Position, Player Name (Last club, season)
D Craig Minard (Texas Brahmas, 07/08): Minard brought a new, albeit very short, era to ice hockey in Hull. For the first time in a long time the team had lasted a full season and began the pre-season with the signing of what looked like a cracker in 
Minard. Indeed that was right, as Minard proved to be, and is to this day, one of the best all round defencemen to ever ice for the Stingrays, and was most certainly the most offensively gifted defencemen (with possibly the exception of Kevin Young). Unfortunately, after his unbelievable feat of 5 assists in one game against the Bracknell Bees and a brilliant start to the season, Minard made the decision to quit the Rays and rejoin his old team, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. Many criticized this decision, believing that Minard had come across to the UK with the intention to get fit for the next CHL season, where he returned. Since then he has continued to demonstrate his awesome skill going forward and brilliant vision on the ice. On his return to the CHL, where he has spent a total of 7 seasons now, he has played in 160 games, scoring just 11 goals but helping to create 78 goals in 3 seasons with Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, Lubbock Cotton Kings and Texas Brahmas.
04/05: 10GP, 1 goal, 5 assists, 122 PIM
Last season: 42 GP, 2 goals, 21 assists, 47 PIM
D Vladimir Chernenko (Sokol Kiev, 07/08): The big defenceman announced his debut for the Stingrays with an enormous mid ice check on Edinburgh player Miroslav Droppa and, in truth, it was one of the few notable things he did in his 20 game stay with the Rays. Replacing Craig Minard was never going to be an easy task and perhaps that made up the fans minds on the Ukrainian after signing from Kiev. He has since returned to his native Ukraine with Sokol Kiev when he has played in both the Ukrainian, which he has done well in points wise, and the higher standard Belarus League.
04/05: 20GP, 1 goal, 4 assists, 22 PIM
Last season: 30 GP, 5 goals, 36 assists, -PIM
F Evgeny Alipov (ATEK Kiev, 06/07): Any Stingrays follower who says that Alipov is anything other than the Stingrays fans all time favourite is either lying or doesn’t have a clue. A Stingrays legend, who the fans voted player of the year award is now named after. Nothing more need to be said about his time with the Rays as he became a true fan favourite. After his season long stint with the Stingrays he moved on to the Romanian league with HCM Galati where he was coach before moving back to the Ukraine with Dneprovskie Volki, where he scored 5 points in 6 games. He finally brought the curtain down on a 24 year ice hockey career in 2007, a career which had taken him from Kiev, to the Czech Republic, to the IIHF World Championships in 96, back to Kiev, to a year in Hull and a brief stint in Romania, before finishing in his homeland, Ukraine, with over 350 points in over 600 games.
04/05: 33GP, 6 goals, 15 assists, 34 PIM
Last season: N/A
F Andrei Nikolaev (Bar Brovary, 07/08): The Ukrainian spent the first two seasons of the Stingrays existence as a vital member of the team, after joining with seasons experience in both the Russian and Ukrainian top leagues, as Rick Strachan went for the skilful, cheaper European, and more specifically Ukrainian, angle on the team. Nikolaev, who had previously been used as a utility player, was put up front for the Stingrays and impressed throughout his stay recording 63 points in 68 league games in two seasons with the Rays. As the Stingrays moved to the EU citizen only English Premier Ice Hockey League, Nikolaev and other names such as Alipov and Chernenko were ousted, never to return. Despite this they are a big part of the Stingrays history that should never be forgotten. Nikolaev returned to Ukraine, and moved back to defence, where he has spent seasons with Sokol Kiev (Belarus league), Bars Brovary (Ukraine league), ATEK Kiev (Ukraine league) and Berkut Brovary (Ukraine league).
04/05: 34GP, 12 goals, 15 assists, 6 PIM
Last season: 30 GP, 6 goals, 19 assists, -PIM
F Scott Wray (Rocky Mountain Rage, 07/08): Personally, he is the best player to play for the club along 
with Craig Minard. Whilst many despise him for his exploits in quitting the club after Minard, it is clear in my mind that Wray was one of the most exciting players the Stingrays fans have seen at the Hull Arena. As the plaudits reigned in for Minard on defence, the praise up front went to Canadian, Wray. Nicknamed "Wrayzor", he had speed never before seen in a Stingrays jersey and all he attributes that suggested he would be one of the best. Immediately a fan favourite, Wray totalled 17 points in 13 games with the Rays, including a memorable overtime goal in the crossover cup, against EIHL side Coventry Blaze in front of a bumper home crowd. Wray, along with Minard, will forever be remembered as the men who could have brought home the first ever piece of silverware home to the Stingrays. Instead we are left wondering: What if? Wray quit the club for personal reasons on the 8th December 2004 just days after defenceman Minard. Both headed back to the CHL. Wray did return to the UK, with London Racers of the EIHL the following season, where he was most certainly not as successful, in a team that struggled in the top league. Since then he has gone on to record a huge 103 goals and 108 assists in 177 games which he has spent with Amarillo (CHL), Elmira (UHL), Port Huron (UHL) and finally last season with the Rocky Mountain Rage (CHL).
04/05: 13GP, 4 goals, 13 assists, 34 PIM
Last season: 47 GP, 28 goals, 33 assists, 40 PIM
F Tim McKay (Solway Sharks, 07/08): A third line Brit, Tim McKay impressed fans with his speed along with a couple of goals in Cup play, whilst also adding 2 goals in the league. His speed was his most impressive asset in his short spell with the Stingrays, where he came and went without too much fuss. He came in and did a good job but did not return for the Rays EPL campaign instead returning to Scotland. In Scotland he signed for the Solway Sharks, where he originally signed from in 04/05, and has since put up decent numbers in the Scottish National League. Last season recording 8 goals and 13 assists in 21 games.
04/05: 9GP, 2 goals, 0 assists, 0 PIM
Last season: 21 GP, 8 goals, 13 assists, 26 PIM
F Dave Pyatt (Hull Stingrays, 04/05): Dave Pyatt was a player that many Hull fans had seen develop in the final few deep and dark times of the Hull Thunder, where the bulldog spirit of the British players (who had been left in the lurch by the owners who refused to pay players) was work 110%, usually against teams with full import talent. He continued this trait after stepping up for his first full season with the Rays in 2004/05. Much of the time he played 3rd line centre on a line of British players who worked hard defensively to shut down other sides and concede as few goals as possible. Pyatt achieved that goal and was a favourite to many fans. After the 04/05 year he took a year out and went travelling before returning to the UK, where he is now a referee.
04/05: 32GP, 1 goal, 1 assist, 6 PIM
Last season: N/A
F Dave Richie (Kingston Jets, 06/07): Richie was brought in as a 10th forward and in an unusual season with limited injuries he received very little ice time, and the ice time he did receive was unfortunately very forgettable. He moved back down to the Kingston Jets in the ENL for his next season before presumably retiring from the semi pro/professional game altogether.
04/05: 27GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 PIM
Last season: N/A
In this four part series I look at what happened to players from the first four seasons of the Excel Hull Stingrays existence and where they are playing their hockey now. NOTE: In each part I will only feature players that played their final season for the Stingrays in the, specific year.
