The Bruins have some new friends.
General manager Peter Chiarelli announced Wednesday that the club has entered into an affiliation relationship with the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). That means the B's will now be able to designate players within their development system for assignment to the Stingrays during the 2012-13 season.
The Stingrays, who are the first professional ice hockey team established in South Carolina, were most recently the Washington Capitals' ECHL affiliate. The Reading Royals had been Boston's ECHL affiliate for the past three seasons.
