The Washington Capitals’ ECHL affiliate has a new bench boss. The South Carolina Stingrays announced Jesse Kallechy as their new head coach and director of hockey operations for the 2026-27 season, Tuesday morning.
“The Stingrays have a rich history, passionate fans, and a reputation as one of the premier organizations in the ECHL,” Kallechy said in a release. “I am excited for this opportunity to work with our players, staff, and community as we pursue a Kelly Cup championship and continue building on the proud tradition of Stingrays hockey.”
Kallechy will be the team’s 14th head coach in its 33 seasons after David Warsofsky decided to leave the role after just one year. He is also the Stingrays’ third coach in as many years, but the first of the batch to have prior head-coaching experience. After going 52-15-5 in 2024-25 and setting a new franchise wins record, the Stingrays took a step back in 2025-26 under David Warsofsky, finishing second in their division with a record of 45-23-4.
“Being named head coach and director of hockey operations of the South Carolina Stingrays is a significant responsibility. This franchise has a proud history and a championship tradition. As we conducted our search, we were looking for someone who could honor that legacy while helping lead us into our next chapter,” President Rob Concannon said in a statement. “Jesse’s leadership, championship experience, ability to recruit top talent, vision for roster construction, and commitment to player development made him the ideal choice. We are confident in his ability to lead the Stingrays as we pursue another Kelly Cup championship.”
“I just want to win and I want to find different ways to do it,” Kallechy told WCIV’s Scott Eisberg. “I think that’s what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna be a team that’s gonna come in, and we’re gonna compete and we’re gonna have skill, and you’re gonna get our best effort every night and a team that’s not gonna leave anything in the tank.”
Last season, Kallechy led the Fort Wayne Komets to the ECHL Western Conference Finals in his third year at the helm. The 36-year-old recorded a 121-95 record through his three years, and announced his decision to not continue with the Komets organization last week despite being offered a long-term contract. He shared that it was a personal decision made in his family’s best interest and expressed his gratitude for the club.
Kallechy got his ECHL coaching start with the Rays’ South Division rival Florida Everblades — arguably their biggest rivals in the entire league — joining the team as an assistant coach in the 202-21 season. He helped them claim back-to-back Kelly Cup championship in 2022 and 2023.
“I know what that rivalry means and it’s gonna be weird to be on the other side of it now but for me, I can’t wait to get down there. That division is full of good teams and there’s no easy nights,” he said.
He also mentioned how the South Division has now won four of the last five Kelly Cups with the Everblades’ recent win for their fourth in franchise history, breaking their tie with South Carolina for the most in league history.
“The road to the Kelly Cup runs through the South,” he said. “For me, that’s the exciting challenge and that’s where I wanted to be. I wanted to be in the toughest division with the best team.”
Kallechy has also spent a significant portion of his career in the SPHL as a coach and player. As a goalie, he played in the SPHL for four seasons from 2011-2015, including playing in 60 games with the Huntsville Havoc. The next year after his playing career ended, he took the role of assistant coach and director of player personnel with the Havoc in the 2015-16 season, and helped them to a SPHL President’s Cup championship in 2018. He then spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with the Fayetteville Marksmen in his first head coaching gig, where he was named the SPHL’s Coach of the Year in his second season with the squad.
Kallechy hopes to one day join the ranks of NHL coaches who spent time behind the bench in South Carolina — such as Spencer Carbery Jared Bednar, and Ryan Warsofsky — and thinks this is the right next step for that journey.
“I think [it’s] daunting, but the word I would use is exciting,” Kallechy said. “To get to follow in the footsteps of guys that are coaching at the highest level, and it’s a dream of mine to get there. I think those guys have shown there’s a path, and that path is through the Stingrays.”
