Sep 27, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ottawa Senators left wing Jiri Smejkal (13) plays the puck against Montreal Canadiens defenseman Brady Keeper (36) during the third period at Bell Centre. David Kirouac-Imagn Images The South Carolina Stingrays [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/community/latest-news/stingrays-announce-availability-of-cancer-awareness-jerseys]have added some NHL experience to their blueline with the signing of Brady Keeper for the 2025-26 season. Keeper, 29, comes to the Lowcountry with both NHL [https://thehockeynews.com/]and AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/]experience. The 6-foot, 203 pound defenseman spent three separate stints in the NHL with the Florida Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers]and played four seasons in the AHL, last with the Laval Rocket in the 2023-24 season. “Brady brings a tremendous amount of experience to our team, having played at both the NHL and AHL levels throughout his career,” head coach Dave Warsofsky stated. “I've had some great conversations with him about the role he'll play for us, and it's clear he's committed to helping us win here in Charleston. After taking some time away from the game, Brady is eager to get back on the ice and make an impact. He’s a valuable addition, and we believe he'll play an important role in our success this season.” Keeper signed with the Panthers on March 18, 2019 after he was a standout player for the University of Maine and made his NHL debut on March 29, 2019. He became the first member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation to play in the National Hockey League in a 5-2 win for Florida over the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators]. After his debut, Keeper played in two more games for Florida over the next two seasons and played in the AHL for the Springfield Thunderbirds and Syracuse Crunch. During the 2019-20 season, the defenseman posted career highs in Springfield with 18 points (6-12-18) and totaled 108 penalty minutes, seventh most in the AHL that year. Following his time with the Panthers, Keeper signed with the Vancouver Canucks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks]and played for their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, in the 2022-23 season before signing with the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]for the 2023-24 season. He tallied four points (1-3-4) in 22 games with Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, that year. In his career in the AHL, Keeper posted 32 points (11-21-32) in 131 games. The Cross Lake, Manitoba native played with Justin Nachbaur, who played in 48 games with South Carolina last season, for the OCN Blizzard of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 2016-17. Nachbaur helped get the Stingrays on Keeper’s radar. “I’m really excited to get the opportunity to be a Stingray,” Keeper said following the signing. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Stingrays organization from my buddy [Justin] Nachbaur so I’m really excited to get down there, meet everyone and get the season going.”
