Solar Bears Announce Season-Ending Roster

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced its season-ending roster, submitted to the ECHL. The roster is made up of 12 forwards, six defensemen, and two goaltenders. 

FORWARDS: Darik Angeli [V], Kelly Bent, Tyler Bird [V], Alexandre Fortin [V], Alex Frye, Jesse Jacques, Spencer Kersten [R], Brayden Low [V], Aaron Luchuk [V], Ryan Mahshie [R], Tanner Schachle, Jake Smith

DEFENSEMEN: Ben Carroll, Kurt Gosselin, Chris Harpur [AHL-SYR], Jimmy Mazza, Robbie Stucker, Avery Winslow

GOALTENDERS: Francis Boisvert [R], Brandon Halverson [AHL-SYR] 

KEY: [R] = Rookie for 2024-25 season, [V] = Veteran for 2024-25 season, [AHL-SYR] = signed to an AHL contract with Syracuse for 2024-25 season. 

Season-Ending Rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-Ending Rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2023-24.

Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2024-25 Season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 7.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 22 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player, or to a goaltender who has played more than 180 regular-season games, will retain the rights to that player until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 22. After July 22, if the veteran player or goaltender is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran or goaltender shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 8, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

Keep up to speed with the latest Solar Bears roster moves by following the Offseason Headquarters