The Austin Ice Bats were a professional minor-league ice hockey team based in Austin, Texas, United States. They played in Austin from 1996 to 2008. Affiliated with the Central Hockey League, the team was named in honor of the Mexican Free-tailed Bats which nest under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in the city. Their affiliates were the NHL's Minnesota Wild, the AHL's Houston Aeros, and the ECHL's Texas Wildcatters. The team's last head coach was former NHL player Brent Hughes.