Stingrays agree to terms with Nuttle, Davidson

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - The South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, have agreed to terms with defenseman Matt Nuttle and forward Scott Davidson for the 2019-20 season.

Nuttle returns to South Carolina after joining the club late last year and appearing in seven total games in the regular season and Kelly Cup Playoffs, while Davidson recently finished his collegiate career at Quinnipiac University and was part of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers during their run to a Calder Cup championship this spring. 

During a four-year career at Cornell University, Nuttle helped lead the Big Red to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The 23-year-old served as an alternate captain during 2018-19 and totaled 105 games with 38 points (8g-30a) as well as a +18 rating in his career.

The native of Marilla, New York scored 19 points (4g-15a) in 36 games on the back end with Cornell last season. At the conclusion of the year, he was named the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Best Defensive Defenseman and was also selected for the ECAC’s All-Tournament Team during the postseason.

In 2017-18, Nuttle helped lead Cornell to an ECAC regular-season championship while playing in 33 games and accounting for 12 points (2g-10a). He was a major part of a defensive unit that led the nation with a 1.58 goals-against average, the eighth-lowest in NCAA Division I history. Nuttle also tied for second in the nation with a +23 rating and was only on the ice for six even-strength goals against all year.

Before college, Nuttle spent the 2014-15 season in the United States Hockey League and won the Clark Cup championship with the Sioux Falls Stampede. He also played 27 games with the USHL’s Bloomington Thunder. The year prior, Nuttle suited up for the Wenatchee Wild of the North American Hockey League.

Davidson, 24, signed with Charlotte on April 10 after his final season at Quinnipiac came to an end. Although he never played in a game, the forward stayed with the Checkers all the way through their run to a Calder Cup Championship this spring.The native of Trail, British Columbia finished with 41 points (15g-26a) in 154 games during four years at Quinnipiac. He also served as an alternate captain both as a junior and a senior the past two seasons.Davidson also experienced a run to a championship game as a freshman at Quinnipiac when the Bobcats made it all the way to the finals of the Frozen Four in 2016. That season, he led all freshmen in goals with nine and finished with 15 points along with a +16 rating while helping his team earn an ECAC title on their playoff run.