The South Carolina Stingrays, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears, announced today that the following players have been loaned by the Hershey Bears to South Carolina Stingrays:
- Forwards: Alex Gaffney, Kyle Jackson, Landon McCallum, Cam Morrison
- Defensemen: Noah Beck, Jeremie Biakabutuka, Rhett Parsons
- Goaltender: Ben Kraws
In addition, defenseman Aidan Hreschuk and forwards Josh Prokop and Ryan Sandelin have been released from their training camp tryouts with the Hershey Bears and will report to South Carolina. Defenseman Luke Prokop has also been released from his training camp tryout with the Bakersfield Condors and will report to the Stingrays.
Gaffney, 24, enters his first full season of professional hockey after he signed with Hershey at the end of last year, skating in two games. A native of West Orange, NJ, Gaffney finished a five-year collegiate career, last with the University of St. Thomas. In his lone season with the Tommies, the 5-foot-9, 177 pound forward had 40 points (18g, 22a) in 38 games. He transferred to St. Thomas after four seasons at Harvard University, making 100 appearances for the Crimson, tallying 41 points (22g, 19a).
Jackson, a native of Ottawa, Ontario, comes to South Carolina after signing with the Bears on August 26. The 23-year-old spent last season between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Bloomington Bison. Across 38 games with the Bison, Jackson struck for 44 points (17g, 17a) while adding two points (1g, 1a) in 12 games with Hartford. Drafted by the Seattle Kraken in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Jackson turned pro in 2023-24 with the Kansas City Mavericks, tallying 44 points (14g, 30a) in 53 games. A year later, the 6-foot-3, 190 pound forward skated in 67 games with the Wheeling Nailers and made two appearances with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, totalling 52 points (27g, 25a). In his ECHL career, Jackson has accrued 140 points (58g, 82a) in 158 games.
A native of Delhi, Ontario, McCallum enters his third professional season after skating in 120 games with the Kansas City Mavericks over the last two campaigns. With the Mavericks last year, McCallum had 43 points (13g, 30a) in 55 games and also made three appearances with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In the Kelly Cup Playoffs, he finished with 17 points (5g, 12a), which tied him for third most points in the postseason. In his ECHL career, the 5-foot-11, 172 pound forward has 82 points (28g, 54a).
Morrison returns to North America after signing with Hershey on July 14 following a season with the Stavanger Oilers of Norway’s EliteHockey Ligaen where he was teammates with Stingrays forward Zack Andrusiak. With the Oilers, the Aurora, Ontario native produced 30 points (18g, 12a) in 40 games. Prior to his time in Europe, Morrison played for the Kansas City Mavericks during the 2024-25 season after spending the majority of three years in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs and Charlotte Checkers, skating in 123 games tallying 41 points (18g, 23a). The 6-foot-3, 209 pound forward also had two stints with the Florida Everblades during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 season. In his ECHL career, Morrison has 46 points (23g, 23a) in 59 games.
Beck, 25, enters his second full season in professional hockey after splitting time last year between the San Jose Barracuda and Wichita Thunder. He skated in 13 games for San Jose, tallying two assists. With Wichita, the 6-foot-3, 205 pound blueliner striked for 41 points (9g, 32a) in 44 games, which ranked fifth in scoring among rookie defensemen. He was selected to the 2026 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic last season. A native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Beck turned pro out of Arizona State at the end of the 2024-25 season, playing in one game for the Barracuda. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues , Beck had a five-year collegiate career, last with the Sun Devils where he was a NCHC Second All-Star Team selection with 33 points (5g, 28a) in 37 games with a +12 rating. He transferred to Arizona State following four years with Clarkson University, where had 56 points (15g, 41a) in 124 games.
Biakabutuka, a native of Longueuil, Quebec, comes to South Carolina after leading the Tulsa Oilers defenseman last season offensively with 23 points (4g, 19a) in 43 games. The 24-year-old has 73 points in 151 games in the ECHL with Tulsa, the Florida Everblades and Orlando Solar Bears. The 6-foot-3, 203 pound defenseman signed with Hershey on July 20 and has skated in 16 games in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds and San Diego Gulls, adding an assist. Biakabutuka’s uncle, Tim, was a running back at the University of Michigan and was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the eighth overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. He went on to play six seasons with the Panthers.
Parsons enters his third season in professional hockey after making 115 appearances for the Cincinnati Cyclones over the last two seasons and eight for the Toronto Marlies. With the Cyclones, the Cremona, Alberta native logged 13 points (1g, 12a) and 190 penalty minutes. With the Marlies, the 6-foot-3, 223 pound blueliner had one assist and 47 penalty minutes. Before turning pro, the 23-year-old played four seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League where he was an alternate captain for his final two seasons. He accrued 52 points (17g, 35a) and 334 penalty minutes.
Kraws comes to South Carolina after signing with Hershey on July 16. A native of Cranbury, NJ, Kraws spent the majority of the 2025-26 campaign with the Idaho Steelheads, going 16-12-2 with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. In his ECHL career, the 6-foot-5, 194 pound netminder has a 39-24-7 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. He has also made 11 appearances with the Texas Stars going 4-6-0 with a 3.38 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage.
The schedule and roster for the 2026 South Carolina Stingrays Training Camp, presented by Ethos Athletic Club, will be announced at a later date.