Stingrays bring back Heinke

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals and the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears, have announced they have signed forward Timothy Heinke for the 2026-27 season.

Heinke, 24, broke into professional hockey with the Stingrays playing in four games at the end of last season after signing with South Carolina on March 26 and now prepares for his first full season of professional hockey.

The Kensington, Connecticut native joined the organization after a four-year collegiate career, last with the College of the Holy Cross. With the Crusaders, Heinke had 35 points (17g-18a) in 77 games, including a career year in 2024-25, setting a career high in goals (12) and points (19).

Heinke transferred to Holy Cross after two seasons at Quinnipiac University, where he helped the Bobcats win the NCAA National Championship in his freshman season in 2022-23.

Prior to his collegiate career, Heinke spent the 2021-22 season with the South Shore Kings of the National Collegiate Development Conference, where he led the NCDC in goals (34) and totaled 49 points in 45 games.