The Toledo Walleye re-signed team captain Jared Nightingale today.

The veteran defenseman helped lead Toledo to a record 50-win season.

Nightingale, a 32-year old native of Jackson, Mich., played in 24 games during the regular season and in 14 games in the Kelly Cup playoffs.

Nightingale tallied four points with two goals and two assists in the regular season. He also scored the game-tying goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in South Carolina.

“Jared brings great leadership and experience to our team,” Walleye coach Derek Lalonde said. “He was a big part of establishing our winning and team-first culture last year and will be looked upon to do the same this year.”

Nightingale spent much of last season bouncing between Toledo of the ECHL and five American Hockey League teams. The 6-foot-3 and 205-pound defenseman played for Norfolk, Hartford, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, and Syracuse last year.

Since turning pro in 2006, Nightingale has collected 903 penalty minutes along with 52 points (14 G, 38 A) in 429 games in the American Hockey League.

Nightingale has played in 138 career ECHL contests with 31 points (6 G, 25 A) and 400 penalty minutes. He played college hockey at Michigan State University from 2002-06.

First Published August 26, 2015, 9:33 p.m.