The team was a member of the
Central Hockey League from 2003–2012, and two time CHL franchise of the year (2003–04 and 2008–09). Billy Newson, formerly of the
Northeastern University Huskies, is the franchise's leader in goals (90), assists (102) and points (192), while Ryan Shmyr is the career leader in games played and penalty minutes. On June 28, 2011,
Terry Ruskowski became the coach of the Killer Bees. He had formerly been the initial coach of the rival
Laredo Bucks. Ruskowski had a two-year contract with the Bees.[1] While in the CHL, the Killer Bees were affiliated with the
Florida Panthers of the
National Hockey League and the
San Antonio Rampage of the
American Hockey League.
On June 20, 2012, multiple sources confirmed that the Killer Bees would not play in the 2012–13 season and ceased operations due to increased travel costs after the folding of the other Texas CHL teams in
Austin,
Corpus Christi and Laredo.[2]
After a season without a team, the owners of the
Wenatchee Wild franchise in the
North American Hockey League (NAHL), a Tier II junior A hockey league, relocated the team to Hidalgo, Texas, and took on the identity of the
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.[3] The team eventually relocated to Pennsylvania after only two seasons. In 2018, another junior level Killer Bees was announced as part of the
USA Central Hockey League starting in October 2018, but the league folded after six weeks of operation.[4]
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; P = Points; PIM=Penalties in minutes; MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV = Saves; SV% = Save percentage; SEASONS = What seasons were played with the Bees; YRS = Number of years with the Bees; * = The CHL penalized the Killer Bees by removing two points