Hayden Dawes moves to the Melbourne Mustangs after leaving the Central Coast Rhinos for remainder of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season.

Last week news broke, then was retracted, then broke again of a big mid-season transfer in the AIHL. Hayden Dawes was heading South to Melbourne from Erina to link up with the Melbourne Mustangs.

Mid-season transfers are not too common in the AIHL, so when a high-profile one occurs it piques the AIHL community’s interest.

I reached out to Hayden to find out about the move and what he is looking forward to with the Melbourne Mustangs for this week’s derby and the remainder of the season.

Q & A – On the Move

What was the reason behind the mid-season move?

There were a few factors at play, life outside of hockey always has top priority of course, with us being a non-paid league. So it just made the most sense for us as a family to move on from our adventure at the Central Coast.

What are you most looking forward to with your move?

Well new beginnings are always exciting, some more time around Melbourne to see some family and friends we rarely get to see. A chance to push for finals and play meaningful hockey games is always a plus as well.

Any noticeable differences compared to the Rhinos?

The Mustangs have a good core group and with Timmins and Wishart at the helm, there’s a lot more veteran experience which also comes with greater expectations as well. I enjoyed my time with the players at the Rhinos both on and off the ice. Ronnie [Ron Kuprowsky] is a great person for that role there and even better guy away from the rink. Can’t say enough good things about the boys there at the Rhinos and the challenge Ronnie has taken on there.

How was your debut weekend with the Mustangs?

The results were not what we wanted at all, we need all the points we can get. Personally, was a bit unlucky to come up empty handed, with 5 or 6 quality chances over the 2 games.

Q & A – What’s ahead

What can Mustangs fans expect to see from you now that you bleed orange?

Well for most of the fans, it’ll be a lot more of the same from me. Big body that likes the physical side of the game. Try to be a point producer and overall be a good team player and teammate, ultimately helping the Mustangs win some games down the stretch!

Which Mustangs player(s) are you most looking forward to playing alongside this season?

I think it goes without saying that Timmins is a guy anyone would like to play with. Being a bigger guy as well, Wishart is someone I think we have a similar thought process with many aspects of the game. So those two for sure, but being back with guys like Cutter, Dixon, Giorgi, Lane, Klomp which I’ve played with in the past, is exciting and has eased the transition to the new squad for sure.

You have played for several teams now since you moved to Australia, do you plan to make the Mustangs a long stay? or a short one?

I plan to do whatever I can to help the Mustangs make finals this season. After that, we will enjoy some time away from the game and re-engage in the new year to see what the future may hold for us as a family and if/where hockey fits into that.

What are your thoughts heading into your first Melbourne derby this week?

Eyes wide open, expecting it to be an atmosphere that I haven’t experienced since the grand final at OBI in 2018. Should be a great battle, looking forward to it!

Gotta Catch them all

It’s fair to say Dawes has played for a few teams since arriving in Australia in 2018, fresh from his time at University in America. The move has re-popularised the classic Pokemon catch-phrase of the 90’s amongst the fans within the AIHL Fans group.

The Mustangs will be Hayden’s fifth AIHL team, having previously played for the CBR Brave, Sydney Ice Dogs, Sydney Bears and most recently the Central Coast Rhinos. This is half the teams in the league.

In amongst all this, he also turned out for the Melbourne Ducks in the now defunct PHL. So, Melbourne is not totally unfamiliar for ‘Dawesy’.

It will be the first time in his career that the mighty O’Brien Icehouse, the temple of Australian ice hockey, is called home. It’s a big ice sheet and a big stadium.

Added to the grand arena, Hayden joins a Mustangs team who are the defending champions. Expectations are high, even if the Mustangs find themselves in a precarious position in their fight for a Finals birth.

It’s ‘big time’ hockey in a ‘big time’ arena with a ‘big time’ team. It feels like Hayden’s AIHL and Australian career has been working towards this moment.

Can he produce for the Mustangs like he has for previous teams? Can he be one of the puzzle pieces that will unlock the full potential of this Mustangs team and drive them to Finals?

We will have to wait and see. What we do know, this new adventure for Dawes kicks into overdrive this week with his maiden taste of Melbourne derby action on Friday night.

AIHL Career Stats

Year(s)	Team	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
2018-19	CBR Brave	47	23	37	60	99
2022	Sydney Ice Dogs	1	1	1	2	2
2023	Sydney Bears	13	3	12	15	4
2024	Central Coast Rhinos	10	4	6	10	18
2024	Melbourne Mustangs	2	0	0	0	0
2018-24	TOTAL	73	31	56	87	123

For more stories like Hayden Dawes moves to the Melbourne Mustangs as well as a range of news and analysis from the AIHL, please check out Hockey Hype Australia’s AIHL News section.