By: Owen Gund, South Carolina Stingrays
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 Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jared Nightingale has been named as the next Head Coach of the Chicago Blackhawks AHL affiliate, Rockford IceHogs.
Prior to his arrival in the Lowcountry, Nightingale spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the IceHogs, where he worked closely with the Chicago Blackhawks’ top prospects and helped Rockford reach the Calder Cup Playoffs each year. His familiarity with the organization and success in the ECHL make his return to the AHL a natural next step.
Nightingale departs after a historic and record-setting season behind the Stingrays’ bench. During his lone season with South Carolina, the 42-year-old led the team to a 52-15-5 regular season record, setting new franchise marks for wins (52), points (109), and home victories (29). He was also named the 2024-25 John Brophy ECHL Coach of the Year and helped the Stingrays secure the Brabham Cup for the second time in team history as the ECHL’s best regular season record.
“When we named Jared as our next head coach last summer, we knew we were getting a special person and coach. We are very appreciative of Jared for his commitment and leadership to Stingrays hockey this past season,” said Stingrays President Rob Concannon. “In his short time with the Stingrays, he did a remarkable job reestablishing a fun, exciting, and competitive brand of Stingrays hockey. Jared did a great job connecting with our players, front office staff, fans, and everyone he came in contact with. He will do a terrific job in the AHL, and we wish him nothing but the best in Rockford.”
The search for the next Head Coach of the South Carolina Stingrays begins immediately.
