Author: Andrew Willis

Andrew Willis is a freelance hockey reporter covering the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen for Inside The Rink and the Vancouver Canucks for The Canuck Way. His work has been featured on Hockey of Tomorrow and The Daily Faceoff, and can be found on Twitter/X @FromTheDrewLine.

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Re-Sign Key Blueliner

After signing only a few players in the past couple of weeks, the Jacksonville Icemen have added another roster player to the team for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Veteran defenseman Jacob Panetta has inked a one year deal, returning to the Jacksonville Icemen roster for his fourth professional season. The Belleville, Ontario native first joined […]

Icemen Join Sabres Organization As ECHL Affiliate

Back in June the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL hinted at news revolving around changes coming to their NHL/AHL affiliate partnerships. On Friday, news out of the Buffalo area suggested that the Icemen were expected to partner with the Buffalo Sabres franchise for the upcoming season, with the Rochester Americans serving as the teams’ AHL […]

Icemen, Sabres Expected to Announce Affiliate Deal

On June 23rd, the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL announced that there would be a change coming in the Icemen organization. After previously partnering with the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Rangers over the course of the last six seasons, the Icemen made it known that the team was expecting a change at the […]

ECHL: Grando, Kislin Return to Icemen Roster

On Wednesday, the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL announced the return of two players to the roster for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Forward Chris Grando and defensemen Julian Kislin will rejoin the Icemen, becoming the second and third player to sign with Jacksonville for next season after the team locked up veteran Matheson Iacopelli in […]

Allen Americans Extend Ottawa Senators Affiliation

Today the Allen Americans of the ECHL and the Ottawa Senators of the NHL announced that they have extended their partnership for a second season. The teams will now be affiliated through the end of the 2023-24 season, providing the Senators with one more stop on the team’s development pipeline. The Senators and the Americans […]

ECHL: Icemen Extend Qualifying Offers to Eight Key Players

After locking up trade deadline acquisition Matheson Iacopelli at the start of free agency, the Icemen have remained relatively quiet so far when it comes to off-season roster moves. On June 22nd, the team announced their season-ending roster, a list of 20 players that the team can reserve the contract rights to if the players […]

Vancouver Canucks Add Kalamazoo Wings As ECHL Affiliate

The Vancouver Canucks of the NHL and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL announced today that the teams have partnered up for an affiliate deal for the 2023-24 season. This is the first ECHL partnership the Canucks have had since the 2021 season, opting to go without an ECHL affiliate in recent years. Adding Kalamazoo […]

ECHL: From Rockets to Icemen – Jacksonville’s Rich Hockey History

As a native Floridian, I catch a lot of odd looks and remarks when I profess my love for the sport of hockey. One of the most memorable interactions I’ve had as a hockey fan from Florida came in my early 20’s. As a Southern transplant in the Midwest, I was once asked what my […]

Maple Leafs William Nylander Battles Washington's Conor Sheary for Puck

Lightning Add Forward Conor Sheary

Tampa Bay General Manager Julien Brisebois announced today that the team had agreed to terms with veteran forward Conor Sheary. The Lightning locked the Winchester, Massaschuttes native up to a three-year, $6 million deal carrying an AAV of $2 million. The addition of Sheary to the Lightning roster helps provide the team with some scoring […]

Justin Holl Lands In Detroit With Three-Year Deal

Defenseman Justin Holl finally has a new landing place – Detroit. The Detroit Red Wings announced on the first day of the 2023 NHL Free Agency that they had agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the 31-year-old defenseman. It carries an average annual value of $3.4 million, stacking up to a $10.2 million […]