NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The South Carolina Stingrays, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears, have announced today that forwards Tyler Kopff and Ludwig Persson have been re-assigned to the club from Hershey by Washington and forward Jalen Luypen has been loaned by Hershey to South Carolina.

Kopff, 23, was acquired by Washington in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on July 13 in exchange for forward Zac Funk. A native of Ridgewood, NJ, Kopff is in his second full season of professional hockey after skating in 40 games between the Rochester Americans and Jacksonville Icemen last season. In 30 games with Rochester, Kopff tallied five points (1g, 4a) while notching six points (2g, 4a) in 10 games with Jacksonville.

The 6-foot-4, 225 pound forward broke into professional hockey at the end of the 2024-25 season making six appearances for the Americans, adding an assist, following two seasons with NCAA Division I Brown University. Kopff skated in 62 games in his two years at Brown, logging 46 points (15g, 31a). He was an All-Ivy League First Team and an ECAC Third All-Star Team selection during the 2024-25 campaign.

A native of Göteborg, Sweden, Persson returns to South Carolina after spending a majority of last season with the Stingrays. In 41 games last year, Persson recorded 23 points (9g, 14a) with South Carolina. He also made seven appearances with Hershey, tallying an assist.

Drafted by Washington in the 3rd round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Persson skated in one contest for Hershey at the end of the 2024-25 season after playing in 52 games with Jukurit of Liiga (Finland-1), recording 16 points (4g, 12a). During the 2023-24 season, the 6-foot, 195 pound forward had a team-leading 55 points (10g, 45a) in 48 games for IPK of Mestis (Finland-2), where he was named the league’s Best Forward.

Luypen enters his fourth full season of professional hockey after he re-signed with the Bears on June 23. The Kelowna, British Columbia native skated in 35 games with South Carolina last year striking for 37 points (14g, 23a). He also signed professional tryout contracts (PTOs) with the Tucson Roadrunners and Hershey last season before signing an American Hockey League deal with the Bears. In 24 games between Hershey and Tucson, the 5-foot-10, 171 pound forward had seven points (5g, 2a).

Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Luypen began his professional career with the Rockford IceHogs. In his AHL career, Luypen has 41 points (17g, 24a) in 144 games while registering 40 points (15g, 25a) in 40 games in the ECHL.

The schedule and roster for the 2026 South Carolina Stingrays Training Camp, presented by Ethos Athletic Club, will be announced at a later date.

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The Stingrays return to the North Charleston Coliseum for Opening Night, presented by MUSC Health, on Saturday, October 17th, against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at 6:05 p.m. The full schedule can be viewed on our website here.

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