Welcome to Offseason Headquarters, where we take a deep dive into the players who suited up for the Solar Bears during the 2025-26 season, and keep you up to speed on their next moves for the upcoming 2026-27 season. 

Here are some important dates ahead for the Solar Bears during the offseason:

Protected List: June 8, 2026 3 p.m. ET 

Teams are allowed to protect as many players as they wish provided the players protected meet the guidelines as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association which state that teams shall retain the rights to each player that: 

1. Signed an SPC in 2025-26 with the Member, and has not been traded or released, OR

2. Signed an SPC in 2025-26, and was recalled to the NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released, OR

3. Had received a Qualifying Offer last summer for the current Season, DID NOT sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released, OR

4. Has been suspended by the Member or League, and has not been traded or released, OR

5. Signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2025-26 Regular Season, then subsequently signed an NHL/AHL contract, and has not been traded or released, OR

6. Has executed the ECHL Retirement Form, and has not been traded or released. 

Protected lists may exceed 20 players.

The ECHL also announced that teams must complete all Future Consideration trades by 3 p.m. ET on June 20 and that teams must submit their Season-Ending Roster by 3 p.m. ET on June 22. 

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players and cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2025-26.

Future Considerations Trade Deadline: June 20, 3 p.m. ET

• All Solar Bears future considerations trades had been settled during the regular season. 

Season-Ending Roster: June 22, 3 p.m. ET

Season-Ending Rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-Ending Rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2025-26.

Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7. Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 7. 

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 22 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season. Any Player who has played in more than 190 professional regular-season games is ineligible to receive a Qualifying Offer.

All regular-season games played in any of the following leagues shall count towards a Player’s Rookie/Veteran and Qualifying Offer status.

2026-27 season contract signing window opens: June 23

Qualifying Offers Due to Players: July 7, 11:59 p.m. ET

Qualifying Offers Acceptance Period Ends: July 22, 11:59 p.m. ET

Restricted Free Agency Ends: August 8

Below you will find the players that suited up for the Solar Bears during the 2025-26 season, players that received qualifying offers for the 2025-26 season, and rights to players acquired in future considerations trades, and what their contract status is for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

ECHL Contracts:

AHL Contracts: 

NHL Contracts:

Key: [R] = Rookie for 2026-27 season, [V] = Veteran for 2026-27 season, * = Placed on Team Suspension during 2025-26 season to maintain ECHL playing rights, QO = Qualifying Offer was made to player for 2025-26 season, ELC = Entry Level Contract, UFA = Unrestricted Free Agent, RFA = Restricted Free Agent

Veteran Player Status: A veteran shall mean a player, other than a goaltender, who has played in at least 260 regular season games of professional hockey prior to the start of the current Season. Provided however, any player signed to a NHL or AHL contract which contains an ECHL assignment provision shall be exempt from the foregoing rule. Notwithstanding the above, any player assigned to an ECHL member team on a NHL or AHL contract shall be deemed to be a veteran if said player is 24 years or older and has participated in 260 regular-season professional hockey games as of the opening day of the season of said year.

Under the ECHL's veteran rule, any player (excluding goaltenders) who has played at least 260 regular-season professional games counts as a veteran. Games that count toward this 260-game threshold include those played in the following leagues:

North American Professional Leagues:

• National Hockey League (NHL)
• American Hockey League (AHL)
• ECHL
• Central Hockey League (CHL) – Defunct 
• International Hockey League (IHL) – Defunct 
• United Hockey League (UHL) – Defunct 
• West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) – Defunct 

Elite European Leagues (Top Tier Only):

• Sweden (Svenska Hockeyligan - SHL)
• Russia (Kontinental Hockey League - KHL)
• Finland (Liiga)
• Germany (Deutsche Eishockey Liga - DEL)
• Czech Republic (Extraliga - ELH)
• Switzerland (National League - NL)
• Slovakia (Extraliga)

Rookie Player Status: A rookie is any player who has played less than 25 regular-season games of professional hockey at the "AA" level or higher as of the start of the current season.