The Stingrays have added veteran skater Garet Hunt for the upcoming season. Hunt has suited up for 899 professional games over 15 seasons, 12 of those in the ECHL. He has spent time with the Stockton Thunder, Alaska Aces, Wheeling Nailers, and division rivals, the Jacksonville Icemen.
He has had a patch on his jersey for 8 of his 12 seasons in the ECHL, with captaincy beginning with the Stockton Thunder during the 2012-2013 season, and has made the playoffs four times in this leadership role. Hunt, 35, is not afraid to drop the gloves, as he’s the ECHL’s leader in career penalty minutes with 2,687 with 124 minutes coming in postseason play.
With the announcement of former captain Andrew Cherniwchan retiring, captain rumors have already begun. With no sign of Justin Florek returning, Hunt is going to provide some much-needed veteran guidance for the young team. While some of Coach Brenden Kotyk’s squad are returners from last season, many of them have not played a full professional season out of college. With a heavy hitter like Hunt added to the mix of Jackson Leppard and Chase Stewart, this team is not one to be messed with, but let’s just hope someone informs them of the new fighting rules that are going into effect this year.
