DAVIS, Dayne

DAYNE DAVIS WAS BORN ON 26 March 1985 in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada. He began skating at three and developed his skills as a goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League, where he participated in national championships. Describing himself as a shy child, he always felt at ease in the net “because there was no glory in it. You never score the big goal or make a big hit."

In 2002, he played for the Aylmer Aces in the Western Junior B Hockey League before joining the Wellington Dukes in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. He achieved 90 games and a save percentage of .909 with the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League over the next two seasons. His journey included stints with the Victoria Salsa in the BCHL and the UPEI Panthers until 2008, where he enjoyed considerable success alongside several Hall of Famers.

Davis took a break from hockey to work as a construction engineer in Australia, helping rebuild Mackay after the 2008 floods. Once completed, he returned to ice hockey, playing for the Sydney Bears in the national league and the Central Coast Rhinos in the Australian International Ice Hockey Cup. He met his wife, Alex, in Australia and spent six years travelling overseas. He played 15 games for the Whitby Dunlops (2012, 13), achieving a save percentage of .900, then returned to Australia to be closer to Alex’s family.

In 2015, the Canadian expat joined the Newcastle North Stars coached by Andrew Petrie, where he remained until 2019, except for the 2017 season when he played for the Melbourne Ice. The North Stars awarded the goalie Best Defensive Player in 2015 and 2019, and Most Dedicated Player in 2016.

The goaltender consistently improved upon his previous performance with Whitby. He was among the first overseas goalies to save over 90 per cent of shots in the national league, achieving this milestone every year except one, which was so close that it didn’t significantly impact the record.

He won back-to-back Goodall Cups with Newcastle, becoming a Finals MVP. Over seven seasons, he made the league playoffs five times, winning a third straight Cup with the Melbourne Ice coached by Charles Franzén.

Davis played his last AIHL season in 2019. He expressed interest in acquiring the Adelaide Adrenaline AIHL license when the South Australian Ice Sports Federation relinquished it. However, the league awarded the franchise to another party.

By 2022, Davis co-founded the Pacific Hockey League with four teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Erina, New South Wales. He and his associates aimed to strengthen the sport and promote the competition on an international level. Over one hundred participants, including numerous club and game officials, produced a successful season. Davis invested in the Adelaide Avalanche with help from Greg Oddy and Graham Charbonneau and produced a save percentage of .919 in net for the Melbourne Ducks and .890 in the playoffs. The League awarded Best Goaltender to Davis.

The PHL and its various innovations ceased following a League-wide agreement on player objectives for National Team selection. After exploring different options, the League's directors ultimately decided they could not support a league or team below Tier One.

Davis held the Canadian Junior A record for the lowest GAA in Canadian Junior hockey, and played in the Canadian national championships. He is a chartered building engineer and construction manager, and holds a Diploma in Strategic Management from Wharton, a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering, and a PhD in Economics. He is a Director at Think Design Solve and merged his company, Timber Design Studio, with BG&E in 2023, a consultancy employing over 745 professionals across multiple regions.

Dayne Davis and his wife Alexandra have three children.