ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced Sunday (Dec. 1) the following transactions.
- The Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) have loaned goaltender Ryan Fanti to the Orlando Solar Bears.
- The Solar Bears have signed veteran defenseman Michael Kim to an ECHL Standard Player Contract (SPC).
- The Solar Bears have signed forward Alex Cohen to an ECHL Standard Player Contract (SPC)
- The Solar Bears have released Emergency Backup Goaltender Caden Sandusky.
Fanti, 25, has appeared in 10 games this season for Orlando, posting a 3-6-1 record, with a 3.52 Goals Against Average (GAA) and a .879 save percentage (SV%).
The former Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog has spent the past three seasons in the Edmonton Oilers organization with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL and Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL. In 51 ECHL games, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native has posted a 24-22-1 record, a 3.25 goals against average (GAA), and a .901 save percentage (SV%). Fanti signed a One-Year, AHL contract with the Crunch in the summer of 2024.
Kim, 29, suits up for his first action of the 2024-25 season, after appearing in 294 professional games between the AHL and ECHL over the past six seasons. Last season with South Carolina, the 5-foot-11, 201-pound rearguard tallied 35 points (6g-29a) in 67 games.
Prior to his professional career, the Toronto, Ontario native suited up for four seasons at Boston College, winning the Hockey East Regular Season Title twice during his tenure.
Cohen, 26, returns to the ECHL after appearing in 13 games for the Atlanta Gladiators last season. The 6-foot, 192-pound forward has eight points (5g-3a) in 10 games this season for the Macon Mayhem of the SPHL. In total, Cohen has 46 points (20g-26a) in 94 SPHL games over five seasons.
Prior to his professional career, Cohen skated two seasons at Union College, totaling one assist in 15 games.
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