Position Defenceman Website AIHL profile Role Ice hockey player Weight 75 kg Current team CBR Brave (Defenseman) Shoots Right-handed | National team Australia Name James Byers Height 1.8 m Career start 2010 | |
Born 1 March 1994 (age 30)
Perth, WA, Australia ( 1994-03-01 ) AIHL team
Former teams CBR Brave
Canberra Knights
Regina Flames | ||
James Byers (born 1 March 1994) who is better known as Jimmy, is an Australian ice hockey player who plays as a defenceman for the CBR Brave in the Australian Ice Hockey League and is a member of the Australian national team.
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Club career
Byers first played in Canada for the Regina Flames of the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League (SSMHL) in the 2010-11 season. He remained with the Flames until the end of the 2011-12 season before returning to Australia where he linked up with the Canberra Knights of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) for the 2012 season. Byers played in 10 games for the Knights in his debut season, recording one goal and two assists. The Following season Byers became a permanent member of the squad, playing in all 28 games of the season.
Before the start of the 2014 AIHL season the Knights folded operations and were replaced in the league by the CBR Brave. The Brave signed Jimmy along with many of the former Knights players for the 2014 season including Jimmy's brother Harry. Jimmy wears the number 17 jersey for the CBR Brave and was sponsored by Friday Night Hockey in 2014. He had a stellar breakout season with the Brave in 2014 that culminated in Jimmy assisting the team finish third in the regular season and reach the AIHL Finals for a shot at the Goodall Cup, the first time a Canberra team has achieved this since 1998. Jimmy played in the semi-final match against the Melbourne Ice but the Brave lost the match 1-6. Club captain, Mark Rummukainen, was particularly pleased with how Jimmy and the whole group of local youngsters at the club performed in 2014 and had this to say at the end of the season: "The way they’ve bought into a new system and worked hard all year. They’ve taken huge steps this year. They’re not boys anymore; there young men competing in the top league in this country.”
International career
Byers was first selected to represent Australia in 2011 where he joined the national under-18 team to compete in the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championship Division III Group A tournament being held in Taipei, Chinese Taipei. Australia won the tournament and gained promotion to Division II for the next year, while Byers earned his first gold medal in international competition and finished the tournament with six points in five games. The following year Byers was again selected for the under-18 team to compete at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championship Division II Group B tournament. Australia finished in fifth place while Byers managed only one points for the tournament and finished with a plus-minus of –6. In January 2014 Byers joined the national under-20 team to compete in the 2014 IIHF World U20 Championship Division II Group B tournament. He was named one of the teams alternate captains and was awarded the prize of Top Player on the Team by the tournament coaches. A few months later Byers joined the national senior team to compete in the 2014 IIHF World Championship Division II Group A tournament being held in Belgrade, Serbia. Australia finished in fourth place while Byers recorded only a single assist for the tournament.
Personal life
James was born on 1 March 1994. His older brother Harrison Byers (better known as Harry) also plays for the CBR Brave and has also previously been a member of the national under-18 and under-20 teams.