PHOTO VIA ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS FACEBOOK PAGE
The Orlando Solar Bears open their 2026-27 ECHL season on the road Saturday, October 17, then host their home opener the next day at the Kia Center, and both games are against our rivals, the Florida Everblades.
The Solar Bears are entering their 15th ECHL season and their ninth as the ECHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The regular season runs 72 games, 36 at home and 36 on the road, and ends April 11 with a road game at Jacksonville. Training camp opened Friday, October 2, at the AdventHealth Orlando Ice Den in Maitland. The team held a season-opening pep rally there Saturday, October 10. The Solar Bears also played two preseason games at Florida on October 8 and 9.
On the roster, the club has agreed to terms with forward Brennan Saulnier and re-signed forward Andrew Bruder for 2026-27. Tampa Bay also reassigned goaltender Harrison Meneghin to Orlando.
After the opener, the home schedule includes ASL Awareness Night against South Carolina on Saturday, October 24, and Boo With The Bears against Jacksonville on Friday, October 30. The team’s School Day Game against Atlanta is Tuesday, November 3, at 10:30 a.m. The 2026-27 promotional schedule had not been fully announced as of the team’s last release.
Saturday’s season opener is at 7 p.m. at Hertz Arena in Estero, near Fort Myers on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The Solar Bears return home Sunday, October 18, for Opening Night at 5 p.m., billed by the team as “Sunday Funday.”
Full schedule and ticket information is available HERE.
