5 Stingrays Join Hershey Bears For AHL Training Camp

The Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the South Carolina Stingrays, has recalled four players ahead of the team’s training camp, which begins on Saturday. The following players will report to Hershey: forwards Caleb Herbert and Mason Morelli, as well as defenders Macoy Erkamps and Will Graber.

In addition, Hershey has signed goaltender Alex Dubeau to a professional tryout agreement.

Herbert, 29, returned to the organization this season after spending parts of three years with Hershey and South Carolina from 2014-16. Through 11 games, the forward has registered nine points on four goals and five assists.

The Bloomington, Minn. native had 28 points (19 goals, nine assists) in 42 games during the 2014-15 season with the Rays before adding 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 27 playoff games while on a run to the Kelly Cup Finals.

Herbert has played 113 career AHL games with Hershey, Texas, San Jose, Hartford, Utica and Colorado, scoring 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists). The 6-foot, 200-pound forward was previously named to the ECHL All-Star Game in 2019 as a member of the Utah Grizzlies and completed the 2018-19 campaign by finishing fourth in the ECHL in both goals (32) and points (71) to earn All-ECHL First Team honors.

Morelli, 24, has also posted nine points for the Rays in 11 games this season on four goals and five assists. The third-year pro is coming off a season with 31 AHL appearances with the Stockton Heat during 2019-20 where he scored eight points (four goals, four assists). The 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward also skated in five games with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL, posting seven points (three goals, four assists).

A native of Minot, N.D., Morelli has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 40 career AHL games, all with the Heat under former Stingrays head coach Cail MacLean. Prior to turning pro, the attacker played four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He had a breakout senior year in 2018-19, serving as captain of the Mavericks and scoring 34 points (19 goals, 15 assists) in 36 games. In 120 career NCAA games, Morelli notched 77 points (37 goals, 40 assists) to go along with 111 penalty minutes.

Erkamps, 25, has seen time in eight games with the Rays this season, earning an assist as well as a +5 rating. The defender was previously with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the past two campaigns. In the shortened 2019-20 year, 6-foot, 196-pound defender skated in 36 AHL games as well as three contests with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. The Richmond, British Columbia native has appeared in 117 career AHL games with Binghamton, Belleville, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, collecting 14 points (one goal, 13 assists).

Graber, 24, has been in the lineup for all 11 Stingrays games this season, posting an assist and a +1 rating. The blueliner is in his first pro season after completing a 4-year run at Dartmouth College. In his senior season during 2019-20, the Broomfield, Colo. native finished second on the team in points (27) and goals (11), while ranking third in assists (16). Over his four collegiate seasons, Graber had 97 points (35 goals, 65 assists) in 123 games.

Dubeau, 26, has posted a 4-0-2 record with South Carolina in his first six appearances this season, holding a goals-against average of 3.00. The netminder is in his second professional year after spending the 2019-20 season on an AHL contract with the Belleville Senators.

A native of Mascouche, Quebec, Dubeau appeared in three AHL games with Belleville last season and earned a win in his first career AHL start. The majority of Dubeau’s rookie year was spent in the ECHL with the Brampton Beast where he posted a 21-16-2 record in 40 appearances with three shutouts. In over 2,000 minutes of game action, the netminder had a 3.23 goals-against average and a 0.898 save percentage.

South Carolina returns to action next week when they travel to the Sunshine State for a matchup with the Florida Everblades on Friday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.

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