ICEMEN REPORT: Team re-signs veteran forward Rabbit, adds hockey ops staff

The Jacksonville Icemen continue to fill out their roster for the upcoming 2018-19 ECHL season, retaining yet another member of last year’s inaugural team.

The team announced that it has re-signed veteran forward Wacey Rabbit. The 31-year-old vet, drafted by the NHL’s Boston Bruins in 2005, played two games last season with the Icemen before heading overseas.

“I’m excited to come back to Jacksonville. The culture and team that’s being built is something that I look forward to being a part of,” Rabbit said via press release. “Being familiar with the city and fans made it an easy choice. I will be here the entire season and hopefully we can make a good push for the playoffs!”

Rabbit’s year-long presence will be key for the Icemen, who are allowed to sign a maximum of four veteran players each year by ECHL rules.

He joins forwards Cameron Critchlow, Cody Fowlie, Eli Lichtenwald, Jake Randolph, and Colton Veloso, and defenseman Dajon Mingo on the current roster for the Icemen. All but Randolph played at least part of last season for the team.

In addition to inking Rabbit, the team announced this past Friday that they’ve made two additions to their hockey operations team.

The Icemen hired Scott McLay and Nolan Bowker as their head athletic trainer and equipment manager, respectively.

McLay comes to the team with sixteen years of experience in athletic training. He’s served as the head athletic trainer for multiple ECHL teams, and during the league’s 2009 all-star game.

Bowker has been an equipment manager in the ECHL for the past four years, working most recently for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.