The Washington Capitals and South Carolina Stingrays extended their time.
The Washington Capitals have renewed their affiliation agreement with the South Carolina Stingrays thanks to a three year contract extension, the team announced yesterday. The Stingrays play in the ECHL.
“We are excited to extend our agreement with the South Carolina Stingrays organization. We look forward to continuing our affiliation with a first class and successful organization in which our prospects can develop,” said Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan in the press release from the Caps.
The upcoming 2020-21 season will mark the seventh straight year the Caps and Stingrays have been affiliated. The teams were also affiliated with each other from 2004 through 2012. South Carolina won the Kelly Cup in 2009, the same year that the Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup of the AHL, and they’ve won two conference championships since 2015.
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This season, South Carolina finished in first place in the South Division and Eastern Conference with a 44-14-4 record before the season was cut short on March 12.
“The Washington Capitals are a first class organization. They have been a great partner with us for a long time. We look forward to continuing to help some of their young prospects develop,” said Rob Concannon, the President of the South Carolina Stingrays.
Five players that are under contract with the Caps have suited up for the Stingrays earlier in their career. Those players are Braden Holtby, Tyler Lewington, Pheonix Copley, Vitek Vanecek and Kristofers Bindulis. Holtby began the 2009-10 season with the Stingrays and represented the team in the ECHL All Star Game that year. In 12 career games with South Carolina, Holtby was 7-2-3 with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
On Wednesday South Carolina named Ryan Blair the team’s 10th head coach and director of hockey operations. With their partnership extended through the next three years it ensures future success of the Caps organization from top to bottom.