| Team Name: | Sydney Sabres |
| Current: | 2016–17 AJIHL season |
| Bg Color: | background:#FFFFFF; border-top:silver 5px solid; border-bottom:#003d7c 5px solid; |
| Text Color: |
|
| Logosize: | 200px |
| League: | Australian Junior Ice Hockey League |
| Founded: | 18 September 2012 |
| Arena: | Penrith Ice Palace |
| City: | Sydney, Australia |
| Owner: | New South Wales Ice Hockey Association |
| Gm: | Paul Kelly |
| Coach: | Jason Kvisle |
| Captain: | Daniel Pataky |
| Name1: | Sydney Lightning |
| Dates1: | 2012–2013 |
| Name2: | Sydney Sabres |
| Dates2: | 2013–present |
| Championships1 Type: | AJIHL Championships |
| Championships1: | 3 (2014), (2016), (2019) |
| Reg Season Titles: | 1 (2014) |
The Sydney Sabres are an Australian junior ice hockey team based in Sydney playing in the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League. They represent one of the two junior ice hockey teams from New South Wales currently playing in the AJIHL, which is the most elite level for ice hockey at a national level for ages between 16–20 years old.
The Sydney Lightning were founded 18 September 2012 following the announcement by Ice Hockey Australia of the formation of the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League.[1] The team is controlled by the New South Wales Ice Hockey Association.[1] On 14 October 2012 it was announced that Jason Kvisle as coach for the 2012–13 AJIHL season with Jimmy Dufour as his assistant.[2]
The Sydney Lightning played the first ever AJIHL game against the Melbourne Blackhawks at the Medibank Icehouse on 21 October 2012. The Lightning we defeated by the Blackhawks by a score of 5–3.[3]
The first goal ever scored in the AJIHL was by Daniel Pataky of the Sydney Lightning.[3]
The first team in club history:For the 2012–13 AJIHL season[2] [4]
| Name | Date of Birth | Acquired | Birthplace | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 2012 | ||||||
| 3 | 2012 | ||||||
| 8 | 2012 | ||||||
| 20 | 2012 | Sydney, Australia | |||||
| 17 | 2012 | ||||||
| 6 | 2012 | Sydney, Australia | |||||
| 14 | 2012 | Sydney, Australia | |||||
| 19 | 2012 | ||||||
| 5 | 2012 | Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia | |||||
| 25 | 2012 | ||||||
| 11 | 2012 | Johannesburg, South Africa | |||||
| 18 | 2012 | ||||||
| 9 | 2012 | ||||||
| 1 | 2012 | Sydney, Australia | |||||
| 4 | 2012 | Sydney, Australia | |||||
| 15 | 2012 | ||||||
| 12 | 2012 | Sydney, Australia | |||||
| 16 | 2012 |
The follow-up season in the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League saw a lot of change via expansion and renaming of its existing teams. The Sydney Lightning were renamed the Sydney Sabres in September 2013.[5] [6] The changes were made in response to the National Hockey Leagues concern about the AJIHL using their team names and logos but also recognised the opportunity to create a new history for the teams through creating their own identity. In October 2013 the league expanded to six teams with two teams from Perth, the Sharks and the Pelicans, joining for the start of the 2013–14 season.[7]
In their first year, and the inaugural AJIHL season, the Sydney Lightning wore a uniform that resembled the NHL namesake Tampa Bay Lightning. The jersey design and uniform bore close resemblance to the Tampa Bay Lightning design, with the AJIHL logo used for shoulder crests.[8]
| width=60 | Season | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=30 | width=100 | Finish | width=300 | Playoff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 45 | 41 | 21 | 3rd | Lost semi-final vs. Sydney Maple Leafs, 2–7 |
For the 2016–17 AJIHL season
| Name | Date of Birth | Acquired | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2016 | |||||
| 3 | 2016 | |||||
| 5 | 2016 | |||||
| 6 | 2015 | |||||
| 7 | 2015 | |||||
| 8 | 2015 | |||||
| 9 | 2015 | |||||
| 10 | 2015 | |||||
| 11 | 2016 | |||||
| 12 | 2016 | |||||
| 13 | 2016 | |||||
| 15 | 2015 | |||||
| 16 | 2015 | |||||
| 17 | 2016 | |||||
| 18 | 2015 | |||||
| 19 | 2016 | |||||
| 37 | 2016 | |||||
| 98 | 2014 | |||||
| 1 | 2015 |
The first Head Coach for the Sydney Lightning in the inaugural year for the AJIHL was Jason Kvisle.[9]