ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning, announced today the club has agreed to terms with veteran defenseman Jack Dougherty on a contract for the 2026-27 season.
Dougherty, 30, returns to the Bears after appearing in 19 games for the purple and orange during the 2022-23 season. He recorded seven points (1g-6a) and 16 penalty minutes in those games to earn a contract with the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League. Since then, the St. Paul, MN native has played the last three seasons in Europe, most recently with the Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL, where he tallied 15 points (2g-13a), 18 penalty minutes, and a plus-24 rating during the 2025-26 season.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound rearguard brings 11 seasons of professional experience to Orlando, playing in games across the American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL, DEL, ICEHL, and EIHL. Since turning pro in 2016, Dougherty has established himself as a reliable defensive defenseman, appearing in 364 professional games.
Prior to his pro career, Dougherty was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round, 51st overall, in the 2014 NHL Draft out of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP), where he was a gold medalist at the 2014 Under-18 World Junior Championship.
He committed to University of Wisconsin and played 33 games for the Badgers during the 2014-15 season. accumulating nine points (2g-7a). He spent the 2015-16 season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) before going pro following the conclusion of the 2015-16 junior hockey season.
Solar Bears 2026 Preseason Roster:
FORWARDS: Camaryn Baber, Tyler Bird, Connor Eddy, Brendan Harris, Massimo Lombardi, Aaron Luchuk, Keegan McMullen, John Parker-Jones, Kobe Walker, Luciano Wilson
DEFENSEMEN: Jarod Crespo, Jack Dougherty, Tony Follmer, Dustin Geregach, Colton Kammerer, Kade Landry, Xavier Lapointe, Ethan Szmagaj
GOALTENDER: Ryan Bednard
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