The 25th Season

As summer sets in on the other side of the equator, there's likely little thought being given to the AIHL right now. As you know, both Jason and I have thrown our collective fanship behind the Melbourne Mustangs of the AIHL, and we're hoping to see them rise to the top again like they did in 2023. With the Canberra Brave hoisting the Goodall Cup this past season, a number of teams will reload and try to replicate the Brave's success after they rose to the occasion in August. The AIHL will celebrate its 25th season next summer, so you likely knew that there would be some changes. We were told about a few of those changes today!

The AIHL will play 155 games next season across Australia as the action kicks off on April 5, 2025 for a number of the teams in the ten-team league. However, the standings will look different next season, and the playoff format will change as the AIHL looks to add some intrigue to its 25th campaign! The two major changes are as follows:

• The conference format has been removed and the league will revert to one standings board of ten teams.
• The AIHL playoffs will consist of the top-six teams progressing through to the finals with the playoff format to be confirmed by the Board of Directors before the end of 2024.

Clearly, one standings board makes playoff races between teams a little more fun. Last season, four teams finished between 50 and 58 points, but two were in one division and two were in the other. That race would have determined second-place through fifth-place with the Mustangs, who missed the playoffs, coming in as the sixth-placed team. As it's been said, all one has to do is make the dance for a shot at the championship, but Melbourne was denied due to the configuration of the old two-division league.

If you thought the fun ended there, the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II, Group A tournament will be played in Melbourne, Australia from April 27 to May 5, 2025. The six teams competing in the tournament include host Australia, Belgium, Israel, Netherlands, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates, and the AIHL has made it clear that neither the Melbourne Mustangs nor the Melbourne Ice will be anywhere near the O'Brien Icehouse during this period.

If you're wondering, Croatia was promoted from the 2024 Belgrade tournament while Iceland was relegated. Australia lost 4-2 to Serbia, lost 3-2 to Croatia, dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Israel, defeated Iceland 3-2, and lost 5-4 to UAE in that tournament.

Kieran Webster, who skated for the Perth Thunder, led Australia with two goals and three helpers while Mac Caruana, who skated for the Melbourne Ice, had a goal and four assists. Sydney Ice Dogs centerman Cameron Todd finished the tournament 68/110 at the faceoff dot to tie for the most faceoffs won while placing third for faceoff winning percentage at 61.82%. Australia may want to push for Nathan Walker to join them if possible.

Thanks to the World Championship being played in Melbourne, the Mustangs will play their second home game of the season on April 16 against the Brisbane Lightning before heading on the road for nearly a month! They won't play their third home game until they "host" the Melbourne Ice on May 13! The Ice, for their part, play their their second home game against those same Lightning on April 12 before finally hosting a game at the O'Brien Icehouse on May 17 when the Sydney Ice Dogs visit. Those are quite the gaps between games playing in front a friendly crowd!

With the changes in the AIHL, the league celebrating its 25th season, and the IIHF and the world coming to town, it's a big year for hockey in Australia in 2025! It looks like the AIHL is ready to make this season memorable, so here's hoping that the teams, the players, and the fans turn out in droves to support hockey in a big way in the land down under in 2025!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!