The 2019 AIHL season is the 20th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 20 April 2019 until 25 August 2019, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 31 August and 1 September 2019. The CBR Brave won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing the regular season with the most points in league history for the second time. The Sydney Bears won the Goodall Cup for the third time by defeating the Perth Thunder in the final.
Teams In 2019 the AIHL had 8 teams competing in the league.
2019 AIHL teamsTeam City Arena Head Coach Captain Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide IceArenA Jim Fuyarchuk Josef Rezek CBR Brave Canberra Phillip Ice Skating Centre Robert Starke Matthew Harvey Melbourne Ice Melbourne O'Brien Icehouse Brad Vigon Lliam Webster Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne O'Brien Icehouse Maxime Langelier-Parent Michael McMahon Newcastle Northstars Newcastle Hunter Ice Skating Stadium John Kennedy 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 Andrew Petrie Tomas Manco
League business In January the Newcastle Northstars signed a three-year naming rights deal with Newcastle Rescue and Consultancy. Proski, the former naming rights holder, will continue to sponsor the club at a lower level. In March the Newcastle Northstars unveiled a new red-coloured third jersey design featuring an alternative logo. The logo is made up an upper-case letter N on top of a five pointed star. On 19 March the Adelaide Adrenaline signed a naming rights deal with Agile Group. The deal starts in the 2019 season and runs through to the end of the 2021 season. 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. Cavalry management took over operations of the Brave immediately while full ownership is expected to be transferred later in the year. 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. The new facilities would generate 400kW of power, providing a 25% saving on the stadium's power bill. To mark the completion of the new upgrades the stadium was renamed O’Brien Icehouse, invoking and recognising the stadium's original name. On 19 April the CBR Brave signed a naming rights deal with the Signal Co. Wireless for the 2019 season. The deal increases The Signal Co. Wireless' level of sponsorship having been a major sponsor in 2018. 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.
Exhibition games On 30 and 31 March the Melbourne Ice hosted Hockey X 2019 at the O'Brien Icehouse. Hockey X, previously known as the Hockey Festival, included the CBR Brave, Melbourne Ice, Melbourne Mustangs and an All-Star team from Queensland. Day one of the festival saw each team compete in a round-robin competition to determine the playoff spots on day two. The Melbourne Mustangs finished the round-robin at the top of the standings, three points ahead of the Melbourne Ice. The CBR Brave finished in third and the Queensland All-Stars in last place. Day two included two games, a final between first and second and a placement game for third place. The Melbourne Mustangs defeated the Melbourne Ice 3–1 in the final to claim the Warrior Cup, while the CBR Brave beat the Queensland All-Stars 3–0 to finish third. On 13 April the Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs held their annual exhibition match at the O'Brien Icehouse. The Mustangs defeated the Ice 4–2. On the same day the Adelaide Adrenaline held an exhibition game against a South Australian All Stars team which the Adrenaline won 4–3. The following day the Newcastle Northstars held a practice match against their affiliate club, the Newcastle North Stars ECSL at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium. The Northstars won the match 10–2.
Personnel changes On 23 November the Melbourne Ice announced the signing of Johan Steenberg to the position of Director of Operations. Steenberg returns to the Ice after a year with the CBR Brave where he acted as their Director of Player Development and Player Personnel. Steenberg was previously the Ice's goaltender coach from 2014 to 2017. The following month the Melbourne Ice appointed Australian men's national team head coach Brad Vigon to the position of head coach. Vigon replaces interim head coach Sandy Gardner who had been in the role since June 2018. Gardner was subsequently appointed an assistant coach role along with Brent Laver and Glen Mayer Laver moves into the role having been the development coach for the last two seasons and Mayer was previously an assistant coach at the Ice from 2014 to 2016. On 7 December the AIHL announced that Rob Bannerman had stepped down as commissioner due to a career move in the United States. Bannerman had been in the position for the past six years. In March the Melbourne Ice appointed Mark Smith to the position of general manager. Smith is currently head coach of the Melbourne Ice Women's team. On 28 February the Newcastle Northstars announced the signing of John Kennedy as head coach following his retirement as a player. Kennedy will be assisted by associated coaches Joe Theriault and Ray Sheffield. On 10 April the CBR Brave announced the signing of former Ligue Magnus player Max Ross to the position of assistant coach.
Player transfers
Interclub transfers Player Previous team New team Adelaide Adrenaline Melbourne Ice Sydney Bears CBR Brave Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs Perth Thunder Melbourne Ice * Sydney Bears Sydney Ice Dogs Sydney Bears Adelaide Adrenaline CBR Brave Melbourne Ice Newcastle Northstars Perth Thunder Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs Melbourne Ice Perth Thunder Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs Sydney Ice Dogs Melbourne Ice Melbourne Mustangs Newcastle Northstars CBR Brave * Sydney Bears Sydney Ice Dogs * Mid-season transfer.
Retirements Player Team New role Sydney Ice Dogs — Melbourne Ice — Melbourne Ice — CBR Brave —
New signings Player Previous team New team Reach Rebels Sydney Ice Dogs Greenville Swamp Rabbits Sydney Ice Dogs Sydney Wolf Pack Sydney Ice Dogs No team CBR Brave Adelaide Generals Adelaide Adrenaline Canberra Blades CBR Brave HDD Jesenice CBR Brave Fife Flyers Sydney Ice Dogs Coventry Blaze Sydney Ice Dogs Dunedin Thunder Melbourne Mustangs Colgate University Sydney Bears No team CBR Brave Scorpions de Mulhouse CBR Brave Diables Rouges de Briançon Newcastle Northstars South Shore Kings Sydney Bears Saint Michael's College Melbourne Mustangs Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne Newcastle Northstars Wichita Thunder CBR Brave Sydney Sabres CBR Brave Nicolet Condors Adelaide Adrenaline Fife Flyers Sydney Bears Dunedin Thunder Adelaide Adrenaline No team Perth Thunder No team CBR Brave University of Nevada, Las Vegas Adelaide Adrenaline HC Sierre-Anniviers Sydney Bears Northern Vikings Perth Thunder No team Sydney Ice Dogs Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Ice No team Melbourne Mustangs Rapaces de Gap CBR Brave Brisbane Blitz Newcastle Northstars Nudo Bombers Sydney Ice Dogs Sydney Sting Sydney Bears Birmingham Bulls Melbourne Ice Blackhawks IHC Melbourne Mustangs Reach Rebels Sydney Bears Canterbury Red Devils Melbourne Mustangs No team Melbourne Mustangs Penrith Raptors Sydney Ice Dogs Steele County Blades Sydney Ice Dogs Tranås AIF J20 Perth Thunder Reading Royals CBR Brave Blackhawks IHC Melbourne Ice Halmstad Hammers HC J20 Melbourne Ice Canberra Rebels CBR Brave Adelaide Tigers Adelaide Adrenaline Rivière-du-Loup 3L Perth Thunder Newfoundland Growlers CBR Brave Adelaide Red Wings Adelaide Adrenaline No team Melbourne Ice No team Melbourne Mustangs No team Sydney Ice Dogs Southern New Hampshire University Sydney Bears No team CBR Brave Stony Plain Eagles Melbourne Mustangs No team Adelaide Adrenaline Français Volants Sydney Bears Sheffield Steelers Melbourne Mustangs Saints Monarchs Melbourne Ice Fort Wayne Komets Newcastle Northstars Yale University Melbourne Ice Rapid City Rush Sydney Ice Dogs Reach Rebels Sydney Ice Dogs Westfield State University Sydney Bears Adirondack Thunder CBR Brave Reach Rebels Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors Newcastle Northstars Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle Northstars Sydney Sabres Newcastle Northstars Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Melbourne Ice No team CBR Brave Lacombe Generals Newcastle Northstars Gothiques d'Amiens Newcastle Northstars Colby College Melbourne Ice Melbourne Glaciers Melbourne Ice No team Sydney Bears University of Saskatchewan Melbourne Mustangs No team Perth Thunder Rivière-du-Loup 3L Perth Thunder The Hill Academy U18 Prep Melbourne Ice Aigles de La Roche sur Yon Sydney Bears SaPKo Perth Thunder Newcastle North Stars ECSL Newcastle Northstars Watertown Wolves CBR Brave Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline A21 Academy Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Falcons Adelaide Adrenaline
Players lost Player Previous team New team Adelaide Adrenaline Knoxville Ice Bears Sydney Bears No team Melbourne Ice Manchester Storm Adelaide Adrenaline Birmingham Bulls Sydney Bears No team Sydney Ice Dogs No team Perth Thunder No team Melbourne Ice Saints Monarchs CBR Brave HC Fassa Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Tigers Melbourne Ice New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 18U Sydney Bears No team CBR Brave No team CBR Brave No team Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Jokers Sydney Ice Dogs No team Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Blackhawks Melbourne Mustangs Guildford Flames Perth Thunder Quad City Storm Sydney Bears No team CBR Brave No team Melbourne Mustangs Guildford Flames Melbourne Mustangs No team Melbourne Ice No team Perth Thunder EHC Frauenfeld CBR Brave Huntsville Havoc Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Jokers CBR Brave No team Perth Thunder No team Perth Thunder Rapid City Rush Melbourne Ice Braves IHC Newcastle Northstars No team Perth Thunder No team CBR Brave HC Fassa Melbourne Ice No team Newcastle Northstars Visby/Roma HK Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors Melbourne Mustangs Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs Sydney Ice Dogs Scorpions de Mulhouse Perth Thunder No team Melbourne Ice No team Melbourne Ice Coventry Blaze Newcastle Northstars Briercrest College Sydney Ice Dogs No team Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Red Wings CBR Brave Brampton Beast Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Jokers Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Red Wings Perth Thunder No team CBR Brave No team Sydney Ice Dogs Kent State University Melbourne Ice No team Melbourne Ice No team Perth Thunder Lacombe Generals Adelaide Adrenaline No team Melbourne Mustangs Liikunnan Riemu CBR Brave LHC Les Lions Adelaide Adrenaline Adelaide Falcons Newcastle Northstars Newcastle North Stars ECSL Sydney Bears Marieville Red Knights Newcastle Northstars Bulldogs Liège Sydney Bears No team CBR Brave No team Sydney Ice Dogs No team Sydney Bears Seahawks Hockey Newcastle Northstars No team Melbourne Ice No team Sydney Ice Dogs No team Sydney Ice Dogs University of Alberta-Augustana Sydney Bears Penrith Raptors Sydney Bears Fife Flyers Newcastle Northstars Newcastle North Stars ECSL Sydney Ice Dogs No team Sydney Ice Dogs No team Adelaide Adrenaline No team Sydney Bears No team CBR Brave No team Melbourne Mustangs No team Melbourne Ice Blackhawks IHC Perth Thunder No team Melbourne Ice No team Sydney Ice Dogs EC Harzer Falken
Regular season 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.
Results
Fixtures April