Icemen agree to terms with Close

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres and the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans, announced that the team has agreed to terms with goaltender Justen Close for the 2024-25 season.

Close begins his professional career with the Icemen after posting 48 wins with 10 shutouts, a 2.19 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage during the past two seasons at the University of Minnesota.

The 26-year-old compiled an overall record of 62-25-6 with 13 shutouts, a 2.11 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage from 2021-24 with the Golden Gophers.

The Kindersley, Saskatchewan resident was twice named as an honorable mention to the Big-10 Conference All-Star Team in 2022 and 2024, while receiving conference Second Team All-Star honors in 2023. In addition, Close helped guide Minnesota to two conference regular season championships in 2022 and 2023.