DUNWOODIE, David

DAVID DUNWOODIE WAS BORN on 13 November 1985, in Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand, the son of Wendy and Dion Dunwoodie and brother of Olivia. He played in the national league for 17 years and represented Australia at the youth, junior, and senior World Championships a total of five times. Notably, he was the league's Most Penalised Player in 2014, 2015, and 2017, accumulating approximately 150 penalty minutes off the ice each season.

The Dunwoodie family, like the Wilsons, became significant figures for the Blacktown and Ice Dogs brands. Dion was the foundation coach for the Development League at Blacktown Ice Rink, established by John Wilson and Terry Jones around 1994-95. He was also the foundation coach of the Ice Dogs from 2002 to 2004.

Dunwoodie started his career as a penalty-free five-year-old goalie for the Canterbury Eagles. In 1995, he represented New South Wales on the state peewee team and continued to play as a goalie until his second year in Bantam. After transitioning to skating, he developed a fast, feisty, and instinctive style of play, dividing his career between defence and offence.

The young Australian joined the national league during the latter part of the Ice Dogs' inaugural season in 2002. Standing at 175 cm and weighing 90 kg, he played offensive defence and scored two goals against the Bears in his second game. In 2004, he won his first Goodall Cup with the Sydney Ice Dogs and went on to over 300 games with the club.

By 2013, Dunwoodie had established himself as a determined attacker, scoring 29 points in 27 games and contributing to the Ice Dogs' second Goodall Cup victory. In the following season, he achieved a career-high of 53 points, consisting of 20 goals and 33 assists, over 28 games, while forming a successful partnership with record-breaking Ice Dogs Import Simon Barg. In recognition of his outstanding performance, the league awarded Dunwoodie the Local Player of the Year title.

The dual-national opted to play for Australia over New Zealand at the 2003 IIHF Division III World U18 Championships in Mexico City, where the team won Gold and promotion to Division II. He won Best Plus/Minus (+9) and Most Goals (5). In 2005, he played in the IIHF Division IIB World U20 Championships in Puigcerdà, Spain.

As a senior player, he represented Australia on three occasions: twice in defence and once in the forward position. His appearances were the Division IIB tournament in Seoul, South Korea, in 2006, where he won a silver medal under the coaching of Steve McKenna; the Division I tournament in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2009, again coached by McKenna; and the Division IIA tournament in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2015.

“Biggest small guy I know,” recalls former Ice Dogs and National Team captain Anthony Wilson, pointing out that Dunwoodie played a massive role in the team’s successes on all levels. “He played like he was 6-ft 4, stood up for all team mates, scored some of the weirdest goals I’ve ever seen, and fought anyone at anytime. Didn’t get a lot of words out of him, although he would text you whilst sitting next to you.”

David Dunwoodie played his final National League game on 25 August 2019, against the Melbourne Mustangs at Macquarie Ice Rink. From 2004 to 2019, he participated in 372 AIHL games, spending fourteen seasons with the Ice Dogs. He also played in six playoffs, two seasons with the Central Coast Rhinos (2005 and 2006), and one with the CBR Brave (2015). Throughout, he averaged 0.7 points and 4.4 penalty minutes per game. Upon retiring in 2019, he held the league record for the most penalty minutes, totalling 1652.