On Monday November 9th, the South Carolina Stingrays announced the signing of American defenseman Zach Malatesta. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season.
Malatesta joins the Stingrays hockey club after spending three seasons with the Atlanta Gladiators. He joined them in 2017 and had signed for this season until they opted out of play. The 2020-21 season will Malatesta’s fourth of professional hockey.
With Atlanta in 2019-20, the defensemen would score 14 goals along with 20 assists while also serving as an alternate captain. That made for 34 points, which Malatesta recorded in 60 games played. In 168 career games, Malatesta has recorded 20 goals along with 47 assists which made for 67 points.
In a statement from the left-handed shooter, he said upon signing his contract on Monday, “While I was playing in Atlanta I had the chance to go up against the Stingrays a number of times and I always respected the team they had. I’m definitely excited to be on the other side of things now with the amount of success South Carolina has had over the years. I think we’re going to bring back a lot of the same players from last year so I’m definitely excited to get things underway soon.”
Malatesta won’t be a stranger to the team though, as he is good friends with Stingrays forward Cam Askew. The two were teammates in junior hockey with the Moncton Wildcats in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During his time in juniors, Malatesta recorded 25 goals along with 67 assists which made for 92 points. He did so in 191 games.
The Stingrays hope to see Malatesta continue to grow on his game and contribute in a top-four defensemen role. The hockey club will open their season on December 11th against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Puck drop at the North Charleston Coliseum is scheduled for 7:05pmET.