Another product of the successful Tasmanian Institute of Sport scholarship program, the 20-year-old said he was delighted to join veterans Eddie Ockenden and Tim Deavin in the squad for the Oceania Cup in New Zealand on October 21.

"I'm really looking forward to playing with the Tassie guys Eddie and Tim," said Beltz, who played alongside both in last week's Australian Hockey League tournament.

"We actually don't get that many opportunities to play together so this will be really special. Then there's Mark Knowles and Jamie Dwyer: the world's best. I'm relishing the opportunity to play with those guys.

"I'm both nervous and excited. It's a great opportunity and I'm looking forward to playing with some of the big names."

Hobart's DiamondBacks talent has been honing his craft at the Kookaburras' base in Perth as part of his comeback from a broken leg and subsequent hip surgery which kept him out of the tournament in his home-town earlier this year.

"Injuries aren't much fun, and it sucks at the time. I was lucky to have a lot of support around me which helped, and I tried to look at things in a good light. It meant I could focus on other things as well, and when I did get back to playing I was a lot fresher and ready to go."

One of five players under the age of 22 in the team, Beltz continues Tasmania's proud production line of internationals.

"The TIS has been a great supporter since I joined a couple of years ago. Apart from that my family and friends and the hockey community as a whole in Tasmania have been a huge help.

"You start representing your club from an early age and progress from there, so there's been lots of people that have contributed to where I am now and I'm very lucky for that."

The Kookaburras will face New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa in the tournament.

In other Tasmanian hockey news, Beltz's brother, Hayden, along with fellow Hobart product Jack Welch are preparing to compete in the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia. Their first match is against Argentina on Sunday.