JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen, proud affiliates of the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers and the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack, announced today that the team has extended an offer to defenseman Jacob Panetta, following his successful completion of a learning experience in conjunction with the NHL’s player inclusion committee and ECHL suspension. Panetta has accepted the offer and is expected to rejoin the team this evening when the Icemen play host to the Atlanta Gladiators at Veterans Memorial Arena at 7:00 p.m.
“I want to thank the NHL Player Inclusion Committee, the ECHL, the Icemen, and my family for working with and supporting me over the past several months,” said Panetta. “This has been a positive learning experience for me, and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with my teammates, the game, and our community. I am looking forward to making a positive contribution to the Icemen and the Jacksonville community, on and off the ice.”
“We appreciate the support of our partners in the ownership group, our fans, the ECHL, the NHL and the hockey community as we welcome Jacob back to the Icemen,” said Andrew Kaufmann, CEO and Managing Partner of the Jacksonville Icemen. “After much time reflecting and meeting with various community leaders and hockey officials, we all have a better understanding and appreciation of how we can all work together to make our game more inclusive both on and off the ice.”
The 26-year-old Panetta has appeared in 31 games with 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) and 35 penalty minutes in his second season with the Icemen.
Prior to Jacksonville, the 6-0, 192-pound defenseman played four seasons at Colgate University registering 25 points. The Bellville, Ontario resident finished the 2015-16 season with 45 points (9g, 36a) in 47 games played with the OJHL’s Wellington Dukes.Icemen game tickets may be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by contacting the Icemen office at 904-602-7825, or visit www.jacksonvilleicemen.com for more information.
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