CANBERRA.— Rejection slips have now been sent to players who didn’t make the cut for the skate-on squad from which Australia will select its 25-man national men’s team to participate in the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) Div IIA world championships from 27 April – 3 May.
Team manager Chantelle Rapchuk said in her 13 December reject message to players “the level of competition in Australia for the national team is extremely high (and) the selection process was highly competitive”. At least 15 rejected players were told the “coaches (Matti Luoma, Ty Wishart and Mark Rummukainen) had to make difficult choices based on the specific needs of the team for this year’s championships”.
Selection to Australia’s top ice hockey team began with an “expression of interest” (EOI) process. Anyone anywhere could self-nominate – and many did – creating a heavy administrative workload for the coaching staff before they even got to the rink.
The current list of four goalies, 13 defencemen and 24 forwards is a mix of veteran Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) smarts, youthful aspirations as well as several surprises.
Of the surprises, one experienced administrator said: “The embarrassment of IHA continues as does the embarrassment of the selection panel, whoever they may be.”
Some of the notable names missing from the skate-on squad include Joey Hughes, Lliam Webster and Jamie Bourke. In 2024, Webster played 20 games, recording 21points (1.05ppg) while Bourke, at 33-years-old, skated in 16 games, recording 22 points at (1.4ppg). Players who are on the squad with similar statistics include Casey Kubara (25 games; 28pts; 1.1ppg), Vadim Virjassov (20 games; 25pts; 1.3ppg) and Cameron Todd (24 games; 26pts; 1.1ppg).
While Webster, Bourke or Hughes may (or may not have) lodged EOIs, some of those players who did and have been named boast statistics which are, to put it mildly, underwhelming.
For example, the inclusion of Jake (Jakob) Ruck (22 games; 5pts; .2ppg), Riley Langille (22 games; 7pts; .3ppg), and Jordan Kyros (25 games; 16pts; .6ppg) has raised eyebrows among some knowledgeable Australian coaches and administrators.
But there are two names which have even the most “tolerant” of local ice hockey cognoscenti shaking their heads in wonderment.
The first is Mitchell ‘Mitch’ Humphries, who has played a total of 20 AIHL games in five seasons: almost half those games in 2022 (16 points), the other half in 2023 (5 points) – but none in 2024. The word on the street is his Melbourne Mustangs coach (who is also one of the national team assistant coaches) is keen on what Humphries can bring to the ice.
Is this invitation to try out designed as a lure to get Humphries back in a ‘Stangs uniform in 2025?
The second surprise selection that has dumbfounded many – but not critics who accuse Ice Hockey Australia of being an incompetent organisation – is that of the son of IHA president, Ryan O’Handley.
Daniel O’Handley, normally based in Adelaide but currently skating for the Kootenay International Junior A Hockey League’s last-placed Creston Valley Thunder Cats, played in the 2024 AIHL season, scoring one goal in 26 games. At 19-years-old, he has already been named to the national junior (U/20) team and appears on daddy’s YouTube channel with a three-minute ‘highlight’ reel.
How his EOI hit the mark is anyone’s guess.
“The IHA president’s son making the squad when he has no business being there based on his hockey ability is ridiculous and smacks of patronage from a bygone era,” said the experienced administrator.
Former NHLer and 2024 team selector Ty Wishart was named, along with former national team and AIHL player Mark Rummukainen, as an assistant coach for 2025. Wishart was expecting to be joined on the bench by fellow ex-NHLer and Melbourne Mustangs player/coach Scott Timmins – an appointment which didn’t eventuate. (There are rumours nonetheless Wishart and Timmins will eventually assume shared head coach duties in the future.)
And anyone who knows how I feel about the absence of Nathan ‘Stormy’ Walker from any formal IHA role as an ambassador, coach, national team player or selector won’t be surprised to hear me ask, yet again: has anyone enquired about Walker’s interest and/or availability for these world championships, subject of course to the St Louis Blues’ playoff chances come late April?
NATIONAL MEN’S TEAM TRY-OUT SQUAD – DEC 2024
GOALIES
Kimlin
Smart
Tetreault
Toivonen
DEFENCE
Annesley
D Bronte
Christensen
Claire
Hawes
Haselhurst
Kennedy
Kubara
Laver
Malloy
McMahon
Pretorius
Woodman
FORWARDS
T Bronte
Bolger
Breault
Carini
Caruana
Chen
Darge
Dawes
Flack
C Kubara
T Kubara
Humphries
Jones
Kyros
Langille
Lyashenko
Miettinen
Ruck
Steven
Taylor
Todd
O’Handley
Virjassov
K Webster
Sandi Logan 