For Peter Bates, playing professional hockey has always come back to one thing: enjoying it.

From five years of college hockey to the professional ranks in North America, and now halfway around the world with the Canberra Brave, the 29-year-old has learned that a career in the game isn’t always glamorous, but finding enjoyment in the day-to-day is what keeps him coming back.

“You really have to enjoy it to keep playing. Whether you enjoy playing hockey, just being on a team and hanging out with people, you’ve got to find some way to enjoy the day-to-day parts of hockey that maybe aren’t fun all the time.”

That philosophy has now taken Bates somewhere he hadn’t necessarily expected: Australia.

A Life in Hockey

Bates first stepped onto the ice at around three years old, following a family connection to the sport through his mother’s side.

“My mum’s family all played hockey. Growing up, I just loved it. I played a lot of other sports, but hockey was always my favourite sport.”

At around 16, Bates made the jump into AAA hockey in the United States, a step he considers the point where the game began to become more serious for him.

His pathway would eventually take him through junior hockey and five years at college before moving into the professional ranks.

Of all those experiences, Bates points to his college years as some of the most influential.

“I was around people that were really serious about hockey and just fun to be around. The people in college, all the way from the coaches to my teammates, were definitely the biggest influence on me enjoying and still wanting to play hockey.”

That enjoyment has helped Bates navigate the realities of professional hockey.

While the lifestyle can bring plenty of opportunities, it also comes with long seasons, travel and uncertainty.

For Bates, the key has been appreciating more than simply the game.

“You’ve got to find some way to enjoy the day-to-day parts of hockey.”

The Australian Opportunity

The idea of playing for the Brave first came up more than a year before Bates eventually arrived in Canberra.

General Manager Jordie Gavin initially reached out ahead of the previous season, but a summer filled with friends’ weddings meant the timing wasn’t right.

Bates, however, made sure the opportunity stayed open.

“I told him, ‘If you still need a player next year, I would love to come and kind of plan it out.”

This time around, the timing worked.

Bates had already committed to the Belfast Giants for the next chapter of his career, but after working through the logistics of extending his summer into Australia, Canberra became the perfect stop between North America and Europe.

“I like travelling. I like seeing new things. I’ve played in all sorts of random places playing hockey in the world, and it seemed like another cool place to go visit and see.”

While Bates had heard of the AIHL, Australian hockey wasn’t something he’d followed closely.

That quickly changed after arriving in Canberra.

A Team-First Culture

Bates’ first impression of the Brave was less about what happened on the ice and more about the group he walked into.

“Everybody seemed really nice. It felt like I was back in college, which is just a nice thing.”

For a player used to the constant roster movement of professional hockey in North America, the familiarity within the Brave stood out.

“There’s so much roster turnover in the East Coast Hockey League. Here, everybody knows each other and gets along. My first impression was everybody seems like they’re in a good mood and happy to be here.”

That connection has translated into the team’s approach on the ice.

Bates made an immediate impact after joining the lineup and believes Canberra’s team-first mentality has made it easy to settle in.

“People are here to win for the Brave, not necessarily to do well for themselves. Obviously everyone has individual goals, but it’s really nice to be on a team where the team really is the most important thing.”

It’s an environment Bates has enjoyed being part of.

Finding His Place

Playing alongside Casey Kubara and Jake Ratcliffe, Bates has quickly found chemistry within one of the Brave’s most productive combinations.

He believes that success comes from each player bringing something different.

“Ratty is always usually open and ready to shoot. That’s a really nice complement to the way me and Casey play, where we’re looking around trying to find someone to pass to.”

Then there’s Casey’s work rate.

“Casey just works really hard. Everybody does a little bit of everything and contributes in their own way.”

Bates takes a similarly uncomplicated approach to describing his own game.

“I’m just trying to win. Sometimes that’s scoring, hopefully sometimes that’s playing defence or just working hard.”

Rather than defining himself through one particular skill, Bates hopes supporters see something simpler.

“I care, hopefully, is what people see when I play. And I enjoy playing.”

A Different Kind of Hockey

Bates has also enjoyed discovering the quirks that make Australian hockey unique.

The biggest surprise hasn’t necessarily been the standard of play. Instead, it’s the variety that has stood out. From different rink dimensions to different ice conditions and boards, Bates says every road trip brings its own challenge.

“All the different rinks being different sizes and the ice surfaces being some good, some not so good, it makes the hockey really interesting and different.”

“Seeing how different teams play depending on how big or small the rink is, or how good or bad their boards are, that’s probably been the most surprising and cool thing since I’ve been here.”

The support around the league has also caught his attention.

“It seems like most of the places we’ve been to are pretty full. People are good at just watching sporting events here.”

One More Goal

Bates’ next move is already set.

After the AIHL season, he’ll head to Belfast for a new challenge and another opportunity to experience hockey in a different part of the world.

For much of his professional career, earning an opportunity in the AHL had been the goal.

As that pathway became less likely, Bates began looking at the game differently.

“If I can’t do that, it would be nice to travel, see different parts of the world and continue playing hockey at this level as long as I can. Going to Belfast seemed like a good challenge, something new and a good adventure.”

His time in Canberra has also allowed him to stay on the ice throughout a period of the year he would normally spend training alone.

“The past three summers, I haven’t really skated at all. Being able to stay on the ice, stay in shape, go to the gym and be around a team environment, I really appreciate that.”

But, Belfast can wait for now.

With the Brave entering the business end of the season, there is still one job to finish.

Bates believes Canberra’s success will come from continuing to trust what has worked throughout the season.

“Just having an attitude that no matter what happens, we’ll figure it out. We’ll find a way to get through the next game and hopefully that takes us all the way to the final game.”

And when that final game is done, Bates hopes his Australian experience won’t necessarily be a one-off.

“Hopefully I’ll be back. Maybe I don’t have to remember it. Maybe I get to do it again.”