Pro Hockey in Australia - What is the AIHL and how good is it?

Pro Hockey in Australia? Yes, kinda, technically, it's real. Here we have a chat about the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) from a players perspective, some quirks and features of the league, how the league runs, where it sits in the landscape of elite hockey and my take on the league as a player.

The AIHL has been around for 20 years and has paved the way for elite ice hockey in the country. From a league of four teams in 2002 it has grown to nine and now eight full teams stretching across the continent. The level of play has gone from a mid tier senior mens league to an elite competitive league comparable to the level of Minor Pro in other non-traditional hockey countries. Undoubtedly the league has grown the game, given a high quality league for fans to appreciate and given elite players in the country a place to practice their talents and step into other leagues overseas.

However, as the league has grown and moved towards a more professional structure, not all teams have been able to capitalize and inequality between teams in the league is stark with some teams affording to pay almost all players and other teams requiring players to pay their registrations and travel expenses. Also the venue availability, venue quality, league marketing and ability for players to commit fully to the game are factors that are holding the league back and don't look to be getting overcome any time soon.

I was been a part of the AIHL for four seasons and have since moved over to the new Semi-Professional league in Australia called the Pacific Hockey League. Follow my year through Semi-pro hockey in Australia in my "Aussie Semi-Pro Hockey Life" Vlog series which can be found from my channel.

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0:00 Intro
0:04 Teams and schedule
1:44 Imports and rosters
3:20 Arenas
5:09 Pay and benefits
7:30 Level of play
8:30 Why isn't it better?
10:50 Australia is very far away
11:40 Good and bad
12:38 As a player