Melbourne Whalers

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Melbourne Whalers
Melbourne Whalers logo.png
City Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
League Australian Junior Ice Hockey League
Founded18 September 2012
Home arena O'Brien Group Arena
Colours(2012-13)
   
(2013-present)
  
Owner(s) Victorian Ice Hockey Association
General manager Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adam Hill
Head coach Flag of Finland.svg Michael Flaherty
Franchise history
2012–2013Melbourne Blackhawks
2013–presentMelbourne Whalers
Championships
Regular season titles0
AJIHL Championships0
Hockey current event.svg Current season

The Melbourne Whalers are an Australian junior ice hockey team based in Melbourne, Victoria playing in the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League. They represent one of the two junior ice hockey teams from Victoria currently playing in the AJIHL, which is the most elite level for ice hockey at a national level for ages between 16–20 years old.

Contents

History

AJIHL

The Melbourne Blackhawks were founded 18 September 2012 following the announcement by Ice Hockey Australia of the formation of the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League. [1] The team is controlled by the Victorian Ice Hockey Association. [1] On 14 October 2012 it was announced that former Australian player Doug Stevenson had signed on as coach for the 2012–13 AJIHL season. [2]

The Melbourne Blackhawks played the first ever AJIHL game against the Sydney Lightning at the Medibank Icehouse on 21 October 2012. The Blackhawks defeated the Lightning by a score of 5-3. [3]

The first goal ever scored in the AJIHL was by Daniel Pataky of the Sydney Lightning. [3] The first team in club history:For the 2012–13 AJIHL season [2] [4]

# Nat Name Pos Date of BirthAcquired
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alistair Bassett F 29 September 19932012
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jack Carpenter D 30 November 19932012
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Timothy Evans F 28 December 19942012
12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Benjamin Grant F 20 January 19922012
17 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cody Hickman F 27 March 19922012
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mackenzie Hill G 12 July 19962012
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andrew Johns F 21 November 19952012
18 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Lazzarotto F 22 February 19942012
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Austin McKenzie F 16 March 19932012
16 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Matthew Oakes D 3 July 19962012
20 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fraser Ohlson G 12 June 19952012
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Huw Ohlson D 26 January 19932012
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel Szalinkski F 10 May 19932012
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adam Vilbar F 11 March 19922012
19 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Christopher Wong F 22 April 19952012
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcus Wong D 18 April 19932012

AJIHL expansion

The follow-up season in the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League saw a lot of change via expansion and renaming of its existing teams. The Melbourne Blackhawks were renamed the Melbourne Whalers in September 2013. [5] [6] The changes were made in response to the National Hockey Leagues concern about the AJIHL using their team names and logos but also recognised the opportunity to create a new history for the teams through creating their own identity. In October 2013 the league expanded to six teams with two teams from Perth, the Sharks and the Pelicans, joining for the start of the 2013–14 season. [7]

Logo and uniform

2012-2013 Melbourne Black Hawks

In their first year, and the inaugural AJIHL season, the Melbourne Blackhawks wore a uniform that resembled the NHL namesake Chicago Blackhawks. The jersey design and uniform bore close resemblance to the Chicago Blackhawks design, with the AJIHL logo used for shoulder crests. [3] On August 22, 2013 it was announced that the Melbourne Blackhawks would change their name to the Melbourne Whalers, which avoided the close resemblance with the Chicago of the NHL after the NHL had made complaint about a breach of copyright and it also allowed the team to develop its own brand identity. [8]

On September 13, 2013, the new Melbourne Whalers logo design and branding was created by Ross Carpenter and his son, Jack Carpenter, who was largely involved in the creation of the uniform design.

The suggestion to use Whalers as a new name for the Melbourne Blachawks was made by Wayne McBride as an honor to the modern day Melbourne Coat of Arms, which has black and blue spouting whale. The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League selected a new colour scheme which was a watery blue and green. [9]

Yet, many of today's fans would be decidedly disinterested in the iconography of canon harpoons and whale boats. Coastal whaling stations may have helped build Melbourne and Australia but we have moved on one hundred and seventy five years from Portland Bay's whaling industry at its height. In fact, we have been an anti-whaling nation since 1979, more at home with whale watching in winter at Portland or along the Great Ocean Road. For that reason, the logo features the common denominator between then and now. It characterizes a breaching sperm whale, one of a kind that was once commonly hunted in local waters.

— Ross Carpenter

[9]

Although now protected it is still threatened, and still pretty angry. These are the largest toothed whale up to 20m in length, with the head being one-third, that dive up to 3 km for prey. The four-colour logo was completed by the need for white highlights and red for that all-consuming mouth straight out of Moby Dick. It looked altogether better on green than blue and so that became the dominant colour of the jersey, broken by white and blue accents in the shape of fins and wavy lines.

— Ross Carpenter

[9]

The nameplate design is based around the letter "W" and that iconic whale behaviour known as "tail extension" with all the remaining letters rising like a splash. The nameplate is also used in a round badge on the blue cover pants, and its tail extension is repeated each side with a splash in two shades of green. A sperm whale silhouette makes a modern peace symbol on the lower back and helmet to complete the kit.

— Ross Carpenter

[9]

Season by season results

SeasonGPWOTWOTLLGFGAPTSFinishPlayoff
2012–13 1480064436242ndLost semi-final vs. Melbourne Red Wings, 3–7

Players

Current roster

For the 2015–16 AJIHL season [10]

# Nat Name Pos Date of BirthAcquired
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nick Norton D 3 June 19952013
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Harrison McQuade F 20 July 19992015
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andrew Johns D 2 November 19952014
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adam Bunting F 14 February 19952015
7 Flag of Norway.svg Aleksander Anderson F 22 July 19982015
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Byron Tschuma F 1 March 19982015
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robbie Rama D 31 December 19972013
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lenny Lee F 1 September 19952015
13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evan Connard F 29 January 19992015
14 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Stewart F 16 May 19982014
16 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marc Bortolotto F 16 August 19992015
17 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Damian Pandolfo D 10 March 19952013
18 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Harrison Jaunozols D 19 September 19972013
19 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Liam McConnell F 14 August 19982015
20 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fraser Ohlson G 12 June 19952013

Captains

The first team Captain for the Melbourne Blackhawks in the inaugural year for the AJIHL was Marcus Wong, his Alt Captains were Jack Carpenter and Austin McKenzie. [11]

Head coaches

The first Head Coach for the Melbourne Blackhawks in the inaugural year for the AJIHL was Doug Stevenson. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 Hewitt, Andrew (20 September 2012). "AJIHL Teams Announced". Hewitt Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 Hewitt, Andrew (14 October 2012). "AJIHL rosters finalised". Hewitt Sports Network. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Hewitt, Andrew. "Blackhawks Make Winning Start" . Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Melbourne Blackhawks". Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Formerly the Sydney Maple Leafs". Sydney Wolf Pack. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Coaches Welcome the Sydney Sabres". Sydney Sabres. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "AJIHL National Junior League Kicks Off in Perth". Ice Hockey WA. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Macdougall, Andrew (22 August 2013). "New look for Melbourne and the AJIHL". On the Fly Hockey. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Carpenter, Ross (18 September 2013). "AJIHL Jersey Design". Ice Hockey Victoria . Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  10. ↑ Sangwin, Jason (28 October 2015). "2015-16 Whalers". Australian Ice Hockey News. Retrieved 28 October 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. 1 2 Hewitt, Andrew. "AJIHL Rosters Finalised" . Retrieved 17 September 2015.
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