ECHL: South Carolina Stingrays Coaching Alumni In NHL

The South Carolina Stingrays are well-represented in the NHL this season, with four alumni now coaching: Jared Bednar, Cail Maclean, Spencer Carbery, and Ryan Warsofsky.

Jared Bednar started playing for the Stingrays during their 1995-96 season, amounting to 24 points. From 1995-1998, he played predominantly with the Stingrays, with brief stints in the AHL. He officially re-joined the Stingrays during the 1999-2000 season, where he played two full seasons before he retired after the 2001-02 season. From there, he remained with the Stingrays as their assistant coach from 2002 until 2007. After the previous coach, Jason Fitzsimmons, stepped down from the head coach position, Bednar was named his replacement. In only his second year, he guided the Stingrays to winning the Kelly Cup. After, he stepped down. Bednar now coaches for the Colorado Avalanche.

Cail MacLean joined the Stingrays in 2005, playing 46 games for 17 goals and 16 assists. In 2006, he was named captain. He spent the rest of his professional career in South Carolina until he retired in 2008, where he was named assistant coach. Alongside Bednar, he helped lead the Stingrays to their 2009 Kelly Cup victory. After Bednar stepped down, MacLean took over as head coach, where he led them to two Kelly Cup playoff appearances through the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. MacLean is now the assistant coach for the Calgary Flames.

Spencer Carbery joined the Stingrays during the 2008-09 season after operations for the Fresno Falcons were suspended. He played 39 games, amounting to 12 goals and seven assists. In the playoffs, Carbery netted five goals and eight assists. During the 2009-10 season, he signed a one-year contract and was named an alternate captain. In 2010, he retired from professional hockey, rejoining the Stingrays as an assistant coach. After MacLean stepped down, he became head coach and Director of Hockey Operations, making him the youngest head coach in the ECHL. In 2018, Carbery became the head coach for Stingray’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. On May 30, 2023, Carbery was named head coach for the Stingray’s and Hershey Bear’s NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals.

Ryan Warsofsky was the head coach for the Stingrays during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Both times he led the team to Kelly Cup appearances. He would go on to spend four seasons in the AHL, three of which he was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves. Warsofsky is now the assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks.