The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League (AJIHL) have announced a range of changes ahead of their upcoming 2024 season. The league will now be played between April and July instead of October or November as was seen in the last two seasons. The competition will see each team compete in nine regular season games followed by two playoff matches. This increases the regular season for the league to 18 games, up from last season’s six. The playoffs format will remain unchanged with a semifinal round followed by a grand final and a third-place game. All games for the season will be held at iceHQ in Reservoir, Victoria.
The number of teams will remain at four, however they will no longer be State based. Players will instead be drafted to one of the four teams by a selection panel. The names of the four teams have yet to be announced though and it is currently unclear if the league will use the existing team names of the Adelaide Generals, Melbourne Glaciers, Sun Devils, and Sydney Sabres. Ice Hockey Australia have also made participation in the AJIHL (or an equivalent overseas league) as a requirement for selection to the national under-20 team. This decision could potentially impact players who would normally be playing for an Australian Ice Hockey League club during this period.
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