With their inaugural season less than two months away, the Trenton Ironhawks are beginning to take shape both on and off the ice.
The ECHL team spent much of the summer preparing for its first season at CURE Insurance Arena, hiring veteran coach Chuck Weber, establishing ties with the community and beginning to build a roster with strong New Jersey connections.
The Ironhawks announced Sept. 3 that they had signed their first five players: Princeton native Luke Antonacci, John Gelatt of Middletown, Anthony Firriolo of Towaco, Mikey Colella of Turnersville and Nick Carabin of Mahwah, a former Princeton University defenseman.
Antonacci, 23, played youth hockey with the Mercer Chiefs before appearing in 127 NCAA games between the University of Maine and Lake Superior State University. He began his professional career last season, appearing in 15 games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies.
Carabin, 26, played 80 games at Princeton University before finishing his college career at the University of Connecticut. He appeared in 52 ECHL games last season with the Cincinnati Cyclones and Iowa Heartlanders.
The signings are another step toward opening night for a team that has spent the past year establishing its identity in Trenton.
Professional hockey’s return to the city was announced in September 2025, when the ECHL Board of Governors approved the transfer of the Utah Grizzlies franchise to Pro Hockey Partners LLC and its relocation to CURE Insurance Arena for the 2026-27 season.
The move brings ECHL hockey back to Trenton for the first time since the Trenton Titans ceased operations in 2013.
The Titans began play in 1999 and won the Kelly Cup in 2005. The New Jersey Devils purchased the franchise in 2006 and renamed it the Trenton Devils the following year. The franchise suspended operations after the 2010-11 season before local investors brought back the Titans name in 2011. The team folded two years later amid financial difficulties and declining attendance.
The Ironhawks’ ownership group is led by Lawrence Township resident Joe Eng, a technology executive who serves as managing member of the 14-partner Pro Hockey Partners consortium.
When the relocation was announced, Eng said the group wanted the franchise to contribute to the region beyond the rink.
“This is very important for us to be part of, and I will ask you to hold us accountable to that,” Eng said. “This is very personal for us. Many of us live here. Many of us work here.”
The new club got its name in January following a two-month contest that drew more than 2,000 submissions.
Lawrence resident Jim Miller and Bordentown resident Joel Perez both submitted the winning Ironhawks name and received season ticket memberships for the inaugural season.
Team President Bob Ohrablo said the name was designed to reflect both the region and Trenton’s industrial heritage. The hawk represents strength and spirit, while the iron reference recognizes the industry and workers associated with the city.
The team adopted blue, gray and red as its primary colors, with its logo featuring a hawk whose body is formed by what the organization described as sheets of iron.
While establishing the franchise’s identity was one task, building the hockey operation was another.
That process took a major step June 16, when the Ironhawks introduced Weber as their first head coach during a press conference in the team’s locker room at CURE Insurance Arena.
For Weber, the job represents a return to where his professional coaching career began.
He was an assistant coach for the Trenton Titans in 2001 and 2002, beginning a career that has included numerous stops in professional hockey. As a head coach in the ECHL, Weber reached the playoffs five times and won Kelly Cup championships with the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2008 and 2010.
Ironhawks General Manager Mathieu Darche opened the June press conference with an update on renovations at the arena and emphasized the role the new franchise hopes to play in creating positive change in Trenton.
Ohrablo followed by discussing the organization’s expectations for the Ironhawks before introducing Weber.
Weber said the team would have two primary goals under his leadership.
The first is developing players who can eventually reach the National Hockey League.
The Ironhawks announced in May that they would serve as an ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, providing a potential path for players to advance through the professional hockey system.
The ECHL is considered a “AA” professional hockey league, two levels below the NHL, and its teams frequently serve as developmental affiliates for NHL organizations.
But Weber said the Ironhawks’ mission extends beyond developing hockey players.
He wants the team to become part of the community in Mercer and Bucks counties and said he wants players “with their feet on the ground here.”
That community connection is expected to include participation in youth hockey programs and involvement with local organizations, including boys and girls clubs and the Hamilton YMCA.
Weber said in June that he and his family planned to relocate to Mercer County, where his son could also participate in local youth hockey programs.
The emphasis on local connections has continued as the organization has assembled its roster.
Ohrablo said the Ironhawks wanted the team to reflect New Jersey from the beginning.
“When we created the Ironhawks, we knew we wanted to have a strong Jersey flavor to this team,” Ohrablo said.
Weber also pointed to the growth of youth hockey throughout the state.
“Youth hockey is thriving in New Jersey and this is an example of its growth,” Weber said. “I know these five young men are excited to compete for a spot on the Ironhawks’ inaugural roster.”
The first group of players brings a mixture of professional and college experience.
Gelatt, 25, played all 72 games for Utah last season, recording 14 goals and 24 points after a four-year college career at Holy Cross.
Firriolo, 28, is preparing for his fourth ECHL season after recording seven goals and 24 assists in 57 games with the Atlanta Gladiators and Iowa Heartlanders last season.
Colella, 25, played 39 games for Utah last season after a five-year college career at Northern Michigan University and Canisius University.
The ECHL franchise now based in Trenton also has a long history.
It began as the Denver Grizzlies in 1994, won the International Hockey League’s Turner Cup during its first season and moved to Salt Lake City the following year, where it won another championship.
The Grizzlies later played in the American Hockey League before joining the ECHL in 2005. Over the years, the organization developed players who went on to the NHL and had affiliations with several NHL franchises.
Now that history is beginning a new chapter in Trenton.
For the Ironhawks, the player signings represent the latest milestone in a buildup that has included relocating a franchise, choosing a new identity, hiring a coaching staff, renovating their new home and establishing the organization’s place in the community.
The next major milestone comes Saturday, Oct. 24, when professional hockey returns to CURE Insurance Arena and the Ironhawks play their first home game against the Adirondack Thunder.
Keywords: Trenton Ironhawks, CURE Insurance Arena, Chuck Weber, ECHL, Trenton hockey
The main improvements were small: less repetition of “franchise,” cleaner transitions into the Weber section and the Utah history, and more precise wording around the five Sept. 3 signings.
