| Bg Color: |
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| Text Color: | white |
| Team: | Jersey Shore Wildcats |
| Logosize: | 200px |
| City: | Wall Township, New Jersey |
| Founded: | 2009 |
| Arena: | Jersey Shore Arena |
| Colors: | Red, white, black |
| Owner: | Alex Shnayderman |
| Coach: | Paul MacLean[1] |
| Gm: | Eric Brule |
| Affiliates: | Wichita Falls Wildcats |
| Name1: | Trenton Habs |
| Dates1: | 2009–2013 |
| Name2: | Jersey Shore Wildcats |
| Dates2: | 2013–2017 |
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. The organization continued to operate teams at the youth level.
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.[2] The Habs finished the 2009–10 season winning the IJHL Super Elite National Championship.[3] 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.[4] [5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Hockey League | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 42 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 50 | 163 | 121 | — | 3rd of 7, NSHL | Lost Quarterfinal game vs. Eastern Kodiaks | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | 40 | 19 | 18 | 3 | 41 | 129 | 134 | — | 5th of 9, NSHL | Won Round 1 series, 2–1 vs. Junior Mariners Won Semifinal game vs. AHI Fighting Spirit Won League Championship game vs. Wilkes-Barre Miners League Champions | |||||||||
| North American 3 Eastern Hockey League | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–15 | 41 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 217 | 79 | 843 | 1st of 5, Western Div. 1st of 10, NA3EHL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Roc City Royals Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Wilkes-Barre Miners Won League Championships, 2–1 vs. New Hampshire Fighting Spirit League Champions | |||||||||
| 2015–16 | 44 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 74 | 258 | 111 | 973 | 1st of 6, Western Div. 1st of 13, NA3EHL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Lockport Express Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. New York Aviators Won League Championships, 2–0 vs. Cape Cod Islanders League Champions | |||||||||
| North American 3 Hockey League | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–17 | 47 | 26 | 20 | 1 | 53 | 165 | 165 | 775 | 2nd of 6, Northeast Div. 20th of 48, NA3HL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Syracuse Stampede Lost Div. Finals, 0–2 vs. Binghamton Jr. Senators | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 98 | 68 | 335 | Removed from league midseason | ||||||||||
AAU Sanctioned Junior A National Championship
In 2013 & 2014, the MWJHL, NSHL, & WSHL advanced two teams each.