Jeff Jakaitis, the former South Carolina Stingrays goaltender who holds the second-longest shutout streak in professional hockey history, will be inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame.
The Stingrays announced the selection Oct. 28. Jakaitis will enter as part of the 2027 class alongside Matt Hendricks and Derek Nesbitt, according to Live5News.
Jakaitis spent five of his seven ECHL seasons with the North Charleston-based Stingrays. He is the only three-time winner of the league's Goaltender of the Year award, capturing the honor in 2012, 2014 and 2015. He is one of just four goaltenders named ECHL Most Valuable Player, an award he received in 2015.
"I'm honored to be selected to join such a special group and feel truly lucky to have shared the ice with so many great players and coaches during my time in the league," Jakaitis said in a team statement. "I'm especially grateful for the time I was able to spend with the Stingrays. The ownership, front office, alumni, fans, players, coaches and arena staff truly felt like family and I'm proud to share this honor with them."
During the 2014-15 season, Jakaitis set an ECHL record with four consecutive shutouts and a 321:46 shutout streak. Only Brian Boucher, who posted a 332:01 streak with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes in 2003-04, has gone longer without allowing a goal in professional hockey.
The Stingrays also reached the Kelly Cup Finals that season and won 23 consecutive games.
"We always knew that with JJ in net, we had a chance to win every game," Stingrays President Rob Concannon said. "During our historic 23-game winning streak that season, JJ consistently came up with big saves at critical moments, helping keep the streak alive and giving our team the confidence to believe we could win every night."
The numbers back it up. Jakaitis is tied for the ECHL career record with 25 shutouts, tied for 15th all-time with a 2.36 goals-against average and ranks 18th with 128 career wins. He also played for Columbia, Charlotte and Gwinnett during his ECHL career.
After retiring, Jakaitis stayed connected to the local hockey community. Concannon said Jakaitis mentored young goaltenders through the Charleston Youth Hockey Association.
"Jeff's impact on the Stingrays, the ECHL, and the Charleston hockey community went far beyond his accomplishments as a player," Concannon said.
Jakaitis becomes the seventh former Stingray inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame. He joins David Seitz (2012), Jason Saal (2018), Jared Bednar (2020), Brett Marietti (2022), Brad Dexter (2024) and Jason Fitzsimmons (2024).
The induction ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2027, at the Grove Hotel Ballroom in Boise, Idaho, in conjunction with the 2027 ECHL All-Star Classic.
