NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Last April, the South Carolina Stingrays were at the top of the ECHL. 

They won the Brabham Cup for the first time since 1997. They set a new franchise record for points (109) and wins (52) in a single season, and only lost one game over the last month and a half of the regular season. After a historic regular season and poised to make a deep run in the playoffs, the Stingrays season came to a sudden end, sending them to the offseason early.

With the offseason comes new faces, new players and new names. After Head Coach Jared Nightengale departed for the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, the Stingrays hired Dave Warsofsky as the club’s new Head Coach, marking a new era of Stingrays hockey. 

Among the new faces on the ice are a mix of both rookies to the league starting their professional hockey career, and players who have navigated the ECHL for multiple seasons. 

Forward Simon Pinard, who was loaned to the Stingrays from Hershey, has been a force in the ECHL. Last season with the Tahoe Knight Monsters, Pinard logged 33 goals, third most in the league, and 64 points after tallying 48 points (24g, 24a) with the Savannah Ghost Pirates the year before. After being a rival of the Stingrays, Pinard is excited to be in Charleston. 

“It was always a tough time when you came in here,” Pinard said.  “We had some games where the arena was full of fans, and they had some great teams the last few years, so I’m excited to be on their side now.”

Pinard has been a prolific scorer in the league for multiple years, and he credits his game towards keeping things simple. 

“I’m just trying to play my game, and not do things too complicated,” Pinard said. “I want to bring some experience, I know this league well from playing here the last two years, and I want to bring my game and contribute the most I can for this team.”

An experienced player like Pinard will help South Carolina in the toughest division in the ECHL, the South Division. D.J. King, a newcomer to the Stingrays defense, has played the better part of five seasons in the ECHL for the Indy Fuel, Norfolk Admirals and Fort Wayne Komets. The blueliner knows that the South Division is hard-nosed and tough every game. 

“You have to bring your best every night,” King said. “A lot of fights, a lot of hits, a lot of goals being scored too. There’s a lot of skilled players in this division, and a lot of players who play a hard game.”

The Stingrays look to navigate the South Division after winning the division a season ago. With new players set to embark on their first season in South Carolina, the Stingrays also bring back many big pieces from their Brabham Cup team. 

Forward Kyler Kupka excelled in his first season with the Stingrays. In 54 games, the Camrose, Alberta native had 53 points (27g, 26a), earning him ECHL All-Rookie Team honors. With a stellar first year in professional hockey, the forward reflects on his success and what he is looking for this year. 

“I think with the team success, we had a lot of individual success coming from that,” Kupka said. “We ended up having a great team last year but now the expectations are simple, a Kelly Cup. We have a lot of skill and grit back from last year's team and we added great new pieces.”

After their Kelly Cup hopes were cut short, the returners to this roster remember that feeling of last year. Instead of dwelling on that, this year the players look to turn the page and focus now on one goal. 

“It stung last year,” Stingrays goaltender Seth Eisele said. “But I think the mentality going into this year is that last year is last year and we can’t change what happened. We need to come into it with a fresh mentality and be ready to give it our all.”

“Each guy learns,” Stingrays forward Josh Wilkins said. “You build off what you learn from losing and carry that into the stuff we go through this year.”

Wilkins is the second longest tenured Stingray behind veteran defenseman Connor Moore, who has played in 278 games for South Carolina. Wilkins is set to begin his fourth season with the Stingrays and has impressed in the red, white and blue. Last year, the Raleigh, NC native led the Stingrays in points with 58 (22g, 36a) and has 157 points in 158 games. He wants to help this organization he has become an integral part of back to the top.

“We’ve had some good teams, we’ve been at the top of the league, but I want to win,” Wilkins said. “That’s why I keep coming back. It’s not about the regular season success anymore, I want to win in the playoffs. We’re hungry to win a championship for this city.”

The Stingrays open their 2025-26 season on Saturday against the Norfolk Admirals. Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m. at the North Charleston Coliseum with an Opening Night Pregame Party starting at 4 p.m. The first 500 fans to the party will receive a limited edition Stingrays poster. 

Gates open at 5:05 p.m. at the Coliseum and the first 2,500 fans through the doors will get a free Magnet Schedule presented by MUSC Health. Fans will want to make sure to get to their seats early to see the Stingrays unveil their Brabham Cup and South Division Championship banners.