NZ honours for ice hockey player Ason Gu
24 Mar 2025
Skating onto the ice in Mexico to line up for New Zealand at the 2025 IIHF World U18 Men’s World Championship Division III Group A event has been both a “shock and a challenge” for College ice hockey player Ason Gu.
Ason, 17, recalls his amazement when “the coach called me in December to let me know that I was in the New Zealand team and that we would be travelling to Mexico City” for the event.
“I was shocked to get the call, despite having played for Canterbury in age-group competitions,” he says. “We then had a few months to prepare for really tough games at the Santa Fe Ice Rink in Mexico.”
Despite some travel disruptions and delays for the Queenstown contingent, the national team landed in Mexico City after travelling via San Francisco. It was a testing tournament for the 20-strong group, lining up against top players and battling for division honours on the ice.
While New Zealand did not win the race to move into Division II play, the team recorded a significant 6–2 victory over Iceland and made its mark against both Israel and Turkey. However, Mexico and Hong Kong overpowered the Kiwis, with the host nation winning promotion to the next division.
“It was a physically tough tournament and the opposition skills levels were massive, so it proved to be very challenging, plus we struggled with the food. However, it was a great experience overall and a lot of fun, and amazing to represent New Zealand.”
Ason, a member of Condell’s House, has been playing ice hockey for eight years after starting out as a skater. He was first named in the Canterbury U14 team as his interest in the sport and skills grew.
A forward, Ason “loves being out on the ice competing” and trains twice a week at Alpine Ice. He is already focused on the winter regional competition, with a trip to Dunedin next up.
