The South Carolina Stingrays, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals and AHL's Hershey Bears, announced today that the club has signed forward Jeremy Davidson to an ECHL contract for the 2024-25 season.
Davidson, 24, signs his first professional contract after spending the last three seasons playing college hockey at Michigan State University. At Michigan State, Davidson played for Spartans Head Coach Adam Nightingale, who is an older brother of Stingrays Head Coach Jared Nightingale. The Spartans won their first Big Ten tournament championship last season, and Davidson scored in the title game, a 5-4 overtime victory over the University of Michigan.
"I'm really excited to get Jeremy on board," said Jared Nightingale. "The last couple of years, I've watched a lot of Michigan State games, and last season, they were one of the top teams in the country. Jeremy played a key role in helping them win the Big Ten championship. He'll be a rookie this season, but he's a complete player. He plays a heavy game and shoots the puck well. I can't say enough good things about Jeremy, and I think he's going to be a really good pro."
In three seasons with Michigan State, Davidson skated in 108 games and tallied 65 points (33 goals, 32 assists). In 2023-24, Davidson helped Michigan State qualify for the 16-team NCAA national tournament as the #4 ranked team in the nation. The Spartans won Big Ten regular season and tournament championships and fell one game short of reaching the Frozen Four. In the first round of the NCAA national tournament, Davidson scored the overtime winner in Michigan State's 5-4 victory over Western Michigan.
Davidson spent the 2019-20 season playing for the University of Massachusetts before the COVID-19 pandemic cut his freshman year short. In 2020-21, Davidson returned to the USHL's Fargo Force and served as an assistant captain. He notched 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 54 games and helped the Force reach the 2021 Clark Cup Final. The following season, he committed to Michigan State, where he spent the last two seasons playing for Adam Nightingale.
Davidson credited Adam Nightingale and the Michigan State coaching staff for helping him develop his game. He said the opportunity to play for Jared Nightingale significantly influenced his decision to sign with South Carolina.
"I'm excited for the upcoming season with the Stingrays," Davidson said. "Playing at Michigan State, working with their coaching staff, and being in a competitive environment with really good players helped me grow my game a lot over the last three years. I'm looking forward to coming to South Carolina, playing for Coach Nightingale, and doing whatever it takes to help the Stingrays win."
The Stingrays 2024-25 season begins on Saturday, October 19, with the Home Opener against the Savannah Ghost Pirates at 6:05 p.m. The full schedule can be viewed here.