The Jacksonville Icemen began training camp this Monday in preparations for the upcoming ECHL season.
The team made several moves to round out its roster in the week leading up to camp. It brought back four more players who suited up for the team during its inaugural season: forward Tyson Fawcett, goalie Denis Tsaruk, and defensemen Kyle Shapiro and Blake Kessel. The Icemen also signed a pair of rookies: forward Derek Brown and defensemen Spencer Metcalfe.
Five additional players were reassigned from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, and are joining the team today. This includes previously-signed forwards Colton Veloso and Cody Fowlie, as well as forward Matt Ustaski and defensemen Justin Woods and Jack Glover.
Five tryout players, all forwards, will vie for final roster spots as well: forwards Joe McKeown, Derek Makimaa, and Michael Casale, defenseman Preston Kugler, and goalie Andrew Hare.
Here’s how the Icemen’s roster looks to begin training camp:
GOALIES
Andrew Hare*
Denis Tsaruk
DEFENSEMEN
Jack Glover
Travis Jeke
Blake Kessel
Preston Kugler*
Spencer Metcalfe
Dajon Mingo
Trey Phillips
Kyle Shapiro
Justin Woods
FORWARDS
Derek Brown
Michael Casale*
Everett Clark
Tyler Coulter
Cameron Critchlow
Tyson Fawcett
Cody Fowlie
Pier-Olivier Grandmaison
Garet Hunt
Eli Lichtenwald
Derek Makimaa*
Joe McKeown*
Wacey Rabbit
Jake Randolph
Matt Ustaski
Colton Veloso
The team is now tasked with narrowing the final roster down to 18 players prior to opening night.
Two forwards from last year’s inaugural team, Emerson Clark (Everett’s brother) and Jansen Harkins, made it to the final rounds of NHL roster cuts and will begin their seasons in the AHL.
The Icemen’s training camp is set to run through October 12, with the season opener taking place the following night at 7:00 PM at Veterans Memorial Arena.
