No. 4
Jared Bednar
Twenty-five years ago, the South Carolina Stingrays took the ice at the North Charleston Coliseum to become the first professional hockey team in the state’s history. In honor of the club’s 25th season, The Post and Courier’s Andrew Miller counts down the Top-25 players in South Carolina Stingrays history.
Position: Defenseman
Ht: 6-3.
Wt: 2005.
Hometown: Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Years: 1995-98; 1999-2002.
Statistics: 243 games. 22 goals. 73 assists. 95 points. 797 penalty minutes.
The Skinny: We are down to the Mount Rushmore of South Carolina Stingray players. What each of the next four players on our list have in common is that they each won two Kelly Cup championships with the Stingrays. Bednar was a shutdown defenseman who was normally matched up against the opposition’s top offensive line. Bednar wasn’t a flashy stick handler and didn’t have a big shot from the point, but what he was one of the toughest defensemen to play against in the ECHL during his six seasons with the club.
“You knew you were in for a long night when Jared was on the ice,” said former Stingrays coach Cail MacLean, who played against Bednar throughout his career. “He was a big, strong, physical player that didn’t give you any time and space. I don’t know anyone in the league that liked playing against him.”
Best Season: Bednar wasn’t know as a puck-moving defenseman and saw little time on the power play, so he didn’t put up eye-popping numbers. His best season from a statistical standpoint, came in his final year with the team when he finished with five goals and 23 assists. He had 214 penalty minutes during the 1999-2000 season, which was a career-high during his time in the ECHL.
Bednar was an elite tough guy in the league, who rarely lost a fight when he dropped his gloves.
“Jared was one of those quiet enforcers, whose reputation preceding him before he stepped on the ice,” said former Stingrays defenseman Trevor Johnson. “I played with him later in his career and guys already knew his reputation, so there were not many that wanted to challenge him. He was as tough a guy as there was in the league.”
Signature Moment: When Brett Marietti went down with an injury in the 2001 Kelly Cup finals against the Trenton Titans, Bednar became the team’s acting captain for the rest of the series. The Stingrays would go on to win the series, 4-1, to capture the franchise’s second ECHL championship. As a coach, Bednar was 89-45-9 in two seasons, leading the Stingrays to another Kelly Cup title in 2009. Bednar was the first player/coach to have his name on the Kelly Cup three times. Bednar would go on to lead the Lake Erie Monsters to the AHL’s Calder Cup title in 2016.
“Jared wasn’t always the most vocal guy in the locker room or on the bench, but he was one of the best leaders on our team,” said former Stingrays head coach and goalie Jason Fitzsimmons. “His resume speaks for itself. He has won championships as a player and a head coach and he’s done it at every level and I have no doubt he’ll get it done a the highest level.”
What they say about Bednar: “He was a goalie’s best friend because he was more interested in preventing goals than he was in scoring them. Jared was a great penalty kill guy that took pride in not letting the other team score. I think the culture in our locker room changed when we traded (Huntington Blizzard) for him in 1996. Adding that kind of toughness to our lineup put us over the top and was a big reason why we won the Kelly Cup in 1997.” -- Jason Fitzsimmons.
Where is Bednar now: Bednar, 46, is the head coach of National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche.
Stingrays Top 25 Players
4. Jared Bednar, defenseman 1995-98; 1999-2002
5. Kirk Daubenspeck, goalie 1999-2001; 2002-06
6. Jeff Jakaitis, goalie 2012-15; 2017-present
7. Ed Courtenay, forward 1996-97; 2003-05
8. Travis Morin, forward 2006-09
9. Nate Kiser, defenseman 2004-11
10. Rob Concannon, forward 1995-2000; 2003
11. Jason Fitzsimmons, goalie 1994-98
12. Cail MacLean, forward 2005-08
13. Joe Devin, forward 2014-present
14. Chris Hynnes, defenseman 1996-99
15. Adam Calder, forward 1999-2003
16. Trevor Johnson, defenseman 2000-06
17. Trent Campbell, forward 2007-12
18. Marty Clapton, forward 2000-06
19. Matt Reid, forward 2004-08
20. Maxime Lacroix, forward 2008-09; 2010-12
21. Pierre-Luc O’Brien, forward 2007-09; 2010-12
22. Greg Schmidt, forward 1998-2001
23. Andrew Rowe, forward 2014-16
24. Matt Scherer, forward 2007-12
25. Marc Tardif, forward 1995-2000