The AIHL All-Star break is often seen by some as just that, a break from the rigours of a heavy schedule, a chance to refresh and recuperate, or catch up on lost time for study and work commitments often lost in the grind of an AIHL regular season.

However, for Thunder Captain Jamie Woodman, participation in the AIHL All-Star festivities is becoming an annual staple on his hockey calendar, and the 2019 experience raised it to a whole new level.

“It was an honour and really fun to be around all the guys for the weekend,” Woodman said upon returning from his third All-Star appearance, having Captained Team South at the event in Sydney on the weekend.

The Thunder were well-represented at the AIHL’s marquee regular-season event, with Woodman joining Keven Veilleux, Nico Viksten, Rob Haselhurst, Kieren Webster and coach Dave Ruck at ICC Sydney for the festivities.

The elevation to All-Star Captaincy seemed a logical next step for Woodman, now a veteran of 132 AIHL games and 30 IIHF World Championship games, including being named alternate Captain for the most recent Mighty Roos campaign.

“Being named captain meant a lot and I really appreciated the whole experience,” Woodman reflected, noting that fans had “really enjoyed” the change in weekend format, with the All-Star game being scheduled alongside the Ice Hockey Classic.

Despite losing his Fastest Skater crown to CBR Brave import Jesse Gabrielle, Woodman expressed his delight at watching his Perth Thunder teammates excel in the game, notably Keven Veilleux, who was named Team South’s Most Valuable Player.

“I think the combination of Keven (Veilleux), Webby (Kieren Webster) and (Jozef) Rezek was pretty cool,” Woodman said. “They meshed really well and the chemistry there was a lot of fun; Keven really showed some of that top calibre skill that we know he has.”

“Overall i just really enjoyed seeing all the guys around the league. Obviously we see each other at games, but it was great to spend time getting dinner and just hanging out with the guys.”

June 29-30 is your next chance to see our All-Stars in action, with a weekend series against the Adelaide Adrenaline likely to be pivotal to the Thunder’s fortunes in season 2019. You can get your tickets here.