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.
Upcoming Games
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greensboro Gargoyles
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
New Mexico Goatheads
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trenton Ironhawks
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers