The South Carolina Stingrays have a new head coach just over a month after Jared Nightingale left to become the bench boss of the AHL’s Rockford Icehogs.
Monday, the Stingrays hired David Warsofsky to be their new head coach and director of hockey operations. The opportunity arises after Warsofsky recently concluded his 14-year professional playing career, playing his final two seasons with the DEL’s Augsburger Panther. The 35-year-old defenseman played only three games during the 2023-24 season and served as the team’s captain. Warsofsky then served as a special coaching advisor for the Stingrays during the 2024-25 campaign.
If David’s last name sounds familiar, it’s because it is. He’s the younger brother of San Jose Sharks’ head coach Ryan Warsofsky, who got his start in coaching thanks to Spencer Carbery. Ryan was a coach in South Carolina from 2013-2018, serving as both an assistant (2013-2016) and head coach (2016-2018) during his tenure.
“After a lengthy and thorough process, the Stingrays are excited to name David Warsofsky as the next head coach and director of hockey operations,” Stingrays President Rob Concannon said in a release.
“I would like to thank Rob Concannon and Todd Halloran for this opportunity,” Warsofsky added. “My family and I are excited to be a part of the Stingrays organization. Having the opportunity to spend time with the team last season and being at the games gave me an up close perspective of the players, ECHL, and what it takes to be competitive every night.”
Warsofsky’s playing career was decorated despite playing in only 82 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche. His five NHL seasons came after being selected in the fourth round, 95th overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 2008 NHL Draft.
Warsofsky had an impressive junior career, serving as captain for the USA National U18 Team in 2007–08 and the USA U18 World Junior Championship team, which won a bronze medal. He also won a national championship with Boston University in 2009 and served as the assistant captain of the USA National U20 Team, which won gold in 2010.
The left-handed rearguard spent most of his career in the American Hockey League, where he notched 252 points (57g, 195a) in 476 career games. He played his first five of 11 seasons in the AHL with the Providence Bruins before seeing time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, San Antonio Rampage, Colorado Eagles, and Chicago Wolves.
Warsofsky’s best season came in 2016-17, when he scored 47 points (16g, 31a) in 58 games with the Baby Pens and had one assist in 7 games with Pittsburgh.
Toward the end of his career, Warsofsky was a member of the US National Team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where he was an assistant captain.
“He understands and sees the game very well and is familiar with the Stingrays organization and our expectations on and off the ice,” Concannon added.
The Stingrays are coming off a dominant 2024-25 season, during which they were the best team in the AHL. They were upset, however, in Game 7 of the South Division Semifinals by the Orlando Solar Bears.
The Stingrays’ 2025-26 season begins on October 18 against the Norfolk Admirals.
