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 Front Office Amongst League Award Finalists

When the Icemen hockey club made its move to Jacksonville, there was quite a bit of skepticism regarding Jacksonville being a “hockey town.” Would it work here? Could it work here? When awarded the 2022 All-Star Game, it appeared to be working out just fine. If naysayers were still debating hockey’s survivability in the River […]

ECHL: A Look Back at the 2022-2023 Jacksonville Icemen Season

This year’s Kelly Cup victor may yet be crowned, but for 26 teams in the ECHL, the offseason has already begun. The Jacksonville Icemen are one of those teams. With a 44-23-3-2 record, the Jacksonville Icemen ended the regular season as the second highest-seeded team in the ECHL’s hyper-competitive South Division. Earning home ice advantage […]

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Reveal 2023-2024 Schedule

Shortly after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs to division foe Florida Everblades, Jacksonville Icemen fans have been asking the age-old question, “Is it hockey season yet?” While the Kelly Cup Conference Finals may still be underway, we now know just how long we’ll have to wait for a return to Icemen […]

ECHL: Wichita Thunder 2022-2023 Year In Review

With the 2022-2023 Kelly Cup Conference Finals under way, it’s a good time to look back at what the season looked like for teams not competing in the postseason. One of the teams that fell short of making the playoffs this year was the Mountain Division’s Wichita Thunder. Wichita finished fifth place in the division […]

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Fall In Game Six, Eliminated From Playoffs

Ask a lot of folks, and they’ll tell you the Jacksonville Icemen shouldn’t have made it here. At the puck drop of game four, fans league-wide had already written the Icemen off. Jacksonville was on the brink of elimination in Estero Friday evening, down three games in the second round. With a 4-3 overtime win, […]

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Round Two Road Trip Wrap-Up

Playoff hockey is dramatic. It’s edge of your seat, forget to breathe, Apple Watch, heart rate alert, inducing dramatic. The emotions are raw, the intensity is cranked up to 11, and both the highs and lows have the ability to be all-encompassing. Through eleven games so far this postseason, there have been many playoff feelings […]

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Connor Russell Rides For Good Cause

SPHL defenseman and recent Jacksonville Icemen loan Connor Russell is ready to ride. The 27-year-old defenseman announced he will participate in the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer this June. It’s the second time he’s participated in the charity bike ride. The charity event is an annual event hosted by the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre […]

ECHL: Icemen Come Close, Can’t Solve Everblades in Game Two

After a rough loss to the Florida Everblades in Game One of Round Two, the Jacksonville Icemen looked to right the ship in Game Two. Issues with puck control and defending the rush caused problems for the Icemen in Saturday’s Game One. Adding insult to injury, the Icemen had difficulties generating offense, getting woefully outshot […]

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Game One Recap: Gator Bait

Round Two of the Kelly Cup Playoffs got underway tonight in Jacksonville, Florida. The second-seeded Jacksonville Icemen took on the fourth-seeded Florida Everblades for the first game in the South Division Finals. Both teams took their Round One series by a 4-2 games margin. The 2022-2023 season marks the second consecutive year the teams have […]

ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen Round Two Preview: Gator Season

With ‘wabbit season’ over, the Icemen begin their second round hunt – gator season. After defeating the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in Round One of the 2022-2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Jacksonville Icemen are set to face the Florida Everblades in Round Two. The fourth-seeded team entering the postseason, Florida, defeated the South Carolina Stingrays in […]