ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning, announced Monday (Mar. 3) the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) have reassigned forward Jake Chiasson from the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) to the Orlando Solar Bears. Additionally, Belleville has loaned goaltender Michael Simpson to the Orlando Solar Bears
Chiasson, 21, has skated in 12 games with Orlando, scoring two points (2a) and 17 games with Belleville this season. In total, Chiasson has 22 points (9g-13a) in 80 career ECHL games with Fort Wayne and Orlando.
The 6-foot-2, 181-pound forward was acquired by the Ottawa Senators in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2024. Chiasson was selected by the Oilers in the fourth round, 116th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Prior to his professional career, Chiasson played five seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades. In 174 games, Chiasson scored 111 points (40g-71a) and picked up 42 penalty minutes.
Simpson, 21, has appeared in five games this season for the Solar Bears, posting a 3-1-0 record with one shutout, a 2.06 goals against average (GAA), and a .929 save percentage (SV%). In 10 appearances with Belleville, Simpson is 4-3 with a 3.45 GAA and .880 SV%.
Prior to his professional career, Simpson played the 2023-24 season with the Ontario Hockey League Champion London Knights. Simpson is a two-time OHL champion, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup with the Peterborough Petes during the 2022-23 season while earning the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as Playoff Most Valuable Player.
In a corresponding move to the addition of Jon Gillies and the loan of Michael Simpson, the Orlando Solar Bears have released goaltender Ty Taylor.
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