| Danbury Hat Tricks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Danbury, Connecticut |
| League | Federal Prospects Hockey League |
| Division | Empire |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Home arena | Danbury Ice Arena |
| Owner | DP 110, LLC |
| President | Herm Sorcher |
| General manager | A.J. Galante |
| Head coach | Nick Niedert |
| Website | Danbury Hat Tricks |
| Franchise history | |
| 2019–present | Danbury Hat Tricks |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (2022-23) |
| Division titles | 2 (2019-20, 2022-23) |
| Playoff championships | 1 (2022-23) |
TheDanbury Hat Tricks are a professionalice hockey team based inDanbury, Connecticut. The team is a member of theFederal Prospects Hockey League and plays at theDanbury Ice Arena.
The Danbury Hat Tricks were announced as a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League on May 7, 2019. Former FHL player Billy McCreary was announced as general manager and head coach.[1] The team is owned by DP 110 LLC, the same group that recently purchased the Danbury Ice Arena, and would be operated by formerDanbury Whalers Managing Partner Herm Sorcher.[1] The first signings by the team weregoaltender Jordan Brant anddefenseman Kruz Listmayer. Listmayer is the nephew of Hat Tricks' co-owner and former NHL playerColton Orr.
The Hat Tricks are the third FHL/FPHL team to have played in Danbury, the previous being theWhalers andTitans. The five stars in the Hat Tricks' logo refer to the five previous professional teams to have played in the city; the others being theTrashers,Stars andMad Hatters. Besides the reference to the players thatscore three goals in a single game, the team's name pays tribute toDanbury being known as "Hat City" due to its history at the center of the American hat industry.[2]
During the team's inaugural season, Danbury was in first place in the Eastern Division when the league cancelled the rest of the season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. McCreary stepped down as head coach after winning Coach of the Year to take the head coaching job with theNorth American Hockey League's (NAHL) Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks, but kept the general manager position with the FPHL team. FormerMaine Mariners assistant coach Anthony Bohn was named head coach.
The team opted out of the 2020–21 season entirely due to capacity restrictions in the arena during the pandemic. Before returning in the 2021–22 season, Bohn left to become the head coach of the NAHL'sEl Paso Rhinos and the Hat Tricks hired former Danbury Trashers captainDave MacIsaac as head coach.[3]
In the 2021–22 season, the Hat Tricks were among the league's best, but were swept in the second round by Columbus.
Following the season, McCreary was named Head Coach a second time, while also adding on president of hockey operations, replacing MacIsaac.
In the 2022–23 season, the Hat Tricks won the league's regular season championship, and made it into the team's first Commissioner's Cup finals where they came from behind winning the series 3–2 in five games, and winning on a Michael Marchesan goal at 11:58 of overtime.
On April 12, 2024, in the final regular season home game of the 2023–24 season against the division rivals, theBlack Bears, the Hat Tricks became the first team in professional hockey history to have a full African-American starting line-up (goalie included). They would go on to lose the game 4–3 in a shootout.[4] On August 19, 2024, Billy McCreary announced he was leaving the Hat Tricks to join theKalamazoo Wings as an assistant coach in theECHL.[5]On September 12, 2024, during a fan event at the Danbury Ice Arena, the Hat Tricks announced their hockey operations staff for the 2024–25 season. Director of Goaltending/Assistant Coach Matt Voity was elevated to General Manager, while team Captain Jonny Ruiz, and Alternate Captain Kyle Gonzalez were named Co-Head Coaches while remaining as active players. FormerDanbury Trashers President/General Manager AJ Galante was named Senior Advisor to the General Manager.[6]
On January 17, 2025, the Hat Tricks announced a television broadcast partnership with NY 48 WWON-TV, an internet television station based inBrooklyn, New York, to be streamed at thestation's website or at StreamOnABudget Showcase onRoku.[7]
On June 9, 2025, it was announced that former Danbury Whaler, Titan, and Hat Trick goaltender, and Danbury Ring of Honor member Nick Niedert would be named the fourth Head Coach in franchise history.[8]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts[a] | Pct | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Head Coach | Quarterfinals | Semi-Finals | Finals |
| 2019–20 | 46 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 94 | .681 | 212 | 158 | 809 | 1st of 5, Eastern 2nd of 10, Overall | Billy McCreary | Season cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021-22 | 61 | 36 | 22 | 3 | 105 | .574 | 253 | 232 | 1168 | 3rd of 7, Overall | David MacIsaac | W, 2–1,Binghamton | L, 0–2,Columbus | — |
| 2022-23 | 56 | 44 | 7 | 5 | 129 | .768 | 251 | 156 | 1627 | 1st of 5, Empire 1st of 10, Overall | Billy McCreary | W, 2–0,Elmira | W, 2–1, Binghamton | W, 3–2,Carolina |
| 2023-24 | 56 | 31 | 19 | 6 | 90 | .536 | 216 | 192 | 1167 | 3rd of 5, Empire 5th of 11, Overall | Billy McCreary | L, 2–1,Motor City | — | — |
| 2024-25 | 56 | 33 | 15 | 8 | 102 | .661 | 245 | 191 | 897 | 2nd of 7, Empire 4th of 14, Overall | Jonny Ruiz & Kyle Gonzalez (Co-Head Coaches) | L, 2–1,Port Huron | — | — |
Source:[9]
Forward of the Year
Defenseman of the Year
Goaltender of the Year
Coach of the Year
Founders' Award
Broadcasters of the Year
Goaltender of the Month
All-time and season leaders as of the 2023–24 season:
All-time regular season[15]
All-time postseason
Season records
Postseason records
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