Jacksonville Icemen
The Jacksonville Icemen are an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 2017. The team plays in the ECHL. They play their home games in Jacksonville, Florida at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. They are the ECHL affiliate for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are also the affiliates for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL).
| Jacksonville Icemen | |
|---|---|
| City | Jacksonville, Florida |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | South |
| Founded | 1992 (In the CoHL) |
| Home arena | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena |
| Colours | Navy blue, Columbia blue, white |
| Head coach | Nick Luukko |
| Affiliate(s) | Buffalo Sabres (NHL) Rochester Americans (AHL) |
Website Official website | |
| Franchise history | |
| 1992–2008 | Muskegon Fury |
| 2008–2010 | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 2010–2016 | Evansville IceMen |
| 2017–present | Jacksonville Icemen' |
The team originally played in Evansville, Indiana as the Evansville IceMen from 2010 to 2016. The Evansville IceMen had the highest arena rent in the ECHL and were forced to leave the Ford Center.[1] There would then be relocation talks afterwards. On February 8, 2016, Evansville would be awarded the Evansville Thunderbolts as an expansion team in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).[2] On February 8, 2017, the ECHL Board of Directors approved a move from Evansville to Jacksonville, Florida to become the Jacksonville Icemen.[3]
On October 14, 2017, the team would play their first game as the Jacksonville Icemen. They would be defeated by the Orlando Solar Bears 5–4 in overtime.[4]
On August 23, 2022, the Icemen and the Buffalo Sabres announced their affiliation.[5] The Icemen were previously affiliates with the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers.[6][7]
References
- ↑ "Evansville's Hockey Team in Jeopardy". OurSports Central. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Evansville will be home to Southern Professional Hockey League franchise". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Meet the Jacksonville Icemen, our new hockey team". WTLV. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Boldly Jacksonville: A Look Back at the Teams that Encompass Jacksonville's Storied Hockey History". Jacksonville Icemen. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Icemen Enter into Affiliation Agreement with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres & AHL's Rochester Americans". Jacksonville Icemen. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Icemen Become ECHL Affiliate of Winnipeg, Manitoba". ECHL. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Icemen announce affiliation with New York Rangers". ECHL. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
