Solar Bears Acquire Forward Kelly Bent From Wichita

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, have announced the hockey club has acquired forward Kelly Bent from the Wichita Thunder in exchange for future considerations.

Bent, 29, adds physicality to the Solar Bears lineup, accumulating 327 penalty minutes over four seasons in the ECHL with Kansas City, Allen, and Wichita.

The 6-foot-3, 203-pound forward has appeared in 34 games with the Thunder this season, scoring five points (4g-1a) and logging 73 penalty minutes. 

During the 2022-23 season, Bent logged a professional career-high 125 penalty minutes in 43 games. 

Prior to his professional career, the Halifax, Nova Scotia native played USports at Dalhousie University from 2016-2020, scoring 26 points (10g-16a) in 116 games. Bent also played major junior hockey from 2012-2016 for Prince Edward Island, Gatineau, Saint John, and Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), scoring 36 points (13g-23a) and racking up 522 penalty minutes in 215 regular season games.

During the 2015-16 season, Bent was the QMJHL’s most penalized player with 150 minutes in penalties.