The South Carolina Stingrays have announced that they have signed forward Kyler Kupka, who just finished his fifth season with the St. Cloud State University Huskies.
St. Cloud State Career
Kyler Kupka has spent the last five seasons playing for the Huskies at St. Cloud State University. When Kupka first joined the team in the 2019-20 season, he struggled with finding his spot in the team’s lineup. In his freshman season, Kupka only played in 12 games for the Huskies, where he had two assists for two points. But, fast forward to his fifth and final season with the Huskies, Kupka played in all 38 games for the Huskies, setting career highs for goals, assists, and points. Kupka had 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points. He had 18 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +8. He was second in goals and third in assists and points on the team this season.
In his five collegiate seasons with St. Cloud, Kupka played in 145 games where he had 32 goals and 53 assists for 85 points with 19 multipoint games. He had 38 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +19. Kupka finishes his collegiate career at St. Cloud 64th in goals, tied for 57th in assists, and tied for 62nd in total points amongst all players in a St. Cloud uniform.
Leadership
During his time with the Huskies, Kupka never wore an “A” or “C” on his jersey, but that did not take away his leadership skills. Kupka’s love for the game is very apparent in the way he plays on the ice and is what makes him an even better player and leader. Kupka had a bit of a bumpy road at the start of his collegiate career when it came to fitting into the team’s roster, but that did not stop him from continuing to put in the work. In his fifth season, he became one of St. Cloud’s top players and solidified himself in the lineup with a lot more ice time. Kupka’s continued hard work and dedication for his team has helped him motivate and energize the other guys on the team, whether they are getting ice time or not.
Accolades
Kyler Kupka did not have any awards at the front end of his collegiate career due to his struggles with getting spot on the lineup. But as he continued to put in work, he started to see it pay off, starting in his senior season. In the 2022-23 season, Kupka won the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship with the Huskies. Then, after having a career-high season this year, Kupka earned himself an NCAA Hobey Baker Award nomination. The Hobey Baker Award is given out to the Top Collegiate Player.
Kupka will be joining his former St. Cloud State Captain, Spencer Meier, who is also with the Stingrays. The 24-year-old forward made his season debut on Friday Night in the Rays 3-2 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
