On Friday November 20th, the Jacksonville Icemen announced the signing of Canadian forward and veteran Matt Marquardt. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season.
For Marquardt, this will be his sixth in the league as well as his first with the Jacksonville Icemen. Marquardt spent 2019-20 in the EIHL with the Dundee Stars. During, he recorded 20 goals along with 24 assists which made for 44 points. He did so in 48 games.
Marquardt, 33-years-old, spent the last four years in the EIHL. He did so between the Dundee Stars, Sheffield Steelers and the Coventry Blaze. He reached career highs in goals and points with the Dundee Stars in 2018-19. The 6’2, 225-pound winger played parts of seven seasons in the ECHL. This included a Kelly Cup Championship back in 2012 with the Florida Everblades.
During his several stints in the league, the North Bay, Ontario native played parts of five seasons in the American Hockey League. He was drafted 194th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2006. Prior to making the jump pro, Marquardt played junior hockey with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL. During his tenure spent in New Brunswick, he won the President’s Cup back in 2006.
In a tweet put out on Saturday afternoon, the forward said upon signing his contract, “Excited to be joining @JaxIcemen – Can’t wait to get to Jax & get to work! Stay safe!”
Marquardt joins forwards Abbott Girduckis, Adam Dauda, Ara Nazarian, Brendan Warren and Cameron Critchlow. This also includes Ian McKinnon, Nathan Perkovich, Wacey Rabbit and Craig Martin. On defence, they have Dalton Thrower, Luke Shiplo, Jacob Cederholm, Jarod Hilderman and Kevin McKernan.
The Icemen are one of the 13 teams who will return to the ice on December 11th. An estimated five more teams will join the season in January after clearance from the government. As a result of the novel coronavirus, eight teams have opted out of play for the season.