JACKSONVILLE, Fla – The Jacksonville Icemen concluded their 2024 Training Camp today. The camp ran from the 7th to the 17th of October, at their practice facility and headquarters, the Community First Igloo. The training camp was also interrupted by Hurricane Milton, as the Igloo was closed on the day of the hurricane. So, their scrimmage game was moved forward a day for an additional afternoon session.
The Icemen head into the new season under newly-promoted Head Coach Brandon Mashinter and new Assistant Coach Sean Teakle, who hope to take the team further into the playoffs this year. I asked Coach Mashinter what he plans to do differently than last season.
“For us, it is about keeping our speed or gaining more speed and being meaner so we are not getting pushed around. I thought in the playoffs we got pushed around too much. To me, you build a team around guys that can get you through playoffs, not just to the playoffs.”
Coach Mashinter spent some time last month at their NHL affiliate Buffalo Sabres training camp. I asked him about his experience at their camp.
“Yeah, I learned a lot, and it was a great experience. Some of the stuff that they are couching up there, we are trying to implement into our system. Overall it was a really good and positive experience.”
I asked Coach how he felt the training camp had gone this year and if there were any new outstanding players we need to keep an eye out for.
“I thought we had a good camp. It was high-paced in the practices. For outstanding players, obviously, the players who were here last year put up numbers. For new guys, you got Liam Coughlin, who will be a two-way centerman for us for reliability, and a forward who’s good on faceoffs, who’s someone like Lodemeier from last season. You got Brody Crane coming in, who’s an offensive line. He’s a young kid who has a little bit of growing to do, but by halfway through the year, he will be a good player for us. Chase Lang has been here in the past. He’s a big power forward who plays with that chip on his shoulder. He’s one of those guys that other team’s players are gonna have to look out for when he’s on the ice. Robert Calisti on the back end is just one of those guys who is an offensive juggernaut who gonna control our power play. He’s really offensive-minded, is going to put up some numbers, and has a great shot.”
Jacksonville also played two preseason games at the Igloo against the Savannah Ghost Pirates, losing both games 5-1. I asked Coach Mashinter if there were any key takeaways from those games or any adjustments he felt needed to be made moving forward.
“Obviously, the games didn’t go how we wanted, but we only had half our lineup in both nights. The guys that are gonna be here, I thought they played well. The other team had 12 contracted players down (from the AHL), we only had maybe two in our lineup each night.
I think our D-zone needed a little work, but that’s why we worked on it on Tuesday and our neutral zone as well. For me it wasn’t about the wins or losses but about the foundation of what we are trying to build.”
Jacksonville will host their season opener against the three-time back-to-back winners of the Kelly Cup, the Florida Everblades on Saturday October 19th at the Veterans Arena.
Check out this photo gallery from Inside The Rink’s Andrew Fielder, for highlights from the Training Camp.
