The Vantage Black Sticks men have accepted an invitation to participate in the 31st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from November 23 to 30, 2025.
The prestigious invitational tournament will see New Zealand compete against some of the world’s best hockey nations. Malaysia, Korea, Canada, India and Belgium, in what promises to be an exciting week of international hockey.
Due to the Junior Hockey World Cups taking place around the same time, all U21 Black Sticks players are unavailable for selection. This opens the door for a number of returning players to seize an important opportunity ahead of next year’s FIH Men’s World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Head Coach Greg Nicol says the tournament provides a valuable opportunity to continue building depth within the squad and providing players with meaningful international experience.
“This is a great opportunity for our group to test itself against top-level opponents and continue to push our standards. It’s also an exciting opportunity for a few returning players to show how they can contribute heading into a big 2026 season.”
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN – AZLAN SHAH CUP 2025
AIDAN SARIKAYA, BENJI CULHANE, BRAD READ, CHARLIE MORRISON, DANE LETT, DYLAN THOMAS, FINN WARD, GEORGE BAKER, GEORGE ENERSEN, ISAAC HOULBROOKE, JOE MORRISON, KANE RUSSELL, LEON HAYWARD, MALACHI BUSCHL, SAM HIHA, SAM LANE, SEAN FINDLAY, SIMON YORSTON
TRAVELING RESERVES
JAMES HICKSON, NIC LIDSTONE
The squad has a strong mix of experience and emerging talent, including a special return for goalkeeper George Enersen, who last represented the Black Sticks in 2023. Aidan Sarikaya, Kane Russell and Leon Hayward also return to the group after not playing since 2024. The traveling reserves, James Hickson and Nic Lidstone, make their first appearance in the squad. An exciting opportunity for them to experience life as a Black Stick.
MATCH SCHEDULE (NZT)
Sunday, November 23 – v Malaysia – 11pm NZT
Monday, November 24 – v Korea – 9pm NZT
Wednesday, November 26 – vs Canada – 9:00 PM NZT
Thursday, November 27 – v India – 11pm NZT
Saturday November 29 – vs Belgium – 11pm NZT
#Zealand #MENS #VANTAGE #BLACK #STICKS #AZLAN #SHAH #SQUAD