The South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) announced today that former Bemidji State University defenseman Jake Areshenko (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) has signed a professional contract to play out the rest of the 2012-13 season.
The Port Coquitlam, British Columbia native may make his professional debut as early as tonight when the Stingrays host the Gwinnett Gladiators at North Charleston Coliseum for a 7 p.m. opening face off.
Areshenko will play out the remainder of the season with South Carolina, which includes four regular-season games and the possibility of the ECHL playoffs, with the hope of catching on with the organization for the 2013-14 campaign.
Areshenko will wear number five for South Carolina.
The blueliner played in 144 games for Bemidji State, totaling 24 points (4g-20a), which includes four assist in 36 games as a senior. A defensive defenseman, Areshenko was a consistent presence on BSU penalty-kill unit and played a pivotal role in a unit that led the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) snuffing out 84.4 percent of opponent power-play opportunities in 2011-12. He finished his career with 60 penalties and 156 penalty minutes to rank amongst BSU’s top ten in both categories since 1999-2000.
Equally as talented in the classroom, Areshenko is a three-time Academic All-WCHA selection, a three-time recipient of the WCHA Scholar Athlete award and was named to the 2010 College Hockey America (CHA) All-Rookie Team.
While at BSU, Areshenko and his fellow seniors helped lead the Beavers to an overall record of 91-78-20, a CHA championship, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a trip to the WCHA/Red Baron Final Five. He was also a member of the last BSU team to skate in the storied John S. Glas Fieldhouse the first to make its home in Bemidji’s new Sanford Center.
The Stingrays, which are located in Charleston, S.C. currently hold down seventh place in the ECHL’s Eastern Division with an overall record of 35-25-5-3 and has a possibility of making the league playoffs.
Areshenko follows in the footsteps of former teammate Shea Walters (2008-11), who also inked a professional contract with South Carolina following the 2011-12 season. He played eight regular-season games and five playoff contests for the Stingrays racking up a goal and seven assists.
Bemidji State, which finished 6-22-8 overall and posted an 5-16-7 mark in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play to finish 11th in the league, wrapped up the 2012-13 campaign with a trip to No. 2 University of North Dakota for the opening round of the WCHA playoffs.