The countdown for year nine of Jacksonville Icemen hockey is on.
The Icemen announced an Oct. 18 start for the 2025-26 ECHL season, beginning a 72-game slate for the most successful — and now officially the longest-lasting — professional hockey franchise in Northeast Florida history.
An Oct. 18-19 road trip to the expansion Greensboro Gargoyles, in Greensboro, N.C., opens the new season.
As in the last four years, the Icemen will play in 36 games atop the ice of VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and 36 on the road, with a heavy emphasis on opponents in an ECHL South Division that has become the most formidable in the league.
Three new opponents are arriving in Jacksonville for the first time ever. Those will be Greensboro (Nov. 29), the Iowa Heartlanders (Jan. 24-25) and the Kansas City Mavericks (Feb. 11).
The Icemen also have a pair of long-distance trips outside the division, heading to the Utah Grizzlies for three games from Oct. 29-31 and visiting the Kalamazoo Wings for a three-game set from March 6-8.
For the first home game, fans will have to wait until Nov. 7 against the Atlanta Gladiators to pack an arena that recorded the largest average attendance (9,234) in the league in 2024-25.
Following up on the successful expansion of morning hockey last year, the Icemen again plan two school-day home games in 2025-26.
Those morning games are set for Thursday, Nov. 13, at 10:30 a.m. against the Orlando Solar Bears, and Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 10:30 a.m. against the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
The Icemen also have six 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon home games, on Jan. 25, Feb. 1, March 1, March 15, March 22 and the April 12 season finale.
Otherwise, Icemen home games are set for 7 p.m. starts. The home schedule includes 13 games on Saturday, nine on Friday, six on Sunday, five on Wednesday, two on Thursday and one on Tuesday.
Completing their eighth season, the Icemen surpassed the previous longevity mark of the Jacksonville Rockets from the old Eastern Hockey League from 1964-72.
In contrast to the long-struggling Rockets, who never finished a season above .500, the Icemen have largely fared well both on and off the ice, qualified for five playoff campaigns while drawing the largest crowds in the ECHL.
However, the club is still searching for a postseason path past the Florida Everblades, who have eliminated Jacksonville from the Kelly Cup playoffs in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. In April’s first-round series, the Everblades swept the Icemen in a bizarre series with all four games going to overtime.
The schedule could still change from the initial announcement. In 2024-25, several Icemen games ended up moving from their originally planned dates.
Saturday, Oct. 18 at Greensboro, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 19 at Greensboro, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 24 at Greenville, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 25 at Greenville, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Utah, 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 30 at Utah, 9:10 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 31 at Utah, 9:10 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 5 at Savannah, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 7 vs. Atlanta, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 8 vs. S. Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 13, vs. Orlando, 10:30 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 14 at Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15 vs. Atlanta, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 21 at Greenville, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 22 vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 26 vs. Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 28 at Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29 vs. Greensboro, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 3 vs. S. Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 5 at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6 at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7 at Atlanta, 3:10 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 11 at Savannah, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13 vs. S. Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 17 vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 19 at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 26 vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 27 at Greenville, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 28 at Greenville, 3:05 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 30 at Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 3 vs. S. Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 7 vs. Greenville, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 9 vs. Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 10 at Orlando, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16 at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 17 at Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 23 vs. Savannah, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 24 vs. Iowa, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 25 vs. Iowa, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30 at S. Carolina, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 31 vs. S. Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 1 vs. Savannah, 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 3 vs. Savannah, 10:30 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 at S. Carolina, 6:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 11 vs. Kansas City, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13 at Savannah, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14 vs. Savannah, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15 at S. Carolina, 3:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 20 at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21 at Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 27 vs. Atlanta, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28 vs. S. Carolina, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 1 vs. Florida, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, March 6 at Kalamazoo, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 at Kalamazoo, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 at Kalamazoo, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, March 13 vs. Greenville, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 vs. Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 vs. Florida, 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 18 at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
Friday, March 20 vs. Atlanta, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 22 vs. Greenville, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 at Greenville, 3:05 p.m.
Thursday, April 2 vs. Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 3 vs. Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 vs. Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 10 vs. Savannah, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11 vs Atlanta, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12 vs. Orlando, 3:00 p.m.
