ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today the Lightning have reassigned forwards Cooper Flinton, Niko Huuhtanen (HOO-tin-in), and Milo Roelens to the Orlando Solar Bears from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Flinton, 22, joins the Solar Bears after appearing in 10 games for the Crunch this season. The Auburn, New Hampshire native tallied one goal and seven penalty minutes with a plus-2 rating. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward has appeared in 14 AHL games over two seasons, scoring two goals and picking up nine penalty minutes.
Prior to his professional career, Flinton played three seasons of college hockey at Dartmouth College. During the 2024-25 season, Flinton put up 24 points (11g-13a) earning All-Ivy League Second Team honors.
Flinton was drafted by the Lightning in the seventh round, 211th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft.
His Father, Eric, played 90 games for the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL from 1995-1998, and was a former captain of the University of New Hampshire Men’s Ice Hockey Team.
Huuhtanen, 22, has skated in five games for the Crunch this season, scoring three assists, along with 10 penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating. The Helsinki, Finland native has appeared in 56 games for the Crunch over two seasons, tallying 23 points (8g-15a).
Huuhtanen played in the Finnish Liiga from 2022-24 and earned Rookie of the Year honors for the 2022-23 season when he led all rookies in goals (17) and points (30) while playing for Jukurit.
Prior to his professional career, Huuhtanen played one season of junior hockey in North America, starring for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He finished the season with 77 points (37g-40a), leading the WHL in Rookie goal scoring.
Roelens, 22, is tied for the team lead with six goals and second on the team with nine points this season. The Roeselare, Belgium native has appeared in 27 games over two seasons with Orlando, scoring 12 points (7g-5a). The 6-foot-7, 217-pound forward has also skated 36 games over the same span with Syracuse, posting eight points (6g-2a).
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