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ESTERO — Six months ago almost to the day, at Germain Arena, the Florida Everblades found themselves at one of the lowest points in their history: at the verge of being swept in the first round of the playoffs.

On Friday night, in that same arena, a very different Blades team was flying high after shutting out the Phoenix Roadrunners 7-0 — led by a very different coach, who guided the Blades’ rivals in Texas last season.

“I almost went on the other bench by accident ... I’m just so used to it,” first-year Blades coach Malcolm Cameron said. “But I was excited when we scored that first goal ... just hearing the crowd cheer and knowing it was for the team I was coaching.”

With a roster containing seven players from last year’s Texas Wildcatters team, the Blades and Cameron ushered in a new era of Southwest Florida pro hockey on Friday, starting with the preseason. Florida will play Phoenix again at 7:30 tonight. The regular season starts next Friday night at 7:30 against Charlotte.

The Blades’ bench Friday was almost unrecognizable. Gone was the looming silhouette of 6-foot-5, seven-year coach Gerry Fleming, plus all but three faces from last year’s Blades team.

One of those three faces, Ernie Hartlieb, earned the loudest cheers from the crowd, especially after he tallied the second assist on Florida’s first goal — just four minutes into the game. Perhaps more surprising was the first assist on the goal, a nice pass from behind the net by Riley Emmerson, which set up Aaron Brocklehurst for a straight-on shot on goal. Emmerson, the 6-foot-8 enforcer, was expected to provide punches and little else this season, but he showed he had a few other dimensions to his game.

The biggest offensive night among the newcomers was from center Justin Bowers, who attended Canada’s St. Thomas University the last two seasons. Bowers had two goals and two assists, including a nice one-on-one breakaway in the third period, to make his bid for a Blades roster spot.

“I was nervous all day,” Bowers said. “But as soon as you get out there all the nerves just go away. ... We have a great team here, and I’m just trying to work my way up to the top of the list.”

The Blades defense was also solid, holding Phoenix to nine total shots in the final two periods. The Roadrunners only seemed to muster offense on the man-advantage. And each time they did manage to control the puck, the Blades stole it in their defensive zone, blocked shots or relied on rookie goalie David Leggio, who stoned Phoenix for a shutout in his first-ever pro game.

“It was good to get in there,” Leggio said. “To show the guys that you deserve to be here, ... it’s more confidence, more comfortable.”

On a night when everything seemed shockingly different for the Blades at Germain Arena, fans could have been apprehensive about all the changes wrought by Cameron.

But the newcomers proved more than capable. It was seemingly never in doubt, with the Blades outplaying Phoenix and controlling possession of the puck throughout the game, despite the healthy scratches of key players Kevin Baker, Jacob Micflikier, A.J. Thelen and Craig Switzer, who will all play tonight.

Cameron had said he’d sit veteran players in favor of watching younger players battle on the ice for roster spots. The Blades will likely cut three players from the current roster before the regular season begins.