ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced rookie forward Thomas Belgarde has agreed to terms on an ECHL Standard Player Contract for the 2024-25 season.
Belgarde, 22, joins the Solar Bears for his second professional season and first in North America. The St-Georges-de-Beauce, Quebec native played for Tours of the second France professional league (Division I) during the 2023-24 season, scoring 26 points (12g-14a) in 26 regular season games.
Prior to his professional career, the 6-foot, 210-pound forward played major junior hockey in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Over four seasons with Chicoutimi, Acadie-Bathurst, and Victoriaville, Belgarde tallied 124 points (58g-66a) in 177 regular season games and added eight points in 21 QMJHL playoff games. In his final season of junior hockey, Belgarde notched career-highs in all scoring categories with 47 points (25g-22a) in 47 games with the Victoriaville Tigres.
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
Defensemen: Chandler Romeo, Robbie Stucker, Avery Winslow, Matt Stief, Ben Carroll, Wyatt Wilson, Jimmy Mazza
Goaltenders: Alexis Gravel
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