The Jacksonville Icemen

The Icemen are Jacksonville's ECHL hockey team, an affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the AHL's Iowa Wild, playing home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena downtown (Jacksonville Icemen).

The affiliation shows up in the team's own news, which reports defenseman Reilly Webb and forward Blake Biondi recalled by Iowa this fall, along with a trade that brought forward Tyler Schleppe from Kalamazoo (Icemen news). The team calls 2026-27 a milestone year in its ticket promotion, and the arena's event list includes a 10 Year Celebration game against the Florida Everblades on Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 PM (VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena).

The City of Jacksonville's Council records give the arena's address as 300 A. Phillip Randolph Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32202 (City Council records), and a 2021 ordinance refers to it as the City's Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena property (City Council records). The Jacksonville Coliseum and Veterans Memorial Arena guide at /florida/jacksonville/sports/jacksonville-coliseum-and-arena/ covers the building's history.

Last verified: October 18, 2026, against the Icemen schedule and news headlines, the arena's posted event list, the City Council records for the 2020 arena use agreement and the 2021 rink financing, and the city's 2024 financial report.

Without a win yet: the team's headlines report a 5-1 loss to the Rays in the season opener and a 4-3 shootout loss to Savannah that still earned the Icemen a point (Jacksonville Icemen).

The team's statistics table for the 2026-27 regular season shows its skaters with 2 games played, and forward Drew Kuzma among the early scorers with a goal and an assist (Icemen stats).

Later road trips in the team's schedule include Orlando again on Saturday, November 21 at 7:00 PM and back to back games at the Atlanta Gladiators' Gas South Arena on November 28 at 7:10 PM and November 29 at 3:10 PM (Icemen schedule).

Well at the gate: a joint City of Jacksonville and Icemen release in April 2024 said the team led the entire ECHL in overall and average attendance for a second straight year, averaging 8,768 fans per game (City of Jacksonville).

The same release said the 2023-24 club was in its seventh season in Jacksonville, finished with 42 wins for a third straight 40-win season, went 9-1-1 against the Florida Everblades in the regular season and made the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the third season in a row, opening the first round against Florida at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 18, 2024 (City of Jacksonville release). Forward Brendan Harris had just set the club's single season scoring record with 66 points. The release quotes Mayor Donna Deegan and says the announcement came at a press conference at the Community First Igloo.

The two sources name different affiliates: the April 2024 release called the Icemen an ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the AHL's Rochester Americans (City of Jacksonville), while the team's current site names the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild (Jacksonville Icemen). The 2024 release also gave the Icemen office phone as 904-602-7825 for ticket sales.

From November 6 to 8 the Florida Everblades visit VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena three times in three days, by the team and arena listings (Icemen schedule).

The arena's list runs into 2027, with a Publix Family Funday against South Carolina on Sunday, January 24 at 3:00 PM, a 10:30 AM school day game against Orlando on Thursday, February 11, and a Hockey is for Everyone night against Atlanta on Saturday, February 13 at 7:00 PM (VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena events). The two lists do not cover the same games: the team's schedule shows home dates on November 14 against Savannah, November 25 against Greenville, December 5 against South Carolina and December 9, 11 and 12 against Florida that the arena's event list does not show, while the team's list as loaded stops at December 12 and the arena's runs on to dates such as December 30, so checking both before buying tickets is worthwhile. The team also posts a printable 2026-27 schedule and promo night schedule (Jacksonville Icemen). For city-run special event parking downtown, the Office of Public Parking charges $10.00 per vehicle for the majority of special events and $20.00 for major city-sponsored events, and in most cases takes credit cards only (City of Jacksonville), though its page does not say which lots serve the arena.

An amended and restated use agreement between the City of Jacksonville and SZH Hockey, LLC, which the City Council approved 19-0 on October 27, 2020 as ordinance 2020-0586-E (City Council records).

The Council record describes the agreement as covering use of VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena by the Jacksonville Icemen ice hockey team, with oversight by the Sports and Entertainment Division of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (Jacksonville City Council legislation). The bill was introduced on September 22, 2020, amended and approved 5-0 by the Council's NCSPHS committee on October 19 and 6-0 by the Finance Committee on October 20, and amended again on the floor before the final vote.

The ordinance title does not state the agreement's length or fees, and no later Council record on the arena agreement turned up in the legislation records searched for this page, so this page does not state an end date. The city's 2024 financial report shows how the arena is accounted for: its fund was combined into the Venues Fund in 2017, and the Sports Complex Capital Fund pays for maintenance and upkeep of the arena along with the municipal stadium and baseball stadium (City of Jacksonville ACFR).

In March 2021 the City Council approved $7,500,000 for Icemen Igloo, LLC: a $1,000,000 development completion grant and a loan of up to $6,500,000 to buy and develop the Jax Ice and Sportsplex at 3605 Philips Highway (City Council records).

Ordinance 2021-0113-E describes the project as including a second ice rink, a sports-themed restaurant and facilities to support youth hockey programs (Jacksonville City Council legislation). The loan runs up to 20 years at an interest rate of 3% per year, paid out on a reimbursement basis during construction, and the grant is paid on substantial completion. Oversight went to the Office of Economic Development, and the ordinance waived part of the city's Public Investment Policy, adopted by ordinance 2016-382-E, to allow the deal. The full Council approved it 17-0 on March 23, 2021.

The team's own site says its new jersey concepts were unveiled at an event at the Community First Igloo (Jacksonville Icemen). The fetched sources do not say whether that is the same building as the Sportsplex named in the 2021 ordinance, so the two names are reported as each source gives them.

Two other Jacksonville arena ordinances in the Council records: veterans mini-grants paid from the arena's trust fund in 2020, and a 2021 air rights easement for a balcony over arena property (City Council records).

Ordinance 2020-0670-E sent $62,912.88 from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena Trust Fund out as mini-grants, awarded with the Veterans Council of Duval County to local organizations serving veterans who live in Duval County, under the Military Affairs and Veterans Department; the Council approved it on an emergency basis, 18-0 with one abstention, on November 24, 2020 (Jacksonville City Council legislation).

Ordinance 2021-0457-E, approved 17-0 on August 24, 2021, granted 234A, LLC an aerial easement over part of the arena property and the A. Philip Randolph Blvd. right of way so a balcony could be built from the second floor of the building at 234 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. (City Council records). The city's report lists an arena and a baseball park among the major projects of the Better Jacksonville Plan, approved in July 2000, without naming the buildings (City of Jacksonville ACFR).