The Texas Wildcatters, who took their name from Texas wildcatters, were a professional minor league

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 h ...

team in the

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 ...

based in Beaumont, Texas. They played their home games at the

Ford Arena The Ford Arena is a 9,737-seat multi-purpose arena in Beaumont, Texas, United States, USA. The arena has 34,000 sq ft of exhibit space available for conventions and exhibitions. It also includes 7 production offices, 3 dressing rooms, a 2,448 sq ...

. The franchise previously played in Huntington, West Virginia, from 1993 to 2000 as the Huntington Blizzard playing at the Huntington Civic Arena. The Wildcatters relocated to

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...

, and were renamed

Ontario Reign The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Ontario, California, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings, the team plays ...

. The franchise's last game as the Wildcatters was a 1–4 loss to the Columbia Inferno on April 25, 2008, at Ford Arena.

History

During the 2004–05 season, they were affiliated with the Florida Panthers and the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

. On October 7, 2005, the

Jefferson County, Texas Jefferson County is a county in the Coastal Plain or Gulf Prairie region of Southeast Texas. The Neches River forms its northeast boundary. As of the 2020 census, the population was 256,526. The county seat is Beaumont. Jefferson County has ...

, Commissioners announced that the team would not be allowed to use Ford Arena for the 2005–06 season because the site was being used for Hurricane Rita relief. There was no suitable temporary facility in the area, forcing the Wildcatters to cancel the season. They resumed play in 2006–07 as affiliates of the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

of the NHL and the AHL's Houston Aeros. After the 2007–08 season, the team moved to

as the

and affiliated with the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

. According to a Beaumont TV report, there was a local group attempting to secure a

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL) franchise for Beaumont in time for the 2008–09 season. After the

Austin Ice Bats The Austin Ice Bats were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Austin, Texas, from 1996 to 2008. The were originally members of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) and later the Central Hockey League (CHL). The team was na ...

suspended operations, there was an attempt to move that franchise to Ford Arena for 2008–09. However, there was insufficient time to do this before the CHL needed a commitment to play.

Season records

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Texas Wildcatters official site
{{ECHLdefunct Defunct ECHL teams Houston Aeros (1994–2013) Anaheim Ducks minor league affiliates Minnesota Wild minor league affiliates Ice hockey teams in Texas Florida Panthers minor league affiliates Sports in Beaumont, Texas Defunct ice hockey teams in Texas Ice hockey clubs established in 2003 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2008 2003 establishments in Texas 2008 disestablishments in Texas