Solar Bears Send Six Players to AHL Training Camps

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, are pleased to announce forward Kelly Bent (Texas), forward Carson Focht (Syracuse), forward Alex Frye (Belleville), forward Jesse Jacques (Belleville), forward Spencer Kersten (Belleville) and defenseman Robbie Stucker (Belleville) have been invited to partake in various American Hockey League (AHL) training camps beginning Monday.

Bent, 29, will partake in the Texas Stars training camp, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Bent returns for his second season in purple and orange after leading the Solar Bears and recording a career-high in penalty minutes during the 2023-24 season with 174. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound forward appeared in 62 games last season with Orlando and Wichita, posting seven points (6g-1a). 

Bent has appeared in 137 ECHL games over four seasons with Kansas City, Allen, Wichita and Orlando, scoring 15 points (9g-6a) and recording 428 penalty minutes.

Focht, 24, will stay in the affiliation, participating in Syracuse Crunch’s training camp. Focht joins the Solar Bears for his fifth professional season. The Regina, Saskatchewan native appeared in 43 games last season for the Tulsa Oilers, scoring 22 points (8g-14) and appeared in two American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Henderson Silver Knights.  

 In total, the 6-foot-1, 181-pound forward has appeared in 92 ECHL games over three seasons with Kalamazoo, Florida and Tulsa scoring 46 points (14g-32a) and 74 AHL games over four seasons with Utica, Abbotsford and Henderson scoring 24 points (9g-15a).  

Frye, 25, heads north of the border as one of four Solar Bears who will participate in Belleville Senators training camp, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Frye enters his second full season with the Solar Bears after scoring 34 points (20g-14a) in 67 games during the 2023-24 campaign. 

In 74 career games with Orlando, the 6-foot, 197-pound forward has 40 points (21g-19a). Frye also added five assists in 11 games during the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Jacques, 26, returns to the Solar Bears for a second season after scoring 30 points (11g-19a) in 52 games with Orlando last season and added five points (3g-2a) in 11 playoff games. The Hermantown, MN native was acquired from the Iowa Heartlanders in a trade for defenseman Louka Henault on December 12, 2023.  

 In 81 ECHL games over two seasons, Jacques has 51 points (21g-30a) and 55 penalty minutes.  

Kersten, 24, signed with the Solar Bears in March following the conclusion of his collegiate hockey career. In 10 regular games during the 2023-24 season, Kersten tallied 6 points (4g-2a) and finished second on the team in playoff scoring with nine points (6g-3a) in 11 games. His six playoff goals were second-most in a single-playoff season in Solar Bears history, trailing only Hunter Fejes, who scored seven goals in the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs.  

Stucker, 25, has appeared in 59 ECHL games over two seasons. The St. Paul, Minnesota native began his professional career with the South Carolina Stingrays, scoring seven points (1g-6a) in 10 games during the 2022-23 season. Last season, Stucker played in 49 games with Iowa and Utah, scoring 20 points (0g-20a).  

The Orlando Solar Bears will begin their on-ice training camp festivities on Monday, October 7 at the Orlando Ice Den in Maitland, Florida. The full training camp on-ice schedule will be released to the public at a later date. 

Solar Bears 2024 Preseason Roster:

Forwards: Tyler Bird, Alex Frye, Brayden Low, Spencer Kersten, Tanner Schachle, Aaron Luchuk, Ryan Mahshie, Kohei Sato, Jesse Jacques, Jarrett Lee, Carson Focht, Thomas Belgarde, Anthony Bardaro, Kelly Bent
Defensemen: Chandler Romeo, Robbie Stucker, Avery Winslow, Matt Stief, Ben Carroll, Wyatt Wilson, Jimmy Mazza
Goaltenders: Alexis Gravel