A Familiar Family Connection
Ryan Sandelin, a 27-year-old forward, has agreed to a contract with the South Carolina Stingrays for the 2026-27 season, bringing a blend of AHL experience and collegiate pedigree to the franchise.
The move follows two seasons with the Iowa Wild, where he tallied 24 points across 58 games, and a brief stint with the Colorado Eagles at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign, before short-term appearances for the Utah Grizzlies and additional AHL time with the Iowa Heartlanders.
Sandelin’s professional trajectory includes a standout collegiate career at Minnesota State-Mankato, where the Mavericks captured back-to-back CCHA titles during his junior and senior years, and he capped his university stint with a career-high 34 points.
His father, Scott Sandelin, a former NHL player drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1982, now serves as head coach at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, adding a familial link to collegiate hockey that could influence the younger Sandelin’s development.
The Stingrays hope the forward’s depth scoring and versatility will bolster a roster that has been reshaped ahead of the new season, as the team looks to contend within the ECHL’s competitive Atlantic division.