The Kingsville Kings are a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team based in

Kingsville, Ontario Kingsville is a town in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost municipality with town status. The town had a population of 21,552 in the Canada 2016 Census, up from 21,362 in the Canada 2011 Census. History Ki ...

, Canada. They are members of the South Division of the

Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League The Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) is a Canadian developmental junior ice hockey league. The league has primarily had teams in the Greater Toronto Area, Central Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, and Quebec. In 2019, they added three ...

(GMHL). The Kings were founded in 2015 and joined the GMHL to compete in the 2015–16 season. The club plays their home games at Kingsville Arena Complex.

History

The Kingsville Kings was announced to the public in summer 2015 with local Tom Schinkelshoek named the team president. The Kings started their first season with a lengthy undefeated streak. Their first game took place in

Brantford, Ontario Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County, but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully independ ...

, on September 8, 2015, against the Brantford Steelfighters, winning 11–0. Jan Pechek and Léon Marty split the first win and shutout in team history, while Alexander Naskov scored the first goal in team history with 7:57 left in the first period. The Kings' first home game was on September 11 against the

Toronto Blue Ice Jets The Toronto Blue Ice Jets were a junior ice hockey, Junior ice hockey team based out of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). History The Jets were Thornhill's only Junior hockey team afte ...

, winning 4–3. Pechek picked up the team's first home victory in net with 27 saves. Kingsville's streak was snapped after 22 wins by the

Komoka Dragons Middlesex Centre is a township in Middlesex County, in southwestern Ontario, Canada, north and west of London. The Corporation of the Township of Middlesex Centre formed on January 1, 1998, with the amalgamation of the former Townships of Delawa ...

. The Kings finished first in the GMHL's South Division and second place overall with 39 wins, 2 losses, and a forfeit due to weather. Jan Pechek led the GMHL with wins (24) and saves percentage (0.951), while Wes Werner set a league record with a goals against average of 1.20. As a core, the Kings set a league record for lowest recorded goals allowed with 71. The Kings gained international attention due to a video recorded during a road game against the London Lakers on November 20, 2015. A brawl broke out when a London player struck Kingsville's goalie Jan Pechek. During the fight, a linesman struck a London player and then was attacked by a member of the London Lakers' bench staff. The Kings finished their inaugural season with the South Division's regular season and playoff championships, but eventually lost the GMHL Russell Cup final in seven games to the

Tottenham Steam The Tottenham Thunder are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Tottenham, Ontario. They play in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). The team was known as the Tottenham Steam for its first six seasons. History The Tottenham Stea ...

Season-by-season results

League awards

*2015–16 Top Forward - Ludwig Niederbach *2015–16 Top Goaltender - Jan Pechek *2016–17 Top Defensive Forward - Blake Naida *2018–19 Top Defensive Forward - Zachary Dillen

Championships

*2015–16 GMHL South Division regular season champions *2016 GMHL South Division playoff champions *2016 GMHL playoff finalists

References

External links

Official website
{{GMHL 2015 establishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 2015 Ice hockey teams in Ontario