NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals and AHL's Hershey Bears, announced today that the club has signed forward Garet Hunt to an ECHL contract for the 2023-24 season.
Hunt, 35, has played 899 professional hockey games over 15 seasons. He has spent 12 seasons in the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder, Alaska Aces, Jacksonville Icemen, and Wheeling Nailers. In 779 ECHL games, Hunt has accumulated 272 points (114 goals, 158 assists) and 2,811 penalty minutes. He has the eighth-highest all-time penalty minute total in the ECHL, and his willingness to drop the gloves has earned him the respect of his teammates. Hunt has worn a letter on his jersey for 8 of his 12 seasons in the ECHL. He captained the Thunder, Aces, and Icemen, and now the Stingrays expect him to provide veteran leadership following the retirement of team captain Andrew Cherniwchan.
"Garet is a leader who pushes his teammates," said Stingrays Head Coach Brenden Kotyk. "He does everything the right way and holds guys accountable in the locker room. He has been on a couple of teams that have made playoff runs, and he wants to win. I'm excited to add him to our group."
Hunt has made the playoffs in 7 of his 12 seasons in the ECHL, and he has 25 points (14 goals, 7 assists) and 124 penalty minutes in 70 ECHL postseason games. In his first season as captain of the Thunder, he helped them reach the 2013 Kelly Cup Finals, where they fell to the Reading Royals in five games. Hunt believes the Stingrays are a Kelly Cup contender.
"I'm excited for this opportunity to play for a championship organization," said Hunt. "This organization has won the Kelly Cup multiple times, and signing here gives me the best opportunity to achieve my goal. I have played in the ECHL for a long time, and one of my personal goals is to win a Kelly Cup. I've made it to the Finals before but didn't get it done, and I wanted another opportunity to win it. I am excited to get to Charleston and give everything I have to this team and our fans."
The Stingrays will open the 2023-24 season on October 21 at the North Charleston Coliseum against the Orlando Solar Bears at 6:05 p.m.
2023-24 Single Game tickets are on sale now! Tickets to all 36 regular season home games are available at the following link.
Save money with group tickets! For more information or to purchase, contact the Stingrays by phone at 843-744-2248.
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Iowa Heartlanders
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers