Fredericton Red Wings

In March 2019, the MHL was approached by Global Centre Ice Inc. of Fredericton, to make a pitch for the purchase of the St. Stephen franchise. The team had been struggling financially for three years prior to the 2018-19 season, and the owners had made the difficult decision to sell the team.[2][3] The MHL was impressed by the pitch made by Global Centre Ice Inc., and approved the sale of the team prior to the end of the Aces' playoff run that year.[2] On April 15, the team and the League made the official announcement of the move, and announced that the team, named the Fredericton Red Wings, would begin play in the 2019-2020 season, with the announcement accompanied by the slogan "A Rebirth of a Hockey Tradition".[3]

Center Ice at the Grant-Harvey Centre before the Fredericton Red Wings first home exhibition game, September 1, 2019

The Fredericton Red Wings name has a history in the Fredericton junior hockey scene dating back to the 1960s, with a number of Red Wings teams playing in Fredericton. The team which is the inspiration for the name of the new Junior team was in operation from 1976 until the team folded when New Brunswick Junior Hockey League ceased operations in 1983.[4] That team captured three consecutive titles from 1976-77 to 1978-79, and was coached to the NB Junior Championship title in 1978-79 by former NHL player and Fredericton native Buster Harvey (who was with the team as coach from 1978-1981).[5] Coincidentally, the Grant-Harvey Centre, where the current Junior Red Wings play their home games, is named after Buster Harvey and former NHL player and Fredericton native Danny Grant.[6]

On May 31, 2019, Global Centre Ice announced the hiring of Brian Casey as the first head coach of the Fredericton Red Wings. Casey has extensive hockey experience, including time playing for the Saint-Jean Lynx of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Acadia Axemen, and Team Canada, with whom he won a Spengler Cup. He also played ten seasons of professional hockey in Slovakia, Austria, and Denmark before turning to coaching. He has helped coach the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts and St. Francis Xavier X-Men, and has been head coach of the King's Edgehill U18 Boys team for the past two years.[7][8]

On June 15, 2019, Red Wings management attended their first ever MHL Entry Draft, held in Edmundston, New Brunswick. With the 4th overall pick the Wings took forward Neil MacLean of the Cape Breton West Islanders, making him the first player drafted by the team since their move to Fredericton.[9]

On August 8, 2019, the Red Wings introduced their mascot on Facebook.[10] An anthropomorphic phoenix named "Wingnut", his number (#19) is a reference to the Red Wings inaugural season. The choice of a phoenix is a reference both to the team name (Red Wings) and the idea that the current team has risen from the ashes of the original Red Wings team in Fredericton. The name was chosen from fan suggestions made on the various social media platforms used by the team.

The Red Wings began their inaugural season on September 12, 2019 in New Glasgow against the Pictou County Crushers, a game which they lost 3-1. Prior to their first game it was announced on Instagram that Evan White (#27) would be the first Captain of the Red Wings, with Tyler Browning (#25) and Brady Patterson (#37) as assistant Captains.[11] The Wings first win came on September 13 in Berwick, where they beat the Valley Wildcats 5-0. Their home opener was on September 20, 2019.[12][13] The Red Wings defeated the Grand Falls Rapids 5-1, with Fredericton native Jack Grant (#34) making 36 saves to earn him first star of the game.[14]

On October 14 (Thanksgiving), former NHL player, team mentor, and co-namesake of the Grant-Harvey Centre, Danny Grant died at the age of 73. He had been one of the reasons for choosing the Red Wings nickname once again when the team moved to Fredericton. His legacy as a local boy who reach the 50 goals in a season milestone made him someone for the players to look up to. For the remainder of the 2019-20 season, the Red Wings will wear a helmet sticker featuring Grant's #21 and the Wings logo.[15]

Two franchise records were set by the Red Wings in one game against the Miramichi Timberwolves on January 9, 2020. The Red Wings went into the third period of the game down 3-2, then exploded for 7 unanswered goals, winning the game 9-3, setting a record for their most goals in a game, as well as having two players - Declan MacEachern (#12), and Noah Cauchi (#14) - scoring hat tricks.[16][17] Around the same time, leading up to the 2020 MHL trade deadline, the Red Wings traded away their first captain, Evan White, and one of their original assistant captains, Tyler Browning. As a result, Ryan O'Toole (#16) was named the Red Wings second captain in their history, with Olle Akermark (#23) becoming an assistant captain, an announcement they made on Facebook.[18][19]

The Red Wings finished their inaugural season in Fredericton in 4th place in the Eastlink North Division and 6th place overall.[20] They were set to face the Summerside Western Capitals in the first round of the 2020 Canadian Tire Cup Playoffs, but on March 12 the MHL Board of Governors voted to suspend the start of the playoffs.[21] The following day, the league announced that they were cancelling the 2020 playoffs to protect players and fans from the Coronavirus Pandemic, thus ending the Red Wings inaugural season in Fredericton.[22]

Legend: OTL=Overtime loss, SOL=Shootout loss