The 2025 AIHL season is right around the corner and if the pre-season exhibitions are anything to go by, there’s plenty to be excited about. A new year means there’s a fresh slate for every club, with all eight teams striving to claim the fifth oldest trophy in ice hockey, the Goodall Cup.
Let’s preview the ambitions for every AIHL club heading into the new season and the factors that will excite each fanbase most in 2025.
Photo: Hugh WhittleAdelaide AdrenalineThe Adrenaline enter 2025 with a new boss behind the bench, with Jade Galbraith signed as head coach in the off-season. If this is a sign of a new era emerging in the City of Churches, Adelaide fans should be delighted considering their team won just seven games total last season. However, despite that poor record, the roster construction promises a better year for Adelaide in 2025.
The Adrenaline have two Australian national team members returning this season in forward Daniel Chen and defenceman Zachary Boyle. Chen scored the most points for a non-import for the Adrenaline in 2024 (7G-7A-14P) and Boyle was one of the league’s cleanest puck winners in the defensive zone, picking up just 12 penalty minutes all year. What is most promising about these two, however, is the fact they were arguably two of Australia’s best in their recent Trans-Tasman series against New Zealand.
Chen contributed an assist in two of the three games and looked poised with the puck on his stick. Boyle was a goal scorer in games 1 and 3, boasting three points for the series. Performances like that entering a season will build some surefire momentum and instill serious confidence in what the Adrenaline can achieve.
Considering Adelaide played eight overtime games last season and won just two of them, they’re certainly more competitive than last season’s ladder suggests. With the team’s leading scorer Josh Adkins back for another year too, it should not shock anyone if Adelaide are in the hunt for a playoff spot come August.
Photo: Anthony StempBrisbane LightningThe Brisbane Lightning are hard to gage ahead of 2025. With an opening weekend matchup against the reigning premiers on the road, things don’t begin easily. In saying that, there’s still a lot to like about the Lightning, particularly when looking at their import signings and other off-season acquisitions.
The Lightning have added some serious firepower in the likes of Tanner Hopps and Carson Miller, two 25-year-old Canadians who have had success at the university level. For Miller specifically, he’s also dominated in the AIHL system, featuring in nine games for the Sydney Bears last season where he posted 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points.
Brisbane have also revamped their goalie tandem with youth, adding 20-year-old rising star Matus Trnka from Adelaide and 23-year-old Jakob Doornbos from the Sydney Ice Dogs. If these two play well, Brisbane could have a seriously formidable young duo in net this season.
The Lightning are fresh, young and will be a heap of fun to watch. While a playoff return isn’t likely with this core just yet, this is the AIHL and anything is possible.
Canberra BraveThe defending champions will have a target on their backs all season long, but it’s unlikely that will matter much. The Brave remain the team to beat this season after making some impressive additions to an already loaded roster that features six Australian national team members.
Beginning with the homegrown talent, Australian national goaltender Alexandre Tetreault is back after dominating in net during the Australia’s sweep of New Zealand, saving 27 of 29 shots across the Trans-Tasman series. He’s consistently been one of the better goalies in big games, shutting out the Melbourne Ice in the Grand Final with an elite 29-save performance, such a confidence booster for a team prepared to go back-to-back. Add into the mix captain Kai Miettinen, Tommy Steven, Jordon Brunt and Nick Christensen, who all played in the Trans-Tasman series, this team has built up plenty of chemistry to work with entering 2025.
The most exciting factor for Canberra this year? Perhaps the two strongest roster upgrades of the competition.
Canberra have signed Cameron Todd, former Sydney Ice Dog and captain of Australia during the 2024 IIHF D2A World Championships. His leadership and experience at the topflight of Australian hockey is an almost unfair addition, as he produced at over a point-per-game last season.
It doesn’t end there. Canberra’s latest import is Brandon McNally, an Italian national who will add a wealth of experience rarely seen in the league. A Dartmouth alum with time spent in the AHL, EIHL and ECHL, the 6-foot-2 power forward undoubtedly poses as another edge within the Brave’s talented core of players.
The Brave are forging a culture of champions, both on the ice and through their off-season signings. Therefore, they’ll be the team to beat until proven otherwise.
Central Coast RhinosWhile the Rhinos showed improvement in 2024, winning seven games total, they still struggled to produce consistent results, allowing nine or more goals on seven occasions. It looks like 2025 might be more of the same, losing to Newcastle 8-6 in a pre-season game on March 22nd.
However, if there’s any excitement Central Coast supporters can get behind at Erina Ice Arena this season, it’ll be this team’s ability to produce absolute barnburners. Aziz Baazzi is returning, who famously scored a Forsberg-esq overtime winner for the Rhinos last season, as is captain Robert Malloy, who produced 11 goals and 17 assists in 2024. The Rhinos also added some championship pedigree in former Canberra forward Tyler Kubara who scored 25 points in 23 games for the Brave last season, so his presence could make a big difference in building a more competitive hockey team.
When the Rhinos forwards are at their best, they have some of the most electric lines in the league. Provided they continue to receive solid goaltending from Canadian Anand Oberoi, as seen in their 2-1 win over Newcastle on March 29
th, perhaps their offensive prowess can be the difference maker that wins them games in 2025.
Melbourne IceIt took seven years, but the Ice finally returned to playoffs in 2024, the rapid development of their young players and elite goalie tandem elevating Melbourne into a legitimate championship contender.
However, there’s unfinished business for Melbourne to settle, as they aim to build on the momentum of last season to return to the Grand Final again in 2025; this time hoping for a different outcome.
There’s several factors leaning in Melbourne’s favour to achieve success. Captain Joey Hughes returns for yet another season, the 40-year-old forward’s 46-point 2024 season highlighting his ability to continue to produce at a high level. The continued growth of young defenceman Lachlan Cincotta and Jacob Laver will be something to watch too, as the pair received more ice time throughout 2024 and look increasingly comfortable on the blue line.
Despite losing their leading goal scorer Austin Albrecht, the addition of Canadian import Kolton Shindle already looks spectacular. He scored two goals in his unofficial debut in the club colours during the Ice’s 5-3 pre-season win over the Mustangs on Friday night.
What will undoubtedly excite Ice fans most is the return of star import goalie Tatsunoshin Ishida. Ishida instantly became a cult hero in his first season at Melbourne, leading the AIHL in save percentage (.920), shutouts (2) and trailed only Canberra’s Aleksi Toivonen for the league-lead in goals against average (2.81 GAA). If the Japanese phenom can steal a handful of wins for the Ice again in 2025 – he lost just four games in regulation in 2024 - another playoff appearance is almost a certainty.
Melbourne MustangsThe Mustangs are a couple of years removed from their famous Goodall Cup victory, and while they won’t be the early favourites in 2025, their experienced group is hard to ignore.
Former NHLer Ty Wishart leads the way defensively, with veteran Scott Timmins ready to back up a huge 61-point season in his fifth year at the club. Joining the club is another former first-round NHL draft pick in Zack Phillips, who instantly made his mark with a goal during Friday night’s pre-season clash with the Ice.
The Mustangs are a well-rounded group, with plenty of scoring talent extending into their third and fourth lines. While the roster is certainly on the older side of things, the talent of those veterans at the top end is perhaps the strongest in the league.
Luckily for the Mustangs, the Sydney residing teams are unable to participate in the 2025 season. That will quietly be a confidence booster for Melbourne, as 6 of their 14 losses came against the Bears and Ice Dogs in 2024. If their form against the rest of the competition continues, there’s a good chance they compete for the regular season premiership at the very minimum.
Newcastle NorthstarsNewcastle were left ruing missed opportunities in 2024. Despite only losing seven games in regulation – only the Sydney Bears had fewer – they also lost seven overtime games.
The Northstars then fell agonisingly short of a Grand Final appearance, blowing a 3-1 lead in the semi-final to a spirited Melbourne Ice. That hurtful loss will play the role as motivator entering 2025, which is why seeing the bulk of their 2024 roster return should be incredibly exciting for Northstars faithful.
Newcastle has the makings of a team set for revenge. Import Francis Drolet, who ranked fourth in points last season with 62, returns with linemate Beau Taylor, who scored 17 goals in 2024. Young gun defenceman Ethan Hawes is set for another solid year too; the agile playmaker produced at over a point per game last season and earned quality ice time with team Australia at last year’s IIHF D2A World Championships.
Then there’s Wehebe Darge, who scored a hattrick in Newcastle’s 8-6 pre-season win over Central Coast on March 22
nd. If there’s anything to take out of a pre-season friendly, an eight-goal frenzy is certainly something.
It’s impossible to ignore the addition of former Sydney Bear Ryan Annesley too. He led the AIHL in points for a defenceman last season with 41, so watching the Northstars generate offense off the rush is going to be a thing of beauty.
The Northstars are a team ready to explode, with months to ponder the devastating semi-final loss. Now, it’s apparent that the playoffs aren’t just the hope for this group, it’s the expectation.
Perth ThunderLike Newcastle, Perth were thereabouts last season, but couldn’t put it together in the post-season, losing to the eventual champions in the preliminary final. However, the Thunder will certainly be in the hunt for their first premiership once again this season, headlined by an elite defensive unit and the addition of a star Australian goaltender.
Perth were the best defensive team in the league last season, allowing a league-low 98 goals against during their 2024 campaign. Thunder fans should expect a similar year, with Australian nationals Jamie Woodman and Lynden Lodge remaining as key features within their lineup.
The acquisition of former Canberra goaltender Aleksi Toivonen cannot be understated either. Toivonen only played ten games for the Brave last season, but was a brick wall in those starts, winning seven games with a save percentage of .905 and a GAA of 2.79. He’s entering this season coming off the series of his life, not allowing a single goal against New Zealand on 28 shots over two starts. To have him sitting in behind an elite defensive core is a mouth-watering proposition.
The Thunder’s offensive production has sat around the middle of the pack since 2023 (6
th in goals scored), but with a stout defensive core, anchored by veteran Woodman and blue line playmaker Robert Haselhurst, there’s reason to believe that shouldn’t matter when they make a playoff push.
LIGHTNING
MUSTANGS
RHINOS
ADRENALINE
ICE
THUNDER
BRAVE
NORTHSTARS
