The South Carolina Stingrays continue to make moves this week, as they have just signed Patrick Harper for the upcoming season. The New York native will be returning to the States after spending the past two seasons overseas. He most recently saw action with the Kristianstads IK, a Swedish hockey club. There, he saw action in 36 games and tallied four goals and 11 assists.
Before starting his professional stint, Harper had a stellar college career with Boston University, posting 115 points in 128 matches. In his final season with the Terriers, he registered 37 points in 32 games and had the best +/- on the team with +11. After college, Harper also played for the Chicago Wolves and Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
This is not Harper’s first appearance in the ECHL, as he had previously played for the Stingrays division rival, the Florida Everblades. In his five-game stint with the team, he registered five goals and four assists.
During the U20 World Junior Championships in 2017-2018, Harper suited up alongside Brady Tkachuk, Scott Perunovich, Quinn Hughes, and Jake Oettinger for Team USA. He also shared the ice alongside Trevor Zegras at BU. He was also drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
It will be interesting to see how Harper fits into the lineup and gets reacquainted into the league with the Stingrays. In the past, Harper hasn’t spent much time in the penalty box, but with the re-signing of Leppard and Stewart, he should have no issues going to work on the ice.
