Daiki Phipps (Yr 13)

Tuesday, 13th October 2026 at 11:30am

Congratulations to Daiki Phipps (Year 13), who has been selected to represent New Zealand Ice Hockey in the Under-20 Men's Division, competing in Belgrade, Serbia, 17-23 January 2027.

Daiki first began playing ice hockey in Japan at just four years of age, after being introduced to the sport by family friends.

We have followed Daiki's progress with interest as he skated his way to success, progressively moving through the NZ Ice Hockey Federation ranks.

As a Year 11 student, Daiki was selected to represent Auckland in the U18 Auckland Ice Hockey National tournaments in Dunedin, and was the top scorer in the 2024 national tournament.

In 2025, as a Year 12, Daiki played for the Auckland U18 Ice Hockey team and was awarded Auckland MVP of the tournament. While most of their matches were played in Dunedin, a series of games took place in Botany, Auckland, giving Daiki's peers the opportunity to see him in action! Later that year, Daiki was invited to join the High Performance Programme (HPP) and was subsequently selected to take part in the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) U18 Ice Hockey Division 3 World Tournament, travelling to China (March 2026).

Daiki, who turned 18 this year, was invited to train with the NZ U20 Men's team and the NZ Adult team as a potential player for 2027. As a result, he has been selected to compete in the IIHF World Under-20 Men's Division II, Group B event in Belgrade, Serbia, 17-23 January 2027.

By the time Daiki heads to Serbia, he will have graduated as a Year 13 student from Green Bay High School; however, we wish Daiki all the very best and look forward to hearing more about his successes ahead.