Icemen name Mashinter as new head coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the National National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres and the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans, announced that assistant coach Brandon Mashinter has been promoted to Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations for the Icemen. Mashinter becomes the third head coach in Jacksonville Icemen history.

“We are thrilled to introduce Brandon Mashinter as our new head coach,” said Icemen & Zawyer Sports CEO Andy Kaufmann. “Brandon has played a pivotal part in our team’s growing success the past three seasons, and we cannot think of a more deserving individual to usher us into this new era of Icemen Hockey.  We are confident that he will put a competitive team on the ice each night that will continue to make Jacksonville proud.”

Mashinter began his coaching career with the Icemen in 2021, spending the past three seasons in Jacksonville as the team’s assistant coach under former Head Coach Nick Luukko, who recently accepted a position with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Icemen finished with 40 or more wins in each of the past three seasons under the leadership of Luukko and Mashinter.  

“First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Nick Luukko on his deserving accomplishment and move up to the AHL,” said Mashinter.  “I am excited and honored to continue to build on the foundation and culture that we started to build three years ago.  I would like to express thanks to Andy Kaufmann, Scott Einhorn and Joe Ernst for the opportunity to be the next head coach of the Jacksonville Icemen.”

Prior to coaching, Mashinter completed an impressive playing career at a high-level from 2009-21. Mashinter competed in 64 NHL contests in stints with the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks. The Newmarket, Ontario resident compiled 261 points in 535 AHL games split between the Worcester Sharks, Hartford Wolf Pack, Rockford IceHogs and San Jose Barracuda. He also played two seasons in Germany’s top league (DEL) with ERC Ingolstadt. Prior to his professional career, Mashinter won an Ontario Hockey League championship with the Kitchener Rangers in 2008.