The path to the NHL is not an easy one, with players taking a variety of different roads to get to the same goal. While there are the elite prospects who come straight out of the junior ranks or college programs, others have a more adventurous road that takes them through a variety of minor leagues and small-town arenas.
As the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliate of the Washington Capitals, the South Carolina Stingrays have played an essential role in popularizing the game of hockey and providing a pathway for young players to take the next step in their professional journey. To date there have been 33 players who stopped in South Carolina on the way to the NHL while 29 others have suited up with the ECHL team during their NHL career.
Many hockey fans may wager on their favorite NHL teams, but few would have bet on these players making it to the big leagues after their stints in South Carolina. With the odds stacked against them, these players persevered and proved that hard work and dedication can pay off, even for those who may take a less traditional path to the NHL.
In recent years, new betting sites in Canada and the United States have brought a fresh angle to how fans engage in hockey. For instance, some bettors look beyond the NHL to wager on minor league and affiliate teams such as the Stingrays or choose to place prop bets on some of the lesser-known underdog prospects fighting for a spot in the best hockey league in the world.
Braden Holtby: 2009-2010
Growing up in the small city of Lloydminster, Saskatchewan/Alberta, Holtby’s road to the NHL started with the Lloydminster Blazers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before moving on to play four seasons with the Saskatoon Blades. During his time in the WHL, Holtby was picked up by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft.
Splitting time during the 2009-10 season between the AHL and the ECHL, Holtby started a dozen games for the Stingrays, posting a 7-2-3 record. Making his NHL debut during the 2010-11 season, Holtby became the main man between the pipes during the Caps' run to the 2018 Stanley Cup. A Vezina Trophy winner in 2016, Holtby also added five All-Star Game appearances during his twelve-year career.
Rich Peverley: 2004-05
Before signing as a free-agent rookie with the Nashville Predators in January 2007, the center from Kingston, Ontario, Canada spent nine years navigating through the junior and minor systems. After a season each in the Midwest and Ontario Junior Hockey League, Peverley headed to St. Lawrence University to play four years with the Skating Saints. Undrafted following his senior season in 2004, Peverley joined the Stingrays, during the 04-05 season, recording 58 points in 69 games.
After two more years in the minors, Peverley finally made his NHL debut with the Predators thanks to his display of speed, playmaking skills, and tenacious forechecking, recording just a single point in thirteen games. Waived after two and a half seasons, Peverley joined the Atlanta Thrashers for another two and a half years before a midseason trade in 2010 took him to Boston and a Stanley Cup title.
Martin Biron: 1997-98
Selected 16th overall in the 1995 Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, Biron’s journey to the NHL started with a promising junior career with the Beauport Harfangs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Posting a 58-33-16 record with a 2.64GAA, Biron found himself suiting up for three games with the Sabres late in the 95-96 season.
For the next two-plus seasons Biron spent time developing his skills in the minor leagues, including a pair of games with the Stingrays in 1997-98, in which he recorded a loss and a tie. Biron eventually settled into a backup role with the Sabres for nine years before a trade to Philadelphia brought him an opportunity to start. Biron would finish his sixteen-year career playing five seasons in New York, one with the Islanders and four with the Rangers.
Philipp Grubauer: 2011-12
Hailing from Rosenheim, Germany, Grubauer’s route to South Carolina and eventually the NHL was a lot longer than others on this list. At the age of 17, Grubauer relocated to North America when the Belleville Bulls selected him in the CHL Import Draft. After two seasons with the Bulls, Grubauer was traded to the Winder Spitfires where he helped the team to their second of two straight Memorial Cup titles.
Grubauer’s performance would lead him to being drafted by the Capitals in the fourth round of the 2010 Entry Draft. Following a fourth year and third OHL team, Grubauer joined the Stingrays earning multiple Rookie and Goalie of the Month awards thanks to a 23-13-5 record. After splitting time between the NHL and AHL from 2012-2015, Grubauer has been a mainstay for three different teams and earned a Stanley Cup ring with the 2018 Captials proving that the bet on his potential was well-placed.
Steve Shields: 1994-95
Although he was selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the 101st pick in the 1991 NHL Draft, after a stellar career at the University of Michigan where he became the first goalie in NCAA history to tally 100 victories, Shields’ path to the NHL took a bit of a detour. While some may have wagered against the award-winning goaltender having to spend time in the minor leagues, Shields would suit up for both the AHL’s Rochester Americans and the ECHL’s Stingrays.
A reliable NHL backup netminder for six different teams, Shields may be best known for his tussle with then-Philadelphia Flyers goalie Garth Snow.
