ECHL: Was Firing Brenden Kotyk The Right Move For The South Carolina Stingrays?

The South Carolina Stingrays announced on Friday, April 26th, that they have parted ways with Brenden Kotyk. The Stingrays hired Kotyk as an assistant coach in 2020 after he led the Toledo Walleyes in the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 2019 as a defensive player. It only took two years for him to be named interim Head coach when South Carolina fired Ryan Blair, and on April 7th of 2022, Brenden stepped up and filled their need. The Stingray would make it permanent twenty days later when, on April 27th, they announced that Kotyk would become South Carolina’s permanent head coach. During his tenure, Kotyk implemented a defensive-focused strategy emphasizing strong positioning and disciplined play, significantly improving the team’s performance until it didn’t.

Before his coaching debut in 2020, Kotyk embarked on a remarkable journey as a player, a testament to his dedication and perseverance. He was a defenseman in NCAA Hockey, proudly representing the University of Minnesota-Duluth for four seasons, even wearing the A in his final season. His skills then took him to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for seven games. Despite being sent down to the ECHL level, he never gave up, participating in 51 games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. His unwavering dedication and undeniable talent eventually led him to the Toledo Walleyes, where he played for two seasons, accumulating 100 games under his belt. 

Under Kotyk’s leadership, the South Carolina Stingrays showed promise. Coming into his position, the team had been in a slump, hence the firing of the previous coach, Blair. So, in the first year, Brenden cannot be held accountable for the Stingrays not making the finals. Last season, however, their 45-22-4 was similar to their record this season, but last year, it was enough for them to finish number one in the divisions with 95 points. Not this year. Despite missing the playoffs for only the third time in franchise history, the team finished the season with a respectable record of 39-26-4 and 85 points. They were just one point away from clinching a Kelly Cup Playoff spot this year, a testament to their progress under Kotyk’s guidance. -0ppppppppp

However, it became prevalent that not everything was right in Stingray’s barn when the last month of the regular season, the Stingray would fall to every opponent they played, including the Savannah Ghost Pirates, ranked next to last, who beat them 5-1 on April 5th. So, twenty-two days later, we see Kotyk relieved of his duties, and it’s not completely surprising. The team’s management cited a lack of consistent performance and failure to meet certain performance targets as the primary reasons for the decision. The Stingrays are tied with the Florida Everblades at six for the most times a team has advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals in ECHL history and are tied with Florida, Alaska, and Hampton Roads for their three Kelly Cup Championship wins. South Carolina went on the hunt immediately for a new head coach and did not name an interim. They will be searching for someone strong to take them back to the caliber of hockey synonymous with the Stingray name.