The midfielder is the youngest member of the undefeated Mavericks during their Ford National Hockey League (NHL) campaign as they prepare for the remaining four rounds and playoffs to be staged over a week in Whangarei from tomorrow.
The Brad Jensen and Greg Nicol-coached side are on the top rung of the table, albeit after just two matches, with a 4-1 victory over Midlands and a 3-2 shootout win over Capital after they were locked 2-all in regulation time.
The Mavericks play Canterbury and North Harbour tomorrow and Sunday before crossing sticks with hosts Northland on Tuesday and Auckland on Friday next week.
Other Bay players in the Mavericks equation are Brennan Alexander-Parker, goalkeeper Aaron Ball, Robert Creffier, Oscar Stewart, Dylan Thomas and Joe Hanks, who also slips on the captain's armband.
However, for Hiha, the end of the NHL holds the promise of his first foray overseas if he makes the cut for the Sultan of Johor Cup next month as part of the 24-member New Zealand under-21 squad. That group will be culled to 18 for the Junior World Cup to be staged in India from December 8 to 18.
"India will be a bit of a change from what I'm used to," he says. He competed on the Gold Coast as a member of the NZ under-19s early this year as his only overseas stint.
Former Black Sticks player and men's assistant coach Bryce Collins is the Junior World Cup coach.
Hiha isn't taking anything for granted in what he deems to be "a pretty strong team" but he finds comfort in the assumption that "all spots are up for grabs".
His national selection for the junior worlds came after the Central age-group campaign at the national under-21 tournament in Dunedin in May, when they finished fifth.
"We had a pretty poor opening weekend, losing both games, so we were having to catch up on lost points."
The Mavericks, he feels, are coming together nicely with everyone on the same page.
The teenager, who played for NBHS rather than a Bay club, then helped the Roskill Eden Hockey Club in Auckland win its competition last month, is the grandson of the legendary Margaret Hiha, of Napier.
"She was always keen on me to play hockey and she made sure all the kids played it when we were small," says Hiha, whose sister, Savanna, 17, of William Colenso College, played age-group rep and school hockey. So did brother Matthew, 16, of Te Aute College, who fancies himself as a basketballer.
"I guess it's just in our blood," he says. Hiha believes that, while it's "natural", he has had to put in a lot of hard work.
Numerous coaches had paved the path to his incremental gains but Nicol and former Mavericks coach Dean Hulls have been at the forefront.
Hiha was partial to playing striker but, as his skills evolved, he found himself gravitating toward the engine room.
"I found out I can have a bigger influence in the midfield - setting up goals is just as good as scoring.
"My skill set is more suited to ball distribution than striking," he says, while stressing there's nothing stopping him finding the net from the midfield.
He is honing his skills in trapping the ball on the top of the D from penalty corners to enable those at the coalface to slot them past the keeper.
"It's a high work rate and, no matter what, I'll keep running all day."
He is relishing Central's up-tempo approach to keep defenders on their toes in what he describes as "an exciting brand" of game.
If everything follows his script, Hiha is keen to represent the country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics although playing professionally is not in the immediate future because he intends to complete his tertiary education first.
He has done admirably to juggle academia with hockey demands and doesn't foresee any deviations from that.
