Due to large costs to players to participate in such a league, an alternative proposal for a much shorter Showcase Series was passed around for consideration to begin in the 2006 season.

The second series would be in March 2006 in Bendigo, Victoria, the third would occur in April 2006 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

[1] The first Showcase Series proved to be successful where, in each mini-series, three teams would play each other twice in a round robin style tournament.

Five clubs ended up being involved in the Showcase Series which consisted of five mini-tournaments held on a weekend each month in a different city.

In this second season four mini-series were held, one weekend mini tournament was played each month between only four teams representing Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Brisbane, Queensland, Adelaide, South Australia and Sydney.

The purpose of the Showcase Series continued to be as a precursor to a national women's league that was being actively planned.

[3] The official formation of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) was in 2007, following the two seasons of "Showcase Series" that were held in 2006 and 2007.

[5] The league conducted its inaugural season with four teams: Adelaide Assassins, Brisbane Goannas, Melbourne Dragons, and Sydney Sirens.

[7] In the early 2010s there was a move to align AWIHL teams with Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) counterparts.

[11] Perth had played two exhibition games against the Sydney Sirens the season before and had competed in and won the Australian Women's Tier 2 Show Case Series two years in a row on their road to AWIHL entry.

The list, conducted by Platinum Asset Management and GAIN LINE Analytics, ranked and named the top 25 sporting teams in Australasia.

[15][16] In August 2022, AWIHL Commissioner, Melissa Rulli, officially stepped down from her position after nearly five years in the role.

[17] Rulli held the position of Commissioner from December 2017 to August 2022 and oversaw steady viewership and accessibility growth of the AWIHL in that time until the COVID-19 hiatus.

[18] Ice Hockey Australia opened an expression of interest process on 26 August 2022 to find Rulli's replacement, with applications closing on 16 September 2022.

[19] After a two-year hiatus, the AWIHL announced it would return to action for the 2022–23 season, scheduled to kick off in November 2022 and run through til March 2023.

[26][27] Melbourne Chargers Ice Hockey Club, who compete in the Women's Tier 2 Show Case Series, have publicly said their goal is to move up divisions to the AWIHL.

[18] The Melbourne Ducks women's program was established in early 2023 and formally submitted an application to join the AWIHL on 7 March 2023.

[29] The Ducks will play another six exhibition games during the 2024-25 AWIHL season with the intention of securing a license to join the league proper in 2025–26.

Originally established as the Adelaide Assassins, the South Australian outfit began life as the dominant force in women's hockey in Australia, winning the first five straight AWIHL championship titles.

The agreement saw the Dragons change their name and branding to match the Melbourne Ice and a sharing of off-ice resources and guidance.

Between 2011 and 2013 the team became a part of the Newcastle Northstars organisation and relocated to Hunter Ice Skating Stadium and was renamed North Star Sirens.

In the event of a tied score at the end of regulation time, a penalty shootout will determine the winner of a game.

The AWIHL implements a 4v4 stop time overtime period of 10 minutes in accordance with the IIHF Rule Book.

[40] The trophy is named after Joan McKowen, who was a prominent figure in Australian Ice Hockey before her death in 1992.

Her husband, Maxwell McKowen donated the trophy for its first use as the prize for the annual national women's ice hockey tournament in 1995.

The trophy was awarded to the winner of the premiership in the AWIHL, the team that finishes top of the league standings at the conclusion of the regular season.

[49] Each season, ahead of, or at, the beginning of the AWIHL Finals, the league announces the winners of the individual player awards that recognises excellence across a number of different categories.