The South Carolina Stingrays have just unveiled their highly anticipated protected players list, a crucial step in their strategy for the upcoming season. This release, in compliance with the ECHL rules, is a significant moment for the team and its fans. The guidelines aim to ensure fairness. Allowing each team to protect as many players as they wish. The selected players must meet the guidelines set forth by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.
The Guidelines, which carry significant weight, state that teams will retain the rights to each player that:
1. Signed an SPC in 2024-25 with the Member and has not been traded or released, OR
2. Signed an SPC in 2024-25, and was recalled to the NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released, OR
3. Had received a Qualifying Offer last summer for the current Season, DID NOT sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released, OR
4. Has been suspended by the Member or League and has not been traded or released, OR
5. Signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2024-25 Regular Season, then subsequently signed an NHL/AHL contract, and has not been traded or released, OR
6. Has executed the ECHL Retirement Form and has not been traded or released.
Goaltender:
Defensemen:
- Romain Rodzinski
- Connor Moore
- Peter DiLiberatore
- Jordan Klimek
- Blake Thompson
- Reilly Webb
- Andrew Perrott
- Jacob Graves
Forwards:
- Dean Loukus
- Ben Hawerchuk
- Charlie Combs
- Lynden Breen
- Kyler Kupka
- Josh Wilkins
- Ivan Lodnia
- Jarid Lukosevicius
- Jeremy Davidson
- Jamie Engelbert
On the protected list, there are many fan favorites, each with a unique contribution to the team. Here are some standout facts about those players:
Stingrays Goaltending:
Seth Eisele joined the South Carolina Stingrays this season after playing 42 games in the NCAA with a GAA of 2.67 and an SV% of .913 at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Seth played 31 games with a GAA of 2.30 and a SV% of .914. Eisele joined the AHL Hershey Bears, signing an AHL contract in November. With the Bears, he saw one game with a GAA of 4.10 and an SV% of .800.
Stingrays Defensemen:
Connor Moore joined the Stingrays in the 2020-21 season from Boston College. He played 139 games in the NCAA, scoring nine goals, 36 assists, 45 points, and 64 career total penalty minutes. Moore has competed in 278 games with 24 goals, 120 assists, 144 points, and 132 penalty minutes.
Blake Thompson joined the Stingrays in the 2024-25 season from the EIHL’s (English International Hockey League) Coventry Blaze. Thompson played in the EIHL—first with the Coventry Blaze, then with the Cardiff Devils. Prior to heading overseas, Blake played in the ECHL for five seasons, accumulating 308 games with 16 goals, 81 assists, 97 points, and 219 penalty minutes. The Stingrays announced Blake as the Alternate Captain for the 2024-25 season.
Andrew Perrott joined the Stingrays in the 2024-25 season from the Indy Fuel. Perrot spent two seasons between the Fuel and the AHL’s IceHogs. During the first season with the Stingrays, Perrott spent time with South Carolina’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Perrotts’ ECHL total games played sit at 144, with 12 goals, 38 assists, 50 points, and 212 penalty minutes. In the AHL, Perrott saw 52 games with three goals, eight assists, 11 points, and 87 penalty minutes.
Jacob Graves joined the Stingrays in the 2024-25 season from the Toledo Walleye. In the 2023-24 season, the Atlanta Gladiators traded Graves to the Walleye, where he then joined SC. Since 2016, Graves has played on ten ECHL teams and one AHL team. He has worn the A for Alternate Captain while with the Wichita Thunder before becoming the Captain in South Carolina. Jacob has played 378 ECHL games with 14 goals, 71 assists, 85 points, and 757 penalty minutes. In his AHL time, Graves has competed in 42 games, with four goals, four assists, eight points, and 58 penalty minutes.
Stingrays Forwards:
Ben Hawerchuk joined the South Carolina Stingrays in 2023 from the Cincinnati Cyclones. Hawerchuk joined the ECHL in the 2021-22 season, first debuting with the Jacksonville Icemen. During Ben’s time with the ECHL, he has played in 140 games, scoring 29 goals, 33 assists, and earning 62 points. Hawerchuk has also played for teams in the EIHL, Sweden, Italy, OSHL, and the OHL.
Charlie Combs joined the Stingrays in the 2024-25 season after spending two years in the EIHL and one year in Denmark. Before his time overseas, Combs joined the ECHL right out of Michigan State University. In the ECHL, Combs has played 81 games with 29 goals, 26 assists, and 55 points. While in the EIHL, he played 84 games, scoring 46 goals, 50 assists, and 96 points. In Denmark, he appeared in 45 games, tallying 20 goals, 19 assists, and 39 points.
Josh Wilkins joined the Stingrays in 2022 after spending time in the Swedish league playing for the Västerviks IK and the HC Vita Hästen. Before that, Wilkins joined the AHL from Providence College as part of the Milwaukee Admirals, followed by a loan to the Tucson Roadrunners. Wilkins has played 81 AHL games with six goals, 14 assists, and 20 points; 163 ECHL games with 63 goals, 95 assists, and 158 points.
Kyler Kupka joined the Stingrays at the end of the 2023-24 season from St. Cloud University. During his NCAA career, Kupka played 145 games with 32 goals, 53 assists, and 85 points. Since joining the Stingrays, Kupka has played 61 games with 29 goals, 28 assists, and 57 points. The ECHL named Kyler to the 2024-25 All-Rookie Team. Kupka has also had the opportunity to play in the AHL on loan to the Calgary Wranglers, playing 12 games with no goals, two assists, and two points.
It was surprising not to see names like Tyler Weiss, Erik Middendorf, and Micah Miller on the list, as they all had a great season. This doesn’t mean that they won’t return next season; they may still re-sign in the offseason. However, South Carolina demonstrates that it’s still building, strengthening its depth and lines as it evaluates every member of its team.
Upcoming
Alongside this announcement, the ECHL has established the due dates for Future Consideration trades, set for 3 pm on June 20th. This leads to the Season-Ending Roster, which teams must submit by 3 pm on June 22nd. Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players and cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2024-25.
After its stellar season, South Carolina must now make some key decisions. Breaking records and winning the Brabham Cup was just the start of this comeback, kid. Even with their first-round exit in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Stingrays are still a team that should not be slept on. With the search for a new head coach and the looming dates coming, we expect to see a coaching announcement soon. Jared Nightingale led the revival of this once-dominating team and helped restore their glory. The next coach will have big shoes to fill in the continuation of rebuilding the Stingrays.
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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