South Carolina Stingrays

South Carolina Stingrays Will Be on NHL 17

Thanks to an agreement with the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA), EA Sports will feature the East Coast Hockey League in their NHL 17 video game to be released later this summer. All 27 ECHL teams will be playable in the newest installment of the franchise, including the South Carolina Stingrays.

The AHL, the league above the ECHL and below the NHL, has been part of the NHL series for years. Now, the three development leagues will be intertwined with full rosters and sweaters for every team for the first time since EA started the franchise in 1991.

The popular Be A GM and Be A Pro modes will indubitably be integrated with the inclusion of the ECHL. Hockey Ultimate Team will also be able to pick from the talent pool, providing a middle ground between players from the Canadian leagues, the AHL, and throughout Europe. ECHL arenas may also be incorporated.

Stingrays fans can play as top-line offensive talent like Kelly Zajac, Brett Cameron, Joe Devin, fighters like Marcus Perrier and Trevor Gillies, or make highlight reel saves with Capitals prospect Vitek Vanecek in net. With the improved fight engine, Gillies is viable to drop the gloves every time he hits the ice.

Player ratings will be a point of contention for the prospects who think they are better, and the veterans who think they can still play at their youthful level.

In previous releases, countries have been known to make special release covers featuring athletes or teams from that country. The Stingrays got started by making cover for their Twitter page featuring alternate captain Patrick Gaul.

 

They then were challenged by South Division rivals, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Atlanta Gladiators, to matches. The Stingrays expanded that field to include the Orlando Solar Bears and Florida Everblades. No plans were finalized, but the teams did (somewhat) agree to hold competition between each other on the virtual ice, with possible Internet streaming.

Max Wolpoff

Churchill High School graduate (2015) and current Boston University journalism student. Follow me on Twitter (@Max_Wolpoff) for game-day tweets or my random musings about being a college student.

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