JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Icemen are officially back on the ice after a long offseason.
The season did not end the way they had hoped. The Florida Everblades eliminated the Icemen from the postseason yet again.
The Icemen have some new faces this year, including head coach Brandon Mashinter, who replaces Nick Luukko after Luukko left for the AHL. Mashinter served as assistant coach under Luukko for the last four seasons. While he doesn't plan to make drastic changes, Mashinter said there will be some things he'll do his way.
"I look back at how the Florida Panthers played this past season," Mashinter said.
"He knew the system, he knew the character in the locker room, and he brought back a lot of good guys," said Christopher Brown, one of the team's captains.
The Icemen open their season on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.