Since mid-September, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, affiliate of the Chicago Wolves and Carolina Hurricanes, have signed four players to their roster for the 2020-21 season.
Evan Weninger
Back on September 16th, the Swamp Rabbits announced the signing of Canadian goaltender Evan Weninger. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season.
Weninger, 24-years-old, has only only seen so much ECHL action since joining the league back in 2018-19. Doing so with the Florida Everblades, Weninger only played in one game, which saw him record a .963 save percentage. Following his tenure at Hertz Arena, he would join the Stingrays, but did not play any games.
During the 2019-20 season, Evan played with three different teams, two of which were in the ECHL. Looking at the season’s beginning, he played in two games with the Allen Americans before joining Wichita where he would play another 12.
Before all sports came to a halt due to COVID-19, the Canadian spent some time in Norway and played seven games for the Manglerud Star. As such, he would end the shortened season with a .921 save percentage.
Chris Carlisle
On Friday September 25th, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits announced the signing of American defensemen Chris Carlisle. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. The 25-year-old has seen time at different levels, including the OHL, AHL and ECHL.
Carlisle played four seasons with the Oshawa Generals from 2011-2015. During his last season with the team, the lefty tallied his career high of 44 points during the regular season. He even made the postseason in three of his years as a General.
From 2015-2017, Carlisle played for the Binghamton Senators after signing in the AHL. During the 2015-16 season, Carlisle played in 65 games where he recorded four goals along with eight assists. That made for a total of 12 points.
Previously, the 5’10 defensemen has played for two other ECHL teams. In 2015, Chris played two games with Evansville, now known as the Jacksonville Icemen. In these two games, Carlisle racked up two assists.
Carlisle spent 2018-19 playing 44 games with the Manchester Monarchs. There, he tallied 22 points before joining Grand Rapids in the AHL. Carlisle returned to the Monarchs after only two games with the Griffins hockey club. Upon his return, he helped his team in the playoffs, as he tallied seven points through 11 games played.
Brendan Connolly
On Monday October 12th, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits announced the signing of Canadian forward Brendan Connolly. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season.
Connolly last played for Greenville when the team was still known as the Greenville Road Warriors. That was in 2010 where he would remain until 2013. Prior to making the jump pro, Connolly played collegiate hockey with the Ferris State Bulldogs in the NCAA. He did so from 2005-2009 before joining Elmira, a former ECHL team.
During his time at Ferris State, Connolly tallied 81 points through his four-year tenure and 147 games. His college high was when he racked up 10 goals along with 18 assists which made for 28 points. That was during his senior season back in 2008-2009.
During the centremen’s first as a Road Warrior, he played in 42 games in 2010-2011. Within these games, he tallied 50 points, recording 22 goals along with 28 assists. For three games, he was loaned to Adirondack, then known as the Phantoms, but didn’t tally any points.
During his second season with Greenville, Connolly skated in 40 games, tallying 56 points on 24 goals and 32 assists. While the Road Warriors appeared in three playoff games, Connolly recorded one goal along with one assist before the team was eliminated.
The last time he wore a Road Warrior jersey on the ice was during the 2012-2013 season. That year, he played in 65 games, tallying 60 points before a five-game playoff run.
Bryce Reddick
On Wednesday October 14th, the Swamp Rabbits announced the signing of Canadian defensemen and rookie Bryce Reddick. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season.
Bryce comes from a line of hockey players, being the son of Pokey Reddick and nephew of Smokey Reddick. Now 31-years-old, Reddick has had some experience with Vegas and Idaho in the ECHL. This was before playing overseas from 2014 until all sports were suspended.
During the 2012-2013 season, Bryce played one game with the Wranglers before joining the Steelheads where he would play 29 games. There, he recorded six points, having scored two goals along with four assists. This included a +1 differential.
Las Vegas signed Reddick again just prior to the 2013-14 season. There, he would rack up one goal along with two assists in 26 games. During his six-year run overseas, every team that Reddick played for clinched a spot in the playoffs, with the exception of Cardiff. This was due to the early end of the regular season due to COVID-19.