The improvements were easy to see for the Jacksonville Icemen. Another season of records, and still, plenty of room for improvement.
The Icemen wrapped up Year 2 of the Nick Luukko era with their best season yet. Jacksonville won a franchise-best 44 games in the regular season and reached the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs for just the second time.
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The finish was disappointing — another series loss to the rival Everblades — but the Icemen continue to make strides. They won four more games than they did last year and took the Everblades to six games in the postseason.
As players and coaches, cleaned out lockers and prepped for the offseason on Tuesday afternoon, Luukko said the progress between his first and second seasons was easy to spot. Jacksonville was swept in the second round of the playoffs last year by the Everblades.
“Extremely proud of the group. Just seeing them grow over the last couple of years and continue to get better every day,” Luukko said. “Seeing them grow as people as well and just kind of grow into leadership roles. It’s been awesome to be a part of.”
Luukko was hired in August 2021 as a 29-year-old who was making his head coaching debut. He’s built the Icemen into a contender in his two seasons in Jacksonville and knows even better days are ahead. The Icemen remain one of the most visible and supported teams in the ECHL. They led the league in total attendance and averaged a league-high 7,749 fans per game.
“I think we’re continuing to grow. This organization is only getting better. You see it here with the new Igloo and everything that we’re doing off the ice and on the ice. It’s pretty special to be part of.”
The Icemen have a promising summer ahead, too. The team will roll out the welcome mat for the presentation of its new digs at the Igloo in the Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex. The transformation and updates to that facility cost $18.5 million. It will be the hockey hub for the Icemen for years to come.
The Icemen have to submit their protected list of players by June 8 and can begin signing players for next season on June 23. In July, the team can tender qualifying offers to players between the 7-22. The free agent period ends Aug. 8.
Luukko said he knows that there’s a busy stretch ahead for the Icemen, and that changes will inevitably happen. But that also means improvements for the better, too.