2019 AIHL season

In January the Newcastle Northstars signed a three-year naming rights deal with Newcastle Rescue and Consultancy.[1] Proski, the former naming rights holder, will continue to sponsor the club at a lower level.[1] In March the Newcastle Northstars unveiled a new red-coloured third jersey design featuring an alternative logo.[2] The logo is made up an upper-case letter N on top of a five pointed star.[2] On 19 March the Adelaide Adrenaline signed a naming rights deal with Agile Group.[3] The deal starts in the 2019 season and runs through to the end of the 2021 season.[3] On 28 March it was announced that the CBR Brave had been acquired by the Canberra Cavalry, a baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League.[4] Cavalry management took over operations of the Brave immediately while full ownership is expected to be transferred later in the year.[4] 3 April 2019, O’Brien Group announced the completion of upgrades to their Melbourne stadium including 1,361 solar panels, two water tanks and an environmentally-friendly heating system.[5] The new facilities would generate 400Kw of power, providing a 25% saving on the stadium's power bill.[5] To mark the completion of the new upgrades the stadium was renamed O’Brien Icehouse, invoking and recognising the stadium's original name.[5] On 19 April the CBR Brave signed a naming rights deal with the Signal Co. Wireless for the 2019 season.[6] The deal increases The Signal Co. Wireless' level of sponsorship having been a major sponsor in 2018.[6] On 31 May it was announced that the Melbourne Mustangs had signed an affiliation with the Melbourne Chargers of the Australian Women's Tier 2 Show Case Series, Australia's second highest women's ice hockey league.[7]

Player transfers

Interclub transfers Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Sebastian Andersson Adelaide Adrenaline Melbourne Ice [19] Spencer Austin Sydney Bears CBR Brave [20] Michael Breedveld Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs [21] Jonathon Bremner Perth Thunder Melbourne Ice [22] Lachlan Fahmy* Sydney Bears Sydney Ice Dogs [23] Kayne Fedor Sydney Bears Adelaide Adrenaline [24] Darcy Flanagan CBR Brave Melbourne Ice [25] Robert Haselhurst Newcastle Northstars Perth Thunder [26] Jermaine Joyce Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne Ice [27] Paul Lazzarotto Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne Ice [28] Thomas Munro Perth Thunder Melbourne Ice [29] Nicholas Novysedlak Melbourne Mustangs Sydney Ice Dogs [30] Jaden Pine-Murphy Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs [31] Matthew Price Newcastle Northstars CBR Brave [32] Jeremy Vasquez* Sydney Bears Sydney Ice Dogs [33] * Mid-season transfer.

Retirements Nat Player Team New role Ref Nathan Chiarlitti Sydney Ice Dogs — [34] Scott Corbett Melbourne Ice — [35] Cass Delsar Melbourne Ice — [36] Jordan Gavin CBR Brave — [37]

New signings Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Henrik Ahlin Reach Rebels Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Garrett Bartus Greenville Swamp Rabbits Sydney Ice Dogs [40] Connor Bolger Sydney Wolf Pack Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Andreas Camenzind No team CBR Brave [41] Andrew Chen Adelaide Generals Adelaide Adrenaline [42] Nick Christensen Canberra Blades CBR Brave [43][44] Matt Climie HDD Jesenice CBR Brave [45] Paul Crowder Fife Flyers Sydney Ice Dogs [46] Tim Crowder Coventry Blaze Sydney Ice Dogs [47] Tristan Darling Dunedin Thunder Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Adam Dauda Colgate University Sydney Bears [50][51] Nicholas Doornbos No team CBR Brave [43][52] Jordan Draper Scorpions de Mulhouse CBR Brave [43][52] Francis Drolet Diables Rouges de Briançon Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Lachlan Fahmy South Shore Kings Sydney Bears [50][51] Thomas Flack Saint Michael's College Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Dominik Gabaj Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Jesse Gabrielle Wichita Thunder CBR Brave [43][52] Jackson Gallagher Sydney Sabres CBR Brave [43][52] Alexandre Gauthier Nicolet Condors Adelaide Adrenaline [55] Danick Gauthier Fife Flyers Sydney Bears [50][51] Benjamin Gavoille Dunedin Thunder Adelaide Adrenaline [56][57] Jake Gilmour No team Perth Thunder [58][59] Mike Giorgi No team CBR Brave [43][52] Jesse Gordichuk University of Nevada, Las Vegas Adelaide Adrenaline [60] Kyllian Guyenet HC Sierre-Anniviers Sydney Bears [50][51] Sean Hamilton Northern Vikings Perth Thunder [58][59] Marcus Hosen No team Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Jeff Hu Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Ice [61][62] Christian Isackson No team Melbourne Mustangs [63] Adam Kambeitz Rapaces de Gap CBR Brave [43][52] Thomas Kiliwnik Brisbane Blitz Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Jake Knott Nudo Bombers Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Jan Koubek Sydney Sting Sydney Bears [50][51] Kasey Kulczycki Birmingham Bulls Melbourne Ice [61][62] Lee Lambert Blackhawks IHC Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] William Lameroux Reach Rebels Sydney Bears [50][51] Jaxson Lane Canterbury Red Devils Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Maxime Langelier-Parent No team Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Dylan Lavery Penrith Raptors Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Connor Lee Steele County Blades Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Yannic Lodge Tranås AIF J20 Perth Thunder [58][59] Brayden Low Reading Royals CBR Brave [43][52] Taylor Luck Blackhawks IHC Melbourne Ice [61][62] Jacob Lundgren Halmstad Hammers HC J20 Melbourne Ice [64] Joseph Maatouk Canberra Rebels CBR Brave [43][65] Joey MacDougall Adelaide Tigers Adelaide Adrenaline [56][57] Louick Marcotte Rivière-du-Loup 3L Perth Thunder [58][59] Tyler Mayea Newfoundland Growlers CBR Brave [43][52] Marcel McGuiness Adelaide Red Wings Adelaide Adrenaline [66] Austin McKenzie No team Melbourne Ice [67] Cooper Metcalf No team Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Matt Monaghan No team Sydney Ice Dogs [68] Chris Moquin Southern New Hampshire University Sydney Bears [50][51] Hamish Murray No team CBR Brave [43][52] Kevin Nastiuk Stony Plain Eagles Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Kyle Neuber No team Adelaide Adrenaline [69] Tim Newmark Français Volants Sydney Bears [50][51] Jordan Owens Sheffield Steelers Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Nathan Pedretti Saints Monarchs Melbourne Ice [61][62] Trey Phillips Fort Wayne Komets Newcastle Northstars [53][54] J.M. Piotrowski Yale University Melbourne Ice [61][62] Dylan Quaile Rapid City Rush Sydney Ice Dogs [70] Jack Ransome Reach Rebels Sydney Ice Dogs [38][39] Jacob Ratcliffe Westfield State University Sydney Bears [71] Conor Riley Adirondack Thunder CBR Brave [43][52] Taegan Rippon Reach Rebels Sydney Bears [72] Jayden Ryan Penrith Raptors Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Alistair Rye Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Connor Schultz Sydney Sabres Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Jesse Schwartz Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Melbourne Ice [73] Lachlan Seary No team CBR Brave [43][52] Luke Simpson Lacombe Generals Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Ondrej Smach Gothiques d'Amiens Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Thomas Stahlhuth Colby College Melbourne Ice [61][62] Samuel Sweatman Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Ice [61][62] Daniel Taylor No team Sydney Bears [74] Parker Thomas University of Saskatchewan Melbourne Mustangs [48][49] Shaun Tobin No team Perth Thunder [58][59] Keven Veilleux Rivière-du-Loup 3L Perth Thunder [58][59] Gabriel Veyt The Hill Academy U18 Prep Melbourne Ice [61][62] Justin Vienneau Aigles de La Roche sur Yon Sydney Bears [50][51] Nico Vikstén SaPKo Perth Thunder [75] Darren Wade Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle Northstars [53][54] Chris Williamson Watertown Wolves CBR Brave [43][52] Adam Wise Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline [56][57] Sebastian Woodlands A21 Academy Adelaide Adrenaline [56][57] Andrew Zolotarev Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline [76]

Players lost Nat Player Previous team New team Ref Alex Adams Adelaide Adrenaline Knoxville Ice Bears [77] Charlie Adams Sydney Bears No team [50][51] Dylan Anderson Melbourne Ice Manchester Storm [78] Caleb Apperson Adelaide Adrenaline Birmingham Bulls [79] Anthony Barnes Sydney Bears No team [50][51] Ignacy Benjamin Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Robert Bird Perth Thunder No team [58][59] Mitchell Bonollo Melbourne Ice Saints Monarchs [61][62] Channing Bresciani CBR Brave HC Fassa [43][52] Russel Brewer Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Tigers [80] Declan Bronte Melbourne Ice New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 18U [61][62] Michael Burns Sydney Bears No team [50][51] Matt Buskas CBR Brave No team [43][52] James Byers CBR Brave No team [43][52] Brad Chenoweth Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Jokers [81] Billy Cliff Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Darren Corstens Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Blackhawks [82] Ben Davies Melbourne Mustangs Guildford Flames [48][49] Peter Di Salvo Perth Thunder Quad City Storm [58][59] Etienne Du Toit Sydney Bears No team [50][51] Nickolas Eckhardt CBR Brave No team [43][52] Brett Ferguson Melbourne Mustangs Guildford Flames [48][49] Luke Fisher Melbourne Mustangs No team [48][49] Nate Fleming Melbourne Ice No team [83] Pascal Gemperli Perth Thunder EHC Frauenfeld [58][59] Trevor Gerling CBR Brave Huntsville Havoc [43][52] Jordan Geyer Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Jokers [84] Per Daniel Göransson CBR Brave No team [43][52] Kaden Goulds Perth Thunder No team [58][59] Pier-Olivier Grandmaison Perth Thunder Rapid City Rush [58][59] Jacob Haley Melbourne Ice Braves IHC [85] Joe Harcharik Newcastle Northstars No team [53][54] Joshua Healey Perth Thunder No team [58][59] Matt Hewitt CBR Brave HC Fassa [43][52] Michael James Melbourne Ice No team [86] Zane Jones Newcastle Northstars Visby/Roma HK [53][54] Adam Kimbley Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors [50][51] Nikita Kolesnikovs Melbourne Mustangs Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs [48][49] Bryan Kolodziejczyk Sydney Ice Dogs Scorpions de Mulhouse [38][39] Simon Kudla Perth Thunder No team [58][59] Devon Krogh Melbourne Ice No team [87] Dillon Lawrence Melbourne Ice Coventry Blaze [88] Sam Lawson Newcastle Northstars Briercrest College [53][54] Ilman Lee Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Tyler Leeming Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Red Wings [89] Chris Leveille CBR Brave Brampton Beast [43][52] Sami Mantere Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Jokers [90] Reggie Mattschoss Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Red Wings [91] Mark McCann Perth Thunder No team [58][59] Christopher McPhail CBR Brave No team [43][52] Nicholas Mizen Sydney Ice Dogs Kent State University [38][39] Jesse Moore Melbourne Ice No team [92] Joseph Nyamuka Melbourne Ice No team [93] Landon Oslanski Perth Thunder Lacombe Generals [58][59] Adam Piett Adelaide Adrenaline No team [94] Petri Pitkänen Melbourne Mustangs Liikunnan Riemu [48][49] Ainars Podzins CBR Brave LHC Les Lions [43][52] Dylan Pope Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Falcons [95] Harley Quinton-Jones Newcastle Northstars Newcastle North Stars ECSL [53][54] Shai Rabinowitz Sydney Bears Marieville Red Knights [50][51] Nick Rivait Newcastle Northstars Bulldogs Liege [53][54] Fredrik Rozenberg Sydney Bears No team [50][51] Mark Rummukainen CBR Brave No team [43][52] Jonatan Ruth Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Tim Rye Sydney Bears Seahawks Hockey [50][51] Hayden Sheard Newcastle Northstars No team [53][54] Maxim Shneider Melbourne Ice No team [96] Lachlan Shumak Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Curtis Skip Sydney Ice Dogs University of Alberta-Augustana [38][39] Cameron Smith Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors [50][51] Chad Smith Sydney Bears Fife Flyers [50][51] Ethan Spelde Newcastle Northstars Newcastle North Stars ECSL [53][54] Scott Stephenson Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Todd Stephenson Sydney Ice Dogs No team [38][39] Corey Stringer Adelaide Adrenaline No team [97] Graeme Strukoff Sydney Bears No team [50][51] Tynan Theobald CBR Brave No team [43][52] Aleksi Toivonen Melbourne Mustangs No team [48][49] Josh Velez Melbourne Ice Blackhawks IHC [61][62] Levon Wilson Perth Thunder No team [58][59] Marcus Wong Melbourne Ice No team [98] Geordie Wudrick Sydney Ice Dogs EC Harzer Falken [38][39]

The regular season began on 20 April 2019 and will run through to 25 August 2019 before the top four teams advance to compete in the Goodall Cup playoff series.[99]

Skater statistics

2019 AIHL season top-ten lists for the following four skater statistical categories: Points[100], Goals[101], Assists[102] and Penalty minutes[103].

Points # Name Team Pos Pts 1 Tim Crowder SD F 77 2 Jesse Gabrielle CB F 67 3 Sammy Banga NN F 66 4 Dylan Quaile SD D 63 5 Louick Marcotte PT F 62 6 Francis Drolet NN F 54 7 Wehebe Darge CB F 54 8 Danick Gauthier SB F 53 9 Keven Veilleux PT F 52 10 Paul Crowder SD F 52

Goals # Name Team Pos G 1 Jesse Gabrielle CB F 39 2 Tim Crowder SD F 36 3 Sammy Banga NN F 25 4 Dylan Quaile SD D 23 5 Louick Marcotte PT F 22 6 Danick Gauthier SB F 22 7 Keven Veilleux PT F 22 8 Kieran Webster PT F 21 9 Francis Drolet NN F 20 10 Jacob Ratcliffe SB F 20

Assists # Name Team Pos A 1 Tim Crowder SD F 41 2 Sammy Banga NN F 41 3 Dylan Quaile SD D 40 4 Louick Marcotte PT F 40 5 Paul Crowder SD F 36 6 Wehebe Darge CB F 35 7 Francis Drolet NN F 34 8 Danick Gauthier SB F 31 9 Keven Veilleux PT F 30 10 Grant Toulmin SD F 30

Penalty minutes # Name Team Pos PIM 1 Kyle Neuber AA F 146 2 Keven Veilleux PT F 112 3 Tyerell Clare SB D 95 4 Alex Gauthier AA D 94 5 Louick Marcotte PT F 91 6 Jermaine Joyce MI D 74 7 Hayden Dawes CB D 69 8 Darcy Flanagan MI D 69 9 Parker Thomas MM F 68 10 Alec Stephenson SD F 68

Goaltender statistics

2019 AIHL season top-ten lists for the following two goaltender statistical categories: Goals against average[104] and Save percentage[105]

Goals against average # Name Team Pos GGA 1 Matt Climie CB G 2.14 2 Alex Tetreault CB G 2.87 3 Jaden Pine-Murphy MM G 2.92 4 Dayne Davis NN G 3.04 5 Kevin Nastiuk MM G 3.24 6 Anthony Kimlin SB G 3.60 7 Nico Vikstén PT G 3.62 8 Seb Andersson MI G 3.87 9 Garrett Bartus SD G 4.33 10 Jesse Gordichuk AA G 6.06

Save percentage # Name Team Pos SVS% 1 Matt Climie CB G .914% 2 Dayne Davis NN G .900% 3 Nico Vikstén PT G .894% 4 Anthony Kimlin SB G .893% 5 Alex Tetreault CB G .889% 6 Seb Andersson MI G .887% 7 Jaden Pine-Murphy MM G .886% 8 Garrett Bartus SD G .869% 9 Jesse Gordichuk AA G .869% 10 Kevin Nastiuk MM G .860%

Season awards

Below lists the 2019 AIHL regular season award winners.

Award	Name	Team
MVP	Dylan Quaile	Sydney Ice Dogs
Goaltender	Matt Climie	CBR Brave
Defenceman	Dylan Quaile	Sydney Ice Dogs
Rookie	Jake Ratcliffe	Sydney Bears
Local player	Kieran Webster	Perth Thunder
Coach	John Kennedy	Newcastle Northstars

Source

The 2019 playoffs are scheduled to begin on 31 August with the Goodall Cup final held on 1 September.[99] Following the end of the regular season the top four teams advance to the playoff series which is to be held at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Newcastle, New South Wales.[106] The series is a single game elimination with the two winning semi-finalists advancing to the Goodall Cup final.[99]

All times are UTC+10:00

The 2019 AIHL All-Star Weekend was held at the International Convention Centre Sydney on 14 and 15 June 2019.[107] The format of the weekend is unchanged from 2018 with a skills competition on 14 June and an all-stars game on 15 June.[107] The teams however were re-aligned on a North/South basis.[108] Team North included players from the CBR Brave, Newcastle Northstars, Sydney Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs.[108] Team South included players from the Adelaide Adrenaline, Melbourne Ice, Melbourne Mustangs and Perth Thunder.[108] Sydney Bears' Michael Schlamp and Perth Thunder's Jamie Woodman were initially announced as the team captains for Team North and Team South respectively.[108] Schlamp was later replaced by Brian Funes of the Sydney Bears due to injury.[109] The Sydney Bears' Ron Kuprowsky was named as Team North coach and Perth Thunder's David Ruck as coach of Team South.[108] The weekend ran alongside the 2019 Ice Hockey Classic, an exhibition series featuring players from Canada and the United States.[107]

The skills competition, originally organised for Friday 14 June was cancelled along with the Ice Hockey Classic match between the United States and Canada.[110] As such, a cut down version of the skills competition involving just two of the originally planned events was contested on Saturday 15 June before the start of the 2019 All-Stars match. Jesse Gabrielle of the CBR Brave won the fastest skater competition. Danick Gauthier of the Sydney Bears won the hardest shot competition. Team North defeated Team South 11-9 in the All-Stars match and Perth Thunder's Keven Veilleux claimed the Mick McCormack Cup after being named the most valuable player.[111]

• The Australian Ice Hockey League