Garret Sparks Reassigned to Solar Bears from Springfield

ORLANDO, Fla. — Goaltender Garret Sparks has been reassigned to the Orlando Solar Bears by the Springfield Thunderbirds, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) St. Louis Blues, Solar Bears Head Coach and General Manager Matt Carkner announced today.

Sparks, 29, has appeared in 13 games this season for the Solar Bears, posting a 7-3-3-0 record, with a 3.48 goals against average (GAA) and a .884 save percentage (SV%).

Sparks recorded his 18th career AHL shutout on March 25, making all 21 saves against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pound native of Elmhurst, Illinois spent the 2021-22 season under contract with the Los Angeles Kings, playing the bulk of the time with the Club’s American Hockey League Affiliate, Ontario Reign. He went 5-5-0-0 with a 3.25 goals-against average (GAA) and a .896 save percentage (SV%). 

Sparks was the second Solar Bears player to reach the NHL when he made his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 30th, 2015, blanking the Edmonton Oilers 3-0, becoming the first goaltender in Maple Leafs history to earn a shutout in their NHL debut. Sparks has appeared in 40 NHL games, posting a record of 15-18-2, a 3.06 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.

Sparks was a seventh-round selection (#190 overall) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. 

NEXT HOME GAMES: Orlando welcomes the Jacksonville Icemen back to AdventHealth Rink at Amway Center on Friday, March 31 for 90's Night and Saturday, April 1 for First Responders Appreciation Night. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. on both nights.