Gene Frenette: Looking beyond color, Icemen goalie Charles Williams earns respect as unsung hero

Maybe it’s fitting that one of the most dependable players on the Jacksonville Icemen roster never put on a pair of ice skates with any regularity until age 12.

That’s when 31-year-old goaltender Charles Williams III, better known as “Willie” to his teammates, got curious about going to a local rink in his Michigan hometown of Canton. He wanted to see if his six-year stint playing roller hockey as a goalie and forward would transfer to a frozen surface.

While he occasionally skated in the winter on a pond near his backyard, Williams never played ice hockey until his father, Charles Jr., accompanied him to the Arctic Edge facility in 2004. He brought his goalie equipment from roller hockey during a one-hour Stick and Puck session, then found himself getting between the pipes so players could shoot at him.

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Kids were so impressed by his netminding skills, they advised him to attend a tryout the next day for a travel team. Williams made the club and two decades later, he’s now in his third year with the Icemen, one of only five Black goaltenders among 28 teams to appear in a game this ECHL season.

Diversity aside, Williams’ greatest value to the Icemen, in the words of coach Nick Luukko, is “he’s the best insurance policy you could ask for.”

That’s because Williams — relegated to a part-time role this season because the Icemen had goalies Olof Lindbom and Parker Gahagen affiliated with their parent club, the New York Rangers — only played in 15 games.

The Rangers wanted the Icemen to develop their younger goaltenders, so Williams’ playing opportunities were reduced to a career-low level.

But with Gahagen recently promoted to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack, the Icemen are turning back to Williams’ experience in the ECHL playoffs. He didn’t get much help in the Icemen’s lethargic 4-1 loss Friday night to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in Game 1 of a South Division semifinal at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Greenville dominated the game from the outset, getting way too many scoring chances in front of the net, finally cashing in for two goals during a 1:14 span of the third period for a 3-0 lead that sealed the outcome. The Swamp Rabbits closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal.

Luukko acknowledged his goaltender didn’t have a whole lot of support on either end of the ice.

“I thought he was outstanding,” Luukko said of Williams. “Kept us in the game. I thought he was our best player tonight. We didn’t have much energy, no flow. We weren’t winning battles, which led to poor execution.”

Sticking with Icemen

Williams knew before he returned for a third season in Jacksonville that his playing time would diminish significantly. Luukko gave him plenty of forewarning, telling him early last summer the development of Lindbom and Gahagen were a priority.

It didn’t faze the Icemen’s oldest player, and all that game rust had little effect on his ability to keep pucks out of the net. Williams still had the team’s best goals against average (2.08) and save percentage (.926), compiling a 9-5-1 record in the regular season.

At the Icemen team banquet last week, players voted Williams recipient of the Unsung Hero award. It was a sign of respect for his willingness to embrace a lesser role, one that might have compelled other players his age to retire or seek employment with another team.

“Charles got put into a unique situation with three goalies, the other two being on NHL or AHL contracts,” said Icemen forward Derek Lodermeier, the team’s leading scorer with 26 goals. “I don’t think he could have handled the situation any better. A good group of us have played two or three years with him and we have every confidence that when he does play, he’s going to give us a good chance to win.

“His character, work ethic, just the way he presents himself, every day he’s got a smile on his face. He’s someone you want to be around. He’s one of the nicest human beings off the ice.”

Williams had no reservations about staying with the Icemen, despite wife Camille having just given birth to their daughter, Kodi, now 13 months old.

“We were in constant communication throughout the season,” said Luukko. “We tried to set it up where if we were going on the road for a good bit, we’d leave him back [in Jacksonville] so he could be with his wife and kid. But when he got back in games, you could tell he was excited to be back with the guys.”

Circumstances have since changed. With Gahagen in Hartford, the Icemen are leaning on Williams a lot more to lead a deep playoff run.

“Guys feed off him”

It’s not like Williams was obsessed with hockey, at least not the kind that required ice skates, from a young age.

For most of his time at Salem High in Michigan, Williams’ daily routine revolved around practices and competition in multiple sports. He played football, where he was a running back/middle linebacker, for three years, basketball for two years, and also ran track (110 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 200-yard dash).

“My schedule was crazy all year long,” said Williams. “There was no time for anything else other than school and sports. I’d go to high school, have practice in one sport, then go to hockey practice two or three nights a week.”

He juggled all those duties until Williams got drafted at 17 into the amateur USHL by the Des Moines Buccaneers, forcing him to finish his last year of high school in Iowa.

Williams played two years of Double-A hockey before being elevated to Triple-A prior to his senior year. That put him on an elite travel team, where he focused all his time and energy as the Buccaneers played in showcase events all over the country.

“Hockey became my preference,” said Williams. “It didn’t make for too much conflict because [high school] coaches understood at what level I was playing in hockey and where that could take me.”

He’s come a long way from the kid who went to an ice rink for the first time at 12, with no idea it’d lead to making a travel team and eventually setting a pro hockey career in motion.

All that led him to Jacksonville, his third ECHL stop, for the start of the 2020-21 season. When Luukko became the Icemen coach last season, the one player he didn’t need to do much homework on was Williams. His goaltending exploits in a 2018 Kelly Cup playoff led to his Manchester Monarchs sweeping the Reading Royals, where Luukko was still playing as a defenseman.

Manchester won the first three games in overtime, then shut out Reading 3-0 to close out the series. Luukko remembers it all too well.

“Willie stood on his head in those games against us,” said Luukko. “When I saw that Willie had been signed [to the Icemen], I spoke to him right away. I personally knew a few players on Manchester and they always talked about how good of a guy Willie was, how hard he works and his character is off the charts.”

Since Williams is only three months younger than Luukko, he serves almost as much as a player mentor, especially to 21-year-old rookie Lindbom, a Rangers’ second-round draft pick from Sweden.

“He’s completely fine with being that veteran leader to help guide these guys,” Luukko said. “He’s got a calming presence about him. Off the ice, he’s the nicest guy in the world. When he gets on the ice, you can see that compete and drive where he wants to stop every puck. Guys feed off him.”

Promoting hockey to Black kids

Though Williams is only the second Black player in Icemen history, following defenseman Dajon Mingo (2017-20), he feels encouraged by the gradual increased exposure hockey is receiving in urban areas throughout many cold U.S. climates.

He doesn’t dwell on being the lone African-American with the Icemen, but Williams does take pride in seeing more Blacks taking up the game as he moved up the ranks.

“I was the first [Black] on my Triple-A team [in Des Moines], then two my second year, three my third year and four in my fourth year,” said Williams. “It was an amazing experience to see that.”

At hockey’s highest level, the NHL had 34 Black players this season. It broke the color barrier in 1958 with the Boston Bruins’ Willie O’Ree, who has been the league’s Diversity Ambassador since 1998.

Williams has actively participated in promoting a “Hockey in the Hood” program with O’Ree in Detroit, one of many cities across the U.S. trying to expand hockey into Black communities. He’s talked to African-American kids about his experiences in the game and hopes it encourages more of them to pursue hockey.

“Years ago, you could probably count [Black players] in the NHL on one hand,” said Williams. “Diversity and inclusion has come a long way. You see more and more with opportunities.”

Like most ECHL players, Williams doesn’t have a realistic shot at making an NHL roster, but the former All-American at Canisius (N.Y.) College is grateful for a seven-year pro career that has made him a staple with the Icemen.

Williams wears a constant smile on his face. Even after the disappointment of losing Game 1 to Greenville, his attention turned quickly to anticipating an Icemen bounce-back game on Sunday.

“I can tell you I’m enjoying more than ever coming to the rink and taking in these moments with the guys here,” Williams said. “I’m just soaking everything in.”

Looking for hot goaltender

After his team’s record 44-win season, Luukko made the call to go with Williams in the net to start the ECHL playoffs.

Luukko decided with Gahagen in Hartford until either the Rangers or Wolf Pack are ousted from their playoffs, the Icemen might be better served with Williams’ experience in goal for now, though Lindbom will likely see action at some point.

“With a second-round pick, it’s understood you have to try and develop [Lindbom] to get to that next level,” said Luukko. “So early in the year, we leaned more towards starting Lindy. But as you go through the season, races get tighter, I’m going to go with the hot hand.

“At this time of year, you got to find the right [goaltender] and let him run with it.”

The Icemen (44-23-5), who finished second in the South division, won a playoff series for the first time in their six-year history last season before getting eliminated by the Florida Everblades.

Jacksonville is counting on Williams, who stopped 61 of 63 shots in wins over the Swamp Rabbits in November and February, to continue the momentum built up from a 7-2-0-1 record in the last 10 regular-season games.

Despite Friday night’s loss, Luukko said after the game he feels inclined to stick with Williams for Game 2.

The Icemen coach put it this way, saying: “I’m not completely decided, but I’m leaning towards it.” That echoed Luukko’s stance on Wednesday when he remarked: “If Willie’s playing really well, I don’t see why I’d take him out.”

Feeling connected to Jacksonville

Now at an age where he’s older than over 90 percent of ECHL players, Williams isn’t sure what his future looks like. He might continue as an Icemen goalie next season or start looking for a real job.

All he knows is this: Williams would prefer to stay in Jacksonville and ultimately find a different role out of uniform with the Icemen. A lot will depend on financing and if a new line of work can adequately provide for his family.

“Jacksonville is our second home,” said Williams. “I love it here. I enjoy every day, every moment. It’s been awesome here. It’s going to come down to being able to make a sustainable living for our family.”

Most Icemen players are single and can make it work financially because every ECHL team provides housing and cable TV for them during the season, as well as a $50 per diem on road trips for meals.

Player salaries run the gamut, around $2,000-$5,000 per month during the season, but having a wife and child is forcing Williams to take a hard look at his next move.

“I told him if he wants to retire, we’ll sit down and talk to him about it,” said Icemen president Bob Ohrablo. “I need to have conversations about what he wants to do in the long run and see if there’s a fit there for us. He’s a friend of mine. We all love the guy. We’ll help him out any we can.”

Williams, who took classes during the COVID-19 pandemic to become a certified life coach, believes he can assist the Icemen in a variety of ways, be it sports psychologist, in marketing or as a team ambassador.

“I have some ideas that might be helpful to this organization, really help the players,” said Williams. “Whether I’m in a jersey, behind the bench or behind the scenes, I think Jacksonville will always be my home.

“You feel a connection to the fans because people go out of their way to be nice. When we do community events, probably 50 people will ask me about my family. When Camille was pregnant in [2021-22] training camp, a fan and friend brought us a baby gift every day after practice.”

Williams and Lodermeier, whose wife just gave birth to son Liam seven weeks ago, are the only fathers on the team and have lockers next to each other in the “Daddy corner.”

It’s possible this could be Williams’ last chapter as a professional goalie. He wants to savor whatever hockey memories he has left in a uniform.

If that includes leading the Icemen deep into the postseason, where they have never advanced beyond the second round, it might add to the organization’s desire to keep him employed off the ice.

For now, Charles Williams III has a more important job: seizing an opportunity to help the Icemen make some playoff history.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540    

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Icemen's Charles Williams a rarity as Black goaltender, respected as unsung hero