Valley Wildcats

The Valley Wildcats are a Canadian junior ice hockey franchise from the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia. The team is a member of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League and plays in the EastLink Division. They play their home games in the Kings Mutual Century Centre in Berwick, Nova Scotia.

Valley Wildcats
CityBerwick, Nova Scotia
LeagueMaritime Junior A Hockey League
DivisionEastlink South
Founded1967 (Antigonish Bulldogs)
Home arenaKings Mutual Century Centre
ColoursRed, white, dark blue      
General managerBrandon Benedict
Head coachBrandon Benedict
Franchise history
1967-2008Antigonish Bulldogs
2008-2010Halifax Lions
2010-2012Metro Marauders
2012-2013Metro Shipbuilders
2013-presentValley Wildcats

History

The Antigonish Bulldogs were founded in 1967 as members of the Antigonish-Pictou-Colchester Junior B Hockey League. After two seasons the league became the Northumberland Junior B Hockey League. In 1974, the Bulldogs became a founding member of what became the Eastern Junior A Hockey League, but returned to the Northumberland League in 1975. The Bulldogs would win league titles and provincial titles in 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985. They would also win the Don Johnson Cup as Atlantic Junior B Champions in 1983 and 1984, the first team to ever win the Cup back-to-back. In 1987 they jumped to the Metro Valley Junior A League, which became the MJAHL in 1991.

The franchise was known as the Antigonish Bulldogs for 40 years. After it was decided that operating in Antigonish, Nova Scotia was no longer viable, the franchise was sold to a Metro Halifax group and then relocated to that city in the summer of 2008. The team's nickname, then, as the Halifax Lions was announced on August 22, 2008. The name is a tribute to the successful Halifax Lions teams of the 1980s.

In 2010, the team was relocated to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and renamed again as the Metro Marauders. Two years later, it was renamed the Metro Shipbuilders.

In 2013 it was announced that the Halifax Regional Municipality was losing Junior A hockey, due to low attendance rates in the area. The Metro franchise's move to the valley area of Nova Scotia was confirmed by the league's board of governors ahead of the 2013 MHL draft on June 15. The franchise was renamed the Valley Wildcats and was based in Kentville, Nova Scotia.

On April 5, 2014 it was announced that the franchise would be relocating once again, this time from Kentville to Berwick, Nova Scotia but will remain as the Valley Wildcats.

Season-by-season record

SeasonGPWLTOTLGFGAPResultsPlayoffs
1967-68187101-----152nd APCJBHLLost Final
1968-69Statistics Not Available
1969-70241392-10392283rd NJBHLLost Semi-final
1970-713014133-----313rd NJBHLLost Semi-final
1971-82Statistics Not Available
1982-83241671-----331st NJBHLWon League, Won DJC
1983-85Statistics Not Available
1985-86301992-147119402nd NJBHL
1986-874011218-171222304th MVJHL
1987-884021163-202171453rd MVJHL
1988-894020137-209186473rd MVJHL
1989-903824122-230181503rd MVJHL
1990-914021127-210172493rd MVJHL
1991-924625147-256195572nd MJAHL
1992-9348231672235179553rd MJAHLWon League
1993-9448321321273177672nd MJAHLWon League
1994-9548271470215202612nd MJAHL
1995-9654321921288231672nd MJAHL
1996-9756302132287264654th MJAHL
1997-9851192534229244457th MJAHL
1998-994829163-241149643rd MJAHL
1999-0052341251273181743rd MJAHL
2000-0152331621260187692nd MJAHLWon League
2001-0252441431232961510th MJAHL
2002-0352242710210226497th MJAHL
2003-0452202534166206477th MJAHL
2004-0556232553200216548th MJAHL
2005-0656302204196182655th MJAHLLost in division semi-final
2006-0758282109218229657th MJAHLLost in division quarter-Final
2007-0858648-41052991612th MJAHL
2008-09541039-51592882510th MJAHL
2009-10502224-4178199486th MJAHLLost Quarter-final
2010-11522721-4173177587th MHLLost Mini Series
2011-12522719-6202192606th MHLLost Quarter-final
2012-1352446-21242871011th MHLDNQ
2013-14521928-5141204439th MHLLost Quarter Final
2014-15482516-7187164576th MHLLost Semi-Final
2015-1648261723179165572nd of 6 South
5th of 12 MHL
Lost Semi-Finals 2-4 (Crushers)
2016-1750123143140245316th of 6 South
12th of 12 MHL
DNQ
2017-1850173111140196366th of 6 South
10th of 12 MHL
DNQ

See also

Preceded by
St. John's Jr. Celtics
Don Johnson Cup Champions
1983 and 1984
Succeeded by
St. John's Jr. 50's
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