ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today they have signed forwards Connor Eddy and Massimo Lombardi to Amateur Tryout Contracts (ATO). Additionally, the Solar Bears have released forward Gustav Müller.
Eddy, 23 completed his fourth college career this season, beginning at Northern Michigan University from 2022-2024 and finishing up at UMass-Lowell from 2024-2026. In 137 career games, the Victoria, British Columbia native scored 41 points (19g-22a) and racked up 132 penalty minutes.
Eddy played his junior hockey for the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). In 104 games over three seasons, Eddy tallied 80 points (34g-46a), with 2021-22 being a breakout season for the 6-foot-1, 216-pound forward, scoring 57 of his 80 career points that season.
Lombardi, 23, completed a four‑year career at Vermont, where he appeared in 112 career games and recorded 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points.
During the 2022–23 season, Lombardi made his collegiate debut and tallied three goals and two assists in 17 games. He followed with a five‑goal, seven‑assist campaign in 2023-24, appearing in 32 games. In 2024-25, he posted career highs with eight goals and 10 assists over 35 games. As a senior in 2025–26, Lombardi added five goals and four assists in 28 games.
Before joining Vermont, Lombardi skated two seasons with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL, where he recorded 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 48 games during 2021-22 and nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 27 games during the 2022-23 season.
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