What a year it has been, but the ice hockey isn’t over for many of our players. With the 2024 season concluded, and several of our local and import players heading overseas, we’ve collated everything you need to know to follow along and support our Northstars during the off-season.
Ethan Hawes Northstar’s defenseman Ethan Hawes enjoyed a break for the 2023-2024 off season. This year, however, he is ready to start his professional career overseas. Hawes is joining Eindhoven Kephanen in The Netherlands for the 2024-25 season. Hawes says he is “looking forward to living and playing in a beautiful country, but mostly excited to develop my game and build my resume in Europe. I have ambitions to play at high levels and I believe this will be a great first step and a great experience.”
Hawes’s 2024 season with the Northstars best season points. Hawes tried not to focus on the points but says it’s best to “play your game and trust that the points will be a good reflection after the fact. Hopefully I can have a new personal best next year as well!.” Reflecting on the season, Hawes’s favourite memory is a tie between Sean Oultram scoring his goal in Adelaide and our last home game against Mustangs to secure 1st place in our conference going into playoffs. “Both are special in their own ways – Sean is a great friend of mine and is really well-loved in the locker room, so it was awesome to see him score that goal.”
Follow along with the journey -
https://www.facebook.com/EindhovenKemphanenIjshockey Francis Drolet Francis Drolet came back to the Northstars for his fourth season. Drolet says he keeps coming back as “Newcastle is now my second home; I feel good here. The people are great, and the team and management are awesome. I get treated well, and I feel loved. I like being close to the beach and surfing whenever the conditions are good..” His next stop is Brest, France, and looks forward to experiencing different cultures and eating great good. Playing in Brest for the 2021-22 season, he says some of the players are returning and short-term Northstars defenseman Matthieu Desautels will be joining him. Will Drolet come back to the Northstars in 2025? He says, “if the team wants me back, I would love to!.”
Folow Francis at Brest here -
https://www.facebook.com/albatrosbrestpro Riley Klugerman Riley Klugerman first came to the Northstars in 2023 and following the season he travelled to Wisconsin in the United States to play college hockey. Playing in the NCAA III and joining Concordia University, he says he “had a really good first year and they were a great group of guys.” He is looking forward to being back at Concordia University to see the friends he made last season. Klugerman was injured in his first game back with the Northstars and says “it was tough not being able to play this year. After my first year I was really looking forward to coming back. I will be back next year..”
Maliq West Maliq West has been playing with the Northstars in the East Coast Super League (ECSL) and joined the Northstars AIHL team in 2024. West says “my rookie year for the Northstars was one to remember. It was one of my favourite years of hockey from being with the boys to travelling around Australia to play for Newcastle, whilst also learning all that I could from our coaches and the experience to make me a better player.” He says his favourite memory for this season was scoring his first AIHL goal in front of our home fans, “I’ve grown up watching the Northstars play from when I was first born and, soon after, playing in the big league became one of my goals. To then be there scoring my first goal and hearing the roar of the crowd was electrifying and a memory I won’t forget.”
West played in Sweden in the 2023-24 season and wanted to “keep the hockey rolling” in the AIHL off season. He says “Playing in Canada was also a distant dream of mine that I didn’t ever think I would reach. After playing with the Northstars and in Sweden the past year, gaining more skill and hockey knowledge, I thought the year of going to Canada is now. After receiving some contacts and names of Junior A coaches in Canada, my Father and I started the process of applying for teams and seeing who would want me to sign and play for them.” West is looking forward to “gaining as much skill and experience I can from playing a different style of hockey in British Columbia, whilst also experiencing the hockey life with some new teammates and the season of winter.”
Hayden Klugerman Hayden Klugerman joined the Northstars this year, following his brother Riley Klugerman. He says this year was “an amazing experience and I can’t wait to be back next year.” Klugerman has joined teammate Maliq West in British Columbia, Canada, to try out for junior teams.
In addition, we were fortunate to have two experienced defenseman imports join us in 2024.
Kyler Matthews Kyler Matthews joined the Northstars following the completion of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) playoffs where he played for the Birmingham Bulls in Alabama, United States of America. He heard about the Northstars in 2023 when he travelled to Australia to visit brother-in-law Shane Southwood. Talking to Southwood and Daniel Berno, he was interested to come and play and, after returning to Canada, Garry Dore (Northstars General Manager) and Matthews made it happen.
Matthews really enjoyed the season down under and says it is something he will never forget. He says “Australia is amazing. It was a great experience. Playing for the Northstars was the most fun I’ve had playing hockey in a long time; amazing organisation and even better teammates.” He can’t narrow his favourite memory of the season to just one, saying he loved “meeting amazing people and getting to go on this journey with this special group of people.” Matthews says “I loved my time here, I am a last minute decision maker but I definitely want to come back and stay in Australia.”
Follow the Birmingham Bulls here -
https://www.facebook.com/bhambulls Alex Yuill Alex Yuill finished the 2023-24 season with the Guildford Flames in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in England and joined the Northstars in May. Yuill was interested in playing here in Australia a long time ago, and when Coach Kevin Noble reached out he knew it was an opportunity he wanted to take.
Reflecting on 2024 Yuill enjoyed his time in Australia and Newcastle saying “Australia was amazing I really enjoyed my time here. Everyone in the organization, from players to the staff to the fans, were great people and made the season a great experience.” He finds it hard to find one favourite memory for the season and says he enjoyed “just hanging out with the guys and having laughs every day.” Yuill was awarded the Northstars Best Defenseman at the Annual Presentation Night and says “we have great defense on this team so it was really nice to be recognised from the organisation.”
Yuill is travelling back to Canada to take some time away from hockey and see where life takes him.
Mitsuaki Inoue And finally, we had our first player from Japan join us in 2024. Mitsuaki Inoue joined the Northstars following injury to Charlie Smart. Inoue loved his time in Newcastle, saying “It was amazing! Feeling the rich nature, meeting some wonderful fans and playing with great boys, I will be never forgetting these memories.” Inoue’s wife and son visited in August and was able to see him play in Australia, winning the final home game and he credits this game as his favourite memory of his time here.
Inoue travels back to Japan to continue his work as the U18 Japan National team’s goalie coach.
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