The Jacksonville Icemen have heard the call of the Wild.
Coming off their first missed postseason since 2021, the Icemen announced a new affiliation deal with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild during a May 18 press conference inside the Community First Igloo.
The move comes at the end of a three-year connection between the Icemen and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres as well as the Sabres’ AHL affiliates, the Rochester Americans.
For Icemen chief executive officer Andy Kaufmann, the reason for the change is simple enough.
“You deserve playoff hockey,” he told a crowd of fans gathered at the Community First Igloo. “It’s coming back.”
Terms and the precise duration of the agreement with the Minnesota organization were not disclosed, although the Icemen described the deal as “multi-year.”
Joe Ernst, vice president of hockey operations for Icemen ownership group Zawyer Sports and Entertainment, said that Minnesota’s commitment to building a “three-tier attack” — NHL, AHL and ECHL — set them apart from Jacksonville’s prior affiliation with the Sabres.
“Compared to what we had here before, this is a new beginning for us,” Ernst said.
Ernst also said that his connection with Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin and assistant general manager Mike Murray made the switch smooth.
That relationship also extends to the bench, where Icemen head coach Sean Teakle has known Iowa Wild general manager Matt Hendricks for years. Hendricks expressed confidence that the combination of Teakle’s leadership and the passionate backing of Icemen fans would make Jacksonville an ideal affiliate for Wild prospects.
“Some of your 20-, 21-year-old players that come into pro hockey aren’t quite ready for the [AHL] yet,” Hendricks said. “We’re firm believers in putting younger players in areas where they’re going to succeed.”
During the 2025-26 season, the Icemen consistently fielded among the fewest players under NHL or AHL contracts — for stretches of the season, only one or two, as compiled through the year by independent website EchlStats. That’s expected to change significantly under the Wild affiliation.
“I think it’s definitely going to help,” Teakle said. “Going back to last year, the most we had in our lineup at one point was three affiliate players. That’s where we’re guaranteed to have more than that. They’re going to have development staff coming in and out. With us having a prior relationship, too, that communication is going to be more open.”
WILD DEAL ADDS TO ICEMEN AFFILIATION HISTORY
The Wild affiliation is the fourth in the history of the Icemen, who enter year 10 in the fall.
The Icemen were affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose from 2017-21, the New York Rangers and AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack from 2021-23 and the Sabres and Americans from 2023-26.
Jacksonville’s crowd support, which topped the ECHL attendance list for the fourth consecutive year, represents a stark contrast from the Wild’s previous affiliate. That ECHL club, the Iowa Heartlanders, announced in March that they were suspending operations for 2026-27 amid league-low average crowds of 1,626, leaving Minnesota in need of an affiliate.
Iowa’s departure is not the ECHL’s only franchise adjustment for 2026-27. The Utah Grizzlies, affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche, will move to New Jersey as the Trenton Ironhawks. The league is also adding an expansion team, the New Mexico Goatheads, to be based in Rio Rancho, N.M.
For Kaufmann, the alliance with Minnesota will connect Jacksonville with an organization “committed to winning at all levels.” Soon, the roster-building takes shape ahead of the season’s start in October.
“Having their support and sending us serious prospects here for us to enjoy at the arena downtown is special for all of us,” he said. “And, most importantly, we can be doing this at the arena at a playoff game this time next year.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Icemen reach new NHL, AHL affiliation agreement
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
