(GREENVILLE, S.C.) – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign, announced prior to Opening Night, presented by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, that veteran defenseman Peter Tischke has been named the ninth captain in franchise history.

Tischke is joined on the leadership group by returning Swamp Rabbits defenseman Jake Murray and veteran forward Mike O’Leary as alternate captains.

Presenting the captains to the Swamp Rabbits and breaking the news to the locker room on Wednesday morning was Swamp Rabbits legend Bretton Cameron, the only player in the 25-year history of Greenville professional hockey to have his number retired. Cameron, who has made a home in Greenville since retiring from hockey in 2018, was a captain of the Road Warriors/Swamp Rabbits for four seasons from 2014 until his retirement. The captains were publicly revealed last night at our annual "Meet the Team" event, hosted by PKL Park.

Tischke earns the first captaincy of his professional career, previously serving as an alternate, most recently with the Jacksonville Icemen. He was signed this offseason to the Swamp Rabbits after playing against the team as a South Division rival for the last three seasons, the most recent pair in Jacksonville. In 2025-26, the 6’1”, 216-pound blueliner suited up 53 times with the Icemen, logging 15 points (3g-12ast), and played an additional four games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, earning an assist.

From Hinsdale, IL, Tischke, 30, enters his eighth season of professional hockey, and his sixth in the ECHL ranks. As an AHLer, he has 82 games and 12 points to his credit with the Americans and Colorado Eagles, and supplements that experience with 202 ECHL contests, where he’s earned 53 points, a +33 rating, and 137 PIM with the Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Utah Grizzlies. Before turning professional, Tischke played four NCAA college hockey campaigns with the University of Wisconsin, captaining the Badgers in his final season. As a Badger, he was named to the Big Ten Honorable Mention All-Star Team twice (2017, 2018), and earned the 2019 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Murray was the first player signed and announced to the Swamp Rabbits this offseason and later earned an AHL contract with the Ontario Reign. The 6’3”, 215-pound blue-liner served as an alternate captain last season and played 64 games in the Upstate, earning 20 points (2g-18ast) and a team-leading +16 rating. Additionally, Murray was called up to the AHL on a PTO twice and played two games: once with the Abbotsford Canucks on November 11^th, and a second time with the Rockford IceHogs on March 4^th.

From Oakville, Ontario, Murray enters his fourth professional season of hockey, split between the AHL’s IceHogs, Canucks, and Texas Stars, and the ECHL’s Swamp Rabbits, Bloomington Bison, Idaho Steelheads, and Cincinnati Cyclones. On pace to celebrate his 200^th game this season, Murray has 21 AHL games to his credit and 164 ECHL games, notching nine goals, 55 assists, and 64 points with a +18 rating in the latter. Before turning professional, Murray spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Kingston Frontenacs and the Guelph Storm, logging 100 points in 257 contests.

O’Leary was signed this offseason to the Swamp Rabbits following a career-year with the Tahoe Knight Monsters. The 6’2”, 200-pound forward racked up a personal best 33 points (12g-21ast) in 65 games in his first full ECHL season in Nevada, matching a career high in goals and setting a new mark in assists. He added another two appearances in the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, falling in the first round to the eventual Kelly Cup runner-up Kansas City Mavericks.

From Halifax, NS, O’Leary, 28, enters his seventh season of professional hockey, of which he’s played 292 career games with 33 goals, 58 assists, and 91 points. More than half of his experience comes in the AHL ranks, playing the vast majority of that time with the Hartford Wolf Pack and also making stops with the Iowa Wild and Milwaukee Admirals, earning 44 points in 188 contests. Previous to his season in Tahoe, O’Leary skated briefly with the Florida Everblades and parts of two seasons with Ilves in Liiga, the top league in Finland, earning a bronze medal in 2025. Before turning professional, O’Leary played four NCAA seasons at Notre Dame, winning two Big Ten Championships and helping the Fighting Irish to the 2018 Frozen Four, and skated one USHL season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, leading the team to a runner-up finish in the Clark Cup Finals in 2016.

The Swamp Rabbits officially begin the 25th season of professional hockey in the Upstate on “Opening Night”, presented by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System on Friday, October 16th. Puck drop is set for 7:05pm at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, with a pre-game part on the Furman Plaza set to kick off the festivities with an “orange carpet” entrance of the 2026-27 Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

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About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits …
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team have been providing family friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.