The countdown to the 2026 ONE Active Hockey One season is on, and clubs across the country have been busy assembling their squads for another blockbuster campaign.

With the FIH Hockey World Cup now complete, Hockeyroos, Kookaburras and international stars are turning their attention to Hockey One, with plenty of big names set to pull on new colours this season.

With the Melbourne Cobras joining the competition for the first time, there has been more player movement than ever as clubs look to build championship winning squads.

Here are some of the biggest names to watch when Hockey One returns.

Chill add serious international firepower

Canberra Chill have made some of the biggest moves of the off-season, bolstering both their men’s and women’s squads with Australian and international talent.

Fresh from earning his 50th Kookaburras cap at the World Cup, Craig Marais will head to Canberra after helping HC Melbourne claim back-to-back Hockey One men’s championships.

He joins fellow Kookaburras Davis Atkin, Anand Gupte and Tom Craig, giving the Chill an imposing contingent of Australian international talent.

Canberra have also looked overseas, securing Dutch defender Douwe Steens as their first men’s international signing for 2026.

The women’s squad has received an international boost of its own, with Dutch player Mabel Brands and German international Lynn Krings joining the Chill.

Goalkeeper Max Larkin will also make the move from the Tassie Tigers to Canberra.

World Cup stars head to Tasmania

The Tassie Tigers have responded with international firepower of their own.

New Zealand Olympian and Black Stick Holly Pearson is heading across the Tasman following the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.

The experienced defender has 54 international caps and will add plenty of experience to the Tigers’ women’s squad.

She will be joined by German international Sophia Schwabe, who arrives with 36 international caps and 10 international goals after enjoying success with German club Düsseldorfer HC.

The pair give Tasmania an exciting international combination heading into the 2026 season.

Former Hockeyroo Penny Squibb has also signed with the Tigers, bringing over 50 international caps worth of experience to Tassie.

Kershaw comes home to Brisbane

One of the biggest Australian moves sees Hockeyroo Steph Kershaw return to the Brisbane Blaze.

After spending the 2025 season with the Tassie Tigers, Kershaw will return to Queensland following Australia’s World Cup campaign.

She’ll be joined by fellow Hockeyroos Morgan Mathison and Tatum Stewart, while Rosie Malone returns after a lengthy ACL rehabilitation.

The Blaze have also made history with their international recruitment, signing German World Cup player Sara Strauss as the first international import in the Brisbane Blaze women’s program.

There has been plenty of movement on the men’s side too, with Shane Kenny coming out of retirement to rejoin Brisbane and Lucas Toonen making the move from Adelaide.

Arnott returns to the Pride

NSW Pride fans will have a familiar face back in 2026.

Hockeyroo Alice Arnott is returning to NSW Pride after last representing the club in 2024.

Fresh from Australia’s World Cup campaign, Arnott brings international experience and plenty of Hockey One history back to the Pride.

She scored NSW Pride women’s first-ever Hockey One goal and was part of the club’s 2022 championship-winning campaign.

German star arrives in Perth

Perth Thundersticks have landed one of the competition’s biggest international signings, with German midfielder Johannes Große joining the men’s squad.

The 146-cap German international won Olympic silver at Paris 2024 and arrives in Perth after winning the 2026 World Cup with Germany, having featured prominently on the international stage.

Große becomes the first international import signed to the Perth Thundersticks men’s program.

The Thundersticks have also welcomed former Kookaburra Flynn Ogilvie, who returns to Hockey One after last representing NSW Pride in 2023.

Ben O’Grady has moved west from Adelaide Fire, while Daykin Stanger joins from Brisbane Blaze.

HC Melbourne reload

The reigning men’s champions HC Melbourne will once again have plenty of star power.

Dutch international Daan Smits returns after helping the club to its second consecutive championship, while former captain Damon Steffens is back following time overseas.

The women’s squad has also added significant quality, with reigning Hockey One MVP and Hockeyroo Greta Hayes joining the club.

US international Ashley Hoffman and Argentine midfielder Lourdes Perez Iturraspe will also add international experience as HC Melbourne look to go one step further after finishing runners-up in 2025.

Meet the Melbourne Cobras

No club has created more intrigue this off-season than the Melbourne Cobras.

Hockey One’s newest franchise has been building its inaugural squads with an impressive combination of Australian and international talent.

Former Indian international Gurjant Singh became the first player signed in Cobras history, bringing 130 international caps and 33 goals to Melbourne.

Indian Olympian Udita Duhan followed as the club’s first women’s signing, while fellow Indian internationals Raheel Mouseen and Mahima Choudhary have also joined the squad.

The Cobras have also recruited some of Australia’s biggest names.

Former Kookaburra Jake Whetton has made the move from Brisbane, while Hockeyroo Claire Colwill headlines the Australian women’s contingent.

Former Kookaburra goalkeeper Ben Rennie is another significant addition after starring for the Tassie Tigers last season.

The Cobras have also been active in recruiting from their new Hockey One rivals, with Trent Symss and Hugh Snowden arriving from Adelaide, Ella Carr moving from NSW Pride and sisters Zara and Gracie Geddis switching from cross-town rivals HC Melbourne.

With an impressive international contingent already announced, the Cobras’ inaugural season promises to be one of the most closely watched storylines of 2026.

The countdown is on

With a new club, new colours and some of the biggest names in world hockey heading to Hockey One, the 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the competition’s biggest yet and will feature Hockeyroos, Kookaburras, Olympians, World Cup stars, international recruits and emerging Australian talent.

They’ll all be competing for Hockey One glory when the season gets underway on October 8.

Who will make the biggest impact in 2026? The only way to find out is to be there.

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