PATRICK POLINO JOINS THE SWAMP RABBITS
Sixth-year veteran brings 261 professional games to the Upstate, 225 in the ECHL.
By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign, announced today via a Swamp Rabbit Moving Transaction that veteran forward Patrick Polino has signed with the team for the 2025-26 ECHL Season.
Polino joins Pierce Charleson in net, Austin Saint, Brent Pedersen, Liam Finlay, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan O’Hara, Ben Poisson, and Jack Brackett up front, and Dustin Geregach, Tristan De Jong, Jordan Power, Jacob Modry, Josh Atkinson, and Jake Murray on the back-end.
Polino comes to the Swamp Rabbits after splitting last season in the ECHL between the Adirondack Thunder and Allen Americans. In New York, the 5’9”, 180-pound forward notched 10 points (3g-7ast) in 26 games. He was then traded to the Allen Americans for Easton Brodzinski and added another 14 points (2g-12ast) in 29 contests, earning his 100th career ECHL assist on February 15th against Worcester.
“As an older guy in the league now, my decision was fueled by my family, and Greenville is a place my wife, young son, and I will enjoy. On the hockey side, Coach Costello stressed bringing in veteran leadership and I’ve known Coach Payne for a long time, so the comfort in their vision and plan for this season made it a no-brainer to become a Swamp Rabbit,” Polino said of coming to Greenville. “On the ice, I give it my all every night. I like to be around the puck at all times. My speed and vision are keys to that: I always have my feet moving and I’m always thinking just as fast when my number is called. As a veteran, one of my main focuses is to lead by example and read off of the younger players to be an effective go-between with the room and the coaches, that way we all stay on the same page. That will allow us to live up to our expectations as a collective to win, go on a long playoff run, and try to win the whole thing. The fans deserve it here, and I look forward to winning a lot of hockey games and have a ton of fun doing it.”
“Patrick Polino is a proven pro. Having played before for Payner in Cincinnati, we are very familiar with his game: he can play in all situations and can produce at a high level,” Chad Costello, Head Coach/General Manager of the Swamp Rabbits, said of his second veteran signing. “Patrick is very trustworthy with the puck and a great playmaker on the power play. Despite being a smaller forward, he is willing to go to the hard areas to create scoring opportunities, which only compliments his high hockey IQ and playmaking ability. This is primed to be a big season for Patrick, and we’re excited with his veteran addition to our lineup.”
Hailing from Buffalo, New York, Polino, 30, enters his sixth professional season, with experience coming in the AHL with the Rochester Americans and Providence Bruins, and the ECHL with Allen, Adirondack, and the Cincinnati Cyclones. He’s best known for his work in Cincinnati, where, under Swamp Rabbits Associate Coach Jason Payne, he racked up 136 points in 170 games over three seasons, appearing in all 72 games twice. In total, Polino has 169 points (64 goals, 105 assists) in 261 professional games. Before turning pro, he played four NCAA seasons at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (131 games, 24 goals-28 assists-52 points) and parts of five seasons in the USHL with the Chicago Steel, Green Bay Gamblers, and Lincoln Stars (208 games, 43 goals-57 assists-100 points).
About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has been providing family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.
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