The Metro Jets are a non-sanctioned 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 that plays their home games at Mount Clemens Ice Arena in

Mount Clemens, Michigan Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat, seat of government of Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first s ...

. They are members of the Great Lakes Conference in the

United States Premier Hockey League The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is an American ice hockey league. Founded in 2012, the USPHL has grown to over 60 organizations from across the United States fielding teams in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), ...

's Premier Division. Players are ages 16–20, carry amateur status under Junior A guidelines and hope to earn a spot on higher levels of

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 ...

in the United States and Canada, Canadian

major junior 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 ...

, collegiate, and eventually

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

teams. The Jets won the 2002

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the Sport governing body, governing body for organized ice ...

Junior B Silver Cup national championship.

History

The organization was founded by Hal "Butch" and Mary Kay Wolfe as a member of the Metro Detroit Junior Hockey League, a Junior B league sanctioned by

, beginning with the 1989–90 season. The Metro Jets played their first season at Inkster Ice Arena in

Inkster, Michigan Inkster is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. History The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was settled by non-indigenous people in 1825. A post offi ...

, and then the next 25 seasons at Lakeland Arena in

Waterford Township, Michigan Waterford Township is a charter township in the geographic center of Oakland County, Michigan, United States. In 2020, the population of Waterford Township was 70,565. Communities Waterford Township has five unincorporated communities: * Clint ...

. The Metro Detroit Junior Hockey League rebranded back to

Central States Hockey League The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is an American Tier III junior ice hockey league that consists of teams from Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New Yo ...

(CSHL) in 1994 and then moved up to Tier III Junior A in 2007. In 2010, the CSHL was rebranded as the

North American 3 Hockey League The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is an American Junior ice hockey#Tier III, Tier III junior ice hockey league that consists of teams from Connecticut, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, M ...

(NA3HL). In 2015, the Metro Jets were sold to Peter Cammick and began playing at Fraser Hockeyland in

Fraser, Michigan Fraser is a city in Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, ...

. The Jets left the NA3HL in 2018 for the Premier Division of the

. The Jets also added their development team to the USPHL Premier after the Lake Erie Bighorns withdrew prior to the 2018–19 season. In 2021, the organization moved to

, to play out of the Mount Clemens Ice Arena and added Professional Broadcaster, Matt Prieur to serve as the Voice of the Metro Jets Hockey Club. 2022 is the 34th year of operation for the Metro Jets Hockey Club and Fifth year of operation for MJDP (Metro Jets Development Program)

Alumni

The Metro Jets have had several alumni move on to higher levels of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I,

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

, ACHA

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

, at professional levels. Jon Cooper coached the Jets to the 2002

Silver Cup National Junior B Championship and later became the head coach of the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. Steven Oleksy was the first Jets' alumni to play in the

National Hockey League 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 ...

when he made his debut with the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

in 2013.

Season-by-season records

References

External links

Official website
Amateur ice hockey teams in Michigan Ice hockey teams in Detroit 1989 establishments in Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 1989 Macomb County, Michigan {{Michigan-sport-team-stub