FORMER STINGRAYS DEFENSEMEN JON MCDONALD AND ANDREW PERROTT SERVING AS KEY CONTRIBUTORS FOR THE HERSHEY BEARS IN THE AHL PLAYOFFS

by Owen Gund

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – For several players from the 2024-25 South Carolina Stingrays, hockey season isn't over yet. The Stingrays are proud ECHL affiliates of the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears, and the Bears are currently competing in the second round of the AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs. There are 14 former Stingrays on Hershey's 2025 Calder Cup Playoff roster, including 11 from this year's Stingrays team.

The Bears leaned on some of those players to advance past a formidable Lehigh Valley Phantoms team in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Former Stingrays Hunter Shepard, Clay Stevenson, Nick Leivermann, Jon McDonald, and Andrew Perrott each appeared in at least one game in Hershey's first-round matchup.

McDonald and Perrott patrolled the blue line together as defense partners for the series' final three games, as Hershey staved off elimination twice in games four and five to win the series three games to two.

Hershey Bears Head Coach Todd Nelson was highly complimentary of how McDonald and Perrott played in the series against Lehigh Valley.

"When you look at Jon McDonald, he's an excellent defender," said Nelson. "We use him on the PK, and he eats a lot of pucks. He blocked a lot of shots for us at key moments in the Lehigh Valley series, and we know what we're going to get out of him every night. Andrew joined us after the playoff series he had in South Carolina. We needed some physicality against Lehigh Valley, and he provided that for us. I can't say enough good things about those two players."

"Jon is really easy to play with, and he communicates with everybody on the ice," Perrott added. "He's just a guy who sacrifices his body for the team. He was fearless, blocking so many shots in the Lehigh Valley series. I've honestly never seen so many blocked shots from one person. He's been playing unbelievably for us, and I tip my hat to him."

McDonald and Perrott have similar stories. The two defensemen both joined the Stingrays organization on ECHL contracts before earning their AHL contracts with the Bears. McDonald also spent the entire 2023-24 season with the Stingrays, and both players spent time in South Carolina this season. McDonald feels that the time spent in South Carolina helped both him and Perrott.

"I think Andrew would say the same as me, that playing down in South Carolina with this organization prepares you to come here and step into whatever role you need," McDonald said. "Andrew and I were both in a position this year where we had to come here to Hershey and find a role. With both of us being together down in South Carolina and being up with Hershey now, we got a feel for the organization and the similarities between Hershey and South Carolina. I think he and I were able to jump on the same page here in Hershey because we've been through the same stuff."

In the 2024-25 season, five players on NHL contracts with the Washington Capitals and 13 players on AHL contracts with Hershey saw action in the ECHL with the Stingrays. Jason Fitzsimmons, the Director of Minor League Operations for the Washington Capitals, lives in Charleston and frequently attends Stingrays home games.

There is a healthy level of competition between the players in South Carolina, and the organization recruits players who want to get called up to the AHL. If a player stands out with the Stingrays, regardless of what kind of contract he is on, the Bears will notice. 

"There are always eyes on everybody in our organization," said Nelson. "Jason Fitzsimmons works with us in South Carolina and lives in Charleston, so he's always there watching games, and our player development staff goes there too. A lot of players from South Carolina have earned the right to come up here and play with us in Hershey. It's not just Perrott and McDonald. We had NHL contracted guys like Hofer and Suzdalev playing there this year and they improved too. I think it's just the perfect model for minor league hockey."

According to Stingrays Head Coach Jared Nightingale, one of his biggest goals is to help players improve their game and advance in their careers.

"I look at it through the lens that it's part of our job to help guys get called up," said Nightingale. "We want players to get called up and develop winning habits that don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet. Players want a fair opportunity to work their way up the ladder, and South Carolina, Hershey, and Washington have plenty of examples of that, especially over the last few years."

Nightingale is proud of how McDonald and Perrott grew while they were in South Carolina.

"Jon was coming off an injury when he joined us in November, and I think it was really good for him to play big minutes and be a big part of our team while he was here," said Nightingale. "Andrew came into our training camp in great shape and did a great job for us this season. We saw his role with the Stingrays this year, and he handled it well. His goal was to get back to the American Hockey League, and I'm really happy that he achieved that," he added.

McDonald and Perrott both feel that the strong relationship between South Carolina and Hershey helped them in their careers.

Perrott, 23, skated in South Carolina's first 44 regular-season games this season before signing an AHL contract with Hershey in February. Perrott spent two months with the Bears before returning to the Stingrays for their seven-game first-round playoff series against Orlando. He has skated in three playoff games for Hershey this season, and the Bears have gone 2-1 in those games. Perrott has seen firsthand how much the Bears are invested in South Carolina's players.

"Hershey really takes care of South Carolina," said Perrott. "I met everyone on the Hershey staff before I signed with the Stingrays. No matter what kind of contract you're on down in South Carolina, you meet everyone in the Hershey organization, and they pay attention and take care of you. I think that truly shows in the fact that I got an opportunity to sign an AHL contract in the middle of this year and get called up after starting this season on an ECHL deal. It shows how much they care and how well the system works."

McDonald, 26, signed an ECHL deal with the Stingrays in the 2023 offseason and earned an AHL deal with Hershey that same summer after impressing management at the Washington Capitals Development Camp that July. The shutdown defenseman later had the opportunity to skate in Washington's rookie camp and training camp, as well as Hershey's training camp, before playing in South Carolina for the entire 2023-24 season. He skated in 12 games for the Stingrays this season before the Bears called him up for the rest of the year. He believes his time in South Carolina helped make it as easy as possible for him to make the jump to Hershey because the expectations for players are very similar with both the Stingrays and the Bears.

"The fluidity in this organization from the top down is phenomenal," McDonald shared. "When you go down to South Carolina and you're playing for Coach Nightingale, it's really not that different than when you're up here playing for Coach Nelson. They expect the same things out of you and let you govern yourself a little bit. I think that's important as a professional to know what works best for you and translate that into the team game and how they want to play."

The Hershey Bears continue their best-of-five series against the Charlotte Checkers with game three on Wednesday night at GIANT Center in Hershey. Hershey must win its next three games to advance to the Eastern Conference Final. The Bears are aiming to become the second team in history to win three consecutive AHL championships. They have won their last nine playoff series dating back to the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs.