What Hockey Team Is in New Brunswick? (Pro, University, Juniors)

Curious about what hockey teams are in New Brunswick?

Maybe you’re looking to catch a pro game? Or you’re simply curious what kind of development programs are available to help advance your (or your child’s) hockey career?

Well, in 1978, the New Brunswick finally got its first professional hockey team: The New Brunswick Hawks.

Based in Moncton, NB, the Hawks played in the American Hockey League (AHL) — the NHL’s minor league farm system. They played between 1978 and 1982 as the farm team for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1982, the NHL’s Maple Leafs moved the AHL team to St. Catharines, Ontario to establish the St. Catharines Saints.

In this article, I’ll show you what professional hockey teams are in New Brunswick (and have operated here in the past), and what university and junior hockey teams currently compete in the province.

Pssssst! Are you curious about hockey teams in other Canadian provinces? You can learn more by checking out our other posts: What Hockey Team Is in Quebec and What Hockey Team Is in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Let’s dive in.

Here’s What Hockey Teams Are In New Brunswick:

New Brunswick’s top hockey teams are the St. Thomas Tommies, UNB Varsity Reds, Moncton Aigles Bleu, and Mount Allison Mounties, (in the U Sports League). The top junior hockey teams (in the QMJHL) are the Saint John Sea Dogs, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and Moncton Wildcats.

Does New Brunswick Have a Hockey Team?

So, what is New Brunswick’s hockey team?

New Brunswick has dozens of high-level hockey teams but no current professional teams.

The top hockey teams in the province are D1 university hockey teams:

The Moncton Aigles Bleu, Mount Allison Mounties, St. Thomas Tommies, and UNB Varsity Reds all compete within the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference in the U Sports League in Canada.

The top junior hockey teams that compete within the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Moncton Wildcats, and Saint John Sea Dogs.

Are There Any NHL Teams in New Brunswick?

So, will you find an NHL hockey team in New Brunswick?

Unfortunately, no. But, New Brunswick was once home to several professional teams that competed in the AHL: the Fredericton Express, Fredericton Canadiens, Moncton Hawks, and Saint John Flames.

NHL Players from New Brunswick

While New Brunswick doesn’t have its own NHL team, the province is home to many current and retired hockey players from the National Hockey League (NHL).

NHL Players Born in New Brunswick:

Jake Allen
Rick Bowness
Willie O’Ree
Danny Grant
Greg Malone
Don Sweeney
Scott Pellerin
Mike Eagles
Randy Jones
Bob Joyce
Everett Sanipass
John Leblanc
Philippe Myers
Calvin Pickard
Brad Malone
Scott Fraser
Rollie Melanson
John Stevens
Andrew McKim
Patrice Cormier
Gordi Dwyer
Luc Bourdon

What Hockey Teams Are in New Brunswick?

So, what hockey teams are in New Brunswick? New Brunswick has had several professional hockey teams over the years but currently doesn’t have a professional team. Instead, the top hockey teams in the province are University D1 teams and junior hockey teams as listed below:

NHL

New Brunswick doesn’t have an NHL team. While they have had several professional hockey teams over the years, they haven’t had one compete in the NHL.

Hockey fans from New Brunswick typically cheer for the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.

AHL

The AHL is a high-level professional sports league just one step below the NHL. While New Brunswick has had a few teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) team in the past, it doesn’t currently have a professional hockey team that competes within the league.

Here are the four AHL teams that have existed in New Brunswick over the years:

New Brunswick Hawks (1978-1982)
Fredericton Express (1981–1988)
Moncton Golden Flames (1984-1987)
Fredericton Canadiens (1990–1990)
Moncton Hawks (1987–1994)
Saint John Flames (1993–2003)

D1 University Hockey

While New Brunswick is better known for its junior hockey, the province has five D1 university hockey teams that compete within the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference as a part of the U Sports League — the top-tier university sports league in Canada:

Moncton Aigles Bleu
Mount Allison Mounties
St. Thomas Tommies
UNB Varsity Reds

College Hockey

New Brunswick doesn’t currently have any college hockey programs.

Junior Hockey

Wondering what junior hockey teams are in New Brunswick? Or curious what hockey team plays in Moncton?

Well, New Brunswick has dozens of junior ice hockey teams spread across 4 leagues.

Here are all the junior hockey teams in New Brunswick, broken down by the different leagues:

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL – Major Junior) Teams:

So, does New Brunswick have a major junior hockey team?

Yes! New Brunswick has three major junior hockey teams in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) team that competes within the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League:

Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Moncton Wildcats
Saint John Sea Dogs

Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MHL – Junior A) Teams:

Campbellton Tigers
Edmundston Blizzard
Fredericton Red Wings
Grand Falls Rapids
Miramichi Timberwolves

New Brunswick Junior Hockey League (NBJBHL – Junior B) Teams:

Kent Koyotes
Moncton Vito’s
Richibucto Rangers
Southeast Knights
Southern Sting
Sunny Corner Thunder
Tri-County River Cats
Western Valley Panthers

New Brunswick Junior C Hockey League (NBJCHL – Junior C) Teams:

Dieppe/Memramcook Voyageurs
Hampton Hurricanes
Richibucto Bears
Shediac/Cap-Pele Predators

Is There High School Hockey in New Brunswick?

Yes, there is plenty of high school hockey in New Brunswick. There is one primary high school hockey league split into different divisions in the province:

A (South)

Fundy Middle and High School
St. Stephen High School
Nackawic High School
Blackville School
Ecole Samuel-de-Champlain (EX)

A (West)

Ecole Grande-Riviere
Polyvalente A.J. Savoie
Hartland Community School Huskies
Southern Victoria High School-Vikings
Fredericton Christian Academy (EX)

AA (North)

Polyvalente W.-Arthur-Losier
Ecole Marie-Esther
James M. Hill High School
Polyvalente Louis-Mailloux
Polyvalente Roland Pepin
Ecole Aux quatre vents

AA (West)

Woodstock High School
Polyvalente Thomas-Albert
Ecole Sainte-Anne
Tantramar Regional High School
Carleton North High School

AAA (East)

Ecole Mathieu-Martin
Ecole Clement-Cormier
Ecole L’Odyssee
Polyvalente Louis-J-Robichaud
Riverview High School
Bernice MacNaughton High School
Harrison Trimble High School
Moncton High School

AAA (North)

Ecole secondaire Nepisiguit
Miramichi Valley High School Pulamoo

AAA (South)

Kennebecasis Valley High School Blue Knights
St. Malachy’s High School
Rothesay High School
Saint John High School
Sussex Regional High School Sonics
Simonds High School

AAA (West)

Fredericton High School
Republicains Cite-des-Jeunes-A.-M. Sormany
Leo Hayes High School
Oromocto High School

To learn about minor hockey leagues in New Brunswick, check out the Hockey New Brunswick website here.

Are you curious to know what hockey teams compete in different U.S. states? Be sure to check out our post: Hockey Teams in Every U.S. State: Complete NHL & College List (2023).