NORTH CHARLESTON, SC- The South Carolina Stingrays will commence their 18th season in the ECHL on October 22, 2010 on the road against the Gwinnett Gladiators. The ‘Rays have made the playoffs 17 times in 18 seasons and have won three ECHL Championships.
South Carolina also begins its seventh season as an affiliate of the National Hockey League Capitals and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
The club was eliminated in the opening round of last season’s playoffs by the eventual Kelly Cup Champions the Cincinnati Cyclones. It was a hard fought series that featured three overtime games and went the distance before Cincinnati moved on and eventually captured their third Kelly Cup.
A quick analysis of the current roster shows that on paper the team should once again be a playoff contender with a nice balance of experience from some very popular returnees, new signees and promising rookies. However, in minor Pro Hockey rosters are often very fluid and the season’s starting roster will no doubt undergo extensive change as the season progresses and call-ups commence. Additionally, the team looks like it will commence the season with one rookie goaltender and another who has played 40 ECHL games.
They also have a little less experience on the blue line than they have had in previous seasons. They do have the rich tradition of one of the most successful ECHL franchises to motivate the newcomers.
The ‘Rays’ welcome a new neighbor to the South Division of the American Conference in Greenville South Carolina. The Road Warriors who relocated from Johnstown, PA and the ‘Rays’ should develop a strong rivalry given both team’s South Carolina location.
Coaching Staff: Cail MacLean returns for his second season as Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. He guided the Stingrays to a record of 41-19-6-6 and 94 points in his rookie coaching season. The ‘Rays finished tied in points for first place in the South Division but finished second to the Charlotte Checkers who are now members of the American Hockey League. MacLean as a player had long term stints at the AHL level and overall racked up 524 points including 266 goals in 747 professional career games over 11 seasons. He played three seasons with the ‘Rays and after retirement was hired two seasons ago as assistant coach. He served in this role during the team’s last Kelly Cup win in the 2008-09 season. His subsequent appointment as head coach followed a long Stingrays’ tradition of selecting and promoting from within.
Last season his brief experience behind the bench was a question mark but his first year results quickly proved his on-ice leadership translated to behind the bench success. MacLean was captain of three different teams over his playing career including wearing the “C” in South Carolina as a player.
Spencer Carbery, a veteran ECHL player who most recently played two season with the ‘Rays will join MacLean behind the bench as assistant coach. He should add strength and relieve some of the burden that MacLean shouldered last year as he operated without an assistant.
Forwards: The initial roster of front-line skaters for the ‘Rays looks to be extremely talented and formidable. The current roster lists 12 forwards, seven of whom have previously spent time in South Carolina. The team will have a great mix of firepower and defensive minded forwards.
New veterans added through signings include 6’2”, 210 lbs Dan Eves who played in Trenton of the ECHL last season registering 23 goals and 22 assists. The Michigan product will enter his third full ECHL season. He had 102 minutes in penalties and will add toughness upfront. Tommy Goebel who played at Michigan State University and then at Ohio State University played one season in the ECHL with Wheeling and last year played in Germany. He has also appeared in 26 games in the AHL.
Returnees include fan favorites Pierre Luc-O’Brien and Maxime Lacroix who return to the team after stints elsewhere last season. Both were part of the 2008-09 Kelly Cup Championship. O’Brien played in Germany last year. Lacroix who posted 33 goals and 31 assists in the 2008-09 season in South Carolina was part of the Cincinnati Cyclones Kelly Cup Champion team last season. The 6’0” native of Quebec split his time between Cincinnati and the AHL last season.
Veterans Trent Campbell who led the team in scoring last season with 20 goals and 48 assists and Mat Scherer both return for their fourth season in the low country. Campbell and Scherer have played large roles in franchise successes while here and add great work ethic to the team. Scherer racked up 15 goals and 28 assists last season.
Other returning forwards include Russia’s Nikita Kashirsky, 25, who divided his time between the ‘Rays and two AHL teams last season. A player out of a Division III college program he was a vital part of the 2008-09 Kelly Cup after joining the team just in time to qualify for the playoffs. Last season he scored 19 goals and added 16 assists for 35 points playing in 39 games in South Carolina last season. The Moscow native is a boyhood friend of Alex Ovechkin.
Additionally, strong performers returning include Rob Ricci, 24 and big Jake Hauswirth, 22, 6’5” 210 lbs who skated his junior hockey with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. Hauswirth, who was raised in Wisconsin, became increasingly valuable last year his first pro season when call-ups and injuries decimated the roster. Used on the penalty kill and on the power play, he scored 44 points including 17 goals in 62 games. Ricci out of Brampton, Ontario was the team’s second leading scorer last year leading the team with 25 goals and chipping in 25 assists. Another USHL product he played college hockey at Merrimack College.
The rookies also look capable of making an impact. They include a Washington Capitals first round draft choice Anton Gustafsson who played professionally in Sweden last season. 6’2”, 194 lbs, the rookie was the 21st pick in the 2008 NHL draft. He is joined by David de Kastrozza who played three games last year with South Carolina after his college career ended at the University of Maine. At 6’3” and 200 lbs he is both large and fast according to scouting reports. He hails from Toms River, NJ. Jordan Pietrus, age 25 starts his first year of professional hockey after attending and playing at Brown University for four seasons. He will not play immediately as he was recently placed on the injured reserve list. Pietrus out of Alberta played his junior hockey in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
Defense: The defensive corps which has become a hallmark of South Carolina teams enters the season with less experience than in previous years. The cadre will be led by Nate Kiser, a fan favorite and the heart and soul of the defense. This will be his seventh season in South Carolina where his toughness and steady play is highly appreciated. Joining Kiser is returnee Dylan Yeo entering his fourth season in the ECHL and second season in Charleston. He scored 30 points last year including 14 goals in 49 games. Also coming back is Josh Godfrey who will start his third season in South Carolina. Injuries limited him to just 29 games last season. The 6’1”, 210 lbs forward and his blazing shot from the point are a welcome return to the squad. Grant Farrell looks to be a full-time add to the roster after appearing to make the team last year only to get displaced by a late add from Hershey. He went to the Southern Professional Hockey League but was recalled after 15 games finishing the season and playing in 42 games for the ‘Rays. He played well and is expected to settle in as part of this year’s team. Zach Jones who played 18 games last season for the team returns for his first full year of professional hockey. The former University of North Dakota player hails from Lisle, Illinois. Rookie D-men include Jeff Caister who played in four games last year after completion of his college career at St Lawrence University, a recent Washington Capitals free agent signing Dustin Stevenson and Patrick Cullity.
Stevenson a rugged 6’5”, 220 lbs was the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Player of the year last season. He racked up 134 penalty minutes last season. Cullity, 6’2”, 200 lbs out of Tewksbury, MA played collegiate hockey at the University of Vermont. He appeared to have made the AHL Hershey Bears’ roster until the Edmonton Oilers agreed to loan NHL experienced defenseman Sheldon Souray to the Bears as part of their dispute with the big defenseman.
Goaltending: The ‘Rays will start this season with two American born goaltenders. Beau Erickson out of Hinton, IA has appeared in 40 games in his professional career over two seasons after a three-year college career at the University of Connecticut. His longest stint in the ECHL in the 2009-10 season was with the Utah Grizzlies. The 6’1” Erickson played in 17 games posting a 5-7-3 record, a .899 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.32. He came to South Carolina late in the season and won the two games he appeared in for the ‘Rays.
The other member of the goalie tandem is rookie Jared DeMichiel, 6’1” 180 lbs of Avon Connecticut who played four years of NCAA hockey at Rochester Institute of Technology. Last season he led RIT into the NCAA final four. DeMichiel posted a 41-19-2 career mark at RIT along with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
Both goalies played junior hockey in the United States Hockley League and the North American Hockey League before earning college scholarships. Each will get the chance to earn the number one starting spot although based on the previous two season’s constant call-ups of goaltenders Coach MacLean is likely to play both unless one establishes a clear performance edge. The goaltending going into this season does not look on paper as strong as last year’s the initial lineup but both have solid hockey backgrounds.
Broadcasting: Joseph Zakrzewski starts his second season behind the mike for the ‘Rays. Joey Z as he is known has quickly become a fan favorite. He previously worked as a broadcasting intern for the Houston Aeros of the AHL. The Texas born and educated broadcaster played college club level hockey at Sam Houston State University. He handles all media relations activities for the team, manages the content on the Stingrays website, and serves as the team’s play-by-play broadcaster. After a season of web only broadcasting the team returns to the airwaves on AM 910 The Team a popular Charleston area sports radio station. Ray’s fans had been lobbying heavily for a return to radio. Games will also be available via the internet and on American One Broadcasting, formerly the B-2 networks.
Conclusion: The team appears extremely strong up front but this may be offset by a less experienced blue line cadre and an inexperienced goal tending tandem. However, the team’s history of making the playoffs and a strong core of experience and toughness should ensure a playoff appearance. This should be a team that will score a lot of goals and add to their ECHL record for the most playoff game appearances and wins in post season play. Contact the author at Phil.Brand@prohockeynews.com
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