JACKSONVILLE, FLA – In part three of our series re-introducing Jacksonville, let us take a few moments to take a look at each of the individual teams that are going to be the opposition for the Icemen when they begin the season in October.
Opening stats
Jacksonville will play a 72-game regular season with 36 home games spread out from October to April. The longest homestand of the season will be a 7-game stretch from January 24th to February 3rd. The longest road trip will be a 6-game adventure from March 15th to March 29th.
Let’s now look at each of the teams that the Icemen will play this coming season in order from the team Jacksonville will face the most times and continuing from there. The number of meetings is broken down into home contests at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (H) and road games away from Jacksonville (R).
Florida Everblades
First season in ECHL: 1998
Kelly Cup Championships: 1 (2012 over Las Vegas; lost in finals in 2004 to Idaho and 2005 to Trenton)
Brabham Cup Titles: 2 (2000, 2009)
Head Coach: Brad Ralph (2nd season)
Home Arena: Germain Arena, Estero, FLA
NHL Affiliate: Carolina Hurricanes
Games against Jacksonville: 14 (H-6, R-8)
It will be ten games before the Icemen face the Everblades for the first time on November 17th but they will make up for it quickly. The last three games of the regular season for the Icemen will be against Florida.
Atlanta Gladiators
First season in ECHL: 1995 (Mobile Mysticks 1995-2002, Gwinnett Gladiators 2003-2015, Atlanta Gladiators 2015-present)
Kelly Cup Championships: 0 (Lost in finals in 2006 to Alaska)
Brabham Cup Titles: 0
Head Coach: Chuck Weber (1st season)
Home Arena: Infinite Energy Arena, Duluth, GA
NHL Affiliate: Boston Bruins
Games against Jacksonville: 11 (H-7, R-4)
No team will visit the Veterans Memorial Arena more this first season than Atlanta. The Gladiators visit for the first time on Thursday, October 26th with the last coming on February 10th.
South Carolina Stingrays
First season in ECHL: 1993
Kelly Cup Championships: 3 (1997, 2001, 2009; lost in finals in 2015 to Allen and 2016 to Colorado)
Brabham Cup Titles: 1 (1997)
Head Coach: Ryan Warsofsky (2nd season)
Home Arena: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC
NHL Affiliate: Washington Capitals
Games against Jacksonville: 10 (H-6, R-4)
The Stingrays are currently the oldest ECHL member team playing in the same city. They will be the second home opponent for the Icemen and will also be the opponent when Jacksonville hosts its first ever School Day game on Tuesday, November 14th at 10:30 a.m.
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
First season in ECHL: 1988 (Johnstown Chiefs 1988-2010, Greenville Road Warriors 2010-2015, Swamp Rabbits 2015-present)
Kelly Cup Championships: 0 (Lost in finals in 1989 to Carolina)
Brabham Cup Titles:0
Head Coach: Brian Gratz (3rd season)
Home Arena: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC
NHL Affiliate: New York Rangers
Games against Jacksonville: 10 (H-5, R-5)
Greenville is one of the original five ECHL franchises with the first 22 years spent in Johnstown, PA (some of which was used as the basis for the movie “Slap Shot”).
The Swamp Rabbits will hold a unique spot in Jacksonville’s first season back as the only team the Icemen will face on three consecutive days (Friday, Jan. 28-Sunday, Jan. 28).
Orlando Solar Bears
First season in ECHL: 2012
Kelly Cup Championships: 0
Brabham Cup Titles: 0
Head Coach: Drake Berehowsky (2nd full season / 2nd tenure as head coach)
Home Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FLA
NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs
Games against Jacksonville:9 (H-5, R-4)
Orlando will be the very first opponent for the Icemen, welcoming them back to the ECHL on Saturday, October 14th in Jacksonville. A quirk in the schedule has the two teams facing off eight times in the first half of the season with the final meeting coming on Thursday, March 29th in Orlando.
Norfolk Admirals
First season in ECHL: 2003 (Bakersfield Condors 2003-2015)
Kelly Cup Championships: 0
Brabham Cup Titles: 0
Head Coach: Robbie Ftorek (2nd season)
Home Arena: The Scope, Norfolk, VA
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Games against Jacksonville: 8 (H-3, R-5)
In the timeline of franchise lineage, this Admirals team is not related to the Hampton Roads Admirals that played in the ECHL from 1998-2000.
Norfolk will visit Jacksonville only three times with two being back-to-back games on November 30th and December 2nd before a final trip in on February 23rd.
Manchester Monarchs
First season in ECHL: 1993 (Huntington Blizzard 1993-2000, Texas Wildcatters 2003-2008, Ontario Reign 2008-2015)
Kelly Cup Championships: 0
Brabham Cup Titles: 0
Head Coach: Richard Seeley (3rd season)
Home Arena: SNHU Arena, Manchester, NH
NHL Affiliate: Los Angeles Kings
Games against Jacksonville: 4 (H-1, R-3)
The Icemen will make two trips to New England this coming season (Nov. 8-11 and Jan.19-21) and the only stop scheduled as part of both excursions is Manchester. The Monarchs only visit to Jacksonville is set for Wednesday, December 13th.
Brampton Beast
First season in ECHL: 2014
Kelly Cup Championships: 0
Brabham Cup Titles; 0
Head Coach: Colin Chaulk (3rd season)
Home Arena: Powerade Center, Brampton, Ontario
NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens
Games against Jacksonville: 2 (H-1, R-1)
The Icemen make their only stop in the ECHL’s lone Canadian city early in the year as part of the team’s first road trip. Brampton will return the favor on Sunday, February 25th.
The meetings with the Beast will have special meaning as former Jacksonville Barracudas assistant general manager Ken Vezina is Brampton’s V.P.of Business Operations/
Reading Royals
First season in ECHL: 1991 (Columbus Chill 1991-99)
Kelly Cup Championships: 1 (2013)
Brabham Cup Titles:0
Head Coach: Kirk MacDonald (1st full season)
Home Arena: Santander Arena, Reading, PA
NHL Affiliate: Philadelphia Flyers
Games against Jacksonville: 2 (H-1, R-1)
The only time that Jacksonville plays in Reading is on the same trip where the Icemen play in Brampton. It will be the final game of a 5-game swing. Reading will not visit Jacksonville until Friday, March 2nd.
Allen Americans
First season in ECHL: 2014
Kelly Cup Championships: 2 (2015, 2016)
Brabham Cup Titles: 0
Head Coach: Steve Martinson (5th season)
Home Arena: Allen Events Center, Allen, TX
NHL Affiliate: San Jose Sharks
Games against Jacksonville: 1 (at Jacksonville)
As a franchise, the Americans won four consecutive league championships, winning the last two CHL titles before the league joined up with the ECHL. Allen then won its first two ECHL titles after the merger. The streak ended when the Americans lost to the eventual Kelly Cup champion Colorado Eagles in the second round last season.
Allen’s only game against the Icemen will be in Jacksonville on Sunday, February 11th. It will be the final game of a 5-game road trip for the Americans.
Worcester Railers
First season in ECHL: 2017
Kelly Cup Championships: 0
Brabham Cup Titles: 0
Head Coach: Jamie Russell (1st season)
Home Arena: DCU Center, Worcester, MA
NHL Affiliate: New York Islanders
Games against Jacksonville:1 (at Worcester)
Worcester is an expansion team starting its first season in the ECHL.
Worcester is the only regular season opponent that Jacksonville fans will not see live at the Veterans Memorial Arena. The only meeting between the two teams will be on Friday, January 19th in central Massachusetts.
Contact the author at kenneth.holdren@prohockeynews.com
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