The South Carolina Stingrays added 12 players for the 2025-26 season, including eight players loaned by the Hershey Bears and four players released from training camp tryouts. The South Carolina Stingrays are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears.
The loaned players are forwards Alex Gaffney, Kyle Jackson, Landon McCallum and Cam Morrison; defensemen Noah Beck, Jeremie Biakabutuka and Rhett Parsons; and goaltender Ben Kraws. Defenseman Aidan Hreschuk and forwards Josh Prokop and Ryan Sandelin were released from their Hershey training camp tryouts, while defenseman Luke Prokop was released from his Bakersfield Condors tryout.
Hershey Bears loans add experience to South Carolina Stingrays roster
Gaffney enters his first full professional season after skating in two games for Hershey. He recorded 40 points, including 18 goals and 22 assists, in 38 games during his lone season with the University of St. Thomas and totaled 41 points in 100 appearances for Harvard University.
Jackson signed with Hershey on Aug. 26 after recording 44 points in 38 games with the Bloomington Bison and two points in 12 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has 140 points in 158 ECHL games.
McCallum enters his third professional season after producing 43 points in 55 games with the Kansas City Mavericks last season. He added 17 points in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, which tied him for third in postseason scoring, and has 82 points in his ECHL career.
Morrison returns to North America after recording 30 points in 40 games with the Stavanger Oilers of Norway’s EliteHockey Ligaen. He also has 41 points in 123 AHL games and 46 points in 59 ECHL games.
South Carolina Stingrays add three defensemen and a goaltender
Beck split last season between the San Jose Barracuda and Wichita Thunder. He recorded two assists in 13 games with San Jose and 41 points in 44 games with Wichita before being selected to the 2026 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic.
Biakabutuka led the Tulsa Oilers’ defense in scoring last season with 23 points in 43 games. He has 73 points in 151 ECHL games and signed with Hershey on July 20.
Parsons enters his third professional season after recording 13 points and 190 penalty minutes in 115 games with the Cincinnati Cyclones. He also recorded one assist and 47 penalty minutes in eight games with the Toronto Marlies.
Kraws joins South Carolina after signing with Hershey on July 16. He went 16-12-2 with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage with the Idaho Steelheads during the 2025-26 campaign and has a 39-24-7 ECHL record with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
Four released tryout players will report to South Carolina
Hreschuk, Josh Prokop and Sandelin were released from their training camp tryouts with the Hershey Bears and will report to South Carolina. Luke Prokop was released from his training camp tryout with the Bakersfield Condors and will also report to the Stingrays.
The South Carolina Stingrays said the schedule and roster for the 2026 South Carolina Stingrays Training Camp, presented by Ethos Athletic Club, will be announced at a later date. The team’s 2025-26 season begins Saturday, Oct. 18, with a home opener against the Norfolk Admirals at 6:05 p.m.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The South Carolina Stingrays added eight players connected to the Hershey Bears while also bringing in four players released from training camp tryouts. The group includes players with ECHL, AHL, collegiate and international experience, according to the verified transaction and player information.
The Stingrays’ next announced roster and schedule details will come with the release of information for the 2026 South Carolina Stingrays Training Camp. South Carolina will open its 2025-26 season at home against the Norfolk Admirals on Oct. 18.
Source: Original report
