From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Swindon Wildcats
Ice hockey team in Wiltshire, England
Ice hockey team in Wiltshire, England
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| text_color | white |
| bg_color | #ed1c24 |
| team | Swindon Wildcats |
| logo | Swindon Wildcats Logo 2016.png |
| logo_size | 200px |
| city | Swindon, Wiltshire |
| league | NIHL |
| founded | 1986 |
| arena | Link Centre |
| colors | Red, White & Black |
| gm | Aaron Nell England |
| coach | Aaron Nell England |
| captain | Sam Bullas England |
| media | Cats TV |
| affiliates | Swindon Wildcats 2, NIHL 2 |
| name1 | Swindon Wildcats |
| dates1 | 1986–1996 |
| name2 | Swindon Ice Lords |
| dates2 | 1996–1997 |
| name3 | Swindon Chill |
| dates3 | 1997–2000 |
| name4 | Swindon Phoenix |
| dates4 | 2000–2001 |
| name5 | Swindon Lynx |
| dates5 | 2001–2004 |
| name6 | Swindon Wildcats |
| dates6 | 2004 – present |
| reg_season_titles | 3 (1996/97), (2000/01), (2018/19) |
| autumn_cups | 3 (1991), (2017), (2021) |
| championships1_type | Premier Cups |
| championships1 | 1 (2017/18) |
| division | National League |
Swindon TopCats, WNIHL 1
The Swindon Wildcats are a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. They play in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL). Since their inception, the Wildcats have played their home games at the 1600-capacity Link Centre in West Swindon. The club was founded in 1986 as the Swindon Wildcats, shortly after the opening of the Link Centre.
The Wildcats were members of the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) from 1997 to 2017. Due to the instability of the EPIHL following the culmination of the 2016–17 season, the Swindon Wildcats announced their intention to join the National League.
In their first season competing in the National League, the Wildcats won both the Autumn Cup and National Cup competitions, securing the club's first silverware since the 2000–01 season. The following year the Wildcats won the regular season, becoming the 2018/2019 champions.
Logos and uniforms
Logo
The Wildcats' logo is an animated wildcat in the team colours of red and white.
Jerseys
The jerseys currently worn by the Swindon Wildcats are in red and white, the colours sported by the team since the 2008–2009 relaunch. They have worn the same jerseys (with a few small variations) since the 2008–2009 season. For the 2019/20 campaign, the Wildcats will have an alternate jersey that is predominantly black with red motifs.
The first Wildcats colours were black, yellow, orange and white. Blue and white were worn in 2006 and 2007.
Mascot
The official mascot for the Swindon Wildcats is an anthropomorphized wildcat by the name of Scratch. Scratch took over from his cousin Willie Wildcats during the 2021/22 Season. Willie Wildcat had been the mascot for the 'Cats since their return to the Wildcats name in 2004, after three seasons as the Lynx. However, he retired after a successful career at the Better Link Centre.
Season-by-season record
| 2025–2026 |
|---|
Club roster 2022–23
Source:
(*****) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)
| Netminders | No. | Nat. | Player | Catches | Date of birth | Place of birth | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | |||||||
| 30 | SCO | Renny Marr | L | Lochgelly, Scotland | 2017 from Coventry Blaze | 22/23 | |
| 45 | ENG | Dean Skinns | L | Basingstoke, England | 2021 from MK Lightning | 22/23 |
| Defencemen | No. | Nat. | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | |||||||
| 4 | England | Oliver Stone | L | Swindon, England | 2022 from Basingstoke Bison | 22/23 | |
| 24 | Scotland | Tyler Plews ''''A'''' | R | Kirkcaldy, Scotland | 2018 from Edinburgh Capitals | 23/24 | |
| 28 | ENG | Stevie Whitfield | R | Swindon, England | 2007 from Swindon Cougars | 22/23 | |
| 61 | ENG | Sam Godfrey | R | Swindon, England | 2018 from Guildford Flames | 22/23 | |
| 77 | ENG | Ben Nethersell | R | Worthing, England | 2013 from Okanagan Hockey Academy UK | 22/23 |
| Forwards | No. | Nat. | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | |||||||
| 3 | HungaryUK | Bálint Pákozdi | L | Budapest, Hungary | 2021 from New Hampshire Junior Monarchs | 22/23 | |
| 11 | WAL | Chris Jones ''''A'''' | R | Cardiff, Wales | 2017 from Cardiff Devils | 22/23 | |
| 12 | ENG | Floyd Taylor | L | Swindon, England | 2011 from Swindon Leopards | 22/23 | |
| 13 | ENG | Sam Bullas ''''C'''' | R | Nottingham, England | 2010 from Nottingham Panthers | 22/23 | |
| 16 | ENG | Reed Sayers | R | Swindon, England | 2018 from Cardiff Fire | 22/23 | |
| 18 | ENG | Loris Taylor | L | Swindon, England | 2022 from Bristol Pitbulls | 22/23 | |
| 19 | ENG | Aaron Nell | L | Swindon, England | 2013 from Sheffield Steelers | 22/23 | |
| 37 | ENG | Jack Goodchild | R | Winchester, England | 2021 from Okanagan Hockey Academy UK | 22/23 | |
| 71 | Latvia | Edgars Bebris | L | Aizkraukle, Latvia | 2021 from MK Lightning | 22/23 | |
| 89 | Poland | Tomasz Malasinski***** | L | Nowy Targ, Poland | 2019 from KH GKS Katowice | 23/24 | |
| 91 | Canada | Colby Tower***** | R | Troy, NS, Canada | 2022 from Nipissing University | 22/23 | |
| ENG | Russell Cowley | L | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | 2022 from MK Lightning | 22/23 |
| Team Staff | No. | Nat. | Name | Acquired | Position | Place of birth | Joined From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | England | Aaron Nell | 2015 | General Manager & Player-Coach | Swindon, England | Okanagan Hockey Academy U18 | |
| N/A | England | Lee Richardson | 2019 | Assistant coach | Swindon, England | Oxford City Stars, NIHL 2 | |
| N/A | England | Pete Bradford | 2010 | Equipment Manager | England | ||
| N/A | England | Steve Bradford | 2014 | Equipment Manager | England | ||
| N/A | England | Mark Thorne | 2014 | Assistant Equipment Manager | England |
2022/23 Outgoing
| Outgoing | No. | Nat. | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | Leaving For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | England | Joshua Shaw | R | Frimley, England | Bristol Pitbulls | ||
| 38 | Czechia | Emil Svec | L | Milevsko, Czechia | Hull Seahawks | ||
| 41 | England | Oliver Endicott | L | Swindon, England | Iisalmen Peli-Karhut U20 | ||
| 44 | England | Neil Liddiard | R | Swindon, England | Chelmsford Chieftains | ||
| 73 | Wales | Sam Smith | R | Cardiff, Wales | Bristol Pitbulls | ||
| 94 | England | Declan Balmer | L | Hull, England | Hull Seahawks |
Retired numbers
6 England Lee Brathwaite, D, 1992–1997, 1998–2009
7 Canada Bryan Larkin, D, 1991–2001
9 Canada Gary Dickie, F, 1993–1997
10 England Steve Nell, F, 1986–1988, 1990–1996, 1997–1998, General Manager 2004–2021 (Now Managing Director)
14 Canada Daryl Lipsey, F, 1986–1995
15 Canada Scott Koberinski, F, 1989–1993
17 England Ian Richards, F, 1987–1999
References
References
- "Club Statement". Swindon Wildcats.
- "NATIONAL CUP FINAL: Swindon Wildcats 4 (6) Sheffield Steeldogs 2 (4)".
- Houlihan, Owen. (24 May 2017). "New change to Wildcats' next league campaign".
- (12 July 2019). "Wildcats reveal 19/20 jersey design".
- "Willie Wildcat Announces Retirement – Swindon Wildcats".
- Eliteprospects.com (http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=1372&year0=2012)
- "Swindon Wildcats – Elite Prospects".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Swindon Wildcats — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report