ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today the club has re-signed defenseman Xavier Lapointe to a contract for the 2026-27 season.
Lapointe, 24, rejoins the Solar Bears after joining the team following the completion of his collegiate career at Rochester Institute of Technology. The 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman recorded two goals and six penalty minutes in eight games with a plus-1 rating.
The Saint-Jerome, Quebec, Canada native appeared in 100 games over four seasons at RIT, scoring 36 points (10g-26a) and tallying 105 penalty minutes.
Prior to his collegiate career, Lapointe starred for the Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL), where he posted 50 points in 58 games and was named SJHL Defenseman of the Year during the 2021-22 season.
Solar Bears 2026 Preseason Roster:
FORWARDS: Camaryn Baber, Tyler Bird, Connor Eddy, Massimo Lombardi, Aaron Luchuk, Keegan McMullen, John Parker-Jones, Kobe Walker, Luciano Wilson
DEFENSEMEN: Jarod Crespo, Tony Follmer, Dustin Geregach, Colton Kammerer, Kade Landry, Xavier Lapointe, Ethan Szmagaj
GOALTENDER: Ryan Bednard
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