Belleville Senators sign Alexis Gravel, Spencer Kersten to PTO's; Solar Bears sign Goaltending Coach Marc Terriault as Emergency Backup Goaltender

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced Sunday (Jan. 12) goaltender Alexis Gravel and forward Spencer Kersten have signed a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO) with the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). Additionally, the Solar Bears have signed Goaltending and Video Coach Marc Terriault as an Emergency Backup Goaltender.

Gravel, 24, owns a 7-5-4 record in 17 appearances with the Solar Bears this season, with a 2.31 goals against average (GAA) and .933 save percentage (SV%). His 52-save shutout on December 22 vs. South Carolina set a new Solar Bears franchise mark for most saves in a shutout. The Val-des-Sources, Quebec native became the 10th Solar Bears goaltender to be named ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of Dec. 16-22.

In 53 regular season games over three seasons at University of Quebec-Trois-Rivières, the Val-des-Sources, Quebec native posted a 38-11-1 record with eight shutouts. Gravel was a large contributor to his teams’ 2021-22 University Cup Championship. In three games, the 6-foot-3, 218-pound netminder posted a 3-0 record, with a 1.86 GAA and a .950 SV%, earning him the Most Valuable Player award and USports University Cup All-Star Team honors. 

Gravel played five seasons of junior hockey in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Halifax Mooseheads, leading them to the Memorial Cup Tournament during the 2018-19 season. In the tournament, Gravel was named Memorial Cup Most Outstanding Goaltender and placed on the First All-Star Team.  Gravel posted 33 wins during the 2018-19 regular season and recorded the fifth-best save percentage (.913) in all of the QMJHL. 

Internationally, Gravel represented Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament (now Hlinka Gretzky Cup) prior to the 2017-18 season and took home the Gold Medal. 

Kersten, 24, sits second on the Solar Bears in scoring with 31 points (14g-17a) in 38 games this season.

His six playoff goals during the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs 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. 

The Waterloo, Ontario native appeared in 36 games during the 2023-24 season at Bowling Green State University, scoring 16 points (9g-7a). The 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward played at Princeton University from 2019-2023, scoring 38 points (15g-23a) in 93 games, while captaining the 2022-23 team.

During his time at Princeton, Kersten was a three-time Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Academic player.

Prior to his collegiate career, Kersten played junior hockey for three seasons, two of which for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. During the 2018-19 season, Kersten led the Blades in scoring with 60 points (20g-40a) helping Oakville capture the regular season title and added 24 points (12g-12a) in the playoffs leading the Blades to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup awarded to the top Junior A team in Central Canada.

Terriault, 30, joins the Solar Bears as an Emergency Backup Goalie for Sunday afternoon's game against Adirondack. The Montréal, Quebec native played four seasons of college hockey at Saint Mary's University (USports) from 2015-2020. Terriault is in his first season as Goaltending and Video Coach with Orlando. He spent five seasons in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as Goalie Coach of the Moncton Wildcats, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.