Philadelphia Rebels

Philadelphia Rebels
CityWashington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey
LeagueNorth American Hockey League
DivisionEast
Founded2008
Home arenaHollydell Ice Arena
ColorsBlue, red, white
     
Owner(s)HSG Hockey LLC
General managerJustin Hale
(hired 2022)
Head coachJustin Hale
(hired 2022)
Franchise history
2008–2013Wenatchee Wild
2013–2015Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
2015–2017Aston Rebels
2018–2022Jamestown Rebels
2022–presentPhiladelphia Rebels
Championships
Regular season titles1 (2016–17)
Division titles3 (2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18)

The Philadelphia Rebels are a Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The team is based in Hollydell Ice Arena in Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.

History

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The franchise was originally known as the Wenatchee Wild in Wenatchee, Washington, before relocating to Hidalgo, Texas, to become the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.[1]

On June 1, 2015, NAHL insiders began reporting the Killer Bees franchise was going to relocate to Philadelphia suburb of Aston, Pennsylvania, and the IceWorks Skating Complex.[2] The Killer Bees would subsequently announce that the team was ceasing operations for the 2015–16 season unless the team president, Gilbert Saenz, could find a local alternative to save the team. However, on June 9, the NAHL announced that the franchise was relocating to become the Aston Rebels.[3] Joe Coombs remains as the head coach. The Rebels were placed in the NAHL's new East Division for their inaugural season.

In 2017, the team relocated to the Class of 1923 Arena at the University of Pennsylvania in nearby Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia Rebels.[4] The Philadelphia Rebels again finished at the top of their division in the regular season before losing to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights in the division finals of the playoffs. After one season, the Rebels faced poor attendance numbers and scheduling issues. In June 2018, the team was relocated to Northwest Arena in Jamestown, New York and became the Jamestown Rebels.[5][6] The Rebels are the second NAHL team to play in Jamestown after the Jamestown Ironmen ceased operations in 2013.

Due to the on-going restrictions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of New York, the team suspended operations for the 2020–21 season.[7][8]

On May 17, 2022, the NAHL announced that it had sold the franchise to another owner and was relocating the Rebels back to suburban Philadelphia, playing out of Hollydell Ice Arena in Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.[9]



Season-by-season records

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Season GP W L OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs
2015–16 60 35 21 4 74 196 146 1260 1st of 4, East Div.
8th of 22, NAHL		 Won Div. Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Won Div. Finals, 3–0 vs. Johnstown Tomahawks
Lost Robertson Cup Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs
2016–17 60 46 11 3 95 214 106 1003 1st of 5, East Div.
1st of 24, NAHL		 Won Div. Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Won Div. Finals, 3–2 vs. New Jersey Titans
Won Robertson Cup Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Aberdeen Wings
Lost Robertson Cup Championship game, 0–3 vs. Lone Star Brahmas
2017–18 60 41 15 4 86 206 134 922 1st of 5, East Div.
3rd of 23, NAHL		 Won Div. Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Northeast Generals
Lost Div. Finals, 0–3 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
2018–19 60 35 17 8 78 176 131 886 2nd of 6, East Div.
5th of 24, NAHL		 Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–3 vs. New Jersey Titans
2019–20 54 21 30 3 45 127 163 939 5th of 7, East Div.
19th of 26, NAHL		 Season cancelled
2020–21 Did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 60 35 22 3 73 181 164 926 3rd of 7, East Div.
10th of 29, NAHL		 Won Div. Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Johnstown Tomahawks
Lost Div. Finals, 1–3 vs. New Jersey Titans
2022–23 60 27 30 3 57 166 181 941 6th of 7, East Div.
24th of 29, NAHL		 Did not qualify
2023-24 60 26 30 4 56 175 204 874 7th of 9 Eastern Division, 23rd of 32 NAHL Eliminated

Notes

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  1. ^ "Wenatchee Wild to relocate NAHL membership to Hidalgo, Texas". Junior Hockey News. May 14, 2013.
  2. ^ "THE DEATH POOL – GOODBYE RIO GRANDE HELLO ASTON PENNSYLVANIA". The Junior Hockey News. June 1, 2015.
  3. ^ "NAHL announces relocation of Rio Grande Valley to Aston, PA". NAHL. June 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "Rebels announce name change and relocation". Junior Hockey News. July 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "Rebel Yell". The Post-Journal. June 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Tier 2 Junior Hockey Returns To Northwest Savings Bank Arena". The Post-Journal. June 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "Jamestown Rebels suspend operations for 2020-21 season". NAHL. September 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "Rebels Go Dormant For 2020-21 Season". post-journal.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  9. ^ "With Rebels Out, Arena Works On Hockey Options". post-journal.com. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
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