A pair of longtime ECHL veterans have announced their retirement from pro-hockey
A pair of ECHL veterans have announced their retirement from the sport.
Andrew Cherniwchan, captain of the South Carolina Stingrays, and Blake Winiecki of the Kelly Cup-winning Florida Everblades, both announced their retirement from professional hockey this past week.
Cherniwchan, 34, retires with the third most games played in Stingrays history (508). He is also third in all-time Stingrays points (367) and goals (171) and is fourth in assists (196). He is the only Stingray ever to play double-digit seasons in South Carolina. Cherniwchan served as the Stingrays' captain from 2019-2023, and he helped the Stingrays reach the Kelly Cup Finals in 2017 and 2021.
"For eleven seasons, Andrew Cherniwchen gave everything he had to this organization on and off the ice," said Stingrays President Rob Concannon. "It was a pleasure to watch Cherny wear the Stingrays jersey. He has been a tremendous leader and was a fierce competitor. I will miss his sneaky open ice hits, his timely goals, and his resiliency for blocking shots."
Cherniwchan spent parts of five seasons in the American Hockey League with the Providence Bruins, Springfield Falcons, Utica Comets, and Hershey Bears, tallying 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) in 193 career AHL games. The Hinton, Alberta native has skated in 701 professional hockey games between the ECHL and AHL.
Winiecki, 29, was a longtime key piece in the Everblades organization.
First joining Florida in the 2017-18 season, Winiecki played for parts of six seasons with the club and was a cornerstone of their back-to-back Kelly Cup wins.
In the 2022-23 season, Winiecki logged 42 points across 70 games while serving as the team's assistant captain.
He added another 15 points across Florida's 22-game playoff run.