GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, led by head coach Kevin Kerr and assistant coach Kahlil Thomas, have released the 2019 Protected List. The list contains players whose rights are retained by the team until the submission of the Season Ending Roster on June 15, 2019. Any player not on the protected list that finished the season with the team would immediately become an Unrestricted Free Agent. Additionally, any future considerations trades must be completed between now and the release of the Season Ending Roster.
Any team can protect as many players as they would like, pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA), as long as they meet the following qualifications:
1. The player signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) in 2018–19 with the team, and has not been traded or released.
2. The player signed an SPC in 2018–19, and was recalled to an NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released.
3. The player had received a Qualifying Offer last summer for the current season, did not sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released.
4. The player has not been suspended by the team or league, and has not been traded or released.
5. The player signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2018–19 regular season, and then subsequently signed an NHL or AHL contract, and has not been traded or released.
6. The player has executed the ECHL retirement form, and has not been traded or released.
Below is the Protected List for the Swamp Rabbits.
| Player | Position | Contract | Veteran/Rookie |
| Garrett Bartus | G | ECHL | N/A |
| Kyle Hayton | G | ECHL | Rookie |
| Clint Lewis | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Luke Ripley | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Jake Bolton | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Chad Duchesne | D | ECHL | N/A |
| J.C. Brassard | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Adam Larkin | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Dan Milan | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Trevor Owens | D | ECHL | N/A |
| Matt Prapavessis | D | Qualifying | N/A |
| Kamerin Nault | F | ECHL | Rookie |
| Daniel Perez | F | ECHL | Rookie |
| Stephen Pierog | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Dylan Vander Esch | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Michael Pelech | F | ECHL | Veteran |
| Danny Elser | F | ECHL | Rookie |
| Austen Brassard | F | ECHL | Veteran |
| Zach Franko | F | ECHL | Rookie |
| Tyler Bird | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Brendan Harms | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Thomas Ebbing | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Erik Robichaud | F | ECHL | Rookie |
| Chris Izmirlian | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Johno May | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Travis Howe | F | ECHL | N/A |
| Evan Jasper | F | Qualifying | N/A |
| Allan McPherson | F | Qualifying | N/A |
Stay tuned to SwampRabbits.com, and follow the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest information throughout the offseason.
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