As the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season approaches, Hockey Hype Australia will keep you up-to-date on import signings across the league. Add this article to your bookmarks tab as we’ll update the article as soon as signings are announced.
Arvid Ljung – Sydney Ice Dogs
April 3, 2024 – The Sydney Ice Dogs made a surprising dip into the import market for some goaltending support for Jakob Doornbos and Sean Ellison. Arvid Ljung is a 31-year-old Swedish-born goaltender with a ton of experience in Sweden and Norway.
Most recently, Ljung played at Comet Halden in Norway’s top division. In the recent relegation playoffs, Ljung was outstanding, posting a 1.98 GAA, .936 save percentage, and a 3-0-0 record to keep Comet Halden in the top division.
Alex MacDonald – Sydney Ice Dogs
April 2, 2024 – Alex MacDonald is the latest import signing to come across to the AIHL from France. Playing for Toulouse-Blagnac in France3, MacDonald collected 16 points in just nine appearances.
The Sydney Ice Dogs indicated in their announcement post that MacDonald is a high energy forward. If he can continue his France3 production in the AIHL, the Ice Dogs will be thrilled. The Ice Dogs definitely have big bodies to make room for MacDonald on the ice.
Tatsunoshin Ishida – Melbourne Ice
April 2, 2024 – Tatsunoshin Ishida, or Tatsu for short, is a Japanese-born goaltender who has been playing in the Asia League with the Yokohama Grits. The Grits were an expansion team just a season ago, so Ishida’s numbers should be seen in that context.
Head Coach Kerry Goulet has done his due diligence on Ishida, and he is well-known for his passion and work ethic. As Ishida counts as a South-East Asian import, it gives the Ice flexbility on the roster. If 24-year-old Ishida can produce similar numbers to what he did at Kansai University, the Melbourne Ice will be a formidable team.
Andrew Smardon – Central Coast Rhinos
April 2, 2024 – The Central Coast Rhinos made its first non defensive import announcement with the acquisition of Andrew Smardon. Smardon is a Canadian-born forward who was most recently with the Newcastle Northstars.
Smardon had limited opportunities in Newcastle, and will likely enjoy more opportunity and ice time at Erina. The 30-year-old played junior hockey in Canada before making the move to Australia and posted six points in eight games last season for the Northstars.
Johnny Aonso – Melbourne Ice
April 1, 2024 – Another import defenseman enters the league and the Ice dressing room. Canadian Johnny Aonso brings some size to the blueline at 191 cm tall, and according to the Melbourne Ice post on social media, also brings a rocket of a shot.
Aonso played junior hockey in Canada before moving to the United States to play NCAA Division III hockey. Shot suppression was an area of need for the Ice last season, so Aonso, along with the previously announced Jeff Solow, should make an impact.
Jordan McTaggart – Brisbane Lightning
March 31, 2024 – Jordan McTaggart is back with the Brisbane Lightning this season, and Lightning fans must be thrilled at the prospect of another season of the skilled Albertan forward on the team.
Injuries limited McTaggart to 17 games last season, but he made every one of them count, notching 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in those contests. That point production puts him at the top-end of imports league-wide.
With this signing, the Lightning look keen to make Finals weekend in August.
Patrik Popovics – Brisbane Lightning
March 31, 2024 – The Brisbane Lightning announced that one of their key imports from last season would return in Patrik Popovics. The Hungarian-born forward represented his country at U20 IIHF level and has plenty to offer.
Last season, Popovics contributed 12 points in 14 contests, including seven goals for a 0.50 goal/game scoring rate. Similar production would be quite useful for the Lightning in its second year
Mitchell Dyck – Brisbane Lightning
March 31, 2024 – The Mike Sirant connection is already paying off for the Lightning, as Mitchell Dyck makes the journey from the University of Manitoba to the Brisbane Lightning. Lightning Associate Coach Mike Sirant is familiar with the big blueliner, and the team announcement indicated he would be a huge part of the team.
Dyck possesses a powerful shot and his 193 cm and 100 kg frame will keep forwards honest in the defensive zone. Import defenseman played a big role last season for the Lightning, it’s good to see the team address this area of need.
Curtis Meger – Brisbane Lightning
March 30, 2024 – Import goaltenders are popular this season, and the Brisbane Lightning added Curtis Meger to the squad. Last year the Lightning went with Steve Harris and Nicholas Novysedlak. Those two return, and will share time with Meger.
Meger hails from Regina, Saskatchewan, and has vast experience playing junior and college hockey in Canada, including a stint with the Kootenay Ice in the WHL.
Aziz Baazzi – Central Coast Rhinos
March 30, 2024 – A busy day of import announcements saw Aziz Baazzi become the second import defenseman signed by the Central Coast Rhinos this season.
Like Samuel Hou Gustafsson, Baazzi has been playing most recently in France. Baazzi also has international experience with the French National team, and is an excellent mobile defenseman.
Head Coach Ron Kuprowsky has a strong history of preferencing import defensemen in his defense-first systems, and Baazzi should see plenty of ice time this season.
Kenwrick Sze – Sydney Ice Dogs
March 30, 2024 – The Ice Dogs have the distinction of announcing the first South-East Asian import for the 2024 season. Kenwrick Sze is a skilled forward who has international experience representing the Philippines.
The Ice Dogs indicated in the social media post that it was a depth signing, but it’s one that has drawn international attention. Sze’s signing made it into the Manila Times in the Philippines.
It looks to be a tidy bit of business off the ice for the Ice Dogs and we are excited to see Sze’s contributions this season on the ice.
Jeremiah Addison – Perth Thunder
March 30, 2024 – Born in Brampton, Ontario, 27-year-old Jeremiah Addison has a lot of experience playing in Europe and North America. In 2015, Addison was drafted in the seventh round (207 overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL Entry Draft.
Addison captained the Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup win in 2016-17 and combines strong physical play with deft scoring touch.
The Thunder were a force to contend with in the latter half of last season, and, with this signing, look primed for a deep Goodall Cup run this season.
Jeff Solow – Melbourne Ice
March 26, 2024 – The Melbourne Ice announced the signing of Jeff Solow, a 27-year-old defenseman with experience playing NCAA hockey, as well as ECHL, EIHL, and even a stint in the NZIHL.
Solow isn’t known for putting up points from the blueline, however he did put up close to two points per game playing in the NZIHL. The blueliner will be a welcome presence in the Melbourne Ice line-up, as the Ice gave up a lot of shots last season.
Joakim Erdugan – Melbourne Ice
March 26, 2024 – In a massive coup, the Melbourne Ice has secured the services of import forward Joakim Erdugan. The Swedish born forward posted 49 points in 25 games for the Central Coast Rhinos.
It can be difficult to project how successful imports entering the league will be, but Erdugan is a known quantity. If he is surrounded by better offensive players, expect him to post over two points per game and be amongst the top five scorers.
Grant Toulmin – Sydney Ice Dogs
March 26, 2024 – The Sydney Ice Dogs announcing Grant Toulmin as an import player is becoming an annual occurrence, to which AIHL fans are immensely grateful. Toulmin is an elite power forward who will be a big part of the Ice Dogs’ offense this season.
The 195cm forward has played in North America and Europe, but he seems to have found a home with the Ice Dogs, collecting 229 points in 117 games.
Toulmin is a fan favourite with the Ice Dogs, and while it remains to be seen if he will be joined by fellow “Tower of Power” Strat Allen this season, fans can be guaranteed of production from the electrifying forward.
Rylan Toth – Adelaide Adrenaline
March 23, 2024 – In a surprising announcement, the Adelaide Adrenaline announced that the team had secured the services of Rylan Toth as an import goaltender. Matúš Trnka and Jeremy Friederich formed a young goaltending tandem last season, and Trnka ventured overseas to develop his craft with the Ontario Junior Reign.
It was expected that the Adrenaline would stand pat on the goaltending front. However, the Adrenaline evidently felt the opportunity to sign Toth was too good to pass up, and Toth’s pedigree is impressive.
The 27-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan played three seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL), which included a WHL Championship with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2016/17. Toth went on to play hockey at university before joining the Vancouver Canucks’ organisation.
It will be interesting to see how the Adrenaline balance the development of the two local goaltenders with the deployment of the import tendy.
Léo Bertein – Perth Thunder
March 22, 2024 – The Perth Thunder announced that the team would have another import netminder this season, Léo Bertein. Bertein, 32-years-old, is an experienced netminder with a connection to player-coach Ben Breault. The two played together during the 2014-15 season in France.
Bertein brings international experience, having backstopped the French National Team on two occasions, and has 14 years of professional experience.
The Thunder enjoyed outstanding production from import goaltender Kristian Stead last season, and will be looking for similar production from Bertein.
Bray Crowder – Sydney Ice Dogs
February 13, 2024 – One of the biggest teams in the league just got bigger, as the Sydney Ice Dogs announced the signing of 197 cm defenseman Bray Crowder.
The 25-year-old from Sudbury, Ontario, has played four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey, and is currently playing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for the Adirondack Thunder.
Although Crowder doesn’t rack up a lot of points, he can chip in occasionally, and scored a beauty from the point just three days before the Ice Dogs made his announcement.
Samuel Hou Gustafsson – Central Coast Rhinos
February 11, 2024 – Just two days after the team’s first import announcement, the Rhinos double-dipped, announcing Swedish defenseman Samuel Hou Gustafsson would join the team.
Gustafsson had played his entire career in Sweden up until this season when he signed in France3. Gustafsson is capable of putting points on the board from the blueline, as he currently has 8 points (1G, 7A) in 10 games played in France3.
The Central Coast Rhinos seem to have deleted the original posts announcing Gustafsson on social media, however, he is still listed on the club’s website. Hockey Hype Australia has reached out to the Rhinos for confirmation on Gustafsson’s status.
Anand Oberoi – Central Coast Rhinos
February 7, 2024 – The Central Coast Rhinos gave up a lot of shots last season, and the damage could have been worse without the performance of import goaltender Andrew Masters. Despite finishing last in the standings, Masters earned the AIHL Goaltender of the Year award.
It was no surprise, therefore, that the Central Coast Rhinos prioritised goaltending. Anand Oberoi has experience practicing with the Ottawa Senators as a regular emergency goaltender.
The 193 cm netminder only recently turned 25 years of age, and already has extensive experience, including playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Erie Otters, in Usports for his hometown University of Ottawa, and the Eastern Ontario Super Hockey League (EOSHL) for the Arnprior Rivermen.
Josh Adkins – Adelaide Adrenaline
January 23, 2024 – The Adelaide Adrenaline had the distinction of the first import signing announcement of the 2024 AIHL season, signing 28-year-old British Columbian forward Josh Adkins.
This season will be Adkins’ second AIHL campaign, after he collected 48 points (11G, 37A) for the Newcastle Northstars last season. Unlike most imports, Adkins is already in the country, and will participate in a full pre-season with the Adrenaline.
In an article on the club’s website, the management group are confident this year’s team will be markedly improved from last season. The announcement of Adkins, who averaged two points per game last season, is a strong signal of intent from the club.
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