On Wednesday December 2nd, the AHL’s Hershey Bears reassigned six players to the Stingrays hockey club for 2020-21. The following players who will join the team’s training camp are goaltender Hunter Shepard, forwards Caleb Herbert and Mason Morelli, as well as defensemen Macoy Erkamps, Tyler Nanne and Will Graber.
The Stingrays roster now features 27 players, including 16 forwards, nine defensemen and two goaltenders.
Shepard kickstarts his pro hockey career after spending four seasons with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Shepard, 24-years-old, played in Minnesota along with forward Jade Miller. During the 2019-20 season, Shepard amassed a record of 22-10-2 in 34 games.
This included a GAA of 2.18, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts. Overall, during his time at UMD, the backstop put together a record of 76-37-5 in 119 games. As such, he would compile 17 shutouts.
Herbert returns to the Stingrays after signing with the team back in 2014. While with the organization, Herbert amassed 29 goals along with 13 assists which made for 42 points. He did so in 57 games. over the course of his career, the 28-year-old has tallied 173 points, scoring 89 goals along with 84 assists. He’s done so in 168 games.
The centreman has also played 113 games in the American Hockey League. He’s done so with the Hershey Bears, Texas Stars, Utica Comets, Colorado Eagles and San Jose Barracuda. Between them, he’s tallied 28 points, scoring 13 goals along with 15 assists.
Morelli, 24-years-old, enters his third full season of professional hockey. In 2019-20, the left-handed shooter signed an AHL contract with the Stockton Heat. There, he amassed eight points, racking up four goals along with four assists. He did so in 31 games. In 40 career AHL contests, Morelli has recorded 12 points, having scored seven goals along with five assists.
Prior to making the jump pro, Morelli spent four seasons playing with the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in the NCAA. In 210 career games, Morelli amassed 77 points, scoring 37 goals along with 40 assists. He also added 111 penalty minutes.
Erkamps joins the Stingrays hockey club after spending two seasons in the American Hockey League. From 2017-2020, he played with the Binghamton Devils, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Brampton Beast and Belleville Senators. Through a combined 117 games, Erkamps has amassed 14 points, scoring only one goal along with 13 assists.
Additionally, in 84 games between the Wheeling Nailers, Wichita Thunder and Brampton, Erkamps has amassed 32 points, racking up seven goals along with 25 assists. Prior to making the jump pro, Erkamps, 25-years-old, spent four seasons playing in the Western Hockey League. He skated with the Lethbridge Hurricanes while serving as captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Graber, 24-years-old, is set to make his debut in the ECHL. He does so after spending four seasons with the Dartmouth Big Green in the NCAA. During his collegiate hockey career, the defensemen recorded 35 goals along with 65 assists which made for 97 points. He did so in 123 games. Additionally, he amassed 25 or more points in three consecutive seasons with the Dartmouth Big Green.
Nanne starts his career in pro hockey after spending three seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. During his collegiate hockey career, the defensemen tallied 37 points, scoring 13 goals along with 24 assists. He did so in 110 games. He was selected back in 2014 by the New York Rangers in the draft’s fifth round.
With preseason games underway, the hockey club’s roster is subject to changes. Players on NHL or AHL contracts can be added to the roster at a later date or time. The Stingrays will open their season on December 11th against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. They’ll do so at North Charleston Coliseum with puck drop slated for 7:05pmET.