ECHL: Orlando Solar Bears Announce 2024 Qualifying Offers

On Monday, the Orlando Solar Bears announced the players who received qualifying offers for the 2024-2025 season. Orlando made offers to four players; those four players are: Kelly Bent, Alex Frye, Jesse Jacques, and Jimmy Mazza.

Last season, Bent played 28 games with the Solar Bears after being traded from Wichita on February 10, 2024. In Wichita, Bent played 34 games where he scored four goals and added an assist. When Bent came to Orlando, his presence was immediately felt as he brought his physicality adding two goals in the 28 games played. Prior to last season, Bent played with three other teams in the ECHL, as a majority of it was with the Allen Americans and the Wichita Thunder.

Frye, the native from Clarkstown, MN, played 67 games last year with Orlando in his first full season with the team, as he scored 20 goals, adding 14 assists for 34 points. He played seven games with the Bears in the 2022-2023 season after he finished up college, in which he tallied a goal and five assists. He played four years of college hockey, three of which were at Northern Michigan University from 2020-2023 and the 2019-2020 season at UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage). Throughout his college days, he played 130 games, scoring 59 points (30G,29A).

Jacques was acquired in a trade with the Iowa Heartlanders on December 12th, as he split last season between Iowa and Orlando. Jacques played 52 games last season for Orlando, as well as 22 with Iowa. In those 74 games last season, the 25-year-old forward had 44 points (17G,27A). He also played 11 games with Iowa in the 22-23 season after finishing college up. In those 11 games played, he scored four goals while adding three assists.

Last up is fan favorite Jimmy Mazza. Since joining Orlando in the 22-23 season, Mazza has played all but three games for Orlando. Last season, he played 69 games, scoring seven goals and grabbing 17 assists for 24 points. He is a great enforcer and brings a lot of skill to the ice as a defenseman. Mazza has been in the ECHL since the 2018-2019 season. Before joining Orlando, Mazza played with the Reading Royals at the start of his career until the end of the 19-20 season. He didn’t play in 2020-21 due to Covid, he then played the 21-22 season with the Adirondack Thunder, where he played 71 games scoring a goal, and grabbing five assists.

Orlando has yet to announce any signings, as a few players have elected to go overseas while others are back on the AHL contract.