The Jacksonville Icemen announced that they have re-signed defenseman Ivan Chukarov, who will be returning to Jacksonville for his second season with the Icemen after being acquired last Summer from the Adirondack Thunder in a deal that was recently completed with the Icemen sending defenseman Scott Allan to Adirondack. In 70 games last season with the Icemen, he put up five goals and 23 assists for 28 points. Chukarov would also be named the team’s Defenseman Of The Year Award as he led all defensemen in goals (5), assists (23) and points (28). The 6’3 defenseman would add one assist while playing in all seven games for the Icemen during the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Heading into next season, you can once again expect the Ilionis defenseman to be a big part of the Icemen’s blueline and continue to carry the team offensively.
Prior to joining the Icemen, the former seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres would spend time with the Worcester Railers and Adirondack Thunder and has put up 11 goals and 49 assists for 60 points in 219 ECHL games. The 29-year-old defenseman spent his collegiate career playing four years at UMass, where he put up six goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 128 games with the Minutemen as UMass would win the regular season title in Hockey East in 2019. Chukarov becomes the seventh signing for the Icemen and the third defenseman to sign for next season, joining fellow blueliners Connor Russell and Garrett Van Wyhe.
