ECHL: 2024-25 End of Season Review | South Carolina Stingrays

The South Carolina Stingrays saw an end to the season that last year no one would have seen coming. After firing their coach and bringing on a new one, no one knew what the season would look like. Preseason gave a slight hint, but nothing prepared us for the record-breaking season that came.

The Stingrays concluded the 2024-25 regular season with an outstanding record of 52 wins, 15 losses, three overtime losses, and two shootout losses. Their exceptional plays and unwavering determination led to a record-breaking 109 points this season, securing their first place in the league. This remarkable season also earned them the prestigious title of the 2025 Brabham Cup Champion, a feat they had previously achieved only once in their franchise history during the 1996-97 season.

This season marks the eighth time the South Carolina Stingrays will finish the year with the best record in the South Division. Stingrays, in this historic season, also broke their franchise single-season wins record with their 49th victory in their last regular-season game.

Team Performance

With 72 games played, the Stingrays garnered 279 goals, 161 goals against, and a 78.2 win percentage. These numbers reflect the changes that were implemented with the hiring of Jared Nightingale as the new head coach. Nightingale’s previous special-teams coaching experience has enabled the Stingrays to sit in third place in the league. The Stingrays boast a 23.2 power-play team percentage with 53 goals scored out of 228 opportunities. Their power kill team comes in first in the league with an 85.9, with 207 kills on 241 opportunities. With the power kill team, the Stingrays sit tied in seventh for short-handed goals at nine.

The Stingrays’ home games were a source of pride, resulting in 29 wins, three losses, and four overtime losses. The team’s performance at home was a testament to their dedication and hard work. On the road, the Stingrays faced more challenges, with 23 wins, 12 losses, and one overtime loss.

The Stingrays faced a diverse crowd in the South Division, with powerhouse teams like the Florida Everblades, Orlando Solar Bears, and Jacksonville Icemen, as well as rebuilding teams like the Atlanta Gladiators, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, and the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Despite this diversity, the Stingrays showed their dominance, finishing the season as the best team in the South Division.

Season Breakdown

The Stingrays’ 72-game schedule was marked by consistent performance, with 25 weeks of play and an average of almost three games per week. They faced their most common opponent, Greenville, in 12 games. The team’s game scoring breakdown against various opponents was as follows: Greenville 9-3, Jacksonville 6-3, Savannah 6-2, Atlanta 4-4, Florida 5-3, Orlando 5-2, Norfolk 3-1, Worcester 4-0, Rapid City 3-1, Adirondack 1-1, Maine 2-0, Kalamazoo 2-0, Wheeling 1-0, Reading 1-0.

The South Carolina Stingrays started the season off strong, with wins outweighing the losses in October (2-1) and November (10-4). However, December proved to be the most challenging month. Despite losses against Savannah (2), Atlanta (1), Florida (1), Jacksonville (1), and Orlando (1), the Stingrays did not lose hope. The New Year’s Eve game against the Savannah Ghost Pirates was a turning point. With a winning score of 11-3, the Stingrays showed their resilience and dominated the rest of the season. January 8-4, February 9-3, March 13-1, and April 4-1.

In April, the Stingrays would advance to Round One of the Kelly Cup playoffs after winning the Brabham Cup. The Orlando Solar Bears, their opponent for the series, would cause the Stingrays a first-round playoff exit after a seven-game series. This is the thirteenth time in 32 seasons that the Stingrays would not make it to round two, leaving them with a playoff record of 3-4 for the 2024-25 season. This marked a significant change from the 23-24 season finals, where the Stingrays did not qualify for only the third time in team history.

Players

While every member of the team is essential, there are a few who excelled this season.

Goaltenders:

The Notorious G.I.B., as he is often referred to, Mitchell Gibson, would see the least amount of games as a regular rostered team member. Ice time in 14 games gave Gibson a 12-2 record with a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.75 and a save Percentage (SV%) of .933. During the season, Mitchell would get called up to the AHL Hershey Bears, going 1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and an SV% of .929. However, that wouldn’t be his last stop of the season. The NHL’s Washington Capitals would call up Gibson, but he wouldn’t see any ice time. In the postseason, Gibson saw four games with a record of 1-3, maintaining a 3.40 GAA and an SV% of .870.

Garin Bjorklund saw the second-most gameplay with 29 games this season. With a 21-7 record, Bjorklund held steady with a 2.02 GAA and an SV% of .927. In the postseason, Garin net minded one game, recording a loss with 3 GAA, giving him an SV% of .864, the lowest he has seen since his very first game with the Stingrays. During the season, the AHL 1.75 1.75

Hershey Bears would call upon Garin twice, giving him a 2-0 record with a GAA of 1.49 and an SV% of .942. Bjorklund recently re-signed with the Washington Capitals on a two-way one-year contract at the league minimum worth 775,000.

Seth Eisele had the most ice time out of all South Carolina’s goalies. Seth participated in 31 games with a 19-11 record, holding a 2.30 GAA and a SV% of .914. In the postseason, Eisele would have the least amount of play time due to his time with the AHL Hershey Bears.

Leading Forwards:

Kyler Kupka, in his second season in the Low Country, saw 54 games with 27 goals, 26 assists, and 53 points. Kupka would also play 12 games in the AHL on loan to the Calgary Wranglers, with two assists and two total points. During the postseason, Kyler would participate in all seven games the Stingrays played, amassing one goal, two assists, and three points.

Charlie Combs, a new addition to the team, was in his first season with South Carolina, playing 64 games with 26 goals, 24 assists, and 50 points. In the postseason, Combs dressed for all seven games and collected two goals, no assists, and two points.

Josh Wilkins, Alternate Captain, played his third season with the Stingrays, seeing 59 games, 22 goals, 36 assists, and 58 total points. In the postseason, Wilkins would collect four goals, three assists, and seven points in the seven games he played.

Tyler Weiss, as a first-year Stingray teammate, saw 63 games, scoring 22 goals, 34 assists, and 56 points. Weiss would play all seven postseason games. However, he collected only three assists and three points.

Leading Defensemen:

Connor Moore, finishing his fifth year with the team, saw 65 games with 10 goals, 30 assists, and 40 points. In the postseason, Moore played four of seven games with one goal, two assists, and three points earned. I had the pleasure of speaking to Moore after their Adirondak win, and not only was he very polite, but he also made sure that I knew how much all this wouldn’t have worked without his teammates and their dedication.

Jayden Lee, a rookie in his first ECHL season, played 48 games, earning eight goals and 24 assists, garnering 32 points. Once the postseason hit, Lee would participate in all seven games with two goals, one assist, and three points, leading the Defensemen on the team.

Blake Thompson, Alternate Captain, played his seventh ECHL season, first with the Stingrays. During this season, Thompson played 68 games with two goals, 29 assists, and 31 points. In the postseason, Thompson would play in all but one game, with no goals, two assists, and two points earned.

Jason Graves, Stingray Captain, played his ninth season in the ECHL and his first with the Rays in the 2024-25 season. Graves saw 51 games with three goals. 10 assists and 13 points. In the postseason, Graves played in six of seven games, scoring no goals or points.

Emerging Talent:

Dean Loukas, joining the Stingrays this season from the OHL, played 53 games with five goals and seven assists. During the postseason, Dean would see the ice in all seven games with one goal, three assists, and four points earned. Loukas’ experience with the OHL saw him receive the Alternate Captain during part of the Saginaw Spirit. Loukas’ contributions during the season and playoffs make him a player to watch. Consistently throughout the season, Loukas maintained a high level of play.

Lynden Breen, in his first year of professional hockey, joined the Stingrays at the end of the 2024-25 season. Playing in five games with two goals, two assists, and four points, Breen showed his determination to be the best he could be. Once in the postseason, Breen would participate in all seven games with no goals, two assists, and two points earned. His offensive talent shone most in the postseason, where he consistently held his own. At the University of Maine, he wore the Captain’s C in his last two seasons and the Alternate Captain A before that.

Special Nights

The South Carolina Stingrays pride themselves on their commitment to its fans and the local area. In that commitment, the Stingrays have held several theme nights that have had special meaning not just to them but to everyone involved.

CHS Flickr — Teddy Bear Toss
ECHL | South Carolina Stingrays

January 18, Military Appreciation Night – Military Appreciation Night is always close to the Stingrays’ heart, as they are located within three hours of multiple military installations belonging to different branches. This game had an estimated attendance of over 7,500.

November 23rd, First Responders Night – With a former Stingray, now a local Charleston Firefighter, and the devastation South Carolina saw during the hurricane season, this game hit home a little more. With over 7,700 people in attendance, the Stingrays honored not only Hugo Marchand but everyone who responded to the need after the storms.

While the following did not have the highest attendance, they were two of the biggest nights in support of Charities:

December 7, Teddy Bear Toss– A crowd of over 5,000 released an astounding 14,521 bears on the Stingrays after the first goal was scored. The Stingrays came in second in our ECHL Teddy Bear Toss Championship for 2024-25.

December 8, Annual Undie Sunday Game – A crowd of over 4,000 fans packed the North Charleston Coliseum to participate in one of the season’s most impactful events, collecting 3,500 packages of new undergarments.

Coaching

The South Carolina Stingrays have faced coaching instability in recent years. During the 2023–24 season, they parted ways with Brendan Kotyk after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs—only the third time they missed the postseason since 2007.

Enter Jared Nightingale. Once South Carolina parted ways, they would bring on AHL IceHogs special teams coach Jared Nightingale. Nightingale would immediately get to work to turn the team around. Starting with how the players were treated, there was an immediate response to the changes. During my interview with Nightingale, I asked him what he had done. He stated, “Trying to make every player feel valuable ’cause they are.” That was what was prevalent on the ice. You could see that these players now felt valued. With that, it directly correlated to their performance with their best season start since 2020,

Nightingale faced his challenges, though. The period from the end of November to December 31 was a challenging time for the Stingrays. Nightingale knew what was needed. “These guys are in and out of the lineup. I mean, look at what we are going through right now. Our depth getting tested, every player is important. I lived it as a player, so it’s nice to be a coach now and try and communicate that to our team. “That communication turned things around, and I saw the Stingrays making waves.

The complete turnaround of the Stingrays would place Nightingale in the running for the John Brophy Award. An award is given out each season to the Coach who has contributed the most to their team’s success. Under Nightingale, the Stingrays would put the previous season’s failure behind them with a 24-point improvement, breaking their franchise record with 109 points. He would also lead them to a record 29 home wins and 52 wins overall.

Unfortunately, the Stingrays would only get one season with Nightingale, as he had recently accepted the head coach position with his previous AHL team, the IceHogs. South Carolina, as of publication, has not selected a new coach.

What Lies Ahead

The Stingrays will have a busy off-season, including hiring a new coach and developing areas that need improvement. Some of the most significant areas that South Carolina needs to work on are their Blue Depth, penalty kills, and crease. With big-name players like Jacob Graves and Connor Moore, the defenders possess a wealth of talent that can impart valuable experience to players who struggled last season. With Forwards Charlie Combs and Josh Wilkins, the Stingrays can get the puck and make plays. However, their strategies have to be developed for these players to show improvement.

Part of the struggle the Stingrays have faced has also been maintaining their powerhouse level of play throughout the entire game. There were periods in the previous season when SC seemed to run out of steam, allowing teams to get ahead and alter the narrative. These issues were especially exploited in the postseason. While the team had six Forwards with over 20 goals, they had more seasoned players with less than 15. This is a concern due to the number of players that get called up to the AHL. Obtaining players who can strengthen these areas could give the Stingrays what they need to advance further than they have in recent years.

What’s Next?

Two very important dates are coming up: Future Consideration trades must be finalized by June 20, and season-ending rosters are due by June 22.

The Stingrays will host their season opener against the Norfolk Admirals on Saturday, October 18, in Charleston. The puck drops at 6:05 pm EDT.