In a country known for its beaches and warm weather, ice hockey might be considered niche.
But over the past three years, the winter sport’s national league has gradually been drawing larger crowds all over Australia.
A recent wave of ice hockey-related media is also gaining global traction, with shows like HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry and the Amazon Prime Video series Off Campus.
Brisbane Lightning defenceman Neil Pretorius has been playing ice hockey for nine years. (ABC News: Nickoles Coleman)
Neil Pretorious has been playing ice hockey for nine years, and he believes Australian audiences are gravitating towards the sport because of its speed and intensity.
“How fast the puck moves and how fast we move … there’s no other sport where you’re flying around like that. You’re skating way faster than you can run,” he said.
The 21-year-old is a defenceman for Brisbane Lightning, Queensland’s team in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).
Founded in the year 2000 with just three teams, the AIHL is the nation’s highest level of men’s ice hockey.
The Australian Ice Hockey League has an active roster of 280 players. (ABC News)
Fast-forward to 2026, the league is now made up of 10 teams, with an active roster of 280 players across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, and the ACT.
The AIHL is an affiliate organisation of Ice Hockey Australia (IHA), the national governing body of ice hockey, but the league mostly operates independently.
Eight teams in the AIHL are privately owned and funded, while the remaining two are not-for-profit.
Being a semi-professional league, players are not paid, but their IHA registration fees, travel expenses, and some equipment costs are covered by their team.
The Brisbane Lightning team was founded in 2022. (ABC News)
Pretorious has played for Brisbane Lightning since the team debuted in 2023.
“We get a lot of fans [from] all over the world that come and view our games, stream live, and just participate on social media with us a lot more,” he said.
“The more people, the louder it is in the rink, and the louder it is in the rink the more energy we get while playing.”
‘Turning people away at the door’
General Manager Ivan Rapchuk said the team was on track for a sellout season at their home rink Iceworld in Boondall.
“There’s been an explosion in fans … we’ve gone from giving tickets away … to actually turning people away at the door,” he said.
“600 people come to see us every time we play, and we can easily double that, I have no doubt.”
Brisbane Lightning General Manager Ivan Rapchuk says the team attracts 600 fans at every game. (ABC News: Nickoles Coleman)
AIHL chairman Dan Hogan said it was a similar story for other teams around Australia, with a combination of factors driving the sport’s national growth.
“The [2026 Winter] Olympics was quite an eye-opener for a lot of people because they had a lot more coverage of the hockey than seems to have been in the past,” he said.
“There’s a couple [of] TV shows that are centred around hockey … which are introducing it to new audiences.”
Brisbane Lighning general manager Ivan Rapchuk says the team is on track for a sellout season. (ABC News)
Mr Hogan said a “traditionally negative” view of ice hockey being a violent sport is shifting due to the new exposure.
“It’s a very physical sport. I’m not going to say it’s not… but in my opinion it’s that physicality- not violence — and speed that is appealing [to Australians].”
Professional dreams
Nine-year-old Nathaniel Coombes is a junior ice hockey player for the Southern Stars in Brisbane.
He’s been playing since he was just four years old and hopes to one day play professionally.
“I want to play better than [my] dad … he’s division two,” he said.
Nathaniel Coombes hopes to be a professional ice hockey player one day. (ABC News: Chelsea Malunga)
Nathaniel’s team trains at Iceworld in Acacia Ridge.
He said he would like to see more rinks in Australia, so he can spend more time on the ice.
“More time which will help with the skating skill and how you play.”
Australian Ice Hockey League Chairman Dan Hogan (left) says TV shows centred around hockey are attracting new audiences. (Supplied)
Mr Hogan said all but one of the rinks used in the AIHL are privately owned, and as such there is “very minimal” government funding for rink renovation.
He said the best way to support the sport’s development is to visit a local rink during game seasons.
“Get to some hockey games. There’s AWIHL for Australian women’s [teams] and then there’s [AIHL] for the men’s, and it’s a highly entertaining night out.”
“I almost guarantee … if you see your first game, you’ll be wanting to go back and see more.“
A spokesperson for Queensland’s Acting Sports Minister, Andrew Powell, said Ice Hockey Queensland currently receives funding through the Active Industry Base Fund “to strengthen capability and support participation opportunities across the sport.”
The 2026 AIHL season is available to watch on the organisation’s dedicated streaming site AIHL.TV, and from June 20, ESPN will broadcast one live game per week.
