ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) have recalled defenseman Chris Harpur and forward Reece Newkirk from loan to the Orlando Solar Bears.
Harpur, 29, has appeared in 14 games this season with Orlando, posting three assists and a minus-2 rating. In 168 ECHL games, the Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario native has scored 36 points (7g-29a) and earned 134 penalty minutes. In 47 career games with the Crunch over three seasons, Harpur tallied nine assists and 24 penalty minutes. Harpur was signed to a one-year, AHL contract with Syracuse in June of 2025.
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound defenseman earned 58 points (10g-48a) in 161 games over five seasons at Niagara University. He set the program record for most games played in school history (161), while captaining the roster during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 season.
Newkirk, 25, is the Solar Bears leading scorer during the 2025-26 season, with 51 points (19g-32a) in 52 games and is tied for sixth in ECHL scoring.
The Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan native signed a one-year AHL contract with Syracuse in September.
In total, Newkirk has appeared in 177 ECHL games over four seasons, scoring 147 points (63g-84a) with Worcester, Florida, and Orlando. Newkirk also has 68 AHL games over four seasons with Bridgeport, Springfield, and Syracuse, scoring 16 points (3g-13a).
Prior to his professional career, the 6-foot, 179-pound forward played four seasons of junior hockey for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (WHL) scoring 162 points (69g-93a) in 205 career games.
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