The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Mackenzie Dwyer, Brandon Puricelli, forward Brody Crane and forward Davis Koch for the 2024-25 season.
Koch, 26, joins the Icemen after posting 27 points (15g, 12a) in 36 games played with the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) last season. In addition, the 6-0, 180-pound forward made two appearances with the AHL’s Iowa Wild and also logged four assists in five games with the Hannover Scorpions in Germany.
From 2019-2023, Koch played in Germany, registering 96 points (33g, 63a) in the DEL2 with the Heilbronn Falcons, Landshut EV, Ravensburg Tower Stars and the Krefeld Penguins. During the 2021-22 season, Koch collected eight points (4g, 4a) in 28 games played in Germany’s top league with Ingolstadt ERC.
A resident of Surrey, British Columbia, Koch has a productive junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) totaling 255 points (91g, 164a) in 319 career games in time spent with the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Vancouver Giants.
Crane, 20, begins his professional career with the Icemen after totaling 24 points (10g, 14a) in 47 games last season split in stints with the Guelph Storm, Niagara IceDogs and the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
During the 2022-23 season, the 5-11, 185-pound forward registered 42 points (13g, 29a) in 68 appearances with London, while adding an additional four goals and an assist in 21 postseason contests. The Union, Ontario resident totaled 81 points (31g 50a) in 171 games during his OHL career.
Dwyer, 27, returns for a third stint with the Icemen. Last season, Dwyer appeared in four games with the Icemen before playing 19 additional games split in time with the Fort Wayne Komets and Maine Mariners totaling four points. During the 2022-23 season, Dwyer posted seven points (1g, 6a) in 32 games with the Icemen. The 6-3, 200-pound defenseman from Winnipeg has totaled 20 points (3g, 17a) with 91 penalty minutes in 92 career ECHL games.
Puricelli, 26, returns to Jacksonville after posting 21 points (9g, 11a) in 61 games split between the Icemen, the Cincinnati Cyclones and the Allen Americans last season. Prior to turning pro, the 5-10, 181-pound forward concluded his four-year collegiate career at Lake Superior State University where he totaled 56 points (28g, 28a). The Ellisville, Missouri resident was the NAHL’s Midwest Forward & MVP of the Year in 2019 while playing for the Springfield Jr. Blues.
The Icemen announced a total of ten players who are currently under contract with the Icemen for this season, or players who have previously played for the Icemen are currently participating in Rochester’s AHL Training Camp which opened on Wednesday.
The players participating in Rochester’s camp that are under contract with Jacksonville for the 2024-25 season are forwards Zach Jordan, Josh Nodler, defenseman Robert Calisti and goaltender Matt Vernon.
Six additional players who have seen time with the Icemen but are on an AHL or NHL contract this season are also seeing action in camp with the Americans. This includes forwards Riley Fiddler-Schultz (AHL/ROC), Brendan Harris (AHL/ROC), Olivier Nadeau (NHL/ BUF), Brendan Warren (AHL/ROC), defenseman Noah Laaouan (AHL/ROC) and goaltender Michael Houser (AHL/ROC).
The following is a listing of players who have agreed to terms with the Icemen for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Justen Close (G)
Matt Vernon (G)
Garrett Van Wyhe (D)
Connor Russell (D)
Ivan Chukarov (D)
Carter Allen (D)
Dilan Peters (D)
Robert Calisti (D)
Mackenzie Dwyer (F)
Christopher Brown (F)
Logan Cockerill (F)
Chris Grando (F)
Justin McRae (F)
Michael Gildon (F)
Josh Nodler (F)
Chase Lang (F)
Zach Jordan (F)
Liam Coughlin (F)
Davis Koch (F)
Brody Crane (F)
Brandon Puricelli (F)
The Icemen open the 2024-25 season on Saturday, October 19 against the Florida Everblades. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. Full and partial Icemen ticket packages are currently on sale! Payment plans are also available. Contact the Icemen office at 904-602-7825, or visit www.jacksonvilleicemen.com for more information.
