Jacksonville Icemen

The Jacksonville Icemen are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL in Jacksonville, Florida, that began play in the 2017–18 season. The team is affiliated with the New York Rangers and plays their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Jacksonville Icemen
2021–22 ECHL season
CityJacksonville, Florida
LeagueECHL
ConferenceEastern
DivisionSouth
Founded1992 (1992) (In the CoHL)
Home arenaVyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
ColorsNavy blue, Columbia blue, white
     
Owner(s)SZH Hockey LLC
(Andrew Kaufmann – majority)
Head coachNick Luukko
AffiliatesNew York Rangers (NHL)
Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
Websitewww.jacksonvilleicemen.com
Franchise history
1992–2008Muskegon Fury
2008–2010Muskegon Lumberjacks
2010–2016Evansville IceMen
2017–presentJacksonville Icemen

History

The Icemen were formerly known as the Muskegon Fury from 1992 to 2008, the Muskegon Lumberjacks from 2008 to 2010, and the Evansville IceMen from 2010 to 2016.

On November 16, 2015, Evansville IceMen owner Ron Geary wrote a letter to the fans that the team's operating lease with the Ford Center was ending after the 2015–16 season. Despite attempts to negotiate a lease extension with the city since February 2015, the two parties had not yet come to an agreement on new terms.[1] The City of Evansville and Geary were unable to come to an agreement. Geary then agreed to terms with the city of Owensboro, Kentucky, to relocate the team to the Owensboro Sportscenter if the IceMen were forced to leave the Ford Center.[2]

On February 8, 2016, the City of Evansville announced that it had secured an expansion team in the Southern Professional Hockey League to play at the Ford Center beginning in the 2016–17 season, thus displacing the IceMen franchise from Evansville.[3] Finally, on March 14, the IceMen and the ECHL announced the franchise's relocation to Owensboro had been approved but the franchise would have to go dormant for the 2016–17 season to allow time for the necessary renovations on the Owensboro Sportscenter to be completed.[4] However, by September 2016, Geary still had not taken over management of the Sportscenter and the City of Owensboro announced a different management company would take over the Sportscenter on October 1.[5][6] On the September 30 deadline, Geary sent a letter to mayor Ron Payne stating he would not be purchasing the Sportscenter because of too much cost to convert and refurbish the arena.[7]

In January 2017, Geary sold part of the franchise to an ownership group based out of Jacksonville, Florida,[8] and the relocation was approved by the ECHL on February 8, 2017.[9] Geary remained as the primary owner.[10] The team hired Jason Christie as their first head coach and then affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets (NHL) and the Manitoba Moose (AHL), the organization familiar with Christie from his time as the head coach of the Tulsa Oilers.[11]

In the team's second season in Jacksonville, the franchise qualified for the ECHL playoffs for the first time since it joined the league in 2012. Following the season, Geary sold his shares of the team and the controlling interest was acquired by SZH Hockey LLC, a group led by Andrew Kaufmann on July 16, 2019.[12] On December 1, 2020, the team added three members of SZH Hockey LLC, all past or present NFL players with a connection to the area: Tim Tebow, Myles Jack, and Reggie Hayward.[13]

After four seasons as affiliates of the Jets, the Icemen switched their affiliation to the New York Rangers of the NHL and their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, beginning with the 2021–22 season.[14] On July 29, 2021, head coach Jason Christie was hired by the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant coach[15] and was replaced by Nick Luukko as head coach of the Icemen.[16]

Season-by-season records
Regular season Playoffs
SeasonGPWLOTLSOLPtsGFGAStandingYear1st round2nd round3rd roundKelly Cup
2017–1872263943592032465th, South2018Did not qualify
2018–1972363222761982174th, South2019L, 2–4, FLA———
2019–2060242961551732066th, South2020Season cancelled
2020–2171343034752052126th, Eastern2021Did not qualify

Players

Current roster

As of November 1, 2021.[17]

-

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
8 Zach Berzolla D R 23 2021 Howell, New Jersey Wolf Pack
33 Francois Brassard G L 28 2021 Gatineau, Quebec Wolf Pack
10 Chris Brown C R 26 2020 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Icemen
59 Jake Elmer RW R 23 2021 Calgary, Alberta Rangers
74 Brandon Fortunato D L 25 2021 Albertson, New York Icemen
2 Jacob Friend D L 24 2021 Bowmanville, Ontario Icemen
28 Sean Giles D L 25 2021 Colorado Springs, Colorado Icemen
39 Abbott Girduckis F R 26 2020 Belleville, Ontario Icemen
4 Victor Hadfield D L 21 2022 Oakville, Ontario Icemen
83 Brendan Harris C L 25 2022 Port Jefferson, New York Icemen
17 Ben Hawerchuk LW L 24 2021 St. Louis, Missouri Icemen
24 Travis Howe F R 28 2021 Hull, Massachusetts Icemen
16 Derek Lodermeier LW L 27 2020 Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Icemen
9 Luke Lynch C R 25 2021 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Icemen
29 Craig Martin F L 27 2019 Trail, British Columbia Icemen
5 Austin McEneny D R 25 2021 Waterdown, Ontario Icemen
7 Kyle McKenzie D L 29 2021 Dallas, Texas Icemen
14 Vladislav Mikhalchuk RW R 22 2021 Minsk, Belarus Icemen
83 Ryan Roth RW R 21 2021 Ladue, Missouri Icemen
12 James Sanchez LW L 24 2021 Northbrook, Illinois Wolf Pack
19 Joey Sides LW L 36 2021 Sun Valley, Idaho Icemen
1 Charles Williams G L 30 2021 Canton, Michigan Icemen

See also

References
  1. "A Letter To IceMen Fans, From Team Owner Ron Geary". Evansville IceMen. November 16, 2015.
  2. "BREAKING: Evansville IceMen Announce Move". The Sin Bin. January 19, 2016.
  3. "Evansville will be home to Southern Professional Hockey League franchise". Evansville Courier & Press. February 8, 2016.
  4. "ECHL Approves IceMen Move to Owensboro". OurSportsCentral. March 14, 2016.
  5. "Owensboro finds backup plan for Sportscenter". WAVE 3. September 12, 2016. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  6. "Back Up Plan in Place for Owensboro Sportscenter". Tristate Homepage. August 17, 2016.
  7. "IceMen won't play in Owensboro". Evansville Courier & Press. September 30, 2016.
  8. "Reports: Minor league hockey team sold to Jacksonville group". WTLV. January 25, 2017.
  9. "ECHL Approves IceMen Transfer of Home Territory to Jacksonville". ECHL. February 8, 2017. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  10. "Meet the Jacksonville Icemen, our new hockey team". WTLV. February 8, 2017.
  11. "ICEMEN BECOME ECHL AFFILIATE OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA". ECHL. July 6, 2017.
  12. "Board of Governors Approves Jacksonville's Transfer of Controlling Interest". OurSports Central. July 16, 2019.
  13. "Tim Tebow, Jaguars players buy minority share in Jacksonville Icemen". Jacksonville Business Journal. December 1, 2020.
  14. "Icemen Enter into Affiliation Agreement with New York Rangers & Hartford Wolf Pack". OurSports Central. June 29, 2021.
  15. "Buffalo Sabres Hire Jason Christie as Assistant Coach". OurSports Central. July 29, 2021.
  16. "Icemen Name Nick Luukko as Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations". OurSports Central. August 10, 2021.
  17. "Jacksonville Icemen team roster". Jacksonville Icemen. 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
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