Max Finley Named Stingrays Athletic Trainer

The South Carolina Stingrays, proud affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears, have announced Max Finley as the team’s athletic trainer beginning with the 2020-21 season. Finley was assigned to the Stingrays by MUSC Health, the team’s official healthcare provider.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Finley spent the 2019-20 season in his homeStown as the athletic trainer for the Peoria Rivermen of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). At the conclusion of the campaign, he was named the league’s Athletic Trainer of the Year by his fellow SPHL equipment managers and athletic trainers.

“Max comes to us after being honored by the SPHL for his work during the 2019-20 season,” said Stingrays President Rob Concannon. “He will be a great addition to our staff. As a former player himself, Max will be able to communicate and understand the health care needs of our players on and off the ice.”

A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Finley, 26, played hockey at the ACHA level as a student and also played junior hockey for the Peoria Mustangs in the NA3HL.

“It’s been great to get started here in Charleston,” Finley said. “It’s a nice city, a great place to be and we’ve had a hectic start to the preseason but there’s a lot to get done to make sure we can play hockey. I’m looking forward to getting things going.”

Finley will be part of MUSC’s Sports Medicine team, which provides state-of-the-art injury prevention, treatment, surgery, and rehabilitation for athletes throughout the Lowcountry.

“I couldn’t ask for a better place to be associated with from a healthcare perspective,” Finley said. MUSC Health is a great hospital system and that means our players are going to be getting top-notch care so I’m excited to be working with them.”

Finley has also participated in the Deaflympics, representing Team USA in ice hockey. Most recently, he helped lead the team to a gold medal in December of 2019 when the Winter Deaflympics were held in Italy.

“Having a more advanced understanding of the game, I’m able to understand the players’ side of things rather than just being a medical professional,” Finley said. “I know what guys are going through, how tough hockey is on the body and the injuries I had as a player have helped me become a better athletic trainer and provide better care for our players.”

The Stingrays will open the 2020-21 season on December 11 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7:05 p.m.

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