Jared Bednar Selected For ECHL Hall of Fame

The ECHL league office announced on Monday that former Stingrays defenseman and head coach Jared Bednar will be inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 class.

Bednar had a 15-year association with the ECHL as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He was the first person to win three Kelly Cup titles, capturing championships as a player with South Carolina in 1997 and 2001, and one as the Stingrays’ head coach in 2009. A rugged defenseman as a player, he suited up in 279 career games with SC over six seasons, which ranks 10th all-time in franchise history, and totaled 95 points with 22 goals and 73 assists along with 794 penalty minutes.

After concluding his playing career following the 2001-02 season, he joined the Stingrays’ coaching staff in 2002-03, and was named the team’s head coach prior to the 2007-08 season. In two seasons as South Carolina’s head coach, Bednar was 89-45-9, leading the Stingrays to the 2008 American Conference Finals before winning the Kelly Cup title the following season.

“It’s a well deserving honor for Jared to be elected into the ECHL Hall of Fame,” said Stingrays President Rob Concannon. “He’s a guy that has never forgotten where he started and he’s always been very proud and reflective of his time in the ECHL. I think he’ll be the first one to tell you that it has helped him become the coach and the person that he is today. Personally, and as an organization, we couldn’t be prouder of Jared and we look forward to celebrating with him in January.”

Bednar also led Lake Erie to the American Hockey League Calder Cup championship in 2016, joining Bruce

Boudreau as the only coaches to win both an ECHL and AHL title. He is currently in his fourth season as head coach of the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche.

The other inductees in the 2020 class include Dany Bousquet, Derek Clancey and Glen Metropolit. The four will be formally inducted as the 13th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame at a banquet that will be held in conjunction with the 2020 Warrior Hockey/ECHL All Star Classic presented by Toyota. The 2020 ECHL Hall of Fame ceremony, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, will take place on Tuesday, January 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview in Wichita, Kansas, the Official Host Hotel of the 2020 ECHL All-Star Classic.

“This is a really special class of inductees that have dedicated their life to hockey and made their mark on the ECHL,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “This 13th induction class embodies the role of our League in the development of hockey talent.”

—South Carolina is back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at the North Charleston Coliseum at 7:05 p.m.

Tickets for all of South Carolina’s upcoming 2019-20 home contests are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

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