Stingrays Receive 6 Players From AHL

The Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the South Carolina Stingrays, announced multiple transactions Tuesday, re-assigning five players to SC. The following players will report to the Stingrays: goaltender Parker Milner, forward Cole Ully and defensemen Tariq Hammond, Tommy Hughes and Eddie Wittchow.

In addition, the Charlotte Checkers have released forward Scott Davidson from his professional tryout (PTO). He will also report to Stingrays’ training camp.

The SC roster now features 29 total players including 14 forwards, 11 defenders and four goaltenders. The full list of players can be viewed HERE. Additional players participating in National Hockey League (NHL) or American Hockey League (AHL) training camps can be added to the roster at a later date once assigned.

Milner, 29, returns to South Carolina where he has spent the majority of the past three seasons. The Pittsburgh native was previously named Warrior Hockey/ECHL Goaltender of the Year for his work in 2017-18, posting a 28-7-3 record, goals-against average of 1.86 and .929 save percentage. Last year in 2018-19, Milner suited up for 40 games in a Stingrays’ sweater and earned a GAA of 2.95 along with a .912 save percentage.

The two-time national champion at Boston College has played in 14 games with Hershey over the past two seasons, posting a 6-7-1 record. Milner helped lead the Stingrays to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2017 and is 123-73-11 with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 215 career ECHL games with South Carolina, Missouri, Quad City, and Stockton.

Ully, 24, signed with Hershey on Aug. 12 for the 2018-19 season. Entering his fifth professional season, Ully has 123 games of AHL experience in his career, with 121 of those contests coming with the Texas Stars. Ully was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 5th round of the 2013 NHL Draft and skated with their AHL affiliate for parts of four seasons. His best AHL campaign came in 2016-17 when he scored 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 61 games with Texas.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound native of Calgary, Alberta split time last season with the AHL's Colorado Eagles and the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies. With Utah, Ully tallied 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 38 games. He was named co-winner of the CCM ECHL Player of the Month award in November 2018. That month, he was called up to Colorado, skating in two games.

Prior to turning pro, Ully played with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, earning a spot on the league's First All-Star Team in 2014-15 after collecting 94 points (34 goals, 60 assists) in 69 games. In total, Ully played 256 games with the Blazers, posting 237 points (95 goals, 142 assists).

Hammond, 25, spent the majority of his rookie campaign with the Binghamton Devils in 2018-19, appearing in 43 games and scoring three points (one goal, two assists). The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defender also skated in two games with the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder.

Also a native of Calgary, Alberta, Hammond signed with Hershey on July 18. The defender played four seasons at the University of Denver from 2014-18. Hammond was a member of DU's 2017 NCAA Championship team, playing in all 44 games that season while scoring nine points (three goals, six assists). He served as Denver's captain in 2017-18, helping the team to an NCHC conference title. In total, Hammond played in 125 NCAA games with the Pioneers and scored 26 points (six goals, 20 assists).

Wittchow, 26, has returned to North America for his fourth professional season after playing the 2018-19 year with KooKoo Kouvola in Finland. The blueliner was drafted in the 6th round, 154 overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2011 NHL Draft.

The rugged, 6-4 defenseman spent parts of two seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds from 2016-2018 and posted 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 97 games. The Burnsville, Minnesota native spent four seasons at the University of Wisconsin from 2012-16 and served as the Badgers captain for the 2015-16 campaign. Wittchow also played one USHL season in 2011-12 with the Waterloo Blackhawks and was named to the USHL All-Rookie Team after tallying 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 60 games.

Davidson signed with the Stingrays for the 2019-20 season on July 16. The Trail, British Columbia native began his professional career after four years at Quinnipiac University when he signed with the Checkers April 10. Although he never played in a game, the forward stayed with the Checkers all the way through their run to a Calder Cup Championship this spring.

The 24-year-old finished with 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists) in 154 games during his time at Quinnipiac. Davidson also served as an alternate captain both as a junior and a senior the past two seasons.The 27th season of Stingrays hockey begins in Orlando against the Solar Bears on October 12. The Stingrays will open their home schedule in North Charleston vs. Orlando the following week on Saturday, October 19.

Season tickets are on sale now! For more information or to purchase, contact the Stingrays by phone at 843-744-2248.

Single game tickets for all 2019-20 Stingrays home games are also on sale now via Ticketmaster and the North Charleston Coliseum Box Office.

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