POWELL, Tommy

BORN FEBRUARY 12TH 1986 in Sydney, Australia, Tommy Powell is a 180cm-80kg winger who began hockey at 7 with the Warringah Bombers juniors at Narrabeen Lakes. His mother, Heather, ferried him around to games and training sessions at all hours until eventually, he convinced her to get on the ice and learn to play.

The Powells moved to Melbourne, where the junior sniper grew into a talented leader, rising through the local Blackhawks club to the AIHL with the Melbourne Ice and captaincy of the Australian National Ice Hockey Team. For over 30 years, only a handful of players have worn that "C".

The young forward won 3 state premierships with the Blackhawks (2005, 06, 08) and represented Victoria from the age of 13, helping to win the President's (U13), Tange (U16) and Brown (U20) trophies. He left home for the USA to play AAA hockey with the Vail Avalanche bantams and Colorado Outlaws midgets. At 15, he spent a season in Denver and later the Czech Republic.

Back home in 2003, Powell joined the Melbourne Ice and remained there for 16 seasons and the COVID-19 interruption. In a sign of things to come, the young winger finished his debut season with the most points per game among local players. He was often among the local scoring leaders throughout his career, and scored the most points of AIHL locals in 2015 (21-31).

The Melbourne Ice strode the Australian continent for years in the 2010s, generating more loathing than worship. He was one of a core group of influential players in those years. Except when injured, Powell made the AIHL Finals with the club for ten seasons straight from 2008, winning 4 Goodall Cups, including three straight under Coach Paul Watson (2010-12, 2017). He developed the grudging respect of opponents, despite the success the club flaunted in those years.

Club MVP in 2018 and 19, Powell was Alternate Captain 5 times (11, 13 to 16), and AIHL MVP (07). In 2012, he won the inaugural championship of the Trans Tasman Champions League. The winger played 369 games in the AIHL, scoring 173 goals and 294 assists, an average of 1.27 points per game.

He represented Australia at the World Juniors 3 times (04, 05, 06), winning promotion in 2004, and played 11 senior Worlds. Twice captain (15, 19) and once alternate captain (17), he averaged nearly a point a game over a long career, with 22 goals and 39 assists from 66 internationals. That produced 4 IIHF Gold medals, 3 Silver and a Bronze.

A certified IIHF level-2 coach, Powell has taught the game at the Icehouse Hockey Academy since 2012. He coached the Melbourne Ice women to 3 straight Joan McKowen National Championships (2014, 15, 16). Bench boss for the Melbourne Red Wolves in the local leagues, the 35-year-old captained the Bruins in the 4-team state PHL competition at iceHQ Reservoir in early 2022.

Tommy Powell's playing career spans three decades. The focus of his game is scoring, and he does that prolifically with a wrist shot that is seemingly effortless and rarely flashy. Like others, Powell skated in the shadow of what Lliam Webster and his family built at the first Melbourne Club. But the golden-haired sniper made a unique mark while fans revelled in their regular cellys against the plexiglass of the Icehouse in Melbourne.

Tommy Powell's contribution to the National League and National Team is comparable to contemporaries like Webster and Greg Oddy.