The ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays have named Jared Nightingale the new head coach and director of hockey operations
The ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays have named Jared Nightingale the new head coach and director of hockey operations
The ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays have named Jared Nightingale the new head coach and director of hockey operations, the team announced on Friday. Nightingale, 41, becomes the 12th head coach in franchise history following Brenden Kotyk's release from the same role last month.
Nightingale joins the Stingrays organization after serving as an assistant coach for the AHL's Rockford IceHogs for part of the last three seasons. The Jackson, Michigan, native also served in the same role with the OHL's Flint Firebirds and Saginaw Spirit, the U.S. National Team Development Program, and the USHL's Omaha Lancers.
"I would like to thank Mark Bernard of the Rockford IceHogs and Chicago Blackhawks for allowing us the opportunity to speak with Jared. Jared's extensive resume as a player in the AHL and in the ECHL, coupled with the past three seasons as an assistant coach in Rockford, working with their top NHL prospects, made him a very intriguing candidate for this job," said Stingrays President Rob Concannon in a release.
"After spending a few days with him here in Charleston and getting to know each other, it became clear to me that he was a great fit as our new Head Coach. Jared is a natural leader with a high hockey IQ who understands the details of the game that make teams successful. He will do a great job recruiting and connecting with our players. I remember Jared from when he played in Charlotte and Toledo. He was always hard to play against, and I look forward to seeing those same characteristics on our team next season."
"I'm very thankful, thrilled, and humbled for this opportunity to be the next Head Coach of the South Carolina Stingrays," said Nightingale. "I have always aspired to be a Head Coach and have enjoyed learning and growing at the junior level and in the American Hockey League. The ECHL is a league that springboarded my career, and I'm very familiar with the history of the Stingrays and the success that they've had. I want to thank Todd Halloran and Rob Concannon for giving me this opportunity, and I'm excited to get to work."
Prior to coaching, Nightingale played collegiate hockey at Michigan State University and served as an alternate captain in his final two years on campus. The defenseman tallied two goals and 22 points in 156 games with the Spartans.
From there, Nightingale played a number of seasons between the AHL and ECHL, notably captaining the AHL's Rockford IceHogs during the 2013–14 season and the ECHL's Toledo Walleye from 2014–15 and 2016–17. After playing one game with the Quad City Mallards in 2017–18, Nightingale retired from playing professional hockey.
Nightingale is the younger brother of Michigan State men's hockey head coach Adam Nightingale.