When Lars Eller was traded to the Washington Captials at the NHL Draft this past summer, his younger brother could not be more happy for him. Mads and Lars skate together over the summers and represent their native Denmark internationally, even being coached by their father, Olaf, on the U-20 team.
Today, Mads got an added bonus: the Capitals’ ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, signed him to a contract for the upcoming season.
The younger Eller said he was just “looking for the right opportunity” as he resumed summer skating. Then his agent approached the Capitals, “and the opportunity with South Carolina came up,” he said. “I was thrilled. I’ve heard many great things about the organization and the city. It’s one of, if not the best, place to play in the ECHL, so I’m very excited.”
Eller comes to the Lowcountry after splitting last season with the Adirondack Thunder and the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires. An injury cut his ECHL season short at 28 games played and six points (three goals, three assists). He was waived by Adirondack and returned to the junior ranks, tallying six points (two goals, four assists) for the Spitfires in 22 games.
“It’s great to add Mads Eller,” said Stingrays head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “He spent some time in our league last year and will be one of our faster skaters. We’ve being doing our research and homework on Mads, and he comes highly recommended and has some good tools. He likes to push the pace. We’ll look to work with him to continue his development and get him added to the mix.”
Eller was taken 57th overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2013 CHL Import Draft. He did not dissapoint, going 8-15–23 in 54 regular season games, then helping the Oil Kings win the Memorial Cup by defeating the Guelph Storm.
In his international career, Eller was awarded the title of Most Penalized Player (44 PIM) at the 2014 under-20 D-1A World Junior Championship.
Eller will wear the number 20 for the upcoming season. With his signing, the Stingrays now have 12 forwards, six defensemen, and two goalies. The regular season is set to begin in five weeks.
