The Jersey Shore Wildcats were a Tier III Junior "A" ice hockey team from Trenton, New Jersey.
History The team was founded in 2009 as the Trenton Habs and joined the International Junior Hockey League (IJHL) for the 2008–09 season as an associate member, playing a season of exhibition games against IJHL teams as well as participating in league showcase and national championship tournament. The team joined the IJHL as a full member for the 2010–11 season in the IJHL's Jr. Super Elite League. The Habs finished the 2009–10 season winning the IJHL Super Elite National Championship. In the summer of 2012, the IJHL folded causing the Habs and many former teams of the IJHL Super Elite Division to form the Northern States Hockey League (NSHL) under the AAU.
In May 2013, it was announced that the organization joined forces with the Wichita Falls Wildcats of the North American Hockey League to give players more opportunities and exposure and renamed the team the Jersey Shore Wildcats.
The Jersey Shore Wildcats were a Tier III Junior "A" ice hockey team from Wall Township, New Jersey. They were a members of the International Junior Hockey League, Northern States Hockey League, North American 3 Eastern Hockey League, and the North American 3 Hockey League.
In 2014, the NSHL left AAU sanctioning with the intention of joining USA Hockey. The Tier II North American Hockey League (NAHL) then took over operations during the 2014–15 season and changed the name of the league to the North American 3 Eastern Hockey League (NA3EHL). Prior to the 2016–17 season, the Wildcats became part of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) when it absorbed the NA3EHL.
In 2017, their NAHL affiliate, the Wichita Falls Wildcats, folded during the offseason. The Jersey Shore Wildcats continued into the 2017–18 NA3HL season, but games were cancelled in mid-November 2017. By December, the team was removed from the league due to apparently owing the league compensation even though the team was in second place in their division at the time. The organization continued to operate teams at the youth level.
Season-by-season records Season GP W L OTL Pts GF GA PIM Regular season finish PlayoffsNorthern States Hockey League 2012–13 42 24 16 2 50 163 121 —3rd of 7, NSHLLost Quarterfinal game vs. Eastern KodiaksJersey Shore Wildcats 2013–14 40 19 18 3 41 129 134 —5th of 9, NSHLWon Round 1 series, 2–1 vs. Junior MarinersWon Semifinal game vs. AHI Fighting SpiritWon League Championship game vs. Wilkes-Barre MinersLeague championsNorth American 3 Eastern Hockey League 2014–15 41 40 1 0 80 217 79 843 1st of 5, Western Div.1st of 10, NA3EHLWon Div. Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Roc City RoyalsWon Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Wilkes-Barre MinersWon League Championships, 2–1 vs. New Hampshire Fighting SpiritLeague champions 2015–16 44 37 7 0 74 258 111 973 1st of 6, Western Div.1st of 13, NA3EHLWon Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Lockport ExpressWon Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. New York AviatorsWon League Championships, 2–0 vs. Cape Cod IslandersLeague championsNorth American 3 Hockey League 2016–17 47 26 20 1 53 165 165 775 2nd of 6, Northeast Div.20th of 48, NA3HLWon Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Syracuse StampedeLost Div. Finals, 0–2 vs. Binghamton Jr. Senators 2017–18 22 15 7 0 30 98 68 335 Removed from league midseason
United Hockey Union Nationals AAU Sanctioned Junior A National Championship In 2013 & 2014, the MWJHL, NSHL, & WSHL advanced two teams each. Year Round Robin Record RankingSemifinalChampionship 2014 L, El Paso Rhinos (WSHL) 1–3L, AHI Fighting Spirit (NSHL) 1–5L, Traverse City Hounds (MWJHL) 3–6 0–3–06th of 6Did not advance
References
External links Official team website Official team arena