2016 AIHL season

In September 2015 it was announced that the Medibank Icehouse had been renamed the O'Brien Group Arena following a lease takeover by the O'Brien Catering Group.[1] The league announced that the Sydney Bears will host two games against the Melbourne Ice in Queensland during the 2016 season.[2] The games, promoted under the title of the Brisbane Battle, will be held at Iceworld Boondall and Iceworld Acacia Ridge on 14 and 15 May respectively.[2] The AIHL have not held a game in Queensland since the suspension of the Gold Coast Blue Tongues in 2012.[3] In February 2016 the Sydney Ice Dogs announced that Reach Crane Trucks had renewed their sponsorship for 2016, extending the original three-year deal that was signed in 2013.[4] The Ice Dogs later signed TAFE SWSi Aboriginal Learning Circle as a new sponsor for the season.[5] Also in February Hards Transport renewed their naming rights sponsorship of the Adelaide Adrenaline.[6] The Adrenaline also signed new sponsors Reading Cinemas, Paxton Wines and Mortgage Choice Malvern and extended their deal with the Hilton Hotel's MyBar as their official post-game venue.[7][8][9][10] In March 2016 the CBR Brave signed Casino Canberra and McDonald's ACT as major sponsors and Canberra Toyota as their vehicle sponsor.[11][12] The CBR Brave also extended their deal with Anytime Fitness as the club's official gym partner and the Hellenic Club of Canberra as their post-game partner and renewed their sponsorship deal with Jordo's Chop Shop.[13][14][15] On 21 March 2016 the Bears announced that they had formed a partnership with the Australian Defence Force Ice Hockey Association's Army Knights for 2016.[16] This was followed by the CBR Brave forming a partnership with the Navy Tigersharks.[17] Both partnerships aim to help promote ice hockey within the Defence Force and develop emerging talent.[16][17] The Bears partnership deal also includes discounted tickets for Defence Force members during the season.[16] The Sydney Bears have reached a deal with Hawkesbury Radio to broadcast at least two of their home games for the 2016 season while also continuing to broadcast via their normal Mixlr stream.[18] The Perth Thunder will also start live broadcasting their home games via Mixlr for the 2016 season.[18] In April the Brave announced a partnership with the Canberra Cavalry of the Australian Baseball League to help increase promotion between the two teams.[19] On 22 April the Perth Thunder announced that they had signed Smooth Financial Services as a platinum sponsor for the 2016 season.[20] In May 2016 Hi-Tec Oils renewed their major sponsorship with the Sydney Bears for the season.[21] Also in May The James Hotel signed a deal with the Melbourne Mustangs to become a major sponsor and host the club's pre and post-game functions.[22]

Player transfers

Interclub transfers Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Zachary Boyle Adelaide Adrenaline CBR Brave [40] Ellesse Carini Sydney Bears Sydney Ice Dogs [41] David Dunwoodie CBR Brave Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Brian Funes Sydney Ice Dogs Sydney Bears [43] Sean Hamilton Sydney Ice Dogs Perth Thunder [44] Joseph Hughes Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne Ice [45] Tomas Manco CBR Brave Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Joel Rhodes Sydney Ice Dogs Sydney Bears [43] Jan Safar Newcastle North Stars CBR Brave [46] Charlie Smart Adelaide Adrenaline Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Andrew White Adelaide Adrenaline Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Geordie Wudrick Newcastle North Stars CBR Brave [47]

Retirements Nat Player Team New role Ref Vincent Hughes Melbourne Mustangs — [48] Christopher Sekura Sydney Ice Dogs Assistant Coach at Sydney Ice Dogs [49] Robert Starke Newcastle North Stars — [50]

New signings Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Ryan Annesley No team Sydney Bears [43] Brentin Azzopardi Banff Academy Bears Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Phil Bakatsoulas No team Melbourne Mustangs [51] T.J. Battani No team Adelaide Adrenaline [52] Jessyko Bernard Concordia University Perth Thunder [44] Art Bidlevskii Kallinge-Ronneby IF CBR Brave [40] Nicola Brandi SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers CBR Brave [40] Benjamin Breault LHC Les Lions Perth Thunder [44] Russel Brewer Adelaide Tigers Adelaide Adrenaline [52][53] Billy Cliff No team Sydney Bears [43] Timothy Cox No team CBR Brave [40] Zane Cunliffe No team Perth Thunder [44] Troy Davenport No team Melbourne Ice [45] Michael Dorr Fife Flyers Perth Thunder [44] Ted Fabijan Adelaide Blackhawks Adelaide Adrenaline [52][54] Lachlan Fahmy Banff Academy Bears Sydney Bears [43] Zack Firlotte Elsipogtog Hawks Adelaide Adrenaline [52] Luke Fisher No team Melbourne Mustangs [51] Darcy Flanagan Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Mustangs [51] David Foster Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Mustangs [51] Jordan Geyer Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline [52][55] Matt Gilpin No team CBR Brave [40] Per Daniel Göransson Northern Vikings Perth Thunder [44] Brandon Greenside Peoria Rivermen Newcastle North Stars [56] Mathieu Guertin Trois-Rivières Blizzard CBR Brave [40] Josh Harris Peoria Rivermen Newcastle North Stars [56] Dale Harrop Canterbury Red Devils Perth Thunder [44] Thomas Heemsherk Bentley Generals Perth Thunder [44] Alex Henderson Penrith Raptors Sydney Bears [43] Mitchell Henning No team CBR Brave [40] Mark Higgins No team Melbourne Mustangs [57] Jamie Holland No team Adelaide Adrenaline [52] Geoff Irwin No team Sydney Bears [43] James Isaacs Coventry Blaze Melbourne Mustangs [58] Nic Kawasaki Penrith Raptors Sydney Bears [43] Anthony Kimlin Whitby Dunlops Sydney Bears [43] Joshua Kleipas Sydney Sting Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Bayley Kubara Reach Rebels Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Casey Kubara Atlanta Jr. Knights CBR Brave [59] Lasse Lassen No team Melbourne Ice [45] Bobby Lipsett No team Melbourne Ice [45] Éric Louis-Seize Royal Military College of Canada Melbourne Mustangs [60] Matti Luoma No team CBR Brave [61] Cole MacMillan University of Prince Edward Island Adelaide Adrenaline [52] David Mahood Perth Pelicans Perth Thunder [44] Liam Manwarring Sydney Sabres Newcastle North Stars [56] Marcel McGuiness Adelaide Redwings Adelaide Adrenaline [52][62] Connor McLaughlin University of Alberta Augustana Newcastle North Stars [56] Mike McMahon No team Melbourne Mustangs [51] Ian Merwin No team Sydney Bears [43] Nicholas Mizen Las Vegas Storm Newcastle North Stars [56] Charlie Moore No team Melbourne Mustangs [51] Luke Moore No team CBR Brave [40] Gabriel O'Connor Corsaires de Nantes Adelaide Adrenaline [52] Sam O'Neill-Hodges No team Adelaide Adrenaline [52] Cian O'Reilly Blueline Bombers Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Dion Palmer Adelaide Redwings Adelaide Adrenaline [52][63] Dathan Pleiter Perth Pelicans Perth Thunder [44] Luke Philps No team CBR Brave [40] Neal Prokop No team CBR Brave [40] Jake Riley Adelaide Penguins Adelaide Adrenaline [52][64] Gabriel Roblebo Sydney Sting Sydney Bears [43] Ryan Ruddle No team Melbourne Mustangs [51] Jonatan Ruth No team Newcastle North Stars [56] Remy Sandoy West Auckland Admirals Sydney Ice Dogs [42] David Sefic SKHL Crvena Zvezda Melbourne Mustangs [51] Chris Slauenwhite Hamilton Steelhawks Melbourne Mustangs [51] Cam Smith Army Knights Sydney Bears [43][65] Tim Stanger Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle North Stars [56] Petr Stepanek HC Zdar nad Sazavou Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Scott Stephenson No team Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Todd Stephenson No team Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Thomas Steven Green Bay Jr. Gamblers U18 Melbourne Mustangs [51] Paul Swindlehurst Manchester Storm Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Matt Taylor Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle North Stars [56] Grant Toulmin Manchester Storm Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Byron Tschuma Melbourne Whalers Melbourne Mustangs [51] Brent Vandenberg Dundas Real McCoys Sydney Bears [43] Jeremy Vasquez CIHA White Midget AAA Sydney Bears [43] Nicholas Weiland Bridgton Academy 18U Sydney Ice Dogs [42] Brandon Wong Indy Fuel Newcastle North Stars [56] Chris Yule No team Melbourne Ice [45] Andrey Zolotarev Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline [52][66]

Players lost Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Drew Akins Melbourne Mustangs No team [67] Corey Banfield Melbourne Mustangs Pensacola Ice Flyers [67] Alan Becken Sydney Bears Blueline Bombers [41][68] Jan Bejcek Sydney Bears No team [41] Jamie Blazevic Sydney Ice Dogs No team [69] Paul Bond Sydney Bears No team [41] Jonathan Boxill Adelaide Adrenaline Belfast Giants [70] Joshua Broekman Newcastle North Stars No team [71] Jeremy Brown Melbourne Ice Chambly Forts [72] Dale Burgess Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors [41][73] Aaron Clayworth CBR Brave No team [40] Ethan Cornford Melbourne Mustangs Tottenham Steam [67] Luc Daigneault Perth Thunder No team [44] Riccardo Del Basso Perth Thunder No team [44] Andrew Fitzgerald Melbourne Mustangs No team [67] Ben Gebert Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Kelly Geoffrey CBR Brave Aigles de La Roche sur Yon [40] Viktor Gibbs Sjödin Melbourne Mustangs No team [67] Mike Giorgi CBR Brave No team [40] Andrew Glass Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Kaden Goulds Perth Thunder Cockburn Whitehawks [44][74] Jeff Grant Melbourne Mustangs No team [67] Matt Grogan Sydney Ice Dogs Mississippi RiverKings [69] Tyler Grove Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Mark Guggenberger Perth Thunder DVTK Jegesmedvék [44] Joseph Harcharik Sydney Bears Sollentuna HC [41] Luke Harding Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Kory Helowka Adelaide Adrenaline Danbury Titans [70] Mackenzie Hill Melbourne Ice No team [72] Alex Hudson Perth Thunder Louisiana IceGators [44] Greg Hyde Perth Thunder No team [44] Michael James Melbourne Mustangs No team [67] Kamil Jarina Sydney Bears No team [41] Tim Johansson Melbourne Ice Sölvesborgs IK [72] Toni Kluuskeri Perth Thunder Narvik IK [44] Jackson Knott Sydney Ice Dogs Parry Sound Islanders [69] Jake Knott Sydney Ice Dogs Parry Sound Islanders [69] Paul Kurceba Melbourne Ice No team [72] Alex Leclerc Melbourne Ice Lloydminster Bobcats [72] Mitchell Levitt Perth Thunder No team [44] David Lewis CBR Brave No team [40] Jayden Lewis CBR Brave No team [40] Kyle Mariani CBR Brave Bouquetins de Val Vanoise [40] James Marino Sydney Ice Dogs Bridgton Academy 18U [69] Shannon McGregor Sydney Ice Dogs No team [69] Luke Moffatt Newcastle North Stars HC Gherdëina [71] Alan Moss Melbourne Mustangs No team [67] Aleš Padělek Sydney Bears Peterborough Phantoms [41] Ben Pagett CBR Brave No team [40] Thomas Papps Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Mario Passarelli Sydney Ice Dogs No team [69] Jordan Peddle CBR Brave Terrace River Kings [40] Scott Pitt CBR Brave Braehead Clan [40] Ryan Remillard Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Alain Riesen CBR Brave No team [40] David Ruck Perth Thunder No team [44] Hayden Sheard Newcastle North Stars Newcastle North Stars ECSL [71][75] Ryan Strayer Sydney Ice Dogs Southern Stampede [69] Peter Taylor CBR Brave No team [40] Marco Tomasello Sydney Ice Dogs No team [69] Josh Unice CBR Brave No team [40] Aaron Widger Adelaide Adrenaline No team [70] Stuart Woodall CBR Brave No team [40] Bradley Young Perth Thunder No team [44]

The regular season is set to start on 23 April 2016 and run through to 21 August 2016 before the top four teams advance to compete in the Goodall Cup playoff series.[76] A weeks break will be held in June to accommodate the All-Star Weekend which is scheduled for 11 and 12 June 2016 in Penrith, New South Wales.[76] The AIHL will hold their first games in Queensland since 2012 after they announced that the Sydney Bears and Melbourne Ice will compete in a double header in Brisbane.[2][3] The games, promoted under the title of the Brisbane Battle, will be held at Iceworld Boondall and Iceworld Acacia Ridge on 14 and 15 May respectively.[2]

In March 2016 it was reported that the Adelaide Ice Arena had to close their large ice surface for repairs following failed pressure tests.[77] The repairs resulted in the league pushing back the start Adrenaline's home season from 23 April to 15 May and rescheduling of four games.[78] Game 1 between the North Stars and Adrenaline at the Adelaide Ice Arena was pushed back to 17 July from its original date of 23 April.[79] Game 81 between the Thunder and the North Stars at the Perth Ice Arena was moved forward into the vacant 23 April slot after originally being scheduled for 17 July.[79] The double header between the Adrenaline and the Thunder at the Adelaide Ice Arena was also pushed back from its original date of 30 April and 1 May to 21 and 22 May.[79] On 5 June Game 48 between the Sydney Ice Dogs and Melbourne Mustangs was postponed due to flooding at the Liverpool Catholic Club Ice Rink.[80] The match was later rescheduled for 7 August at the same venue.[81]

25 June game between the Melbourne Ice and Sydney Bears served as the third annual Canada Day Classic match.[82] The Bears won the game 4–3 following a shootout to claim the title for the third straight year.[82] On 6 August the Sydney Ice Dogs hosted the Adelaide Adrenaline in the Matt Clark Memorial Game, part of the clubs Leukaemia fundraising night.[83] The Ice Dogs wore the old Warringah Bombers jersey, dedicated to former Bombers player Matt Clark who died from leukaemia in 1995.[83] The Ice Dogs won the game 9–8.[83] 13 August match between the Adelaide Adrenaline and CBR Brave served as the second annual beyondblue Cup, setup to help raise awareness for the charity.[84] The Brave won the Cup for the second year in a row, defeating the Adrenaline 5–4 following a shootout.[84]

The Melbourne Ice won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing first in the regular season with 66 points.[85][86] Following the end of the season the AIHL announced the winners of the 2016 awards.[87] Adelaide Adrenaline's Wehebe Darge won the Most Valuable Player and Anthony Kimlin of the Sydney Bears won the Goaltender of the Year.[87] The CBR Brave's Jan Safar won the Defenceman of the Year and Casey Kubara was awarded both the Rookie of the Year and Local Player of the Year.[87] The Melbourne Ice's Brent Laver was named Coach of the Year.[87]

Season awards

Below lists the 2016 AIHL regular season award winners.

Award	Name	Team
MVP	Wehebe Darge	Adelaide Adrenaline
Goaltender	Anthony Kimlin	Sydney Bears
Defenceman	Jan Safar	Newcastle North Stars
Rookie	Casey Kubara	CBR Brave
Local player	Casey Kubara	CBR Brave
Coach	Brent Laver	Melbourne Ice

Source

The 2016 playoffs started on 27 August 2016 with the Goodall Cup final being held on 28 August. 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.[90] The series was a single game elimination with the two winning semi-finalists advancing to the Goodall Cup final. The finals were again sponsored by Air Canada, their fourth year in a row.[91] The Goodall Cup was won by the Newcastle North Stars (6th title) who defeated the CBR Brave 2–1 in regular time.[91] North Stars' goaltender Dayne Davis was named the finals Most Valuable Player.[87]

The 2016 AIHL All-Star Weekend was held at the Penrith Ice Palace on 11 and 12 June 2016.[92] The format of the weekend remained unchanged from 2015 with a skills competition on 11 June and an all-stars game on 12 June.[93] Sydney Bears' Michael Schlamp was announced as captain of one of the two teams for the second year in a row.[92] Matt Armstrong of the Melbourne Ice was announced as the second team's captain, replacing Brian Bales from 2015.[92] APA Group re-signed as sponsor of the weekend after sponsoring the 2015 inaugural event.[92] Fox Sports also broadcast a 90-minute special from the weekend.[93]

The Skills competition saw CBR Brave players take out three of the seven events, while both the Melbourne Mustangs and Sydney Bears picked up two each.[94] On 12 June Team Schlamp defeated Team Armstrong 10–9 at the Penrith Ice Palace to win the 2016 All-Star Game.[94] Michael Dorr of the Perth Thunder was named the most valuable player of the match and the best forward. The Sydney Bears' Ryan Annesley and Anthony Kimlin were named best defenceman and best goaltender respectively, and the Perth Thunder's Rob Haselhurst was named the best Australian player.[94]

• The Australian Ice Hockey League