By: Stingrays Media
The South Carolina Stingrays, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals and AHL's Hershey Bears, announced today that Head Coach Brenden Kotyk has been named head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star Team for the 2023 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic. The mid-season event is hosted by the Norfolk Admirals and will take place on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, at Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game will air LIVE exclusively on NHL Network and will stream on FloHockey.
“It is a tremendous honor to represent our organization at the All-Star Game,” said Kotyk. “We would not be in this position without our players who are on the ice competing every night and our supporting staff who keep things going behind the scenes.”
Kotyk, 31, was named head coach of the Stingrays on April 27th after serving as the team's interim head coach for the final 18 games of the 2021-22 campaign. In his first season as bench boss for the Stingrays, Kotyk has led the team to a 16-5-2-1 record and an Eastern Conference-best win percentage of 0.729%.
“Brenden continues to grow in his role as head coach and director of hockey ops,” said President Rob Concannon. “We could not be happier that he is being rewarded for his hard work. He has a great support staff with Ryan Bourque as his assistant coach, and he has our team playing great hockey.”
The native of Regina, SK joined the Stingrays staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2020-21 season, helping the team to the 2021 Kelly Cup Finals. Prior to his coaching career, Kotyk spent three seasons playing professional hockey for the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack and the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Toledo Walleye where he reached the 2019 Kelly Cup Finals as a defenseman. During his collegiate career, Kotyk helped the University of Minnesota – Duluth to three NCAA Tournament appearances and served as an alternate captain during the team's 2017 NCHC Championship and National Championship appearance.
Ring in the new year this Saturday, December 31st as the Stingrays host the in-state rivals, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, at the North Charleston Coliseum. Puck Drop is set for 6:05 pm.
