King Rebellion

The King Rebellion are a Junior A ice hockey team from King, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Rebellion have previously been known as the Milton Icehawks, Milton Merchants, Milton Flyers, and Milton Steamers as Milton hosted junior hockey from 1966 to 2018. After purchasing the team, Darren DeDobbelaer of Brantford moved the club to that city for the start of the 2018-19 season, re-branding the team as the 99ers. In 2023, DeDobbelaer sold the team, and in 2024, the team relocated to King Township, re-branding them as the Rebellion. 
==History==
The Icehawks were one of the most historical teams in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, having been formed in 1964 until the team was purchased and moved to Brantford for the 2018-19 season. The Icehawks (2003–2018) have previously been known as the Milton Flyers (1971-1983), Milton Steamers (1983-1986), and Milton Merchants (1966-1971, 1986-2003).
===Early years===
After serving in the Second World War as a RCAF wireless air gunner, David Brush returned to Milton and managed the Fred Armstrong Arena on Brown Street for two years, before Milton had artificial ice. His dedication to hockey included coaching at the minor league level and founding the town’s first Junior C club, the Milton Merchants, in 1964 as co-owner and president, which later became Jr. B and eventually Jr. A. For his efforts Brush was inducted into the Milton Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
In the 1970s, Vern Gooding owned the local team when they were known as the Milton Flyers.
In 1974, three players including the team captain and top scorer left the team mid season over an imposed curfew dispute. Two of the three players had had tryouts with OHL clubs, and all three were club veterans.
Grant Turner, Mark Grenier, Howie Scannell, and John Morgan owned the Milton Steamers in the early 1980s. Morgan sold his stake in the club to Turner, prompting Scannell to announce that he was preparing to sell his stake as well. On April 10, 1986, Turner, Grenier and Scannell sold the Steamers to Brad Grant who owned trucking company Sandstone Transport.
===Grant era and championship successes===
Trucking magnate Brad Grant purchased the team in April 1986 when it seemed like the organization might fold. For the 1986-87 season, he immediately changed the team's name from the Steamers to the Merchants after the Junior C team of old, and brought in former coach Gerry Inglis, who had also coached the Georgetown Raiders and had won five intermediate championships at the time.
Grant led the team to tremendous success in the late 1990s. During his 15-year ownership run, the team captured four division crowns, three league championships and a provincial title.
In 1992, the Milton Merchants were Central Junior B Hockey League champions with a 4-2 victory in Game 7 over the Aurora Eagles. They made the Ontario Hockey Association Sutherland Cup Junior B championship but lost in five games to the Mid-Western Junior B Hockey League's Kitchener Dutchmen.
Following the 1992-93 season, the Merchants made the jump to Junior A in the OPJHL.
The 1994-95 season marked the beginning of a historical run for the franchise as the club won five straight division titles. The surge of success increased when the Merchants were crowned league champions in 1997, winning the Buckland Trophy after defeating the Newmarket 87's. In the 1997 Dudley Cup playoffs, the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (NOJHL) beat Milton four games to one.
In 1998, the Milton Merchants repeated their Buckland Trophy title, dispatching the Newmarket Hurricanes this time, and then went on to become Central Canadian Junior A Champions by winning the Dudley Hewitt Cup, defeating the Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (NOJHL) four games to two, and exacting revenge for the previous year's loss to Rayside-Balfour.
At the 1998 Royal Bank Cup, the Milton Merchants went 1-3 in round robin play. In the semifinal game, Milton lost 6-2 to the South Surrey Eagles and were eliminated from the tournament.
In 2018, the Milton Sports Hall of Fame announced that it is inducting the 1996–97 and 1997-98 Merchants teams, and Brad Grant as a builder, during a ceremony in November.
===Forgione era===
In 2001, Grant sold the team to an Oakville trio that consisted of ex-NHLer Dave Gagner, Mario Forgione who owned the Mississauga IceDogs at the time and was an automotive parts manufacturing president, and wine distillery consultant Ken Chase.
For the 2003-04 season, Forgione changed the team's name from the Merchants to the IceHawks to reflect the team's connection with the local minor hockey programs called the Winterhawks, and Forgione's ownership of the Mississauga IceDogs. In 2005, the Ontario Hockey Association fined the Icehawks $12,000 and suspended then-General Manager George Dupont for signing two players outside of OHA guidelines. In 2006, Forgione officially affiliated the Icehawks with the IceDogs.
===Heinz era===
In the spring of 2006, ex-NHL goaltender Rick Heinz' attempt to purchase the nearby Georgetown Raiders fell through, but by July 2006 the local Campbellville resident Heinz had talked Forgione into selling the Icehawks, and the affiliation with the IceDogs ended. Heinz sold the team just nine months later after starting the season with essentially no committed players.
===DeVincentis and Piett era===
Dean Piett, a commercial real estate businessman from Burlington, and Rob DeVincentis, the Ancaster owner of a construction business, purchased the team from Heinz and owned the team from 2007 to 2017.
===Move to Brantford===
DeVincentis sold the team in 2017 to Darren DeDobbelaer of Brantford, whose son Eric played on the Junior B Brantford 99ers, which DeDobbelaer also owned. The Ontario Hockey Association originally blocked the $500,000 sale of the IceHawks to prevent DeDobbelaer from moving the team to Brantford, or promoting the 99ers to Jr. A and demoting the IceHawks in Milton to Jr. B. Complicating matters was the fact that Brad Grant who previously owned the team was OHA chairman at the time of the proposed sale. The sale was ultimately approved on the condition that the IceHawks remain in Milton for the 2017–18 season. The team the announced that starting in the 2018–19 season the team would relocate to Brantford to play under the 99ers name with the OJHL's approval. However, this move was denied by the Ontario Hockey Association, the overseeing organization for the Ontario Junior Hockey League, by refusing to send officials to their first game in Brantford on September 13 and the Icehawks were forced to stay in Milton for another season.
On October 21, the OHA and OJHL announced the relocation of the team back to Brantford.
===New Ownership, Move to King Township===
In 2023, DeDobbelaer sold the team to another buyer, marking the 2023/24 season starting under new ownership for the team. In May 2024, the team was moved to King Township, being renamed to the King Rebellion.
==Season-by-season results==
1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to	1970 - 2018 "MILTON History" - - is hidden click to
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	GF 		GA 	P 	Results 	Playoffs 	
1970-71 	33 	12 	17 	4 	- 	147 	166 	28 	7th MOJBHL 	 	
1971-72 	42 	13 	20 	9 	- 	171 	231 	35 	5th CJBHL 	 	
1972-73 	42 	9 	30 	3 	- 	171 	278 	21 	7th CJBHL 	 	
1973-74 	42 	25 	10 	7 	- 	246 	174 	57 	2nd CJBHL 	 	
1974-75 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1975-76 	36 	12 	21 	3 	- 	167 	237 	27 	7th CJBHL 	 	
1976-77 	42 	17 	22 	3 	- 	206 	237 	37 	6th CJBHL 	 	
1977-78 	42 	20 	16 	6 	- 	-- 	-- 	46 	4th CJBHL 	 	
1978-79 	44 	16 	23 	5 	- 	205 	277 	37 	7th CJBHL 	 	
1979-80 	44 	10 	28 	5 	- 	192 	298 	25 	11th CJBHL 	 	
1980-81 	44 	4 	37 	3 	- 	184 	337 	11 	12th CJBHL 	 	
1981-82 	40 	6 	30 	4 	- 	156 	303 	16 	11th CJBHL 	 	
1982-83 	42 	18 	18 	6 	- 	200 	233 	42 	5th CJBHL 	 	
1983-84 	40 	12 	23 	5 	- 	182 	200 	29 	7th CJBHL 	 	
1984-85 	40 	20 	16 	4 	- 	193 	166 	44 	5th CJBHL 	 	
1985-86 	48 	5 	37 	6 	- 	173 	354 	16 	9th CJBHL 	 	
1986-87 	42 	9 	29 	4 	- 	158 	278 	22 	7th CJBHL 	 	
1987-88 	44 	18 	22 	4 	- 	232 	250 	40 	9th CJBHL 	 	
1988-89 	42 	12 	26 	4 	- 	164 	250 	28 	12th CJBHL 	 	
1989-90 	42 	18 	17 	7 	- 	189 	181 	43 	6th CJBHL 	 	
1990-91 	42 	25 	10 	7 	- 	265 	184 	57 	3rd CJBHL 	 	
1991-92 	42 	29 	8 	5 	- 	207 	138 	63 	2nd CJBHL 	Won League 	
1992-93 	49 	32 	15 	2 	- 	269 	190 	68 	5th CJBHL 	 	
1993-94 	42 	24 	16 	2 	- 	228 	183 	52 	5th OPJHL-W 	 	
1994-95 	49 	33 	14 	2 	- 	287 	226 	69 	1st OPJHL-W 	 	
1995-96 	50 	27 	16 	7 	- 	243 	172 	64 	1st OPJHL-Mi 	 	
1996-97 	51 	37 	9 	5 	- 	319 	169 	81 	1st OPJHL-Mi 	Won League 	
1997-98 	51 	42 	8 	1 	0 	357 	127 	85 	1st OPJHL-Mi 	Won League, Won DHC 	
1998-99 	51 	43 	4 	3 	1 	308 	138 	90 	1st OPJHL-W 	 	
1999-00 	49 	30 	13 	3 	3 	231 	158 	66 	3rd OPJHL-W 	 	
2000-01 	49 	29 	14 	5 	1 	210 	168 	64 	1st OPJHL-W 	 	
2001-02 	49 	25 	20 	3 	1 	198 	208 	54 	5th OPJHL-W 	 	
2002-03 	49 	41 	6 	1 	1 	279 	139 	84 	1st OPJHL-W 	 	
2003-04 	49 	32 	15 	0 	2 	228 	161 	66 	4th OPJHL-W 	 	
2004-05 	49 	30 	17 	1 	1 	241 	131 	62 	4th OPJHL-W 	 	
2005-06 	49 	41 	3 	4 	1 	254 	97 	87 	1st OPJHL-W 	Lost Conf. SF 	
2006-07 	49 	12 	31 	4 	2 	142 	235 	30 	8th OPJHL-W 	Lost Conf. QF 	
2007-08 	49 	22 	20 	- 	7 	185 	194 	51 	6th OPJHL-W 	 	
2008-09 	49 	21 	24 	- 	4 	208 	229 	46 	6th OJHL-M 	 	
2009-10 	56 	3 	51 	- 	2 	145 	387 	8 	15th OJAHL 	DNQ 	
2010-11 	50 	5 	41 	- 	4 	147 	374 	14 	8th OJHL-W 	DNQ 	
2011-12 	49 	18 	28 	- 	3 	195 	264 	39 	5th OJHL-W 	Lost Division QF 	
2012-13 	55 	19 	27 	- 	9 	209 	255 	47 	4th OJHL-W 	DNQ 	
2013-14 	53 	29 	20 	- 	3 	186 	193 	61 	3rd OJHL-W 	Lost Conf. QF 	
2014-15 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	
2015-16 	54 	5 	48 	0 	1 	110 	362 	11 	5th of 5 West Div11th of 11 SW Conf22nd of 22 OJHL 	DNQ 	
2016-17 	54 	4 	48 	1 	1 	125 	385 	10 	5th of 5 West Div11th of 11 SW Conf22nd of 22 OJHL 	DNQ 	
2017-18 	54 	4 	47 	0 	3 	125 	385 	11 	5th of 5 West Div11th of 11 SW Conf22nd of 22 OJHL 	DNQ 	
2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024 	2018 - 2024
Brantford 99'ers	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	Brantford 99'ers 	
2018-19 	54 	17 	30 	2 	5 	154 	226 	41 	5th of 6 West Div10th of 11 NW Conf19th of 22 OJHL	DNQ 	
2019-20 	53 	28 	24 	0 	1 	191 	180 	57 	5th of 6 West Div8th of 11 NW Conf16th of 22 OJHL 	Lost Conf Quarterfinals 0-4 (Blades)	
2020-21 	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 	
2021-22 	54 	21 	29 	1 	3 	159 	203 	46 	5th of 5 West Div8th of 10 NW Conf16th of 21 OJHL 	DNQ 	
2022-23 	54 	5 	46 	1 	2 	107 	282 	13 	10th of 10 NW Conf21st of 21 OJHL 	DNQ 	
2023-24 	56 	26 	26 	0 	4 	165 	204 	56 	8th of 12 West Conf17th of 24 OJHL 	Lost Conf Quarterfinals 0-4 (Blues) 	
{|class="wikitable " style="text-align:center; 
!colspan=12 bgcolor="#822433" text_color=white|2024 - Present
|- align="center" bgcolor="blue" style="color:red" 
|colspan=11|King Rebellion 
|- style="text-align:center;"
==Sutherland Cup appearances==
:1992: Kitchener Dutchmen defeated Milton Merchants 4-games-to-1
==Notable alumni==
Many notable players have suited up for Milton over the years including NHL stars John Tavares, Daniel Carcillo, Rick Nash, Sam Gagner, Rich Peverley, Darren Haydar, Cody Goloubef and Matt Read.
Some famous Miltonians have also played for the franchise, including four-time Stanley Cup champion John Tonelli, AHL star Darren Haydar, two-time NCAA Frozen Four champion Boston College captain Matt Price, and his brother Jeremy Price (Vancouver Canucks' draft pick).
*Akim Aliu
*John Tonelli
*Daniel Carcillo
*Jay Caufield
*Jeff Daw
*Sam Gagner
*Darren Haydar
*John Tavares
*Matt Read
*Rich Peverley
==References==
==External links==
* 99ers website
Category:Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League teams
Category:Ice hockey clubs established in 1966
Category:Ice hockey teams in Ontario