The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League (AJIHL) was held in Newcastle at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium from October 11-15 bringing together all the best young talent across the country.

Four teams would take to the ice in a showcase series with the Adeliade Generals, Melbourne Glaciers, Sydney Sabres and Sun Devils – a team made up of players from Western Australia and Queensland, all battling for junior ice hockey supremacy.

Five days of actioned packed ice hockey – with the Generals being crowned champions, greeted hockey fans with plenty of young stars putting on a show and stamping their claims for future Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) roster consideration.

What was once a summer season competition – coming out of COVID the AJIHL has been running these showcase series over the past two years, it was a terrific advertisement for our junior players in Australia.

Hockey Hype Australia looks at one player per team that stood out across the series.

Adelaide Generals – Daniel Chen

Named the MVP for both Generals and the AJIHL Final series, Chen was a standout performer for the champions – 19 points (six goals, 13 assists). With skill and speed, Chen was able to dazzle his opponents and cause havoc in the offensive zone, taking the blueline at every opportunity.

Scoring highlight reel goals, some beautiful tape to tape passes, Chen was an easy choice when it came to who was a favourite for the Generals team. Off the back of an AIHL rookie season with the Adrenaline grabbing 14 points (six goals, eight assists), Chen is one of the countries brightest talents.

Melbourne Glaciers – Alex May

Although the Glaciers would leave the AJIHL showcase series without a medal, there was some individual performances that stood out. May has already had a taste of AIHL life – with the Melbourne Mustangs, and put in a solid outing across five games.

Finishing the tournament with three points (three assists) and quarterbacking a powerplay unit, May battled hard for a Glaciers defence that was constantly under attack. The 21-year-old might find a return to a strong Mustangs team difficult – who are defending Goodall Cup champions, however other AIHL teams might look at May after this AJIHL outing.

Sydney Sabres – Ryan Duchemin

If you are a fan of the AIHL you will know who Ryan Duchemin is, the Newcastle Northstars forward is slowly making his way into Australia’s top league, and nine points (three goals, six assists) across five games in the showcase series is only going to help that.

Duchemin was terrific for the Sabres, working hard on both sides of the puck and being involved in just about everything for the Sydney team. At only 18-years-old there is still plenty of opportunities at AJIHL level, as Duchemin looks to be going from strength to strength.

Sun Devils – Brayden Maybee

Maybee had a terrific showcase series for the Sun Devils, coming away with the team MVP and really stamping himself as a future star. Yet to arrive on the AIHL scene, Maybee has represented Australia at U18 level and will be on the radar of AIHL teams.

After a standout performance for the Sun Devils across the showcase series – 11 points (seven goals, four assists), look to see the 18-year-old forwards name pop up for potential roster spots when the 2024 AIHL season rolls around.

A full wrap of the AJIHL Showcase Series can be found at the following link.