Zawyer Sports & Entertainment announced Oct. 15, 2026, that Baptist Health is the official healthcare partner of the Jacksonville Icemen and Jacksonville Waves. The partnership covers the Jacksonville-based professional men’s hockey and women’s basketball teams and is focused on athlete health, wellness and performance.
Baptist Health will provide medical expertise and advanced healthcare resources to Icemen and Waves athletes throughout their respective seasons. The organizations will work together to prioritize player health, support performance and provide resources for athletes competing in the ECHL and UPSHOT League.
Baptist Health partners with two Jacksonville teams
The Jacksonville Icemen are a professional hockey team competing in the ECHL and play their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The Jacksonville Waves are a professional women’s basketball franchise competing in the UPSHOT League. Both teams are owned and operated by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, which is headquartered in Jacksonville.
Baptist Health is based in Jacksonville and describes itself as Northeast Florida’s largest healthcare system. It is a locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health system. The partnership connects the healthcare provider with two professional teams owned and operated by a Jacksonville sports organization.
“By securing a multifaceted partnership with Baptist Health, Zawyer Sports and our local professional sports teams now have a competitive edge on and off the ice and court,” said Mike DeMartino, Chief Revenue Officer of Zawyer Sports & Entertainment. “Baptist Health has a longstanding reputation as a trusted healthcare provider in our region, and we’re proud to have such an established, credible partner supporting what matters most – the health and well-being of our athletes.”
Andy Kaufmann, CEO of Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, said the Jacksonville connection between the organizations was important to the agreement. “As a Jacksonville-based company, it’s important to us to build relationships with organizations that are equally invested in this community,” Kaufmann said. “Baptist Health is exactly that, and this partnership allows us to pair those shared roots with a commitment to giving the Icemen and Waves the support they need to perform at their best.”
Partnership covers hockey and basketball
The healthcare resources will support athletes in both organizations rather than being limited to one team or sport. Zawyer Sports & Entertainment owns and operates multiple professional teams and is the force behind the UPSHOT League. Baptist Health’s work with the Icemen and Waves adds one healthcare partnership across the organization’s Jacksonville professional hockey and women’s basketball programs.
Eric Fletcher, MBA, FACHE, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Baptist Health, said the health system will bring expertise in areas including orthopedics to its work with the teams. “Sports have a unique way of inspiring people, bringing communities together and encouraging active lifestyles,” Fletcher said. “We’re proud to bring the expertise of Northeast Florida’s largest health system, especially in areas like orthopedics, to support the athletes of the Icemen and Waves and encourage people across our community to live active, healthy lives.”
FSB Take
The partnership brings Baptist Health together with both of Zawyer Sports & Entertainment’s Jacksonville professional teams. Its stated purpose is to provide medical expertise and advanced healthcare resources for Jacksonville Icemen and Jacksonville Waves athletes throughout their seasons. That gives the ECHL hockey team and UPSHOT League women’s basketball franchise a shared healthcare relationship tied to athlete health, wellness and performance.
Source: Original report