"We are excited to extend our affiliation with South Carolina for a fifth season," said Capitals Vice President and General Manager George McPhee. "It has been a terrific place for our prospects to play, highlighted by their deep run into the playoffs this spring. We look forward to continued success."

During the 2007-08 campaign, South Carolina received seven players under contract with Washington, including Travis Morin who led the Stingrays and finished third in the ECHL with 84 points.

South Carolina began their affiliation with Washington prior to the 2004-05 season. Since then, four players - goaltenders Maxime Daigneault and Daren Machesney and forwards Jonas Johansson and Joey Tenute - have gone on to dress for the Capitals.

The Stingrays also announced Wednesday that Head Coach Jared Bednar has signed a two-year contract extension and has been named General Manager. In his first season as head coach, Bednar led the Stingrays to a team-record 47 victories, a 12-game win streak, and an appearance in the American Conference Finals.

"I'm looking forward to another year here in Charleston," Bednar said. "After last year's success, I am excited for the season to begin so we can work towards our third Kelly Cup Championship."

Bednar joins Rick Vaive as the only Head Coach and General Manager in Stingrays history, with the latter serving in both capacities from 1995-1998. As general manager, Bednar is responsible for negotiating player contracts as well as controlling the hockey operations budget.

This marks Bednar's 13th season as a member of the Stingrays organization; he previously served as assistant coach for five seasons prior to being named the team's fourth head coach on Apr. 27, 2007. The former defenseman played all or parts of six seasons with South Carolina, winning Kelly Cup Championships in 1997 and 2001.