The Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) has released the 2024/25 season schedule, and announced Nathan Walker as league ambassador. League Commissioner Michaela Fellowes announced on Hockey Hype Australia’s Weekly Wraparound live podcast an exciting new finals format.

With Australian and St Louis Blues forward Nathan Walker and AWIHL Commissioner Michaela Fellowes as guests on the show, there was plenty of AWIHL breaking news. Hockey Hype Australia has everything you need to know.

You can view the complete episode below, or click here to watch on YouTube (don’t forget to like and subscribe).

Nathan Walker appointed AWIHL ambassador

“Nathan has kindly agreed to be our ambassador this year,” AWIHL Commissioner Michaela Fellowes told Hockey Hype Australia. “Many people have asked me, ‘Why Nathan’, and I’m like, ‘Why not Nathan?’.

“You only have to look at the crowds he’s drawn to the Jamboree, and all of the media hype that has come with having Nathan here, and I thought, well why not try and get him as our ambassador for this year to try and build up the league and see what we can make of it.”

“Obviously I’m proud to be an ambassador of the league and very honoured,” Walker told Hockey Hype Australia. “We want to try and grow the game as much as we can. Whether it’s this league, the AIHL, all the other leagues that do happen in Australia. If I can have any part of that in growing the game, I want to be able to do that.”

The growth of women’s hockey

“The growth of hockey here in Australia, from the girls that play in the AWIHL, has caught the eye of the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation),” Fellowes noted.

Ice Hockey Australia (IHA) has also taken notice, and in cooperation with the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF) has organised a two-game Trans-Tasman series between each country’s senior women’s ice hockey team. That event will take place at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Newcastle on October 19-20, 2024.

“In the states with the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) the growth of that has come a long ways, and it’s great to see the recognition those athletes are getting,” Walker continued. “Back here in Australia, I was fortunate enough to watch that Gold Medal game (Stephanie Boxall Championship).

“You could see the skill and the speed of the players, and it was really fun to watch. I think if we can get it out there a bit more and bring more people into the stands, it’s really such a great game to watch and I’m proud to be a part of it in any way that I can be.”

What will Nathan Walker’s ambassadorship look like for the AWIHL?

With the AWIHL and NHL seasons taking place concurrently, Walker likely will not be able to attend games in-person. However, he is happy to do what he can.

“Whether it be shoutouts or messages to the players, the fans, I’m open to everything,” Walker confirmed. “I just want to help grow the game.”

“I would love to come to multiple games and do everything. Unfortunately the season is during the summer months, which means I’m back overseas in North America. So it’s kind of tough to do that.

“But I would love to be involved in any way possible, whether it’s helping players, coaches even, if they’ve got questions, if players have questions in regards to certain things, I’m definitely an open book when it comes to things like that.

“I just want to see the growth of the sport just continue to grow and grow. And the skill level continue to grow as well, and then obviously see some players head over to North America and get their names out for the PWHL at some point.”

When asked to name his favourite AWIHL team, Walker revealed, “Obviously it’s going to be the [Sydney] Sirens for me. They struggled a little bit last year, but hopefully they can do a bit better this season coming.”

Will we see an Aussie player playing in the PWHL?

“I definitely hope so,” Walker replied when asked the question of whether we will see an Australian in the PWHL. “I believe that there will be an Australian at some point playing in that league.

“My message to anyone who does want to try and get over there is, hockey’s just not a one training thing. Or a two games over the weekend kind of thing. It’s a seven day’s a week, you do need to put the effort in away from the rink as well. All that pays dividends towards the end goal of you playing in the league that you want to play in.

“I’m saying it again, but the skill and speed of those games that I watched the other day… for sure there can some players playing in the PWHL at some point.”

“I think it is a testament to the players and the efforts that the girls do put in,” Fellowes responded. “Considering all of them pay to play, a lot of them don’t have major sponsors that pay their season.

“These girls pay to play. And it is an expensive sport, particularly here in Australia,” Fellowes observed.

All six teams will be involved at AWIHL Finals

Michaela Fellowes announced on the Hockey Hype Australia platform that all six AWIHL teams will play across Finals weekend. As announced previously, the Melbourne Ducks will participate in a six-game induction season, before entering as a full franchise in 2025.

The Ducks will play the fifth-placed AWIHL team as a curtain-raiser on Saturday and Sunday at Finals. O’Brien Icehouse will host AWIHL Finals on March 1-2, 2025.

With all teams participating, it should be a festival atmosphere as players and fans from across the country gather at Docklands, Melbourne. Six games across two days makes this AWIHL Finals weekend the biggest yet.

AWIHL schedule highlights

Like last season, all five teams play each other twice at home, and twice away. That’s forty regular season games to view live and free on AWIHL.TV. Including the six Melbourne Ducks’ induction games and six games at AWIHL Finals, that’s 52 games to enjoy.

Last season, the schedule contained multiple multi-week breaks. This year’s version has just a two weekend Christmas/New Year’s break, and then two single weekends without hockey (January 26, 27, and February 22, 23).

Highlights from the schedule include the Melbourne Ducks’ first away series on November 9-10, travelling to Boondall to take on the Brisbane Lightning. Macquarie Ice Rink will host a 2023 AWIHL Grand Final rematch between rivals Sydney Sirens and Melbourne Ice on November 16-17.

Later that month, there is a Boxall Championship rematch between Queensland’s Brisbane Lightning and South Australia’s Adelaide Rush on November 23-24. That game will also be a 2024 bronze medal rematch.

The 2024 Gold Medal rematch will take place on January 11-12, as the Melbourne Ice host the Perth Inferno at O’Brien Icehouse.

All six teams will take the ice the weekend of January 18-19. The Melbourne Ducks will be the home team at IceHQ for its geographic rivals – the Melbourne Ice.

Stay tuned to Hockey Hype Australia as we will be Official Media Partners of the AWIHL for a second consecutive season. Click here for more AWIHL news.