Buffalo Sabres announce ECHL affiliation with Jacksonville Icemen

The Buffalo Sabres will have a new ECHL affiliate in 2023-24, announcing that they have reached an agreement with the Jacksonville Icemen.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Jacksonville Icemen as our new ECHL affiliate,” said Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams. “This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for both organizations and further emphasizes our commitment to the growth and development of our players and staff. The Icemen’s dedication to excellence both on and off the ice, coupled with competitive conference play, made them a great fit for our new affiliate.”

The Icemen were affiliated with the New York Rangers for the past two seasons, and will replace the Cincinnati Cyclones as the Sabres ECHL affiliate. As a result, the Cyclones are now the Rangers affiliate for next season. Before the Rangers, they were the affiliate for the Winnipeg Jets from 2017 to 2021.

The Icemen are coming off a season where they finished second in the South Division with a 44-23-3-2 record, which was a club record for both wins and points with 93. They eventually lost in six games to the Florida Everblades in the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

This will be the Icemen’s 11th season in the ECHL, and seventh season in Jacksonville, as they initially spent time in Evansville as the IceMen from 2010 to 2016, spending 2010 to 2012 in the Central Hockey League before joining the ECHL for the 2012-13 season. They were relocated to Jacksonville for the start of the 2017-18 season.

Before that, the franchise was located in Muskegon as the Fury from 1992 to 2008, and the Lumberjacks from 2008 to 2010, playing in the International Hockey League. Their relocation to Evansville replaced the original Evansville IceMen, who were a team in the All American Hockey League from 2008 to 2010.