Icemen's Close Named to 2024-25 ECHL All-Rookie Team

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen are pleased to announce that goaltender Justen Close has been named to the ECHL's All-Rookie Team for 2024-25 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media, who were asked to select a goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards. 

This marks the second consecutive season that an Icemen goaltender has been named to the ECHL All-Rookie team.  Last season, Matt Vernon was named to the 2023-24 All-Rookie Team.  
As of Wednesday, Close is 16-10-2 in 29 appearances this season. He is tied for sixth among all goaltenders with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage while his three shutouts are tied for fourth among rookie netminders.

2024-25 ECHL All-Rookie Team

G – Justen Close, Jacksonville Icemen (29 gp, 16-10-2, 2.32 GAA, .923 save pct.) 
D – Parker Berge, Idaho Steelheads (56 gp, 6g, 34a, 40 pts.) 
D – Chas Sharpe, Cincinnati Cyclones (60 gp, 24g, 19a, 43 pts.) 
F – Spencer Kersten, Orlando Solar Bears (58 gp, 24g, 30a, 54 pts.) 
F – Kyler Kupka, South Carolina Stingrays (51 gp, 27g, 26a, 53 pts.)
F – Sloan Stanick, Tahoe Knight Monsters (67 gp, 27g, 47a, 74 pts.)

Since the ECHL began naming the All-Rookie Team in 2000-01, 23 players selected have gone on to play in the National Hockey League: Simon Gamache (2001-02); Mike Glumac, Vern Fiddler, Adam Hauser, Jason Jaffray and Zenon Konopka (2002-03); Kevin Doell and Brian Fahey (2003-04); Joey Tenute (2004-05); Cedrick Desjardins (2006-07); David Desharnais and Anton Khudobin (2007-08); Richard Bachman (2009-10); Kael Mouillierat and Ben Street (2010-11); Philipp Grubauer (2011-12); Laurent Brossoit (2013-14); Roman Will (2014-15); Jacob MacDonald and Vitek Vanecek (2015-16); Landon Bow (2016-17); Justin Danforth (2017-18) and Justin Brazeu (2019-20).

The ECHL will announce its First-Team All-ECHL and Second-Team All-ECHL teams on Thursday. 

In addtion to Justen Close, the following skaters were all named to this season's ECHL All-Rookie Team. 

Parker Berge of the Idaho Steelheads leads rookie defensemen with 34 assists while ranking second with 40 points and tied for second with 13 power-play assists.

Chas Sharpe of the Cincinnati Cyclones leads all defensemen with 24 goals and tops rookie blueliners with 43 points. His 10 power-play goals also ranks first among defensemen, and is tied for seventh overall in the league.

Spencer Kersten of the Orlando Solar Bears is third among rookies with 54 points, is tied for fourth with 24 goals and ranks eighth in plus-minus at +19. His three shorthanded goals are tied for first among first-year players and tied for fifth overall in the league.

Kyler Kupka of the South Carolina Stingrays is tied for first among rookies with 27 goals and tied for fourth with 53 points in 51 games. He is tied for the lead among first-year players with 10 power-play goals while his 17 power-play points are fifth.

Sloan Stanick of the Tahoe Knight Monsters leads rookies, and is tied for fourth overall in the league, with 74 points (27g-47a) in 67 games. He also is tops among first-year players with 241 shots on goal, is tied for second with 13 power-play assists and is fourth with 18 power-play points.

About the ECHL
Formed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 29 teams in 22 states and one Canadian province for its 37th season in 2024-25. There have been 764 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 12 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2024-25 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 29 of the 32 NHL teams in 2024-25, marking the 27th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com.

Upcoming Icemen Games
Friday, April 11 vs. Savannah - Mascot Games, join Fang and his mascot friends for a fun night!

Saturday, April 12 vs.  Savannah - Arrive early to catch the pregame Icemen Player Awards Ceremony, courtesy of Ruby Beach Brewing. 

Sunday, April 13, vs. Orlando - Bluey Night!  Come out to the game and meet Bluey!  

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or by calling 904-602-7825.   Playoff Packages are also available.  Icemen playoff home games will take place on April 16, 17 and 20.