The Wichita Falls Wildcats were a Tier II junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

's South Division. The Wildcats played out of the 7,380-seat

Kay Yeager Coliseum The Kay Yeager Coliseum is a 7,380-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was completed in 2003. Kay Yeager served as Wichita Falls mayor from May 1996 to May 2000. It was previously home to the Wichita Falls Wildcats junior ice ...

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...

. After failing to find a buyer, the Wildcats ceased operations for the 2017–18 season.

History

Previously known as the Wichita Falls Rustlers (and before this, the

Butte Irish The Wichita Falls Wildcats were a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's South Division. The Wildcats played out of the 7,380-seat Kay Yeager Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas. After failing to find a buyer, the Wild ...

Butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word mea ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

and the Vail Avalanche of

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numero ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

), the franchise was a part of the American Frontier/

America West Hockey League The America West Hockey League (AWHL) was a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league. The AWHL was formed in 1992 to offer junior ice hockey to the Rocky Mountain region of USA Hockey. It originally was called the American Frontier Hockey League (AFHL), ...

prior to 2003, and became an NAHL team after the two leagues merged for the 2003–04 season. The Irish, Rustlers, and Wildcats are technically three separate franchises, but with a major overlap of players and coaches between the organizations, they are often listed together as one. After 13 seasons as the Wildcats, ownership had been trying to sell the franchise to keep it in Wichita Falls during the 2016–17 season. After failing to find a buyer, they announced they would not be operating the team in the 2017–18 season. In 2018, there was an attempt to bring junior hockey back to Wichita Falls with the Wichita Falls Force, a team in the

USA Central Hockey League The USA Central Hockey League (USACHL) was a junior ice hockey league based in Texas. The league was not sanctioned by any outside hockey governing body, but was structured as a "free-to-play" junior league similar to USA Hockey's Tier I and Tie ...

, but the entire league folded after only six weeks of operation. The NAHL later announced a Wichita Falls expansion team for the 2020–21 season.

Season-by-season records

Notable alumni

* Andrew Conboy – drafted by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

(

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

) in 2007 *

Chad Costello Chad Costello (born July 22, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey player and coach. He is currently the head coach of the Allen Americans in the ECHL. Playing career Costello played junior hockey with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders where h ...

–

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

Most Valuable Player in 2011–12, 2015–16, and 2016–17. * Evan Cowley – drafted by

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

(NHL) in 2013 *

Cal Heeter Calvin Heeter (born November 2, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He most recently played with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL while under contract with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). H ...

– played one game with the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

(NHL) *

Tucker Poolman Tucker Poolman (born June 8, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Early career Born in Iowa, Poolman grew up in East Grand Forks ...

– drafted by the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

(NHL) in 2013 *

Dan Sexton Dan Sexton (born April 29, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Anaheim Ducks. Playing career Dan Sexton played for Bowling Green State University from 2007–2009, p ...

– played for the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

(NHL) and several teams in the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

Zach Trotman Zachary Ross Trotman (born August 26, 1990) is an Americans, American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. Trotman was selected by the Bruins in t ...

– drafted by the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

(NHL) in 2010; has played for the Bruins and

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

References

External links

Official siteNAHL website
{{NAHL North American Hockey League teams Sports in Wichita Falls, Texas Ice hockey teams in Texas Ice hockey clubs established in 2002 2002 establishments in Texas