Three Stars Of The ECHL: Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Bretton Cameron

Cameron played for the Swamp Rabbits from 2011-2018. Clearly, always a leader for Greenville both on and off the ice, I can’t think of a much better leader than the Canadian right-winger himself. He was a thrill to watch as well. Always sticking up for teammates while able to produce, Cameron never failed to impress.

Cameron was always a crowd favourite, tallying six goals along with 17 assists for 23 points in 30 games played. He did so in 2011-2012. He followed this up in 2012-13 with 25 points recorded through a total of 43 games played.

Texas Stars/American Hockey League

He also saw 21 games with the Texas Stars. There, he produced one goal along with four assists for a total of five points. Promoted the following year to assistant captain and captain for his last four seasons, I’d put the naive of Alberta #3 on my list. Cameron also helped with player development for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

Davis Payne

Drafted in the seventh round, 140th overall by the Edmonton Oilers, Payne was a gritty right-winger who also was able to produce offensively. Playing for the Grrrowl in the ’98-’99 and ’99-2000 seasons, the Ontario native comes in at #2. Having played 43 games in 1998-1999, Payne produced 19 goals along with 20 assists for 39 points.

During the 1999-2000 season, he improved to score 22 goals along with 25 assists for 47 points. He did so in only 48 games. Payne was always a leader on and off the ice who wasn’t afraid to scrap. He also stood up for his teammates whenever it was needed.

Payne saw stints in the AHL and the NHL with the Bruins organization. He played with the Providence Bruins in 1994-95 where he tallied one goal. Remaining there the following season, Payne skated in 51 games, scoring 17 goals along with 22 assists. He did so for 33 points.

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He also played seven games in the NHL in ’95-’96. In 1996-97, he started the season in Providence, scoring 18 goals along with 15 assists. This made for a total of 33 points. He also added one assist in 15 games with the Boston Bruins.

He also played in the IHL in 1997-1998. He skated in 59 games, scoring 15 goals along with 10 assists. He did so for 25 points. He saw the season’s end with the Providence Bruins where he skated in three games.

Payne was later named assistant coach before becoming head coach for the Pee Dee Pride. He served as the team’s head coach from 2001-2003. In 2003, he was named as head coach of the Alaska Aces where he stayed until 2007.

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He was also the assistant coach of the Peoria Rivermen in 2007-2008. Payne then became the head coach in 2008-09 and part go 2009-10. This was before he was appointed to the vacant position for the season’s remainder. He would hold on to his duties as bench boss until the conclusion of 2011-2012.

In 2012-13, Payne saw his first NHL job as assistant coach for the L.A. Kings. He remained with the team at Staples Center until the conclusion 2016-17. During the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Payne transitioned from Los Angeles to assistant coach of the Buffalo Sabres. He was most recently the assist coach of the Ottawa Senators in 2019-20.

Colin Pepperall

Spanning 319 games for between 1998-2004 with Greenville, Pepperall scored 101 goals along with 150 assists for 251 points. He also won the Kelly Cup while playing with the Grrrowl in 2001-2002. Colin holds the franchise record for most points recorded in the hockey club’s history. Pepperall was an outstanding leader and also such a thrill to watch.