Stingrays welcome four from Hershey

Just before leaving on their cross-country trip to Alaska, South Carolina coach Jared Bednar welcomed four more players to the Stingrays lineup.

Travis Morin, Tommy Maxwell, Viktor Dovgan and Sasha Pokulok were all assigned to the Stingrays from the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears.

The Stingrays left early Sunday morning for Alaska to play in their only two games of the preseason, which are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

All four players who were assigned from Hershey have played for the Stingrays in the past.

Morin, 24, returns after leading the Stingrays in goals (34), assists (50) and points (84) last season.

Morin led the ECHL with six short-handed goals, and also ranked among the league leaders in goals, assists, points, power-play goals and game-winning goals.

The 2008 ECHL All-Star led South Carolina with 17 points (10g, 7a) in 20 playoff games.

"Travis was arguably our MVP last season," Bednar said. "He played in every situation for us."

Dovgan, 20, returns to the Stingrays after playing last season in Russia where he recorded 10 penalty minutes in 16 games with CSKA Moscow. Dovgan spent the 2006-07 campaign with South Carolina registering 11 points (5g, 6a) and 95 penalty minutes in 56 contests.

The Moscow native was the Capitals' 7th-round pick (209th overall) in the 2005 NHL Draft. This is Pokulok's third stint with the Stingrays. The former first-round draft pick returns after concluding the 2007-08 season with the Stingrays where he collected six assists in 18 playoff games. The 6-5, 230-pound defenseman spent most of last season in Hershey, totaling seven points (1g, 6a) and 43 penalty minutes in 44 contests.

Pokulok, 22, also played five regular season games with South Carolina this past spring, notching six assists.

Pokulok had nine points (3g, 6a) in 16 games with the Stingrays in 2006-07, during his rookie season. Maxwell, 22, begins his second straight season in the Lowcountry after being limited to a combined 18 games in 2007-08 because of a hand injury.

The rugged forward compiled three points and 28 penalty minutes in nine contests with South Carolina before getting recalled to Hershey in November where he produced an assist and 44 penalty minutes in nine games.

The Spokane, Wash., native led the Phoenix Roadrunners and all ECHL rookies with 213 penalty minutes in 2006-07, and added five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 53 contests.

Bednar said the Stingrays might get two or three more players from Hershey before the team's regular season opener on Oct. 18 against Augusta.

"Hershey is still trying to sort out its roster, so there's a chance we could see a few more players," Bednar said.

Reach Andrew Miller at apmiller@postandcourier.com.