Steve Shueh ’97 Brought Pro Hockey Back to Trenton

Stephen Shueh, president of the Class of ’97 and co-founder of Roundview Capital on Nassau Street, admits that investing in a minor-league hockey team in Trenton isn’t the sort of funds allocation he might steer his clients toward if they require, let’s say, any kind of profit.

“Our goal is to try to break even,” says Shueh, who led the investor group that has brought a team to Trenton for the 2026-27 East Coast Hockey League season, returning the sport to the state capital for the first time since 2013, 13 lucky years later. “If you’re looking to make money in sports, minor league is not necessarily the place you’re going to do it.”

Shueh sees his reward in the chance to boost Trenton a little, maybe help revive it as a destination. “As a kid who grew up in Central Jersey, it’s amazing to bring a team to our backyard and bring a new energy to the area,” he says.

At Princeton, Shueh (pronounced “Shea”) studied in the School of Public and International Affairs.  His father was the mayor of West Windsor, New Jersey, for 16 years, and “I thought for sure I would go into politics. That was my first love,” he says. “I thought I’d go to law school and at some point run for public office. Then it took a twist because I did fairly well in one of my economics classes.”

After an internship in finance, he opened an investment firm in the back of a furniture store in Kingston, New Jersey, with partner Howard Alter. Today Roundview has more than $2 billion in assets under management. Shueh met his wife, Joyce Chen ’96, at Princeton. Today she’s the University’s deputy dean of undergraduate students. “Her nickname is the dean of discipline,” he says.

The Trenton Ironhawks were previously the Utah Grizzlies, a minor-league team that needed to relocate after Salt Lake City got a big-time NHL franchise, the Utah Mammoth, in 2024. Early out-of-state investors eyed Trenton, which despite its persistent poverty sits amid affluent suburbs. Brought in only as a locally connected adviser, Shueh ultimately led a small syndicate that became majority owner of the Ironhawks, who essentially are the Double-A-level affiliate of the New York Islanders. 

The new owners spent much of 2026 renovating Trenton’s CURE Insurance Arena, seeking other sponsors, planning crazy promotions, holding a team naming contest, ordering uniforms and equipment, and signing players. Most of all they have been working to persuade potential ticket buyers in Mercer and Bucks County that Trenton is a fun and safe destination for a family night out.

“You have to be a community asset,” says Shueh. He’s an active community guy. Roundview organizes and sponsors the annual Mercer County Turkey Trot, a 5K run that raises money for food banks and pantries. He volunteers as investment adviser to the Princeton Public Library and Grounds for Sculpture and chairs the Montgomery Township Parks and Recreation Committee. And recently he put on the costume as the Ironhawks mascot, Hawkey, for an event at the Rescue Mission of Trenton. 

The first home game in late October was a successful start by any measure. More than 7,000 fans filled CURE Arena, many rocking the new team jerseys. Kids posed for photos with Hawkey. The Ironhawks grabbed a lead in the first period when Mikey Colella, a forward from Turnersville, New Jersey, deked past a defender and wristed a goal over the shoulder of Adirondack Thunder goaltender Jeremy Brodeur, son of legendary New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur. There were crowd-pleasing fisticuffs on the ice, and none in the stands. The ’Hawks won, 4-1.

“I don’t want to overstate the impact in Trenton, but I am one of these believers in ‘you’ve got to do something,’” Shueh says. “And if you do enough, at the end of the day, you hope the momentum can build.”