The Vantage Black Sticks men have accepted an invitation to compete in the 31st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, held in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 23–30 November 2025.
The prestigious invitational tournament will see the New Zealand face off against some of the world’s top hockey nations. Malaysia, Korea, Canada, India, and Belgium, in what promises to be an exciting week of international hockey.
With 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 several 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 presents a valuable chance to continue building depth within the squad and provide players with meaningful international experience.
“This is a great opportunity for our group to test themselves against top-tier opposition and to keep pushing our standards. It’s also an exciting chance for a few returning players to show how they can contribute heading into a big 2026 season.”
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN – AZLAN SHAH CUP 2025AIDAN 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
TRAVELLING RESERVESJAMES HICKSON, NIC LIDSTONE
The squad features 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, come into the squad for the first time. An exciting opportunity for them to experience life as a Black Stick.
MATCH SCHEDULE (NZT)Sunday 23 November – v Malaysia – 11:00 PM NZTMonday 24 November – v Korea – 9:00 PM NZTWednesday 26 November – v Canada – 9:00 PM NZTThursday 27 November – v India – 11:00 PM NZTSaturday 29 November – v Belgium – 11:00 PM NZT
