourne Ice [46] Darcy Flanagan Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne Ice [47] Mitchell Humphries* Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs [48] Bayley Kubara Sydney Ice Dogs CBR Brave [49] Nicholas Novysedlak Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs [50] Charlie Smart Sydney Ice Dogs Newcastle Northstars [51] * Mid-season transfer.

Retirements Nat Player Team New role Ref Ryan Johnson CBR Brave – [52][53]

New signings Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Casey Babineau University of Prince Edward Island Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Kristoffer Backman Vimmerby HC Melbourne Ice [55] Brian Bales No team CBR Brave [56] Corey Banks No team CBR Brave [56] Matt Beattie Étoile Noire de Strasbourg Melbourne Mustangs [57] Alan Becken Blueline Bombers Sydney Bears [58] Nathaniel Benson No team Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Gavin Birchler Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Mustangs [57][59] Robert Bird No team Perth Thunder [60] Slavomir Boris No team Sydney Bears [58] Michael Breedveld Melbourne Sharks Melbourne Ice [55] Jackson Brewer Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Sydney Bears [58] Tyrone Bronte Meijer AAA Hockey 18U Melbourne Ice [55] Jérémy Brown Windsor Wild Melbourne Ice [55] Jeremy Brücker EHC Seewen II Sydney Bears [58] Matt Buskas No team CBR Brave [56] Andrew Chen Adelaide Blackhawks Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Scott Corbett No team Melbourne Ice [55] Ethan Cornford New Tecumseth Civics Melbourne Ice [55] Kale Costa HC Slovan Usti nad Labem U16 Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Robert Covino No team Sydney Bears [58] Cameron Critchlow University of New Brunswick Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Niklas Dahlberg Tranås AIF Melbourne Ice [55] Peter Di Salvo Mississippi RiverKings Perth Thunder [60] Kevin Dow No team Melbourne Ice [55] Nickolas Eckhardt No team CBR Brave [56] Glen Forbes White Adelaide Generals Adelaide Adrenaline [54][62] Ben Gebert Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline [54][63] Viktor Gibbs Sjödin No team Melbourne Ice [55] Joe Harcharik Fayetteville FireAntz Newcastle Northstars [64] Justin Harrison No team Sydney Bears [65] Damian Holland Melbourne Blackhawks Melbourne Mustangs [57] Dominic Jalbert Pionniers De Chamonix-Morzine CBR Brave [56] Michael James No team Melbourne Ice [55] Stephen Johnston No team Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Zane Jones Innisfail Eagles Newcastle Northstars [64] James Keane Adelaide Tigers Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Rhett Kelly Reach Rebels Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Kale Kerbashian Wheeling Nailers Newcastle Northstars [64] Damien Ketlo University of Lethbridge Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Anton Kokkonen TuKV Melbourne Mustangs [57] Ales Kratoska HC Tábor Adelaide Adrenaline [54] James Kruger Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Melbourne Mustangs [57] Toby Kubara No team CBR Brave [56] Simon Kudla No team Perth Thunder [60] Steven Kuhn Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne Newcastle Northstars [64] Maxime Langelier-Parent No team Melbourne Mustangs [57] Paul Lazzarotto No team Melbourne Mustangs [57] Sami Mantere Adelaide Red Wings Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Matt Marantz University of Western Ontario Newcastle Northstars [64] James Marino Sydney Wolf Pack Sydney Ice Dogs [61][66] Jaymie McDonnell Northern Vikings Perth Thunder [60][67] Shannon McGregor No team Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Morgan McNeill Bouctouche JCs Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Chris McPhail No team CBR Brave [56] Thomas Moncrieff No team Sydney Bears [58] Matt Murphy Royal Military College of Canada Adelaide Adrenaline [54] Tyler Noseworthy Danbury Titans Sydney Bears [58] Sebastian Ottosson Tranås AIF Melbourne Ice [55] Christian Ouellet Jonquière Marquis Perth Thunder [60] Félix-Antoine Poulin Dundee Stars Newcastle Northstars [64] Rory Rawlyk Atlanta Gladiators Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Nick Rivait Fayetteville FireAntz Sydney Bears [58] Troy Robertson Melbourne Braves Melbourne Mustangs [57] Vladimir Rubes No team Sydney Bears [58] Jake Ruck Aldergrove Kodiaks Perth Thunder [60] Tim Rye Newcastle North Stars ECSL Sydney Bears [58] Hayden Sheard Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle Northstars [64] Lachlan Shumak Vancouver Rangers Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Dale Tilsted Penrith Raptors Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Shaun Tobin Northern Samurai Perth Thunder [60][68] David Upton No team Sydney Ice Dogs [61] Cameron Walsh No team Perth Thunder [60] Alexander Wardlaw Ontario Hockey Academy Mdgt AA Sydney Bears [58] Levon Wilson Northern Vikings Perth Thunder [60][69] Seb Woodlands Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline [54]

Players lost Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Steven Adams Sydney Bears No team [70] Spencer Austin Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors [70][71] Brentin Azzopardi Sydney Ice Dogs Blueline Bombers [72][73] Phil Bakatsoulas Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] T.J. Battani Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Art Bidlevskii CBR Brave No team [52] Nicola Brandi CBR Brave SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers [52] Russel Brewer Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Dylan Burgess Sydney Bears No team [70] Harrison Byers CBR Brave No team [52] Scott Clemie Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] Timothy Cox CBR Brave No team [52] Zane Cunliffe Perth Thunder No team [76] Troy Davenport Melbourne Ice Tulsa Oilers [77] Michael Dorr Perth Thunder Selber Wölfe [76] Andrew Erzen Melbourne Ice No team [77] Ted Fabijan Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Generals [75][78] Kayne Fedor Adelaide Adrenaline Euless Junior Stars [75] Zack Firlotte Adelaide Adrenaline Restigouche Nord Vikings [75] Matthew Gilpin CBR Brave No team [52] Brandon Greenside Newcastle Northstars Peoria Rivermen [79] Mathieu Guertin CBR Brave Trois-Rivières Blizzard [52] Sean Hamilton Perth Thunder No team [76] Joshua Harding Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Dávid Harmati Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] Josh Harris Newcastle Northstars Peoria Rivermen [79] Dale Harrop Perth Thunder No team [76] Thomas Heemskerk Perth Thunder No team [76] Alex Henderson Sydney Bears Blueline Bombers [70][80] Mark Higgins Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] Jamie Holland Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Tigers [75] Sam Hodic Melbourne Ice No team [77] Geoff Irwin Sydney Bears No team [70] James Isaacs Melbourne Mustangs Fife Flyers [74] Harrison Jaunozols Melbourne Ice Melbourne Blackhawks [77] Nic Kawasaki Sydney Bears No team [70] Adam Kimbley Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] Joshua Kleipas Sydney Ice Dogs Sydney Sting [72] Lasse Lassen Melbourne Ice Herning Blue Fox [77] Éric Louis-Seize Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] Lukas Manco Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] David Mahood Perth Thunder No team [76] Michael McDowell Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] Connor McLaughlin Newcastle Northstars University of Alberta-Augustana [79] Ian Merwin Sydney Bears No team [70] Charlie Moore Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] Luke Moore CBR Brave No team [52] Anthony Nottle Perth Thunder No team [76] Gabriel O'Connor Adelaide Adrenaline Drakkars de Caen [75] Sam O'Neill-Hodges Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Cian O'Reilly Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] Brendan Oakes Melbourne Ice No team [77] Dion Palmer Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Nicola Pau Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Neal Prokop CBR Brave No team [52] Harley Quinton-Jones Newcastle Northstars Newcastle North Stars ECSL [79][81] Ryan Ruddle Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] Remy Sandoy Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] David Sefic Melbourne Mustangs HK Beograd [74] Chris Slauenwhite Melbourne Mustangs No team [74] Cam Smith Sydney Bears No team [70] Cameron Smith Sydney Ice Dogs Seguin Huskies [72] Petr Stepanek Sydney Ice Dogs Peterborough Phantoms [72] Alec Stephenson Sydney Ice Dogs No team [72] Thomas Steven Melbourne Mustangs Bellingham Blazers [74] Greg Sturrock Melbourne Ice No team [77] Paul Swindlehurst Sydney Ice Dogs Manchester Storm [72] Scott Swiston Newcastle Northstars University of Alberta-Augustana [79] Beau Taylor Newcastle Northstars University of Alberta-Augustana [79] Lee Turner Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors [70][82] Daniel Wilkinson Perth Thunder HC Giants Akatemia [76] Brandon Wong Newcastle Northstars EV Regensburg [79] Chris Yule Melbourne Ice No team [77] Andrey Zolotarev Adelaide Adrenaline No team [75] Luke Zvonicek Sydney Bears Blueline Bombers [70][83]

The regular season began on 22 April 2017 and will run through to 27 August 2017 before the top four teams advance to compete in the Goodall Cup playoff series. On 7 May the game between the Melbourne Ice and Sydney Bears had to be cancelled after the first period due to a fire in the Macquarie Ice Rink's speaker system.[84] It was later rescheduled to 16 July at the Macquarie Ice Rink.[85] Due to the 2017 Ice Hockey Classic which was held on 17 June in Sydney and 24 June in Melbourne the league made two changes to the June fixture.[86] The match between the Sydney Ice Dogs and Newcastle North Stars was moved from 17 to 16 June.[86] The other match moved was between the Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs which was changed from 24 to 25 June.[86]

10 June game between the CBR Brave and Adelaide Adrenaline served as the third annual beyondblue Cup, setup held to raise awareness for the charity.[87] The Brave won the Cup for the third year in a row, defeating the Adrenaline 8–3.[87] 1 July match between the Melbourne Ice and Sydney Bears served as the fourth annual Canada Day Classic.[88] The Ice won the match 6–4, claiming the title for the first time.[88] The 2017 Matt Clark Shield match was also held on 1 July and was contested between the Sydney Ice Dogs and Perth Thunder.[88] The Ice Dogs won the match 5–3 to claim their second Matt Clark Shield having defeated the Adrenaline last year.[88] 8 July match between the Perth Thunder and CBR Brave served the Thunder's charity match.[89] The match, known as "Pink on the Rink", was held as a fundraiser for the McGrath Foundation and saw the Thunder wearing an all-pinked jersey.[89] Round 13, which ran on 22 and 23 July, was the league's pride round. The round was held to raise awareness for the LGBTIQ community and saw the Mustangs wear a pride themed rainbow jersey.[90] On 30 July the Melbourne Ice held a Swedish themed day. As part of the day the club wore a blue and gold coloured variant of their jersey in the match against the Sydney Ice Dogs.[91] During Round 15, which ran on 4 and 5 August, the Adelaide Adrenaline held a heritage round. The round saw the Adrenaline wearing an Adelaide Avalanche themed jersey in their two games against the Perth Thunder.[92]

The Melbourne Ice won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing first in the regular season with 71 points.[93][94] The Adelaide Adrenaline's Cameron Critchlow won the Most Valuable Player and Rob Haselhurst of the Perth Thunder was named Defenceman of the Year.[95] The CBR Brave's Bayley Kubara was named Rookie of the Year, Damien Ketlo of the Sydney Ice Dogs won the Goaltender of the Year and the Melbourne Ice's Joey Hughes was named the Skaters Network Local Player of the Year.[95][96] Perth Thunder's Dave Ruck was named Coach of the Year.[95]

Season awards

Below lists the 2017 AIHL regular season award winners.

Award	Name	Team
MVP	Cameron Critchlow	Adelaide Adrenaline
Goaltender	Damien Ketlo	Sydney Ice Dogs
Defenceman	Rob Haselhurst	Perth Thunder
Rookie	Bayley Kubara	CBR Brave
Local player	Joey Hughes	Melbourne Ice
Coach	Dave Ruck	Perth Thunder

Source

The 2017 playoffs started on 2 September with the Goodall Cup final held on 3 September.[98] Following the end of the regular season the top four teams advanced to the playoff series. All three games were held at the O'Brien Group Arena in Docklands, Victoria, the home of the Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs.[98] The series was a single game elimination with the two winning semi-finalists advancing to the Goodall Cup final. The finals were sponsored by Air Canada, the fifth year in a row.[98] The Goodall Cup was won by the Melbourne Ice who defeated the CBR Brave 4–1.[99] The Ice's Sebastian Ottosson was named the finals most valuable player.[99]

All times are UTC+10:00

The 2017 AIHL All-Star Weekend was held at the O'Brien Group Arena, Melbourne on 3 and 4 June 2017.[100][101] The format of the weekend remained unchanged from 2016 with a skills competition on 3 June and an all-stars game on 4 June.[101] Melbourne Mustangs' Jamie Bourke and Lliam Webster of the Melbourne Ice were announced as the captains of the two teams replacing Michael Schlamp and Matt Armstrong from 2016.[101][102] APA Group re-signed as sponsor of the weekend after sponsoring the previous two events.[102] The weekend is also included on the Fox Sports broadcast schedule.[103]

The Skills competition saw Melbourne Mustangs players take out three of the seven events, the Melbourne Ice took two, and the Adelaide Adrenaline and Sydney Ice Dogs both picked up one each.[104][105] On 4 June Team Webster defeated Team Bourke 14–7 at the O'Brien Group Arena to win the 2017 All-Star Game.[106] Dominic Jalbert of the CBR Brave was named the most valuable player of the match.[106]

• The Australian Ice Hockey League